Category Archives: Gulf of Mexico
What Newfoundland and Labrador could learn from the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history
Marine scientist Donald Boesch says the controversy fuelled by recent oil spills off Canada’s East Coast has some “fairly interesting and striking comparisons” to his past work examining how the offshore (oil) industry is managed, as part of a U.S. inquiry into the Deepwater Horizon disaster.,,, Boesch says one of the most critical lessons the commission learned is that the U.S. agency overseeing offshore oil in the gulf had a conflict of interest built into its mandate.,,, Critics have accused the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) of having a similar conflict. >click to read< 10:26
Fishermen warn Miss. Coast will pay steep price in new plan to save Louisiana wetlands
Fishermen in South Louisiana have a warning for the Mississippi Coast: If you think the Bonnet Carré Spillway has wreaked havoc in the Mississippi Sound, just wait until Louisiana gets permission for a new diversion of Mississippi River water.,,, Two scientific studies of three Mississippi River diversions already in place, the most recent out of Louisiana State University, document land loss. The state and big environmental groups are pressing ahead with the two proposed river diversions, expected to consume more than $2.2 billion in funds from the BP catastrophe in 2010. >click to read< 10:47
Florida Keys Eight no-fishing zones proposed in the Keys to protect threatened corals and marine life
Federal environmental regulators Tuesday unveiled major new proposals to protect marine life and corals that would limit fishing, restrict what cruise ships can dump at sea and regulate the boats on which many people live near shore.,,, And in a move that will likely cause controversy in the fishing industry, NOAA, the federal agency that oversees the waters surrounding the island chain, called for adding eight more zones in Keys waters where both commercial fishing) and recreational angling would be prohibited. >click to read< 10:12
200 pounds of shrimp stolen from boat in Cameron Parish
A Hackberry man is under arrest after 200 pounds of shrimp were stolen from a boat in Cameron Parish, authorities said. Cameron Parish Sheriff Ron Johnson said in a news release that the theft was reported on Friday. Joseph Keith Portie Jr., 27, has been arrested on one count of possession of stolen things. Bond is set at $1,500. Johnson said some of the shrimp have been recovered. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are possible. >click to read< 12:03
NOAA Seeks Nominations for Scientific Review Groups under the Marine Mammal Protection Act
NOAA Fisheries will publish a Federal Register Notice on Monday, August 19, 2019, soliciting nominations to three independent marine mammal scientific review groups (SRG). We would like your assistance to identify qualified candidates. The three independent regional SRGs, covering Alaska, the Atlantic (including the Gulf of Mexico), and the Pacific (including Hawaii), were established under section 117(d) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act to provide advice on a range of marine mammal science and management issues. >click to read< 16:27
Once Robust, Bluefin Tuna Fishery Is In Economic Freefall
Carl Coppenrath can remember the days when it seemed bluefin tuna fishermen could walk on water. In the heyday of the 1980s, the market was so flush in Menemsha that fishermen could literally walk across a harbor packed with a fleet of commercial vessels lined up at the end of the day to sell their catch for top dollar. The mystique and allure of catching the torpedo-shaped fish that can weigh over 1,400 pounds brought glory and the prospects of such wealth that it awoke the romantic reimagination of the old whaling days of the Island. So much so that it spawned the popular cable TV series Wicked Tuna and lit up social media with photos and boastful tales of the trophy fish. “It’s like an addiction . . . >click to read< 21:29
Late Post. Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in New Orleans, August 12 – 15, 2019
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in New Orleans, August 12 – 15, 2019, at Hyatt Centric French Quarter, 800 Iberville Street
New Orleans, LA 70112. >click to read the Agenda and Meeting Materials<, >click to listen live< Our apologies! 16:13
Louisiana fishermen sell directly to survive, hoping for boost from restaurant menu labeling law
Commercial fishing businesses in Louisiana, striving to survive years of low prices for their catch and a safety scare following the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, are hoping for a boost in demand when restaurants across the state are required to disclose imported shrimp and crawfish on their menus starting Sept. 1. But already there is doubt that it will have much of an impact. >click to read< 12:15
A Fundraiser by Joseph Daughtry for a Florida Statewide Commercial Fishermen’s Reunion
We are raising funds to pay for the pavillion rental, tent, table and chairs, Permits and insurance, Food and beverage, and everything else that will arise to make our reunion on January 11th, 2020 at Sandsprit Park in Port Salerno the best experience we can make of it. We are not doing this to make money, so if any funds are left over, they will be turned into a Fishermen Emergency fund of a sort to be determined by everyone. Please donate if you can.. It has been too long since the fishermen of Florida past and present got together. Please contact me, Joseph Daughtry, [email protected] if you are interested in attending. Thanks. We hope to make this a lifelong memory for everyone…Joe Daughtry >click to read< Party On!
