Daily Archives: March 27, 2014
Lobster industry claws out levy to promote Canadian crustaceans – $2.5-million annually
About 200 fishermen, processors, industry officials and politicians from the three Maritime provinces agreed at the two-day summit to introduce a two-cent levy – one cent from harvesters and one cent from processors – for each pound of lobster landed. The money – about $2.5-million annually – will go mostly towards marketing Canadian lobster as a premium product in North America, Europe and Asia. Read more here globeandmail 21:14
Fisheries Science Stewardship and Sustainability Board (FSSSB) Releases 2014 Atlantic Halibut Sustainability Plan
The Atlantic Halibut Sustainability Plan represents the first step in a long-term process to address ongoing conservation challenges associated with the fixed gear under 65’ halibut fishery. The plan provides fish harvesters with the flexibility to better utilize the limited, but highly valuable, halibut resource in Division 4RST and to contribute to improving their income levels and the economic viability of fishing enterprises. Read more here ffaw.nf.ca 20:50
NOAA NMFS and ASMFC Team Up to Help River Herring – and they opened with a half assed Webinar!
More than 80 experts from Canada to Florida participated in the first technical working group meeting for river herring (i.e., blueback herring and alewife) on March 27. NOAA Fisheries NMFS and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission organized this meeting to kick off a strategic effort to advance the restoration of river herring throughout its Atlantic coastal range. Read more here noaa.gov 20:34
The Webinar for todays four hour meeting required the use of a computer AND a telephone for sound! EPIC FAIL.
One a those things: Kodiak bookkeeper allegedly paid for plastic surgery with stolen fishery funds
A 57-year-old woman working as a bookkeeper at a fishing operation in Kodiak — a city on the Alaska island of the same name, where life largely revolves around the surrounding sea — stands accused of stealing money from her employer and using it for plastic surgery, among other expenses. Read more here alaskadispatch 17:35
That Peter Shelley. He’s got all the answers! – Why can’t the US be more like the Canadians?
You don’t usually hear much Canada envy from New England’s fishing industry. But last week, commercial fishermen Vito Giacalone, Richie Canastra, and Jimmy Odlin wrote to the Boston Globe to praise Canada’s haddock regulations, which they say have allowed Canadian fishermen to catch a far larger portion of their haddock quota—93 percent between 2004 and 2011, compared to United States fishermen’s 11 percent over the same period. These fishermen say United States haddock fishery regulations,, Read more here talkingfish 17:19
National Marine Fisheries Service violated law – Federal Ruling on Allocation Favors Gulf Commercial Red Snapper Fishermen
Federal Ruling on Allocation Favors Gulf Commercial Red Snapper Fishermen A federal ruling has been handed down that the U.S. government violated the law by failing to properly manage the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper fishery. Read more here 16:16
NOAA Looted SK Money: Research projects in New England and the Mid-Atlantic are expected to receive nearly $5.6 million
“Today’s announcement is great news for fishing communities in the Greater Atlantic Region,” said John Bullard, administrator, NOAA Fisheries NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. “Many impressive proposals were submitted for these grants and the funds will support a wide-range of projects to help fishermen and the fishing industry. I’m pleased that so many of the selected projects were from partnerships of fishermen and scientists from this region.” Read more here 16:06
Cooke Aquaculture announces $203M Scottish purchase
New Brunswick-based Cooke Aquaculture is buying the Scottish subsidiary of Marine Harvest in the Orkney and Shetland Islands in a deal worth $203 million. The company operates several salmon farms and a feed mill in Nova Scotia. Read more here 14:58
Maryland Seafood labeling legislation could pose problems for restaurants
ANNAPOLIS — Marylanders — lawmakers included — take their crabs very seriously, which prompted a legislative proposal that would let residents know when their “Maryland style” crabcakes aren’t the real deal. Some members of the seafood and restaurant industries fear that legislation introduced in the state House of Delegates proposing tighter regulations on seafood labeling could be impractical and costly for Maryland restaurants. Read more here somdnews.com 13:31
Oceana’s dirty tactics – Editor in Chief Jessica Hathaway, National Fisherman Magazine
Oceana made a big splash last week with its “Wasted Catch” paper touting details on the nine dirtiest American fisheries. Like many of Oceana’s campaigns, this “report” goes to great lengths to vilify U.S. fisheries for their bycatch rates without mentioning the efforts made on the industry side to reduce bycatch. (What better way to beat the drum for donations than to tell only half the story?) Read more here 11:48
Green crabs as lobster bait working in Nova Scotia
It’s a fishing version of the old “If life gives you lemons…” adage. Instead of passively watching invasive green crabs devour native species, fishermen and scientists in Nova Scotia have acted, turning the invader into an asset. At the Maine Green Crab Summit in Orono in December, Chris McCarthy, ecologist with the province’s Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, explained how the commercial green crab fishery was established,,, Read more here workingwaterfront 10:43
Eight Regional Fishery Management Council Nominations & Appointments Under Review
In accordance with Section 302 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) is required to appoint the voting state specific, or obligatory, members and at-large members to the regional fishery management councils. On the Secretary’s behalf, the NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator for Fisheries NMFS solicits nominations from governors and facilitates the annual appointments process. The appointments process begins each year in mid-January with nominations due from governors by March 15. Lots of links, and information here 10:27
NOAA and partners release first federal ocean acidification strategic research plan
Today, NOAA and its partners released the first federal strategic plan to guide research and monitoring investments that will improve our understanding of ocean acidification, its potential impacts on marine species and ecosystems, and adaptation and mitigation strategies. Read more here 10:04
Fink forecasts end of seal industry
Sheryl Fink is forecasting the demise of the seal industry, but how that happens should be determined by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. “It’s not for a group like (International Fund for Animal Welfare) or Pam Anderson or anybody else to sort of provide the solution,” the wildlife campaigns director for IFAW Canada said during an interview at The Western Star in Corner Brook Tuesday. Read more here westernstar 09:46
