Monthly Archives: March 2013
Let those alewives go
Culture, Atlantic salmon, the lobster industry, the broader environment and even bass fishermen could benefit from the alewives’ return. The state should remove the wooden board blocking the fish passage at Grand Falls Dam before the river herring’s spring spawning run. There is still time if LD 72 is passed on an emergency basis. Is there the political pluck? continue reading
Steve Spurling: 92 and still building boats
SOUTHWEST HARBOR – At Jarvis Newman’s boat shop, on Main Street in Southwest Harbor, the walls are full of framed photos of old boats.Newman was one of the first fiberglass boatbuilders on the Maine coast, producing hulls for luxury yachts, commercial fishing boats, and Friendship sloops at the rate of one every two weeks until he sold the business in 1978. He took the mold for his first yacht from a boat designed by his father-in-law, Raymond Bunker, who built wooden boats with his partner, Ralph Ellis, in nearby Manset from 1946 to 1978. continue reading
Alberta-based owner promises to invest millions in Bamfield
Millions of dollars are about to be invested in the tiny hamlet of Bamfield on the west coast of Vancouver Island, promises the owner of many of the community’s increasingly dilapidated properties. continue reading
Anti-seal hunt group to stay off ice this year
For the first time in almost 20 years, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) won’t be sending a team of observers out on the Atlantic sea ice during the spring seal hunt. Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield declined an interview request and his office did not address specific questions about the IFAW’s decision to skip this year’s hunt.Instead, after several hours, Ashfield’s office said in an email that the government “supports the sustainable and well-managed seal harvest, which continues to be an economic and cultural activity in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the Arctic.” continue reading
Public lecture Thursday at VIMS spotlights menhaden
GLOUCESTER Va. – Rob Latour of the College of William and Marys Virginia Institute of Marine Science will explore long-simmering issues surrounding Atlantic menhaden, their commercial harvest and the recreational fisheries that target their predators at an After Hours lecture this Thursday evening. continue reading
Want to go? The 45-minute lecture will begin at 7 pm in Watermen’s Hall on the VIMS campus in Gloucester Point. Reservations to this free public lecture series are required due to limited space. Register online at http://bit.ly/ahmenhaden to attend in person or call 804-684-7846 for further information.
State senator’s bill aims to reel in ‘rotten invasive’ sea lamprey
A bill circulated by a Republican lawmaker aims to control sea lamprey — eel-like parasites that look like monsters, attack trout and other fish, and could suck the lifeblood out of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The toothy invasive species threatens the commercial and recreational fisheries and tourism industry, said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay. continue reading
The Race for Kerry’s Seat: Votes separate Markey, Lynch on fisheries
On fisheries, the differences between Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey and Stephen Lynch, candidates for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry in late January, were exposed in a dramatic vote by the House in February 2011. A short-lived bipartisan coalition that night glued onto a continuing budget resolution an amendment from North Carolina Republican Walter Jones that barred the Obama administration from expanding its signature fishing industry innovation — the creation of new catch share fisheries and their commodity quote trading markets — beyond the mix of the Northeast groundfishery that, now three years into the new system, is in a recognized state of economic disaster. continue reading
If you are following Northeast Ground fish Issues, some comments in this article should promp a Red Flag!
US releases plan to help wildlife adjust to climate change (threats)
Dog in sea lion attack has clean record in Texas, necropsy results sent to fisheries service
The daughter of former astronaut Mark Kelly was walking her dog Shiner on Goff Island Beach when the dog bolted, ripping the leash from her hand and fatally attacking a beached baby sea lion. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also does not expect to take legal action, spokesman Jim Milbury said. continue reading
Looking out for the fishing community; Rep. Jared Huffman announces bill – “Revitalizing the Economy of Fisheries in the Pacific Act”
The opportunity to refinance the loan at a lower interest rate would give local groundfish fishermen the same opportunities as any homeowner or business, Huffman said during a news conference to announce the bill held outside the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center Tuesday afternoon. The bipartisan bill would not require the federal government to spend any new money. continue reading
SCU student astounds scientific minds with new discovery – published in the Canadian Aquatic Science Journal
A GROUND-BREAKING discovery which could revolutionise Australia’s fisheries has earned a Southern Cross University student a major government grant and the respect of scientists around the world. continue reading
Province to declare a day dedicated to remembering all Nova Scotia fishermen and women lost at sea
In its Speech from the Throne, the Dexter government announced its intention to declare a day dedicated to remembering all Nova Scotia fishermen and women lost at sea. The speech, made on Tuesday (today) afternoon by Lt.-Gov. J.J. Grant opened the spring sitting of the Legislature. continue reading
Mark Latti: Recreational anglers off the hook for drastic cuts in New England groundfish catches
It seems recreational anglers have gained a reprieve, if only for now. The New England Fisheries Management Council’s Recreational Advisory Panel last month approved recreational cod and haddock bag limits for the 2013 season, and they are thankfully similar to 2012. While they still need federal approval, that should be forthcoming. continue reading
Omega Protein charged with releasing pollutants
NORFOLK, Mar 26, 2013 (Menafn – The Virginian-Pilot – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) –The U.S. government has charged Omega Protein Inc., the company that controls the big menhaden industry in Virginia, with discharging pollutants into state waters from its fishing fleet numerous times between 2008 and 2010. continue reading
