Monthly Archives: May 2013
Fish fleeing for cooler waters spells trouble
There is “terrible, terrible” news this week for anyone involved with the world’s fisheries, says Peter Shelley of the Conservation Law Foundation. .”I think the managers have done a pretty lousy job in managing fisheries even when the ecosystem wasn’t changing,” Shelley told me Thursday. “As far as the prospects for improvement when it is changing, I’m not hopeful.” continued
Interesting to note that we’ve been managing the fisheries for around 40 years, and this new study should be enough to make the enviro’s understand that killing off the New England Ground Fish Fleet by blaming them as the culprits of eco doom very well could be wrong! This important study is vindication. I think Peter Shelley and the role the enviros have played in fishery management must be scrutinized. Time to lean in hard.
Not to mention the huge increase our Canadian brothers are seeing in Ground Fish!!
Warming Waters Are Changing Global Fish Catches – Pew Croaker Chimes in, but he don’t get it.
90.9wbur – “Populations of blue crab, which is something we think as being something we see in the Chesapeake Bay,” Crawford said. “We see Atlantic croaker, which we think of as a mid-Atlantic species moving increasingly northward.” And he sees far fewer cod, too. Audio
Steve, they’re lookin’ for ya.
BDN. , Maine — A 37-year-old fisherman is wanted for failing to pay state income taxes over the past eight years. Judge Patricia Worth issued an arrest warrant Thursday morning in Rockland District Court for Steven W. Ward Jr. of Rockland, who neglected to appear at his hearing. He is wanted on charges of failure to file income tax returns and failure to pay those taxes on annual incomes exceeding $100,000. continued
Harassment of Fisheries Observers More Than Doubles –
WASHINGTON – May 16 – Attacks against independent monitors of U.S. fishing fleets more than doubled between 2007 and 2011, according to official figures posted today by the Association for Professional Observers (APO) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). continued
Open Letter to Federal Fishery Permit Holders in the Northeast Regarding Observers and at-Sea Monitors -Dear Stakeholders and Interested Parties: Today, leadership from NOAA Fisheries Northeast and the Chairmen of the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils issued an open letter to the fishing industry urging cooperation and respect for fishery observers and at-sea monitors during what is a difficult fishing year for many Read it here
Newfoundland: Escaped farmed salmon could cause problems, council warns. No big deal says DFO!
The Salmonid Council of Newfoundland and Labrador warns a recent escape of farmed salmon could cause problems with the wild Atlantic salmon population. continued
Establishment of Control Date for Longfin Squid/Butterfish fishery (The Drive to Catch Share’s for this fishery.)
Today NOAA Fisheries NMFS announces the establishment of a control date (today) for the Longfin Squid/Butterfish fishery, at the request of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. What does this mean? By establishing a c
ontrol date of May 16, 2013, NOAA Fisheries NMFS is notifying the public that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council may use this date to limit the number of participants in this fishery through a future management action. Click here to read the NMFS Bulletin
Opinion: Feds should ask local fishermen how to manage fish stocks By Robin Alden, Executive Director of Penobscot East Resource Center,
One thing that is currently missing in our fisheries management system is a way to get good, local observations about conditions into the larger-scale federal scientific process in a timely and cost-effective way. This is where coastal fishermen enter the picture. continued
Maine Lobster promotion fees debated at State House
The revenue would come from fees tied to licenses covering every sector of the lobster industry, including harvesters, dealers, processors and transporters. continued
Maine lobster a major treat on D.C. streets (this where the REAL money is in lobster. The Chef’s make it all!)
“I’m a lobster fan, and this is the best lobster roll I have ever had,” said Seymour, a loyal customer of Red Hook Lobster Pound DC’s food truck, as she pointed to her $15 roll piled with lobster from Maine processors.