What happened to Pensacola’s commercial fishing industry?
This industry began when it became possible to put in use a series of key elements which together made such a traffic practical and profitable. The “elements” began, of course, with the fish themselves, some of which had been a part of the economic backbone of the community from the beginning. The open sea was home to the fish, and while some of the works had to be performed some distance from land, netting and icing all were practical for the proper vessels. >click to read< 13:08
Fishermen concerned discharge from large pipe is hurting crab fishing
A longtime crab fisherman in Cameron Parish is raising concerns about a water discharge he says is killing his livelihood. The State Department of Environmental quality is investigating. Seventy-two-year old Teddy Broussard of Grand Chenier would normally be crab fishing on a day like this, but he says discharge into a canal which empties into the Mermentau River has ruined the spot where he fishes.,,“Basically, my livelihood at this moment is, it’s pretty much 85% destroyed >click to read< 17:52
FISH & MEN: A film on the High Cost of Cheap Fish
We hope the fishing families and pioneers featured in this film will inspire a movement,,, For centuries, cod fed the world and helped build a nation. Nowhere was that more so than in Gloucester, Massachusetts – America’s oldest fishing port. But, today all that has changed… From California to Maine, small fishing communities struggle to survive. The iconic American fisherman is in a perfect storm of foreign competition, erratic regulations and rising costs. Trailer, photo’s, of some of the best people on the planet. Please support this effort. >click to read< 14:51
Family hoping for return of lost shrimper after Coast Guard stops search near Port Aransas
The family of a Florida shrimper lost at sea is hoping for his discovery despite the discontinuing of a Coast Guard search for him. “I know it’s a long shot, but we still have some type of hope that somebody picked him up out of the water,” said the man’s niece, Denise Beale,,, Rick Beale, a 62-year-old Fort Myers, Fla., shrimper, went missing off the coast of Port Aransas on Sunday morning, she said. As a shrimper of 42 years, the man routinely sailed out of Florida on long trips along the Gulf Coast. >click to read< 14:14
The Mississippi River Devastated Fisheries This Year. Some See It As A Preview Of The Future
On a bayou in the St. Bernard Parish town of Yscloskey, George Barisich starts up his shrimp boat. “Hear that?” he says, as the diesel engine below our feet roars to a start. “That’s the sound we want to hear.” Barisich says that engine hasn’t gotten much use lately. There is no point in heading into the marsh when there aren’t any shrimp to catch. “I’m 82 percent off on my brown shrimp,” he says of this season. “Eighty two. And there’s a lot of people just as bad.” This year’s historic flooding on the Mississippi River has decimated the coast’s fisheries. >click to read< 17:48:45
More articles on sediment diversion, >click here<
Agents recieve a complaint! Agents cite Lafitte man for theft of crab traps, and a few other things.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents cited a Lafitte man for alleged commercial fishing violations in Jefferson Parish on Aug. 2. Agents cited Tracy Bruce, 46, for theft of crab traps, taking commercial fish without a license, taking commercial fish without a commercial gear license, using crab traps without required markings, illegal removal of contents and operating an unregistered motorboat. Agents received a complaint that Bruce was fishing multiple traps belonging to other fishermen near Little Lake. On Aug. 2, agents stopped Bruce,,, >click to read< 16:18
DeSantis Names 11 to His Red Tide Task Force
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced the appointments of 11 “expert researchers and leading scientists” to the recently re-organized Red Tide Task Force. The governor was joined in Englewood, epicenter of 2018’s monumental Red Tide event, for the announcement by Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Noah Valenstein and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Executive Director Eric Sutton. For more than 15 years, this Task Force had been inactive and without funding until its re-organization by FWC today at DeSantis’ direction. >click to read< 11:49
Listen to those who know: Fishery managers should be paying attention to voices of experience
