Monthly Archives: May 2013
Snakeheads break out of Potomac, enter Rappahannock River
Richmond Times-Dispatch – The northern snakehead, an invasive species of fish native to Asia, has successfully broken out of the Potomac River system and established itself in the Rappahannock River, according to state officials. The fish drew headlines when it turned up in a Maryland pond in 2002, in part because of its prodigious teeth and ability to survive several days out of water by breathing air. Spotted less than a decade ago in the Potomac, the snakehead has not just survived, but spread. continued
Great Lakes Commercial fishing decline hits economies, communities
LANSING – As the number of active state-licensed commercial fishing operations dwindles on the Great Lakes, their downward spiral signals a change in culture as well as economics and environment, according to Laurie Sommers, a folklorist and historic preservation consultant. continued
Shoreline being searched for missing N.B. fishermen
A search will resume today along New Brunswick`s northeast coast for two missing lobster fishermen. The body of a 23-year-old man from Tracadie-Sheila was later found near where the boat ran into trouble off of Tabusintac. The RCMP say a 35-year-old man from Tabusintac and a 32-year-old man from Brantville are still missing. continued
Laine Welch: Fuel cell technology boosts long-distance fish shipping – Bristol Bay and the USA – Bionic crab shells
A maritime milestone will be set this week as a container of 18 tons of fresh salmon from Chile is offloaded from a cargo ship in California after a month at sea — without being frozen. How, you ask. By using fuel cell technology in a new way. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process produces electricity. continued
Closure fresh in memory, setnetters innovate for season
KENAI — Gary Hollier has a king salmon problem.The commercial setnetter has had it for a few years and he’s far from the only one. Most of the east side setnet fishery in the Cook Inlet was largely shut out of their fishing season last year after seeing their fishing time drastically reduced in 2011 in the name of king salmon conservation.With last season’s federally-declared economic disaster hanging over his head, and the threat of being largely shut out of another season in 2013 looming, the 42-year veteran of commercial setnetting decided to make some drastic changes of his own. continued
Rescue attempt over for two New Brunswick fishermen – 1 body recovered, 2 men still missing after intensive search
The rescue attempt for two missing fishermen has been called off in New Brunswick, hours after one body was found. continued A New Brunswick Conservative politician said the captain of the vessel had rented it after his fishing boat was destroyed in a fire earlier this month. Serge Robichaud, who represents the Miramichi Bay-Neguac area, said the captain’s boat was one of five vessels that were gutted by a blaze at the Tabusintac Wharf on May 5.
The most abhorrent occupation in the world? Dr Magnus Johnson,
Imagine you have a business.
You’re not breaking any laws and its something your family have been doing for hundreds of years. Your whole community has been doing it and whole cultures, traditions, music, stories and clothes have evolve around it. Industries have thrived on your products. Your product is gluten free, contains no additives, has a low carbon cost, doesn’t involve ploughing and transforming the land and gives us beautiful food that kings and commoners alike adore. continued
Body found after fishing boat capsizes off New Brunswick – Two still missing as of 1:15 pm eastern – Full scale search underway
The boat, operating out of Tabusintac, issued the distress call at around 5:30 a.m. local time. Three crew were onboard. Mike Bonin of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said one body had been found on a beach in the search. He said the man’s body was found near where the boat hit the sandbar and ran aground. continued video report
Lottsa bag slashing he-ah. Elver fishermen flocking to the Penobscot River
“There’s a lot of bag-cutting and stealing on this river,”. “[Some people] are just hostile,” Tibbetts said. “Everybody seems to own a piece of river and everybody wants to hold it.” “We had some issues last Wednesday right down the river,” 
Tibbetts said. “A couple of guys with weapons and sticks and this and that, wanting to fight over a spot [to fish]. It’s just one of those things. You’ve got to protect yourself if you’ve got to.” continued
Remember the post about Extreme Measures the lobster boat that slipped her mooring and recovered by the Amy Philbrick? Get a load a this!
