Monthly Archives: October 2012
fleet rationalization, a big part of the catch shares scam
The following direct quotes are from “Assessing the Potential for LAPPs in US Fisheries.doc “. This document proves that the big green mafia and their puppets at NMFS & the NEFMC knew all about the devastating job destroying results of catch shares, which we are now experiencing here on Mass Bay!
Part-time fishing jobs were also lost when the fisheries shifted to LAPP management. This was largely a result of fleet rationalization, which necessitated a 60 percent decrease on
average of crew positions in the LAPP fisheries
In addition, fishing heritage within some communities was lost as fishermen gained the economic incentive – and means – to retire.
Scallop Actions: NEFMC September 25 – 27, 2012 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
,,,,,,,,,,quota for the U.S. and Canada to share for Georges Bank yellowtail, leaving the U.S. share in the low 200’s—an amount considered insufficient by the scallop harvesting industry. In contrast, the New England Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) recommended consideration of an overall quota of 1,150 mt. The Council did not vote to approve the TMGC-recommended level, and will consider the quota level recommended by the SSC as well. The Council did not move forward with the SSC recommendation that there be no possession of Georges Bank yellowtail. Read More
NPFMC Moves on Halibut, Observer, Freezer Longline Vessel Issues
Quota Holds Steady for Red King Crab, Down for Snow Crab
Mass Republican Candidates Sean Bielat – Daniel Botelho Site Over Regulation of Fishing Industry on Campaign Trail
9th Congressional District race, Daniel Botelho of Fall River. Within the new 9th District, Botelho wants less regulation of the fishing industry, including more generous catch limits. He says the area’s commercial fishing will collapse if current regulations are kept.
Bielat said the over-regulation is a byproduct of an expansion of the federal bureaucracy. “When your job is to create regulations all the time, that’s what you’re going to do,” he said. According to Bielat, these officials are not very responsive to change, creating a situation in which regulations do not reflect reality. He cited the current state of the fishing industry in Massachusetts as an example. “Fishermen have the greatest incentive to make sure their (fish) stocks remain,” he said. “We have record stocks, but they can’t fish them. It’s an overregulated industry — it’s destroying jobs and making fish cost more.”
Read more: Fall River’s Botelho runs in the 9th District as ‘average American’ – Somerset, MA – Wicked Local Somerset http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x493269276/Fall-Rivers-Botelho-runs-in-the-9th-District-as-average-American#ixzz28wxoqIlM
Report: Mid-Atlantic offshore wind industry would create 70,000 jobs, generate billions (Lets just turn the East Coast into a huge junkyard)
RICHMOND, Va. — The large-scale development of wind power off the Mid-Atlantic coast would create more than 70,000 jobs from New York to Virginia, an industry-sponsored study concludes. The study released Wednesday said those jobs would be created by a new industrial base needed to manufacture, build, operate and maintain the towering wind turbines, and an additional 40,000 jobs would be needed to serve the supply chain. The job growth would be realized over a 10-year build out of the offshore industry. The study was conducted for the Atlantic Wind Connection and released during the American Wind Energy Association’s annual conference in Virginia Beach. It continues through Thursday.
You are a fisherman, but the queer minded stakeholders and PC environ-kooks are calling you “fishers”! Why?
There is a new buzzword. Fishers.
Managers should involve the entire community — including fishers, dive operators, the public, and seafood industries — in their management plans.
What is it about the mindset of these people that makes them want to change things around, even the word fishermen.
There are men, there are women. When will they become so pc that they drop men from the word women?!
