Monthly Archives: April 2014
LETTER: Snapper Plentiful – Bob Zales
As the world knows by now, thanks to the Environmental Defense Fund and 20 commercial fishermen (that includes at least 5 charter boat owners who own red snapper IFQs) the current projected recreational red snapper season will be a maximum 11 days. newsherald.com Read more here 15:11
CSF STATEMENT ON EXPERIMENTAL GBYTF FISHERY Presented to New England Fishery Management Council
Dr Rothschild stood before the NFMC yesterday, and read this statement. The status of groundfish stocks in New England is shrouded in considerable uncertainty. This uncertainty often raises the question as to whether stocks that are claimed to be overfished are actually overfished or vice versa. Uncertainty in this determination reflects in turn whether management regulations intended to correct these characterizations are effective. Read the Statement here 10:53
NO SEAL, NO DEAL – Petitioning Arctic Council: Refuse observer status for the EU until they repeal the seal ban
We the undersigned call on the Arctic Council member states and permanent members to: Be mindful of the rights of law-abiding Inuit and other seal hunters to participate in a seal hunt that provides much needed sustenance and economic opportunities in the Arctic and other coastal regions. Sign the Petition 09:58
Scientists track drop in lobster numbers
Marine scientists are not sure what is causing the decline in baby lobster settlements in their traditional near-shore, rocky habitats except they now seem to rule out overfishing. Theories for the decline include the effects of predators, warming ocean temperatures, pollution and shifting availability of food as possible causes. salemnews Read more here 09:38
Fishermen’s Energy to file court appeal after New Jersey rejects offshore wind farm proposal so they can wreck some ocean
An executive for the coalition of investors trying to build the country’s first offshore wind farm today said it will appeal a decision by New Jersey regulators to reject the $188 million project. Read more here 09:13
Cape Wind: The windy 10-year war
The state of Massachusetts, in its nutty devotion to wind-powered, ocean-based generating plants deployed, in cooperation with the federal government, in a strangling circle around the Vineyard, does not feel your pain. Indeed, the state’s aim is not only to conspire over the Cape Wind project, but to elbow aside valid economic and environmental concerns,,,mvtimes Read more here 08:42
Obituary: Radio host John Furlong was voice of rural Newfoundland
Though his journalism career spanned more than 40 years, John Furlong may be best known for hosting CBC Radio’s The Fisheries Broadcast from 2005 to 2013. The Broadcast (as it is known) made its debut in 1951 and is one of the longest-running radio shows on the continent and an evening ritual for much of the province. As host, Mr. Furlong “was the voice of rural Newfoundland,” said Peter Gullage, executive producer of news for Newfoundland and Labrador. globeandmail Read more here 08:12
PEI Fishermen’s Association receives support to conduct research on the growing halibut industry.
Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and PEI Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development Minister Ron MacKinley were in Summerside to announce a combined investment of $153,600 for the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) to conduct Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA). Read more here 07:14
Fish worker advocates push for ‘code of conduct’ for SouthCoast companies
NEW BEDFORD — To improve safety in industries dominated by immigrant workers, a local group will try to recruit city companies to sign a workplace code of conduct. “We want the fish companies to take measures so there are no more deaths, no more accidents,” said Adrian Ventura, director of Centro Comunitario Trabajadores. Read more here 03:44
Nova Scotia tuna fishermen say Shea, MacAulay pandering to locals
Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea says the fear of longliners entering the Gulf of St. Lawrence to fish tuna this year is a non-issue being fanned by Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay. However, Troy Atkinson, president of the Nova Scotia Swordfishermen’s Association, takes issue with both federal politicians and says they are pandering to their constituents with the bluefin catch. capebretonpost Read more here 21:45
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Setnet ban gets day in Court; Togiak herring price tanks
A push to ban setnet fishing in urban Alaska regions got a Superior Court hearing this week. Turning to Togiak,,, Read more here 17:34
Morrissey compares seal hunt to Nazi death camps – Shea thumps him, “millionaire celebrity (who is) desperate for a hobby”
