Monthly Archives: November 2013
Nokomis Fishing Capt. Eddie Toomer is the second American to receive the Gladding Memorial Award for sustainable fishing.
Toomer, 68, a fourth-generation commercial fisherman, recently became only the second American to receive the Gladding Memorial Award for sustainable fishing. The annual award, started by The Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute in 2004, recognizes fishermen who work to preserve marine life. more@heraldtribune 14:59
Vatican warns of growing trend of fishing industry exploiting workers
It is renewing an appeal to governments to urgently ratify the Work in Fishing Convention 2007 (No. 188) to ensure the welfare of fishing crew are better protected. more@indcatholicnews 14:42
Royal Star in Tignish is working on a process – Pasteurized lobster could open new markets
P.E.I. is a step closer to marketing lobster that will last up to a month after it is cooked, and that could make it much easier to sell outside of the province. more@cbcnews 13:33
West Coast: Caught in the Sardine Shortage Net
A debate is on about whether the drop is cyclical or a sign of more dire shortages to come. But whatever the reason, commercial fishers, retailers, and even eco-tourist outfits could feel a ripple effect. [email protected] 13:06
New Yellowtail Flounder Survey Raises Questions Over Accuracy of Official Population Estimates
The initial results of a new, independent survey of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder raises questions over whether federal assessments of yellowtail abundance have been systematically underestimating the size of the population. [email protected] 12:12
SAFMC Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel Meeting
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM EST (Sorry for the late post!) Webinar sign in here. 12:03
Today’s NEFMC Webinar
I was, again, invited to the dance, and my date showed up impaired.Strong Catches, Low Prices – Lobster season is underway in the Bay of Fundy
A June report from Fisheries and Oceans Canada says Bay of Fundy records have been broken five years in a row. A spokesperson said it was too early to predict how this fall season will turn out. more@cbcnews 09:04
NRDC, Center for Biological Diversity file petitions – NMFS considers pinto abalone for endangered list
A 6-inch Pacific Ocean marine snail prized for its delicate flavor and colorful shell will be considered for endangered or threatened species status. The National Marine Fisheries Service announced last week that it will conduct a status review for pinto abalone, which are found from Alaska to Baja California. more@sacbee 08:48
Greenpeace International: The behavior of the longline tuna fisheries industry is scandalous
Amsterdam, 20 November 2013 – A grave lack of regulations hinders sustainable management of the world’s oversized longline tuna fishery fleets, Greenpeace International warned as it released a new report today. more@fishupdate 08:29
Gulf Oystermen are Struggling.
The recent heavy rains are to blame for the DMR closing the Pass Christian oyster reefs Tuesday afternoon. more@wlox,com
It’s 98 percent off this year. That’s the lowest I’ve ever seen it,” said George Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fisherman’s Association. Barisich believes seeing lingering effects of the BP oil disaster are impacting oyster landings. He said dispersed oil made it impossible for spat to catch on reefs, so few new oysters could grow. wwltv.com
Oystermen say crop in short supply ahead of Thanksgiving – In just a few days, shoppers will head to stores to buy oysters to make dressing for Thanksgiving. But some local oystermen say they’re struggling to find enough crop and they only foresee the problem getting worse. more@fox8live 08:14
John Bullard , NOAA NE Regional Administrator – My View: Fisheries hold challenges, opportunities
The recent release of Fisheries of the United States 2012, a NOAA annual report, contains a lot of good information on revenues and landings for the nation’s fisheries. The majority of fish stocks in the Northeast are not overfished. As a result, we have some of the most valuable fisheries in the country. more@GDT
WESMAR rolling out its largest group of trawl sonar options in its 50-year history at Pacific Marine Expo November 20-22
“For trawlers in sensitive fisheries, where quotas are closely monitored, these trawls are exceptionally valuable. Not only are they unequaled in their ability to find and see fish and monitor them entering the net, but with extended discrimination at the net itself it is easier to mark unwanted fish or fish that could upset their quotas. bymnews.com 21:54
Anti-Pebble Initiative Clears Signature Hurdle
A group opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine has secured enough signatures to get their initiative on the ballot. On Tuesday, the Division of Elections counted 30,210 verified signatures for the Bristol Bay Forever initiative. It needs 30,169 to be put to a vote. [email protected] 21:16
Why the Snub? CETA tour takes feds to all provinces, except N.L.
