Daily Archives: September 12, 2012

Are You Confident in NOAA/NMFS Trawl Surveys?

Are you confident in these government agency’s suedo scientific trawl surveys?

At 2:05.00 Russ Brown, Deputy Science and Resource Director of
the Northeast Regional Science Center gets invited to address Mr. Kendalls
questions by  Dr Chris Legualt. He was also the lead scientist fot the ECO
SYSTEM SURVEY BRANCH, explains why they are using the gear they are using on Bigelow.                                                                                                  

They went through a six year advisory process which included stake holders to get the right gear for surveys,

consulting with industry, the NEFMC, Mid Atlantic FMC, along with key academic stakeholders,

(whoever they are), professors who study fish behavior, and fishing gear, and things like that. Things like that? Fishing gear?

The group then decided what the objective would be, including the protocols to be used on the vessel itself.

He goes on to say,”The Center is conducting an ECO SYSTEM SURVEY.” “A multi specie survey that is not targeting any single specie,

but the objectives of the group was to design a survey to sample a variety of habitats, a variety of species, a variety of sizes within those species,

to really get a picture of what the eco system looks like.

“When you design a survey like that, there are a lot of trade offs you need to make in terms of spatially where you sample,

the types of gear you’re using, etc.”

Trade off’s? In like not collecting the data needed to sample abundance?

http://bore-head007.newsvine.com/_news/2012/06/03/11605085-white-elephant-the-noaa-research-vessel-henry-b-bigelow

http://bore-head007.newsvine.com/_news/2012/06/05/12070592-white-elephant-the-noaa-research-vessel-henry-b-bigelow-part-2-continuous-crisis

http://bore-head007.newsvine.com/_news/2012/06/06/12090660-white-elephant-the-noaa-research-vessel-henry-b-bigelow-part-3-working-group-meeting-revelations

http://bore-head007.newsvine.com/_news/2012/06/09/12124465-white-elephant-the-noaa-research-vessel-henry-b-bigelow-part-4-working-group-meeting-mismanagement-of-the-resource

http://bore-head007.newsvine.com/_news/2012/06/11/12150349-white-elephant-the-noaa-research-vessel-henry-b-bigelow-part-5-the-need-for-change

Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island governors ask Congress for $100 million in fisheries disaster assistance

WASHINGTON — September 12, 2012 — The governors of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island today wrote to Senate and House leadership requesting $100 million in federal disaster assistance contingent upon a federal disaster declaration for New England fisheries from the Department of Commerce.  The text of the letter follows.

http://www.savingseafood.org/images/governors%20disaster%20aid%20sign%20on%20letter%2009_07_12.pdf?utm_source=Governors+ask+Congress+for+%24100+million+in+fisheries+disaster+assistance&utm_campaign=NMFS+rejects+NSC%27s+request&utm_medium=email

Each of us will collaborate with our fishermen and the Department of Commerce to develop a detailed spending plan to address the needs of our individual communities and states

My only question fisherynation is, are YOU being represented?

Three Days left to Comment on Proposed Rule on National Standard 1: Deadline is Sept. 15

September 10, 2012 — A reminder that the deadline for comment on the Proposed Rule on National Standard 1, which was originally scheduled for August 1, has been extended until Sept. 15. There are five days left to comment.

http://www.savingseafood.org/regulations/five-days-left-to-comment-on-proposed-rule-on-national-standard-1-deadline-is-sep-2.html

Fisheries of the United States; National Standard 1 Guidelines  https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/03/2012-10683/fisheries-of-the-united-states-national-standard-1-guidelines

NOAA holds firm on shutdown to protect porpoises. Fishermen insulted by regional administrator Bullards they can sell their quota response.

Bullard rejected the proposed alternative proposed by the coalition, writing that switching to the coalition alternative offered fishermen or the harbor porpoises little to gain.

Moreover, he warned in his letter to Odell, a recent harbor porpoise stock assessment showed the “population has declined,” implying that more radical actions than the “consequence” closure would be expected.  Read more.

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/topstories/x2076994115/NOAA-holds-firm-on-shutdown-to-protect-porpoises

The queer minded catch share advocates have such a disingenuous reply to those effected by a successful MMPA that now has the small gillnet fleet facing extinction. These fishermen should be placed on the Endangered Species list, and protected. This issue galvenizes their demise. The NOAA answer? They can sell their quota. Isn’t that special.

I had reservations about Mr. Bullard, and his endorsement in the press from EDFers, and Gang Green, but thought I could give him the benefit of the doubt. Reading of the meetings along the coast with fishermen and others in the press, along with this decision to follow the NOAA status quo, reaffirms my initial internal reaction. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Like evertything else, the concequence of the MMPA, is the rebuilding of the marine mammal populations to the point they are everywhere in huge abundance. The notion of looking at the ocean as a fish tank like the Boston Aquarium where everything is just so, may be appealing, it is also unrealistic. But then, what view point would be expected of the rose colored glasses wearing econut extremists disingenuous claim to be environmentalists. They are opinionists.

I believe the two fishermen in this article are the true environmentalist, living, and breathing within the ocean environment, trying to survive the consequences of the success of a MMPA that was enacted with no balance benchmarks, that has now become another tool to eradicate fishermen from harvesting our common resource, for us.

ABOLISH CATCH SHARES NOW! BH