Category Archives: Western Pacific
Ropeless Fishing! Marina firm develops tech that could help whale entanglement
The Ropeless Fisher System, or pop-up system, contains a netting device holding buoys that are attached to the crab pot. When the fishermen on the surface are ready to check the traps, they use a simple app that triggers a device that sends out sonar waves that activates a release mechanism and the buoys pop up to the surface carrying the connecting rope. Marco Flagg, the CEO of Desert Star, said his technology is already being deployed in crab and lobster fisheries along the eastern U.S. coast, Nova Scotia and New South Wales, Australia. >click to read< >click to read archived ropeless fishing articles< 11:16
Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market May Not Be Origin Of Coronavirus That Infected Over 20 Countries
When news of the mysterious coronavirus broke out, all fingers were pointing to Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market as the culprit. However, some studies are showing that the condemned market may not be the source of the virus. Instead, it’s possible that a person was infected outside of the market, but later brought the virus there. >click to read< 14:27
Full Committee Markup, Legislative Hearing on Sustainable Fisheries
The Committee on Natural Resources will hold a markup on Wednesday, Jan. 15. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, our Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee will hold a legislative hearing on six bills that make our oceans and fisheries more sustainable in the face of manmade threats. The Committee’s full schedule and witness lists are available below. As with all hearings and markups, these events are open to media and the public. >click to read< 07:37
Fishery FUNDD Act: Reps. Palazzo and Huffman Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Federal Fisheries Disaster Relief Program
Representatives Steven Palazzo (MS-4) and Jared Huffman (CA-2) have introduced the Fishery Failures: Urgently Needed Disaster Declarations Act (Fishery FUNDD Act), which will improve the federal fishery disaster process and ensure more timely disaster relief for impacted communities. The Fishery FUNDD Act would set a timeline for the federal government to respond to a fishery disaster request, and set a timeline for disbursal of appropriated funds following a disaster. >click to read< 14:05
Illegally moored 112-foot-long fishing boat could be set for the auction block
The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will conduct a public auction of a 112 foot-long, twin-engine, fishing boat if the owner does not remove the vessel within one week. The SOS Minnow pulled into a slip at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor on Nov. 22, 2019, after its owner said he was having a medical emergency. The boat is described as being in very good condition. If the current owner claims it before the Wednesday auction, he’ll need to pay impound fees, illegal mooring fees, and for the cost of legal ads, estimated to total $1000.00. 7 photo’s, >click to read< 22:59
Fall 2019 Pacific Islands Fishery Newsletter
Aloha! Enjoy our latest newsletter. Includes a Message from the Council’s Executive Director, The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council embraces its duty, and that of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), to not only conserve and manage fish stocks, protected species and habitat but also ensure the viability of our region’s fisheries and fishing communities. Addressing the US seafood trade deficit and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing are goals of this Administration,,, >click to read< and continue at the newsletter. 18:02
Bycatch – From problem to opportunity. Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet USA
For as long as I have been involved in the commercial fishing industry, and that’s going back for what is approaching forty years, there has been a widespread feeling that “things would be better if this industry were administratively housed in the Department of Agriculture (DOA).” Whether at the state level, in state waters within three miles of the coastline, or the federal level beyond three miles, there’s always been a sort of wistful “wouldn’t it be great if we were over there” view of the DOA, and the reasons for this aren’t awfully difficult to fathom. The Department of Agriculture, no matter whether state or federal, is mostly focused on promotion, and fisheries agencies, no matter the level, are regulatory in nature, in organization and in attitude. This is glaringly obvious with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal fisheries agency, which in recent years has become almost totally focused to the virtual exclusion of anything else on limiting – rather than enhancing – the commercial production of fish and shellfish. >click to read< 15:06
Sam Parisi: Its 2020 and time to move this industry forward!
