Daily Archives: July 3, 2013

BP objects to fisheries closure in Grand Terre – a 40,000-pound tar mat was unearthed in the surf just off the island.

“The seemingly endless appearance of new oil that was dumped by BP into the Gulf of Mexico more than three years ago leaves us with no choice but to close these areas,” said Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham. “The identification of several tar mats along Grand Terre triggered the recent closure.” continued@dailycomet

700 pounds of poached shrimp seized from F/V Way Maker in Gulf of Mexico – No Permit – No Turtle Extruder

A joint effort by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and  Atmospheric Administration resulted in the seizure of 700 pounds of  illegally-caught shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana waters. continued@foxhouston

 

The DeepWater Wind, Narraganse​tt and Block Island demostrati​on wind farm – Ken Williamson

Aloha Fishery Nation,  What most people don’t know is State of Hawaii has been exploring alternate energy since  1960s and at one time had the world’s largest wind turbine in test operations. If it deals  with alternate energy it has been tested and documented in Hawaii. HI is an international  alternate (green) energy testing center. All except for offshore wind farms which was state-wide rejected as cost prohibitive, damaging to ocean environment and endangerment to  marine life, high cost of maintenance, unsightly and artificially driving electric rates higher  (they wanted $0.20/Kwh. Purchase Price Agreement (PPA) when burning diesel fuel cost  $0.09-$0.11/Kwh.). HI does have wind farms but they are land based also HI has U.S.  patents for interfacing wind farms to legacy electrical power grids (grid with no modern  smart grid components). continued here click for larger image

Alright, alright already! An article about the rockfish. THE rockfish!

For those wondering why the fisherman Henry Liebman did not throw the ancient fish back into the sea immediately after catching it, the answer is that the fish was almost certainly dead by the time he reeled it in. “When a rockfish caught in 900 feet of water is brought to the surface it usually dies,” said Julie Speegle, a spokeswoman for NOAA’s Alaska region told the L.A. Times. continued@ktuu

Copper River Sockeye Season Strengthens and Continues

— The Copper River sockeye season is in full swing. Revered for its deep red color and rich fat-striated bellies, Copper River sockeye is sold fresh throughout the summer months and makes a fabulous entrée perfect for the grill or barbecue. The season officially launched in May, but was quickly stalled for about ten days when fishery biologists needed to err on the side of caution. continued@wallstjournal

Fishermen continue to speak out against a fireboat being moved to the railroad dock in Greenport.

Greenport fisherman Sid Smith said on Wednesday that he’d heard the fireboat could be moving to the railroad dock sometime this week — something he’s been speaking out against for months. continued@northfolkpatch

July 4th seine fishery at Amalga targets DIPAC chum

The Department of Fish and Game is holding a purse seine opening in the Amalga Harbor special harvest area on July 4th for returning DIPAC chum salmon. Fishing will occur between 9 am and 3 pm tomorrow.

continued@ktoo

F/V Lone Star UPDATE: Efforts to Boom Off the Sunken Tender Lone Star are Unsuccessful

Efforts to boom off the overturned fishing tender near the mouth of the Igushik River proved unsuccessful Monday night. KDLG’s Mike Mason has this update. listen @ kdgl

NMFS Seeks Comments on Proposed Actions for Black Sea Bass in the South Atlantic – Possible Opening in 2013 of Commercial and Recreation​al Red Snapper Season

NOAA Fisheries NMFS is seeking public comment on proposed actions in Regulatory Amendment 19 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. The proposed rule published in the Federal Register on July 2, 2013 (78 FR 39700). Comments must be received on or before August 1, 2013. The final rule to determine red snapper fishing seasons and harvest amounts for 2013 and subsequent years (Amendment 28) is currently under review. NOAA Fisheries NMFS will provide 30 days’ notice prior to potential commercial and recreational openings. Therefore, the opening of the commercial and recreational fishing seasons for red snapper will not occur in July 2013. Link

Department of Fisheries and Oceans has told crab fishermen to haul in their pots — the fishery is closed because of a lack of data.

Or more succinctly, the DFO hasn’t got a clue what’s going on, so they’re going to err on the side of caution. DFO spinmaster Diane Lake told The Northern View that the closure was needed based on the latest sampling. continued@northernview

Science Café Explores Controversy: First Offshore Wind Farm in the USA Now a Possibility for North Carolina

North Carolina has more wind off its shores than any other state on the Atlantic Coast. The Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved three areas off the North Carolina coast for wind energy development. continued@prweb

Great White Sharks Are Back – Has a marine mammal conservation program become too successful?

Gordon Waring, a seal specialist at the NOAA, cautions that marine biologists don’t actually know how seals interact with fisheries, and so far there is no sign that they are eating more than their habitat can support. (seal specialist??,,don’t actually know??) wow. continued@ slate

Use grasshoppers to grow fish

Alaska spends more than $20 million on fish feed each year for its 35 salmon hatcheries — feed that comes primarily from anchovies caught in South America. Meanwhile, Alaska seafood processing companies produce more than 200,000 tons of fishmeal each year — for customers in Asia. continued@homertribune

North Pacific Fishery Management Council, NOAA/NMFS push controversial halibut catch sharing plan – public comments extended

A revised version of the controversial halibut catch sharing plan is once again back up for federal review.  “The fact that the CSP offers to rent back the fish that will have been stolen from the guided  recreational angler strikes me as somewhat hypocritical,” Murphy said. continued@homernews