Monthly Archives: June 2013
Walmart threatens to stop selling Alaska salmon over that little ENGO sticker? US fisheries are sustainable. Good enough.
Wal-Mart Inc. spokesman Chris Schrader on Thursday … confirmed that Wal-Mart is buying Alaska salmon products only from salmon sectors with specialty MSC certificates, and not from all of the state’s salmon fisheries. continued@adn
Bill could open Bristol Bay along with many other areas in the U.S., to offshore drilling.
A bill making progress through the legislative ladder of the U.S. Congress is garnering some nervous attention in Alaska this month. House Bill 2231 could potentially open up the previously protected waters of Bristol Bay, along with many other areas in the U.S., to offshore drilling. The legislation is called the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act, and was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee earlier this month by a majority vote of 23 to 18. continued@bristolbaytimes
Ashley Blacow Pacific policy and communications manager for Oceana says Fishing nets killing California whales
The United States decided a long time ago to stop commercial whaling; and today people flock to our coast to see whales migrating in our waters. What they may not realize is that these same whales are still caught and killed in fishing nets. Despite important national laws like the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act which prevent the direct commercial slaughter of whales today, our government allows commercial fishermen with drift gillnets to “incidentally” catch, maim, and kill not only whales, but dolphins, seals, and sea lions off the California coast. continued@utsandiego
Adak’s halibut arrives fresh in Boston faster than anywhere else in the state of Alaska
Adak’s halibut arrives fresh in Boston faster than anywhere else in the state of Alaska, according to a small boat fisherman who said it to the East Coast within five days. “Nobody else in the state of Alaska can touch that,” said fisherman Steve Stark. Even with the big Icicle plant’s surprise closure in April, commercial fishing continues on a smaller scale in Adak, according to Stark, captain of the 50-foot fishing boat Sellah which was in Unalaska early this week for supplies and
repairs and halibut fishing in a different quota area. ontinued@dutchharborfisherman
Federal rule could upend states’ shark fin bans.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Several members of Congress representing coastal states are voicing concern about a proposed federal regulation that could pre-empt state bans on buying or selling shark fins. Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman of California is being joined by representatives of New York, Florida and Guam in seeking changes to a proposal they say would take away a state tool to protect shark populations. continued@montereycountyherald
Sad news from Alaska – Sitka Ammonia Leak Victim, Charles “Chuck” Baker, Was Longtime Fisherman
Charles “Chuck” Baker with grandson Steven
A man injured during an ammonia leak aboard a fishing vessel in Sitka has died. Charles “Chuck” Baker, of Auburn, Wash., was aboard the Eigil B. The tender vessel was tied up at Sitka Sound Seafoods at the time of the incident, around 11:15 a.m. Monday. Baker was 82 years old when he died on Tuesday. He was a 60-year veteran of the fishing industry in Alaska, and co-owned the Eigil B with his son, Mike. Reona Baker is his wife. “We met in 1957 on a blind date,” she said Thursday. And for as long as Reona Baker had known her husband, he was around the sea. continued@kcawsitka
Sturgell Fisheries – Company to pay $18,800 in fines, fees for oil spill after the company’s crabbing vessel, F/V Genesis A, ran aground
OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Ecology is fining Sturgell Fisheries $11,500 for spilling nearly 675 gallons of oil into state marine waters on Jan. 25 after the company’s crabbing vessel, Genesis A, ran aground on the Long Beach Peninsula near Leadbetter Point at the entrance to Willapa Bay. [email protected]
Video: Coast Guard rescues 4 fishermen, dog from F/V Ocean Viking southwest of Kodiak, Alaska
A Coast Guard Mh-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak rescues four fishermen and a dog from a life raft 190 miles southwest of Kodiak, Alaska, June 26, 2013. The crew of the 76-foot fishing vessel Ocean Viking, homeported in Shoreline, Wash., abandoned ship when their vessel began taking on water and they could not keep up with it. U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Kodiak. Available in high definition. watch video here photos here
Editorial: Fishery aid package should be among top Markey priorities
To some, the special election victory by Congressman Ed Markey Tuesday leaves Gloucester and Massachusetts fishermen without a definitive voice in the U.S. Senate. Just 3 1/2 years removed from the passing of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy — a truly passionate voice for the state’s and the nation’s fishermen — Elizabeth Warren’s victory over forceful fisheries advocate Scott Brown, and now Markey’s triumph and filling of the seat held by new Secretary of State John Kerry have created a Senate delegation in which fisheries may not have the priority they have had in the past. And these changes are coming at a time when fishermen and fishing communities need that type of advocacy the most. continued@gloucesterdailytimes
Letter: Pew’s ‘overfishing’ mantra doesn’t make it true. Why does he do that? – Carmine Gorga, Gloucester, Ma
Dr. John Crawford (Letters, the Times, Friday, June 20) seems to have a short memory; and he is banking on other people having an equally short memory as well. continued@gloucesterdailytimes
Fish and Future, by Carmine Gorga Read it here
A three-member independent panel tasked with looking at factors affecting lobster prices will begin meetings in July.