Here we are again, at the end of the year, and decade for that matter, as 2019 is ending, and its time to move forward. As some of my fellow Fisherynation readers know, I am motivated to try improving the U.S. fishing industry for our country’s working U.S. fishermen. I have reached out to my Senators Markey, and Warren, and also to Congressman Moulton to help draft a US Fish Bill. This is an opportunity for everyone in this ridiculously diverse industry from sea urchin, and scallop divers, to clam dredgers, and every faction of the industry, traditional, and exotic, to have personal input into a bill built for you, built by you, and built by your fellow industry members. >click to read< 16:50
Sam Parisi Sends Holiday Greetings to all Fishermen, Everywhere. Merry Christmas!
To all my fellow readers, and fellow contributors to Fisherynation.com. My family and I wish all of you and your family’s a Merry Christmas, and a safe and prosperous New Year. We are grateful for the blessings of the day, and look forward to a better fishing industry next year. To all of you who are still trying to make a living fishing, you are very important to us, and our economy. We need to keep this industry alive. I will continue to fight for you, and the industry. I am offering a special tribute to those fisherman that were lost at sea this year. God is with you and we will always remember you and your hard work at sea. Forever. Thank You and Merry Christmas! Sam Parisi, Gloucester, Mass. 16:44
Blackmore’s Night – I saw three ships come sailing in On Christmas Day; >click to play<
Have you had enough?
Since its inception in 1976, the agency charged with managing our fisheries, the NMFS, has overseen their decline, a decline which in most cases was a product of their own machinations.Usually most ideas the government has for managing our lives are well intended but terribly executed, this was a prime example. NMFS, for all that it was intended to be and do for our fisheries, has failed and in some cases, this wasn’t by mistake, but by design. By John Rice, >click to read< , and the comment venue is open there! 13:37
S.D. tunaboat captain discovered Galapagos ‘Garden of Eden’ tragedy 85 years ago
If someone aboard the local tunaboat Santo Amaro hadn’t been curious, the bizarre finale of the Galapagos islands’ modern Eden might not have been learned for years. The Santo Amaro was back yesterday, loaded with fish and bringing an account of the startling events which followed the discovery of two mummified corpses on Marchena island’s barren shore on the afternoon of Nov. 17. The ghastly discovery by the Santo Amaro’s people apparently had no ill effect on their luck, for the clipper had a catch well in excess of 100 tons of prime fish when she went up to the Van Camp plant to unload. >click to read< 09:47
Warren proposes ‘Blue New Deal’ to protect oceans. Where Warren’s Blue New Deal Falls Short
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday proposed a “Blue New Deal” plan in what she calls an effort to protect oceans and rebuild the economy associated with oceans. The proposal was influenced by a question from an oyster farmer at the CNN presidential town hall on the climate crisis in September,,,“I said I would, and I meant it,,, >click to read< 11:03
An Environmental Lawyer Explains Where Elizabeth Warren’s Blue New Deal Falls Short – Warren’s plan does recommend folding the US into the United Nations Law of the Sea treaty,,,, Furthermore, the Blue New Deal aims to rebuild America’s fisheries, an effort that “would support an additional 500,000 jobs and generate an additional $31 billion in sales impacts,” >click to read< 11:09
Measure to help protect, enhance working waterfronts passes U.S. House
The measure, introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine, D-1st District, would provide $24 million in federal grants and loans to states, which could allocate funding to municipalities, nonprofits and fishing co-ops for projects that preserve or improve working waterfront infrastructure. If approved by the Senate, it also would create a task force at the Commerce Department charged with identifying threats to working waterfronts, including climate change and marketplace pressures. >click to read< 09:02
Its going to be up to people in the fishing industry to save our fishing industry by Sam Parisi
