Daily Archives: May 9, 2013
Powerhouse Bristol Bay, Alaska salmon fishery produces $1.5 billion in value-Accounts for nearly 20% of total value of all US Seafood exports, according to new report
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, May 9, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ — The Bristol Bay, Alaska commercial salmon fishery is the world’s most valuable wild salmon fishery and in total produces an astounding annual value of $1.5 billion, according to a new report, continued
Grey seals blamed for lobster population boom
YARMOUTH — Grey seals may ultimately be to blame for — get this now — a population boom in lobster. So said an industry source Thursday. His comments echoed recent scientific findings. The six-month lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia will close in another three weeks. Every indication shows it will be one of the best ever. And the glut of lobster may be due to the fact the lobsters’ predators — cod, pollock and cusk — have been nearly devastated by hungry grey seals. continued
Magnanimous on Magnuson – Jes Hathaway – Editor in Chief – National Fisherman
As we looked at each other over steaming cups of coffee yesterday morning, somewhat in awe of the atmosphere of the NOAA conference we’re attending, New Hampshire groundfish fisherman Dave Goethel summed up my sentiments exactly: The tenor of the panel discussions at Managing Our Nation’s Fisheries is surprisingly amenable to the commercial fishing industry. continued
Hundreds Prince Edward Island Lobstermen gather for lobster price protest – Video
Close to 800 fishermen gathered at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans office in Charlottetown Thursday, demanding a higher price for lobster. “Here we are making a stand,” said McGeoghegan. “We are going to win this figh
t. I guarantee it.” Fisheries Minister Ron MacKinley also attended the gathering. continued
Swordfish Find Squid Delicious; Suffer Consequences
science2.0 – From a certain perspective, it’s really weird that we manage fisheries in these discrete little units based on species. There are swordfish permits, swordfish boats, swordfish managers. There are squid permits, squid boats, squid managers. And so on. But species don’t exist in neat boxes. That’s the fundamental truth behind ecology. When you go out to catch one species, you’re bound to run across several other species as well, and even the most carefully designed fishing gear will occasionally catch something it wasn’t supposed to. continued
Where are the Cod??If you are a New England Ground Fisherman, you’ve got to listen to this! The Fisheries Broadcast with John Furlong
The new nuisance in our waters… codfish.
They’re eating all the crab!! We’re not talking about small fish, or a slight increase. We’re talking about huge cod fish like legends were created from! This is interesting, and amazing. It removes the credibility of Dalhousie biologist Jeff Hutchins. Link
PEI, NB fishermen demanding better prices – They argue questions require an immediate response:
The Sou’Wester – While they have been locked in a word of words for the last several months over carapace size, lobster fishermen in PEI and New Brunswick now find themselves allies in a battle to convince processors to close a major price gap compared to other major fishing areas on the Eastern Seaboard. continued
Maritime Fishermen’s Union Local 4 buys life jackets for fishermen
sou’wester – The province’s fishing industry is working on becoming safer, with more fishermen recognizing the importance and comfort of state-of-the-art life jackets. To aid this effort the Maritime Fishermen’s Union Local 4 recently pu
rchased life jackets for its 40 members in Antigonish and Pictou counties. continued Fishermen blocking ports in PEI continued
The Saving Seafood Crew exposes the Myths of Blue Ocean Institute’s Elizabeth Brown
n her online article, “Reopening New England’s Closed Fishing Areas Would Be Bad For Mammals, Too,” the Blue Ocean Institute’s Elizabeth Brown echoes these claims, stating: “We need to fully evaluate these effects before any areas a
re reopened.” But Framework 48 will not simply “open” these closures. The proposal only allows fishing sectors the ability to apply for access to these areas, after which, NOAA will weigh their requests against any possible environmental impacts. continued
California – Largest dam in state history torn down – Video
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) — Monterey County supervisors gave their OK for the largest dam removal project in state history. The San Clemente Dam is eighteen miles from the coast in the Carmel Valley. Joyce Ambrosius with the National Marine Fisheries Service said the steelhead numbers have been dwindling over the last couple of years. “It’s been down to 91 in the last couple of years, where in the 1960’s it was in the thousands of fish. So we are right on the edge of them blinking out here,” she said. continued
Salmon management suit moved to Alaska
Alaska Journal of Commerce – The lawsuit over salmon management was recently moved to Alaska district court. Judge Reggie B. Walton granted the request to move the lawsuit to U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska May 3. The National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS, and other defendants in that suit had asked for the location change in February. continued
The Bottom Line: Embracing Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management
National Geographic Society – The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the bedrock law governing U.S. fisheries, is up for debate and amendment in Congress. This conference will formally launch the reauthorization discussion. continued
Opinion: Cook Inlet’s commercial fisheries define region’s culture, traditions By Emilie Springer
homernews.com – The fight over who gets what and how to divide access between sport and commercial fisheries is complicated. There are all perspectives of voices and identities ramping up to fight it out. The conflict and bitter commentary on this is distressing. It is so convoluted by money and politics and the role of tourism on the Kenai from Anchorage and Mat-Su visitors. continued
Louisiana Senator continues with threat to shutter snapper season
BATON ROUGE — The drive by a state senator to outlaw the possession of Gulf red snapper for recreational and commercial fishermen as well as everyone else in Louisiana cleared its first hurdle Wednesday, and the debate now heads to the full Senate. continued
N.S. lobster fishermen join P.E.I. price protests – Buyers offering between $3.75 and $4.00, fishermen demand $5.00
Lobster fishermen in Guysborough, Antigonish and Pictou Counties are following the lead of fishermen on Prince Edward Island and tying up their boats. continued
Junk in the Ocean! UMaine unveils floating turbine base that could be future of wind energy
The 65-foot-tall turbine prototype is a one-eighth-scale version of the huge 6-megawatt turbines that would create a 5-gigawatt farm 20 miles off Maine’s coastline by 2030. About 170 turbines, each taller than the Washington Monumen
t, would create the 5 gigawatts of energy, which is equivalent to the energy output of five nuclear power plants. Officials estimate that project could bring $20 billion of private investment to the state and create thousands of jobs. (Well! Alrighty then!) continued
Jackie Odell, Northeast Seafood Coalition @ “Managing our Nation’s Fisheries” conference – timelines should be replaced with fishing mortality rate-based strategies,
Odell Wednesday offered an alternative to 10-year, or any rebuilding timelines. They “should be replaced with fishing mortality rate-based strategies, which on average over the long term will rebuild a stock to biomass (that will produce)
maximum sustainable yield. Such a strategy would achieve the core objective of fisheries management, to sustain commercial and recreational ‘fisheries’ while preventing overfishing. continued
Editorial: Fish panels’ united Magnuson stand sends powerful message
The relatively rare, unified stand by all eight U.S. fishery management councils calling for more flexibility within the Magnuson-Stevens Act may not make a whit’s bit of difference for fishermen and waterfront businesses in Gloucester and elsewhere. continued
