Daily Archives: August 20, 2013
Bluefin tuna in Gulf of Mexico face tighter safeguards under federal proposal
Bluefin tuna spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico would become more protected under a proposed new amendment expected to be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday. Members of the public can comment on the proposed new rule from now until Oct. 23. The sole public hearing in Louisiana is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Belle Chasse Auditorium, 8398 Louisiana 23. Comments also can be submitted electronically more@nola 22:39
Bleeding herring in Johnstone Strait tested for disease
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has confirmed a report by independent researcher Alexandra Morton that there are diseased herring in Johnstone Strait, near the north end of Vancouver Island. Ms. Tompkins said a DFO crew was sent out after Ms. Morton, who has raised concerns before about diseases in salmon, reported catching herring that were bleeding heavily. more@globeandmail 22:29
Big idea for rebuilding La. marshes sparks big bayou brawl
There was a time when the Mississippi carried hundreds of millions of tons of sediment a year from its sprawling drainage basin to the Gulf of Mexico. And most important here in southeast Louisiana: The river regularly overflowed, spreading nourishing silt into coastal marshes. That ended when Congress ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to wall off the river after the devastating 1927 flood. The levees strangled marshes, cutting off their sediment, and since then the state has lost 1,900 square miles of land, an area as large as Delaware more@eenews 16:45
Seismic surveys killing fish stock – Stop now, say Claxton Bay fishermen…
CLAXTON Bay fishermen are fearful that Government’s initiative to increase Trinidad and Tobago’s oil reserves will force them out of their livelihood. “We want the public to know about the seismic surveys that the Government want to do from September to May. There was a decrease in the fish stock for the last 16 months. Two months now we started getting off the ground. This seismic survey will cause stock to go down again,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday. more@trinidadexpress 16:24
Great Lakes Commercial fishing decline hits economies, communities
LANSING – As the number of active state-licensed commercial fishing operations dwindles on the Great Lakes, their downward spiral signals a change in culture as well as economics and environment, according to Laurie Sommers, a folklorist and historic preservation consultant. more@greatlakesecho 16:09
Michigan Commercial Fishery Under Radar
Actually, there are two different commercial fisheries in Michigan, made up of tribal fishermen and state-licensed fishermen. Tribal commercial fishermen operate under the authority of treaties signed by indigenous people with the federal government. All non-tribal fishermen are licensed by the DNR. more@netnewsledger 16:03
Gang Green get’s $3.7M in NOAA fish habitat grants for WA, OR, AK
The largest grant, $1.4 million, goes for three projects with The Nature Conservancy to restore nearly 500 acres of flood plain habitat on Puget Sound. Another $1 million with Snohomish County will help restore nearly 330 acres of wetland in the Snohomish River estuary. In Oregon, National Marine Fisheries Service grants include $392,000 with Ecotrust to return 200 acres of farmland to the Siuslaw River estuary, and $242,000 in Tillamook County to plan restoration of 400 acres of wetlands for Tillamook Bay. more@adn 15:52
No takers for extra yellowtail quota – ‘We didn’t get a single proposal come forward,’ Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Derrick Dalley
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador says there has been no interest from any parties wanting to access some of the two-million pounds of unused yellowtail flounder that it put up for grabs this past December. more@cbcnews 14:18
NOAA Numbers: Gulf Spill Sampling Questioned – “Their numbers were very low,” – “I thought what is going on here? It didn’t make sense.” (We Know!)
Riki Ott, an independent marine toxicologist who has studied effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska as well as the BP spill, said she was “totally shocked” when she read the high numbers in Dr. Sammarco’s study. “To see NOAA doing this, that’s inexcusable,” Dr. Ott said, referring to the use of Niskin bottles. “It has been known since Exxon Valdez that this spotty sampling does not work.” more@nyt 12:31
“But the samples have not been analyzed,” Lubchenco said. “They have taken good samples. And we need to make sure that we’re not jumping to conclusions…. And that’s part of the — the normal process that science has. We want to make sure that we have good information.” NOAA Inaction in the Gulf of Mexico http://www.fishnet-usa.com/NOAA_Inaction.htm
Is the EU and MSC Killing off the Vikings?
