Monthly Archives: September 2013
Scientists fear for Alaska’s king crab fishery
New research earlier this year shows that Bristol Bay red king crab – the supersized monster that has come to symbolize the fortunes of Alaska’s crab fleet – could fall victim to the changing chemistry of the oceans. Barring a hasty reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions – or evidence that the creatures could acclimate to changing sea conditions – a team of scientists fears Alaska’s $100 million red king crab fishery could crash in decades to come. more@newsminer 12:18
Opinion: Halibut plan is best yet: Catch sharing manages uncertainty, conserves stock
Heath Hilyard, the executive director of the Southeast Alaska Guides Organization, is right (Aug. 9, News-Miner). The halibut catch sharing plan, or CSP, isn’t about conservation. It’s about managing the charter halibut resource responsibly so businesses can operate with more certainty. In fact, the plan was supported by the charter sector many times throughout the years for that precise reason. Why the hue and cry now? They want more fish. more@newsminer 12:02
Japan to conduct radiation surveys at 600,000 points on seabed off Fukushima
TOKYO — Japan’s nuclear authority plans to conduct radiation contamination surveys at 600,000 points on the seabed off the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, up from 200 places so far, a report said Saturday. more@japantoday 10:19
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance – Weekly Update – September 15, 2013
“The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance is dedicated to its mission of continuing to help create sustainable fisheries without putting licensed fishermen out of business.” Read the update 09:38
The past-due rent of wrath: Boat linked to John Steinbeck becomes $7,978 Port of Port Townsend liability
As of Friday, Gerry Kehoe, the owner of the Western Flyer — which was brought into the Boat Haven covered in mud and barnacles earlier this summer — owed the Port of Port Townsend $7,877.73 in fees and has not responded to any communications about the bill, according to port executive assistant Jean French. Kehoe, a businessman and developer in Steinbeck’s old stomping ground of Salinas, Calif., purchased the Western Flyer in 2010 with the intention of using it as a tourist attraction. more@peninsuladailynews 09:31
Cape May wants oyster firms to flourish
LOWER TOWNSHIP – In 1997, Dan Cohen started growing oysters on the Delaware Bay tidal flats using a unique French method that promised to produce the perfect restaurant oyster. Cohen’s Ocean Drive fishing company, Atlantic Capes Fisheries, began its oyster project with three workers who initially produced fewer than 200,000 oysters per year. He named them Cape May Salts. more@pressofatlanticcity 08:25
Mexican fishing vessels seek safe harbor ahead of Tropical Storm Ingrid in Brownsville Tx – Video
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and the Brownsville Harbor Master are working together Saturday to allow safe harbor in the Port of Brownsville for more than 20 Mexican fishing vessels seeking refuge ahead of Tropical Storm Ingrid. more@uscgnews 08:09
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to discuss closing Georgetown Hole, other areas, to fishing
Murrells Inlet seafood dealer Chris Conklin will be sworn as a new member of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council at the start of the council’s meeting on Monday and will immediately find himself embroiled in what promises to be an intense discussion on the proposed establishment of more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) off the South Atlantic coast. The impact on South Carolina fishermen – both recreational and commercial – could be significant if all the proposed MPAs are approved, and the council is being urged to do just that by at least one environmental group, the PEW Charitable Trusts. more@myrtlebeachonline 00:26
the outsourcing of US domestic fisheries
In my job as a research fishery biologist, I work closely with the Hawaii commercial fishing industry. This industry is dominated by pelagic longline vessels that target tuna and related species for both the U.S. and global markets. The vessels are all U.S. flagged and the captains are all U.S. citizens as the Jones Act dictates, but the crew is almost always outsourced to foreign labor— which should violate the Jones Act. more@dailykos 00:00
Salvage tug Resolve Pioneer to assist in effort to refloat F/V Lone Star
The salvage tug Resolve Pioneer heads to Bristol Bay this week. But it won’t be going up the river to recover the sunken salmon tender Lone Star, though it will be towing the specialized barge that will lift the wreck from the water, according to Capt. Shawn Ward. more@bristolbaytimes 22:27
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to upgrade fish protections at Delta water pumps
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $4.3 million contract to install new fish protection devices at its water diversion pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. more@sacbee 19:45
Bacterial outbreak roils Mass. oyster industry
A mystery of sorts threatens to stunt Massachusetts’ small but growing oyster industry after illnesses linked to bacterial contamination forced the state to shut down beds for the first time ever. The culprit is the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacterium, which has occurred in state waters since the 1960s. Theories abound about the recent increase in illnesses linked to Massachusetts — but those are only theories. more@bostonglobe 13:37
Rule prohibits gill nets within 100 yards of N.C. beaches – takes effect Sunday
A new rule — which governs the use of gill nets and takes effect Sunday — is designed to protect 
The rule prohibits small mesh gill nets within 100 yards of most North Carolina beaches. Two areas are exempt from the setback, however. The exceptions are between Cape Lookout and Bogue Inlet, and between Carolina Beach Inlet and the South Carolina line. more@jdnews 12:01
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Ecopsychology – An introduction to The Green Mind: Are environmental problems real if nobody sees them?
