Monthly Archives: October 2013
Missoula and Corvallis high school students help rescue fish during dam repairs
It was a race against the clock. Armed with nets and buckets, nearly 60 Missoula and Corvallis high school students, biologists and other volunteers scrambled to mount an emergency “fish rescue” as engineers upstream worked quickly to choke off the flow of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River in order to make urgent repairs to the 75-year-old Painted Rocks Dam southwest of Darby. more@gilettenewsrecord 10:50
Government shutdown & unissued licenses stalled start of crab season – Diving for dollars – Jobs jump start
Meanwhile, the situation was even worse for small boat crabbers at Kodiak and the Westward region who learned there would not even be a Tanner fishery come January. “It is not unexpected,” said Mark Stichert, a shellfish biologist at ADF&G in Kodiak. “We’ve been seeing a decline in abundance of legal sized or mature male Tanner crab for the last couple of years.” more@sitnews
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update October 20, 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 10:36
F/V Fair Warning Coast Guard assisted after being ran aground in Wychmere Harbor
Coast Guard rescue crews from Station Chatam, pollution responders from Sector Southeastern New England, and local fire and police assisted a 37-foot fishing vessel that ran aground in Wychmere Harbor, near Harwich, Mass., 11:45 p.m. Friday. more@uscgnews 20:34
DFO is defending its decision to grant a temporary license for Icelandic factory freezer trawler to catch and process redfish.
NDP MLA Sterling Belliveau recently expressed concerns about the DFO decision, saying that while he understands the need to support the company following Premium Seafood’s devastating fire this summer, he has strong reservations about giving a foreign vessel access to Canada’s coastal resources. more@thecoastguard 19:13
Canadian firm hopes to save salmon by spiking ocean with fertilizer, but even Greenpeace condemns ‘rogue science’
Two men stand in a small art gallery in Squamish, B.C., and make their case for a plan to create more fish simply by spiking the ocean with fertilizer. “Are there more fish in the sea today than there were 100 years ago, yes or no?” says one of the men, Jason McNamee, repeating a well-rehearsed patter. After a beat, he follows up with, “What have you done about it?” more@nationalpost
Dr. Doug Butterworth – fisheries ministers around the world lost their authority to MSC in a coup de’etat in 2008
Butterworth says that prior to this the MSC was in the doldrums but in 2008 there was a quiet revolution in which fisheries ministers did not even realize that they had surrendered their authority on national fisheries policy to the MSC. Butterworth states that this resulted in an explosion in applications for MSC certification. more@blogspot 11:56
Tribal consultation plays unofficial role in North Pacific Fishery Management Council and Board of Fisheries process
Historical participation weighs heavily in fisheries management decisions, and Alaska Natives have thousands of years of history of fishing throughout the state, relying on salmon, halibut, crab, herring and other species for food and trade. When it comes to management, however, the oldest users report mixed success in participating in the decision-making process. more@alaskajournal 11:23
Duty Free Canadian Fish Products to the EU – Good for Nova Scotia? Trade deal could kill the seafood processing industry.
“The details aren’t completely clear as to exactly what it will mean to the fisheries in Nova Scotia. We have heard certain things about European boats having access to Canadian waters,” said Angela Giles, Atlantic regional organizer for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative. more@cbcnews 09:16
New Mashpee fish ladder and dam will aid key species to food chain, river herring
The river herring that will primarily use the ladder are so important to the local ecosystem, said state Sen. Daniel Wolf, D-Harwich, that the project should be viewed as a boon to the entire Cape. “Protecting the fishing industry starts here,” he said. “If we don’t protect the bottom end of this, it doesn’t matter what we do with fishing quotas.” more@capecodtimes 08:52
US SHOULD REFUSE ANY QUOTA REDUCTION FOR HAWAII BIGEYE TUNA – WESTERN PACIFIC REGIONAL FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
HONOLULU (18 October 2013) The United States should not accept a reduction in the bigeye tuna limit for the Hawaii longline fishery, according to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which concluded a four-day meeting in Honolulu today. Authorized by Congress to manage fisheries seaward of State and Territorial waters in the US Pacific Islands, the Council noted that the Hawaii longline fishery operates several thousand miles from the equatorial Pacific, where nearly 90 percent of bigeye tuna fishing mortality occurs. More in Press Releases 22:54
Bearing Sea Crab Fishermen and processors had their IFQ permits in hand by the close of business Thursday.
