Monthly Archives: November 2013
Alaska salmon management: A unique process for a unique state
Editor’s note: this is the fifth in the Morris Communications series “The case for conserving the Kenai king salmon.” For a young state, Alaska has a long history with fisheries management. Alaska’s desire to manage fisheries, and salmon in particular, was a driving force during the push for statehood, and more than a century before that, the commercial fishing industry was a major component of the United States purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1857. more@alaskajournal 12:25
Stephen Taufen sent me a can of Fields Wild Salmon, Premium Red! I feel ALIVE!
I opened the can, drained it, and started to eat it with a fork. I felt life taking over my body with every bite! I MUST have more! Thank you, Stephen, for the jump start, and the Crewmens Association hat! Fish Killed – Boats Filled! BH
JACKSON COUNTY, MS – Not enough wildlife officers to go around
“We’re in dire straits,” admitted Colonel Steve Adcock, Chief of Law Enforcement with the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. He says his officers are spread too thin. more@msnewsnow 11:24
Oregon: Start of commercial Dungeness crab season will be delayed again
According to Hugh Link, director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, the delays are necessary to ensure consumers get a lot of meat for their dollar — and that fishermen get a lot of dollars for their meat. “The fuller they are of meat, the better they are for the consumer and for the fisherman,” Link said. more@thecolumbian 10:31
California’s Dungeness crab season off to a promising start
Dungeness crab season kicked off Nov. 15, and there’s plenty of good news for those who crave this tasty crustacean. The commercial season started on time, the crabs are looking pleasantly plump, and prices remain stable. So if you were planning to boil some crabs plucked fresh from the San Francisco Bay – or looking to add some cracked legs and claws to a pot of cioppino – keep a bib, fork and some drawn butter on standby. more@sacbee 10:21
AquaBounty CEO Ron Stotish is brushing off criticism from anti-GMO groups
The CEO of an American company producing genetically modified salmon eggs in eastern Prince Edward Island is brushing off criticism from anti-GMO groups. AquaBounty announced this week it had received approval from Environment Canada to produce the eggs on a commercial scale. It had been operating as a research facility. Critics have complained the Canadian government’s approval of its hatchery in Bay Fortune, P.E.I., was done in secret without public consultation. more@cbcnews 09:06
Using satellite imagery from Google Earth, Daniel Pauly and Associates Bust Ancient Persian Gulf Weir Fishermen! Now THAT’s Science!
Ah. He’s a clever one! Large fish traps in the Persian Gulf could be catching up to six times more fish than what’s being officially reported, according to the first investigation of fish catches from space conducted by University of British Columbia scientists. more@sciencedaily 22:26
Bluenose II project manager cost triples to $1.3M – Canadian Taxpayers Federation calling on province to fire Bluenose II project .
“The job of the management consultant is to work with the government to ensure that the boat is delivered on time and on budget,” said Kevin Lacey, the Atlantic Canada director of the taxpayers federation. “Now we’re two and a half years late … and it’s millions over budget. And now even the people in charge of ensuring that that doesn’t happen, their contract is also three times more.” more@cbcnews 21:26
For example, if not planned carefully, wind energy development could harm productive fisheries, Really?!!!
Newburyport — The Storm Surge speaker series continues at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 6 Plum Island Tpke., with a screening of “Ocean Frontiers II: A New England Story for Sustaining the Sea,” followed by a panel discussion.(and what a panel it is!) Panelists will include Catherine Bowes, program manager, Northeast Offshore Wind Program, National Wildlife Federation, and Christopher Boelke, field offices supervisor, NOAA Fisheries, Habitat Conservation Division. more@wickedlocal 21:09
Maine Department of Marine Resources to meet with fishermen about reducing elver catch
ELLSWORTH, Maine — State officials have scheduled two public meetings to get feedback from fishermen about how Maine should reduce its elver landings next spring. more@BDN 20:52
Altamaha Riverkeeper to Sue Rayonier for Clean Water Violations
“They have just spent several hundred million dollars to update their mill, but they continue to discharge dark, chemical-laden water into the Altamaha,” said Deborah Sheppard, executive director of ARK. more@businesswire 20:45
Kodiak gives thanks for the fish …
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Thankful are we to Alaska’s fisheries,,,“I am most thankful for the people I got to know on the boat and for teaching me how to work on the boat.”“The little boost in salmon prices. That’s been helpful the past couple of years.”“Good weather whenever we get it.” listen@fishradio 20:20
Gulf Nova Scotia Sustainable Fisheries Collaborative Research Society out to net individual N.S. fishermen
“Particularly in the (Gulf of St. Lawrence) region, there’s a certain amount of animosity between some organizations,” said Patty King, who has been hired as a consultant to kick-start the society, on Monday. “But one thing they all have in common is the need for good solid fisheries science.” more@cronicleherald 15:02
Washington still hooked on fishing – sprawling, 150-year-old maritime industry continues to be a major mainstay of the state’s economy.
