Daily Archives: September 24, 2017

Fishery management goes back many decades

Beginning in the early 1970s, I became interested in fishery management. The declining number of striped bass or rockfish caught my attention, and I tried to help the situation the best way I knew how. I became a member of Save Our Stripers and then a part of Bob Pond’s effort to get the government to pay attention to his studies on the Nanticoke River that indicated there was something wrong with the eggs carried by female rockfish. Then there was a group of watermen in the Upper Chesapeake Bay that tried to establish a hatchery in Elkton. I went with them to collect males and females and then breed them in tanks before placing the tiny fry in ponds once used to grow catfish. Unfortunately, one pond still held a few catfish that were very happy to see all that food dropped in their laps. click here to read the story 16:43

Sept. 25th – Celebrating The Iconic Maine Lobster Industry On National Lobster Day

For the third year in a row the Maine Lobster industry is gearing up to celebrate National Lobster Day on September 25th. Maine Lobster is an American icon that has been enjoyed by diners across the world for centuries.,, “Most people don’t know that the best time to enjoy a Maine Lobster is during late summer and fall, which is why we celebrate National Lobster Day on September 25th,” said Dave Cousens, Maine Lobsterman. “It’s important to us that we bring attention to our industry during the time when our catch is at its highest.” click here to read the story 14:17

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Charleston September  25-29, 2017

The public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held at the Town & Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, S.C. Complete (revised) Agenda Click here for details Webinar Registration: Listen Live, Click here To visit the SAFMC click here 13:59

Legislative Hearing on 4 Fishery Bills – Tuesday, September 26, 2017 10:00 AM

H.R. 200 (Rep. Don Young), To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide flexibility for fishery managers and stability for fishermen, and for other purposes. click here  H.R. 2023 (Rep. Garret Graves), To modernize recreational fisheries management Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017 click here  H.R. 3588 (Rep. Garret Graves), To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide for management of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, and for other purposes. click here  RED SNAPPER Act Discussion Draft of H.R. ____ (Rep. Jared Huffman), To amend and reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes. click here To read the notice, click here 12:29

Menhaden battle once again pits Virginia against Northern states

Five years ago, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cut the menhaden harvest by 20 percent, forcing the largest employer in the rural tip of the Northern Neck, Omega Protein, to lay off workers and decommission a ship.,, Since then, ASMFC, which manages fisheries from Maine to Florida, changed its method of assessment and says stocks are now healthy. It began easing catch limits to where the quota is now only about 6 percent short of the 212,000 metric tons it once was. Omega, which catches a half-billion fish each year, replaced two of its seven ships this year with larger, more efficient ships and rehired some of its employees. But the company sees a new problem. click here to read the story 11:27

Hurricane Maria path: Category 2 storm may get uncomfortably close to East Coast before turning

A weaker Hurricane Maria continued on a path northward off the U.S. East Coast on Sunday. The National Hurricane Center said Maria, a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph, will continue to track northward parallel to the coast before making a turn away from land and to the east. It’s where and when that turn will happen that is problematic. Forecasters think the core of the hurricane will stay offshore, but it could come close enough that parts of the coast will feel some of its effects. For that reason, the hurricane center said tropical storm — or hurricane — watches may be issued for parts of the North Carolina or Mid-Atlantic coasts today. click here to read the story 10:48

Commercial Fishers and Fish Sellers Affected by the 2015 Refugio State Beach Oil Spill in California are Part of Class Action Lawsuit

Notice has been issued to Fishers and Fish processing businesses confirming that their claims are now part of a class action that has been certified by the United States District Court. Information has been mailed to each identified class members and additional information is available on-line, through various trade associations, and various publications. The Class Action arises from the May 15, 2015 rupture of a corroded underground pipeline owned by Texas-based Plains All American near Refugio Beach. As a result of the spill, the Department of Fish and Wildlife imposed a ban on fishing in a 138-square-mile zone from Gaviota State Beach to Isla Vista. click here to read the press release 09:24

Hurricane Irma: “The fishing industry in the Keys is frozen, paralyzed. We’re literally in a state of shock,”

Marooned on no-name sandbars among the mangroves in the Florida Keys are acres of broken lobster traps and the crumbled livelihoods of Florida fishermen. More than two weeks after Hurricane Irma, the Keys’ $150 million commercial fishing and trapping industry is at a standstill. And the result could affect every link in the chain, from the fisherman to the restaurant and grocery store consumer. If you find Florida spiny lobster at your local market, it will undoubtedly be frozen. “The fishing industry in the Keys is frozen, paralyzed. We’re literally in a state of shock,”, click here to read the story 07:37