Daily Archives: August 17, 2014

N.W.T. forest fires to blame for slow fishing season

It’s been a slow summer for  commercial fishers in the Northwest Territories who have netted less than half of last year’s catch. The lower numbers are partially due to forest fires, according to Jason Grabowski with the Winnipeg-based Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, which buys, processes and markets all freshwater fish caught for commercial sale in Manitoba, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories.  Read more here 19:48

Pacific call out big fishing nations on catch data– Bigeye crisis link to high seas, reporting loopholes

Pacific nations have slammed major fishing nations using loopholes to duck out of properly reporting their fishing catches in the Pacific.  members attending the 10th Scientific Committee meeting of the WCPFC say the missing data is critical to help prevent overfishing in Pacific waters.  Read more here 16:54

INAUGURAL INDUCTEES – LEGENDS OF CANADIAN FISHERIES SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Canadian Aquatic Resources Section of the American Fisheries Society has launched a new recognition program called “Legends of Canadian Fisheries Science and Management.”  The goal of the program is to recognize the accomplishments of fisheries professionals in Canada.  Read more here 16:34

Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, August 17, 2014

rifa2“The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance is dedicated to its mission of continuing to help create sustainable fisheries without putting licensed fishermen out of business.” Read the update here 12:17

Officials considering closing fishing areas from Florida Keys to North Carolina – seeking fishermen’s comments.

Representatives from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council held meetings last week in Key West and other areas of the state to obtain input on setting aside fishery areas as a way to protect critical spawning habitat.The goal of the proposal is to identify important spawning habitats for snapper and grouper species, while minimizing the social and economic impacts to snapper and grouper fishermen. Read more here 10:54

Mount Polley mine: sediment near spill may harm fish – B.C. tailings dam breach sent millions of cubic metres of wastewater and silt spilling into lakes and rivers

“All the raw data from the tests has been shared with First Nations and Interior Health,” said Polak. “The results were tested at an independent lab in Vancouver and show that the sediment poses no human health risk. However, it may pose adverse effects on aquatic life and it exceeds B.C. guidelines for sediments and contaminated sites regulation standards for copper and iron.” Read more here 10:17

Blue crab panel: Take action to avoid fishery collapse

blue crabConvinced that the state’s management plan to rebuild the decimated blue crab stock is failing, a commercial watermen’s advisory panel is urging a new approach to avoid a collapse of the fishery. Catch Shares? Cooler heads prevail. So far! Read more here 09:40

The First Indicator – Looking Back. The 2nd indicator, looking forward.

hatLet me say first off, no one ever accused me of being smart, not even me. I learned at an early age what a stupid son of a bitch was, and I learned it the hard way.,, “This is pretty dire,” said Russell Brown, deputy science and research director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the branch of NOAA that did the research. Warning! Savory language ahead. Not to be read if offended easily! Read more here 09:06

NEW BEDFORD —Offshore wind and fishing industries must ‘coexist to survive’

arcturus“Our people know what they’re doing at sea.” That’s the common refrain of city and state politicians alike as they try to convince industry leaders and the public that New Bedford should be America’s offshore wind hub. “There is a big feeling that this is just another thing encroaching on us,” said seafood consultant Jim Kendall. “But we know we’ll have to coexist to survive.” Read more here  08:18

Cook Inlet and Yukon River Commercial Fishery disaster fund plan moving forward

Cook Inlet and Yukon River commercial fishermen could receive direct payments as part of the 2012 fishery disaster relief aid this fall. According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration award notice, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is,,, Read more here  07:44