Escaped farmed salmon – The Fisheries Broadcast with John Furlong
It’s what people who worry about aquaculture fear most… escapes from salmon farms. Now officials from DFO have confirmed that escaped farmed salmon have turned up along side wild salmon in the Garnish River on the Burin Peninsula. audio
St. John’s hopes to salvage coast guard radio station
Officials in St. John’s are calling on Ottawa to reconsider removing more coast guard resources from the city. The marine rescue sub-centre was shut down last year. Now, the federal government plans to close the marine communications and traffic services centre in 2014. continued
Bill Harris, owner of destroyed F/V Skye Marie, appologizes for the impact caused by his vessel burning in Tarpon Springs
KDSKcom – “I just want to apologize to everybody in Tarpon Springs, the commercial fishermen, or anybody that my boat damaged in this fire. I’d like to just say I’m sorry. But I’m thankful for the fire department. They did everything they could d
o. There ain’t much more than you could ask,” said Harris. “I know it’s not my fault, but it’s still my business and my boat that’s done this”. (I’m sorry too, Bill, for you.) continued with video
COOS BAY FISHERMEN – Wind energy company gears up for public information campaign – I suggest you be there.
COOS BAY — South Coast residents will have at least two opportunities to learn about an 
proposal this month. continued
Bay-Delta salmon population just one fifth of mandated goal by Dan Bacher
indybay.org -“More than a decade past the law’s deadline, the salmon fishery continues to struggle due, in large part, to excessive pumping of fresh water from the Bay-Delta that deprives salmon of the cold, flowing rivers and healthy habitat they need to thrive,” according to a joint release from GGSA and NRDC. “After two closed salmon fishing seasons in 2008 and 2009, and a token season in 2010, fishermen are fishing again, but we remain far below the abundant runs required by law,” said Zeke Grader, executive director of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association and GGSA board member. “Stronger Delta pumping restrictions are paying off but we have to finish the job and get these salmon runs rebuilt.” continued
Letter to the Editor: Chesapeake Bay pollution can’t be ‘soaked up’ with oysters – Lynton S. Land, Ophelia, Va.
Tom Toles’s May 10 editorial cartoon suggested, based on a May 6 Metro article, that oysters can significantly improve Chesapeake Bay water quality. They can’t. Sufficient numbers of oysters can’t be grown to make any meaningful difference. continued
World’s fish have been moving to cooler waters for decades, study finds
“The biggest problem we have with fishery management is it assumes the future will look like the past,” he said. “That’s no longer the case.”In places such as Chatham, Mass., and the Gulf of Maine, fishermen who use small boats already 
are suffering severe economic consequences as cod and haddock that once lived close to the coast move north. While larger boats can reach those fish populations in cooler, deeper water farther offshore, smaller boats cannot, said Richard Merrick, director of scientific programs and chief science adviser for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service. continued
Loud Seismic Tests Probed for Harm to Whales, Dolphins – ENGO Coalition Forces Government Agency’s
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, May 15, 2013 (ENS) – The U.S. federal agency that oversees offshore oil exploration will analyze the effects of noisy underwater seismic blasts on whales and dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. The BOEM and its predecessor, the Minerals Management Service, have allowed exploratory seismic surveys to go ahead without permits. The groups contend this omission violates the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. continued
VIDEO: Rep. Keating and Mayor Mitchell host fisheries forum in New Bedford, Massachusetts
May 15, 2013 — On Monday, May 13, Congressman William Keating and New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell hosted a joint meeting of the Federal Fishing Advisory Board and the Federal Fishing Advisory Board inFederal Fishing Advisory Board, seeking input from the fishing industry on the current state of fisheries management. Video
A welcome goodbye to a bleak stone-crab season – Florida Keys commercial fleet.
KeyNet.comBut we never had a winter,” he said. “It went from fall to summer. The first cold front didn’t hit until March.” For unknown reasons, it has been a banner season for octopus, a predator of stone crabs in the Keys and all al
ong the state’s Gulf of Mexico coast. “When the octopus season went ballistic, the crabs either got attacked or dug themselves in,” Hill said. continued
Alaska’s commercial fishermen face myriad job-related dangers
EIN News – The waters of Alaska are not only full of vessels seeking a full haul of fish or crabs, they are also full of danger. Commercial fishing in Alaska has been called – and for good reason – one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. continued
Letter to the Editor: Bullard’s spin on fishery doesn’t hold water – Sam Frontiero, Gloucester Ma.
