Monthly Archives: October 2013
Fishermen or Divers? Dive Boat or Fishing Vessel? – Four Fishermen Face Felony Charges for Spearing Striped Bass
In late August, the Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) were on a routine patrol from Shinnecock to Fishers Island when they observed three divers with spear guns in hand boarding the fishing vessel Sea Spearit at Valiant Rock in a shallow area East of Gull Island. Upon boarding the vessel, operated by Christopher R. Miller of Montauk, the ECOs found both tagged striped bass and untagged striped bass in coolers. Some of the tagged fish bore the tags belonging to Mr. Miller; others were tagged with tags belonging to Mr. Miller’s sister, Tanya J. Miller, who was not present on the ship. more@longisland 14:21
Dry Tortugas- Everglades National Park is expected to fully reopen by Thursday afternoon, to fully reopen by Friday morning
Park Superintendent Dan Kimball emailed commercial fishermen early Thursday to say he was opening the bay immediately, along with other areas of the park that do not depend on the reopening of facilities or the return of furloughed staff.. more@clickorlando 13:47
Hearing set on rules defining placement of Lake Superior trap nets
BAYFIELD – A proposed rule defining the number and placement of commercial fishing trap nets in a restricted use area on Lake Superior is the topic of a public hearing Nov. 7 in Bayfield. more@ashlandwi
Judge: National Marine Fisheries Service erred in bluefish limits
ST. CROIX – A federal judge has ordered the National Marine Fisheries Service to redo a portion of a biological opinion that was part of the process in setting annual catch limits for bluefish – also called parrotfish – in federal Caribbean waters. more@virginislanddaily 13:26
From the Deckboss -,Cantwell, Begich urge administration to open Bristol Bay red king crab fishery
Awright NOAA/ NMFS, BACK TO WORK! I aint puttin’ any pressure on ya, but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Government Re Boot!
Even before President Barack Obama signed into law a deal that officially ended the government shutdown, Yosemite National Park fired off a statement: We’re open for business, right now. That’s nice, but I don’t really care about that. This is what I care about! Crabbers rejoice (maybe not all at once) The good news: The permits may start flowing Thursday. The bad news: There may be such a tremendous backlog of requests that some crabbers still won’t be able to work for a while. LET’S GO! morefromcnn 10:14
Renews fisherman Gerard Chidley appointment part of major changes at NAFO
NAFO has long been a source of controversy and intrigue since its inception in 1979. The organization’s role is basically to manage and monitor fish resources between all the member nations — including countries in North America, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean — that fish in the NAFO convention area off the east coast of Newfoundland. more@cbcnews 09:41
Alaskan Crabbers Fear Russian Pinch in US Gov’t Shutdown
“There’s a ton of Russian product in Japanese cold storage. If the Japanese are not able to procure crab from Alaska, they’re not going to give up crab during the holidays,” Mark Gleason, head of the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, a Seattle-based industry group, told RIA Novosti by telephone Wednesday. more@rinovosti 23:53
Bay Area commercial fisherman unloaded the season’s last haul of salmon – best Chinook fishing since 2005
The king salmon fishery, one of the most valuable in California, continues to rebound after suffering through three shortened or canceled seasons between 2008 and 2010. Fishermen and regulators attribute the resurgence in part to favorable river and ocean conditions several years ago when the current generation of adults hatched and made their way out to sea. more@timeherald 23:45
Artificial reef building project planned for summer 2014
“It’s like a manmade cave that we are putting on the bottom,” said Bob Martore of DNR. Frank Gibson III with the Beaufort Sportfishing & Diving Club said it’s incredible how the ocean transforms the junk metal into marine habitat. “The people who’ve never been diving are kind of mesmerized by seeing the sharks, the flounder, the grouper there,” he said. more@islandpacket 22:40
CF/V Gale Force grounded by storm leaking fuel onto Comox beach
“All of us, as hospital employees, have been watching oil and gas leak into the ocean on high tide every day, a big rainbow,” he says. “It’s quite a bit of oil and gas that’s been coming out of that thing at high tide … It’s devastating to watch.” more@cmoxvalleyrecord 22:24
Listen Live! From Honolulu – Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Meeting – Happening NOW!
