Monthly Archives: August 2013

Oregon wave energy stalls off the coast of Reedsport

Last September, with great fanfare, Ocean Power Technologies began construction on America’s first wave-powered utility. Holding the first – and only – wave energy permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, OPT had planned to deploy a test buoy off the by spring. But a year after the permit, regulatory and technical difficulties have all but halted the project. Federal regulators notified the company earlier this year it had violated the license after failing to file a variety of plans and assessments. All that remains in the water are pieces of a single anchoring system on the ocean floor. State officials have told the New Jersey company to remove them by month’s end. more@oregonlive 19:46

Compensation to Gray Aqua fish farm should be public, MP says

863a4ac9dc_64635696_o2A St. John’s member of Parliament has criticized the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for refusing to release the amount of compensation paid to Gray Aqua for its diseased salmon — but adds the company’s financial troubles may prompt the release of that information soon. more@thetelegram  19:02

Something fishy is going on in the nation’s lobster capital – (lottsa mishmash). People listen to these guys about investment?

With tourism booming and demand for local lobster as popular as ever, life in eastern Maine this summer is good. But there’s a catch. Lobster prices have recovered very little from their historic lows last year, squeezing profits for lobstermen. That’s prompted community leaders to push an idea that may seem radical to many Down Easters—making Maine less dependent on a single species from the sea. They’re creating incentives for fishermen to catch a variety of high-quality marine food, at a fair price for the long haul. more@cnbc  16:51 watch video!

Do you get tired of Chef’s that think they understand the “situation”? How much dogfish you eatin’ at home, by the way! “y’ want fry’s wi dat”??

“The fishermen have one of the worst jobs around,” said Kaldrovich, gently touching a plate of just-caught dogfish. “This is the fish that the fishermen eat at home … The more we can help, the better.” CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — In the basement of the posh Inn by The Sea, executive chef Mitchell Kaldrovich conducts a fish fry. He fillets a piece of white fish in a skillet as flames shoot up all around. The “nice, flakey fish” turns a golden brown and the chef plates it on a bed of quinoa tabbouleh with an artistic dash of yogurt lime sauce. more@bdn  16:28

Humboldt Harbor commissioner accused of poaching abalone, deer: Court documents point to long-term behavior pattern

While the bulk of the 11 criminal charges facing Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Commissioner Aaron Newman stem from a few specific poaching allegations, court documents in the case suggest they may be part of a larger pattern of behavior.  Newman was arrested June 8 and has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include four felonies. He stands accused of lying and using illegal tags in 2009 and 2012 to circumvent state limitations on abalone and deer harvests.  Manny Daskal, Newman’s attorney, declined to comment for this story. more@willitsnews  13:45

Maine’s 2012 seafood harvest worth record $528M

Lobster was Maine’s top fishery for the year by far, with a record 127 million-pound catch valued at a record $341 million. Lobster accounted for 65 percent of the value of the total catch for the year. Elvers came in at No. 2, while soft-shell clams were the third-most-valuable fishery, at $15.6 million. Herring, with a value of nearly $15 million, was the No. 4 fishery, while groundfish — cod, haddock and other bottom-dwelling fish — rounded out the top 5.  more@bostonherald 12:24

Unalaskans Question Funding for Arctic Research – are we going to be reassured that our existing science in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific is going to be there for the future?

Right now, the studies are coming out of two different pots: NOAA covers fishery surveys in the Bering Sea. They couldn’t afford to do the Arctic trawl survey, so the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management paid for it.But it’s not clear if BOEM will have enough money to continue doing the Arctic survey again. And the fear is that as the federal budget shrinks, agencies will cut back in the Aleutians to better serve the Arctic. more@kucb  10:04

A son laments: Nonetheless, my father typed on about what were to him the greatest fish-habitat concerns of the day.

Of all his worries about the state of wild salmon in B.C., my late father, a commercial salmon fisherman for about a half-century, was particularly worried about the dangerously negative repercussions of the over-warming of waters on our wild salmon, not to mention fish-farming and pollution. Many very-early mornings, I’d briefly get up for a washroom break and see the light breaking through underneath his bedroom door and into the hallway’s darkness, with my father on the other side very-slowly typewriting missives to various politicians. I must’ve proofread and made many grammar corrections to almost a couple hundred letters of his over the years, just on this topic alone. more@deltaoptimist  09:41

NY reports progress restoring wild Lake Sturgeon

Researchers in New York have found two wild lake sturgeon juveniles, the first  caught after years of stocking intended to restore populations of the  once-plentiful Great Lakes fish. more@lancasteronline  09:16

Pilot fish survey taps industry expertise – comes amid intense criticism of traditional scientific methods for counting fish.

Fish sampling surveys provide critical data for assessing the health of fish populations, which are at the core of fishing rules. Critics say the assessments have proven to be deeply flawed and it’s wrong to use them as the basis for setting the struggling industry’s catch limits. Scientists say their overall methods are sound, but they acknowledge some consistent problems. “We can learn, and we do want to build confidence and be responsive,” said Bill Karp, the Northeast’s chief federal fisheries scientist. The pilot survey was more expansive, covering 175 stations in Georges Bank compared with about 60 in a typical survey, said Steve Cadrin, a former federal fisheries scientist who works at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. more@AP  08:58

Trident wants in at Adak – And so does another company.

