Monthly Archives: August 2013
Cabinet members Gina McCarthy, Sally Jewell tackle controversies in Alaska
Both Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell inherited thorny issues involving Alaska upon taking office this year. So they’ve both chosen to tackle these controversies head on during what happens to be the nicest time of the year to visit the nation’s 49th state. OF COURSE! more@wapo 10:31
Something’s Fishy – The Central Pacific Nation of Kiribati Boasts It Has Created One of the Largest No-Fishing Marine Reserves in the World. Unfortunately, It’s Not True
Meet 
President Anote Tong of Kiribati, a Central Pacific country of three-dozen postcard-pretty coral atolls that may become uninhabitable some day because global warming is causing ocean levels to rise. Tong, 61, has been in power for a decade, during which time he has become a darling of the environmental community,,,Now meet a prominent marine scientist, former Pew Fellow, and senior vice president of the New England Aquarium. more@earthislandjournal 10:23
Landing a brand – In a decade, Oregon seafood haul has been worth a billion dollars
COOS BAY-The Oregon Dungeness Crab fishery plopped tens of millions of dollars on the Oregon coast this year. In a fishery known for its up and down nature, it has contributed enormously to the state’s economy over the past decade. Hugh Link, Executive Director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, recently returned from an economic summit where he touted some staggering numbers. more@worldlink 09:40
The Wind Energy Kooks: Environmentalists plan 6-day march in Mass. To Support the Enron Fallacy
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — Environmental activists are planning a six-day march from a Massachusetts coal plant to Cape Cod to push for a quicker transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. more@bostonglobe 08:19
High prices, low hauls: Louisiana shrimpers battle for the bottom line – “Everybody is scrambling,”
The price of Gulf of Mexico shrimp has soared this year, the beneficiary of a malady that has beset the competing Asian shrimp farm market and some U.S. sanctions on unfair trade practices elsewhere. But for many shrimpers, a scarcity of product in the Gulf this year has made the suddenly higher prices seem an empty victory. more@towntalk 07:57
Forum by JAMIE MILLER: It is my hope every penny of taxpayer funds misspent will be returned to the state
The truth is, the dedicated employees of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and I are working hard to put the troubled past behind us and move forward. I hope the following will only add clarity to the information the Sun Herald provided to its readers last Friday. more@sunherald related story’s – Mississippi fires marine resources department director – Draft audit raises questions about spending at Marine Resources 07:44
Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology Researchers identify new factor in global warming
Researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology in Germany have studied a factor in climate change which has not been included in previous climate change projections. They say that as the oceans take in more CO2, they will produce less of a sulphur compound which blocks radiation from the sun. listen@abcnetau 07:28
P.E.I. lobster fishermen question marketing levy – Lobster Council of Canada wants to collect 1 cent on every pound caught
The Lobster Council of Canada wants to collect one cent on every pound of lobster caught in Canadian waters, arguing the fee is required to market Canadian lobster on the world stage. Maine has just decided to increase its fees on its lobster catches. Three years from now a $3-million pot of money will be available for marketing. more@cbcnews 07:14 (another tax on working people to subsidize a social program employing marketers)
Local lobsterman previously convicted for lobster-trap theft was arraigned Monday on three charges alleging he assaulted a woman
Aaron Marconi threatened to kill her if she called police, and broke a glass-pane door. Blaisdell asked a judge to set $2,500 cash bail, prompting Marconi to say, “The only way I can make money is if I’m out lobstering.” (that’ll be tough being caged like an animal) more@seacoastonline 06:52
Coast Guard medevacs female from the 109-foot F/V Tuxedni near Sitka, Alaska
The Jayhawk crew rendezvoused with the Tuxedni in Tebenkof Bay, 67 miles southeast of Sitka, hoisted the woman aboard and flew her to Sitka where she was transferred to local emergency medical service personnel for evaluation and treatment. more@uscgnews 03:24
Climate Changes Forcing Fish Stocks To Migrate North – Enviros in Denial.
