Daily Archives: May 7, 2019

Massachusetts Lobstermen to rally in Plymouth over Cape Cod Bay closures

After a period of bad weather, surveyors of North Atlantic right whales were able to fly on Tuesday over Cape Cod Bay, where the continuing presence of the animals has led state officials to extend seasonal bans on high boating speeds and lobstering through May 14. But commercial lobstermen are beginning to bristle at the closures, citing the impact on their livelihood. South Shore lobstermen are planning a rally Thursday morning in Plymouth to protest the extended ban. “There’s a lot of people that are suffering with this closure,” said rally organizer Sheryl Holmes, whose husband, Roscoe “Stoney” Holmes, is a commercial lobsterman who owns the F/V Haley’s Comet out of Plymouth. >click to read<21:59

Coast Guard rescues 5 fishermen from life raft near Sitka, Alaska

The Coast Guard rescued five fishermen from a life raft Tuesday after they were forced to abandon their fishing vessel taking on water southeast of Sitka. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka hoisted all five people and brought them to Sitka, uninjured. Coast Guard Sector Juneau Command Center watchstanders monitoring Channel 16 heard “Mayday, vessel Masonic going down,” at approximately 2:33 a.m. Video >click to read<19:16

2019-2020 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Awards Announced

Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) have selected 13 projects for awards through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The awards are expected to generate more than $14 million; $2.8 million to fund research, and $11.4 million to compensate industry partners who harvest set-aside quota.,,, Among the research projects that will be supported this year are automated image annotation for optical scallop surveys, testing different scallop dredges for efficiency and performance, and development of a high-resolution model to assess the potential impact of offshore wind resource facilities on the regional fishery industry.>click to read<16:42

NOAA picks URI to lead new ocean exploration consortium

The University of Rhode Island will lead a new $94 million consortium to support ocean exploration, responsible resource management, improved scientific understanding of the deep sea and strengthen the nation’s Blue Economy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today. The Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, comprised of five internationally renowned ocean science institutions and led by the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, will spend the next five years working closely with NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) to survey an estimated 3 billion acres of U.S. ocean territory. >click to read<

‘You’ve got to listen to fishermen,’ Dwight Ball hears while promoting shrimp processing

Liberal leader Dwight Ball highlighted the fishery on the campaign trail today. A recent deal with offshore companies is bringing more shrimp to onshore processing plants. But Ball ran into one fisherman who had problems with the cost of fuel. Jason Spence argues the government needs to listen to fishermen more. >click to watch video<11:44

Atlantic Canadian herring fisheries lose sustainability label

All three Marine Stewardship Council-certified herring fisheries in Atlantic Canada have lost their MSC-sustainability certification as the forage fish continues to struggle. Last week, the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia voluntarily suspended its MSC certification on behalf of the 10 companies that operate an 11-vessel fleet of herring purse seiners primarily out of southwestern Nova Scotia.,,, “Over the last three years, the stock has been experiencing a decline and recent science information suggests that the stock is likely now in the critical zone.”,,, Earlier this year, the 19-vessel purse seiner herring fishery off western Newfoundland, led by the Barry Group Inc. of St. John’s, withdrew from MSC certification after auditors warned it was taking too many,,,>click to read<11:06

Pompeo calls out Canada, China, Russia over Arctic policy. China entitled to ‘exactly nothing.’

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stunned onlookers Monday by taking swipes at Canada, China and Russia in a speech to delegates attending the Arctic Council ministerial. Pompeo, along with foreign ministers from the seven other Arctic nations — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Russia — is in Rovaniemi, Finland this week for the eleventh Arctic Council ministerial meeting. Pompeo used his speech to call out countries he accused of making illegitimate claims to Arctic territory, citing Canada’s claim to the Northwest Passage as internal waters. The U.S. considers the Northwest Passage to be international waters. >click to read<09:57

US climate objections sink Arctic Council accord in Finlandclick to read<10:39

Shrimp industry eyes visas; Another 30,000 seasonal workers to be allowed in

The head of the Texas Shrimp Association said it’s unclear how much a Trump administration decision allowing another 30,000 foreign seasonal workers into the United States this year will help the state’s shrimpers. The 30,000 extra H-2B visas the government said it will issue are above the usual cap of 66,000 visas per fiscal year — 33,000 the first half and 33,000 the second half. The domestic seafood industry, seasonal hotels, landscaping companies and other businesses rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill positions, though the strong economy is making it harder than usual for employers to find enough workers. >click to read<09:31

ASMFC says rockfish harvests need to be cut 17 percent

East Coast fishery managers last week took the first steps toward cutting the striped bass harvest 17 percent next year to help end overfishing of the popular species, which has been in decline for years. Options about how the harvest should be reduced will be presented to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission at its August meeting, after which proposals would go out for public comment. Final measures could be approved in October.,,, The issue of such “dead discards” — fish that die after being released by anglers — has gained more attention from fishery managers because the new assessment found,,, >click to read<08:45

Gerald Almy: Virginia’s trophy saltwater striped bass season canceled – >click to read<09:19

Federal, State and Local agencies continue response to F/V Ann Kathleen incident.

Members of the Unified Command responding to the Ann Kathleen incident continue containment and cleanup operations on the coast near Bandon, this week. Since the initial fire and beaching of the 64-foot commercial fishing vessel on Thursday, partner agencies have removed 1080 gallons of diesel fuel from the vessel.,,, A helicopter delivered the totes to a fuel truck at Cape Blanco Airport, Monday. It also removed an aluminum tank and two large chunks of debris. >Images, click to read<08:20