Sorry for ranting. It just bugs me, man. BH
Eco-Lawsuit Advances against Cape Wind Risk to Right Whale and other Threatened and Endangered Species Litigated
NOTE. Links will be added as they become available. http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x493268917/Suit-claims-Cape-Wind-violates-endangered-species-law
Hyannis, Mass. (October 10, 2012) – Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound and other conservation groups today filed a brief in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia detailing Cape Wind’s numerous violations of federal protections for threatened and endangered species – including the imperiled North Atlantic right whale, one of the rarest mammals in the world. This suit charges the project violates three key federal laws – the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Other plaintiffs include the Cetacean Society International, Lower Laguna Madre Foundation, Californians for Renewable Energy, and Three Bays Preservation. This is one of five federal lawsuits facing Cape Wind, a massive industrial project proposed to cover 25 square miles of Nantucket Sound with an array of 130 massive turbines – each stretching taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Today’s brief explains how the mega-project poses serious risks to the right whale, four species of federally-protected sea turtles and several species of migratory birds. It also criticizes the lack of oversight and analysis of the impact of Cape Wind on this critical habitat.
Report: Mid-Atlantic offshore wind industry would create 70,000 jobs, generate billions —- Horsesh!t!
The study was conducted for the Atlantic Wind Connection and released during the American Wind Energy Association’s annual conference in Virginia Beach. It continues through Thursday.
NOAA regional chief, EDF back catch quota caps
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/topstories/x1618664521/NOAA-regional-chief-EDF-back-catch-quota-caps
Once again, the cart before the horse.
This should have been addressed before amendment 16 was rammed through. The EDF goal of Herr Lubchenco.
Yes, consolidation was occuring pre a-16, but then it really was free market driven consolidation.
Of course, the NSC syndicate likes it the way it is now, and why would’t they?
As far as “crossing the border” skirting the referendum vote, that has already taken place, the reason for the lawsuit.
For the syndicate to be concerned, is like Walmart saying they care about their employees, and they are looking out for their best interests! Why the parallel?
There are a whole bunch of fishermen not represented by the syndicate, that work within the syndicate. Crewmen that rely on the owners to do the right thing for them, as they share the expenses in the free enterprise lay/share arraingement of compensation, along with the owners. Crewmen now pay for leased quota with no representation, along with the regular expenses. They have become poorer and marginalized.
Only now is there a half assed effort to understand the system of compensation through a “socio economic survey” that should have been considered pre a-16.
I’m sure Johanna Thompson is a nice lady, but to read about EDFs concerns about fishermen? I find them amusing, and diingenuous following the history of EDFs actions, and knowing they recieve multi millions year in, year out from the Walton Foundation to privatize the resource.
Funny thing about the “socio” survey. All the current data collected already includes people like Johanna, regulators, and “stakeholders” involved in fishery issues.
Everyone except the fishermen!
ABOLISH CATCH SHARES NOW!
A case of molestation – DFG Wardens Cite Lobster Stealing Suspect in Dana Point
Editor’s Note: The following is a statement released by the California Department of Fish and Game.
Department of Fish and Game wardens cited a man for allegedly taking lobsters from others’ traps and returned the lobsters, including undersized lobsters, to the sea.
Two wardens on a small boat patrol off Dana Point harbor Saturday night observed a small boat with no lights pulling commercial lobster traps out of the water.
When the wardens approached the 12-foot boat with four men aboard and announced themselves as law enforcement, one man threw a line with a commercial lobster buoy back into the water.
http://lagunaniguel.patch.com/articles/dfg-wardens-cite-lobster-stealing-suspect-in-dana-point
Southcentral Alaska halibut anglers may face bag limit cuts by 2014 – Alaska Dispatch
Once more the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, a government entity dominated by commercial fishermen, has voted to slash the halibut catch of charter anglers in Alaska. What happens next remains to be seen. A similar council action was vetoed by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) last year after,,,,,,,,,,,unities have mainly suffered because of cuts in the commercial fishery tied to unexplained declines in halibut in the North Pacific. Soaring prices for commercially caught halibut have only partially ,,,,,,,the federal government created what are called “individual fishing quotas” and gave commercial fishermen shares of the halibut resource, those shares have been bought and ,,,,,,,the University of Washington warned that the shifts in IFQ shares were gutting the economies of the smallest coastal communities on Kodiak Island. A similar phenomenon has ,,,,Read More
Steve’s “Hot” Smoked Cheese & Salmon, “Best Smoked Salmon in the Pacific Northwest”
Buckley food entrepreneur Steve Shindel, founder of Steve’s “Hot” Smoked Cheese & Salmon, won the title for “Best Smoked Salmon in the Pacific Northwest” at a state competition.
