Daily Archives: February 2, 2016
Wednesday meeting to give update on Ventura Harbor closure
The meeting will be held in the Ventura Marina Mobile Home Park auditorium, 1215 Anchors Way Drive, Harbormaster John Higgins said. Topics to be discussed include the economic losses incurred by commercial fishermen, local businesses and others because of the closure. Port officials blame the Jan. 22 closure on strong ocean currents, El Niño storms and high surf and the resulting large accumulation of sand around the entrance, which has made navigation into and out of the harbor much more perilous. Meeting details, Read the rest here 19:54
Regulators Postpone Plan to Try to Preserve Lobsters
Interstate fishing regulators have decided to hold off on starting the process of crafting a plan to try to preserve the dwindling southern New England lobster stock. A board of the voted Tuesday to postpone authorizing a new management plan for the fishery. A plan could address issues such as trap reductions and closed seasons for lobster fishermen. Southern New England’s lobster fishery is a historic industry in decline. Scientists say the area’s lobster population has sunk to its lowest levels on record. Lobster supply to consumer remains strong because of heavy catch off Maine and Canada. The board decided to postpone the initiation of the plan to allow a technical committee to do more work. It could revisit the issue in May or August. Link 17:48
Environmentalists, Fishermen At Odds Over Turning Cashes Ledge Into National Monument
As some New England fishermen struggle under intense quota cuts, the industry is fearing another political move that could prove to have devastating consequences. There is an effort to designate Cashes Ledge — a historically important fishing area — as a national marine monument. This would require a presidential order and would effectively close the area to all commercial activity. About 80 miles off the coast of Cape Ann, a cold-water kelp forest grows from the tip of a ridge that rises from the ocean floor known as Cashes Ledge. Audio, Read the rest here 17:12
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for Feb 1, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 16:16
Editorial: Time to speak up for commercial fishing
Last week included one of the signature events on the Pacific Northwest’s annual calendar: the setting of spring fishing seasons on the Columbia River. The forecast for the important spring Chinook run is about 300,000 to the river’s mouth, about 28 percent fewer than last year but more than the 10-year average of 285,000. Forecasts are one thing and reality quite another, but there is a good chance that fishermen and the businesses that rely on them will have a fun few weeks from March 1 to April 9. Read the rest here 15:17
Non-EU Europe Fishing Fleets: Europe’s Profitable ‘Outsiders’
With three species of migrating cod to fish and new commercial species arriving as oceans warm, Norway is a fisheries Valhalla. Yet, recent boat sales suggest the Scandinavian country’s role is changing. Vessel orders and rules in Norway are propping up yards and designers on Europe’s fringes. Medium-sized hull orders for Romanian, Russian and Turkish boat builders are new, while large vessel orders for Denmark or Spain continue apace. Unconventional Icelandic designs, too, are gaining ground here as catches and profits soar. Read the article here 12:04
Moving Forward: Fishermen await trial on NOAA monitors mandate
Local fisherman David Goethel said he hopes a court ruling comes soon to determine the legality of a new federal mandate, as he and other fishermen are fearful they will go under before the trial begins. Goethel said he may sell his fishing boat after this summer if the trial isn’t resolved by then. He filed the lawsuit causing the trial, challenging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s plan to make fishermen pay for their own policing. He filed it in conjunction with a fishing sector based in Massachusetts. While Goethel said he might personally consider retirement this year, he still feels strongly about going forward with the trial to prevent a new precedent for the fishing industry. Read the article here 10:48
Environment: Fish gone foul – Male fish developing female sex organs
The Wallkill River in extreme northern New Jersey is one of the more picturesque locales in the state. So is the Great Swamp in Morris County, a 12-square-mile oasis amid suburbia that was preserved shortly after local activists and officials stopped a plan to build a major airport there about 50 years ago. The seemingly pristine quality of the river and swamp makes it hard to believe that some male fish in both places are developing female sex organs, perhaps because chemical contaminants are altering their hormone systems. The swamp is a national wildlife refuge and the river is part of another refuge. Read the article here 09:27
The sound of endangered salmon surviving
Any day now, next time a storm sends a pulse of water down California’s Sacramento River, biologists at the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery will release this year’s batch of winter-run Chinook salmon. Of the 400,000 4-inch-long salmon smolts they release, 570 will be emitting a coded sound from a tiny electrical device implanted in their bellies. They’ll beep all the way down the river and, for those lucky enough to make it, out to sea. Winter-run Chinook salmon are critically endangered. They are particularly vulnerable in times of drought, when water levels are low and river temperatures high. With California now in the fourth year of a historic drought — and the state is still in a drought, despite short-term relief from recent storms — winter-run Chinook salmon are in an extremely perilous state. Read the article here 07:11