Panel members John Hanlon, Gilles Theriault and Lewie Creed will meet with organizations representing fishermen, brokers, buyers and shippers, and processors in Prince Edward Island on July 8, Nova Scotia on July 15, and in New Brunsw
ick at the end of the month. continued@chronicleherald
U.S. Department of Commerce : EDA Investments: Supporting Entrepreneurship and Job Creation (well alrighty then! LMAO!)
• In Alaska, the Bristol Bay Jobs Accelerator Project, representing a consortium of 31 Alaskan tribes, is, with EDA help, working to increase the capacity of the region’s commercial fishing and seafood processor industry cluster by providing technical assistance to local businesses and developing a regional fisheries business cooperative. President Obama noted that “because the new businesses created by entrepreneurs are responsible for most of the new jobs in our country, helping them succeed is essential to helping our economy grow.” continued@4traders
3 Texas men cited for red snapper violations
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Three Texas men face federal reef fish violations for allegedly harvesting red snapper without a permit and exceeding bag limits. The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Thursday that it cited the men 49-year-old Oscar Naranjo, of Galveston, Texas; 51-year-old Eustacio Rangel, of Port Isabelle, Texas; and 47-year-old Vincent Longoria, of Palacios, Texas for being illegally in possession of 42 red snapper.
Agents patrolling 50 miles south of Grand Isle in the Gulf of Mexico boarded an 80-foot shrimp trawling vessel and found the fish inside an insulated holding box. The men did not possess a commercial permit needed to harvest and sell reef fish. Shrimp trawl vessels may not exceed recreational reef fish bag limits, which are two per person for red snapper.
Fishing is the most dangerous job
A short article about the commercial fishing occupation.
New Minimim Sizes for New Hampshire Commercial Groundfish, Recreational Haddock
The NH Fish and Game Department will be implementing interim rules on July 1 to change the minimum size limits of some groundfish species and implement a minimum size limit for witch flounder for commercial harvesters. [email protected]
The promotion of Maine lobster got a $2 million-a-year boost from a law establishing a new marketing effort for the fishery.
Is he from Maine or Nova Scotia? They all taste the same!
Gov. Paul LePage has signed off on L.D. 486, a long-debated legislative proposal creating the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative to replace the Lobster Promotion Council. continued@portlandpressherald
Shark fin proposal divides federal and state government in Hawaii (believe it or not, I’m on NOAA’s side this time)
The Federal Shark Conservation Act would ban shark finning, where the fisherman cuts off the sharks fin at sea and throws the animal back in the water to die a slow death. However the federal law would allow fisherman to bring the whole shark to Hawaii, cut the fin off on land and then ship the fin out. The state doesn’t want to allow that and there lies the dispute. continued@hawaiinewsnow
House Natural Resources Committee examines red snapper fishery
WASHINGTON — A House committee on Thursday tackled the difficult challenge of balancing commercial and recreational demands on the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery. Republican Rep. Steve Southerland of Florida criticized the way NOAA officials have managed red snapper, especially their proposed Days-at-Sea Program for Charter-for-Hire.Southerland raised a hypothetical scenario in which 20 charter boats are granted permits while 60 are not. continued@newspress
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries: Greater amberjack commercial season to close
Commercial fishing on the Great Lakes – Commercial Fishing: The Way it Used to Be
Trygvie Jensen, who grew up on Washington Island and was always fascinated with the stories he heard while hanging around the old-timers’ fish sheds, provided the program for the June 6 meeting of the Baileys Harbor Historical Society. Both his great-grandfathers, Oliver Bjarnarson and Harry Hagen, were commercial fishermen. continued@peninsulapulse
Norigs 3 Coalition wants action on Georges Bank moratorium – more than just verbal assurances
Asked by this newspaper about the federal government’s position on the issue of mirror legislation to extend the moratorium to 2022, the response from the federal department of Natural Resources was this: “There is currently a federal policy moratorium on all oil and gas activity on Georges Bank until 2015. This complements a provincial statutory moratorium that runs until 2022.The extension of the policy moratorium until 2015 was a joint decision between the federal Minister of Natural Resources and the Nova Scotia Minister of Energy,” said department spokesperson Joshua Kirkey. continued@THE VANGUARD
