Daily Archives: September 25, 2012
Can the U.S. win the battle against overfishing?
We’ve written before about “the end of fish.” This is the rather apocalyptic warning, promoted by ecologists like Daniel Pauly, that humans are severely over-exploiting the ocean for fish,
and, if we’re not car
e
ful, stocks of key species like tuna will soon collapse. Then it’s lumpy jellyfish sandwiches for everyone.
ISSUE BRIEF on HADDOCK: Mitigation Options and Underfishing our U.S. Quota – savingseafood.org
United States Georges Bank haddock, especially when compared to Canadian haddock from the same stock, is underfished. By “underfished,” we refer to the fact that US fishermen routinely fish significantly less than the scientifica
lly determined total allowable catch.
Several regulatory barriers are preventing the successful exploitation of haddock, ultimately resulting in fishermen leaving hundred of millions of dollars in the ocean and the continuation of pressure on unhealthy stocks. There are a variety of precipitant factors influencing underfishing in the US:
Second NOAA abuse report remains tabled
US Commerce. The Armpit of the Obama Administration
Approximately six months have passed since Special Master Charles B. Swartwood III’s second volume of case studies into alleged violations of fishermen’s rights by NOAA law enforcement was completed and submitted to the Department of Commerce for redacting non-public information, deciding on reparations and making the document public…..But there would never have been a Swartwood I if administrator Jane Lubchenco and her chief counsel Lois Schiffer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had had their way in 2010…..Schiffer, who joined Lubchenco’s senior staff, had written a memo to her describing an approach, which Lubchenco quietly adopted, to ignore fixable miscarriages of justice and build a reformed enforcement system without looking back. An environmental activist, Schiffer’s reputation for executive privilege dates from her time with the Justice Department in the Clinton administration.
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x240468846/Second-NOAA-abuse-report-remains-tabled
Fishermen make last-ditch plea to feds over harbor porpoises closure date
Senator Kerry Calls on Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA to Meet with Northeast Fishermen, Local Scientists
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sept. 24, 2012 — Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), in a letter sent today to Samuel D. Rauch, Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Marine Fisheries Service, called on him to organize a meeting with scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Northeast experts and fisherman to discuss groundfish stock assessments.http://www.savingseafood.org/fishing-industry-alerts/senator-kerry-calls-on-marine-fisheries-service-noaa-to-meet-with-northeast-fishermen-local-scien-2.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SavingSeafoodRss+%28Saving+Seafood%29
AUDIO: NEFMC Groundfish Committee’s Sept. 19 Meeting looks at closed areas
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – September 19, 2012 – The New England Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Committee met on Wednesday to further develop Framework Adjustment 48 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. The audio from that meeting is posted below in several segments. http://www.savingseafood.org/council-actions/audio-nefmc-groundfish-committee-s-sept.-19-meeting-develops-management-actions-for-fishery-s-f-2.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SavingSeafoodRss+%28Saving+Seafood%29
Lots of audio!
Public Listening Session at the New England Fishery Management Council Meeting: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 – 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor, Plymouth, MA
September 24, 2012 — The Council will hold an informal question and answer period at its September 25-27 meeting in Plymouth, MA. Tuesday’s hour-long session, is an opportunity to meet the new NMFS Regional Administrator, John Bullard, listen to what he has been hearing during his visits to coastal communities in the Northeast and ask questions. In addition to stakeholders and interested parties to the public is invited to participate in this session.
This time on the Council agenda is not intended to be used for nor will it replace the public’s opportunity to make comments during consideration of any action item that is scheduled for a Council vote at the September meeting.
Register now at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/423548903. Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with the information you will need to join the webinar.