For decades, fishery management has focused almost exclusively on the need to restrict fishing. Now, environmental changes are forcing fishermen and regulators to reevaluate their traditional practices. more@wgbh 20:58
Oil spill would ‘overwhelm’ resources, B.C. minister warned
Officials in British Columbia privately warned the environment minister that the province lacks the ability to manage oil spills from existing and future oil traffic, and even a moderate spill would overwhelm their ability to respond, documents show. more@cbcnews
Alaska Fish Radio: US troops will get AK salmon; People Mag says farmed fish is best; Begich calls EPA visit “good”
US troops will be eating Alaska salmon after all. Sodexo, the France-based food contractor did an about face after getting blasted by Senator Mark Begich. Sodexo, which has an eight year contract to provide food services to the US military, said it would only serve seafood meriting one particular eco-label that Alaska salmon doesn’t have. Senator Mark Begich – “They want to get an understanding of the chain of control or handling of seafood products and they have offered to work with our folks. And I think that’s a great sign that they recognize the value – and we pointed out some things they just didn’t understand.” more@afr
CAMERON PARISH, LA: LDWF Agents arrested Robby Joe Wiley, 38, for illegal possession of stolen things, was booked into the Cameron Parish Jail!
Authorities said agents arrested Robby Joe Wiley, 38, for illegal possession of stolen things, taking commercial fish without a commercial gear license, taking or possessing commercial fish without a vessel license, using crab traps without required markings, violating crab trap escape ring requirements, taking commercial fish without a commercial license and improper boat numbers. Plentymore@kplc 16:54
Alaska Fish Radio – Salmon Numbers Soar as Fall Fisheries Begin
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Fall Fisheries gear up as salmon continue to blow up. More updates after this…listen@alaskafishradio
No no no. They’ve got it all wrong! – East Coast CEO: US restaurants passing lower lobster prices to consumers
Lobster meat is going for reasonable prices to the consumer, particularly as the price of the raw material remains low again this year.Michael Tourkistas, CEO of US lobster firm East Coast Seafoods , is seeing reasonable mark-ups from restaurants. At casual dining restaurants, surf and turf plates are selling for under $15 a plate at restaurants such as Outback Steakhouse. more@undercurrent
Is Fukushima Radiation Contaminating Tuna, Salmon and Herring On the West Coast of North America? by a blogger named George Washington
Associated Press reports that both scientists and native elders in British Columbia say that sockeye numbers have plummeted: Sockeye salmon returns plunge to historic lows, Last month, [the Department of Fisheries and Oceans] noted returns for the Skeena River sockeye run were dire. [Mel Kotyk, North Coast area director for the Department] said department scientists don’t know why the return numbers are so low…. “When they went out to sea they seemed to be very strong and healthy and in good numbers, so we think something happened in the ocean.” more@zerohedge 14:40
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Alaska State Wildlife Troopers – Seven commercial fish harvesters cited for fishing violations in the Cordova area
Alaska State Wildlife Troopers note in their online reports seven recent incidents in the Cordova area that involve commercial fish harvesters. Michael A. Babic, 30, of Cordova, operator and permit holder on the F/V Beverly Ann, pled no contest in Cordova District Court on Aug. 20 to a charge of commercial fishing in closed waters of Beartrap Bay. He was fined,, more@cordobatimes 13:31
Coast Guard Motor Life Boat crew medevacs man from F/V American Triumph off Coos Bay, Ore.