Several crab fisheries in the Bering Sea are open as federal regulators were successful in getting fishermen their IFQ permits so they can drop pots. The end of the federal government shutdown on Thursday proved very timely for crab fishermen who were unable during the shutdown to get their IFQ permits. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski issued a statement Friday thanking the National Marine Fisheries Service for processing and faxing out all the permits needed on Thursday. Murkowski confirms that all the fishermen and processors had their permits in hand by the close of business Thursday. more@kdlg 19:52
October 18, 2013 Convictions under the Fisheries Act, Magdalen Islands
QUÉBEC – Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Quebec Region, has released a list of persons convicted of various offences and fined under the Fisheries Act in the Magdalen Islands in August 2013. The fines imposed on the offenders total $4,500. The offenders are: more@DFO 17:15
Coast Guard lifts fisherman from F/V Blue Gadus near Cold Bay, Alaska –
Coast Guard watchstanders at the 17th District command center received a request from Health Force Partners Friday morning for the medevac. The man was reportedly suffering from severe chest pain. The Coast Guard duty flight surgeon was contacted and concurred with the need for the medevac. more@uscgnews 16:36
Center for Sustainable Fisheries Enters Fishery Management Debate – This group has some real horse power.
Dear CSF Friends, Yesterday, CSF had its first rollout meeting in Point Judith, Rhode Island. Several members of the fishing industry attended and expressed excitement about CSF. We are excited to begin to work with the industry to help resolve fishery management issues. Following the meeting, President and CEO of CSF, Brian J. Rothschild was interviewed by Jim Phillips of WBSM. To read Mr. Phillips’s article and listen to the interview, please visit our website’s blog page at: Dr. Rothschild is interviewed by WBSM News more@wbsm website 15:17I Dunno. Maybe that union ain’t a good idea.- Undersized turnout for talk on lobster fishermen’s union
Are they lobstermen or fishermen?! No such thing as a lobsterfish anyway, and I guess that union thing ain’t workin’ out to good. “It’s like a light has been switched. That’s the way they look us now,” Alley continued. Pass the crackers please! Is that fella in the photo tryin’ to hide is face? more@wiscassetnewspaper 15:07
Unintended consequences! As fish move, will quota follow? A new fly in the ointment!! – Video
That ‘ole Gulf o’ Maine Favorite! Anyone know wtf that is???
Warmer ocean waters are leading New England fishermen to raise their eyebrows when they pull up their nets in the Gulf of Maine. If the territory for many of these fish continues to spread North, it could have a major impact on New England’s groundfish industry. The quotas for those fish are held by fishermen south of Cape Cod. There would have to be some restructuring of quota to handle that issue. more@necn 14:38
Tiny sea creatures are heading for extinction, and could take local fisheries with them
A species of one of the world’s tiniest creatures, ocean plankton, is heading for extinction as it struggles to adapt to changes in sea temperature. And it may take local fisheries with it. Answering the question of adaptation is not easy as it requires long-term observations spanning multiple generations. For this study, the research team examined a 50-year time series from the North Atlantic on the distribution and abundance of two very common but contrasting species of ocean plankton, Calanus helgolandicus that lives in warmer water and Calanus finmarchicus that lives in cold water. These crustaceans are vital food for fish and underpin many commercial fisheries in the North Atlantic region. [email protected]
California squid fishery closing for season – reaches harvest limit early
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is closing the commercial fishery for market squid until next year. The department projected the season’s harvest limit of 118,000 tons would be reached Friday, and determined the fishery would close at noon. more@vcstar 13:09
“Red Listed” – Louisiana unhappy with California group’s ‘avoid’ shrimp label
“The socioeconomic impacts to our shrimpers from this designation has the potential to cripple families and coastal communities who have endured repeated disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike, Gustav and Isaac, the BP oil spill and the disappearance of our coast,” Barham wrote. more@houmatoday 08:29
Been a Long Time Comin’ – F/V Lone Star tow operations underway near Dillingham, Al.