We ALL need to step up to the plate before this industry goes under because of absurd regulations, pandering politicians, and environmental groups. I have reached out to my Senators and Congressman, whom have actually responded after utilizing Fisherynation to get their attention, for which I am grateful, with little success from those elected officials regarding the issues I have continuously contacted them about. As usual, they disappoint with no action. Senator Markey did support an issue I asked him to, which was about supporting Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan’s S-K bill, which he did, and I thank him for that. >click to read< 16:50
On the 78th Anniversary, Pearl Harbor Veteran to Be Interred on Sunken Ship
It was an attack that shaped history, leaving more than 2,400 Americans dead and forcing the United States to enter a war it had been reluctant to join. On Saturday, the 78th anniversary of the 1941 sneak attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor, the remains of one of the survivors of the assault will be interred on his sunken ship, the USS Arizona. Lauren Bruner, who was among the last sailors rescued from the Arizona as it exploded into flames and sank, died in September at age 98. >click to read< 07:06
Bumble Bee Foods to File Bankruptcy, Sell Assets to Taiwanese Firm
Bumble Bee Foods announced Thursday it will file for bankruptcy and sell its assets to a Taiwanese company for $925 million. The bankruptcy sale comes in the aftermath of criminal fines and civil lawsuits against the San Diego company in the wake of a federal price-fixing case. “It’s been a challenging time for our company but today’s actions allow us to move forward with minimal disruption to our day-to-day operations,” said Jan Tharp, president and chief executive officer. >click to read< 16:53
Wave Energy Tech Is Ready to Plug Into a Real Grid
In Hawaii, the OceanEnergy Buoy is slated to connect to the island of Oahu’s electric grid next month. The 749-metric-ton device was recently towed from Portland, Ore., to the U.S. Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site, where the bright yellow buoy will undergo a year of performance tests. The project builds on a decade of research and several smaller iterations, including a quarter-scale model that was tested for three years in Ireland’s Galway Bay. >click to read< 08:22
Illegal foreign fishing draws congressional eye
Nathan Rickard, representing local shrimpers through the Southern Shrimp Alliance, was one of the people invited to speak on a panel to the subcommittee. He said federal anti-dumping laws helped provide stability to an industry that received a massive hit from imported shrimp beginning in the late ‘90s. “Although the industry permanently had lost many shrimping families, and has struggled to maintain its foothold in some coastal communities, the threat that the industry would entirely disappear has abated,” Rickard said. “The U.S. shrimp industry currently produced about one out of every eight pounds of shrimp that are consumed in our country. >click to read< 10:10
A reminder from Sam Parisi to those interested in creating and implementing a U.S. Fish Bill
Greetings to all commercial fishermen, fish processors, equipment suppliers, politicians, and citizens, that are interested and supportive of creation of the U.S. Fish Bill. It is important that we create an atmosphere of unity and inclusion for all to reach out to their political representation, and inform them of need for a major Bill supporting all segments of the U.S. Fishing industry, and ask that they get involved. I am asking Senator Bruce Tarr, and Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante to attend. The meeting will be held at the Gloucester City Hall November 21 at 7 pm. For developing info, and input of idea’s, please call me! Thank you, and best regards! Sam Parisi, Gloucester Mass. at 978 491 7722 06:45
A Snow Crab sells for $46,000, a likely world record
In a story that some might find hard to believe, a bidder in Japan just paid 5 million yen-or $46,000 USD-for a 2.7-pound snow crab at an auction in Tottori, and it is likely to be recognized as a Guinness World Record.,, The crab, described as a gourmet itsukiboshi (five shining stars) crab, will be sold to a restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district. >click to read< 11:31
Video: Coast Guard, Navy conduct medevac of injured fisherman off Hawaii
The Coast Guard and Navy conducted a medevac of an injured mariner 431 miles off Hilo, Big Island, Thursday.,,, At 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu (JRCC) watchstanders received a report from the master of the commercial fishing vessel Lady Alice stating a crew member was suffering from an eye injury he sustained while fishing. >click to read< 06:59
A Fish Bill Update from Sam Parisi, and a scheduled meeting in Gloucester with all invited!
