Monthly Archives: May 2013
Stone crabs season turns sour after a super start – Poor harvest called lousy luck, nothing more
When commercial fisherman Shane Dooley of Pine Island pulled his first stone crab trap of the season on Oct. 15, he laughed out loud. It was loaded with crabs. “We want ’em all like that one, baby,” he said. Florida’s stone crab season ends today, and it didn’t fulfill its first-day potential: Fishermen got a few weeks of good landings, but then the crabbing died. continued
Coast Guard stops illegal fishing; releases endangered sea turtle and 5 sharks
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — An endangered sea turtle and five sharks were released back to the ocean late Sunday night after the Coast Guard spotted Mexicans fishing illegally in U.S. waters, approximately 1 mile north of the U.S. and Mexico border. continued
Cormorants – A problem on our local marshes?
Medina Journal-Register – This destruction of the environment became more evident to me in recent years when I went on a few fishing trips to the Cape Vincent area of the St Lawrence. Not only were the birds everywhere but their 
white crap covered the islands where they nested and had eliminated all vegetation. It turned my stomach to see it and you didn’t want to get down wind of these areas. continued
Drakes Bay Oyster Company fighting for the survival – federal agencies purposefully manipulated and misrepresented scientific data
townhall.com – Despite the President’s pledge, the government officials involved in the decision to close the doors of DBOC were persuaded by science that was manipulated by several government agencies – the Marine Mammal Commission, the U.S. Geological SurveyService, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of the Interior. All of these agencies lack significant oversight, accountability, and transparency, and as a result have gone unchecked in their manipulation of data. continued
Panama City approves moving ice house
The News Herald – PANAMA CITY — City commissioners heard details of a proposal to build the largest commercial and residential development in the city’s history Tuesday night. However, most of the people who filled nearly every seat in the City Hall meeting room came to talk about the ice house. continued
Strong catches follow end of lobster fishermen’s protest – Fisheries Minister Sterling Belliveau talks MSC certification?
Strong lobster landings were reported in many northern Nova Scotia harbours as fishermen returned to the water Tuesday. Nova Scotia fishermen voted 196 to 52 at Monday’s meeting in favour of ending their protest after meeting with provincial Fisheries Minister Sterling Belliveau. Belliveau, who hadn’t attended three prior meetings, came armed with a promise to provide financial support for Marine Stewardship Council certification of lobster as a sustainable fishery. He also promised the establishment of a panel with representatives of the lobster industry from the three Maritime provinces that will look at structural issues and creating efficiencies in the fishery. continued
Well-heeled enviros have Markey’s ear
Ed Markey, U.S. Rep. and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, is running pop-up ads all over YouTube, one of which tells us that “the special interests are attacking” the poor man. I think I know at least one special interest that is not: the environmentalists who have infiltrated NOAA and taken over fisheries management, with disastrous results in the Northeast. I say this because the primary architect of catch shares and sector management, Monica Medina, was one of the hosts of a Markey fundraiser in Washington scheduled to be held last evening. continued
La. State Sen. Bret Allain steadfast on Louisiana Red Snapper flame war with NOAA’s southeast region fisheries administrator Roy Crabtree
Tri-Parish Times – Sen. Bret Allain (R-Patterson) maintains that he will continue pressing passage of his bill, SB 157, which would prohibit the sale or possession of red snapper, dead or alive, on Louisiana’s waters or lands. Allain acknowledges that his intent is to use the spectra of a commercial fishing ban on the species to bring Roy Crabtree, NOAA’s southeast region fisheries administrator, before his committee to discuss changes in NOAA rules on recreational snapper fishing. continued
Low price for lobster stirs anger in Canada – But protests similar to the ones last year are not expected to target Maine.
Protests in Canada over low lobster prices are rekindling memories of last summer, when Canadian fishermen blocked truckloads of Maine-caught lobsters from being delivered to processing plants, but industry members in Maine don’t expect a repeat. continued
Program aims to boost La. seafood industry
The Advocate – A program to help the state’s seafood industry by establishing better ties between fishermen and consumers got a major boost Tuesday when one of the first products designated as “Certified Authentic Louisiana Wild Seafood” was unveiled. continued
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Approves Increases for Black Sea Bass Annual Catch Limits
In a compromise vote, the Council approved an increase from the current limit of 847,000 pounds (all measures in whole weight) to 1,814,000 pounds. 
