Daily Archives: August 19, 2018

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in Corpus Christi, TX. August 20-23, 2018

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will meet August 20-23, 2018 at the Omni Corpus Christi hotel located at 900 N. Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, TX 78401. Public testimony is scheduled on Wednesday, August 22, from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM. The Committee and Council Agendas are available on the Council website at www.gulfcouncil.org. Meeting materials will be posted as they become available. Council meetings are open to the public and are broadcast live over the internet. Register for the webinar >click here< 19:49

Dosed salmon, clipped fins, a ‘dinner bell’: How far is too far in helping starving orca?

The emergency effort to save a critically ill orca whale is an experiment without precedent. An international team of scientists is piloting techniques to treat a wild, free-swimming orca, one of the largest predators on Earth. The effort includes serving up live fish pumped with medicine and playing a unique tone that one researcher likened to a “dinner bell.” A federal permit approved Aug. 8 provides the clearest look yet at the details of an operation that raises questions even for those involved about the proper limits of human intervention. >click to read<17:39

LI farmers and fishermen outline problems for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Long Island farmers and fishermen on Saturday outlined many complicated and pressing problems to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Their to-do list included: cleansing polluted bays by reconnecting them to the sea, obtaining an emergency permit to use a banned pesticide, policing counterfeit seafood, and securing seasonal workers despite an immigration crackdown. Gillibrand, who stands for election in the fall and who might have presidential aspirations, vowed to “elevate” many concerns aired at a panel she convened that was hosted by the Ammerman campus of Suffolk County Community College in Selden. >click to read<16:37

Lobster carapace size increase remains a concern at some P.E.I. ports

Miminegash lobster fishermen are claiming to be negatively impacted by the two-millimetre carapace increase imposed this year. One fisherman, loading up with bait for the next day’s fishing, said Wednesday he is throwing back a lot of lobsters that are just under the minimum length. Shane Costain, captain of the Miminegash Maiden, said his catch took a big dip on Tuesday. He said a lot of lobsters he is throwing back would have been legal size if not for this year’s increase. “The measure is hitting us hard,” he insisted. >click to read<14:49

Drug overdoses hit new high in 2017 — CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates a record number of people died from drug overdoses in 2017. The death toll is higher than the peak yearly death totals from HIV, vehicle crashes or gun deaths. Experts point to two contributing factors: More Americans are using opioids, and drugs are becoming more deadly. Parts of Appalachia and New England showed the highest mortality rates. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont all saw declines. Trump has also set up a presidential council to address the problem. “A majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet”, Ebied said. “Because of the forces of stigma, the population is reluctant to seek care”. There were 10,684 overdose deaths from these drugs in 2016. Ciccarone said the real number could be as high as 4 million. >click to read<11:02

Fishermen’s Memorial Service ‘shows the story behind the memorial’

Around 70 people who attended the annual Fishermen’s Memorial Service were held rapt by the words of local author and filmmaker Ron Gilson as he shared the stories of friends he has lost, fishermen who were taken by the sea. Gilson was the keynote speaker at the service Saturday, which was held on the second floor of the Capt. Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3 hall because of inclement weather. Painted oars that would have been carried to the Man at the Wheel statue and its accompanying cenotaphs at Stacy Boulevard had it not rained were propped up against either side of tall windows in the hall. Keynote speaker Ron Gilson emphasized at the service that Gloucester was built upon the fishing industry. “Four 400 years, we have been fishermen,” he said. “Fishing is what we do here. Make no mistake: Fishing is who we are.” >click to read<10:01

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for August 17, 2018

>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<08:20