Daily Archives: April 16, 2019

CLF OVERRULED! New Fishing Rights in Gulf of Maine Upheld by Judge

A federal judge upheld a rule Monday that opens up a portion of the western Gulf of Maine to commercial and recreational fishing for the first time. The Conservation Law Foundation had challenged the rule last year, claiming the National Marine Fisheries Service wrongly prioritized economic considerations over its conservation duty when it reduced the protected area in that portion of the Gulf by about 25%. While the rule offered habitat protection in the eastern Gulf of Maine for the first time, the conservation group said the agency and the New England Regional Council should have closed more of the Gulf to fishing. >click to read<17:28

OCEAN SALMON: Council adopts new recommendations

The Pacific Fishery Management Council has adopted ocean salmon season recommendations that provide recreational and commercial opportunities for most of the Pacific Coast, and achieve conservation goals for the numerous individual salmon stocks on the West Coast. “Although some salmon stocks are returning in stronger numbers than last year, balancing fishing opportunities with conservation is always a challenge for the Council, its advisors, fishery stakeholders, and the public,” Pacific Fishery Management Council Executive Director Chuck Tracy said. >click to read<17:05

Late post! New England Fishery Management Council meeting April 16-18, 2019 in Mystic, CT

The New England Fishery Management Council will be meeting at Hilton Hotel, Mystic, CT, Newport, RI, December 4, 2018 –, To read the final agenda, >click here< Register for webinar >click here< to listen live. Our apologies for being late, and Wednesday, April 17, 2019 Kicks Off @8:30 a.m. Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee Report, Atlantic Herring @11:30!

April 24th, 25th – Fishermen safety training planned in Newburyport, Gloucester

Fishing Partnership Support Services, which was founded in 1997 and maintains offices in four Massachusetts port communities, announces the following training schedule: April 24: Safety and survival training, U.S. Coast Guard Station, 65 Water St., Newburyport, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 25: Drill conductor training, U.S. Coast Guard Station, Newburyport, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Safety and survival training, U.S. Coast Guard Station, 17 Harbor Loop, Gloucester, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 26: Drill conductor training, U.S. Coast Guard Station Gloucester, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch is provided. Safety and survival training will cover: man-overboard procedures, onboard firefighting, emergency communications, flood and pump operation, survival suits, life raft deployment and boarding, and basic first aid. >click to read<12:30

PFMC Officials: No Sardine Fishing Off California This Year Due to Steep Population Decline

West coast regulators have voted unanimously to ban commercial sardine fishing for the fifth straight year after a recent evaluation of the northern Pacific stock revealed a steep decline. The ban on commercial sardine catch spans the entire length of the U.S. West Coast.,,, A new assessment of northern Pacific sardine stocks by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).,,, Not all fishermen agree with the decision to keep the sardine fishery shuttered. Diane Pleschner-Steele, executive director- California Wetfish Producers Association, said NOAA’s sardine survey under-counts the fish, and that the fishermen she hears from are noticing a comeback. >click to read<10:59