Monthly Archives: March 2014
Coming Soon to your Province! U.S. company applies to sell genetically modified salmon in Canada
Massachusetts-based biotech company AquaBounty Technologies has applied to the federal government for permission to market genetically engineered farm-grown Atlantic salmon. Read more here vancouversun 22:45
Cape Rouge sinking on LaHave River in Bridgewater
Emergency crews scrambled to the Bridgewater wharf on Monday afternoon after a fishing vessel, ordinarily tied up to the wharf, began sinking into the LaHave River. Read more here cbcnews 21:31
Maine Voices: The Press Herald misrepresented state’s timely actions on lobster contamination
The Portland Press Herald’s recent articles calling into question the timing of the state’s action to close a small area in the Penobscot River to lobster and crab fishing were irresponsible and cast a shadow over the strong leadership and responsiveness demonstrated by the state,, Read more here 21:17
New lobster marketing board joins forces with Culinary Institute of America
ROCKPORT, Maine — The recently created Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative has a lot on its plate trying to make sure people have lobster on theirs. Read more here 20:18:47
Grocery chain uses local fishermen for ads
Galveston, Texas fisherman Buddy Guindon has become an unexpected celebrity among US Gulf commerical fishing circles — and he may be getting even more fame in the near future. Read more here, video seafoodinternational.com 20:00
Bill Walker, the former director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is now a convicted felon.
Walker pleaded guilty to one court of conspiracy involving the use of federal money he controlled at the DMR. It was a brief hearing, lasting only 35 minutes. But during those 35 minutes, a clear picture of corruption at the DMR was painted by federal prosecutors, corruption that began and ended with Bill Walker. Read more here wlox.com 18:58
Today’s Marine Conservationists Are Climate Deniers – Jay Andersson
Jay Andersson finds some inconvenient truths about todays corporate backed Marine Conservation Industry. The self-appointed saviors –Read more here in the Guest Writers Column 17:17
Citizen science study to map the oceans’ plankton
“The reason the project came about was because, in 2010, some Canadian scientists wrote a paper that suggested that the phytoplankton in the world’s oceans had declined by 40% since the 1950’s,” explained project leader Richard Kirby, a research fellow at Plymouth University’s Marine Institute. Read more here bbc.com 15:46
Public Meetings, Public Hearings, Amendment 28 – Red Snapper Allocation-March 10 through March 24, Various Locations
All public hearings begin at 6:00 p.m. local time and end no later than 9:00 p.m. March 10 Orange Beach, AL, March 11 Mobile, AL, For locations and details, click here 12:45
N.C. Fisheries Association, Carteret County Fisherman’s Association consider legal action
Two area organizations representing commercial fishermen are willing to take their efforts from local waterways to the courtroom in order to get an accurate stock assessment to gauge the recovery of the sea turtle population. Read more here jdnews 12:09
Sterilise farmed salmon to stop breeding with wild fish, researchers say
New research shows that while salmon bred in captivity for food consumption are genetically different from their wild relatives, they are just as fertile, potentially damaging wild populations if they escape and breed with them. Read more here guardian 10:26
5 reasons why slaves still catch your seafood
BANGKOK — Seafaring slave ships didn’t vanish in the 19th century. They still persist. And there’s a good chance they’re catching your dinner. Heads up: reason #5 is your fault. Read more here 10:03
Mutant lobsters in Casco Bay
They’re actually a lot more common than one might think, sometimes they come up with multiple claws, sometimes they’re different colors, and sometimes they’re so riddled with shell disease that they’re almost unrecognizable. Here’s some of the more unusual mutants that have come up in my Captain’s traps over the past year. Hope you like ‘em folks! Read more here BDN 08:14
Fisheries Commission Report spotlights fishing’s fast fall
A report commissioned by the city Fisheries Commission shows that, as of a month ago, 210 commercial fishing vessels berth at docks and wharves in Gloucester’s Inner Harbor and 38 percent of those utilize publicly-owned facilities. Read more here 06:05
DFO ‘fudging the numbers,’ unprecedented court injunction has barred Department of Fisheries and Oceans from opening commercial fishery off Vancouver Island
An unprecedented court injunction has barred the Department of Fisheries and Oceans from opening a commercial fishery off Vancouver Island after a judge concluded DFO was “fudging the numbers” and that the federal minister declared it open against her own bureaucrats’ advice. Read more here globeandmail 22:41
Another Crazy Vice Article: The Japanese Can’t Stop Eating Endangered Sea Mammals
Japan understandably loves sea mammals. After all, they’re typically adorable and often intelligent. But what many people in Japan appear to love about them most is how delicious they are. To discover one potential reason, all you need is a can opener. Read more here Vice 16:36
The 86th annual Blessing of the Fleet will take place at Fishermen’s Memorial site at Fishermen’s Terminal March 9 at 2 p.m.
