Daily Archives: January 14, 2014
South Carolina’s first jellyfish operation raises environmental concerns
The prospect of a new fishery is tantalizing to struggling shrimpers and entrepreneurs, including a Mount Pleasant man who’s spearheading the first South Carolina foray into the jellyfish industry. Assuming it gets the go-ahead from the Department of Health & Environmental Control and Beaufort County, Carolina Jelly Balls will begin harvesting Cannonball jellyfish in Seabrook next month. Read more@postandcourier 23:30
Boat of the Week from the Athearn Marine Agency: LOADED 36′ Northern Bay Lobster/Charter – 6 cylinder Volvo, Northern Lights 6.5kw genset
Specifications and information here 23:13
“Impact of the Deepwater Horizon well blowout on the economics of US Gulf fisheries”
This is a Pew production from the Fisheries Centre, UBC, an various authors including Daniel Pauly, and the School of Environmental Science, East Anglia, Norwich, UK. Link to the report. 22:48
Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell talks fish in Kodiak – hopes to unseat US Senator Mark Begich in November’s election.
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell talks fish in Kodiak. Listen @fishradio 19:50
West Coast: Sardines vanish from coastal waters; squid and anchovy fill the void for fishermen
Larry Derr was as prepared as any longtime Southern California bait fisherman for the disappearance of the Pacific sardines he has pulled up by the ton since the 1980s. He can fish anchovies instead and, if those become scarce, there’s been a local surge in market squid to keep him in business. Read more@dailybreeze 18:20
Chinook Conservation, Trawling and Permit-Stacking Addressed by Alaska Board of Fisheries
The Alaska Board of Fisheries wrapped up its Kodiak area meetings on Friday afternoon at the Harbor Convention Center. KMXT’s Jay Barrett spoke with board Chairman Karl Johnstone about some of the decisions that came out of the meeting, and how the meeting schedule may change in the future. Johnstone cited the closure of trawling in the Shelikof Strait as one of the biggest decisions the board made, as well as turning down a proposal to reinstate permit stacking for setnetters in the district. Listen @kmxt 17:49
When sardines crash, anchovies invade—and charismatic megafauna come out to play. Why West Coast Sea Life Is So Wacky Right Now
California has witnessed a veritable explosion of sea life over the past six months, and whales aren’t the only ones making waves. Environmental scientists said in December that they were seeing “unprecedented” numbers of brown pelicans in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s been “a months-long carnival of lunging humpback whales, bird clouds, dolphin wizardry, frenzied sea lions, playful killer whales and even visits from marine royalty — blue whales,” wrote the Santa Cruz Sentinel. To borrow a line from Melville: Surely all this is not without meaning. Read more@theatlantic 14:41
Drought imperils California salmon, steelhead
SANTA CRUZ — The sensitive populations of fish that spawn in Northern California’s creeks and rivers are starting to suffer from the brutal drought threatening the state’s water supplies. In Sonoma and Santa Cruz counties, the National Marine Fisheries Service has heard reports of anglers catching endangered coho salmon trapped by low water flows. In the American River, water levels have dropped to a 20-year nadir, endangering the redds, or nests of eggs, laid by chinook salmon, a consumer staple that supports hundreds of Bay Area fishermen. Read more@contracostatimes 14:21
Anyone following the DFO library closure “War on Science”? The environs have been having a field day.
Harper rapped for wrong reasons –VICTORIA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s latest visit to B.C. was portrayed as these things are today: besieged by protesters, hiding from an ever-vigilant media, cynically campaigning for the 2015 federal election. TV couldn’t get enough of the two “environmental activists” who dressed as waiters to slip onstage at a business breakfast in Vancouver. They’re not environmentalists, just all-purpose protesters using the flavour of the month. They are associated with a group calling itself “No One Is Illegal,” a collection of anarchist kooks that wants to do away with national borders, and of course capitalism. Read more@kootnayadvertiser 14:10
No Go On Permit Stacking for Kodiak Salmon
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Stacking permit proposals dropped. The thoughts on permit stacking between Kodiak set-netters was mixed at the Board Of Fisheries meetings last week. Around 30 set-net families wanted to re instate duel permit holding. This allows one participant to fish two permits at a time. For most it was personal, others principle, but all together controversial. Listen @fishradio 13:43
Maine tribes clash with state over elver license bill – tribal fishermen would be forced to get state licenses or face possible prosecution.
State regulators are pushing for a limit on tribal claims to Maine’s lucrative elver fishery to avoid a repeat of the 2013 season, when law enforcement clashed with Passamaquoddy fishermen on the banks of the Pennamaquan River. Read more@portlandpress 13:18
Harbour Breton salmon plant won’t reopen
A salmon processing plant in Harbour Breton will not be re-opening anytime soon, although the building itself may yet have a future in the fishery. Cooke Aquaculture said it has been told by its landlord, the Barry Group, that its lease will not be renewed. The handover date will be Jan. 31. Read more@cbcnews 12:45
Lobsterman accused of stealing traps, Some confiscated equipment belongs to late Tony Rahn
PORTSMOUTH — A lobsterman charged with one felony, two misdemeanors and more than 130 violations — including allegations that he stole a deceased lobsterman’s traps — has hired the law firm of Shaheen and Gordon to defend against what is likely a record number of citations filed against any one person in the history of the Portsmouth court. Read more@seacoastonline 12:33
House pegs fisheries for $75M disaster aid; NOAA staying here
In the first instance of tangible federal financial assistance following the declaration of a fisheries disaster in 2012, congressional appropriators have included $75 million in disaster aid to fishermen and fishing communities in the $1 trillion Congressional spending bill. Read more@gdt 12:15