Commercial fishing scheduled for District 5 Goodnews Bay, District 4 Quinhagak
The Department of Fish and Game has announced a commercial fishing opening for Kuskokwim District 5, Goodnews Bay. The opening is scheduled to start on Saturday, June 29th, for twelve hours from 9 a-m until 9 p-m. Fish and Game says the open area for this period is reduced. continued@kyuk
New fishery could boost food security for Alaskans
The establishment of a new artisanal commercial fishery in Alaska could improve food security for the state, according to authors of a newly published article in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. continued@The Seward Phoenix LOG
Guest View: Congress needs to take the reauthorization of the Magnuson Act seriously – By Brian J. Rothschild, Montgomery Charter Professor of Marine Science and Technology, SMAST
The passing of Richard Gaines, investigative reporter for the Gloucester Daily Times, silenced a voice that illuminated governmental excess in regulating the fishing industry. Thinking about Richard’s untimely death, I wrote the following memorial on the future of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the law that governs fisheries management in the U.S.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act is scheduled to be reauthorized this fall. Rumor has it that a material reauthorization is unlikely because anticipated changes are anticipated to be controversial. Failing to materially reauthorize the act is a serious lapse in public policy. The current version of the act does not protect the fishing industry and the public from governmental excess because, as a practical matter, the current form of the act does not ensure the operation of the checks and balances among the legislative, judicial and executive branches. continued@southcoasttoday
Jewelers Join Fishermen & Others to Urge EPA to Protect World’s Greatest Salmon Fishery
“When a foreign mining company lobbies Washington for permission to dig the largest open pit mine in North America in the middle of one of Alaska’s most ecologically sensitive areas, it is clearly time for the White House to say ‘no,'” said Brian Leber, President of Leber Jeweler Inc., and a third generation jeweler. “The EPA has the authority to prevent this travesty, but they need to act now.” continued@watchlist
Halibut bycatch delivered to Kotzebue food bank – Feed the People!
The halibut is the bycatch from trawlers that is delivered to Kodiak. The delivery was arranged by Bainbridge Island Wash.-based Sea Share, an organization that redirects fish once thrown overboard to food banks. 
said the group has donated more than 180 million seafood meals throughout the United States. continued@newsminer
Drought conditions threaten Sacramento River salmon
The problem is that Shasta Lake, the largest in the state, risks running out of cold water before salmon migrate upriver from the ocean for their fall and winter spawning runs. If that were to happen, the salmon population, which has 
rebounded strongly from several years of sharp declines, could face lethal warm temperatures in the river. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns Shasta Lake, has a duty under the Endangered Species Act to preserve a so-called “cold water pool” in the reservoir to protect spawning salmon in the Sacramento River. [email protected]
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is considering removal of limit on swordfish catch
The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) says analysis of logbook and observer data indicates that swordfish catch rates in the American Samoa longline fishery are extremely low, with the majority of fishin trips having no swordfish. The SSC is proposing a no limit of swordfish per trip, and this recommendation and others will be considered by the Council when it meets in Honolulu June 26-28. [email protected]
Coast Guard rescue’s four fishermen and their dog from F/V Ocean Viking 190 miles southwest of Kodiak Wednesday.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District command center received the crew’s distress call around 8:30 p.m., relayed through a Trident Seafoods employee in Chignik who heard their call over VHF-FM Channel 16, reporting that the 76-foot fishing vessel was taking on water and the crew was abandoning ship into a life raft. continued@uscgnews