“In the blessing we not only ask for a good harvest, safe journey and stewardship, but also offer thanks for the fishing community and remember the risks they take and the sacrifice the families have made,” said Weiberg Read more here ballardnewstribune. 16:14
Brisk snow crab fishery in Alaska’s Bering Sea nears quota
The Bering Sea snow crab fishery is moving right along. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Unalaska reported 46 vessels registered on Monday, and 78 percent of the 54 million pound quota harvested. Unalaska city natural resources analyst Frank Kelty said the fleet landed 5 million pounds last week. “It’s going pretty quick. If they have a couple more weeks like that, it will be over with,” Kelty said. Read more here alaskadispatch 15:33:
Ludger (Lu) W. Dochtermann, Kodiak, AK Responds to NOAA TIGHTENS HALIBUT BYCATCH LIMITS FOR GULF OF ALASKA GROUNDFISH FISHERIES.
To: Dr. James W. Balsiger, Regional Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Region, & United States Commissioner, International Pacific Halibut Commission.
Dear Jim: While NOAA puts a public spokesperson name on the news release for Amendment 95, let’s face facts — you are the Alaska administrator, and a voting member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Accordingly, your news release was considered insensitive and not well received by disappointed GOA hook and line halibut fishermen: on line with other pro-trawler actions by the NPFMC and NMFS/NOAA. Amendment 95 is not fair and equitable in practice. You and the agency and NPFMC are not doing what is feasible, not obeying the UN FAO precautionary principle, not balancing the economic impact among sectors, not doing what is best for overall national benefit and not serving USA consumers. Read more here 14:30
Russian actions in Ukraine – “This has a ripple effect, even though the actual events are far from the Arctic,”
Russia’s actions in Ukraine could cause problems for international cooperation in the Arctic, says Iceland’s prime minister. “This has a ripple effect, even though the actual events are far from the Arctic,” said Gunnlaugsson, in Edmonton on a trade mission. Read more here theobserver 13:28
A Rundown of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2014
The T-shirts said it all – “Commercial Fisherman: Proudly Feeding America.” “Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, Together We Persevere.” “Fish Forever.” There was an aura of feistiness at the 39th Maine Fishermen’s Forum last weekend, as fishermen of all stripes, government officials, environmentalists and business people came together to discuss the current state of fishing in New England. Read more here thefreepress 12:53
Tasty abalone carefully farmed under Monterey’s wharf
Way out at the very end of the Municipal Wharf in Monterey, Art Seavey descends through a trapdoor, walks on a handmade network of slippery wooden planks and pulls a rope to hoist a dripping wire cage up from the ocean. Inside are thousands of growing abalone,,,, Read more here sfgate 12:08
Maine’s members of Congress lobby for wind project – West Coast Influence, Oregon and Washington delegations
Most of Maine’s representatives to Congress have been ardent supporters of both inland and offshore wind. Read more here 11:04
The Champions of Ocean Industrialization, and Ocean Zoning. Opening your East Coast for windmills, offshore drilling for oil and gas, and mineral extraction. I consider all of them hypocritical enemies of the entire East Coast fishing industry. Rethink, elected officials. You are for us, or against us with your offshore wind pandering. “looking out” for working people?
Japan to halve tuna catch in Northern Pacific
Japan plans to slash by half the amount of juvenile bluefin tuna taken from the Northern Pacific starting in 2015, compared to the 2002-2004 average, reports said Sunday. Read more here phys.org 10:00
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update March 9, 2014
“The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance is dedicated to its mission of continuing to help create sustainable fisheries without putting licensed fishermen out of business.” Read the update here RIFA website 09:51
2014 CHARTER AND COMMERCIAL HALIBUT MANAGEMENT MEASURES ANNOUNCED
NOAA Fisheries NMFS provided notice Friday of the immediate effect of regulations of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The commercial IFQ halibut season opened at noon local time today in Alaska. Read more here sitnews 09:37
War boats, draggers, sportfishermen, trawler-yachts: Bink Sargent navigates a diverse career
In 1937, Lennox “Bink” Sargent took a break from his studies in engineering at Harvard University, and from his summer internships with Boston naval architect A. Loring Swazey, to work for Henry Hinckley, a distant in-law who rehabilitated and was expanding a boatyard his father bought in 1927. Read more here BDN 21:01
UPDATE 2: Coast Guard suspends search for missing fisherman Benjamin Sorrells off Alabama coast
NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard suspended its search for Benjamin Sorrells, crewman from the fishing vessel AC III, Saturday. In total, rescue crews searched for 34 hours and covered more than 1,980 square miles. The search is suspended pending further developments. Read more here uscgnews 20:14
Over demanding market affects fisheries more than climate change
Summary: Fisheries that rely on short life species, such as shrimp or sardine, have been more affected by climate change, because this phenomenon affects chlorophyll production, which is vital for phytoplankton, the main food for both species. Read more here sciencedaily 16:37
