Daily Archives: February 22, 2014

Murkowski questions if Chinese shellfish ban from Alaska and Pacific Northwest might be about more than safety. (It is, Senator)

“Yes, it’s a concern about safety,” the senator said while visiting Ketchikan on Thursday. “But it does cause you to wonder if there are other issues that are at play here with China, and how appropriate levels of intervention might be.” (Its more like economic sanctions for siding with Japan in their fishing turf war with China, Senator.) Read [email protected] 20:35

The head smelt biologist for the state said it’s not clear why the season has been so poor for smelt fishing this winter.

The reason for the poor season, however, isn’t known. Some of the operators have theories: dredging in the Bath area disturbing the fish swimming up the river, high tides making navigation difficult or colder-than-usual temperatures affecting the fish. However, Enterline said it’s not clear what’s causing the poor smelt season along the Kennebec River area. Read more@sentinelonline 19:09

‘Cold Water Cowboys’ – Fishing captains and crews the stars of the show Tuesday night on Discovery

Working a 50-foot fishing boat in swelling seas and roaring winds a couple of hundred kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland takes guts, hard work and good communication among the crew.  So when Capt. Paul Tiller of Valleyfield, Bonavista Bay, told his crew last season he was taking a TV team on board to film their pursuit of crab, shrimp and turbot — to follow their every movement and record their interactions — they thought their captain had finally logged one too many weather-beaten voyages. “They told me I was cracked,” Tiller said, laughing. Read [email protected]  13:42

About Cold Water Cowboys – Trailers, and bios here. Interesting On Facebook

Stock Assessment Prioritization: Guiding decisions on which fish stocks to assess

nmfs_logoWhat are stock assessments?  Assessments for managed fish and shellfish stocks are an important core activity of NOAA NMFS. Why is prioritization needed?  There are 478 managed stocks in 46 Fishery Management Plans (Annual Report on Status of U.S. Fisheries). Presently, NOAA NMFS has the capacity to update only about 100 assessments each year. How will prioritization work?  What are the next steps? Read [email protected]  13:02

UPDATED: CF/V Cape Dorset crew rescued, vessel sank off Burin Peninsula – No injuries reported for all 19 crew members

The fishing crew aboard the Cape Dorset is safe after the vessel sank off the Burin Peninsula Saturday morning. A distress call was sent out from the ship around 9 a.m. after the boat started taking on water. The Ivy Rose, another fishing vessel, was the first to respond to the distress call. Read more@cbcnews 11:48  Updated Report @cbcnews  16:01

Crew rescued as vessel floods and sinks – Read [email protected]

Cape Dorset crew rescued, vessel sank off Burin Peninsula – camsn.com

 

Mazzetta Company LLC Processing plan gets wide support

gdt iconCity officials said Friday they’re excited to share the news that an Illinois-based seafood processing company is firming up plans to bring a plant with up to 225 jobs to Gloucester’s Blackburn Industrial Park. Read more@GDT  11:40

AMSEA Fishing vessel safety and drill course set for March 1 and 2 in Hawaii

The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association will offer a two-day fishing vessel safety and drill conductor course March 1 and 2 at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, 726 S. Kihei Road. The course is free for commercial fishermen, and $175 for all others. All mariners are welcome. Read more here  11:33

Scientists back off claims that Maine officials knew about mercury-tainted lobster years ago

msA day after saying state officials knew lobsters near the mouth of the Penobscot River contained unsafe levels of the toxin, researchers say the officials had older information that did not warrant issuing consumer alerts in 2010. But on Friday, after talking among themselves, the researchers said they had misremembered what information had been made available to the state and when it was made available. Read more@kennebecjournal  11:02

Fukushima Radiation: Govt Launches Web Site Noting Safety of Fishes Around Plant

The site will also try to explain the process of test fishing. The federation had earlier said it conducts advance radiation checks to determine the safety of fishing grounds. Earlier in January, state health officials from California debunked claims of dangerously high radiation levels in the sands of Pacifica State Beach, as claimed by an Internet video posted on YouTube. Read [email protected] 08:14

Fishing industry lacking in cooperation, says minister

DEBERT- The biggest challenge for the fishing industry today is lack of co-operation, says the minister of fisheries and oceans. “We need to market under one banner, we have to stop competing with each other and start to compete in the global marketplace so that really is an issue,” said Gail Shea, during the Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister’s annual conference held in Debert on Friday. Read [email protected]  07:03

Letter: Time for New England Fishery Management Council to open closed areas – Peter Hughes, Cape May, N.J.

gdt iconThe New England Fishery Management Council has before it several scientifically-backed proposals for updating area closures off the coast of Massachusetts. These closures have been off-limits to fishermen for almost 20 years, but updated science indicates they may not be best suited for balancing the needs of industry and conservation. Read more@GDT  01:04