Tag Archives: U.S. fishery

‘The people’s fish’: Atlantic mackerel stocks have collapsed – can a moratorium bring them back?

Canada’s Atlantic mackerel population is a shadow of what it once was, and its decline threatens the well-being of the people who depend on it. Mackerel supports one of Atlantic Canada’s top recreational fisheries, and one of its oldest commercial fisheries. The fish is also used for bait, and it has an important place in Indigenous cultures. The same migratory stock supports recreational and commercial fisheries in the U.S. Last March, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans closed Canada’s commercial and bait mackerel fisheries for one year and placed daily personal limits on the recreational fishery, to give the population time to rebound. But the U.S. fishery remains open, albeit with a reduced quota. Next week, federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray will decide whether to reopen the Canadian fishery. The DFO’s latest studies have found no sign of recovery in the mackerel stock. Photos, >click to read<  13:09

Tautai o Samoa Longline and Fishing Association elects’ new officers

New officers for the Tautai o Samoa Longline and Fishing Association have their work cut out for them with a host of challenges facing members. Issues such as poor fishing conditions, increased costs of operations and increased federal regulations. The association held its 1st annual meeting yesterday to elect officers and discuss the critical issues that impact this U.S. fishery. Tautai members are U.S. longline owners that operate in the U.S./ American Samoa EEZ and produce U.S. albacore for the Starkist Samoa plant. The Tautai fleet is the only U.S. longline fleet targeting South Pacific albacore. >click to read< 14:34