Water, water everywhere and lots of jobs to boot. That’s the gist of a new report on the economic impact of the maritime industry in Washington State. The report spotlights the important role the maritime industry plays in the state’s economy, estimating that the sector generates $30 billion in total revenues and about 148,000 jobs. more@crosscut 14:23
Appointees named for Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative Board
The board, established by the Legislature, was formed in October and is charged with marketing and promoting Maine lobster. It is the first step in a five-year, multimillion-dollar investment the industry has committed to marketing Maine lobster. more@BDN 14:12
Migrating dolphins found dead in NE Fla.
Wildlife officials say at least 16 dead dolphins have washed up on northeast Florida beaches. In addition, NOAA fisheries spokeswoman Allison Garrett says 11 other dolphins were recovered over the weekend. more@myfoxorlando 13:35
Cod not in danger, researcher George Rose says
George Rose, a former federal fisheries scientist who has studied cod for decades, said while stocks are not as plentiful as they once were, they are not nearing extinction. “I don’t really believe that there is any danger for any of these species — cod, redfish or plaice — going biologically extinct,” Rose told CBC News in a telephone interview. more@cbcnews 13:26
Furious over threats to the (Chesapeake) bay [Letter]
I speak on behalf of all those who are passionate about the health of the Chesapeake Bay when I say I am furious (“Farm pollution rule withdrawn,” Nov. 18).It seems like with every passing week, there is another story about dead zones, or fisheries in decline, or harbor businesses struggling; but no mention of meaningful attempts to restore the bay. read more here 13:13
Seal product ban upheld on ‘ethical’ grounds – ‘Public moral concerns’ cited
The WTO, while finding that the EU’s so-called Seal Regime had violated international trade agreements, also determined that the ban was valid because of a controversial public morals clause. more@cbcnews 10:08
Gulf of Maine Shrimp season may be a non-starter
In a report prepared last week, the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said it will recommend a total “moratorium on fishing in 2014 to maximize spawning potential” of the Gulf of Maine shrimp population. more@GDT
09:55
EPA Awards $500,000 to Reduce Marine Emissions
Two Massachusetts projects have been awarded more than half a million dollars under a competitive national grant competition to reduce diesel emissions. more@ecori 09:48
Fishing Industry At Risk Of Disappearing In New England – Video
“You base all the management on best available science, now does that mean perfect science, of course not there is no such thing as perfect science,” says John Bullard of NOAA. According to Bullard, the science says there is no cod. As a result they have cut the catch limit for fisherman by 78 percent. Al Cottone says he recently caught his annual quota of five thousand pounds of cod. Not in a month or week, but in just five hours. more@wbznews 00:38
PNA Must Cut Purse-Seine Juvenile Bigeye Catches
HONOLULU (23 November 2013) A proposal that would subject the US longline tuna fisheries to a 45 percent reduction in bigeye tuna catch is being proposed by the Parties of Nauru Agreement (PNA), an organization that has supported rampant expansion of tuna purse-seining in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), says Arnold Palacios, chair of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC). This impact of the purse-seine expansion has led to bigeye overfishing and a 75 percent reduction in bigeye yield. Read more here 22:07
New fines, policy in place for Fisheries Act – Environmental groups disappointed with changes
The amendments include an increase in the penalties under s. 40 of the act including a minimum fine of $500,000 for large corporations and a maximum $6 million fine for companies on first offences (on indictment) and that doubles on second offences for environmental provisions (fines on illegal fishing have not changed). more@canadianlawyermag 20:01
2014 Alaska groundfish catches set for release
The numbers for next year’s groundfish catch quotas are scheduled to be posted today/Tuesday by federal overseers. This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – A first glimpse at next year’s groundfish catches. More after this @fishradio 19:14
Oil and gas wins, fish lose with changes to Fisheries Act, say environmentalists
Changes to Canada’s fisheries legislation that came into force November 25 could help speed up resource development at the expense of fragile ocean and freshwater ecosystems, environmental groups and scientists are warning. [email protected] 17:52
Only half of drugs, other newly emerging contaminants removed from sewage treatment
Only about half of the prescription drugs and other newly emerging contaminants in sewage are removed by treatment plants. More than 1,400 wastewater treatment plants in the United States and Canada discharge 4.8 billion gallons of treated effluent into the Great Lakes basin every day, according to the study.The scientists reviewed 10 years of data from wastewater treatment plants worldwide to see how well they removed 42 compounds that are increasingly showing up in the Great Lakes. more@envirohealthnews 17:09
Alaska – The End of the Year Fisheries Wrap Up
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. The end of the 2013 fishing season draws near. More fisheries updates after this…listen @fishradio 17:03
Bluefin Tuna Catch Quota Maintained as Shark Limit Rejected
The commission, which is known as ICCAT and has 46 member countries as well as the European Union, decided to leave the 2014 quota at 1,750 metric tons in the western Atlantic and 13,400 metric tons in the eastern Atlantic at a week-long meeting in Cape Town. more@bloomberg 13:59
Changing food source bodes ill for whales, cod
Friedland believes this connection might help explain why Atlantic cod still remains at low population levels despite nearly 20 years of increasingly harsh fishing regulations. more@capecodtimes 12:59
