Monthly Archives: November 2013
Seal product ban in Europe upheld by WTO panel – Video
A World Trade Organization panel today upheld a European ban against Canadian seal products, even though it found the European Union had also violated international trade rules. more@cbcnews 11:31
“The priority is the safety of the men,” Lobster season delayed in Halifax-Digby zones
The start of the lobster season has been postponed in two Nova Scotia zones because of bad weather. It was originally supposed to start Monday. more@cbcnews 11:24
Oregon Commercial Dungeness crab season delayed
NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Fish and Wildlife officials say the commercial Dungeness crab season on the Oregon coast will be delayed through at least Dec. 15 to allow the crabs to fill with meat. [email protected] 11:14
AquaBounty GM Salmon Eggs Cleared for Production in Canada
CANADA – Environment Canada, the agency of the Government of Canada with responsibility for regulating environmental policies and issues, has decided, more@the fishsite 11:06
What became of the Yukon kings? An in-river look
New head of Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, Karen Profita, to face money challenges
Though the board has been in existence for decades, it has become more prominent after proceeds from BP left it flush with $30 million for promotion campaigns to mitigate the spill’s damage to the reputation of the state’s seafood. Over the summer, however, the board ran into a stumbling block. Some thought the board had only until this month to empty that account, which was almost half-full at the time. more@houmatoday 10:46
Tholepin Blog has NMFS on the Defensive! – They say you’re not credible, when even they can’t get it right?
“Tholepin is not a credible source,” she wrote. The blogger was, at the time, quoting the federal agency’s own figures for numbers on bycatch. (Julie)Speegle NOAA, subsequently warned “I usually urge (use of) our standard statement ‘Catch numbers may change as more information becomes available’ because the data will likely change.” And in subsequent emails with Speegle, it did turn out that Tholepin’s report of “228,800 pounds of halibut wasted by draggers just last week” was wrong. It was under-reported by 478 pounds. The actual quantity was 229,278 pounds. more@alaskadispatch 22:45
Paul Cohan: This is in response to John Bullard in the Myopic View Column in the GDT
I don’t know where to start. This is one of those instances where “to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool is better than opening it up and removing all doubt”, something you should’ve considered before you submitted this deceptive drool. Your self serving revisionist history would be right up there with “intelligent design” if not for the fact that there is nothing intelligent designed into “Your View: Read more here – John Bullard, My View: Fisheries hold challenges, opportunities 20:41
Charter captain: Pew Charitable Trusts and Audubon Florida forage fish report is not based on the reality
Thus, Pew and Audubon are striking up fear of something that isn’t there, Eller says. “I can guarantee if the oxygen leaves the room, we’re all going to die,” Eller told The Log. “But they are looking for regulation on something that’s not happening.” more@thedestinlog 18:46
366 days in prison and more than $105,000 in penalties – Fisherman Charles Wertz Jr. sentenced for falsifying fish records
Charles Wertz Jr., who had operated the Freeport-based commercial trawler the Norseman, pleaded guilty in August to one count of wire fraud and two counts of falsification of federal records. more@newsday 18:15
We’re from the government and we’re here to shake you down – Imagine a federal enforcement agency with a “slush fund” accumulated from fines that the agency personnel levied on the owners of small businesses for making administrative errors and spent by employees of that same agency with inadequate or non-existent controls. http://www.fishnet-usa.com/NOAA_OLE_GCEL%20Shakedown.htm
WTO panel to report on EU seal products ban Monday
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Advocates both for and against Canada’s commercial seal hunt will be watching Monday as the World Trade Organization rules on the European Union’s ban on imported seal products. The ban is hailed by animal welfare activists and has drawn Hollywood star power from the likes of actors Jude Law and Pamela Anderson who want it upheld. more@nationalnewswatch 12:40
Salmon return to San Jose, thrilling long-time ‘river watchdog’ Roger Castillo
SAN JOSE — Amid the din and concrete of downtown San Jose, one man rejoiced over the autumnal return of a species as wild and old as the hills — and even more mysterious. [email protected] 11:43
Tom Dempsey Fails to Shut down the Mid Water Fleet – Cape fishermen fail to get emergency haddock rules in place
“This is about haddock,” said Tom Dempsey, a member of the New England Fishery Management Council who is also the policy director for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance in Chatham. (No it ain’t) more@capecodtimes Meet Tom Dempsey – “I think the Cape and Islands has a very different perspective on a lot of issues.” 10:49
Fisheries council balks at ban on herring trawling more@bostonglobe
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update NOVEMBER 24, 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 09:59
Commercial stone crab fishing is off to a horrendous start this year – Fewer crabs, higher prices for claws
“It has been a disastrous start,” Key Fisheries owner Gary Graves said. “It is the highest prices on record. But the catch has been horrible. I am not very confident that this going to be a good year.” more@keysnews 06:18
Scallop boat brought to safety after losing power on Bay of Fundy
