Daily Archives: December 23, 2013
Council for Sustainable Fishing applauds proposed Magnuson-Stevens Act reforms offered by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Hastings
The legislation would, among other things, increase the time period for regional fishery management councils to end overfishing from 2 to 3 years, give the councils the flexibility to institute fishery rebuilding plans that extend beyond the existing 10 year mandate, and allow consideration of ecosystem changes and the economic needs of fishing communities in establishing annual catch limits. Read More @sustainablefishing.org 22:21
David Matthew Geissen, 21,Danbury,Tx. indicted for sending false distress signal
HOUSTON — David Matthew Geissen, 21, has been arrested following the return of an indictment alleging he communicated a false distress message to the Coast Guard, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. If convicted, Geissen faces up to six years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Read more @uscgnews 21:04
American Samoa Government Asked To Subsidize Longline Fleet, a significant contributor to the local economy
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (The Samoa News, Dec. 22, 2013) – On behalf of the ASG Shipyard Service Authority board, chairman David Robinson recently proposed to the Governor’s Office a fuel subsidy or further reduction in fuel costs to help the American Samoa longline fleet, which is facing low prices received for their catches. READ [email protected] 17:59
EMS is easy; AK fishermen will shape the program
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – It’s the fishermen who will shape Alaska’s electronic monitoring. More after this – Listen, and READ more@fishradio 17:24
NOAA Fisheries (psuedonym) working to improve fisheries data quality
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), Portland, Maine, in partnership with the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST), Dartmouth, Massachusetts, will help NOAA Fisheries NMFS by conducting a survey of external data users and others interested in contributing to improving our data systems. READ [email protected] 12:35
Audit finds lax controls in spending BP money by La. seafood board
BATON ROUGE — A scathing state audit, released Monday morning, points to possible improper spending by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. The report said that the board’s former executive director Ewell Smith approved payments for sponsorship events “in excess of the limits previously authorized by the board.” In one case, the audit claims Smith more than doubled a $200,000 sponsorship of the recent Super Bowl held in the Louisiana Superdome without board approval. READ [email protected] 11:54
Fishermen in life raft rescued off Sable Island
Four Canso fishermen were rescued early Sunday after spending about five hours in a life raft off Sable Island. Another fishing vessel came to the rescue of the Gentle Lady, a small fishing vessel owned by Larrys River-based W.T. Grover Fisheries Ltd. The Gentle Lady couldn’t be saved, company director Thomas Grover said Sunday. “We’re just very happy that everybody’s coming home safely,” he said. At 1:30 p.m., he had spoken only briefly to the four fishermen, who are all in their 40s or 50s, he said. They are longtime employees of the company. READ more@chronicleherald 10:02
UMass Dartmouth plays integral part in booming scallop business
Our beloved scallop, the biggest and best in the world, is right off our coast, waiting to make our lives better. The scallop — or placopecten magellanicus — keeps New Bedford the most profitable fishing port in the United States. Those riches wash all over southeastern Massachusetts. Scallops grow on the sandy bottom of Georges Bank, a rise in the sea floor that runs from Maine to New Jersey. The bank starts 20 miles offshore and runs 200 miles out in the ocean. There was a moratorium on fishing for several species, including scallops, after stocks plummeted on Georges Bank in the late 1990s. By 2000, fishermen believed scallops had made a comeback, so they enlisted UMass Dartmouth for help. READ [email protected] 02:13