Could we stop talking about working with the fishery experts and start actually working with them? The experts, in my opinion, are the folks who have survived by fishing for generations, not the ones with degrees but minimal field experience.,,, I’m not a management expert. But I have worked with most aspects of fisheries for 40 years, so I have a lot more than a clue. I have a better understanding and a lot more experience than many that claim expertise. I’ve attended more meetings, seminars, symposiums, public hearings and classes than I could afford to. I’ve dedicated my life to fishing. Much of this was to give back, trying to help. But it’s time for me to accept reality: by Capt. Van Hubbard >click to read< 08:22
Request for Comments: Changes to Allowable Fishing Effort in the Gulf of Mexico Commercial Shrimp Fishery
NOAA Fisheries requests your comments on changes to regulations for the Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp fishery. The changes would: increase the allowable amount of commercial shrimp trawl fishing effort in certain federal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico., revise the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery management plan framework procedure to allow changes to allowable fishing effort through an expedited process. Comments are due by September 30, 2019. How to comment, frequently asked questions. >click to read, comment< 16:17
2018 Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries
Number of US fish stocks at sustainable levels remains near record high – Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released the Status of U.S. Fisheries Annual Report to Congress, which details the status of 479 federally-managed stocks or stock complexes in the U.S. to identify which stocks are subject to overfishing, are overfished, or are rebuilt to sustainable levels. >click here to read a rundown of the report< To read the report, 2018 Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries >click here< 15:26
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries describes floodwater impacts on LA seafood as ‘extreme’. Fishermen are concerned.
Scientists pointed out significant numbers of fin fish, shrimp, crab and oysters lost so far this year, with the sharpest declines seen at oyster beds. Marine fisheries biologist Nicole Smith said oyster men have reported 60% to 100% mortality rates among coastal oysters.,,, Kimberly Chauvin attended the meeting to represent the David Chauvin Seafood Co. in Dulac. She said her central location dodged the worst of the floodwater intrusion, but she is concerned about the flood of toxins the floods carry with it. Video, >click to read< 15:34
Bids sought for $300K in repairs to Galveston’s Pier 19
Galveston’s commercial fishing fleet has called Pier 19 home for decades. Like any place that’s been occupied for a long time, the docks have started to show their age. The Port of Galveston now plans to give the pier a makeover.,,,Pier 19 has been the home of the Mosquito Fleet, Galveston’s commercial shrimping fleet, since as early as 1850. Over the decades, the size of the fishing fleet has shrunk, but the pier remains home to shrimpers, seafood markets and charter boat companies. 5 photo’s, >click to read< 14:31
Bonnet Carre Spillway shut down as river falls below flood stage
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the weekend completed the shutdown of the Bonnet Carre Spillway north of New Orleans, starting a process that will lead to the return of normal saltwater conditions in the Mississippi Sound. The return to normalcy in the Sound will take a minimum of two to four weeks,,, Recovery of aspects of the seafood industry is going to take years to recover, Graham said, citing the oysters, whose beds have been virtually destroyed by the fresh water.,, He said the shrimp industry, which, according to the Department of Marine Resources, over the past five years have yielded 2 million pounds in June, compared with about 500,000 pounds this June, should recover much quicker. >click to read< 08:25
‘No one can fill those shoes:’ Pensacola fishermen mourn loss of ‘Tony the bait man’
It’s been routine for fishermen setting sail on the Gulf of Mexico over the past 15 years to stop beside the unmistakable blue boat — always parked in the same spot about a mile east of Pensacola Pass — for a live bait transaction. Until his last day on earth, you could buzz Tony Barfield on VHF radio channel 11 or pull right up to the beloved bait salesman’s trademark spot on the pass to pick up your cigar minnows or threadfins for the day. Barfield died July 19 of natural causes at the age of 61. >click to read< 11:41
Video – New tax proposed on imported seafood in Louisiana
