Category Archives: Pacific
One man’s mission to save a historic ship built a digital community
At the beginning, which might otherwise have been the end, the ship was an empty shell, without mast or motor. Just a bathtub with a deck so rotten you could toe into it like mulch, the wood well on its way to being dirt again. But she had a name: Tally Ho. In May 2017, Leo Goolden climbed into the belly of the boat for the first time and sat with the fragile wooden ribs curled around him, rain dripping onto the plastic sheet stretched overhead. Inside the living wreck of the ship he had come so far to see, he conjured the photograph that drew him in,,, >click to read< 10:19
Chinook Salmon Return to a Revitalized San Joaquin River
A staggering number of Chinook salmon are returning to a California river that hasn’t sustained salmon for decades due to agricultural and urban demands, giving biologists hope that threatened fish are finally spawning in their native grounds without human help. Officials working on a restoration program announced Tuesday that they have counted a record number of spring-run Chinook salmon fish nests (redds) so far this fall on a stretch of the San Joaquin River near Fresno. >click to read< 13:02
Feds Tap 300,000 Square Miles of Pacific for Humpback Whales
The proposed rule is the result of a settlement with the National Marine Fisheries Service, who were sued last year for not following through on a 2016 plan to designate two groups of Pacific Ocean humpback whales as endangered and a third group as threatened. The Center for Biological Diversity, joined by Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Wishtoyo Foundation, filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California claiming the lack of action by the Trump administration violated the Endangered Species Act. >click to read< 16:25
The Gulf’s new research ship needs a name. What’s your idea?
The Gulf of Mexico’s largest research ship won’t be built until 2023, but the naming process has already begun.,, Last month, the National Science Foundation announced it would pay $106 million to build the ship.,, Gulf Island Fabrication in Houma will build the ship, along with two others also funded by the foundation. The nearly identical ships will go to Oregon State University and the University of Rhode Island. >click to read< 13:02
Coast Guard rescues man, dog off grounded vessel near Toledo, Oregon
The Coast Guard rescued a man and his dog Sunday afternoon after the man’s vessel ran aground on submerged pilings near Toledo. A Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew retrieved the man and dog off the fishing vessel Mickey, which is listing and stuck in mud in the Yaquina River. Photo’s, >click to read< 20:13
Hydroelectric dams and fish are possible if we’re willing to talk it out
We are now almost 30 years into federal court battles over the management of the Columbia and Snake rivers, both of national concern. Federal judges are making decisions over the “right” management of the river systems. None of them is a dam operator. This is probably the most complex natural resource issue in the Western U.S., if not the entire country. Environmental groups have teamed up to tie it all up repeatedly in the slow federal court system to force a decision that moves only in their direction. They don’t care about the rest of us — the folks who love the working river system FDR started and we use today in so many ways. by Jeff Sayre >click to read< 10:26
Port of Bellingham has key decisions to make. Two candidates want the chance to make them
Port of Bellingham commissioner races may appear below-the-radar compared to other offices, but they have a huge influence in shaping the future of Whatcom County.,, Below are details on the two candidates running for the district 3 position, which is a nonpartisan office that carries a four-year term. Commissioners are paid $8,400 a year. Bobby Briscoe, incumbent, 63, was raised in south Bellingham as a fourth-generation commercial fisherman. Anthony Distefano, 44, was born in eastern North Carolina, Background professionally is maritime, tourism, environmental advocacy/education and renewable energy projects. >click to read< 09:12
Seafood society suspends its own MSC certification over lack of stock assessment
Canadian Pacific Sustainable Seafood Society has announced the “self-suspension” of the MSC certification for B.C. wild salmon, over concerns that the proper stock assessments required to maintain MSC verification are not being done. The society fears it will lose its MSC certification anyway, since it feels DFO is failing to do the science and monitoring required to maintain the certification, so it is voluntarily suspending it for B.C. sockeye, pink and chum salmon. It may be a moot point this year, since there are no wild salmon being caught this year for consumers to buy. >click to read< 20:12
DUI interlock issue nearly sinks fisherman
The finicky nature of Washington’s ignition interlock program almost landed a man in jail after he failed to have the machine calibrated on time. Scott Goldade, 45, appeared before Pacific County South District Court Judge Nancy McAllister on Wednesday Sept. 25 for sentence compliance violations. Goldade works as a boat engineer for commercial fishing vessels. When Goldade got back from fishing on July 16 he realized he’d missed his service date when his car wouldn’t start. >click to read< 15:36
The Yurok Tribe is Leading a Massive Restoration Project on the Trinity River, and the Fish are Coming Back
Known as the Chapman Ranch Project, is part of the largest environmental restoration program ever implemented on the Trinity, and it’s being led by his own people, the Yurok Tribe.,,, Historically, the Trinity, the largest tributary of the Klamath River, hosted thriving populations of steelhead, coho and Chinook salmon, which provided local tribes with their primary dietary staple since time immemorial. It wasn’t just the dam that altered this waterway. Mining activities in the 19th and 20th centuries drastically changed the river’s character and its capacity to support wildlife. Photo’s, Video, >click to read< 15:00
