Daily Archives: August 31, 2013

Oregon wave energy stalls off the coast of Reedsport

Last September, with great fanfare, Ocean Power Technologies began construction on America’s first wave-powered utility. Holding the first – and only – wave energy permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, OPT had planned to deploy a test buoy off the by spring. But a year after the permit, regulatory and technical difficulties have all but halted the project. Federal regulators notified the company earlier this year it had violated the license after failing to file a variety of plans and assessments. All that remains in the water are pieces of a single anchoring system on the ocean floor. State officials have told the New Jersey company to remove them by month’s end. more@oregonlive 19:46

Compensation to Gray Aqua fish farm should be public, MP says

863a4ac9dc_64635696_o2A St. John’s member of Parliament has criticized the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for refusing to release the amount of compensation paid to Gray Aqua for its diseased salmon — but adds the company’s financial troubles may prompt the release of that information soon. more@thetelegram  19:02

Something fishy is going on in the nation’s lobster capital – (lottsa mishmash). People listen to these guys about investment?

With tourism booming and demand for local lobster as popular as ever, life in eastern Maine this summer is good. But there’s a catch. Lobster prices have recovered very little from their historic lows last year, squeezing profits for lobstermen. That’s prompted community leaders to push an idea that may seem radical to many Down Easters—making Maine less dependent on a single species from the sea. They’re creating incentives for fishermen to catch a variety of high-quality marine food, at a fair price for the long haul. more@cnbc  16:51 watch video!

Do you get tired of Chef’s that think they understand the “situation”? How much dogfish you eatin’ at home, by the way! “y’ want fry’s wi dat”??

“The fishermen have one of the worst jobs around,” said Kaldrovich, gently touching a plate of just-caught dogfish. “This is the fish that the fishermen eat at home … The more we can help, the better.” CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — In the basement of the posh Inn by The Sea, executive chef Mitchell Kaldrovich conducts a fish fry. He fillets a piece of white fish in a skillet as flames shoot up all around. The “nice, flakey fish” turns a golden brown and the chef plates it on a bed of quinoa tabbouleh with an artistic dash of yogurt lime sauce. more@bdn  16:28

Humboldt Harbor commissioner accused of poaching abalone, deer: Court documents point to long-term behavior pattern

While the bulk of the 11 criminal charges facing Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Commissioner Aaron Newman stem from a few specific poaching allegations, court documents in the case suggest they may be part of a larger pattern of behavior.  Newman was arrested June 8 and has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include four felonies. He stands accused of lying and using illegal tags in 2009 and 2012 to circumvent state limitations on abalone and deer harvests.  Manny Daskal, Newman’s attorney, declined to comment for this story. more@willitsnews  13:45

Maine’s 2012 seafood harvest worth record $528M

Lobster was Maine’s top fishery for the year by far, with a record 127 million-pound catch valued at a record $341 million. Lobster accounted for 65 percent of the value of the total catch for the year. Elvers came in at No. 2, while soft-shell clams were the third-most-valuable fishery, at $15.6 million. Herring, with a value of nearly $15 million, was the No. 4 fishery, while groundfish — cod, haddock and other bottom-dwelling fish — rounded out the top 5.  more@bostonherald 12:24

Unalaskans Question Funding for Arctic Research – are we going to be reassured that our existing science in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific is going to be there for the future?

Right now, the studies are coming out of two different pots: NOAA covers fishery surveys in the Bering Sea. They couldn’t afford to do the Arctic trawl survey, so the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management paid for it.But it’s not clear if BOEM will have enough money to continue doing the Arctic survey again. And the fear is that as the federal budget shrinks, agencies will cut back in the Aleutians to better serve the Arctic. more@kucb  10:04

A son laments: Nonetheless, my father typed on about what were to him the greatest fish-habitat concerns of the day.