The European Union may have signed a death warrant for the Faroes Islands fishing industry after officials banned the import of herring and mackerel from the self-governing territory into the 17-nation bloc. The Marine Stewardship Council has already voiced concerns over the Faroe Islands’ large fishing quotas, which has more than trebled its previously agreed share of the Atlanto-Scandian herring stock. The MSC has summarily suspended its certificate for the archipelago. more@ibtimes 12:22
Dams destabilize river food webs: Lessons from the Grand Canyon
Managing fish in human-altered rivers is a challenge because their food webs are sensitive to environmental disturbance. So reports a new study in the journal Ecological Monographs, based on an exhaustive three-year analysis of the Colorado River in Glen and Grand Canyons. [email protected] 11:55
Two shrimp trawlers still stuck in Jarvis Creek
Both boats are turned on their side, and the shrimping boom on the Lady Essie is blocking the waterway, making it difficult for other boats to get by. more@wtoc 11:32
Fisherman Charles Wertz, Jr. pled guilty in federal district court to one count of wire fraud and two counts of falsifying federal records
An investigation initiated in July 2010 by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) into Research Set-Aside (RSA) program violations culminated in a guilty plea on August 15, 2013, by an East Meadow, NY, fisherman and his fish dealer company to wire fraud and falsifying federal records. In all, OLE agents determined that Wertz filed 137 false federal dealer reports and 70 false fishing logs while C&C Ocean Fishery aided and abetted in the submission of the reports. the defendants have agreed to pay between $480,000 and $516,000 in combined fines and forfeitures and will undergo multiple sentence conditions, including relinquishment of federal fishing permits, a ban on participation in the RSA program, and shutting down C&C Ocean Fishery. [email protected] 10:59
Two Boynton Beach men issued fines totaling $27,500 for illegally selling a 700 giant bluefin tuna
A Notice of Violation and Assessment of Administrative Penalty was sent to David Fidel, of Boynton Beach, who was fined $12,500 for violating the federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Mikylo Senkowicz, of Boynton Beach, who did not have a valid permit to sell the tuna and received a Notice of Violation. Fidel’s troubles began when photos of the fish and stories about the catch, and what became of it, were posted online, although they were later removed. more@sunsentinal 10:43
More news about F/V Jessica Heather – Video – Hot Dog Vendor Sets Up Shop
“Amazing!” said Sandy Stottlemyar. “Lots of pictures!” “I feel bad for the boat captain, but it was fun to watch,” said Suzanne Zak of Doylestown, Pa. Fortunately there were no injuries to the 3 crew members on board. Initial reports stated the captain fell asleep at the helm. But the Coast Guard says this is still under investigation. “I don’t want to speculate,” said Coast Guard Lieutenant Tim Feese. “Luckily it didn’t hit the pier at Caesar’s and cause more damage.” [email protected] 10:18
Gang Green Canada Starts Fire – Say Federal Investigation is Scapegoating Fishermen
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has announced they are investigating the fishermen shown in a controversial video released last week that documents serious violations of fishing regulations and no enforcement in this year’s largest Canadian salmon fishery. DFO has asked SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, Watershed Watch Salmon Society, and Raincoast Conservation Foundation to hand over their raw footage, taken in the Area 6 seine fishery west of Kitimat, BC. more@digitaljournal 09:57
Derrick Dalley, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Addresses Misinformation Regarding Fisheries Issues
CANADA – Recent news releases issued by MHA Christopher Mitchelmore regarding fishery sustainability and the lobster industry contain inaccuracies that require correction, said Derrick Dalley, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. more@thefishsite 09:48
Groundfish 2013 – Increased supplies of cod provide a good opportunity to promote fish consumption
Supplies of cod will increase dramatically during the coming year, which means that prices will drop and that groundfish producers will face a challenging period. However, the picture is mixed. While quotas in the Barents Sea have been increased, quotas in the United States north east have been slashed by up to 77%, and New England fishermen are once again facing serious problems. more@globefish 08:26
Cooke Aquaculture is preparing to build a new hatchery at Mink Cove, Digby Neck
And the firm’s Truro feed mill is now churning out thousands of tonnes of fish feed every year, said Chuck Brown, communications manager with Cooke Aquaculture. Every week, 320 tonnes of salmon feed come to Digby from the Truro feed mill, he said. That’s 10 tractor-trailer loads every week or 12,500 tonnes per year. more@chronicleherald 08:04
F/V Western Flyer, by some accounts the world’s most famous fishing vessel is at the center of a continuing controversy
The Western Flyer, built by Tacoma’s Western Boat Building Co. in 1937 on the Tideflats, acquired its literary and scientific patina in 1940 when author John Steinbeck and a friend, marine biologist Ed Ricketts, chartered the vessel for a six-week expedition to Mexico’s Gulf of California. The gulf is an arm of the Pacific Ocean sandwiched between the Baja peninsula and the mainland of Mexico. The gulf is more lyrically known as the Sea of Cortez. more@thenewstribune 07:42
American Samoa: Samoa PM says warming waters good for fisheries
The Samoan Prime Minister says warmer water caused by climate change is driving fish to its waters from the Western Pacific, which will benefit its fishing industry in the future. more@radionewzealand 07:20
Newburyport Fishermen land enormous thresher shark
On Saturday afternoon, Cloutier’s Newburyport-based charter boat was about 60 miles off the local coast when Cloutier said his nephew Zach Cloutier hooked a fish that instantly caught their attention. more@salemnews 07:02
Food service contractor won’t serve Alaska salmon to US troops; Senator Mark Begich goes ballistic
“It’s ridiculous and insulting that the seafood being offered to our troops might come from Russia,” said Begich. “Alaska wrote the book on sustainable fisheries and we don’t need outsiders to tell us how to manage our stocks.” more@Alaska Fish Radio 06:19
Letter: Cape Pond Ice deserves city’s, state’s help
I would like to go on record to support Scott Memhard’s request to have Cape Pond Ice taken out of the state’s Designated Port Area……The reason is that our fishing industry has hit rock bottom. If you think Scott has problems, look at the boat owners, fish processors, fuel dealers and others. SAM PARISI Commercial Street, Gloucester more@GDT 03:59