Fisher Poets return to Steveston’s Gulf of Georgia Cannery
The call of the sea, the river and fishing all serve as the source of inspiration for the poets presenting at this weekend’s Fisher Poets at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. On Saturday Sept. 28, current and retired members of the West Coast commercial fishing industry will share their poetry, prose and songs in the Gulf of Georgia Cannery’s Boiler House Theatre. >click to read< 12:19 The Fisher Poets Afternoon will run from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Auction for offshore wind lease just around the corner
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is set to hold an auction to lease space approximately 25 miles off the coast of Eureka to develop an offshore wind energy project in 2020,,, We’re committed to building this project and that we’re able to do that in a way, again, that delivers benefits to the local community.” The companies are front-loading much of the work that needs to be done by trying to assess the impacts to wildlife and local industries, Studds said. >click to read< 16:07
EPA considering first fish farm in Gulf of Mexico
The farm, a pilot project, would not only be a first for the gulf, but would also be the first in the federal waters of the continental United States. If it works, then look for others to follow, both here and elsewhere, said Kampachi co-founder Neil Anthony Sims. “We think the gulf coast of Florida around Tampa offers the most advantageous location, given the criteria we’re looking at,” Sims said. Other companies are eyeing potential fish farm locations off of California and Long Island, he said. >click to read< 14:24
Fisheries disaster declared in multiple fisheries, multiple states
Wednesday,, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced his determination that commercial fishery failures occurred for multiple fisheries between 2017 and 2019 in Alaska, California, Georgia, and South Carolina, while further finding that a catastrophic regional fishery disaster occurred for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama due to extreme flooding events in the Gulf of Mexico. >click to read< 17:41
Acclaimed cinematographer in critical condition after motorcycle crash
Doug Stanley, a father of three and Emmy-award-winning cinematographer, is in critical condition after he was hit head-on by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle Sept. 9 in Auburn. Son Jett, who was a passenger on the motorcycle, was knocked unconscious and suffered a hairline fracture in his foot. While Stanley is best known for his work on “Deadliest Catch,” the Auburn resident is also a pillar of the community donating his time to help salmon restoration in the American River and speaking at local events. >click to read< 12:07
Doug Stanley: Father of 3 in Critical Condition – >click to donate if you can!<
B.C. salmon fishing industry ask feds to provide disaster relief
The commercial fishing industry in British Columbia is in turmoil.,,,“British Colombia’s coastal salmon fishery is experiencing a disaster,” said Gavin McGarrigle, regional director of Unifor Western. “It’s hard to overstate the importance of the salmon run to local economies up and down B.C.’s coast.” He added: “There is an industry wide consensus about both the degree of the disaster and the urgent need to help workers and communities impacted by the collapse of the 2019 salmon run.” >click to read< 16:43
Vessel lost at mouth of Coos River belonged to Joshua Porter, victim of Mary B II tragedy
The commercial fishing boat lost on the rocks near the entrance to the Coos River this weekend belonged to the late Joshua Porter, the Oregon man who died along with two others in the Mary B II tragedy off Newport in January. The Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued two men from the jetty early Sunday morning.,,, “This is completely devastating for Josh’s loved ones,” the group said. “Newport Fishermen’s Wives are sending all of our love and sympathy to Josh’s wife Denise, his children, family and friends.” >click to read< >click for other reports< 16:13
Offshore wind energy looks more promising for Oregon
“There will be some impacts to fishing grounds, some good, some bad, and some unknown,” he said. (where’s the good?) “But at the end of the day, the issue is: some people can’t fish where they want to or have historically fished.”(where’s the good?) Any offshore wind farm on this stretch of the Pacific will essentially act as a marine reserve, because commercial and recreational fishing will likely be limited in the area. >click to read< 18:19
Trawler runs aground in Rarotonga
Efforts are underway to refloat a fishing boat lodged on a reef at Rarotonga. The boat became wrecked on the reef just offshore the Rutaki area on the main island on Friday, the Cook Islands News reported. On Saturday afternoon work with a ship and heavy machinery was underway to get the vessel off the reef. It could be seen from the nearby Rarotongan Beach Resort. Photos, video, >click to read< 09:27
Monterey fish pump being torn down at commercial wharf
An industrial symbol of the heyday of commercial fishing in Monterey is being torn down this coming week after a conflict with the city resulted in a four-generation fishing family losing the lease on its wholesale processing warehouse on Monterey Municipal Wharf No. 2. A huge fish pump — not that anyone can particularly tell that’s what it is — can easily be seen from Del Monte Avenue straddling the truck ramps between the edge of the dock and the Royal Seafoods warehouse on the commercial wharf.,,, Once the pump is dismantled Pennisi said he will store it on his horse ranch until he decides what to do with it. As for Royal Seafoods, that business no longer exists, Pennisi said. >click to read< 21:18
Oregon researchers investigate latest marine heatwave that could hurt Pacific ecosystems