PORTLAND, Maine — The owner of a New Hampshire vessel that rescued a drifting lobster boat in February is asking a federal court to award him $200,000.What BS! Regulators to fishermen: Don’t blame catch observers
The request came in an open letter to fishing permit holders Thursday, a little over two weeks into a fishing year that saw the fleet take painful cuts in catch limits. Observers have reported increased verbal abuse in recent months and the letter is a reminder that such anger is misdirected, said Rip Cunningham, chair of the New England Fishery Management Council and one of the five signees of the letter. continued
I found this letter to be disingenuous ad un necessary. These people are stepping out of bounds.
Northern Dynasty comments on National Marine Fisheries Service status review of Lake Iliamna Seals
Ultimately, whether the Lake Iliamna seals are considered to be a distinct population segment or not, Northern Dynasty is confident that development of the project by the Pebble Partnership will not affect their habitat or their numbers.” continued
Op-Ed: How You Can Prevent 130,000 Marine Mammals From Going Deaf
In the coming months, the Obama Administration will make a decision that will profoundly impact the health of the Atlantic Ocean. It will decide whether to proceed with seismic survey off the Eastern coastline to map oil and gas resources. continued
Bridging the Gap – Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk – A Response to the New England Ground Fish Crisis
GLOUCESTER (CBS)- The City of Gloucester says preserving New England’s fishing industry is in the nation’s best interest, but they’ll need federal dollars to save it. The Department of Commerce declared the Northeast groundfisheries an economic disaster last fall, paving the way for financial relief. Mayor Carolyn Kirk spearheaded the creation of a plan outlining the best use of government funding. Video
The Mayor and her panel create a “Bridge Plan” to maintain the port through these difficult times. The plan will require funding from relief money, yet to be approved by Congress. Read the press release.
MARACOOS – The Fishing site is currently under development – Avoid unwanted bycatch – Your feedback is encouraged!
Welcome! The Fishing site is currently under development. To date, the site provides access to existing MARACOOS real-time environmental data feeds. We are collecting input and additional data sets from commercial and recreational fishermen, and management partners. The objective of the site is to offer the public a relevant tool using real-time meteorological and oceanographic information from the MARACOOS network in an interactive desktop format and in a mobile application. continued
2013 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Awards Announced
Eighteen researchers from seven different institutions have been awarded 2013 research grants focused on the region’s most valuable commercial fishery, 
. Fourteen projects involving more than 20 scallop and research vessels will be supported with awards totaling just over $12.5 million. continued
NovaScotia: Fishing is good, business is rough
BAYFIELD — Brendan Doyle has a few hundred square yards of bottom to call his own. For nine years, every dollar he’s hauled aboard the Dethadol, Gaelic for “What’s goin’ on,” has gone to pay for his boat and licence. Meanwhile, Doyle is paying $25,000 a year on his licence and another $10,000 annually for his boat. Then there’s $10,000 during his two-month season for bait, $4,500 for fuel and $14,000 for crew. His big diesel motor is 7,400 hours into an estimated life expectancy of 10,000 hours — it’ll cost $45,000 to replace. Then there’s licensing fees, wharf fees and a thousand other costs that pile up. continued
Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute Releases Summary of “Incorporating Environmental Change in Assessments and Management” Workshop
The meeting was held May 7-8 at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology. continued
Oysters continue to struggle post-spill
More than three years after the Gulf oil spill, the state’s oyster industry is continuing to struggle. Oyster grounds in some of the state’s most productive areas east of the Mississippi River and in the Barataria Basin are struggling to survive and reproduce, and industry officials don’t know why. Those grounds typically provide almost 50 percent of the state’s oyster harvest. But crops were killed after the BP oil spill in 2010, and unsuccessful reproductive cycles since then have failed to replenish stocks. continued
Two Bering Sea pollock processors lied about catches, feds say