A scallop boat and its crew that were adrift on the Bay of Fundy Saturday were rescued despite high winds and a falling tide. The Tide Nova lost power as it approached Halls Harbour, Kings County. “Time was of the essence,” he said. “If this had happened 20 minutes later, that boat would have been lost.” more@cronicleherald 21:25
Maine: Scallop conservation measures paying off with record average statewide price in 2012
Patrick Keliher, head of DMR, said in the same statement that the new management approach has been “challenging,” but gave credit to fishermen for making it work. “Their commitment to make necessary sacrifices and to work with us is now paying off,” Keliher said. more@BDN 19:37
Letter: Stories show need to focus on NOAA science – Mike Dyer, Essex, Ma
The Nov. 21 Times included several illuminating items about the state of our fisheries. In his letter to the editor, Paul Cohan took NOAA regional administrator John Bullard out to the woodshed, shredding Bullard’s recent “My View” piece. In the other, we learned that the New England Fisheries Management Council will not impose emergency restrictions on the big herring trawlers, against the protests of haddock fishermen, who say that the trawlers take too many haddock as bycatch. more@GDT 17:34
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries: Red drum commercial harvest closes
“Since many fishermen report their landings through paper trip tickets, the red drum landings may be above the harvest limit for this period,” said DMF Director Louis Daniel. Daniel issued a proclamation closing the fishery as of 8 a.m. today. more@jdnews 15:47
BP Declares Total War on Trial Judge in Gulf Spill Case
The assault on U.S District Judge Carl Barbier concerns one particular battle in a larger legal war, and the oil company’s aggressive strategy could come back haunt it on other fronts. more@businessweek 13:26
F/V OPTIMUS – Maiden Voyage
Published on Nov 22, 2013 Maiden voyage on the F/V Optimus. John Barry has just built the ultimate fishing machine. Built by Northern Marine in Anacortes Wa. Radar Marine put in all the electronics. This boat is ready to kill some fish. 12:58
An island of fishing communities few know much about – Deer Island’s waves of change
A three-part video series on this remote fishing island – CBC’s Matthew Bingley visits Deer Island in a three-part video series that explores the stories affecting the islanders. more@cbcnews 11:19
Broken Bureaucracy – Magnuson-Stevens Act – It’s All Out of Balance
Since 1976, when the Magnuson-Stevens Act went into effect, both Captain Krusa’s regulation by natural selection and the Magnuson-Stevens Act’s promised balance between controlling harvests and protecting fishing communities have gone by the board. To be fair, the job has become extraordinarily complex, in large part because fish are hard to count, but also because the regulatory machinery, which includes government scientists, battling user groups, powerful conservation groups, and industry representatives, is broken. The result is a wasted resource and damaged communities. [email protected] 08:16
Cod, redfish recommended for endangered status
Several valuable commercial fish species in Newfoundland and Labrador, including Atlantic cod and redfish, are being considered for threatened or endangered status, CBC News has confirmed. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has recommended Fisheries and Oceans protect select populations of Atlantic cod, American Plaice, deep water redfish and Acadian redfish under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). more@cbcnews 07:50:02
Fish Wars Heat Up – Scott Christiansen, Anchorage Press Lay’s it All Out
There’s an established fishery war on the Kenai Peninsula that heated up in recent weeks on two battlefronts: politics and news media. The feud is yet another struggle over gear type and licensing,,, This particular feud is at least three decades old and pits commercial sport fishing guides and their clients against set net fishermen on the Kenai Peninsula. The sport fishers eye a particular prize: getting more trophy-sized king salmon upriver. The set netters have a prize, too: just keeping their jobs. more@anchoragepress 07:17
Changes to the rec and commercial management of swordfish in state waters approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Changes to state rules approved by the Commission will allow fishermen who participate in this new commercial fishery to land and sell their catch in Florida. Additional changes include, more@fosterfollynews 07:01
“We’re in danger of closing,” University of Massachusetts’ Large Pelagics Research Center
Storm clouds, at least figuratively, have been gathering, seeded by growing concerns about how much longer the center will be able to do its work in an environment of increased competition among researchers for rapidly diminishing funding. more@GDT 06:17
Canada: What’s missing from CETA deal? Some folks in the province’s sealing industry can probably give you an idea.
We’ve talked a lot about the things that were included in the CETA deal, but what might be missing from it? Some folks in the province’s sealing industry can probably give you an idea. listen @thefisheriesbroadcast 17:52
Longtime leader Robin Samuelsen to be honored at Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle
Those supporting and attending the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle this week will gather to honor one of Bristol Bay’s most dynamic and productive leaders — if they can get him to stand still that long. more@bristolbaytimes 17:20
Organization Becoming Difficult For Fishermen, Scientists Partnerships
In Alaska, fishermen and scientists have a long history of working together to figure out how to catch fish in a way that’s safe – for crew members, and for the species out in the ocean. Listen@Alaskapublic 15:26