The absence of this province from the cross country tour comes after a similar absence during a major press conference on Oct. 29 announcing a $400 million federal-provincial fisheries fund. The federal government is contributing $280 million to that fund, but not a single federal MP, senator or bureaucrat attended the event held at the Rooms in St. John’s. more@cbcnews 20:51
Following controversial pre-election $500K loan, Blue Wave Seafoods files for bankruptcy
A fish plant in southeastern Nova Scotia that got a controversial government loan on the eve of the provincial election has filed for bankruptcy protection. Blue Wave Seafoods of Port Mouton made the filing on Friday, citing more than $1.1 million in liabilities and no assets. more@cbcnews 20:40
Zooplankton decline reported in North Atlantic
The absence of the normal surge of plankton in the spring is a concern because that’s when cod and haddock and many other species produce offspring, Friedland said. The spring surge also provides the foundation for normally abundant zooplankton levels that have made waters from the Middle Atlantic to New England productive for centuries. more@miamiherald Some articles we posted about this issue here 17:47
Nearly 26 thousand and growing fast – Otters, fishing and hunting – finding a balance in Southeast AK
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Finding a balance between fishing, hunting and sea otters. More after this @fishradio Otter hunting increases – by Matt Lichtenstein -The otter’s rapid population growth and voracious appetite for shellfish has been a major concern for commercial crabbers, dive fishermen and fishery managers who blame the animals for a loss of productive fishing grounds. more@kfsk 17:25
The Medal of Bravery to be awarded to the Miss Ally divers
Four local divers Donnie Mahaney, Thomas Nickersonm Gary Thurber, and Thomas Hennigar, who braved the elements to search the capsized hull of the CF/V Miss Ally will be among those receiving the Nova Scotia Medal of Bravery from Premier Stephen McNeil on Wednesday, Nov. 20. [email protected] 15:47
Redd revival on the Rogue – Dam removal means river teems with big chinook that dig, spawn in egg nests
With the dam gone three years now and the fine sediment washed away, the bar now teems with big chinook digging and spawning in their egg nests, called redds. “That place was just alive with fish,” says Samarin, a fish biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “You couldn’t count all the redds. It was really neat to see. It’s incredible, really.” [email protected] 15:09
Commercial Striped Bass Hook and Line Harvest Closure – Maryland Department of Natural Resources
The Secretary of Maryland Department of Natural Resources pursuant to Code of Maryland Regulation 08.02.15.12H announces the closure of the 2013 commercial striped bass hook and line fishery, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, November 19, 2013. The annual commercial hook and line quota is expected to be caught by November 19th. Joseph P. Gill Secretary Maryland Department of Natural Resources 15:00
American Samoa: Crown of thorns killing our reefs
Coral reefs are under threat from a new bloom of crown of thorns starfish. For the past two weeks, an off-island dive team from the National Park has been killing thousands of starfish in the waters off Fagasa and Fagamalo. [email protected]
University of Washington Releases the 2014 Bristol Bay Sockeye Forecast
This year’s sockeye salmon run to Bristol Bay came in at 23-million fish. Next year’s run could potentially be significantly larger according to a forecast that was released last week. KDLG’s Mike Mason has the details. more@kdlg 14:35
Striped Bass In Trouble, It’s Time For Recreational Anglers To Drastically Limit Their Catch
In his book, “The Founding Fish,” John McPhee makes the argument that the American shad, given its role in our nation’s history is indeed “America’s fish” (the little fish makes Forrest Gump-like cameos alongside George Washington, George Pickett and John Wilkes Booth). [email protected] 12:26
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission: “Gulf menhaden stock is not overfished, overfishing is not occurring”
The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) has completed a comprehensive, three year stock assessment of the Gulf menhaden population and found that the stock is healthy and sustainable at current harvest levels. [email protected] 11:28
Fish bucks flow far beyond AK; dock prices over a decade – This is Fish Radio.
What is likely the most comprehensive report ever done on Alaska’s seafood industry was compiled this year by the McDowell Group in Juneau for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. more@fishradio 11:22
November 20, 2013 New England Fishery Management Council meeting – Live Streaming Information
The public is invited to attend the November 20, 2013 New England Fishery Management Council meeting beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Newport Marriott Hotel, 25 America’s Cup Boulevard, Newport, RI. The webinar will be activated beginning at 8:00 a.m. and end at approximately 5:00 p.m. each day. Webinar Registration: For online access to the meeting, please register by clicking here Once registered, you will receive an email confirmation with the information you will need to join the webinar. 11:12
Humble, Hard-Working Quahog Keeps R.I. Running
“Oysters were critical in the development of our species. They’re a high-protein source of food.” For the first time in the 12-year history of the respected Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium, shellfish were the topic of discussion. It was only fitting that the witty, entertaining and informative Rheault was the conference’s first presenter. [email protected] 10:38
Letter: NOAA deal a tradeoff for fishing aid – Paul Cohan Captain F/V Sasquatch, Gloucester
To the editor: I have long been on record in opposition to closing NOAA’s Northeast Regional office — or NERO. more@GDT 07:28
Gloucester poised to talk port revitalization
The city will take the first step Friday in determining how to use a $75,000 state grant designed to help sustain Gloucester’s shore-side businesses until its commercial fishing industry can regain its economic footing. more@GDT 07:17