The response to the Lone Star began June 30 when the vessel capsized and partially submerged in 18 feet of water with reportedly 14,000 gallons of diesel, 150 gallons of lube oil, 150 gallons of hydraulic fluid and 250 gallons of gasoline aboard. It was reported a change in tide swung the ship against the anchor chair, detaching the transducer and coolant lines. This created a hole in the steel hull and caused the vessel to take on water. more@uscgnews 07:16
Letter: Coalition keeps up fight for fishermen
For over the past five years, the Northeast Seafood Coalition has actively participated in the New England Fishery Management Council process surrounding the Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2 (commonly referred to as the Habitat Omnibus Amendment) to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. more@GDT 02:18
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission – fishermen disagree on shrimp stocks
There is, it seems, more bad news coming out of the ocean than fish. In yet another blow to local commercial fishermen who work the Gulf of Maine winter shrimp season, it appears the 2013-14 shrimping season may be even more dismal than last year’s abbreviated and paltry campaign. more@GDT 02:13
Salmon are dying young in the Salish Sea — and now a $5-million international study hopes to find out why.
The Pacific Salmon Commission and the Southern Fund Committee announced Thursday that the funding over five years will support the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, an effort by Canada and the U.S. “to improve understanding of the causes of salmon and steelhead mortality” in the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound and Juan de Fuca Strait. more@vancouversun 23:05
‘Deadliest Catch’ crew racing to get crabbing after shutdown ends
The National Marine Fisheries Service workers returned to work Thursday with the goal of getting the necessary permits issued by the end of the week. “We have implemented a plan to expedite those permits. We have six staff who are working on that solely today,” said Julie Speegle, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees NMFS. [email protected] 22:31
From the Deckboss – Wait nearly over for crabbers
Julie Speegle, with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Juneau, just told Deckboss agency employees are back at work following the government shutdown, and they’re hustling to prepare the permits necessary for Bering Sea red king crabbers to begin their season. Six staffers are dedicated to the task, and the goal is to issue the permits by the close of business tomorrow, Speegle said. Deckboss
She’s back. Oregon to help World Bank fix nation’s ocean issues
![environmental-watchdog[1]](https://fisherynation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/environmental-watchdog1.jpg)
A World Bank panel is calling for public-private partnerships to improve the health of the world’s oceans. In a report released Wednesday, the panel convened by the World Bank’s Global Partnership for Oceans — an alliance of more than 140 governments, social groups, industry and other interests — encouraged greater cohesion between ocean users and a focus on holistic policy goals. more@sustainablebusiness 16:55
Limits have Maui and Lanai fishing communities worried about ‘cultural rights’
A meeting organized by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources attracted about 100 people Wednesday night at Maui Waena Intermediate School. The changes propose bag and size limits for several popular nearshore reef fish, including goatfish, parrotfish (uhu) and jacks (ulua and papio). Under the new rules, none of the large blue parrotfish (uhu ‘ele’ele and uhu uliuli) may be taken at any time, and no more than two of the other varieties of uhu per fisherman may be taken in a day. more@mauinews 16:29
Coast Guard Plucks Fisherman from F/V St. Philip near Crystal River, Fla.
A crewmember aboard the St. Philip contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders at 10:12 a.m., via VHF-FM channel 16 radio reporting he was suffering from chest pains and in need of medical assistance. more@uscgnews 14:58
