Monthly Archives: October 2013
Coast Guard responding to F/V Sea King – taking on water with four people aboard off Ponte Vedra, Fla.
ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Coast Guard boat and helicopter crews are en route to rescue four people aboard a sinking shrimp boat about 2 miles east of Ponte Vedra, Fla., Tuesday morning. more@uscgnews Update: – Flooding is now under control on the 88-foot shrimp boat that was taking on water. Coast Guardsmen passed a dewatering pump to the vessel and are using it and the Sea King’s dewatering pump to keep up with the flooding. All four people remain aboard. The Sea King is expected to arrive in Mayport Tuesday afternoon. 11:20
The NEFMC/ENGO Edsel – Editorial: Time to put brakes on bogus ocean ‘habitat’ measure
The federal Habitat Omnibus Amendment, already a confounding six years in the works, has a nice ring to it. more@GDT The Edsel is most notorious for being a marketing disaster. Indeed, the name “Edsel” became synonymous with the “real-life” commercial failure of the predicted “perfect” product or product idea. Similar ill-fated products have often been colloquially referred to as “Edsels”. Since the Edsel program was such a debacle, it gave marketers a vivid illustration of how not to market a product. The principal reason the Edsel’s failure is so infamous is that Ford had absolutely no idea that the failure was going to happen until after the vehicles had been designed and built, the dealerships established and $400 million invested in the product’s development and launch. Incredibly, Ford had presumed to invest $400 million (well over $4.0 billion in the 21st century) in developing a new product line without attempting to determine whether such an investment would be wise or prudent. wiki 06:52
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Sudden disappearance of sardines has serious economic and ecological effects on the B.C. coast
A $32-million commercial fishery has inexplicably and completely collapsed this year on the B.C. coast. The sardine seine fleet has gone home after failing to catch a single fish. And the commercial disappearance of the small schooling fish is having repercussions all the way up the food chain to threatened humpback whales. more@vancouversun 0:21
Salt of the Sea screens for students at Murie Science Building, University of Alaska Fairbanks
The screening of the movie 
was produced and directed by filmmaker Tom Garber. “Salt of the Sea” is a story about what it takes to be a fisherman out in the open seas of New England and how governmental policies, economics and courage pushed fishermen to their limits and beyond. more@uafsunstar 23:57
U.S. government should issue a moratorium on removing Gulf oil and gas platforms until the law catches up with the science.
“The Gulf of Mexico will lose a third of its 3,600 offshore oil and gas platforms in the next 5 years,” according to an analysis published in 2011 by EcoRigs, a nonprofit organization based in Baton Rouge that seeks to change policies concerning platform removals. “They create one of the most prolific ecosystems, by area, on the planet. It is estimated that the removal of 1,250 platforms will destroy 1,875 acres of coral reef habitat and 7 billion invertebrates, many of which are federally protected.” more@bestofneworleans 23:07
Subsistence Boundaries Take Center Stage at Joint Board of Fisheries and Game Meeting – Video
More Alaskans shared their concerns over subsistence boundaries on Sunday at the Joint Board of Fisheries and Game meeting. more@ktuu 22:41
Russian court refuses bail to Russian court refuses bail – Radicals call the accusations trumped up.
Willcox had earlier been fined $620 for refusing orders to sail his ship, the Arctic Sunrise, to Murmansk, the Interfax news agency reported. The vessel was subsequently towed. The 28 activists and two journalists were arrested after their ship was seized by the coast guard Sept. 19, one day after the protest. They were charged with piracy, which carries a jail term of up to 15 years, and the court sanctioned their detentions for two months. more@portlandpress 18:16
Fish fight: Walmart caught in the middle of Alaska salmon tangle
After a push from Alaskan salmon fisheries, Walmart considers alternative seafood certification systems. Will this undermine the Marine Stewardship Council’s dominance? more@theguardian 15:08
More than 80% of Alaska salmon will not be sold as MSC, says ASMI
A recent announcement by the Marine Stewardship Council should not be interpreted as a change in decision by a dozen Alaskan companies to no longer sell and support MSC salmon, said the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). Although the bulk of the Alaska salmon fishery has earned MSC, the vast majority of Alaska salmon processing companies — 27 in total — will not be selling MSC-certified Alaskan salmon, said ASMI on Monday. more@undercurrent 13:49
Weak link in the food chain – Most marine life relies on a regular and ongoing supply of phytoplankton.
