Daily Archives: April 21, 2015

AK fishing updates, ADFG budget cuts

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522 As always in Alaska, lots of fishing is going on from Ketchikan to the Bering Sea. Salmon trollers are back out on the water at Neets Bay near Ketchikan , and it’s hard to believe that the 2015 salmon season will officially kick off in just a few weeks at Copper River. More than 50 boats are dropping pots for nearly 70,000 pounds of shrimp at Prince William Sound after a three year closure. Read the rest here 20:25

PETITION: Chair of the New England Fisheries Management Council Terry Stockwell – Stop Failing the Fish and the Fishermen.

tim ryderDear Mr. Stockwell, The New England Fisheries Management Council has failed the fishermen. Since the New England Catch Share policy began in 2010, fishermen and allies have identified problems such as , inappropriate scale of fishing on inshore areas, lack of access for the next generation of fishermen, and lack of transparency. Over the past five years the Council prioritized the Amendment 18 in order to solve these problems. Fishermen and allies worked together to offer various solutions to the Council and yet still, the Council has failed to address these problems. Read the rest, SIGN THE PETITION here 18:55

Endangered and Threatened Species: Critical Habitat for Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale-Proposed rule; request for comments.

We, the NMFS, propose to replace the critical habitat for right whales in the North Atlantic with two new areas. The areas under consideration as critical habitat contain approximately 29,945 nm 2 of marine habitat in the  region (Unit 1) and off the Southeast U.S. coast (Unit 2). We have considered positive and negative economic, national security, and other relevant impacts of the proposed critical habitat. We do not propose to exclude any particular area from the proposed critical habitat. Read the rest here 14:10

Tough times intensify in California wetfish industry

California’s wetfish fleet is facing poor prognostic signs for squid, sardines and possibly mackerel fishing this year, intensifying an already-tough situation. These closures add to already-bleak fishing outlooks for other species the California Wetfish Producers Association’s (CWPA) fleet fishes, whose squid, sardines, mackerel fishery continues to be in jeopardy. Concerns are particularly strong for its high-value squid fishery,,, Read the rest here 13:18

Newport Based F/V Corsair sinks 27 miles west of Westport, WA

One of the crewmen aboard the 50 foot F/V Corsair called NewsLincolnCounty.com and gave us the blow by blow of what happened to them off Westport yesterday. Crewman Zeke Estrella told us that it was late in the day and they were putting all the gear away after a day of hauling in a lot of shrimp. Just as they were finishing up, Just as they were finishing up, the Corsair, Read the rest here 13:01

Newport Fishermen’s Wives lawsuit against the Coast Guard – Judge hears arguments

Whether a federal judge agrees to toss the Newport Fishermen’s Wives lawsuit against the Coast Guard seeking to keep the Newport helicopter air station open won’t be known for several days. The Fishermen’s Wives filed the lawsuit last November after the Coast Guard announced on Oct. 2, 2014 that it planned to close its Newport air station and fly central coast helicopter search and rescue missions from bases in North Bend and Astoria.  Read the rest here 10:42

Province prepares ground for lobster levy

A lobster marketing levy on sales still isn’t in place in Nova Scotia but the government would be allowed to collect such a fee under legislation it introduced on Monday. Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell said a change to the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act would enable the province to collect a financial contribution through regulations once the industry decides what form it will take. Read the rest here 10:13

North Carolina: Economic impact on the half-shell

As mollusks go, are an especially generous lot. They clean the water. They help stabilize eroding shorelines. And they’re delicious, especially with butter. Which is why North Carolina is working on a statewide plan to become “the Napa Valley of oysters,” as several people proclaimed during this month’s Oyster Summit in Raleigh. Business owners, local officials, and marine researchers from across the state gathered at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences to outline bivalve strategies for the coastal economy. Read the rest here 09:24

In the Gulf – Seafood industry stable but struggling

Every year around this time, Kim Chauvin gets angry. The 2010 BP Oil Spill has damaged the success of the seafood companies Kim owns with her husband, David. “You try not to think about it because it can really get you worked up,” she said. The couple own Mariah Jade and David Chauvin seafood companies in Chauvin. Before the spill, business was great, and though they were relatively fortunate in the years following, the market has turned itself upside down. Read the rest here 08:34

Something ‘fishy’ about Mississippi State player’s arrest

Mississippi State forward Johnny Zuppardo might win the award for most bizarre arrest, if such an accomplishment were trophy-worthy. Some of the infractions that may lead to an illegal fishing charge in the state of Mississippi include fishing without a license, or using illegal methods like the use of lime, poison, explosives, Read the rest here 08:18

Los Angeles authorities seek kidnapped sea lion pup

Authorities in California said they are searching for a sea lion pup kidnapped by a group of people on a Los Angeles beach. The Los Angeles Police Department said a witness told investigators two men and two women were seen harassing a pair of pups at Dockweiler State Beach about 3:30 a.m. Sunday and the group allegedly threw objects at the animals, including trash and cinder blocks. Read the rest here 08:07