Monthly Archives: February 2013
As Fisheries Struggle, Debate Heats Up Over How to Help
Russell Sherman stood at the wheel of his boat, the Lady Jane, as light faded and his crew prepared to dock for the night. He made $19,800 fishing last year, he said, and at 64 is afraid he will go into foreclosure. “People are on the hook for money, and they’re not going to be able to pay it off,” said Mr. Sherman, who is a founding member of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, an industry group that supports fishermen and has pushed against deep cuts to the industry. “Desperate situation.” Sadly, Read more here
Senators press for fish disaster aid – Northeast groundfishery, blue crab and oyster fishery of Mississippi, Chinnock salmon fishery of Alaska
”We believe that it is the responsibility of the administration, after declaring these disasters, to request the funding to respond to them,” the senators wrote. “Until funding is made available for these declarations, the affected fishermen will continue to struggle during a critical time of need. For those that are suffering and the fishing communities they live in, time is of the essence. They simply cannot wait for another funding cycle for help to arrive.”
Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Charles Schumer and Kirstin Gillibrand of New York, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Mark Begich of Alaska,Elizabeth Warren and William Cowan, Susan Collins of Maine, Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska., Independent Angus King.
In the House, Congressman John Tierney, whose district includes all of Cape Ann, announced Friday an agreement with a bipartisan group of lawmakers on a different solution the same problem. Joining him in the initiative were Congressmen Ed Markey, William Keating, and Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, Walter Jones, a North Carolina Republican, and David Cicilline and Jim Langevin, Rhode Island Democrats.
Read more here
I risk appearing way-too-jaded,but can’t help being inspired by endeavors like this one!
Featured Writer Dick Grachek
I risk appearing way-too-jaded, but can’t help being inspired by endeavors like this one:
Would this area of Guppies Science (GS) perhaps qualify as a worthwhile Fisheries Research Project (FRP) for EDF-CLF-Pew-NOAA to invest in for some Best Available Science (BAS)? Along with money for Aquaculture Start-Ups (AQS-U) and Deep Sea Minerals Exploration (DSME) they might be tempted to throw a few $mil towards this Post-Doctoral Guppy Research (P-DGR).
Also along the lines of the Guppy Science article, I’ve included below some more Aquarium Fisheries Research Science (AFRS)(allright I’ll stop!) on the Yellow Tang “Fishery” from Oregon State University and a brilliant piece by Jane Lubchenco concerning turtle deaths in the Gulf of Mexico, as well.
Jane’s article and the OSU work from a few years ago certainly seems to be representative of the ridiculous level that these NOAA academics operate on. The tragedy is that their “science”—with push from EDF, CLF, and Pew—is turned into policy, then law, then fishery regulations that have devastated a vital domestic industry. Read more at Dick’s Featured Writer column here
NOAA urged to subsidize monitors
NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard announced last month in advance of the December council meeting that NOAA did not have the budget for a third year of 100 percent subsidy of at-sea monitoring, a requirement on about one third of groundfish trips. Each trip that is monitored pays $300 to the contractor. Bullard’s office has said the cost of monitoring is about $6-7 million a year. Read more here
Feds to let fishermen carry over unused quota
NOAA also signals it is considering other options to help the groundfishing fleet, including using federal funds to help fishermen pay for at-sea monitoring. Read more here
Drugged Fish Lose Their Inhibitions, Get the Munchies
Hundreds of different pharmaceuticals are able to slip past conventional wastewater treatment plants and into our waterways, says Jerker Fick, a toxicologist at Umeå University in Sweden and co-author of the new study. “They don’t mysteriously go away after we excrete them.” Scientists have known for a long time that many pharmaceuticals can persist in rivers and streams, and have behavioral effects on aquatic species in high doses, he says; however, determining whether more dilute concentrations have an effect is harder to establish. Read more here
American Samoa – Strong opposition to coral listing
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More than 20 residents attended the meeting and the majority expressed concerns about the economic, social and cultural impact the listing would have on fishing activities in the territory. The opponents were even more disheartened after hearing that the ESA process does not take economic impacts into consideration in their review. The listing was prompted by the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group based in Arizona. Read more here, audio
South Atlantic Tilefish harvest limit to begin
The daily vessel trip limit will decrease to 300 pounds effective Monday, Feb. 18. NOAA Fisheries has determined 75 percent of the 541,295-pound annual catch limit will be landed by that date, according to a Southest Fishery bulletin. Read more here
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approves changes to rebuild Gulf gray triggerfish population
One condition of the federal reef fish permit is that harvesters must follow federal reef fish rules, even when they are fishing in state waters. This means that when the new federal commercial trip limit and closed season take effect sometime in April or May, harvesters in state waters must abide by these rules. Read more here
Wisconsin DNR issues commercial fishing citations in Two Rivers
MANITOWOC — The Department of Natural Resources has issued 44 citations for commercial fishing violations against Susie Q Fish Co. of Two Rivers, its owners and employees. The ordinance violations occurred in 2007 through 2010, according to court records. Among the charges were fishing with an illegal net, failing to return game fish and failing to keep accurate records. Read more here
Special Management Zones SMZs approved for Delaware reefs
Forces fighting to get commercial fishing gear off artificial reefs got a boost on Wednesday at the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC) meeting in Virginia. Read more here
Red the Ojai sea dog lives long, adventurous life before his death
It all could have ended on that day nine years ago when Red tumbled off a commercial fishing boat and into the open sea. But the dog who made an incredible journey to San Nicolas Island eventually succumbed only to old age. Read more here
Editorial: Fishery shutdown would showcase economic impact