These microscopic marine plants lie at the base of the marine food chain and form the staple diet of minute ocean creatures called zooplankton. Without enough zooplankton in the seas, most marine life would not survive. Geo-engineering/ Reefs threat/ Future prospects [email protected] 13:09
Factory Trawler ‘Alaska Ocean’ to Retrofit Rolls-Royce Promas Lite Integrated Propeller and Rudder System
Promas Lite is an integrated propeller and rudder system that increases efficiency and is designed specifically for retrofitting to existing ships. Glacier Fish is currently installing the newest version of Promas Lite, which incorporates a new nozzle design for even greater efficiency gains, on their Alaska Ocean factory trawler at Vigor Shipyard in Seattle, Washington. [email protected] 12:23
Commercial Fishing, conference center on the City of Monterey council agenda
The council will hear the results of a 2012 grant-financed study on the sustainability of commercial fishing in Monterey
. The city and Morro Bay were awarded such grants by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The report concludes local commercial fishing not only has a future, but it can be protected, stabilized and expanded by taking several key actions. They include improving wharf infrastructure and supporting development of a community quota fund for the groundfish fishery. more@mercurynews 11:59
Elwha River building beaches again: Crab found where it once was too rocky
Miller, a coastal hazards specialist with Washington Sea Grant, came across a Dungeness crab that had tucked itself into fine-grain sand onto the lowest portion of a beach east of the river mouth, just north of where Sampson Road on the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation ends. more@pdn 11:43
F/V Alaska Juris Fisherman Medevaced near Cold Bay, Alaska
The Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk
crew rendezvoused with the Alaska Juris approximately 110 miles north of Cold Bay, safely hoisted the man aboard the helicopter and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Cold Bay for further care. more@uscgnews 10:57
Study links warmer water temperatures to greater levels of mercury in fish
Killifish are not usually big eaters. But in warmer waters, at temperatures projected for the future by climate scientists, their metabolism — and their appetites — go up, which is not a good thing if there are toxins in their food. more@wapo Research Article: Experimental and Natural Warming Elevates Mercury Concentrations in Estuarine Fish @plosone.org 10:13
Hawaii longline fishery to take 40-percent cut on its current bigeye tuna quota? video
“Right now we are basically at a position where this international body the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission is going to be deciding the next sort of phase of the conservation and management for bigeye tuna,” Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Enforcement Coordinator Eric Kingma said. Kingma says even though Hawaii fishermen fish thousands of miles away from where the overfishing is happening, Hawaii is being targeted because we are part of the U.S. commission. more@kohn2 03:23
The Philippines has resumed White shrimp exports to US, China
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Asis Perez said shrimp growers in General Santos City, Negros, Cebu and Batangas started shipping dozens of containers of white shrimps to other countries. He said each 40-foot container carried 26 metric tons of white shrimps. more@manillastandardtoday 16:02
It ain’t lookin’ good. Federal shutdown could keep crab fishermen on the docks
Alaska’s crab fisheries could be a casualty of the government shutdown. All crab seasons officially open Oct. 15, but as of Oct. 8, the National Marine Fisheries Service did not have the staff to issue permits before the season started. NMFS is not responsible for the Community Development Quota fisheries, however, and in its announcements ADFG has said that those fisheries will open as scheduled. more@alaskajournal 13:40
Eco Capitalist Hypocrisy: The two Suzukis: There’s Saint Suzuki, the one you see on CBC, and Secret Suzuki, the capitalist millionaire
What? What???
