Monthly Archives: March 2013
Environmentalists say fishery change threatens leatherbacks
The change could open up a swordfish fishery south of Point Sur for all or part of a prohibited fishing season, when giant leatherbacks arrive from across the Pacific Ocean to dine on jellyfish off the West Coast. Fishery managers say they are confident the change wouldn’t likely jeopardize the endangered leatherback population, but environmentalists say their numbers are so low than any accidental killing is unacceptable. Read more
Largest study of salmon health ever undertaken set to begin in B.C.
For years Kristi Miller has been probing the complex and controversial world of fish diseases on the West Coast, where scientists are trying to unravel the mystery of why millions of apparently healthy salmon die annually. Read more
EXCLUSIVE: Man busted for trying to sell shark fins
It’s been almost two years since Hawaii’s shark fin ban went into effect. Friday afternoon, enforcement officers busted a man for trying to sell shark fins to a Chinese restaurant. The man was cited, and now faces a possible fine, and possible jail time. This is something you don’t see in Hawaii anymore. “In the duffle bag, there are 14 shark fins, and they appear to be fresh, not cured or dried,” said Guy Chang, DOCARE Oahu Branch Chief. Read more
Editorial: Division of Marine Fisheries chief Paul Diodati’s stand shows catch shares killing fishery
Noting that he shares the concerns of the relatively few state-permitted, small-boat fishermen, he made it clear that the shortage of fish within those fishermen’s usual grounds is due in large part to the fact that more and more big boats —
“unencumbered by trip limits …particularly on Gulf of Maine Cod when they are aggregated for migration, feeding (and) spawning, has significantly contributed to declines in local abundance.” Read more
Has the Time Come? Joel Hovanesian ask’s a provocative question.
Many years ago I often wondered what would have happened if the entire nations commercial fishermen went on strike. And I mean all aspects of the commercial fishing industry. All coasts, all fisheries, everything, the whole kit and caboodle. It was at a time when the industry was beginning to feel the effects of legal abuses of the court system by the environmental organizations that were itching to control the way fishermen went about their business. It was probably in the early ninety’s. Read more
Alaska Board of Fisheries okays 1/3 trawl ban
Unalaska Bay trawl ban supporters won a partial victory, when the state fish board voted last weekend to close the bay to trawling in August, while keeping it open in September and October. Read more
Alaska Otter-bounty bill faces opposition
Legislation proposing sea-otter bounties will get its first hearing next week. It’s already drawing opposition from environmental groups and the federal marine mammal protection agency. Read more
Maine’s shrimp fishing days and limit expanded
Maine’s shrimp fishing will be expanded to seven days a week until April 12 due to the low catch rates so far this season, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said on Friday. Read more
Fisherman Patrick Small, Survivor of capsized Hyde Co. fishing boat recalls experience
The Beaufort County man, who was rescued from a fishing boat that capsized off the Maryland coast, talked about how he almost lost his life. Read more, watch video
Cape Fear Community College getting new ship for Marine Technology program
WILMINGTON, NC– The ship has finally come in for Cape Fear Community College. After a nearly decade-long search for a new training vessel for the college’s marine technology program, CFCC will acquire the nationally-known r
esearch vessel the R/V Cape Hatteras. Read more
Shrimp Trawling Comes With Big Risks
“Deck winches are extremely hazardous mechanisms, with entanglements causing death to some workers and amputated limbs and other permanent disabilities to others,” the investigators conclude in their analysis, which was published Thursday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Read more
Crewmember aboard F/V Amy Lynn medivaced
VENICE, Fla. — A 46-year-old man was medically evacuated by Coast Guard helicopter crewmembers after suffering from chest pains aboard a 48-foot fishing vessel, 100 miles west of here, Thursday. Read more
Huge support for Miss Ally fundraisers shown
Bracelets in Memory of the Miss Ally
Fundraisers for the families of the five fishermen who lost their lives are getting a huge show of support. The Courageous Crew of Miss Ally-Lost at Sea Fundraising Auction and the Bracelets in Memory of the Miss Ally are two Facebook fundraising sites that have spread support throughout the country. Read more, Buy a Bracelet!