The 158th Council Meeting starts today with agency reports and Hawaii Archipelago and PRIA FEPs. If you can’t make it down to the Laniakea YWCA in downtown Honolulu, you can catch the meeting online at
https://wprfmc.webex.com/
For the agenda and other information (including the webex link) visit www.wpcouncil.org 19:43
Undersized oysters, undersized greater amberjack, possession in a prohibited area from Apalachicola Bay
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers within Franklin County are continuing to address the illegal harvest of undersized oysters from Apalachicola Bay. more@thetimes 17:10
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – No Tanner crab fishery next year at Kodiak and the Westward regions. More after this
There will be no January Tanner crab fishery for fishermen at Kodiak, Chignik and the South Peninsula. It’s not unexpected. We’ve been seeing a decline in abundance of legal sized or mature male Tanner crab for the last couple of years. Mike Stichert is a shellfish biologist at ADF&G in Kodiak. more@fishradio 17:01
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Diving for dollars. Hear more after this . . .
Diving for sea cucumbers, geoduck clams, and sea urchins is a unique yet very lucrative fishery. Southeast holds the title for the biggest dive fisheries when it opens in the fall. Around 150 divers are searching the bottom of the ocean for sea cumbers this year. listen@fishradio 16:51
US Coast Guard Braces for Western Alaska Winter Fisheries
This year’s forward operating location will consist of one Jayhawk with rotating crews from Kodiak. A second Jayhawk and crew will remain at the ready in Kodiak to assist in any long-range or complex cases. The forward operating location in Cold Bay ensures the Coast Guard will be able to assist fish harvesters working in and around Bristol Bay, the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands. A Coast Guard cutter equipped with an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Kodiak will also be on patrol in the region throughout the season. more@fishermansnews 16:45
Maine Offshore Wind Project Scuttled – Statoil Scraps $120 Million Plans
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Norwegian company Statoil announced on Tuesday that it was abandoning a proposed $120 million wind project off the coast of Maine, which industry officials once said could make Maine a leader in offshore wind power, after Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration maneuvered to reopen the competitive bidding process. more@huffpo 10:01
Gloucester lands $75K state fishing grant – New Bedford the same for (drum roll,,,,) Another study!
The funds became available after Tarr and Sen. Mark C. Montigny successfully worked to insert an amendment into the state budget. That amendment authorized $150,000 in state grants “to assist local fishing communities in identifying port infrastructure that is critical to the continued viability and sustainability of the local groundfish industry.” (fer cripe sake! all of it!) more@GDT 09:23
All dressed up with no place to go – Alaska’s King-Crab Fleet Is Left in Port by Shutdown
The federal workers needed to process the permits for each boat’s catch quota were on furlough. Equally frustrating, said Tom Suryan, a crabber with 35 years of experience, was that the weather was lovely. The violent seas that crab crews can commonly confront in the fall, and that television audiences have become familiar with in shows like “Deadliest Catch,” were nowhere in sight. more@NYT o8:34
“It sets a dangerous precedent,” – Fish baron wins bid to use foreign ship to catch Canadian Redfish quota
In an unprecedented decision the federal Conservative government is allowing one of the region’s largest seafood processors to hire a foreign vessel to catch its Canadian fish quota. 
The move is being described as a temporary solution to a shore-based disaster, but it is raising questions for some. “It sets a dangerous precedent,” said outgoing Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Sterling Belliveau. “I’m amazed. When I look at rural Nova Scotia I see boats tied up because they have no access to resource.” more@cbcnews 00:00
Endangered Species Act (ESA) Congressional Working Group forum. Senator Tom Casperon (R-Escanaba) testify’s
The forum, “Reviewing 40 Years of the Endangered Species Act and Seeking Improvement for People and Species,” featured 17 panelists. Each panelist represents a wide range of diverse groups and interests across the country. They discussed ways the ESA could be altered to better serve state issues and needs. more@abc10up 23:22
Stone Crabbers Strike against Joe’s Stone Crab. Say they low balled the Wholesale price.