Wall Street SignTillion said the presence of competition has caused Trident to soften its stance some, saying its first offer was rejected. He said the huge Seattle-based processor wanted The Aleut Corporation to eliminate a quota for small fishing boats under 60 feet long, so that Trident’s bigger boats could catch all the fish. “The Aleuts aren’t really too happy about that,” Tillion said, since the corporation wants Adak to provide opportunity for small boats from King Cove and Sand Point.

Icicle decided to close its operation in Adak, citing concerns about the short- and long-term health of the region’s Pacific cod resource and increased regulatory uncertainty, the company’ new top official Amy Humphreys said in a press release in April. Icicle, headquartered in Seattle, is owned by the private equity firm Paine and Partners, with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, and specializes in buying major corporations. The company’ new top official Amy Humphreys, was appointed to the board of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute this month by Gov. Sean Parnellmore@bristolbaytimes   08:22

Kuskokwim Chinook salmon Fail to Reach Spawning Grounds

radio-microphoneKuskokwim Chinook salmon – or Kings as they are known locally – did not make it to the spawning grounds this year as managers had expected. Counting projects are showing the lowest escapements in history for nearly all of the river’s tributaries. Managers and residents are trying to make a plan for next year. listen@kyuk  07:57

Being a Fisheries Observer in Alaska can be an Inspirational Experience – Viking Progress

Nothing is fishy about Patrick Morales and his haunting indie folk ballads — except for his inspiration, that is.  “Shortly after college, I took a job working on commercial fishing vessels as a fisheries biologist in the Bering Sea. While on two boats, The Viking and The Progress, I wrote a collection of songs,” he says. “I spent my downtime on the boats writing in small deck closets with a hand-held recorder set to its own soundtrack of diesel boat noise. That low hum would serve as a guide and the backdrop for my record.” more@charlestoncitypaper    A song La Divine 07:33

State of Massachusetts closes oyster beds in Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury and Marshfield

The state has shut down major oyster farms and beds from Plymouth to Marshfield  after cases of a bacterial illness linked to oysters were reported locally and  outside the state. Harvesting and possession of oysters from these areas for commercial purposes  is strictly prohibited until further notice, the state Department of Public  Health said Friday. The agency also has launched a recall of oysters collected  from the area since July 22. This is the first time a specific harvest area in Massachusetts has been  implicated in a Vibrio outbreak. more@wickedlocal 07:04

 

The Eel World: Inside Maine’s Wild Elver Turf War

In an economically depressed Maine county, Bill Sheldon is the kingpin of a $40 million baby-eel industry that may be doomed to extinction. Find out what happens when a community full of armed fishermen and elver dealers stop being polite and start getting real. more@buzzfeeds  00:21

Copper River Seafood’s Withdraws Support for MSC

radio-microphoneAnother large seafood processor has withdrawn support for the effort to get Alaska’s commercially caught salmon recertified by the Marine Stewardship Council. KDLG’s Mike Mason has the details. 23:56

Coast Guard: Deadly F/V Lady Mary sinking in 2009 the result of open hatch and unstable boat

uscg-logo9057891-standard lady maryA number of modifications over the years had gradually made the North  Carolina-based vessel less safe, according to the report. In addition, a  decision to open a hatch on deck was unsafe and contributed to the sinking. The  report concluded that the boat wasn’t involved in a collision as originally  speculated, but that sea water had gotten onto the main deck and flooded through  the open hatch. Still, the report continued, the crew could have survived the sinking. Read the Report  [email protected] 22:41

BUCKLEY, Wash – Tribes grow impatient with fish-killing dam

Right now there are tens of thousands of salmon dying at the base of an outdated dam on the White River east of Tacoma. Local tribes say the federal government is failing in its responsibility to transport the fish around the dams on this river, and into prime spawning habitat in the Mount Rainier watershed. more@thecolumbian 21:05

Half-red lobster discovered in Maine described as 1-in-50 million rarity

“We’ve caught a couple of calico ones, with orange and black spots, and we’ve seen some blue ones,” said Anna Mason of Ship to Shore Lobster Co., “but I’d never seen one that was half-red like that, split right down the middle.” more@bdn  They should get out of town more often. This black and orange fella was caught last year in Salem Ma. Link

This Morning – Portland Harbor Toe Job – Not every day in fishing is a good day.

photo- jj the fisherman

photo- jj the fisherman

 

BC Native fisherman Nathan Chickite is of the traditional sector or otherwise known as Native fishery – wasn’t breaking the law

From a pure Fisheries perspective, Native fisherman Nathan Chickite was not breaking the law when he took his gillnetter through the Tyee Pool on Monday night. That’s the word from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Field Supervisor Greg Askey who said there are two laws at play here. Following this event, social media lit up with threats and insults to Chickite, including threats to ram, block or damage his boat. [email protected]  17:27