Shindel won in the professional division of the Salmon Tales celebration’s Smoked Salmon Contest, Sept. 22 in Westport. “Winning that honor was worth going down there,” Shindel said.
“And I can use it for my business and advertising.”
WATCH: Ted Danson Fights for Marine Life with Oceana
Ted Danson is the latest male activist to be welcomed to GQ’s The Gentlemen’s Fund, an initiatives that “encourages men to become agents of change by supporting charities that champion these causes.” GQ is honoring him for his work with Oceana, the largest ocean advocacy organization in the world. http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/10/05/watch-ted-danson-fights-for-marine-life-with-oceana/
In Hawaii, National Marine Fisheries Service relaxes bycatch limits on endangered sea turtles
The National Marine Fisheries Service has relaxed its limitson the number of endangered sea turtles that can be captured and possibly killed by Hawaiian swordfish fishermen using a long hooked fishing line. Fishermen are now allowed to catch 16 leatherback sea turtles and 17 North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles. In November the leatherback catch can go up to 26, more than a 60 percent increase, and the loggerhead catch to 34, about a 100 percent increase.
Recreational Fishing Alliance honors Florida congressman
Southerland will receive an award for being a champion of the fishing industry, Recreational Fishing Alliance executive director Jim Donofrio said in a statement. “Mr. Southerland’s honesty, integrity and candor have been welcomed traits in the fisheries debate in Washington, D.C., especially in the face of some very tough opposition from the radical zealots who would prefer to trample on America’s public access rights to healthy and sustainable natural resources,” Donofrio said.
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/522179-recreational-fishing-alliance-honors-florida-congressman
Jeez Nils! It was in Wikipedia, fer Cripe Sake, AND at least we now know Where Royal Dutch Shell got their sign!
I love it when Nils Stolpe gets agitated. The last time he got his jaw tightened up was when he was invited to the Environmental Journalist Society shindig along with a bunch of Pew paid slugs that really know how to pollute the information stream with agenda driven hyperbole. Now, in his latest, he describes why he gets frustrated, and I share his concern. Once the baloney sandwich, dressed with the special green sauce is on the menu, it stays there. It never gets removed, so when one of his fellow Garden Stater’s, a self-proclaimed journalist takes his Housewife of New Jersey down to Jersey Shore for a scallop feed, ‘n Snooky says they ain’t got none, the guy decided to order the baloney sandwich, and dress it out with his own trimmings.
From Nil’s Stolpe
The New Jersey Newsroom website was formed by journalists and ex-journalists, primarily from the Newark (New Jersey) Star Ledger, with collective experience adding up to “over 1,000 years.” On their site those journalists wrote “our contributing writers, driven by passion and purpose, contribute as volunteers who believe in the cause…. NewJerseyNewsroom.com’s goal is to provide high-quality news for New Jerseyans and not just about New Jerseyans. We will do our best to gather all the stories you want, regardless of the original sources.”
Impressive sounding, isn’t it? Unfortunately, at least judging by a recent article on the scallop fishery off the East coast, the content on the site ,,,,,,,, Read More! http://fishnet-usa.com/GettingItWrong.pdf
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/science-updates/fewer-qjawsq-fewer-scallops
I realize its not US fishery news, well, not yet anyway, but it damn sure will be. The links between fish stocks and seals
Kim Smith – Fishery Activist
One of the videos currently featured at Fisherynation.com is making the rounds and having an impact. Usually they are exposed for a short time, then forgotten.
JoeyC of GoodmorningGloucester posted an article The Problem with Catch Shares which includes a video being featured here . One of his regular followers (he has so many!) watched the video,
and read the the anecdotal words of some wise men passed youger men aout the future. ” I remember my dad telling me when I graduated from college and was at the crossroads of either coming down the dock or continuing my education to become an Economics professor. He said- “Joey if you come down the dock, there’s always gonna be fish and they’re always gonna need a place to offload them.” Never back then could he or I imagine how much they would have hyper-consolidated the industry and reduce the number of fishermen in our harbor by 80%. So in the middle of composing this post Pete Mondello pulled up to load bait to go lobstering. Pete doesn’t have any fishing permits any,,,,,,” Read more.
