Daily Archives: December 12, 2019
Comment: New Zealand’s fishing industry under pressure
New Zealand’s fishing industry punches well above its weight internationally – but we can do better, writes National’s spokesman for Fisheries Ian McKelvie.,, Currently our fishing industry is under pressure as their fishing methods, environmental record and the sustainability of their catch are coming under criticism from a sector of our community, and factions within Government who don’t always use fact-based material to back up their criticism. The Hector’s and Māui Dolphins Threat Management Review is a major concern for the industry at the moment. >click to read< 19:04
2019 salmon season fell short in some areas
As nearly every commercial salmon fisherman in Upper Cook Inlet can tell you, the 2019 season fell far short in every department. The commercial harvest came in at about 2.1 million sockeye, 37% below the most recent 10-year average, and the total run, forecast for 6 million sockeye, fell 13% short,,, Lower Cook Inlet, meanwhile, had a better season with a commercial harvest of 2.4 million fish of all species. >click to read< 18:07
Stock decline leads to historic shutdown for Gulf P-cod
Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishermen will be keeping their gear dry this winter: The federal fishery has been closed for the 2020 season. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council decided to close the fishery due to concerns about historic low biomass shown in the latest stock assessment. The struggles of the stock have been linked to climate change more than excessive fishing. In 2014, the Gulf of Alaska experienced a major influx of warm water, linked to the El Nino event in the south Pacific. >click to read< 15:44
Melbourne is now home to a pink Champagne and lobster bar
Upon arrival at Pinchy’s in Melbourne’s Bourke Street, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve returned to the womb.,, Pinchy’s imports lobster from Maine and crab from Alaska, and while their website emphasises their commitment to sustainable fishing practices, it’s not clear whether they’re offsetting the carbon from flying produce halfway around the world. As the business grows, hopefully they’ll consider swapping American shellfish for some of our beautiful local crays and crabs. In the meantime though, go for a glass of bubbly and soak up the pink. >click to read< 11:55
F/V Sea Angels: Unified Command activated for fishing vessel that ran aground near Browns Inlet, North Carolina
A Unified Command was established on Wednesday afternoon to oversee the safe removal of fishing vessel Sea Angels, which ran aground in the vicinity of Browns Inlet, North Carolina. On Dec. 9, 2019, fishing vessel Sea Angels ran aground near a restricted navigation area in Browns Inlet, where the potential of unexploded military ordnance exists due to active live fire training in the area dating back to World War II. >click to read< 10:49
Scotia Harvest Inc. in Digby moving forward with construction of $14-million production facility
Alain d’Entremont has never taken his eyes off of his to-do lists,, Scotia Harvest Inc. in Digby is gearing up for construction of a $14-million, 43,580-square-foot groundfish production facility in the Digby industrial park. “I don’t think any of my colleagues in the industry would be surprised that I’m building a plant, I’ve been talking about it for years,” says d’Entremont, president and CEO of Scotia Harvest Inc. When Scotia Harvest Inc. acquired O’Neil Fisheries in 2012 it included a processing plant. But d’Entremont knew early on his business plans would outgrow that facility. >click to read< 10:07
Our water quality problems are a tangled mess, but they can be fixed
What can we or local governments do about red tide? Another major outbreak could be disaster. But it could be necessary to forces us to address the sources of nutrient pollution. Reality is government ignores everything it can. To fix things, the sources have to be outed, and then it will take money to clean things up. But elected officials need contributions to get elected and re-elected. It’s expensive to campaign. What do those big contributions buy? >click to read< 09:04
Offshore Wind Task Force Meets Today At UNH, livestream of the BOEM task force meeting beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday
New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts are set to begin planning how they might develop offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine. The first meeting of the tri-state task force takes place all day today at the University of New Hampshire and is open to the public. Watch a livestream of the BOEM task force meeting here beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday: >Click here to read, and watch livestream< 08:22
Waiting Game: Gear ready, the North Coast’s commercial crab fleet is on hold
Fishermen are optimistic by nature, but spending $5,000 on new crab gear this year is still a risky proposition for commercial crabbers like Curt Wilson. The equipment is expensive, prone to being lost and there has been no certainty in recent years that the commercial Dungeness crab season will start on time, if at all. “I just want a chance to fish,” said 34-year-old Wilson,,,>click to read< 07:06