Earlier this month, the feds announced there was trouble brewing in the Pacific: a mass of warm water was building off the west coast, reminiscent of another event nicknamed “The Blob,” which caused havoc for wildlife and fishermen just a few years ago. Experts caution that the current marine heatwave is still in its infancy and could dissipate today, tomorrow or next week.,,, “This marine heatwave took shape in June, persisted, and has grown in size,” said Chris Harvey, a research biologist at the Northwest Fishery Science Center, >click to read< 17:54
Feds seek expanded habitat protection as salmon, orcas battle climate change, habitat degradation
Advocates for the designation say it provides another layer of review and more legal protection for the whales. “We are thrilled,” said Steve Jones, spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity,,, However, Lynne Barre, head of killer-whale protection for NOAA, said she did not anticipate big changes if the designation is approved after a public comment period, because activities such as dam operations and fishing already are subject to review by the agency for their effect on endangered species. >click to read< 13:32
Bristol Bay Native Corporation to acquire two giants of Alaska’s Pacific cod fishery
Clipper Seafoods and Blue North Fisheries are freezer longline catchers, two giants of the Pacific cod industry. Clipper has six hook and line vessels, and after retiring one of its vessels, Blue North will have four. Now, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation is poised to acquire all of them. “Blue North and Clipper Seafoods, as of Friday last week, have officially merged together. And then BBNC’s intentions are to acquire the merged companies – the Blue North Clipper Group – on Sept. 30.” Audio, >click to read< 18:20
President Trump! About our great Fishermen, our great Farmers and tariffs
President Trump, as we sit here listening to your arena chat with another strong crowd of support tonight (9-16-2019) in New Mexico, you once again brought up the nations farmers, I’d like to mention another group of outstanding, and hard working Americans, U.S. Commercial Fishermen, of whom many are your supporters that have been standing with you on the trade war. We have heard the praise of the Miners, and the Farmers, and its time for you to praise the Fishermen. >click to read< 11:31
Offshore Wind Energy Looks More Promising for Oregon
A stretch of the Pacific Ocean off the coast between Humboldt County, California, and Coos Bay, Oregon, has some of the highest wind power generating potential in the country. The area north of the California border looks particularly promising to green energy advocates because the region already has a functioning electric grid. But a past attempt to install five floating turbines off Coos Bay faced rising costs and opposition from the fishing industry, and was eventually moved to California when no one could be found to buy the high-priced power the facility planned to generate. >click to read< 11:24
13 years ago, the Nature Conservancy desperately wanted to protect groundfish. Now it wants you to eat them
In 2006, the crash of the groundfish population — bottom-dwelling fish like petrale sole, chilipepper rockfish and sand dabs that used to be common on Bay Area tables — led the Nature Conservancy to buy up 13 fishing permits and some California fishermen’s vessels. The state worked with a handful of the state’s remaining groundfish trawlers to change how they fish and protect vulnerable habitat. Now that groundfish populations have rebounded, the Nature Conservancy wants the public to know they’re OK to eat again. >click to read< (if you don’t get propaganda sick) 10:27
Salmon Tales: Sex, myth and molecular genetics of an iconic fish
A sockeye salmon’s life ends right back where it began, culminating in an anadromous drama of sex, decay and sacrifice. Patty Zwollo says that it’s all part of sexual maturation in salmon: They swim up out of the Pacific into the same streams in which they were born and into the lives, literature and religion of the native peoples of the drainages. >click to read< 10:34
Starkist Hit With $100M Fine in Seafood Price-Fixing Scheme
Starkist must pay a $100 million criminal fine for conspiring to fix packaged seafood prices, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, despite arguments it could bankrupt the company or cause its employees to lose jobs. “I think it’s in the interest of the economy not to bankrupt Starkist, but the court has the leverage to extend the payments out,”,, Starkist general counsel and senior vice president Robert Scott Meece said the company has about 100 employees at its Pittsburgh headquarters and 2,100 working at a factory in American Samoa. “These employees have had this hanging over their heads for a long time,” >click to read< 12:00
Whale entanglments are down on the West Coast. The reason for the reduction is in question.
According to the NOAA, as of Aug. 23, the National Marine Fisheries Service reported 17 confirmed whale entanglements in 2019, compared to 40 for the same period a year prior.,,, The reason for the sharp reduction in entanglements is in question.,,, Pieter Folkens, a permitted whale disentangler for NOAA, said the Center for Biological Diversity’s claim of victory is premature. He said shortening the crab fishing season had little influence on the number of entanglements this year. >click to read< 11:01
Sockeye harvest breaks all-time top 5; pinks picking up
The 2019 salmon season has seen plenty of fish return to the state, but far from evenly across regions. As of Sept. 10, commercial fishermen across Alaska have landed 198.4 million salmon of all five species, about 8 percent less than the preseason forecast of 213.2 million. Most of that shortfall is in pink and chum salmon, which haven’t delivered on their forecasts so far, but a surplus of sockeye salmon helped make up for some of that gap. Statewide, commercial fishermen have landed more than 55.1 million sockeye, about 9 percent more than last year and 5 million more than the preseason forecast. >click to read< 07:40
