Daily Archives: March 20, 2013
Senator Cantwell Speaks On The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
During the hearing, Cantwell also asked about the impact of budget cuts on Washington state’s West Coast groundfish fishery’s observer program, as well as the ongoing U.S.-Canada Pacific Albacore Treaty negotiations, and what was being done to ensure U.S. fishermen have fair access to albacore tuna. continued
Size matters, P.E.I.’s Bearded Skipper tells minister
When Canada’s federal minister of Fisheries and Oceans leaned on his lobster trap last weekend and asked if size matters, the Bearded Skipper knew he had a catch. “He heard I had 50 years on the water and thought I might have a little knowledge, so he asked for my advice,” said Norman Peters, the North Rustico fisherman who, with his trim white beard and captain’s hat, has become the promotional face of the P.E.I. fishery. continued
Lobster Claw in Process Of Growing Another Lobster Claw Out Of It’s Tip
Strange looking claw thing goin’ on here! Check it out at Good Morning Gloucester
Rec guys throw a party for the warden’s! Sport boat captain and crew busted in MPA
Anglers aboard a passenger sportfishing boat and some others in private vessels probably were celebrating one of the best fishing days they ever had on the water last Sunday. Unfortunately for the anglers, the day was too good to be true. Whether you’re fishing from a private boat or a passenger sportfishing vessel, now is not the time to be caught in marine protected areas in California. continued
Coast Guard rescue crews medevac fisherman from the F/V Diligence near Nantucket, Mass. (Video Available)
BOSTON — Coast Guard rescue crews medically evacuated a 48-year-old male from the F/V Diligence 41 nautical miles south of Nantucket, Mass., at approximately 6:30 a.m. today. Video
Florida Stone-crabs: Harvest down, prices way up this year
MARATHON, Fla. (AP) — In 46 years as a commercial fisherman, Gary Graves says he has never seen a stone crab harvest season as poor as this one. Graves, who runs Keys Fisheries in Marathon — the main supplier for Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach — says his catches are down 40 percent since the season opened Oct 15. continued
Some Alaskan Trout Use Flexible Guts for the Ultimate Binge Diet
Organs such as the stomach and intestines in the Dolly Varden doubled to quadrupled in size when eggs from spawning sockeye salmon became available each August, the researchers found. They were like vacuums sucking up the eggs and nipping at the flesh of spawned-out salmon carcasses. Then, once the pulse of eggs and spawning salmon ceased, the guts shrank and the fish lived for nearly a year off the reserves they’d built up because there is little else to eat. continued
Klamath Flows Dropped Without Endangered Species Agency Approval by Hoopa Valley Tribe
Fish supporters say science is being compromised, salmon run will suffer – Klamath Falls, Oregon –Just days before the Pacific Fisheries Management Council announced the Klamath River will have another healthy run of salmon this year, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Klamath Basin Area Office announced a new water plan for the Klamath before receiving approval from the regulatory agency (NOAA fisheries) that regulates flows for endangered fisheries. The BOR expects approval for a controversial water plan that reduces water for salmon even though flows had to be supplemented with Trinity River flows last year to keep salmon alive. continued
Time to change the cod fishery – Barry Darby writes from St. John’s
The recent news of fish plant closures and talk of the importation of foreign workers; of annual halibut quotas being caught in one day while other fishermen lose their lives fishing halibut in the dead of winter; of limited quotas of cod with catch rates higher than they were in past years when fish were deemed to be plenty. Those headlines and others like it indicate there is a serious problem with the management of fish harvesting in this province. continued
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Seeks Public Input on Use of Vessel Monitoring Systems
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is requesting public input on management alternatives that may require the use of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) on vessels with a Federal South Atlantic Commercial Snapper Grouper Permit, both unlimited or trip-limited (225 pounds) permits. The Council is not considering the use of VMS on private recreational or for-hire vessels unless these vessels have a South Atlantic Federal Commercial Snapper Grouper permit. continued
Local Nanaimo scientists featured in film on salmon
Two scientists from Nanaimo figure prominently in a feature-length movie that examines whether European salmon viruses are linked to the decline in Pacific salmon stocks. continued
International sympoium on Sturgeon, Nanaimo, BC, Canada July 21-25, 2013
The upcoming 7th International Symposia on Sturgeons (ISS) is taking place from July 21- 25, 2013, co-hosted by Vancouver Island University (VIU) and the City of Nanaimo, Canada. It is an opportunity for participants to address the global concerns and contribute to the science-based management of sturgeons. continued
Researchers seek to reduce bycatch in groundfish trawling
Phys.org) —Researchers working with the groundfish fishing industry in the Pacific Northwest have tested a new “flexible sorting grid excluder” – a type of bycatch reduction device that shows promise to significantly reduce the incidental bycatch of Pacific halibut from commercial bottom trawl fishermen. continued
NOAA’s spending on itself is under attack by Senator “Mo” Cowan! YOU GO MO!
WASHINGTON – The plight of New England’s groundfishing fleet was once again a topic on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as a Massachusetts senator questioned a federal official about how his agency is spending money that’s intended to help fishermen. But Sen. William “Mo” Cowan, D-Mass., pressed a top Department of Commerce official on the use of federal dollars by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Cowan said that, according to his calculations, just $8 million of the $113 million available in 2010 through the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act program went to fisheries. That decades-old program uses fees on imported fish to provide grants or development projects to benefit the U.S. fishing industry. continued
Scallop extension passes Alaska Senate
The Alaska Senate passed a bill to extend the limited entry scallop program in an 18-1 vote this morning. Senate Bill 54 would extend the weathervane scallop and hair crab programs until Dec. 30, 2018. continued
Appeals Court Puts Oregon’s Gill Net Fishing Rules on Hold – For Now
In last November’s election, Oregon voters overwhelmingly rejected Measure 81, which would have banned commercial non-tribal gill net fishing on Oregon’s “inland waters” and allowed the use of seine nets in their stead. continued
Science flap eyes fishing area closures
In the midst of one of the epic efforts at ocean management — a more than decade-long effort to drill into the scientific intricacies of North Atlantic bottom habitat and adjust areas closed to fishing since the 1970s — a fierce skirmish has broken out between worried environmentalists and the work of independent scientists. continue