Saint Suzuki rails against corporations and profits. He even gave a well-received anti-capitalist speech at the Occupy Vancouver protest. But Secret Suzuki himself has several corporations. One of them, the David Suzuki Foundation, took in a whopping $9 million last year and has $12 million in assets. More than 10 million of that is invested in stocks and bonds. Saint Suzuki despises lobbyists, and says they have a disproportionate control of political power in Ottawa. But Secret Suzuki himself has nine paid lobbyists registered in Ottawa’s lobbyist registry. Not one. Nine. more@calgarysun 13:12
Lessons to be learned – Protect your ocean food source from hungry wildlife
There’s no doubt that managing critters in the landscape can be a challenge especially as food supplies start to dwindle. If you are battling with rabbits spiny dogfish, deer Sea Otters , groundhogs seals or other predatory wildlife, don’t let down your guard as the growing season begins to wind down. Be proactive. Amend the MSA, the MMPA, and the ESA! A common sense article to keep rutabagas plentiful. 12:36
The F-Word Again – as in Re-authorization of the Magnusson Stevens Act (MSA)
What is today’s F-word? Well, it is “flexibility” and seems to be the central concept being pushed for the current Re-authorization of the Magnusson Stevens Act (MSA), also know as the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA), so named after its re-authorization in 2006. I am hoping that this reauthorization does not become the “Flexible Fisheries Act.” [email protected] 11:48
Oregon Anglers To Pay More To Fund Elimination Of Gill-Nets From Lower Columbia
Perhaps this is obvious, but let us be clear — the challenged rules require a major reallocation of fishing rights for ESA-impacts from commercial fishers to recreational fishers. The rules focus on who can harvest listed species, not whether the fish may be caught,” according to the brief filed by commercial fishing interests. more@dalleschronicle 11:26
Commercial Stone crab season starts Oct. 15
Commercial stone-crab fishermen cross their fingers and hope the new season beginning Tuesday is not a repeat of the last season. Stone crabs rank behind only lobster in economic impact to the Keys’ commercial fishing industry. more@keysnet 10:31
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update October 13, 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 10:13
Viewpoints: Water in redwood country is worth more than nickel
Far up on our North Coast, the Smith River flows as an incomparable gem of California, breathtakingly beautiful as it courses crystalline through the heart of redwood country. The Smith is the state’s only major river lacking both storage and smaller diversion dams. It’s also our finest stronghold of Chinook salmon – vital to commercial fisheries at sea and also to a vibrant sportfishing industry. Because of unusual geology, the basin has some of the greatest diversity of plant life in the West. more@sacbee 08:31
AK salmon season sets a record; Average sockeye price $1.60/lb
As expected, Alaska’s 2013 salmon catch is one for the record books. Early tallies by state fishery managers show that fishermen caught 272 million salmon this summer, smashing the previous record of 221 salmon in 2005. The fishery was powered by a whopping catch of 219 million pinks. more@alaskafishradio 08:04
Obama administration uses government shutdown to ban fishing off of the Florida Keys
“This is going to put a lot of guys together in a small area close to the park,” Makowski said. “It’s going to be even worse on the weekend when we’re going to have to compete with the recreational anglers.” more@globaldispatch 22:59
Commercial Fishing Photo Of The Day | Jay Fisher, We Miss You by JuneauTek
Governor Deval Patrick has signed a proclamation establishing Saturday as “Massachusetts Lobster Day.”
“I would like to thank the Patrick Administration for their continued support of the Commonwealth’s lobster industry,” states Bill Adler, executive director of the Mass. Lobstermen’s Association. “Lobster is a perfect meal for every special occasion, especially during the holiday season. Besides having a delicious and healthy dinner experience, you will also be supporting our Massachusetts lobstermen.” more@golocalworcester 19:07
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Votes to Initiate Interagency Working Group on River Herring and Shad
Philadelphia, PA This week the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted to address additional conservation of river herring and shad through an interagency working group. PDF/Printer-friendly version 11:52
