Daily Archives: November 28, 2012
Did crab pot lines cause the Lady Cecelia’s sinking? Coast Guard Formal Board of Investigation starts second round hearings
The vessel was in good condition,” said Ward, adding that it was very strange to have a cluster of crab pot buoys underwater. Lt. Anthony Hillenbrand, the lead investigator, would later introduce the fishing term “flower pots” as a possibility for what the Lady Cecelia got tangled up in. It means a group of crab pot lines tangled and wound up during a storm or surge and appearing like flowers from the top.He said that, in his opinion, the vessel, which was rumored to have near its maximum load of fish, might have run into multiple crab pot lines, started listing to the left while caught on the lines, catastrophically rolled the opposite direction when the port side stabilizer finally snapped off, and capsized in a quick roll.
NOAA shelves turtle protection plans to require “turtle excluder devices” for small fishing operations-Center for Biological Diversity “critical”
“The information we now have suggests the conservation benefit does not justify the burden this rule would place on the industry. We need more research looking at different options,” Roy Crabtree, southeast regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries, said in a statement. The rules had been set to take effect by spring. Gulf of Mexico shrimpers had said the requirement could push them out of business. The change would have affected 2,600 fishermen, including an estimated 2,300 vessels in Louisiana. Crabtree said federal officials will continue their research to help prevent turtle deaths. http://www.thenewsstar.com/viewart/20121128/NEWS01/211280341/NOAA-shelves-turtle-protection-plans
Limits set on bigeye tuna catches in Pacific – World Wildlife Fund says move by fishing panel doesn’t go far enough. Yeah yeah. We know.
The WWF’s Peter Trott criticized the system, saying plans to put monitors on boats would cover as little as 5 percent of the fishing fleets for all but two months of the year. It will make it almost impossible to prevent countries from underreporting their catches, he said. The commission is responsible for regulating commercial fishing in the region, which stretches from Hawaii to Asia and as far south as Australia. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28196049/ns/world_news-world_environment/
Alaska fishing groups protest expanded observers program Ketchican, Alaska
“A lot of Alaska fishermen are sitting here saying this program, which is scheduled to start in a month, is extremely onerous for the small community-based boats and doesn’t contain the logistical detail that we need to know – and didn’t have input on – in order to minimize the impact on our businesses,” Falvey said.
The new program will include commercial boats under 60 feet. For 2013, vessels under 40 feet will remain exempt.
Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner – Alaska fishing groups protest expanded observers program
McDonald’s getting their feet wet. The Dented Bucket
McDonald’s will be launching, late this year, their $1 Fish McBites. I’m guessing the fish is U.S. caught Alaskan pollock. This is the opposite of buy local, keep your dollars in town. This is the other business model: fish/ process industry partners with mega-food giant McDonald’s and comes up with product at a very affordable price. The pollock industry ….Read More http://www.thedentedbucket.com/
Southeast Alaska Seiners Struggling With Salmon Observer Program
Washington state confronts ocean acidification- threat to the state’s $270 million shellfish industry
The order signed by Gregoire, whose term will end in January, calls on the state to invest more money in scientific research, curb nutrient runoff from land, and push for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions on a regional, national and global scale. It accepts the recommendations that a blue-ribbon panel issued Tuesday on how to assess and limit the effects of ocean acidification. The group was co-chaired by former Environmental Protection Agency administrator William D. Ruckelshaus and former Gregoire chief of staff Jay Manning. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/washington-state-confronts-ocean-acidification/2012/11/27/c2270ba0-38bc-11e2-8a97-363b0f9a0ab3_story.html
President signs whistle-blower bill for US workers. Could this be the beginning of getting justice for victims of NMFS OLE?
WASHINGTON — Federal employees who expose fraud, waste and abuse in government operations now have new protections against retaliation. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law Tuesday, 13 years after groups representing whistle-blowers began lobbying for the added protections http://bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view.bg?articleid=1061177747&format=comments&cnum=2
The war over Menhaden @ Saving Menhaden Fisheries. Stock Assessment Exacerbates, Inflames Envirokooks
November 27, 2012 — In the Fredericksburg (Virginia) Free Lance-Star, Mr. Deil argues that “while the environmental advocacy community claims these precipitous cuts are necessary to conserve the resource, the truth is much more nuanced.”
And in the Roanoke (Virginia) Times, Mr. Deil engaged in a “point-counterpoint” with Chris Moore of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Top lobster scientists gather for Maine symposium ( wonder if they have any experts coming. Like lobstermen?)
PORTLAND, Maine — Top lobster scientists are meeting to look at fundamental changes that have affected lobsters in recent years after a summer that featured a potentially record-breaking haul in Maine and Canada and a crash in wholesale prices. The Maine Sea Grant program at the University of Maine is hosting a conference in Portland beginning Tuesday focusing on issues such as warming ocean temperatures, the changing food web and seafood economics. About 135 people have registered, including scientists from the United States, Canada and Europe, regulators and industry representatives. http://online.wsj.com/article/AP25a6a09cc2c242a597a0abbc9287bcb1.html