Joe’s defended the price as appropriate for the start of the seven-month season for stone crabs, saying it has never set wholesale rates this high on Day One. Stephen Sawitz, the COO of Joe’s, which his family owns, said prices typically increase as the season approaches Christmas. He said he did not want to be stuck overpaying for claws before he got a sense of how much supply would be out there this year. “If the price drops, I’m stuck,’’ he said. more@miamiherald 22:57PETA Strikes out on Maine Lobster Lunacy, kicks it up a notch with Alligator Cruelty in Louisiana – Nite Crawlers in Nebraska Next!
The animal rights group nut’s, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is pushing for the prosecution of a swamp tour operator accused of striking an alligator, but the St. Martin Parish District Attorney’s Office is questioning the strength of the case. more@theadvocate 22:19
Columbia River Basin Salmon Management Policy Talks to begin on Columbia commercial seine fishing
A new advisory board to provide recommendations for developing a commercial seine fishery on the lower Columbia River will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2108 Grand Blvd. The public is invited to the session of the five-member Emerging Fishery Advisory Board. more@thecolumbian 21:08
“Eat Gulf Seafood” Videos Tell Story of Seafood and Good Times
“Eat Gulf seafood,” said Joanne McNeely sitting in her Tallahassee, FL office. “The purpose of our organization is fairly simple, to develop a strategy to showcase the Gulf of Mexico’s great seafood.” more@gulfseafoodnews 20:29
U.S. Coast Guard grants extension to some certificates of documentation for commercial vessels.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Tuesday that it will allow commercial vessels engaged in domestic voyages between ports in the United States or its possessions to operate with an expired certificate of documentation as long as they are in compliance with all other requirements for operation. more@uscgnews 16:31
Bering Sea crab season opens today; fleet still tied to the docks
Not so Pretty Penny is off to a lousy start. Murkowski, Young, Hastings, Press Pritzker “We urge you to use your authority consistent with the Antideficiency Act to responsibly manage the 2013 Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab fisheries.”
The Alaska King crab season opened today, but without IFQ permits most of the fleet of 80 vessels remain tied up in port. Permits cannot be issued until the government shutdown is ended, or NMFS gets permission for a reallocation of personnel. The delays are currently costing around $1000 per day per vessel, but things could get much more costly if the shutdown is not resolved in the next four or five days. more@alaskafishradio 13:26
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Crab season stats and salmon tallies. More fisheries updates after this…
October 15th marks the start for Bristol Bay Red kings, Bering Sea Tanners and Snow crab. The Red King crab catch is up this year by 91/2 percent with 8.6 million pounds. Tanners is reopened this year with a 3 million pound quota. The Bering Sea Snow crab catch is down by nearly 19% at just under 54 million pounds. Due to government shutdown,,listen@fishradio 12:48
“Doing this job isn’t to get rich. It’s a quality of life.” Waterman John VanAlstine – Soaking up the wisdom of the watermen
It’s not every day that you can shoot the breeze with some watermen — the shrinking group of men and women who make a living oystering, crabbing and fishing on the bay — but the Watermen Heritage Tours program has made it possible. [email protected] 12:42
A life on the water – Newburyport’s Bob Yeomans feted for 45 years at sea
NEWBURYPORT — Veteran boat captain Bob Yeomans has a saying about life on the Atlantic: There are no 401(k) plans to be had by fishing Jeffrey’s Ledge. So Captain Bob continues on, taking out the Erica Lee II on fishing trips and coastal discoveries as he has for decades. more@newburyportnews 12:05
