Daily Archives: June 17, 2013
Chiropractor/ Vessel Owner Get’s Prison Time for botched scuttling of F/V Alexander II
Tran was sentenced last week to nearly four years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to destroy a vessel. Tran, a chiropractor, was “very much embarrassed and ashamed about what happened,” his lawyer, Earl Kauffman, told the Star-Ledger when reached by phone.A major hole in the plan was that the crew just couldn’t sink the Alexander II. Part of the problem: the vessel was too light because the crew only filled it with enough fuel for a one-way trip. continued@tradeonly
Maine Fishing Industry Weighs In on Magnuson-Stevens Act Revisions
The law that underpins federal fishing policy in the U.S. is currently in the process of being revised by Congress. The Magnuson-Stevens Act was passed in 1976 with the aim of protecting U.S. federal waters from foreign competition. The goal has been to try and improve the sustainable management of fisheries through the introduction of science-based catch limits. Tom Porter takes a look at what revisions Maine fishermen and scientists want to see from Washington. continued@MPBN
National Marine Fisheries Service is revising its regulations for weighing fish at-sea – Federal Regulators Crack Down on Fish Fraud
The Bering Sea’s large catcher-processors weigh their harvest as it heads to the processing line on what’s known as a flow-scale – a section of conveyor belt that takes dozens of measurements per second. When properly calibrated, flow-scales give fisheries managers a very accurate estimate of the amount of fish being harvested. But like all scales, they can be manipulated. continued@KUCB – Unalaska The changes could start being implemented as soon as January 2015. 2015???
A Case of the Crabs Cost the Guy Two Grand. Will He Hit the Tri Fecta?
For the second time in three years, Grand Hale Marine Products on Mitchell Island, has been fined for possessing undersized crab. [email protected]
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council News Release June 17, 2013
Federal Fishery Managers Decide Against Requirement for Vessel Monitoring Systems- After considering public comment and recommendations from its advisory panels, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has decided not to move forward with an amendment that would have required the use of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for vessels with a Federal Commercial Snapper Grouper Permit in the South Atlantic. Other actions. continued@SAFMC
Tele Aadsen’s Dory Mates – The Littlest Longliners: Photos from the K-Jo
Lindy, one of my bosses on the Kathleen Jo, aimed her iPhone down the fish hold hatch. She called, “You hate me now, but you’ll appreciate these later!” “No way,” I replied. “I’d never hate you, and I already appreciate them.” And it was true. For a writer/blogger, there’s no greater gift than crewing for fishermen who love to document their life at sea. continued@Hooked(blog)
Fourth lawsuit filed against California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta plan
Environmental groups say the plan would cause more water to be siphoned from the delta, causing further fish declines. Water contractors say the opposite would be true: that the plan would limit the water pumped, reducing water deliveries to cities and states. Three of the lawsuits were filed on Friday, including two filed by environmental groups and one by the State Water Contractors. They follow a lawsuit filed by the Westlands Water District, one of the nation’s largest water contractors, at the end of May. continued@ktvu
Lobster prices lowest in a generation, say fishermen – Plentiful lobster supply and reduced demand blamed for low price
Fisherman Leonard LeBlanc of Cheticamp said he can’t remember prices this low in 30 years. “At $3.25 we’re not covering our costs we’re just trying to mitigate the expenses, at least pay some of them, not all of them and we’re praying we don’t have any major repairs.” The fishermen said the problem is a glut of lobster on the market. Catches are the best they’ve been in years, but there’s little demand. continued@cbcnews
Copper River sockeye harvest jumps to 837,000 fish
Some 843,000 sockeyes and 7,200 king salmon have been harvested to date in the Copper River District and a 36-hour commercial opener was under way June 17, on the heels of an abundant catch this past week. For the 36-hour commercial opener that began June 13, the preliminary harvest estimate was 1,000 Chinook and 137,000 sockeye salmon, with an estimated 746 deliveries reported. This compared to an anticipated harvest of 47,000 reds and 500 kings for this period. continued@cordobatimes
Sometimes in fishing, less is more – (hmm)
Commercial fishermen caught fewer fish last year than in 2011, but may have pocketed more money, data from the state Division of Marine Fisheries shows. The watermen hoisted a total of 56.7 million pounds of seafood from North Carolina waters in 2012, a 16 percent drop from 2011, according to division’s Annual Fisheries Bulletin for 2012. But the value of that harvest jumped to $73 million, a 2.6 percent increase officials said was likely due to the shifting catch totals for different species of fish. [email protected]
Farmers and fishermen to compare their worlds
Farmers will also go out on the water to fish and tour local marshes, view the Mississippi River from the sky and enjoy a community dinner to talk with locals about the issues they face. Fishermen will visit South Dakota Aug. 8-11, where they will ride horses, visit a traditional corn farm and a sustainable operation, and take a trip to the Sioux Empire Fair. [email protected]
Wanted – Assistant Professor in Marine Economics and Policy, The University of Maine
The University of Maine invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Marine Economics and Policy, a nine-month (academic year) tenure track position with teaching (50%) and research (50%) responsibilities. The position is a joint (50/50) appointment between the Schools of Economics and Marine Sciences. more information in the Public Notices
Last of their kind – As fish stocks dwindle and catch limits tighten, a way of life is disappearing, too.
IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN 30 YEARS since Russell Sherman nearly died in the ocean off the coast of Maine, but the Gloucester fisherman remembers as if it were yesterday. He spent 14 hours adrift in 20-foot seas that November night in 1978 after the boat he was working on sank and two of the five people on board drowned. He remembers standing in the engine room, knee-deep in water, before the boat went down; when the fear hit him, [email protected]
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approves easier-to-follow marine fisheries regulations
Marine fisheries regulations will soon be easier to read, understand and enforce. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at its June 12 meeting in Lakeland approved a proposal that will revise marine fisheries information in portions of 68B of the Florida Administrative Code, providing consistency among regulations and clarifying complex and confusing language. These changes go into effect Sept. 1. continued@browardnet
Shad catch limited in move to restore depleted fishery
The Mid-Atlantic council was careful to call the fisheries depleted, not overfished, Didden said. The disappearance of shad could also be due to the huge dams blocking their spawning migration in rivers such as the Susquehanna. continued@washingtonpost
More seals, and more seals, and,,,,,Seal numbers soar around Cape Cod
photo capecodonline
There are many four-star dinning establishments in Chatham, but one of the most renown for the delicacy and refinement of its cuisine isn’t on Main Street….The biggest seal breeding ground in North America is Sable Island, 525 nautical miles from Provincetown – and that’s a trip a seal will make in a couple of days. Researcher Valerie Rough first noticed a branded Canadian seal showing up on Cape Cod in the 1980s. Tissue samples confirmed they were the same population – one that ranges from Labrador to New Jersey. continued@wicked localbrewster
For all you TV fisherman Junkies: Deadliest Catch: Capt Andy of the Time Bandit interview FULL – Justin Sweeney
I had a chance to chat with Captain Andy of the Time bandit from Discovery’s hit show Deadliest Catch! We talk about what it takes to work on the boat and of course..FIREWORKS! [email protected]
WhIther oh where do gray seals go?
“We don’t know much about what they do when they’re off the beach,” said Gordon Waring, who heads the seal program at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. “Do they stay in Massachusetts waters? How far offshore do they go? Do they go to Georges Bank or are those Canadian seals? They are highly mobile.” continued@wickedlocalbrewster
Linda Bean’s path to becoming one of the major players in the state’s lobster industry came late in life.
“I was 67 at the time and going through a divorce,” Bean said about her decision to try a new career in the lobster industry. “This gave me a new lease on life.” Bean, who is the granddaughter of L.L.Bean’s founde
r, had a home in Port Clyde and about a quarter mile away was the Port Clyde General Store, the Dip Net restaurant, and down the road, the Bay Lobster wharf where lobstermen unloaded their catch. continued@ bdn.com
Fishtown Local: A hole in Gloucester’s fabric – Gordon Baird
Richard had, as every Gloucesterite knows, developed “The Story” — or should I say, mined The Story, unraveled The Story, rode in the saddle of The Story for the last four years. It was not a story people necessarily wanted told, especially NOAA and the feds. For a while, it was only Richard Gaines who was turning up the heat and the truth on the runaway federal agents who used Gloucester as their personal sandbox to play at the power politics of retribution. It felt like Richard should have won a Pulitzer for unraveling The Story, but the outside world couldn’t seem to even be aware there was a problem. continued@gloucesterdailytimes
Fed Farm Bill includes provisions for fishermen
The federal government’s 2013 Farm Bill approved last week by the U. S. Senate also includes a pair of provisions aimed at providing help for the embattled Gloucester and New England groundfishing industry. continued@gloucesterdailytimes
Could the world’s biggest marine sanctuary be declared in the Antarctic?
An extraordinarily big thing might happen in the world of marine conservation next month at a meeting in Germany of a little known international commission. continued@the guardian