Jindal Administration clashes with lawmakers over reef fund raid
BATON ROUGE — If Gov. Bobby Jindal redirects money from an artificial reef fund as he has done in the past to balance the state budget, three lawmakers from the region warned Thursday that could negatively affect coastal projects Read more
The Drill Baby Drill bunch Like Sally Jewell’s continuance of Salizar’s Smart from the Start, All of the Above Offshore Energy Strategy
Interior secretary nominee grilled about offshore drilling stances – WASHINGTON — U.S. Interior Department secretary nominee Sally Jewell said Thursday that she wants to find an “appropriate resolution” for increasi
ng revenue sharing for states like Louisiana that allow offshore oil-and-gas production near their coasts. Read more
NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard explains stock stands
NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard said Thursday fishermen’s testimony he’s heard that the inshore waters are teeming with yellowtail has made him concerned about proposed draconian catch limits for the species of flounder. Yellowtail, cod, haddock, hake, and other flounders are found in close proximity, making up the Northeast multi-species groundfishery, and low allocations of prevalent stocks create the nightmare for fishermen who must stop work once they’ve come to their limit on any single stock. Read more
StarKist commits to further investment in 50th year
StarKist, the parent company of StarKist Samoa, says as it celebrates 50 years of StarKist Samoa, it has a strong interest in continuing its commitment to the territory and this includes further investment in its local operations. Read more
A fisherman is dead from Western Pacific helicopter collision with purse seiner
A fisherman is dead and another injured following a helicopter crash into a fishing vessel in the western Pacific ocean on Sunday. The United States Embassy in Majuro confirmed that the incident involved both a US-flagged and a Taiwan-flagged purse seine fishing vessel. Read more
Search Suspended For Two Beaufort County Fishermen Missing Off Maryland Coast
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for two missing fishermen from Beaufort County. The family tells WITN that 80-year-old Captain Walter Tate and his 60-year-old nephew, Stephen Tate, remain missing Thursday. We’
re told Captain Tate lives in Pamlico Beach while Stephen Tate’s residence is in Bath. Read more, video
Regulators worry NE fishermen are cheating
— Regulators say they’re worried fishermen are cheating by fishing in one area, then claiming the catch is from another. Read more
Waterman cleared of illegal clamming due to lack of notice
There was nothing fishy about a waterman digging for clams in a protected zone of the Chesapeake Bay because the state natural resources department failed to publish the area’s specific boundaries, Maryland’s top court has held. Read more
N.L. government will help displaced fish plant workers
The Newfoundland and Labrador government says if three fish plants in the province close permanently, it will help displaced workers. But the mayor of a town that lost its plant more than a year ago said government has been no help at all. Read more
Petitioning Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee – Petition by Lori Scott
To: Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee Molly Keenan, Director of Boards and Commissions Kirk Pearson, Senate Natural Resources Chairman – Respect and follow RCW 77.04.040 The intent of this petition to ask our new Governor to follow the law regarding representation on the fish and wildlife commission. Currently there are no members who represent the commercial fishery which goes against the intent of RCW 77.04.040. Sincerely, [Your name] View the petition
Letter: Protect our salmon — John Polonowski, Anchorage
To all of those lawmakers who voted in favor of Sean Parnell’s HB77. Shame on you. Read more
U.S. Coast Guard to honor Jonesport teen who drowned saving father in 1972
JONESPORT, Maine — It’s been more than 40 years since Alvin Beal drowned on Oct. 17, 1972, at the age of 17 while rescuing his father from a rogue wave off Great Wass Island that capsized the fishing vessel his dad had hand-built for hand-pulling heavy wooden lobster traps. Read more
Maine Lobstermen OK with fee hikes to improve marketing
Robert Baines, a lobsterman from South Thomaston and chairman of the Lobster Advisory Council, said it is usually difficult to unite lobstermen on a single issue, but they see no other way forward. “Our industry certainly needs some help and this is the only way we think we can do it,” Baines said. The Maine Lobstermen’s Association, the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association and other stakeholder groups agreed. Read more
Sappi Fine Paper North America works with Westbrook to be more fish friendly, remove dam
The owner of a paper mill in Westbrook that fought for years against state and federal requirements to build fish passages at its dams on the Presumpscot River is now considering removing its Saccarappa Dam. Read more
Rescue teams race to sinking fishboat in Georgia Strait, off Vancouver
Coast Guard hovercraft arrived before tugboat operators could deploy their rescue boat – Watch video from CBCnews -British Columbia
VANCOUVER – Two people may be safe after a fishing boat sank off Vancouver, but the incident has reignited debate about marine-rescue response times after the closure of a coast guard station. The rescue on Wednesday morn
ing in the frigid waters of Georgia Strait, off Point Grey, occurred just two weeks after shuttered the Kitsilano Canadian Coast Guard station. Read more
Seafood Academy expands industry
Fishermen across south Louisiana are going back to school this month to learn more about their livelihood. “What we’re trying to do is increase professionalism and quality so that we can get a better price for seafood,” said Alan Mathe
rne, a Louisiana Sea Grant coastal and fisheries outreach specialist. Read more
Longline hooking of false killer whale could close Hawaii’s fishing grounds
Hawaii’s longline fishing industry could take a hit this year after a 
was hooked in Hawaiian waters. Under a protection plan that took effect just last November, another fatal hooking will mean the loss of 17 percent of Hawaiian waters that can be used for fishing. Read more