NC woman sentenced for stealing crab pots
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) – State officials say a Pasquotank County woman has been sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to stealing nearly 50 crab pots from other commercial fishermen. continue reading
Some lobstermen refuse to take bait on new surcharge – “Advertising directly benefits the dealers’ market,”
As legislators work on a plan to provide millions of dollars to market and promote Maine lobster by adding a surcharge to licenses, some lobstermen are balking at paying for an advertising campaign that they say will take money out of their pockets without giving them much in return. continue reading
Editorial: Influx of cod must spark feds to delay limit cuts
But the influx of cod must be seen as bad news by those esteemed NOAA “scientists” and officials who, with the help of their closely-related environmental nonprofit spin doctors, have poured countless PR dollars and effort into spreading the false word that, indeed, the cod stocks are so diminished — especially from the Gulf of Maine — that we need to cut those fishermen’s 2013 quota by a job- and industry-killing 77 percent. continue reading
Letter to the Editor: Pull the plug on Cape Wind project – Deke Ulian, Mashpee
All of this should ring a bell in New Bedford, where political leaders flocked to the waterfront to announce that Cape Wind would bring hundreds of jobs to the state-renovated pier where it would be staging its project. Even as that $100-milliion-plus taxpayer-funded renovation was being planned, Cape Wind was meeting with Rhode Island officials about a Quonset Point staging area instead. Read the letter
Opponents square off in St. Croix River watershed alewife debate
AUGUSTA — The contentious issue of whether to open the St. Croix River watershed to sea-run alewives drew more than six hours of impassioned testimony Monday during a public hearing before the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee. continue reading
Man rescued after leg caught in machinery on fishing boat
Authorities rescued a man whose leg was caught Monday in machinery on a commercial fishing boat off the Ventura Harbor. continue reading
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Georgia legislators vote to put redfish off limits to commercial fishing
ATLANTA – The Georgia Senate voted to join South Carolina and Florida in protecting the popular red drum from commercial fishing by designating it as “game fish” only. continue reading
SANDY, Oregon: Millions of smelt return to the Sandy River
The river was full of the silver fish, which were put on the threatened species list three years ago because of dwindling runs. This was their first run in the Sandy River since 2001. 
Video, continue reading
Senate hopeful Dan Winslow carves out fishing stand
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan Winslow has zeroed in on two nagging statutory imperatives that, in their violation have frustrated the fishing industry — the requirement in the Magnuson-Stevens Act that government manage the wild resources to “provide for the sustained participation” of fishing communities, and the neutering over time of a 1954 act of Congress that aimed to provide a secure revenue stream for strengthening the industry. continue reading
Tories promise wider shark fin ban
OTTAWA — The Harper government, in an apparent nod to public concern over the “barbaric” shark finning industry, said Monday it will consider regulatory changes to block the importation of fins from countries that permit cruel shark hunt practices. continue reading
P.E.I. looks to Japan for seafood exports
There’s growing potential for P.E.I. seafood in the Japanese market, says Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development Minister Ron MacKinley. He says a recent visit by the Canadian trade commissioner for Japan provided an opportunity to promote the high quality and value of P.E.I. seafood products. continue reading
Anti-whaling Sea Shepherd group turns their attention to Oregon’s sea lions
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A conservation group known for interfering with whaling ships wants to stop Oregon’s killing of sea lions that eat endangered salmon in the Columbia River. The group Sea Shepherd was in Astoria on Sunday photographing and video-taping Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife technicians as they captured and branded 38 sea lions at the East Mooring Basin. continue reading
Officials: Elver eel season stunted by low temperatures, prices – Fishery in the government crosshairs!
ELLSWORTH, Maine — The 2013 elver fishing season in Maine has begun with cooler temperatures and cooler prices, according to a state official. “They’re a little bit on the spotty side,” Separate from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission process, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is considering listing American eels under the federal Endangered Species Act, which could result in a ban on all American eel fishing. continue reading
Urchin depletion leads to crab abundance, study says
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A boom that saw Maine fishermen harvest millions of pounds of sea urchins for the lucrative Japanese market depleted the spiny sea creatures, turning the ecosystem upside-down and creating an ideal habitat for an urchin predator that has flourished, according to a new scientific study. continue reading
Scientists confirm first two-headed bull shark
(Phys.org) The study, led by Michigan State University and appearing in the Journal of Fish Biology, confirmed the specimen, found in the Gulf of Mexico April 7, 2011, was a single shark with two heads, rather than conjoined twins. continue reading
Give the public answers on jellyfish proposal
Proponents of a new jellyfish harvesting and processing industry in Beaufort County say they want to start fishing for the Asian delicacies by May. But that’s too fast. State environmental regulators say many questions remain 
unanswered. And the public first got wind of the proposal in early March. It needs more time to ask questions and give feedback. Cannonball jellyfish are the most common jellyfish in our waters, but they are not harvested or eaten here. In Asia, however, continue reading
