Category Archives: South Atlantic

Dry Tortugas- Everglades National Park is expected to fully reopen by Thursday afternoon, to fully reopen by Friday morning

Park Superintendent Dan Kimball emailed commercial fishermen early Thursday to say he was opening the bay immediately, along with other areas of the park that do not depend on the reopening of facilities or the return of furloughed staff.. more@clickorlando 13:47

Artificial reef building project planned for summer 2014

“It’s like a manmade cave that we are putting on the bottom,” said Bob Martore of DNR. Frank Gibson III with the Beaufort Sportfishing & Diving Club said it’s incredible how the ocean transforms the junk metal into marine habitat. “The people who’ve never been diving are kind of mesmerized by seeing the sharks, the flounder, the grouper there,” he said. more@islandpacket 22:40

Stone Crabbers Strike against Joe’s Stone Crab. Say they low balled the Wholesale price.

Joe’s defended the price as appropriate for the start of the seven-month season for stone crabs, saying it has never set wholesale rates this high on Day One. Stephen Sawitz, the COO of Joe’s, which his family owns, said prices typically increase as the season approaches Christmas. He said he did not want to be stuck overpaying for claws before he got a sense of how much supply would be out there this year. “If the price drops, I’m stuck,’’ he said. more@miamiherald 22:57

Coast Guard responding to F/V Sea King – taking on water with four people aboard off Ponte Vedra, Fla.

uscg-logoATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Coast Guard boat and helicopter crews are en route to rescue four people aboard a sinking shrimp boat about 2 miles east of Ponte Vedra, Fla., Tuesday morning. more@uscgnews  Update:  – Flooding is now under control on the 88-foot shrimp boat that was taking on water. Coast Guardsmen passed a dewatering pump to the vessel and are using it and the Sea King’s dewatering pump to keep up with the flooding. All four people remain aboard. The Sea King is expected to arrive in Mayport Tuesday afternoon. 11:20

 

Commercial Stone crab season starts Oct. 15

Commercial stone-crab fishermen cross their fingers and hope the new season beginning Tuesday is not a repeat of the last season. Stone crabs rank behind only lobster in economic impact to the Keys’ commercial fishing industry. more@keysnet 10:31

Obama administration uses government shutdown to ban fishing off of the Florida Keys

fisherman-obama“This is going to put a lot of guys together in a small area close to the park,” Makowski said. “It’s going to be even worse on the weekend when we’re going to have to compete with the recreational anglers.” more@globaldispatch 22:59

Shellfish harvest area closed

PANAMA CITY – The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has temporarily closed a shellfish harvest area in the western part of North Bay as of sunset Oct. 8. more@newsherald  10:33

Florida Stone Crab Season Begins October 15, 2013

Florida Stone Crab season begins on October 15, 2013.  Here are the Stone Crab regulations per the Florida Fish and Wildlife website. more@brevardtimes  10:09

Government Shutdown: Feds Try to Close the OCEAN Because of Shutdown

Just before the weekend, the National Park Service informed charter boat captains in Florida that the Florida Bay was “closed” due to the shutdown. Until government funding is restored, the fishing boats are prohibited from taking anglers into 1,100 square-miles of open ocean. Fishing is also prohibited at Biscayne National Park during the shutdown. more@breitbart  13:30

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Roll’s Out New Wesite!

Check it out. Eye appealing and functional. http://www.asmfc.org/  14:52

Jim Knapp, commercial fishermen, struggling to hang on – Video

Jim  Knapp has been a commercial fisherman here 20 years, mostly fishing for king  mackerel and Spanish mackerel. Even  though he does most of his fishing offshore, the Indian River Lagoon’s toxic  water still has an impact. more@wptv  14:03

Sewerage Nitrates are Killers. Dolphins, manatees dying in record numbers

Unprecedented number of dolphins, manatees dying in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon. Can’t blame over fishing on this one, but I’ll bet these nitrates are the true culprit of declining fish populations. [email protected]  10:59

Seismic airgun activities place Georgia’s right whales at risk during oil exploration