A proposal is making a splash in Louisiana shrimp boats. Delcambre shrimper Terral Melancon tells me he’s losing money to imported shrimp. “I catch that shrimp, I can’t even get 80 cents (a pound),” said Melancon. “They flood the market so cheap our shrimp is worth nothing because this country is so flooded with the imported shrimp” Now Lousiana’s Lieutenant Governor wants to tax imported seafood at 10 cents per pound, but foreign seafood isn’t just cutting into fishermen’s profits. Video, >click to read< 16:14
7-foot mako shark tagged off Texas reappears off North Carolina’s Outer Banks
A 7-foot-5-inch-long mako shark tagged last year off Texas appeared Wednesday morning off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. His tracker pinged at 7:48 a.m. in the waters off Hatteras, a popular tourist area on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore,,, The shark has traveled more than 14,400 miles in 16 months, at times at speeds of up to 100 miles a day, researchers say.,,, “He’s the first mako we’ve tracked out of the Gulf of Mexico and into the Atlantic,” the organization tweeted. >click to read< 10:20
U.S. Sen. Kennedy calls for permanent safety net for fishing industry
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, is calling for a permanent taxpayer-supported safety net for the fishing industry. The Commercial Fishing and Aquaculture Protection Act of 2019, introduced by U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, does not carry an explicit price tag. Kennedy’s statement in support of the bill compares the proposal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “well-established” disaster programs for farmers.,,, Under the proposed amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, potential federal relief would be available when revenue associated with commercial fishing or farm-raised fish production,,, >click to read<17:40
2019 shrimp season is worst Pass Christian seafood dealer has seen in more than 40 years
Jeremy Forte’s family seafood business has never seen a shrimp season as bad as this year. Not only are they seeing the affects of the Bonnet Carré on the ecosystem, but the algae warnings for seafood has been detrimental to their business. Video, >click to watch< 14:18
New bill would pay Coast fisherman for losses after Bonnet Carré opening, algae bloom – >click to read<
Commercial Fisherman Sentenced in Federal Court for Assault with Intent to Murder
Christopher Shane Dreiling was sentenced in federal court on two counts of assault with intent to murder within the special maritime jurisdiction of the United States. Dreiling received a thirty year prison sentence, consisting of fifteen years on each count of assault to run consecutive to each other. At trial, a jury found that at dusk on August 20, 2017, Dreiling attacked the captain and another crew member of the Billy B. a commercial fishing vessel. After stabbing both victims multiple times with a fillet knife, Dreiling forced the victims off the boat and into the Gulf of Mexico >click to read< Original December 5, 2018 post, >click to read< 12:22
Commercially Caught Wild American Shrimp From Gulf of Mexico Remain Safe to Eat
For the commercial wild-caught shrimp industry in the Gulf of Mexico, it’s business as usual. In spite of reports coming out of the Gulf of Mexico about a freshwater influx due to flooding in the Midwest, along with some resulting, close-to-shore algae blooms, commercial shrimp processors are reporting that this year, though volumes are lower, shrimp quality and size are good as ever. “The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) is continuing to test water and fish samples to ensure seafood safety in Mississippi waters,” >click to read< 09:54
To the Gloucester Fish Commission, I propose that you request Markey and Warren vote in favor of this new bill
MSA Reauthorization: To the Gloucester Fish Commission, I am asking you to vote in favor of H.R. 3697, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, co-sponsored by Congressman Don Young, and Congressman Jeff Van Drew.,,, I propose to you that you request that Senator Ed Markey, and Senator Liz Warren vote in favor of this new bill, and that they recognize the importance that the agency they fund, use other credible science from other sources, such as SMAST, and fisherman funded science. The agency holds all the cards, and by law does not have to consider any other science at all, let alone the what really could be the best available that is excluded by NOAA, by default. This is unacceptable moving forward. By Sam Parisi >click to read< 14:35