I know those Bastards are over fishing. I can’t see it, but I know it.
News of environmental problems seems endless: worsening climate change, radioactive landscapes, flooded coastal cities, species going extinct. It can seem depressing and overwhelming. The world appears out of control, and the problems seem abstract. How do they relate to our daily lives? How can we regain control over our environmental impacts? Read More 11:51
Unprecedented numbers of whales have invaded Monterey Bay on the hunt for epic schools of anchovies
Local whale-watch pilots say pods of whales are joining herds of sea lions and flocks of birds to dine on the tiny green fish. Estimates range into the hundreds for humpback whales, though blue whales have been spotted too. “It’s the most whales that I’ve seen since I’ve been doing this, over 26 years,” said marine biologist Nancy Black, of Monterey Bay Whale Watch. “There’s so many humpbacks in the bay.” more@santacruzsentinal 11:12
Baker | A haddock fishery for Newfoundland?
It seems haddock are making a comeback on the south coast of Newfoundland. The comeback is such that scientists believe the stock could support some form of commercial fishery. I want to get excited about that. I really do. But I can’t. From a research and ocean biology perspective, it’s fascinating stuff. Haddock was last fished on the south coast in the Sixties. It was a pretty good fishery back then, too, but the stock just disappeared. The fact that it is making such a return now, half a century later, is not without intrigue for scientist types. more@cbcnews 10:39
Baker | There’s no sense being deluded about a cod comeback more here posted August 26, 2013
Sept. 27-29 Working Waterfront Festival opens doors to New Bedford fishing industry – event offers ‘window into the world’ of commercial fishing
NEW BEDFORD — In two weeks, the harbor will swarm with locals and tourists alike hoping to learn more about the fishing industry. They will see life rafts inflated in an instant, watch scallopers shucking and touch whole, live monkfish for the first time with their bare hands. The Working Waterfront Festival is expected to be a weekend of fun for the whole family, but local fishermen say it is also their annual opportunity to show non-fishermen what they’re made of. more@southcoasttoday 03:10
Department of Commerce open to bids for fishing aid fiscal 2013 Saltonstall-Kennedy grants – Some called this fish aid!
Commercial fishermen interested in potential financial assistance from a trio of federal grant programs should keep two upcoming dates in mind. On Sept. 29, the application period will close for fiscal 2013 Saltonstall-Kennedy grants, a national competitive program launched earlier this summer by the Department of Commerce to provide grants for fisheries research and other development project related to U.S. fisheries. more@GDT Details @public notices 02:50
Bipartisan Members of Congress file solution to Gulf red snapper mess
Federal management of red snapper has been broken for years, and reached rock bottom in 2013 when frustration over status quo management compelled several Gulf states to seek greater control of the fishery in their own waters. In retaliation, the National Marine Fisheries Service used an emergency rule process to reduce the recreational season to nine days off Louisiana and 12 days off Texas. Both states sued and a federal court overturned the action. more@boatingindustry 23:29
A new outlook on a specie that was headed for protection – Cali Bill to allow commercial crawfishing at Lake Tahoe passes
Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 165 last Friday, which repealed an existing law that banned the sale or purchase of crawfish taken from Lake Tahoe. Thought to benefit Lake Tahoe, the tiny lobster-like crustaceans were on their way to being protected. Since, scientists have changed their view of the invasive species. They have been found to excrete nitrogen and phosphorous and provide invasive warm water fish like the small-mouth bass a food source. more@tahoedailytribune 22:59
Gang Green expects the NMFS to fix Global Warming to save the coral, and they agree to it!!
