Daily Archives: March 3, 2019

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting March 4-8, 2019 at Westin Jekyll Island, Ga.

The public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held March 4-8, 2019 at Westin Jekyll Island; 110 Ocean Way Jekyll Island, Ga.  Complete Agenda >click here< for details Webinar Registration: >Listen Live, Click here< To visit the SAFMC >click here<22:23

From their work at sea and in Nanaimo lab, researchers discover that B.C. coho are wintering in Gulf of Alaska

Onboard DNA analysis of salmon — the first time such complex molecular research has been performed at sea — has discovered that B.C. and Puget Sound coho are wintering in the Gulf of Alaska. The proof that it is possible to perform such analysis shipboard, and with only about $10,000 worth of compact equipment, is considered game-changing by international scientists halfway through a winter research cruise using the chartered Russian trawler Professor Kaganovsky and its crew in the Gulf. >click to read<19:39

DON CUDDY: Whales, fish stocks and new tech: Catching up with NOAA’s Jon Hare

I was pleased to enjoy a wide-ranging chat with Mr. Jon Hare last week. Jon is the Science and Research Director for NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. That’s the division of NOAA that is charged with managing “the living marine resources of the Northeast Continental Shelf Ecosystem from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras.” So this man has a lot on his plate. When he began working as director in 2017 I interviewed him about the task ahead and did a follow up last year. So in what has now become an annual event we sat down to talk about how things are going at the Science Center and I found the encounter as interesting as ever. >click to read<18:40

Overloading, heavy ice and an open hatch: Coast Guard details what sank the Seattle-based F/V Destination

The ability of the Seattle-based Destination to stay afloat in the harsh conditions of a Bering Sea winter was seriously compromised before it set out on its final, fatal voyage, according to a Coast Guard report released Sunday that blamed the captain and the owner of the crab boat for failing to ensure safety. The Marine Board of Investigation detailed a series of missteps the Coast Guard found led to the deaths of all six crew on Feb. 11, 2017, just off the Bering Sea island of St. George. The panel also uncovered weaknesses in a safety-oversight system set up to prevent such fishing-industry disasters. Among the conclusions: >click to read<14:35

Fishermen’s group calls Corps’ analysis of potential tailings dam failure at Pebble ‘woefully inadequate’

A new study commissioned by a Bristol Bay seafood marketing group paints a doomsday scenario if the bulk tailings dam at the proposed Pebble mine ever suffered a catastrophic breach, an outcome the U.S Army Corps of Engineers has called very remote and one the mine developer has taken steps to avoid. Billions of gallons of mud would smother valley bottoms, covering vast stretches of salmon habitat, according to an executive summary released Friday. Finely ground-up waste material from mining would travel downstream and spill into Bristol Bay more than 200 river miles from the mine site, threatening the valuable salmon fishery. >click to read<13:16

Congrats to Maine’s Lobstermen Who Smashed Previous Year’s Catch By 8 Million Pounds

Maine lobstermen brought more than 119 million pounds (54 million kilograms) of the state’s signature seafood ashore last year, an increase that helped to propel the total value of Maine’s seafood to the second-highest value on record, state officials said. The value of the 2018 lobster catch was more than $484 million, and the total value for all Maine seafood was more than $637 million, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. >click to read<11:13

Puget Sound pollution is the culprit causing orcas’ demise

In my Feb. 3 column, I argued the real matter with the southern resident orca pods was tied to swimming in polluted waters and eating polluted fish that live in those polluted waters connecting them together. Ecologically, it’s a very complex issue. It’s a combination of many factors that affect fish and orca.,, Treated sewage discharges may contain fecal bacteria concentrations that are many times higher than state water quality standards, and even small amounts of sewage discharges over or near shellfish beds can cause enough pollution to require harvest closures, the Department of Ecology says. Really? Inadequate sewage treatment plants on and near Puget Sound are also polluting waters there. Jeff Sayre >click to read<10:09