Daily Archives: March 15, 2013
Growing number of lobstermen looking to unionize, gain voice in Augusta
VINALHAVEN, Maine — Union-fished. It’s a slogan that has yet to, well, catch on — but if a growing group of lobstermen have their way, some of the state’s fishermen will join an international labor organization in a bid to have more clout in their industry. continue
Review of fishery stock assessments set to begin
Federal officials are poised to begin a review of fishery stock assessments, a multi-step process used to estimate fish populations that then serve as the basis for catch limits and season end dates. continue
Commercial Mackerel Hook-and-Line Fishing Closing In Florida Subzone
Commercial fishing for Gulf group king mackerel in the Florida southern subzone is closed effective 12:01 am, local time, 17 March, 2013, for commercial hook-and-line vessels. NOAA Fisheries has determined the 2012/2013 commercial quota of 607,614 pounds of king mackerel from this subzone will be reached by this date. continue
Does Newfoundland Fisherman Tony Doyle have the answer NOAA Doesn’t?
It’s a huge mystery to NOAA scientists. Where have the fish gone? The ENGO bunch seems happy to say that the New England fishing fleet has depleted the resource. Is that true, or have they done what the fishermen have said? They moved? Newfoundland Fisherman Tony Doyle says as far as ground fish go, he’s never seen anything like it in forty years of fishing! Listen to this audio, and key the broadcast to 13:40. I enjoyed hearing his description!
Otter bounty bill gets good, bad reviews
A bill rewarding sea otter hunters was praised and panned at its first hearing on Wednesday. continue
Commercial fishermen on Outer Banks struggling
WANCHESE — An 11th-generation Outer Banks fisherman, Jamie Wescott took a gamble recently in rough weather and worked until midnight netting 500 pounds of croaker. He hit the fish market the next morning, and workers sorted his paltry catch. continue
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries mismanaging black sea bass fishery – John Rice, Marstons Mills
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has changed the regulations for the commercial black sea bass fishery, which this year will open Aug. 6 with limits of 300 pounds for trap fishermen and 150 pounds for other gear types. continue
District Governors want sanctuary expansion reversed
Traditional leaders urged the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council to help reverse the expansion of what is now known as the American Samoa National Marine Sanctuary. Referring to Mulia-va (Rose Atoll), Manu’a District Governor Misaalefuaasked, How would anyone feel, if some one else tells you that you cannot go anymore to a place you owned for over 3,000 years? continue
Don’t let this legislation get away: Open the St. Croix to alewives – Dennis Damon
Alewives are river herring that need to return from the ocean to their river to spawn. It is part of their natural life cycle. If this cycle is broken, they will die without producing the next generation of alewives. Without a next generation, an entire run of alewives will eventually cease to exist. To me, that’s the classic definition of genocide. continue
U.S. House committee reviewing fisheries observer program
The Magnuson Stevens Act – the federal law that manages and regulates the nation’s fisheries – will expire September 30th. Today, a U.S. House committee formally started the re-authorization process. And as APRN’s Peter Granitz reports, changes could be on the horizon for how the government monitors fishermen’s catch. continue
Fish farm veto jeopardizes company’s N.S. future – ‘This isn’t acceptable,’ says Snow Island Salmon executive – Audio
Officials with Snow Island Salmon say a decision by the province to reject an application for a fish farm operation along the Eastern Shore has wide implications and jeopardizes the future of the company in Nova Scotia. continue
Sustainable lobster fishery takes time, Atlantic Canada has sought status for three years
The regional lobster fishery is moving toward sustainable certification, but it is taking time, says the Lobster Council of Canada’s executive director. “It’s complex,” Geoff Irvine said Thursday in an interview. continue
Leviathan: Brilliant sea tale well worth its salt – Rick Groen – The Globe and Mail
A promise: This is like no documentary you’ve ever seen before. A caveat: It may be like no documentary you want to see. Brilliantly rewarding yet taxing too, Leviathan is pure cinema verité pushed to a radical extreme. Queasy, because the subject here is a commercial fishing vessel bucking through the unforgiving Atlantic off the coast of New Bedford, Mass. continue
Small-boat fleet rallies to defend diversity – Seeks limits on fishing industry consolidation
Looking around the room, Chaprales, who is 26, made a plea for solidarity. “You guys,” he said, “have been fishing 25, 45 years. I want to be able to do what you guys have done – make a living catching fish. You guys have been fighting the b
attle for so long – hang in there and fight with us a little bit longer.” continue
Friends recall Billy Jack Tom Hatfield, eldest of the five fishermen aboard the Miss Ally
Another bittersweet memorial service Thursday recalled the life of another of the five young men lost at sea Feb. 17 in a raging winter storm off Nova Scotia’s South Shore. continue
Fisheries issues, policies to get a close look – The effort is being spurred by the Federal Fishery Advisory Board
Three of the biggest problems in fisheries management in the Northeast will be tackled soon by a top-to-bottom review led by the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology. It is being called an “end-to-end” review and will be led by Steve Cadrin at SMAST, according to Brian Rothschild, SMAST dean emeritus. continue
Senate candidate Lynch backs fish law ‘flexibility’ – chastised Markey for partisan rhetoric
Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Stephen Lynch Thursday sided with Congressmen John Tierney and William Keating on the need for greater flexibility in the impending rewrite of the Magnuson-Stevens Act — taking issue with the stand of Congressman Ed Markey, the other primary Democrat running for John Kerry’s former Senate seat this year. continue
