Daily Archives: August 6, 2013

Unprecedented ocean acidification from greenhouse gases putting Canadian waters at risk, says report

OTTAWA – Canada’s Atlantic waters may be “particularly vulnerable” to increased carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere that are causing “unprecedented” acidification of the planet’s oceans, says a report by scientists at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. @theprovince

Critical habitat listed for Puget Sound rockfish

The National Marine Fisheries Service proposes to designate almost 1,200 square miles of Puget Sound as critical habitat for three species of endangered rockfish. @the columbian

Nominations sought for Columbia River seine advisory board

Nominations will be accepted through Aug. 22 for a five-person advisory board to help the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife develop a commercial seine fishery on the lower Columbia River. @thecolumbian

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is laying the blame – Oystermen React to the Report

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is laying the blame for the oyster crisis in Franklin County, squarely on the US Army Corps of Engineers. In their final report this week to the National Marine Fisheries, wildlife experts say the lack of fresh water coming out of the Apalachicola River is killing the oysters in Apalachicola bay. @wghj

Shell Arctic Campaign – Federal Judge Rules Shell’s Spill Plan Sufficient

The Department of Interior allowed the company to proceed with pilot hole drilling despite not having a system in place to contain a worst case scenario oil spill. “We have both a government willing to accept corporate assurance, and a company that clearly is not prepared for the Arctic,” complained Oceana attorney Michael Levine. @alaskapublic.org

Greater emphasis needed on Caribbean fisheries

Stretching 200 miles offshore, the Exclusive Economic Zones of most Caribbean nations cover areas of ocean vastly larger than the land masses to which they belong. Despite this, the maritime sector has never had much in the way of encouragement or investment, leaving those who farm or use the sea often feeling neglected when it comes to understanding or decision-making. @carribeanintelligence

Keys lobster fishermen drop traps for opening of commercial season

Throughout the Florida Keys and at a few other locations in the state, the crews of hundreds of commercial boats dropped nearly a half million licensed traps into the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico in preparation for the start of the 2013-14 season, which begins Tuesday. @miamiherald

Public hearing tonight on designating coast line for endangered sea turtles in Charleston SC, 7 to 9 p.m.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is holding a public hearing on designating 750 miles of beaches from North Carolina to Mississippi as critical habitat for endangered loggerhead sea turtles. The hearing Tuesday in Charleston will be held at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Center Auditorium off Fort Johnson Road on James Island from 7 to 9 p.m.  The hearing will be preceded by an informational workshop from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. @wcsc5

Protecting salmon from sea lions: Progress is elusive

Although there’s been considerable effort over the years to remove predatory sea lions feasting on endangered fish in the Columbia River, the large mammals continue to flock to the area each spring. Fish management officials say the process required to lethally eliminate sea lions is too lengthy, and subsequently little — if any — impact has been made on the problem. @yakimaherald

Canadian, U.S. fisheries managers wait anxiously for summer sockeye returns

Four years after disastrous sockeye runs on the Fraser River spurred the federal Cohen Commission, fisheries managers in both Canada and the U.S. are waiting anxiously to see how returns will fare this summer for that same cycle of salmon. @vancouversun

NMFS deny bid by SeaWorld and other aquariums to import wild-caught beluga whales

The federal government on Tuesday rejected a bid by a consortium of U.S. marine-park and aquarium owners — including SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. — to import 18 beluga whales that had been captured from the wild. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s  National Marine Fisheries Service said it would not grant an import permit for the whales, which were taken from the Sea of Okhotsk off the eastern coast of Russia, because it could not say whether the move would harm the wild population from which they were captured. That is the standard required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. @orlandosentinal

 

Togiak Sockeye Fishing Slows, Nushagak Coho “Pretty Decent” By Dave Bendinger

radio-microphoneEscapement of coho in the Nushagak River ahead of the curve after a strong push over the weekend, but fishing will close Tuesday at 9am. listen @kdlg

Report details economic benefits of water project in the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta – Critic’s Baulk

FRESNO (AP)   A proposed twin-tunnel water system in the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta coupled with a massive habitat restoration effort would generate billions of dollars in economic activity for California, according to an economic report released by state water officials on Monday. @dailynews

P.E.I.’s fall lobster season opens Friday, and there is no word yet on whether prices will be any better than they were for the spring season.

The spring season was plagued by low prices and saw fishermen across the region protest by tying up their boats for several days. @cbcnewsCBC_News_logo

“Deepwater Resistance.” Deepwater Wind scraps plan for cable to pass through Narragansett

PROVIDENCE — Deepwater Wind has withdrawn its proposal to the Town of Narragansett to run an electric transmission cable through town from its planned wind farm off Block Island. @providencejournal

Gang Green Canada Cry’s Foul. Controversial changes to Fisheries Act guided by industry demands

863a4ac9dc_64635696_o2The federal Conservative government consulted with both environmental organizations and industry associations before making controversial changes to the Fisheries Act last year, but listened primarily to industry. When a section of one of the government’s massive 2012 omnibus budget bills limited the scope of the legislation governing the protection of fish and their habitats, some ecologists said it was the biggest setback to conservation law in more than 50 years. @globeandmail