Daily Archives: March 11, 2016
Atlantic cod, white hake recommended for endangered species list
The low number of white hake and Atlantic cod has led to the recommendation they be given endangered status by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Nearly half a million grey seals in the Northumberland Strait that feed on the fish are the main cause behind the recommendation, according to the committee. It’s also a combination of two other factors, said Hugues Benoit, head of the marines fish section at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. “The available information we have now it does suggest that the combined effect of the low level of abundance of these fish species and high level of abundance of grey seals could be the cause of elevated natural mortality,” he said. Read the rest here 17:03
Proposed Maryland oyster study draws watermen’s ire
A bill heard this week by a Senate committee would require scientists to determine a sustainable rate of harvest. But it has drawn the ire of watermen and the seafood industry, who contend such a study is unnecessary and a threat to their livelihood. Supporters of the legislation, including environmentalists and recreational anglers, warned Tuesday that despite a population surge the past few years, the state’s oysters may be at risk of overfishing. That could have dire consequences, they said. Oysters are not only the state’s second most valuable commercial fishery, they also help clean the Chesapeake’s water and provide vital habitat for other fish. The bill, introduced by Sen. Roger Manno, a Montgomery County Democrat. Read the rest here 14:08
Coast Guard rescues 3 fishermen forced to abandon ship off Big Island
The three fishermen who were forced to abandon ship from a 41-foot fishing vessel off the coast of the Big Island were rescued Friday morning and are now safe on Oahu, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard launched one of its helicopters after receiving the emergency report shortly before 8 p.m. on Thursday. While scouring the ocean, the aircrew located the fishermen in a life raft when they spotted flashing lights and flares used to call for help. The fishermen were on a fishing vessel called the Vicious Cycle when they were forced to abandon ship approximately 160 miles southwest of Kona. Read the rest here, and here 12:57
Quin Sea sale to Royal Greenland approved by N.L. government
The Newfoundland and Labrador government has approved the sale of one of the province’s largest fish processors to a Greenland company. The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Steve Crocker, said in a news release Friday that he has accepted the recommendations of the Fish Processing Licensing Board to have Royal Greenland take over . Quin Sea operates a half-dozen plants in the province — the largest one in Old Perlican, Trinity Bay — processing about 11,000 metric tonnes of seafood every year. Read the rest here and here 11:16
Effort underway to protect the Boston Fish Pier
![508335-508335[1]-5990](https://fisherynation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/508335-5083351-5990-e1457711348438.jpg)
A group of South Boston politicians are pushing state officials for new measures to protect the Boston Fish Pier, including putting the 102-year-old wharf on the National Register of Historic Places. The effort comes as the Seaport area undergoes massive changes, with high-end offices, restaurants, apartments and condos opening on a regular basis near the pier. Meanwhile, the pier continues to operate as the city’s primary fishing port, with a number of commercial fishing boats docked there and seafood processors operating in two of the pier’s three buildings. It’s also home to the No Name Restaurant, a popular seafood eatery. Read the rest here 10:40
Trudeau-Obama shared Arctic leadership model a hit with environmental groups
Environmental organizations are celebrating the prioritization of the Arctic in the joint statement on climate change issued by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama. The statement released yesterday in conjunction with Trudeau’s visit to Washington included a commitment to implement the Paris Agreement and reduce methane emissions. A shared leadership model on action in the Arctic was one of the highlights in the document. “That is not just significant, it’s historic and unprecedented,” said Louie Porta, policy director of The Pew Charitable Trust’s Oceans North Canada. Read the rest here 09:55
International overfishing study argues every fishing vessel should be tracked
A team of international ocean scientists is urging policy makers around the world to start tracking every vessel on the planet — the same way ride-hailing service Uber tracks cars. A report released today in the journal Science says the anonymity granted to vessels at sea creates perfect conditions for overfishing and the destruction of entire ocean ecosystems. Boris Worm, a Dalhousie University ecologist and a senior author of the report, said the key may be a satellite tracking system known as AIS, or automatic identification system. Read the rest here 09:27
Now here’s something you don’t see everyday! The four-clawed lobster
It sort of looks like a Swiss Army lobster, doesn’t it? We’ve seen a lot of different types of rare lobsters end up on a boat or a dock here in Maine. White lobsters, blue lobsters, yellow lobsters, huge lobsters… there’s a Dr. Seuss book in this somewhere, I think. In terms of colors, the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance describes the white ones as the rarest, at only about one in every 100 million. But nobody really has a category for mutations like the four-clawed crustacean above, which has now been appropriately named “Clawdette.” Naturally, social media’s going nuts over her. Read the rest here 08:57
Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ last in, first out (LIFO) is working exactly as planned
LIFO was never intended to have a long shelf life. Its purpose was and is to pave the way for what has been in the planning and negotiating stage for a long time now, and which is designed to replace it — the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union. Between now and when that trade agreement is ratified, LIFO will help force inshore fishers, processors, plant workers, coastal communities and out of the fishery — and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is about to take a $280-million bribe to help grease the wheels. LIFO is merely a symptom, a precursor if you will, to CETA. Read the rest here 08:40
Coast Guard boat crews safeguard fishing vessel disabled by rogue wave near Oregon coast
Boat crews from Coast Guard Depoe Bay towed the three person crew of a commercial fishing vessel in distress and have been safeguarding them near Yaquina Bay since 2 a.m. Thursday, unable to cross the Yaquina Bay bar as 20-foot seas continue to thrash the Oregon coast. Due to a Captain of the Port closure restricting movement across the Yaquina Bay bar, two lifeboat crews are on standby with the fishing vessel Ms. Nicani until local weather clears, which is expected to be late Thursday evening or Friday morning. The tow began around 2 a.m. about two miles off shore when the crew of Ms. Nicani reported a rogue wave broke the vessel’s windshield and destroyed their electronic systems. Waves in the area were reported to be between 25 and 30 feet the time of the call. Read the rest here 07:14