. continued
American Samoa-based fishing vessel “Pacific Princess” rescued 2 fishermen surviving almost four weeks adrift
Pacific Princess skipper Alfred Canepa said he found the men after spotting what appeared to be a small flock of birds on his radar. “I went to go check on my boat and luckily I turned that way to check them and we found this small boat w
ith two men adrift at sea, lost,” he said. continued
Tug-of-war grows over portion of Seattle’s fishing fleet – Video
KIRO 7 
– SEATTLE — A tug-of-war over a portion of the Seattle-based fishing fleet is heating up. Coastal Villages Region Fund, the largest Alaska-based seafood company, has moved four boats from Seattle to Seward for the off-season and hopes to someday relocate the rest of the fleet. It currently has about two dozen vessels. continued
The National Marine Fisheries Service announce proposed sea lion protections that could benefit fishermen
and.com – ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The National Marine Fisheries Service is taking public comment on proposed revisions to Steller sea lion protections in the western Aleutian Islands that could lead to more commercial fishing of Pacific cod, pollock and Atka mackerel. continued
Harper concerned by slumping lobster prices
Prime Minister Stephen Harper urged fishermen and seafood processors in the Maritimes to resolve a dispute over slumping lobster prices as some lobster fishermen headed back to work Tuesday after days of protests. “Obviously, we are concerned by what we’re seeing in the marketplace,” Harper said after an announcement in Summerside, P.E.I. Michael McGeoghegan of the P.E.I. Fisherman’s Association said the protest has highlighted the problematic pricing structure for consumers who buy lobster in grocery stores. “We’ve always known that amongst fishermen but the general public hasn’t known that,” he said. continued
South Jersey crabbers fishing old pots out of Great Bay
pressofAtlanticCity.com – Braving icy winds, choppy waters and frigid winter temperature, six teams of commercial crabbers have combed the muddy bottom of Great Bay the past few months in search of, well … trash. The idea of an underwater litter pickup developed about three years ago, when Richard Stockton College professor Peter Straub and his marine technology students began finding what they thought were hundreds of derelict crab pots in the Mullica River and Great Bay, a short boat ride from the college’s Nacote Creek marine field station. continued
Compass: Protect Bristol Bay and Bering Sea fisheries for keeps – Karen Gillis, Executive Director for Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association
adn.com – The question of offshore oil and gas development has hung over Bristol Bay and the southeast Bering Sea for 35 years. Lease sales have been scheduled, fought, sold and repurchased only to be scheduled again once temporary moratoriums expired or were lifted. Enough already. Sustainable fisheries and a healthy ecosystem have been economic engines for Southwest Alaska for more than 125 years and the foundation of traditional ways of life there for close to 10,000 years. These world-renowned fisheries deserve to be safeguarded in perpetuity, and the people who depend on them for their livelihoods deserve some certainty. continued
Lobster fishermen end protest – About a thousand boats from N.S. expected back in water today
ANTIGONISH — About a thousand lobster fishing boats from northern Nova Scotia were to return to the water this morning. “We went in this together and we ended it together.” But Heighton said the unity fishermen showed during the protest is more than he has seen during his 47 years fishing out of Cape John, Pictou County. An unplanned tie-up spread from harbour to harbour through marine radio traffic. “Nothing’s happened like this before,” Dan MacDougall, president of the Gulf Nova Scotia Bonafide Fishermen’s Association, said Monday. continued
A Fractured Lobster Fishery in the Canadian Maritimes
Nova Scotia Lobster fishermen return to sea after standoff Lobster fishermen in Nova Scotia will be back on the water at first light on Tuesday, after hundreds tied up their boats to fight for better prices from seafood processors. The protest is over, but the problem of low lobster prices at the wharf persists. The protesters said they’ve made their point and have enlisted the province’s fisheries minister as an ally. continued
P.E.I. lobster fishermen returning to water Some fishermen in Western P.E.I. are calling the protest a failure, because it did not pressure processors to raise prices. West Prince fisherman Scott McNeill still believes it 
was the right thing to do. continued
Lobster fishermen protest over prices ends in New Brunswick Fishermen in New Brunswick’s zone 23 were back on the water again, hauling up traps in the Escuminac and Caraquet areas. Alain-Paul Thériault was among them. They felt they had to go out, he said. continued
To the Editor – Salmon – Fred Boest, Red Bluff
Everybody seems to be upset over the situation with the salmon population in the Sacramento River. All sorts of special interest groups, from environmentalists, to fishing association members, to commercial fishermen, to the Department of Fish and (?) have put their two cents worth into the pot. continued
Fishing interests begin to map strategy with joint meeting of the Mayor’s Ocean and Fisheries Council / Federal Fishing Advisory Board.