September 13 – In a settlement filed in federal court today, the National Marine Fisheries Service committed to developing a recovery plan for elkhorn and staghorn corals that live in Florida and throughout the Caribbean. The agreement between the Center for Biological Diversity and the federal agency ensures that the Fisheries Service will publish a draft plan by 2014 and promptly finalize it in the following months. These corals were protected under the Endangered Species Act in 2006 because of threats from global warming and ocean acidification but, before today’s settlement agreement, had still not received the legally required recovery plan needed to save them from extinction. more@ganggreen 17:40
The Fisheries Broadcast with Jamie Baker – What happens when you can’t sell the cod you already have?
Tonight you’ll hear why some fishermen on the south coast have asked government to give them an exemption to sell their cod outside the province. more@thefisheriesbroadcast 16:08
Alaska seafood industry awaits Walmart response
At issue is Walmart’s decision to purchase for its thousands of retail stores only seafood certified as sustainable by the London-based Marine Stewardship Council. With more than four-dozen seafood processors and others now committed to another sustainability certification program sponsored by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the fishermen and the state of Alaska are asking Walmart to reconsider its commitment to purchase only MSC-certified seafood. more@thecordobatimes 13:50
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries finalizes permit for minimal turtle by-catch
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries signed an agreement Wednesday with the National Marine Fisheries Service that implements a statewide incidental take permit for sea turtles in the estuarine large and small-mesh gill net fisheries. The permit authorizes the limited take of sea turtles in the gill net fisheries as part of an otherwise lawful activity. [email protected] 13:30
Thanks for all the fish: Julia Child’s play – The Master Chef put Port Chatham’s Nova smoked king salmon on the map.
A long time ago, when I was young, springy and inveterately unemployed, a chef named Francois Kissel asked me to help out on the heavy lifting for a benefit bash he was catering for the ladies of St. Mark’s Cathedral. The heavy part entailed opening a couple dozen dozen oysters, but they were only the baseline for the event. The big featured dish was fresh-caught Alaska King crab, flown in live and cooked on the spot. (For some reason this was illegal at the time; maybe it still is.) more@crosscut 11:58
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National Research Council Report fuels Gloucester Fisherman Giacalone’s fishing testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources
He had already finished preparing his testimony last week for the congressional committee on the re-authorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act when the National Research Council report on rebuilding fish stocks fell into his lap like manna from heaven. With that, Gloucester’s Vito Giacalone went to Washington with a little more credibility in his Wednesday testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources. more@GDT 11:27
North Pacific Fishery Management Council staff defend catch sharing plan
FAIRBANKS — A proposed plan to allocate halibut catch shares between charter and commercial boats will not necessarily lead to a one-fish per day limit for charter boat customers in waters off Southcentral Alaska, according to a summary released by North Pacific Fishery Management Council staff. more@newsminer 11:08
Invasive Tiger Shrimp Found in Eastern North Carolina waters
It was big enough for a meal, but the unusual catch was better off in the hands of researchers. “That shrimp was definitely big enough for a shrimp dog, but we froze it instead,” said Mary Bryan Carlyle, who was with a group of friends who caught a jumbo Asian tiger shrimp this week in Carteret County waters. more@jdnews 11:00
Locals reflect on dying industry as Sound closes to fall lobster harvesting
A third-generation lobsterman, Matt DeMaula has patrolled Long Island Sound alongside his father and uncles for more than two decades. When he thinks back to his early days in the profession, the Mattituck native can recall some remarkable fall seasons. A combination of rising water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, pesticide runoff and nitrogen loading proved too much for the crustaceans, causing an extreme die-off in 1999, said Emerson Hasbrouck, senior marine environmental issues educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. more@thesuffolktimes 10:47
Fisheries Off West Coast States: NOAA/NMFS Proposed Rule 09/13/2013 Open for Comment
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