Highly endangered right whales, which give birth in the waters off Georgia, could be harmed by the use of seismic airguns to explore for oil and gas there, said panelists at a forum Thursday night at Savannah State University. In its draft environmental study, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management estimates that seismic airgun activities planned for an eight-year span for the Atlantic will injure and possibly kill 138,500 dolphins and whales. more@savannanow 17:56

Community Supported Fishery: Beaufort seafood business to sell shares in exchange for fresh fish – video

“There’s less infrastructure, (fewer) boats,” Craig Reaves says. “If something doesn’t change, there’s not going to be a fishing industry.” So he’s adopting a model small farmers have turned to to bolster business — community-supported sales. Reaves, who owns Sea Eagle Market in Beaufort, has spent decades connecting with fishermen across the state and serves on the board of the S.C. Seafood Alliance. He’s been searching for a way to help preserve fishing heritage and believes a community-supported fishery might be the answer. more@islandpacket 11:32

Fishermen reiterated their opposition to any new Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary closed areas.

A Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary working group will reconvene Monday, after holding more public meetings this week to get input on potentially closing more areas to fishing and other hot-button topics. The sanctuary held the extra meetings after fishermen voiced opposition to a series of maps, detailing proposed closed fishing areas, by some members of the sanctuary’s Ecosystem Protection Working Group. more@keysnet 08:46

Back in Black: Black Sea Bass Stock is Rebuilt

The wait wasn’t easy but it’s over. NOAA Fisheries has declared the southern stock of black sea bass successfully rebuiltnmfs_logo. With that, the combined commercial and recreational catch limit for this popular species has more than doubled, to 1.8 million pounds. The southern stock of black sea bass ranges from Cape Hatteras, NC to the Florida Keys. For the communities along that stretch of coast, the higher catch limit is extremely good news. [email protected]  13:47

Closure Notice: Aggregated Large Coastal Shark, Hammerhead Shark, Blacknose Shark, and Non-Blackn​ose Small Coastal Shark Management Groups in the Atlantic Region

nmfs_logoThe National Marine Fisheries Service is closing the commercial aggregated large coastal shark, hammerhead shark, blacknose shark, and non-blacknose small coastal shark management groups in the Atlantic region as of 11:30pm local time September 30, 2013.  This inseason action filed in the Federal Register on September 25, 2013, will publish on September 30, 2013, and will become EFFECTIVE on MONDAY, September 30, 2013.  For more information, please see the attached notice or go to the HMS Division website here  17:09

A 31-year-old man was medically evacuated from F/V Captain Bob, a 36-foot commercial vessel

uscg-logoA crewmember aboard the vessel Captain Bob contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders at 8:55 a.m., via VHF-FM channel 16 radio reporting a man aboard the vessel was in need of medical assistance. more@uscgnews 16:12

In Public Notices – South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Approves Broad Range of Federal Management Measures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 23, 2013  The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved several amendments to federal fishery management plans during its quarterly meeting this past week in Charleston, South Carolina, including measures to help reduce bycatch, increase annual catch limits, improve data reporting, and provide further protection of deepwater coral areas. The Council considered recommendations from its advisory. more here 15:59

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Vessel Monitoring Systems – HMS Webinar – Monday, September 23, 2013 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT

nmfs_logoNMFS proposes to modify the declaration requirements for vessels required to use Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) units in Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) fisheries. This proposed rule would require operators of vessels that have been issued HMS permits and are required to use VMS to use their VMS units to provide hourly position reports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7).  Additionally, these changes will continue to provide NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) with information necessary to facilitate enforcement of HMS regulations. This rule would affect all commercial fishermen who fish for Atlantic HMS who are required to use VMS. more here register for webinar here  12:59

Input on possible Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary fishing closures sought

Sanctuary officials agreed to the four additional meetings to address the issue last month after fishermen and divers loudly voiced their opposition to a series of maps that proposed new closed areas and the expansion of existing closed areas. more@keysnet  11:06

Center for Biological Diversity criticize Coral protection plan delay – deal with it!