Dear Fisherynation Readers, I wanted to share some information about a project that I have an interest in seeing advance, a U.S. Fish Bill. I am pleased to let you know that today, a staffer from Senator Markey’s office responded to my request to help draft a Fish Bill. I had a good conversation with the staffer that also requested a meeting with Massachusetts fishermen and local politans to discuss and endorse a U.S Fish Bill. >click to read< 18:07
Senators Markey and Sullivan introduced the Ocean, Coastal and Estuarine Acidification Necessitates (OCEAN) Research Act.
This bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation, which lapsed in 2012. The bill strengthens investment in research and monitoring of poorly-understood acidification processes in coastal and estuarine areas, and engages coastal communities and the seafood industry through an Advisory Board and collaborative research grants. >click to read< 15:57
Congress considering safety, climate change for fisheries
Congress is getting involved in fisheries in a couple key areas: safety and climate change. The FISH SAFE Act, and, Climate Ready Fisheries Act of 2019. Republican Rep. Don Young is leading a bipartisan effort along with Rep. Jared Golden (D, Maine) to improve safety, introducing the Funding Instruction for Safety Health, and Security Avoids Fishing Emergencies Act.,,, The most recent climate change legislation, also bipartisan, was introduced by Rep. Joe Cunningham, (D- S.C), and is co-sponsored by Reps Brian Mast (R-Fla.), Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), and is meant to help “low country” fishermen, but the impact, should it pass, would presumably help fishermen nation-wide. >click to read< 21:51
Lt. Governor, Congresswoman, Territory Commerce Department Stress Importance of Fisheries to the U.S. Territory of American Samoa
“Fisheries sustains our livelihoods in all aspects of our lives” was the core message that reverberated through the remarks of Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga, who opened the 180th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council yesterday in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Congresswoman Aumua Amata Radewagen’s opening remarks echoed those of the Lt. Governor. “Fishing has sustained us for our entire history,” she said. >click to read< 16:28
Congresswoman: US negotiators went backwards – Congresswoman Aumua Amata says US negotiators went backwards when they reduced 700 fishing days in the current South Pacific Tuna Treaty. Audio, >click to read< 16:30
Efforts underway to streamline fisheries disaster relief
With an increasing number of fisheries disaster requests coming from all over the United States, members of Congress and the federal government are looking for ways to improve the relief process.,, Summer 2018 brought disappointing results for many fishermen across Alaska,,, The slow process isn’t unique to Alaska. ways to improve the relief process, introduced Senate Bill 2346 by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., in July, seeks to speed up that process, in part by expediting relief funds being disbursed to fishermen. It also seeks to add avenues for relief for non-commercial fishermen, including charter operators. >click to read< 15:00
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting October 21–24 in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
To read the meeting agenda, and all related meeting material of the 180th Council Meeting, >click here< 20:15
Huffman Gets Bleak Input on Fisheries
On Oct. 5, North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman held a public meeting in Arcata to discuss updating the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the federal legislation that governs ocean fishing. Huffman brought together a roundtable of regional and local officials, a Humboldt State University professor and a few representatives of the local fishing industry to offer feedback on the failings — and successes — of the MSA. >click to read< 10:22
Panel Of Third Graders To Dictate Nation’s Climate Change Policy
At a panel on climate change held yesterday, the Senate brought in a group of excited third graders for ideas on fighting climate change. “These kids have ideas and they are passionate, so we must listen to them,” said Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii. “There are no possible downsides to taking kids who have been told the world is ending by the public school system and allowing them to dictate national policies on important issues.” The kids came up with the following list so far, though they say they’re “just spitballing” and the ideas need some fleshing out,, >click to read<
Coast Guard rescues 6 fishermen and an observer from a fishing vessel on fire off Oahu
Six crew and an NOAA observer are safe following a Coast Guard rescue eight miles off Ko’Olina, Tuesday. A Coast Guard Station Honolulu 45-foot Response-Boat Medium crew rescued the crew of the fishing vessel Miss Emma from a liferaft after the ship reportedly caught fire. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Watchstanders received a mayday call on VHF-FM channel 16 at 4:29 p.m. reporting the crew was battling a vessel fire. Photo’s, >click to read< 06:56