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s law enforcement division issued notices of violation to American Seafoods Company on May 8. The notices accuse the company of manipulating flow scales measuring B
ering Sea pollock catches in nearly 200 hauls of fish in 2011 and 2012, causing the scales to register lower weights. Operators of the Ocean Rover and the Northern Eagle then recorded loads of fish that were lighter than what they truly carried, the NOAA notices say. continued
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Science Notes: Atlantic Discovery – Dick Grachek
Here’s some more info from the friendly science of BOEM and their benevolent deep sea exploration for cute little ecosystems, “but wait folks that’s not all…” Why, you might ask, this (very expensive) interest in the Deep Sea ecology, no
w? Why is NOAA sinking all this dough into this mysterious realm, at this time, when the declared Disaster in the fisheries is ignored, and when NOAA’s scientists claim a shortfall of funds as the justification for shoddy and incomplete fish stock surveys? continued
Non-pelagic trawlers hit halibut limit in Gulf, BSAI plaice TAC achieved
Vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska cannot target deep-water species from May 18 to July 1. The National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS, announced today that the directed trawl fishery for deep-water species had reached its second seasonal apportionment of halibut. continued
National Marine Fisheries Service to consider listing for lake harbor seals
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS – ANCHORAGE — The National Marine Fisheries Service announced Thursday it will consider listing a population of harbor seals that live in a freshwater Alaska lake as a threatened or endangered species, a decision that could affect the massive Pebble Mine development project. continued
Film chronicles stories of a changing Seabreeze
StarNewsOnline.com – “A Sense of Place,” which explores local coastal history from the unique perspective of area black fishermen and women, will premiere Friday night at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
When Joe Farrow Jr. and Luther Hardis McQuillan first started fishing the Intracoastal Waterway at Myrtle Grove Sound as children in the 1930s, Seabreeze was bustling with tourists and the black resort town was known for its clam fritters and juke joints. In those days, the men – now 84 and 90, respectively – would fish with family members and sell their catch of mullet, speckled trout and flounder to one of the restaurants in the little community north of Carolina Beach, or to fish markets in Wilmington. Their wooden boats didn’t have motors and were often homemade. continued
Jancie Sue & Joy: The Boats of Fishtown on Lake Huron
LELAND — Fishtown is still an active commercial fishing community with the help of it’s two tug ladies: the Janice Sue and the Joy. 7&4’s Holly Baker met with the Executive Director of the Fishtown Preservation Society, Amanda
Holmes, and learned a bit more about the personalities of each boat in Historic Fishtown. video
In depth article: Climate Change Impacts Ripple Through Fishing Industry While Ocean Science Lags Behind
Huffington Post – With a limberness that defies his 69 years, Frank Mirarchi heaves himself over the edge of a concrete wharf and steps out onto a slack, downward sloping dock line bouncing 20 feet above the lapping waters near Scituate, Mass. continued
2013 Season, 61st Year of the International Dory Races – goodmorninggloucester
The weather is improving and eliminations to qualify to race the Canadians are only a few weeks away (Saturday, June 8th). I hope your training is well on its way! continued 
Report: Septic systems big contributor to Great Bay pollution (Its more than a regional issue. It’s a national issue.)
PORTSMOUTH — Sources of nonpoint nitrogen pollution in the Great Bay estuary are spread out almost equally between septic systems, fertilizers and atmospheric pollution, according to a new report. continued View the full DES report and supporting documents here (note there are no Big Green partners on the website)
Fish processor says contract breach cost it millions
D’Eon Fisheries Ltd. of West Pubnico alleged in Nova Scotia Supreme Court documents filed Wednesday that defendants Scotia Harvest Seafoods Inc. of Digby and Marro Management Inc. of Lower West Pubnico breached a 2006 contract with the plaintiff. “By the terms of the contract, Scotia and Marro were to provide all of the groundfish to operate the processing line and to fish D’Eon’s hake quota until 2015,” the plaintiff claimed. “In breach of contract, Scotia and Marro stopped providing D’Eon with groundfish in January 2012, and stopped fishing the silver hake quota in June 2012.” continued