A GMG regular, a lady named Kim Smith read the post, and watched the video. It made enough of an impact for her to write a post on her blog, and become active. There is a petition linked at her blog.
This is grass roots activism at its finest! I welcome Kim Smith – Fishery Activist!
Alaska cod pot fisherman earn extra flexibility with new octopus quota – Alaska Dispatch
Jim Paulin | Dutch Harbor Fisherman | Oct 06, 2012
The giant Pacific octopus probably won’t shut down the pot cod season early again this year in the Bering Sea.
Last year, the bycatch limit of 150 octopus was reached on Oct. 24, and the big boat Pacific pot cod fishery closed with 647 metric tons unharvested,
according to Krista Milani of the National Marine Fisheries Service in Unalaska…. Read More http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/alaska-cod-pot-fisherman-earn-extra-flexibility-new-octopus-quota
Study shows new signs of sea change By Richard Gaines Staff Writer Gloucester Daily Times
Sea surface temperatures along the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem — the waters off the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts — were the highest ever recorded during the first half of 2012,
the government reports.“A profound warming event occurred on the Northeast Shelf this spring, and this will have a profound impact throughout the ecosystem,” said Kevin Friedland, a scientist at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. The average sea surface temperature in the region exceeded 51 degrees, surpassing the previous record for the time of year, from 1951. The average sea surface temperature for the time of year over the past three decades was more than three degrees lower than the high http://www.gloucestertimes.com/topstories/x1618663563/Study-shows-new-signs-of-sea-change
Tuna cannery owner wants to boost region’s processing capacity AMERICAN SAMOA
The owner of the Samoa Tuna Processors cannery wants the territory to become the regional hub for fish processing to grow its business Tri Marine International, which owns the cannery, wishes to advance its plans by helping Pacific island countries take greater ownership of the fish harvested from their territorial waters. Managing director Joe Hamby said that unlike American Samoa, many Pacific island countries do not have the land mass, population or infrastructure to have boats unload fish on their land and implement fish processing. Therefore, American Samoa is a logical choice for a processing hub.
Fox News Reporting: Behind Obama’s Green Agenda Sunday, October 7 at 9 p.m. ET
Hosted by Bret Baier
A Fox News investigation exposes rogue regulators at the EPA and a United Nations-inspired ‘sustainability’ program that some say aims to dismantle America’s capitalist system. Bret Baier travels coast to coast to investigate the radical roots of President Obama’s environmental agenda and its impact on the U.S. economy.
Signs of hope in fisheries management October 07, 2012 2:00 AM
When long-time Portsmouth Herald editor Ray Brighton wrote his definitive two-volume history in honor of Portsmouth’s 350th anniversary, he called it “They Came to Fish.” Fishing brought settlers to our shores and was a sustaining industry for centuries. When locals want to celebrate and when tourists come to the Seacoast they want to eat seafood: lobsters, steamers, quahog chowder, cod and haddock. It is the quintessential New England fare. Today our fishing fleet and associated industries are mere shadows of their former selves. Every year a few more fishermen give up the fight. The Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative in Seabrook offers the last shore support for our decimated fleet. Distrust runs high among regulators, scientists and the fishermen who feed their families by their dangerous and backbreaking work at sea. http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20121007-OPINION-210070312
Ocean In Focus 2012 Fifth Annual Conservation Photography Contest (WORLDWIDE, 10/3/2012) (Photo Credit: Steve Spring, Reef Rescue Palm Beach County/Marine Photobank)
SeaWeb’s Marine Photobank (MPB) and Lindblad Expeditions are teaming up once again to deliver a truly unique ocean photography contest highlighting photographers who dig deeper for the story behind the image.
The contest continues to focus on human impacts on ocean environments and species, both positive and negative, and the ultimate mission of the MPB: to advance ocean conservation through imagery.
http://fis.com/fis/techno/newtechno.asp?l=e&id=55841