Cyr Couturier, executive director, Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association Blames Federal Policy in Gray Aqua woes

Cyr Couturier, executive director of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, said that under Canadian Food Inspection Agency rules Gray Aqua Group had to destroy fish infected by outbreaks of salmon anemia, costing the company millions of dollars. Couturier said the company had to destroy its fish before they were large enough to sell. (who wants diseased fish?) more@cbcnews 17:07

A sketchy report, and we await more info. – Federal scientists have completed a pilot project in which they relied heavily on the expertise of fishermen

BOSTON (AP) _ The survey of flatfish, such as flounder, came as scientific methods for counting fish are under fire. Critics say it’s unreliable and a poor basis for setting fishermen’s catch limits. The survey, conducted this month, put new focus on certain geographic areas suggested by fishermen. It also used different nets and operated from two commercial fishing boats, rather than the federal research vessel normally used. Fishery scientists say data from such surveys can bolster population estimates, both now and in the future. That’s if the government can pay for them. That’s a potential difficulty, since the recent survey cost roughly a half million dollars. 16:24  http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/news/features/2013_ytf_pilot/

Jes Waitin’ for the Cabbage to Hit the Fan – Obama Administration Proposal Weakens Endangered Species Protections

“America’s endangered species are already dying deaths by a thousand cuts, because too often no one’s keeping an eye on the big picture,” said Brett Hartl, endangered species policy director with the Center for Biological Diversity. “This proposal will make that problem even worse.” “Our wildlife agencies should be working on stronger and more sophisticated mechanisms to understand and track harms that occur at these sweeping, landscape scales,” Hartl said. “Instead they’re just walking away from the challenge — and endangered species will suffer.” more@commondreams  15:39

Reuters Special Report: Experimental climate fixes stir hopes, fears, lawyers – Bring On the CALCIUM!

Last year the Haida, an indigenous group in Canada, set out to increase their salmon stocks and save the planet. Helped by American businessman Russ George, a group of villagers dumped 100 metric tons (110.23 tons) of iron dust from a boat into the Pacific Ocean. They  that could promote fish numbers and absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Instead, in March, they were raided by Canadian officials for illegal dumping at sea. more@reuters 14:29

Hawai’i Fishermen’s Alliance Petition To Delist the North Pacific Population of the Humpback Whale from Endangered Species Act

NMFS announce a 90-day finding on a petition to identify the (Megaptera novaeangliae) as a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) and delist the DPS under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The humpback whale was listed as an endangered species in 1970 under the Endangered Species and Conservation Act of 1969, which was later superseded by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). We find that the petition viewed in the context of information readily available in our files presents substantial scientific and commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. more here  13:44

Fisheries of the E E Z Off Alaska; Amendment 95 to the FMP for Groundfish – comment period ends (10/28/2013)

nmfs_logoNotification Of Availability Of Fishery Management Plan Amendment; Request For Comments. – NMFS announces that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 95 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP) for review by the Secretary of Commerce. If approved, Amendment 95 would modify the FMP to: establish halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limits for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) in Federal regulation; reduce the GOA halibut more here 12:28

Red Snapper season dubbed a success

Photos of grinning fishermen holding up sizable red snapper sprouted like bright flowers across social media this week as anglers showed off their catches during the three-day recreational snapper season last weekend.  Meanwhile, a commercial fishing season for red snapper began Monday, but Jimmy Hull, who owns Hull’s Seafood in Ormond Beach, said the commercial trip limit – 75 pounds gutted weight —  is so small that most commercial fishermen don’t make a special trip just to catch red snapper. “You can’t afford to fuel your boat up and go catch 75 pounds of red snapper and expect to come in and make any money,” Hull said. The commercial season will close once a total catch limit is met. more@newsjournal  10:38

A Failed petition raises question about process

“It is unreasonable to expect these fishermen to come and defend their right to earn a living.”  “It’s more than just one man,” behind the petition said Chris McCaffity, a commercial fisherman from  Morehead City . “He’s just the mouthpiece.” McCaffity added that commercial fishermen are constantly being called on to defend their industry.   “It’s one thing after another, and it’s bordering on harassment here,” he said. more@jdnews 10:24

Marine Fisheries Commission will decide Aug. 29 whether to approve a petition that has received opposition from commercial fishermen, others

Climate change changing Gulf of Maine fisheries

 The cod fishery appeared limitless and its value to Europe helped settle and enrich New England and Eastern Canada. Now the much smaller cod that survive are embattled by years of overfishing and other pressures. One of the major pressures is climate change. more@gomtimes  09:53  Plenty of ENGO anecdotes, and climate denialism! “Climate, while important, was not the primary reason for the collapse of cod,” “We did that. We mismanaged our ecosystem. We made that mess.” Tom Dempsey

There is not a cod collapse. There IS a cod exodus. Canada is being enriched once again, and they look at it as a cod crisis threatening the shrimp and crab they prefer to catch, based on landing value, as flat earthers like Dempsey, Bullard, and Crockett expose themselves as out of touch, preferring to continue the charade of failed fishery management that they are involved with! Tragic.