Daily Archives: October 4, 2013
Audio – Federal Shutdown Could Delay Crab Fisheries – NMFS’ law enforcement division is one of the few departments that’s still open.
State managers set catch limits. But the National Marine Fisheries Service is supposed to divide up the crab and assign individual fishing quotas, or IFQs, to boats. “There’s nobody on staff with National Marine Fisheries Service [who is] available to issue IFQs as they are furloughed,” says Heather Fitch. more@alaskapublic 21:14
New England: The Center For Sustainable Fisheries About To Launch
A new organization, committed to finding ways to help solve the crisis in New England’s Commercial Fishing Industry, is about ready to begin its work. The principals behind the Center for Sustainable Fsheries (sic) plan a formal “launch” later this month. They include noted marine scientist Dr. Brian Rothschild, former Mass. Congressman Barney Frank and former New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang. They’ll be joined by numerous scientists and industry leaders from throughout the region. [email protected] Link to the Center for Sustainable Fisheries website http://centerforsustainablefisheries.org/ 17:55
Gulf Seafood Institute Responds To Seafood Safety Concerns During Government Shutdown
As the government shutdown continues, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors responsible for the safety of the consumer’s food, including seafood, have been furloughed. “It makes me nervous about not having those inspections, in having two small kids and knowing what we’re giving to them is safe,” Jennifer Baur, a New Orlean’s mother told Louisiana’s WWL-TV in a recent interview. “It makes me think twice about buying something,” New Orleans’s Suzy Calamari also told the station. [email protected] 17:44
WPRFMC: Fishery Scientists and Managers to Consider Potential Quota Reduction for the Hawaii Longline Fishery, Mariana Shark Management
HONOLULU (04 October 2013) The port of Honolulu consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top 10 fishing ports in terms of value landed. The reason is the sashimi-quality bigeye tuna landed by the Hawaii longline fleet. This fishery is recognized globally as a model for sustainable pelagic fishing with a rating of 95 percent against the UN Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing. Eighty percent of the tuna landed by the fishery stays in Hawaii, where tuna tops the list of seafood consumed. more in press release’s 16:25
One of the largest offshore enforcement operations in memory – NAFO cites foreign vessels with illegally caught fish
In what is one of the largest offshore enforcement operations in memory, Canadian Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) inspectors have cited a dozen foreign fishing vessels for illegally harvesting 431.7 tonnes of redfish in division 3M. The citations were issued between July 30 and Aug. 22 and involve Russian Federation and European Union vessels — many of which are multiple repeat offenders for offshore illegal fishing activity. more@cbcnews 16:06
Alaska’s Multi-Million Dollar Commercial Crab Fishery Faces Federal Shutdown Delays
Alaska’s multi-million dollar commercial crab fishing season faces delays if a federal government shutdown is not resolved soon, because National Marine Fisheries Service biologists won’t be able to issue individual fishing and processing quotas. The fisheries are set to open on Oct. 15. more@fishermensnews 15:49
Giddings Boat Works launch’s F/V Patriot
Under construction for more than a year, the 200 – ton fishing boat will homeport in Newport, Ore. Once fully outfitted with gear, this combination vessel will be fully capable of shrimping, crabbing and tendering in all ocean conditions from Oregon to Alaska, said designer Tullio Celano of Oregon – based Crescere Marine Engineering Inc. “They’ll be able to fill holds and have enough reserve stability and buoyancy to handle any condition that can happen,” he said. [email protected] See the construction of F/V Patriot in this huge photo gallery, and a video. 14:40
Jellyfish: It’s What’s For Dinner
The recent jellyfish pulse might thus be a snapshot within a long series of natural cycles,” Laura Poppick writes for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. A recent study of jellyfish sightings from 1874 to 2011 conducted by MBARI suggests that the blooms follow a cyclical pattern, one that peaks every 20 years. The Research Institute’s sister organization, the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, doesn’t issue a rating for the in Georgia or the other Southern states where jellyballs, as locals call them, are caught. [email protected] 11:59
St. Matthew Blue King Crab Fishery Closes Again
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is shutting down the St. Matthew blue king crab fishery. This isn’t the first time that St. Matt’s crab has been declared off limits: It was previously shut down for a decade due to overfishing. more@kubc 11:48
Ocean Choice International president defends fishery at World Seafood Congress
“We need to recast the fisheries argument to one of sustainable food production rather than marine conservation,” Sullivan said. Growing world populations mean that there is an increasing demand for food and Sullivan asked if it doesn’t come from the sea, where will it come from? The obvious answer, of course, is from the land, but Sullivan argued that environmentally, seafood is the better option. He even went so far as to ask why there is such a bad rap given to trawling when there are other forms of protein production that are far worse. thetelegram 10:28
Cod on rebound, haddock takes hit
The codfish is on the rebound, and that means High Liner Foods CEO Henry Demone has never been more confident in the global supply of wild fish. The Alaska pollock is also in good condition, he says, and that has meant the Lunenburg seafood giant is a big beneficiary. This week, High Liner announced it will pay US$50 million to acquire American Pride Seafoods LLC, a frozen seafood and scallop processing company in New Bedford, Mass., from parent company American Seafoods Group LLC of Seattle. more@chronicleherald 08:51
CHATHAM: Experts tag last Great White shark of year off Cape
The fourth, and possibly last, great white shark to be fitted with a tracking device this year was tagged Thursday afternoon by a team of state researchers and fishermen just outside the inlet to Chatham Harbor. more@capecodtimes 08:35
Absence of right whales in Bay of Fundy puzzles scientists
“Probably because there wasn’t very much food for them,” said Brown. “The plankton, and although we don’t sample that ourselves, our colleagues on Grand Manan did and didn’t find very many plankton in the water at all this year.” more@cbcnews 07:31
NOAA staff at below 25 percent as Shutdown takes increasing toll
The scene Thursday at NOAA’s Northeast Regional Office was a placid one, with the agency’s parking lots largely empty and the glass doors locked at the front of the four-story brick building in Blackburn Industrial Park more@GDT 04:54
UMass Dartmouth Marine Fisheries Institute forms advisory council to help fishermen
NEW BEDFORD — Local members of a newly-formed fishing advisory council hope their group can help the greater New Bedford fishing industry survive increasingly Draconian federal regulations. “We are getting to a point where we can’t wait longer. We have to see some kind of relief,” said local seafood consultant Jim Kendall, who is on the council. “The fishermen have one scene they see and science is slower and reluctant to agree to that picture. We need to get both groups of people on the same page.” more@southcoasttoday 03:48