The American Triumph, a 285-foot commercial fishing and processing vessel, contacted the Coast Guard at approximately 3:30 p.m. to request a medevac of a 37-year-old male crewmember. Coast Guard Sector North Bend, Ore., dispatched a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Coos Bay. An EMT from a Bay City ambulance accompanied the crew to assist. more@uscgnews 13:23
10 more companies certified via Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute program
ASMI chose the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture-based Responsible Fisheries Management because it meets the highest benchmarks for credible certification. more@cordobatimes 13:09
Baker | There’s no sense being deluded about a cod comeback – Rethinking the future of the province’s cod fishery
For the benefit of those who haven’t been around the actual fishery a lot since the wild and crazy days of the early 1990s, let me clear up any confusion about the cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador: There will never be a cod fishery in this province again like we saw in the past, pre-1992. To suggest otherwise is pure ignorance of fact; or else it’s a blatant attempt to romanticize and/or politicize notions of the good old days, geared to capitalize on “motherhood and apple pie” appeal of such a theory to spark the occasional vote.Along the northeast coast of Newfoundland, cod is currently considered a nuisance; more@cbcnews 11:48
Inland Fisheries: Boil ‘n Fry Day all about Tahoe lobster
Tahoe Lobster Co. owner Fred Jackson lifted wiggling bags full of fresh crawfish from his big red truck onto the loading dock at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa Friday afternoon. He’d just come from the dock. “I just picked up about 137 pounds out of the lake about 10 minutes ago,” Jackson said. The 500 pounds of crayfish are for Lake Tahoe’s first Boil & Fry Day, an all-day event centered around the miniature lobsters. The outdoor party will feature lawn game tournaments, music, beers and, of course, a whole heap of Tahoe crayfish. more@therecoedcourier 10:58
Could marina project turn back the clock for New Smyrna?
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — Several decades ago, crowds would flock to the banks of to see fishermen offload their day’s bounty — boxes, sometimes hundreds of them, teeming with fish or shrimp. That atmosphere has long since disappeared as the commercial fishing industry has significantly waned in this city as well as all of Volusia County. more@newsjournal 10:50
Keeping the Klamath safe for salmon
A federal agency, under pressure to supply water to irrigators, diverts a North Coast river, creating a killing field for tens of thousands of chinook salmon and other fish. Sound familiar? It’s the Cliff’s Notes version of events 11 years ago on the Klamath River — an unnatural disaster with disastrous consequences for coastal communities and Indian tribes that rely on salmon fisheries for their livelihoods. more@pressdemocrat 10:34
That Facebook stuff will bite you in the ass! Fishery Officers ‘like’ Facebook after paua poacher nabbed
Fishery officers have praised the public after numerous tip-offs led to the apprehension of a person illegally selling paua on Facebook. On August 22, The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) received information about a person who was offering paua for sale on Facebook at $10 each. The information received indicated that the person had up to 100 paua for sale. more@yahoonewzealand 10:17
Fishery group looks to protect little-understood Delaware coastal resource
It is this habitat, just now being understood by researchers – thanks to minisubs with high-tech cameras and satellite connections that allow real-time streaming video – that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is targeting for protection with proposed new cold-water coral protection regulations. more@delawareonline 09:59
Press Release: Mid-Atlantic Council Completes 2014-2018 Strategic Plan
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council unanimously approved its first-ever strategic plan during last week’s meeting in Wilmington, Delaware. The plan maps out a series of goals and strategies that will guide the Council’s management activities from 2014 through 2018. Read more here 09:39
PHOTOS & VIDEO: In search of great whites off Chatham, Ma
Julia, a great white shark, has arrived on Cape in May for the last few years and usually spends until October around Chatham Inlet and Monomoy. But this year she eschewed Chatham in favor of Orleans. “For some reason we don’t know,” said Greg Skomal, a shark researcher with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. “Predictability is what you want when you try and manage beaches.” Manage BEACHES? more@wickedlocal 09:31
German researchers find: Higher CO2 harms all marine life
Rising levels of carbon dioxide are harming all forms of marine life because the oceans are acidifying as they absorb the gas, German researchers found. Creatures that show negative effects from acidification include commercial species such as oysters and cod. more@capecodtimes 09:21