NEW BEDFORD — When fisheries regulation gets a makeover in the next year or two, the New England fishery intends to get into the debate early to impress on regulators how badly served the region has been under existing rules. That was the theme struck by Mayor Jon Mitchell Monday as he co-chaired a joint meeting of the Mayor’s Ocean and Fisheries Council with Rep. William Keating, D-Mass., representing the Federal Fishing Advisory Board. continued
Editorial: Feds must hold Commerce to law on fishery aid
Disappointing, embarrassing, offensive — all of those words can be applied to the fact that White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett largely ignored Gov. Deval Patrick’s call for executive action to overturn the dire NOAA limit cuts now threatening the Northeast groundfishery. continued
Maine alewives heading for newly opened fishways this week – In time, the St. Croix River could have the largest alewife run in the country.
BAILEYVILLE Me.— Alewives are expected to swim upriver of the Grand Falls dam on eastern Maine’s St. Croix River this week for the first time in 22 years. continued
SMAST Video Technology Shows Promise to Improve Groundfish and Flat Fish Stock Surveys
savingseafood.org – Dr. Kevin Stokesbury, whose work in developing the SMAST Scallop Video Survey was essential to transforming scallop surveys in the 1990s, is collaborating again with the fishing industry, NOAA Fisheries, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, SIMRAD, and his colleagues from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) to improve groundfish and flat fish stock surveys using video data collection. This new method shows promise to improve accuracy by increasing spatial coverage and to allow the conducting of surveys without fish mortality. continued
Clatsop County fishermen make a living in Bristol Bay, Alaska – County Democrats take stand against Pebble Mine
“The Bristol Bay commercial salmon fishery is critical to our family’s livelihood and to thousands of other fishermen across the United States,” said Randy Wall, a commercial fishermen on the Brown Bear fishing vessel. “My family has commercial fished for generations and we take pride in providing Bristol Bay salmon to people all over the world. “This is one the of last remaining sustainable sources of salmon left on earth and the Pebble Mine could destroy it forever.” continued
Louisiana Shrimpers optimistic over new season
Shrimp season opened Monday morning, and fishermen headed into state waters with a certain amount of optimism following years of dismal catches. “Fishermen are always optimistic,” said Clint Guidry, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association. “Between hurricanes, flooding, losing our boats and our homes, we have to be. It would be really easy just to quit and leave. But this is what we do. This is our culture.” continued
Maryland to limit female crab catch
The Department of Natural Resources announced that it was lowering the daily allowable catch of female crabs, effective Thursday. The The number of female crabs increased substantially despite the overall decline, and remained well above the threshold scientists say is needed to sustain the population. But officials said they would seek to reduce the female crab harvest by 10 percent as a precaution, to boost prospects for a good spawn this year and possibly spark a rebound in the highly prized crustaceans. continued
Sea Tow Captain Raced To Save Fishermen – Lester Trafford credited with saving deck hand after trawler F/V Pauline IV capsized.
westhamptonpatch.com – Lester Trafford, a Sea Tow captain and a diver who volunteers with the Hampton Bays Fire Department, said he knew what he had to do when he heard the Mayday calls of a capsized boat in the Shinnecock Inlet. Without a second thought, he jumped on his boat Sunday afternoon and headed out into the choppy waters. Within five minutes he was in the inlet, helping to search for the captain and deck hand of the commercial fishing boat that overturned. continued
