Daily Archives: December 4, 2013
Mass Attorney General Martha Coakley moves to KO fish limits
The motion for summary judgment, filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, reinforced the arguments made in the AG’s lawsuit filed against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on May 30. The federal government is due to file its own motion for judgment on Feb. 14, 2014. The deadlines for replies to both motions are March 7 for the AG’s Office and March 28 for the federal government. The larger complaint alleges that NOAA ignored the devastating economic impact of the new regulations and allegedly using flawed science to drastically reduce the annual “catch limits” for cod and other species imposed on the Massachusetts fishing industry. more@GDT 23:38
MSA Reauth Road Show: Fisheries Survival Fund responds to Conservation Law Foundation attack on scallop industry testimony
FSF did not say management has failed but rather changes are needed to provide flexibility and consistency to meet market demands. Industry has proven its stewardship of the resource. Maintaining all closures allows the scallops to age and die, providing no benefit to communities. Allowing access into some closed areas will introduce more areas into the rotational system allowing a more consistent scallop catch without threatening the sustainability of the scallop fishery. more here 23:15
Bristol Bay Driftnet Permits Currently Valued at over $117-Thousand Dollars
The value of Bristol Bay driftnet permits continues to increase. The value placed on those permits by the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission jumped up over $14-thousand dollars to $117.2-thousand dollars. That’s compared to the $102.9-thousand dollars value recorded back in October. The November figure of $117.2-thousand dollars is the largest value for Bristol Bay driftnet permits in over a year. Listen @kdlg 23:04
Maine Shrimp: “We are screwed,” – Warming ocean, absence of springtime plankton surge, predation by other species, and of course the “obligatory” overfishing
An advisory council had recommended that the fishery remain open on a limited basis in 2014, from mid-February through March. Past seasons have run from December through May. Spencer Fuller, the shrimp product line manager for Cozy Harbor Seafood in Portland, said that recommendation was rejected by the commission, which represents Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He said the compromise would have kept the industry going and prevented its reputation from being damaged in world markets. “We felt the risk of any damage to the fishery based on that proposal would have been minimal,” Fuller said. “We certainly don’t agree with (the commission’s) Draconian approach.” more@portlandpress 17:50
Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance Inc. – New Attack on Cook Inlet Setnetters
In a statement issued Nov. 8, KPFA said that acting under the guise of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, the Kenai King Conservation Alliance and now the Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance, Penny has spent decades trying to reallocate king salmon caught in East Side setnets to in-river guides and lodge owners.” The commercial setnetters association also noted that 84 percent of the setnet permits for the Cook Inlet setnet fishery are owned by Alaska residents, and 80 percent of those Alaskans live on the Kenai Peninsula. more@fishermensnews 16:09
Frankenfish Christmas surprise? Sen. Begich says no way! – This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch
Slipped in among the Christmas gifts last year was a sneaky nod for Frankenfish by the FDA. The Food and Drug Administration chose the holidays to release its environmental assessment saying that genetically modified salmon made by a company called AquaBounty,,, Listen@fishradio 15:50
Assembly Backs Set Netters
There was wide-ranging support for set netters at last night’s Borough Assembly.The resolution received overwhelming support from the Assembly, along with a call to the Board of Fish to meet on the peninsula again – it would be the first time since 1999. [email protected] 15:41
Coast Guard medically evacuates ailing F/V Raiders crewmember 50 miles south of Moriches, N.Y., today
NEW YORK – The Coast Guard medically evacuated an ailing crewmember from the fishing vessel Raiders 50 miles south of Moriches, N.Y., today. A communications watchstander at Coast Guard Sector New York, in Staten Island, N.Y., received notification from the fishing vessel that a crewmember was in need of immediate medical treatment. A Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended the medical evacuation due to the nature of the crewmember’s life-threatening condition. A helicopter rescue crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod in Cape Cod, Mass., conducted the medical evacuation and transferred the crewmember to Providence Hospital. uscgnews 14:05
Explaining Hypocrisy – Conservationists like me can condemn one cull while supporting another – it all depends on what WE think is best for wildlife diversity
Culling wildlife has a bad name right now. The government’s badger cull has been a disaster on its own terms and a catastrophe by any sensible assessment. But Britain is divided, and not just over badgers. While the culling of badgers in the West Country is condemned by conservationists, in the Highlands wildlife charities are seeking to dispatch large numbers of another majestic native: red deer. And many nature-lovers would cheer an intensified cull of deer populations across the country. To philosophers of animal rights, “conservation culling” is an Orwellian atrocity – “speciesism” in action. And conservationists – and I include myself in this group – sometimes flounder in the face of such clear and principled thinking. more@theguardian 13:15
Pew: The Pacific 6: Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, China and the United States are responsible for 80% of the annual catch of big eye tuna,
The accompanying analysis, by Pew Charitable Trusts attending the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting in Cairns Australia this week, also documents the destructive methods they use to dominate the $USD 7billion industry. The 43 member countries of the body responsible for the world’s largest tuna fishery – the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission – will negotiate from today on an action plan to end overfishing of bigeye tuna by 2018. [email protected] 09:23
Judge orders federal prison for illegally smuggling live fish and corals from Florida Keys waters
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Soliciting interstate sale of spotted eagle rays and lemon sharks illegally taken from the Keys “strikes to the very heart of this area and the economy of this area,” U.S. District Court Judge Jose Martinez said Monday as he sentenced Idaho residents Ammon Covino, 39, and co-defendant Christopher Conk, 40. The case involving the Idaho Aquarium was one of the biggest to emerge from what federal fisheries officers call Operation Rock Bottom, described as a “long-term investigation into the illegal harvesting and sale of marine life resources from the Florida Keys.” more@keysnet 08:37
Canadian First Nations chief lays blame on Alaska catch for low Yukon salmon runs
Preliminary data indicates the 2012 Chinook salmon run on the Yukon River was the worst ever. The International Yukon River Panel is meeting in Whitehorse, the capital city of Canada’s Yukon territory, this week to plan a management strategy for 2014. Federal Fisheries officials who represent Canada at the talks refuse to say how they plan to address the issue. Closed-door meetings were held Sunday and continued Monday with a public session beginning Tuesday more@alaskadispatch 00:03
