Daily Archives: December 6, 2012
Demand for fishery abuse report gains steam. Republican Paul Broun and Senator John Kerry lean harder on Commerce
The 66-case study, which reportedly runs more than 500 pages, with recommendations by the author — special judicial investigator Charles B. Swartwood III — was submitted in final form eight months ago. http://www.gloucestertimes.com/topstories/x2120611929/Demand-for-fishery-abuse-report-gains-steam
Coast Guard honors Steamship Authority Capt. Raymond Oliver for saving the lives of three fishermen
“I’m humbled to be in a roomful of heroes,” Capt. Raymond Oliver said Tuesday at The Southeastern Massachusetts Port Safety and Security Forum at the Cape Codder Resort & Spa in Hyannis. “I was in the right place at the right time.” Cape Cod Times/Steve Heaslip
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121205/NEWS/212050334/-1/MEDIA0108
S.F. crab boats idled by price dispute – “No crab boats are leaving the dock,”
The trouble started Sunday when crab boat skippers heard that fish brokers were planning to cut the prices they pay for fresh crab from $3 per pound to as low as $1.80. http://www.onenewspage.com/n/US/74rkht5jx/crab-boats-idled-by-price-dispute.htm
Fishing industry still reeling from Sandy [Asbury Park Press, N.J.]
“Now you can’t even get rid of them. Nobody’s buying male crabs,” Isaksen said. At the water’s edge, captain Michael Chanowich and dock worker David Tauro unloaded the co-op’s other post-Sandy mainstays: low-price skates and dogfish. “We cleaned up as best we can … but we don’t have the money to put this place back together,” Isaksen said. “When are we going to get some help? We called FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) but they said they can’t do anything for us.” So far, the SBA loan program is not promising, said James Lovgren, a captain with the Fishermen’s Dock Cooperative in Point Pleasant Beach who looked into the loan program for his fishermen. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201212060805KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_17736_5006-1¶ms=timestamp||12/06/2012%208:05%20AM%20ET||headline||Fishing%20industry%20still%20reeling%20from%20Sandy%20%5BAsbury%20Park%20Press%2C%20N.J.%5D||docSource||McClatchy-Tribune||provider||ACQUIREMEDIA||bridgesymbol||US;BAC&ticker=BAC
Subcommittee Pushes DOC to Release Judge’s Review of NOAA Fishery Enforcement Cases
Dec 6, 2012 Washington DC – Today in a letter to the Department of Commerce (DOC), Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Paul Broun, M.D. (R-GA) requested the release of two unredacted reports, authored by Judge Charles B. Swartwood, reviewing potential abuses by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) personnel toward individuals in the fishing industry. http://science.house.gov/press-release/subcommittee-pushes-doc-release-judge%E2%80%99s-review-noaa-fishery-enforcement-cases
Calling All Clammers! Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Measures for the 2013 Fishing Year – Date Issued: 12/6/2012
Effective Date: January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013 The following measures apply for the 2013 fishing year. These measures have not been changed from fishing year 2012.. http://www.nero.noaa.gov/mediacenter/2012/11/psp_extension_fy_2013__bulletin___quota_bulletin.pdf
Is IG Zinser Being “Swift Boated”? Watchdog wins reprieve for Commerce Department agents under gag agreement
A board that conducts hearings over questionable personnel practices issued a stay order against the Commerce Department’s Office of the Inspector General Thursday, temporarily lifting gag agreements aimed at preventing four senior law enforcement officers from speaking out against the agency…… The inspector general’s office released a statement Friday saying three of the agents involved in the case signed their separation agreements with representation from attorney’s “considered among the best in federal labor law,” while the fourth had at least consulted a lawyer before signing the contract………“We strongly support employees’ rights to register complaints and have not interfered with those rights,” the inspector general’s office said in its statement. “As we all know, there are two sides to every story and hopefully at some point in this process we will have the opportunity to provide the facts for the public record.”…..Zinser said of the investigation: “It’s really a situation where we’re going to cooperate with OSC and be as transparent as we can about it.”http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2012/12/03/watchdog-wins-reprieve-for-commerce-department-agents-under-gag-agreement/?print=1
Senator Kerry Urges Release of Latest Swartwood Report, mentions the Agency created “declared fishery disaster”.
WASHINGTON — Senator John Kerry, in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Acting Secretary Rebecca Blank, urged the immediate release of the most recent report of Special Master Charles B. Swartwood, a report commissioned as a result of an investigation made at Sen. Kerry’s behest. “The perceived delay in releasing the report has resulted in further eroding of public trust in the agency. Again, I urge you to release Special Master Swartwood’s report.”
Senator. Percieved delay? There is nothing percieved about this. It is a fact that public trust in this agency is bankrupt.
Battle brewing over fishery observers on smaller commercial boats – “It’s totally political,”?
“Here’s an example,” she said. “You’ve got an observer on board or you’ve got a camera. Which is more easy to deal with in terms of getting away with something? It’s a lot harder to throw an observer overboard. That’s a very extreme example.”
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/battle-brewing-over-fishery-observers-smaller-commercial-boats
GULF OIL SPILL: Judge tosses claims against dispersant’s maker
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge presiding over litigation spawned by the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill has dismissed all claims against the manufacturer of a chemical dispersant that was used to break up crude gushing from BP’s blown-out well. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/viewart/20121205/NEWS02/312050031/GULF-OIL-SPILL-Judge-tosses-claims-against-dispersant-s-maker