The senior counsel for the Conservation Law Foundation may be arguing for all the wrong reasons, but he makes a valid point: Read more here
Just Released – NOAA’s Intent on Groundfish Carryover in 2013 – John K. Bullard, Northeast Region Administrator
Today, as I promised the fishing industry I would do, I am announcing our intent to allow carryover of unused 2012 quota into the 2013 fishing year. Current fishery management regulations allow up to 10 percent of unused quota to be carried forward. This provides fishermen with some flexibility on when they fish — so they can avoid bad weather and take advantage of times of year when fish are available and prices are highest. Read more here
Unwanted lionfish may help end ban
Lionfish now range up and down the East Coast and can be found throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Lionfish dangers: • They compete with native aquatic species for food and habitat • Eat young gamefish and commercially harvested species • Are venomous to humans, and stings cause conditions from a mild rash to death • Females can release up to 30,000 eggs per spawn and can spawn three times a month Read more here
UCIDA again sues over fed management of Cook Inlet salmon fishery
UCIDA and Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund are suing the National Marine Fisheries Service over the decision to transfer control of the fishery from federal to state control, saying the move violates the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. Read more here
Peter Shelley -Conservation Law Foundation – Enviro group urges fishery shutdown
While fishing industry group and federal lawmakers have sought to ease dire new catch limits seen as threatening Gloucester’s and New England’s groundfishery, a leader of at least one prominent environmental group says the limit cuts of up to 77 percent “did not go far enough. ”In his report, Shelley wrote that “recent assessments showed stocks at the lowest levels and declining rapidly. The fish just aren’t there anymore.” Read more here
Maine – Four lucky fishermen win a state lottery to harvest baby eels, which can bring up to $2,600 a pound.
Four Mainers hit the jackpot this week when their names were chosen in a state lottery that won’t pay them any money – at least not yet. The winners were notified Tuesday that they have been awarded licenses by the Maine Department of Marine Resources to use dip nets to fish for elvers – translucent baby eels that are roughly the size of a toothpick. “At certain times during the season, prices were running above $2,600 a pound,” Read more here
Cruise ship wastewater bill survives amendments, vote next week
JUNEAU — The Senate turned aside a series of Democratic-sponsored amendments Wednesday to the Parnell administration bill rolling back cruise-ship wastewater restrictions, setting up a final vote next week. Read more here
Fish and Game announces Pacific cod openings
Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game announced yesterday that the state waters Pacific cod pot fishery in Chignik Area and South Alaska Peninsula Area will open March 7. Read more here
US Commerce shortchanges’ American Samoa of monies that fishing companies pay for polluting territorial waters
At a meeting yesterday at the Tauese Ocean Center to inform district governors, county chiefs, and village mayors about the National Sanctuary of American Samoa, Alo expressed sadness that the territory is getting just a small portion of fines and citations levied against companies that harm our ocean. Read more here
News Release: Coast Guard medevacs fisherman 2 miles west of Tillamook Bay, Ore. – Video
SEATTLE — A Coast Guard boatcrew from Station Tillamook Bay in Garibaldi, Ore., medically evacuated a 64-year-old crew member from a commercial fishing vessel (F/V Tomboin) the Pacific Ocean approximately two nautical miles west of the ent
rance to Tillamook Bay, Wednesday afternoon. Read more , Video here
Marine Stewardship Council Responds To NPR Series On Sustainable Seafood
Earlier this week, NPR aired a three-part investigation of the Marine Stewardship Council on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. The MSC contacted NPR on Wednesday with a response to the series Read more here
Our View: SMAST poised to bring valuable change
Lohrenz was recently appointed as co-director of the Marine Fisheries Institute, a collaboration between UMass and the state Department of Marine Fisheries, to the chagrin of many supporters of the former co-director, Dr. Brian Rothschild, a man held in high esteem by colleagues around the world, fishermen and this newspaper. Read more here
Companies signal interest in offshore Va. winds
Energy Management Inc., developer of the Cape Wind project in federal waters off Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, and Sea Breeze Power Corp. alerted the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that they might join the bidding later this year to develop wind energy in the 133-square-mile area off Virginia Beach. They join Dominion Virginia Power and seven other energy companies that have already expressed interest. Read more here
From the Deckboss – A few items
$9 an hour , UFA going to the authorities, Hey kids! Need money for college? As always, read the comments! Read more here
Sewage spill closes shellfish beds in Charleston S.C.
Shellfish harvesting beds in a portion of the Intracoastal Waterway in Charleston County were closed Wednesday due to a sewage spill at the Sullivan’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to the S.C. Department of Environmental Health and Control. Read more here
Salmon lawsuit legal tab: $300,000 and counting
An animated Supervisor Steve Kinsey took a swipe at a San Geronimo Valley fishery group Tuesday, saying activists are forcing taxpayers to waste money in a court battle even though Marin’s fish restoration program is a model for others. Read more here
New Program Aims to Reduce Offshore Fishing Debris
Lynne Fraker, a Vineyard Haven fisherman and member of the Martha’s Vineyard/Dukes County Fishermen’s Association, led the effort to bring the program to the Vineyard late last summer . “I realized there was a need . . . I knew there was a program on the Cape. I knew it was successful and it didn’t cost anything,” she said. Read more here
FDA extends GM salmon consultation
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is extending for 60 days the comment period for the draft Environmental Assessment and preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact linked to AquaBounty Technologies’ application for its genetically modified AquAdvantage salmon. Originally slated to end on Feb. 25, 2013, the comment period now runs until April 26, 2013. Read more here
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