Of all his worries about the state of wild salmon in B.C., my late father, a commercial salmon fisherman for about a half-century, was particularly worried about the dangerously negative repercussions of the over-warming of waters on our wild salmon, not to mention fish-farming and pollution. Many very-early mornings, I’d briefly get up for a washroom break and see the light breaking through underneath his bedroom door and into the hallway’s darkness, with my father on the other side very-slowly typewriting missives to various politicians. I must’ve proofread and made many grammar corrections to almost a couple hundred letters of his over the years, just on this topic alone. more@deltaoptimist  09:41

NY reports progress restoring wild Lake Sturgeon

Researchers in New York have found two wild lake sturgeon juveniles, the first  caught after years of stocking intended to restore populations of the  once-plentiful Great Lakes fish. more@lancasteronline  09:16

Pilot fish survey taps industry expertise – comes amid intense criticism of traditional scientific methods for counting fish.

Fish sampling surveys provide critical data for assessing the health of fish populations, which are at the core of fishing rules. Critics say the assessments have proven to be deeply flawed and it’s wrong to use them as the basis for setting the struggling industry’s catch limits. Scientists say their overall methods are sound, but they acknowledge some consistent problems. “We can learn, and we do want to build confidence and be responsive,” said Bill Karp, the Northeast’s chief federal fisheries scientist. The pilot survey was more expansive, covering 175 stations in Georges Bank compared with about 60 in a typical survey, said Steve Cadrin, a former federal fisheries scientist who works at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. more@AP  08:58

Trident wants in at Adak – And so does another company.

Wall Street SignTillion said the presence of competition has caused Trident to soften its stance some, saying its first offer was rejected. He said the huge Seattle-based processor wanted The Aleut Corporation to eliminate a quota for small fishing boats under 60 feet long, so that Trident’s bigger boats could catch all the fish. “The Aleuts aren’t really too happy about that,” Tillion said, since the corporation wants Adak to provide opportunity for small boats from King Cove and Sand Point.

Icicle decided to close its operation in Adak, citing concerns about the short- and long-term health of the region’s Pacific cod resource and increased regulatory uncertainty, the company’ new top official Amy Humphreys said in a press release in April. Icicle, headquartered in Seattle, is owned by the private equity firm Paine and Partners, with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, and specializes in buying major corporations. The company’ new top official Amy Humphreys, was appointed to the board of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute this month by Gov. Sean Parnellmore@bristolbaytimes   08:22

Kuskokwim Chinook salmon Fail to Reach Spawning Grounds

radio-microphoneKuskokwim Chinook salmon – or Kings as they are known locally – did not make it to the spawning grounds this year as managers had expected. Counting projects are showing the lowest escapements in history for nearly all of the river’s tributaries. Managers and residents are trying to make a plan for next year. listen@kyuk  07:57

Being a Fisheries Observer in Alaska can be an Inspirational Experience – Viking Progress

Nothing is fishy about Patrick Morales and his haunting indie folk ballads — except for his inspiration, that is.  “Shortly after college, I took a job working on commercial fishing vessels as a fisheries biologist in the Bering Sea. While on two boats, The Viking and The Progress, I wrote a collection of songs,” he says. “I spent my downtime on the boats writing in small deck closets with a hand-held recorder set to its own soundtrack of diesel boat noise. That low hum would serve as a guide and the backdrop for my record.” more@charlestoncitypaper    A song La Divine 07:33

State of Massachusetts closes oyster beds in Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury and Marshfield

The state has shut down major oyster farms and beds from Plymouth to Marshfield  after cases of a bacterial illness linked to oysters were reported locally and  outside the state. Harvesting and possession of oysters from these areas for commercial purposes  is strictly prohibited until further notice, the state Department of Public  Health said Friday. The agency also has launched a recall of oysters collected  from the area since July 22. This is the first time a specific harvest area in Massachusetts has been  implicated in a Vibrio outbreak. more@wickedlocal 07:04

 

The Eel World: Inside Maine’s Wild Elver Turf War

In an economically depressed Maine county, Bill Sheldon is the kingpin of a $40 million baby-eel industry that may be doomed to extinction. Find out what happens when a community full of armed fishermen and elver dealers stop being polite and start getting real. more@buzzfeeds  00:21