Daily Archives: December 18, 2013
Deepwater Horizon Fallout: Bottlenose dolphins in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay have lung damage and adrenal hormone abnormalities
The publication details the first evidence that dolphins in heavily oiled areas are exhibiting injuries consistent with toxic effects observed in laboratory studies of mammals exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons. [email protected] 22:29
Begich Urges China to Renew it Imports of Alaska Shellfish – Tells Ambassador that Alaska Maintains Highest Safety Standards
U.S. Senator Mark Begich is going to bat for Alaska’s lucrative shellfish industry by asking a top Chinese official to intervene in the face of apparently flawed Chinese testing of the product. In a letter today to Chinese Ambassador to the United States Tiankai Cui, Begich asked for help lifting China’s recent ban on geoduck clams, a prized Chinese delicacy that flourishes in the waters of Southeast Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. [email protected] 21:36
“The crab are out there, but you have to work this year. This year, experience is going to pay,” – The Coos Bay World: Expect Great Crab, OK Season
A commercial crab fishing season that was delayed for two weeks is drawing mixed reviews in the opening days. The quality of crab is great, experts say, but for fishermen and processors the season may be just average. [email protected] 19:30
Three from Fish Radio
Indepth – A controversial decision: Fishery Managers Scale Back 2014 Pacific Sardine Harvest
A controversial decision by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) would set catch limits during the initial phase of the 2014 Pacific sardine season well below traditional recommendations. more@fishermensnews 17:10
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F/V Lady Eva sank at the Wando Seafood Company dock in Shem Creek
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Members assigned to Coast Guard Sector Charleston are monitoring a sunken vessel Wednesday for potential pollution in Shem Creek, in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The owner of the Lady Eva informed the Coast Guard the vessel had little to no fuel aboard due to operations over the last few days. Soft sorbent padding and sausage boom has been placed around the vessel in an effort to capture any residual pollution. more@uscgnews 15:40
Increasing utilization of the province’s cod and yellowtail resource, OCI opens expanded processing facility in Fortune
“The provincial government’s agreement with Ocean Choice International reflects our commitment to maximizing economic benefits from our fish resources, and ensuring the well-being of residents in rural areas,” Hutchings said in a news release. The province says OCI is committed to creating a minimum of 110 full-time processing positions for a minimum of five years. It also says the agreement between Ocean Choice International and the provincial government has improved the utilization of the province’s yellowtail resource and generated more economic activity for the fishery. In 2011, 3,955 tonnes of yellowtail was harvested, but in 2013 more than 7,500 tonnes has been caught. more@gfwadvertiser 15:20
Pam Anderson’s $1M offer to end hunt a farce, sealing head says
The president of the Canadian Sealers Association says the latest move by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA) to end the seal hunt is nothing but a farce and a publicity stunt. more@cbcnews 11:28
Why is the status for American eel considered depleted in U.S waters? ASMFC
Stock Status – From a biological perspective, much is still unknown about the species. Information is limited about their abundance, status at all life stages, and habitat requirements. According to the 2012 benchmark stock assessment, American eel population is depleted in U.S. waters. [email protected] 11:10
‘Animal Planet’ presents the The Eelinators, The Grinders, and The Maineiacs in “Cold River Cash”
Beginning in January, people around the country will get a chance to watch a few clever Mainers try to strike it rich in the slippery business of eel fishing. “The stakes are high; the rivalry is intense; and the threat of danger is constant as each team struggles to come out ahead,” reads a line of the news release from Animal Planet announcing the show. The “stakes” mentioned are the fishermen’s potential earnings. No prize money is awarded. more@onlinesentinal 10:52
The EDF road to catch shares for charter and headboats
The road to “catch shares” for charter and headboat operators is being paved with an Environmental Defense Fund-backed pilot program approved by NOAA Fisheries this year for the Gulf of Mexico. [email protected] 10:30
Hang on to your oil booms! BP makes first major Gulf of Mexico oil discovery since Deepwater Horizon
BP has reported a “significant oil discovery” in the Gulf of Mexico, its first major find since the deadly rig explosion that triggered the worst environmental disaster in US history. more@guardian 10:08
Bay Delta Conservation Plan: Will it help, or hurt? Fate still unclear for nine species in Delta water tunnel plan
Those nine species include some of the same imperiled fish that are symbolic of the Delta’s environmental troubles and which originally prompted the plan: Delta smelt, longfin smelt, three runs of chinook salmon, green and white sturgeon, and steelhead. The last is the greater sandhill crane, a majestic bird that roosts on land where tunnel construction is proposed. The project is overseen by the California Department of Water Resources. But the “not determined” findings come from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service. They are cooperating with DWR in preparing the document and are guided by federal law, the National Environmental Policy Act. more@sacbee 05:30
CCA Maryland: Don’t increase harvest of striped bass
“As you are undoubtedly aware, the 2013 striped bass stock assessment projects declines in the spawning stock biomass,” the letter read. “CCA Maryland is intensely concerned by these projections and uncertainties and find them particularly troubling in light of the fact that 2011 was the only relatively strong spawning year Maryland has recorded out of the last six.” more@somdnews 05:19
Shortage of imported shrimp – Gulf shrimp, crab scarcity nets high prices
One reason for rising shrimp prices on the coast is a shortage of imported shrimp. A new strain of a common bacterium has been wiping out populations since 2009 in southeast Asia, where most of the world’s shrimp is raised on farms. It started in China then spread to Vietnam and now Thailand, the world’s largest shrimp exporter. Quantities of shrimp from Thailand have dropped 37 percent from last year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Called Early Mortality Syndrome, the disease can take out an entire pond in a few days, but is not harmful to humans. more@commercialappeal 05:07
New England Fisheries Management Council tees up habitat talks – No matter what the council decides, NOAA will have the final say
If recent events are any indication, the federal agency feels no particular compunction to follow the lead of the eight regional fishery management councils that advise it and serve as the doorstep to fisheries regulation and management. Just last week, NOAA disregarded an overwhelming vote by the NEFMC in late 2012 that would have reopened five areas in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank to commercial fishermen and instead decreed that the areas will remain closed. more@gdt 03:21