The National Marine Fisheries Service announced Friday a final decision on whether to protect 66 corals as endangered species would be delayed until June 7. That will allow scientists to consider a substantial amount of new information that arrived in response to the original proposal. Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These corals desperately need the safety net that only the Endangered Species Act can provide.”  Prove it! more@sunsentinal 20:13

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council delay action on new Marine Protected Areas

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Federal regulators decided Wednesday they want more information before adding another 300 square miles to areas where bottom fishing is banned along the Southeast coast. A proposal before a committee of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council would have established 12 new Marine Protected Areas, to go with eight existing ones, in waters along the coast between the Carolinas and Florida. more@sfgate 23:01

Aquaculture farmers flocking to Indian River County

As disease, drought and economics have altered the local agriculture industry, farmers are searching for new ways to produce food. For some, aquaculture is becoming a popular option. During a recent presentation to the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce, Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) President Dr. Anthony Catanese predicted aquaculture  underwater agriculture — would be the next big industry for Florida. [email protected] 11:50

Disabled shrimp boats still true to a Lowcountry way of life

Lady Essie and Dianie deserve better. From across a sea of marsh grass on Hilton Head Island, the two old shrimp trawlers appear to be resting on their sides. One was being used to pull the other out of Jarvis Creek, perhaps for one last hurrah on the big water. But they didn’t make it. They ran aground in the tight creek. And now a familiar cry goes up to clean up the mess, but we know it will be easier to find a sneaker knee deep in pluff mud. more@islandpacket 09:00

City Hall does not like to be harsh, especially to those in the commercial shrimping industry these days. But they’re gonna be.

The individuals and families who trawl Georgia’s waters have enough problems surviving year to year with all the government regulations they must comply with and the flood of cheap imports from just about every continent on the globe they  must compete with before, during and after the legal season for fishing in Southeastern United States. (feelin’ the love?)  more@thebrunswicknews  15:14

**PHOTO AVAILABLE**Two rescued by Coast Guard after drifting for eight days at sea

Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders received a report of a capsized vessel with two people sitting on the hull in the vicinity of Riviera Beach Saturday afternoon. Watchstanders quickly diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Comorant and authorized the launch of an MH-65 rescue helicopter from Air Station Miami. The helicopter crew arrived on scene, assesed the situation and lowered a rescue swimmer to render assistance. The two people stated they had been drifting for eight days and had ingested salt water.

The Coast Guard urges all boaters, especially those transiting offshore or to remote areas, to carry an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon or a Personal Locator BeaconEPIRBS and PLB’s save valuable time during maritime emergencies by transmitting electronic distress signals and GPS coordinates.  more@uscgnews  19:30

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to discuss closing Georgetown Hole, other areas, to fishing

Murrells Inlet seafood dealer Chris Conklin will be sworn as a new member of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council at the start of the council’s meeting on Monday and will immediately find himself embroiled in what promises to be an intense discussion on the proposed establishment of more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) off the South Atlantic coast. The impact on South Carolina fishermen – both recreational and commercial – could be significant if all the proposed MPAs are approved, and the council is being urged to do just that by at least one environmental group, the PEW Charitable Trusts. more@myrtlebeachonline  00:26

Michigan men charged with federal wildlife crimes – Aquarium owner accused of collecting Keys fish, selling them

The owner of Michigan aquarium-supply firm made two business trips the Florida Keys in 2011, towing a boat behind a specially equipped van, to collect live saltwater fish and corals for sale, a federal indictment says. The charges were latest in a series of cases involving several defendants accused of knowingly collecting or buying fish harvested in waters within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. more@keysnet  20:17

Second meeting set in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Services sea turtle habitat proposal

The critical habitat designation is a reaction to lawsuits from special interest environmental groups and more research is needed before any such action is taken. The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to designate 739 miles of oceanfront beaches along the coast of six states as critical habitat for nesting loggerheads. It includes 96 miles in North Carolina, including all of Bogue Banks, Onslow Beach and Topsail Island. [email protected] 15:52