Daily Archives: October 22, 2013
Canada’s Environment minister would not comment Monday on the results of a survey commissioned to determine the extent to which government scientists are censored.
The online survey was commissioned by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) and hosted by Environics Research. Of the 15,398 PIPSC members, including scientists, researchers and engineers, invited to participate in the survey, 4,069 responded between June 5 and 19. more@whitehorsestar 22:51
Leon County Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford rules against net ban as ‘legal absurdity’
In a sweeping judgment in favor of Wakulla County commercial mullet fishermen, Leon County Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford on Tuesday ordered a halt to enforcement of Florida’s constitutional amendment limiting net fishing in state coastal waters. Fulford sided with the Wakulla Commercial Fisherman’s Association, Panacea bait-and-tackle shop owner Ronald Fred Crum and county mullet fishermen Jonas Porter and Keith Ward, who sued FWC in 2011. [email protected] 21:46
Sad news from Point Judith – The Passing of Harold A Loftes Sr, Commercial Fisherman
December 31, 1917 – October 20, 2013 Harold A. Loftes, Sr., 95 of Normandy Rd., Wakefield, passed away Saturday, October 20, 2013. He was the husband of the late Virginia May (Bossard) Loftes. Born in Providence, he was the son of the late Alvin and Sigred Loftes. Mr. Loftes was builder, owner, operator of many fishing vessels and a commercial fisherman out of Pt. Judith all of his life. He was a founding member of the Pt. Judith Fisherman’s CO-OP and a member of Hope Lodge #25 AF & AM, Wakefield. He was the father of Harold Loftes Jr. and his wife Mary of Wakefield; father of the late Bruce Loftes and his wife Connie; grandfather of Brian, Brent, Amanda and Kevin Loftes and great grandfather of six. Funeral services and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers donations in his memory may be made to The Pt. Judith Fisherman’s Memorial Foundation, Box 3315, Narragansett, RI 02882. 19:11
$5 million grant announced to support U.S.-Canadian salmon research
The needs of salmon on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border will get a hand from a $5 million announcement last week. more@campbellrivermirror 18:43
Fisherman ‘Billy Mac’ honored in birthday vigil – “He had a lot of friends and everybody loved him — everybody misses him,” father Sonny McIntire, said.
More than 300 friends and family members of Billy “Billy Mac” McIntire gathered at Ogunquit Beach under a fiery orange sky at sunset on Monday evening to pay tribute to the local fisherman who would have been 52 years old Oct. 21. more@seacoastonline 17:52
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheris Service is back to work, and they’re giving away plenty of loot!
$36 Million in Funding for Coastal Habitat Restoration Projects to Benefit Fish In the Northeast Region, In the Southeast Region, In the Northwest Region, In the Southwest Region, In the Great Lakes, 16:21
Alaska fishermen gain edge in fight over sustainability labeling
Early last year, Alaska’s wild salmon fishing industry decided to end its partnership with the seafood world’s most prominent sustainability certification group in favor of its own labeling efforts. But the move quickly drew a reaction from customers, as Wal-Mart and others said they would no longer buy Alaskan salmon without the independent check. Now, the Alaska salmon industry appears to have won the fight, recently saying it was standing firm in its decision to drop the outside certification group. more@adn 15:22
ASMI All-Hands Meeting Information
UFA members and friends, UFA is headed to Sitka for our semi-annual Board meeting which runs from October 23rd to 25th at Centennial Hall (http://www.ufa-fish.org/ ). For those of you who can’t make it to the UFA meeting, hopefully we can encourage you to attend the ASMI All-Hands meeting next week in Anchorage. more info @Public Notices 13:38
Founder of Maine lobster processor wins national entrepreneurs award
Kyle Murdock, founder of Sea Hag Seafood, a lobster processing facility in St. George, is among five recipients of the 2013 Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs award. more@portlandpress 13:31
Ready to respond: FOL Cold Bay
For many, the fall season means cooling temperatures, leaves turning and all things pumpkin. But for the men and women of Air Station Kodiak, the fall is all about the cold, Cold Bay to be exact. Kodiak stood up a seasonal forward operating location in Cold Bay, Alaska, in advance of winter fisheries with one MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and rotating crews. A second helicopter and crew will remain at the ready in Kodiak to assist in any long-range or complex cases. [email protected] 12:53
Jellyfish futures ring global ocean industry alarm bells
Those pretty translucent blobs that the word “jellyfish” conveys? Who’d have thought? Few of us know the half of it. Closer to home, jellyfish can massively sting salmon to death. They increase the ocean acidification that has ravaged our Northwest shellfish, eating away their shells. Pink jellies are abundant in late summer in Deep Cove’s Indian Arm. To say the least, jellyfish are bad for business. (Coincidentally, last week the Vancouver Sun’s Larry Pynn detailed the total collapse of B.C.’s sardine fishery but mentioned no role for jellyfish.) https://fisherynation.com/archives/16084 [email protected] 12:27
Roger Berkowitz, Legal Sea Foods CEO talk’s about the new restrictions on New England fishermen – Video
In addition, Berkowitz also weighs in on everything from global warming and impact on fish stock to traffic in the innovation district. more@necn 11:36
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council SSC Meeting: October 22-24, 2013
The scientific advisors to the South Atlantic Council meet this week to talk about blueline tilefish, Spanish mackerel, snowy grouper, and other issues. You can listen in via webinar here 11:04
Editorial: Another baby step in fishing aid
The state Senate’s approval of a $50,000 appropriation that should help fund a state Division of Marine Fisheries aid plan is no doubt appreciated by those still caught in the throes of Gloucester’s and other fishing communities’ federally-recognized economic disaster. more@GDT 10:05
Environmental Defense Fund Launches Toolkit to Help Fishermen and Managers
On the 17th October, in San Francisco, CA the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today launched the world’s most comprehensive toolkit for designing and implementing management systems that can restore the resiliency, sustainability and profitability of fisheries around the world. more@fishupdate 09:31
Of course, they’re lapping it up in Old Blighty – Smart fishery management will help fisherman earn a living – Laying the foundation for sound fisheries may be an unsexy task but it’s vital to tackle overfishing and pollution, writes Britt Groosman
Eliminate Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas in Hawaii, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Council Recommends
HONOLULU (21 October 2013) The State of Hawaii’s Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas (BRFAs) located in federal waters should be eliminated, according to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. Meeting last week in Honolulu, the Council also encouraged the State to consider removing all BRFAs in State waters. More here 00:40
Escapees change the wild salmon
For the first time, scientists have managed to quantify how escaped salmon have interbred with wild salmon in Norwegian rivers. These results provide a basis for reassessing the impact that escapees from fish farms have on the wild salmon in Norwegian rivers. more@instituteofmarineresearch 00:28
NOAA eyes needs in wake of shutdown – “We lost some time, and now we have to prioritize
NOAA spokeswoman Maggie Mooney-Seus said regional administrator John K. Bullard has appointed an internal task force and charged it with reviewing all work that was in progress at the time of the Oct. 1 shutdown, then figuring out a way to make up for the lost time. more@GDT 00:21
Maryland Watermen challenge menhaden catch limits
A group of Maryland watermen has filed suit seeking to overturn the state’s catch limit on menhaden, arguing that it violates state and federal law and that the forage fish is not in need of conservation. more@baltimoresun 00:05