After reading his letter, and following his actions, it shows just how destructive the views of NOAA Northeast Administrator John Bullard are. Throughout history, people leave their legacies, and his, I believe, will be as the tyrant that took down the fishing industry which has been around since the beginning of time. His orders on catch limits are taking down all related jobs and crippled so many families — all because of his so-called power. continued Bullard’s letter
2 escape burning lobster boat off Wells, Maine
Two crew members of the 36-foot lobster boat Miss Ellie escaped safely after the boat caught fire off the coast of Wells just before 8 a.m. Wednesday. continued
UBC study finds fish species shifting to the north because of climate change
Climate change has been forcing fish to head north in search of cooler seas for nearly four decades, according to newly published research. In paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature, a University of British Columbia scientist said global fisheries are being increasingly dominated by warm-water species, which will cause major changes in the industry. “We expect to see a change in the fishery’s catch,” said William Cheung. “The fishing industry will have to adapt to change in the new species.” continued
DFO confirms farm raised salmon in the Garnish River of Newfoundland
DFO confirms farm raised salmon are in the Garnish River in Newfoundland. The escaped salmon appear to be healthy as far as being lice free. There are concern’s that the farmed fish could breed with wild salmon These escapes are called trickle escapes, but the numbers are unsubstantiated and could be much larger. More information will be posted.
Fishermen seek regulation of lobster price
Fishermen will not head out on the water before the price of lobster is set next year, says PEIFA president Mike McGeoghegan. (CBC)
The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is looking to Îles de la Madeleine for a model to get higher lobster prices. McGeoghegan thinks he might see a solution in Îles de la Madeleine, the Quebec archipelago sitting in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence north of P.E.I. Prices there are set each week by a local marketing board which looks at how much buyers make when they sell the product to restaurants and retailers. continued
Support Available to Help Fishermen Interested in Investing in More Environmentally-Friendly Technologies
Opportunity for fishermen to u
pgrade to semi-pelagic doors which are expected to help reduce fuel consumption, and reduce the physical impact of trawl systems on the sea bed. Opportunities also exist for support and equipment for vessels to transition to electronic reporting, in which vessel trip report data can be submitted electronically rather than via paper. Details here
Alaska to Bring In Estimated 179M Fish This Summer
The summer harvest season for wild Alaska salmon officially opens on May 16, with a projected harvest of 179 million fish. continued
For Tax-Exempt Groups, How Much Politics Is Too Much?
Murky And Contradictory Rules In brief, there are three big categories of tax-exempt groups. Those under section 501(c)(3) are charities engaged in charitable work. They’re allowed to do only minimal political activity. At the other
end of the spectrum are Section 527 organizations. These are purely political and are required to disclose their donors. In between are 501(c)(4)s. They can do issueadvertising and some campaign politics, but not too much. continued
The price of cod – The Fisheries Broadcast with John Furlong
A harvester worries about this year’s cod fishery with a price that’s looking like it will be below last year’s – and a conversation with Danny Dumeresque about getting away from some aspects of the fishery and maybe getting closer to some aspects of politics. audio opens in another window so you can browse and listen
National Strategy for the Arctic Region Announced
(SitNews – Ketchikan, Alaska) – The Arctic is rapidly changing. While the Arctic region has experienced warming and cooling cycles over millennia, the current warming trend is unlike anything previously recorded. As sea ice diminishes, ocean resources are more readily accessible. This accessibility, along with recent scientific estimates indicating the presence of significant energy and other resources, have inspired strong interest for new commercial initiatives in the region, including energy production, increased shipping, scientific research, tourism, and related infrastructure development. continued