Pop star Morrissey has stepped up his feud with Canadian politician Gail Shea, branding her a “disreputable thug” for supporting the country’s seal fur trade. The tit-for-tat bust-up shows no signs of abating – Shea has since issued another statement, via Canada.com, in which she says, “Mr Morrissey and his Hollywood buddies have been brainwashed by decades of propaganda from fringe animal rights groups and radical environmentalists.” Read more here 16:26
Marine observer program now in hands of federal judge
Bycatch accounting in the North Pacific and the costs of the revised marine observer program implemented in 2013 are at the core of a lawsuit now in the hands of an Alaska U.S. District Court judge. Judge H. Russel Holland heard oral argument from The Boat Company, Fixed Gear Alliance and federal defendants regarding the observer program at an April 16 hearing. Read more here 16:02
Rescued sealer Glen Newbury gets CF/V Double N back after evacuation
A sealer rescued off Newfoundland’s southeast coast last week when his boat was too close to an iceberg was pleasantly surprised when he got his vessel back over the weekend. Read more here 12:21
“Fish Dealer X” Pleads Guilty in Connection with Fluke Research Set-Aside Violations
Alan Dresner pled guilty in federal district court on April 23, 2014, to one count of wire fraud for his participation in concealing the illegal harvest of fluke as part of the Research Set-Aside Program. noaa.gov Read more here 11:34
Lobster forecast causes concern, not panic, for Maine’s industry
Maine’s lobster industry, the state’s most lucrative fishery, may foresee shrinking harvests and higher market prices, but such changes are likely several years away, lobstermen and dealers said Wednesday. portlandpress Read more here 11:09
Tribal official facing charges in NY vows to take elver debate beyond Maine
For the past several years, there has been a simmering dispute — sometimes boiling — between Maine state officials and the Passamaquoddy Tribe over the elver fishery. Read more here 11:04
Bevan Symposium on Sustainable Fisheries in Seattle, Washington and online, free and open to the public.
Magnuson-Stevens Act – History and Future Examined – The Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, Sam Rauch, our Northwest Fisheries Science Center Director, John Stein, and our Senior Scientist for Stock Assessments, Rick Methot, are all on the agenda to speak at the 14th annual Bevan Symposium in Seattle. Held annually at the University of Washington, the focus of this year’s symposium is the Magnuson-Stevens Act and its impending reauthorization. The symposium, which features two full days of presentations and discussions, will be broadcast online April 24-25 from 8am to 5pm PST. 08:15
NEFMC – Herring Press Release
Please click here for a copy of the NEFMC Press Release Measures to Promote Accountability in the Atlantic Herring Fishery. The Press Release provides New Book – From Hooks to Harpoons. Mick Kronman Traces Fishing History
Mick Kronman may not be the Old Man and the Sea, but he’s getting close. For the past umpteen years, Kronman has worked for Santa Barbara’s Waterfront Department, where he keeps in constant contact with those who stubbornly keep alive Santa Barbara’s tradition as a working harbor. Before that, Kronman worked as a reporter, covering both county politics and the fishing industry. independent.com Read more here 07:27
British Columbia Herring fishermen ask feds for $6 million to compensate losses
Three areas were set to reopen to commercial fishing this year: Haida Gwaii, the central coast, and the west coast of Vancouver Island. Fishermen say their losses include license fees and potential catches of upwards 2,000 tonnes of herring on the West Coast of Vancouver Island,,, thetyee Read more here 21:23
On Sale at Hercules SLR, New Bedford – Buy 5 DSPAs, Save $500 Bucks!
DSPA Systems Benefits – Easy to install and maintain – Fit for a wide variety of applications – Deploys quickly and safely – Does not need to be at seat of fire – Self-contained unit that does not require construction or piping – Non-pressurized – Does not affect oxygen levels – Does not deplete ozone – Is cost-effective in comparison to other systems (CO2, Halon, foam) – Has a shelf-life of fifteen (15) years 20:47
Fisheries Minister Gail Shea mum on shrimp quota cuts
Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea is declining interviews on a controversial cut to inshore shrimp quotas. Newfoundland and Labrador`s representative in the federal cabinet, ACOA Minister and Nova Scotia MP Rob Moore is doing the same. Earlier this month, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced a 9,000-tonne cut from the inshore fishery for northern shrimp quotas, while only 1,000 was cut from the offshore trawl fleet. Read more here 17:04
New Assessment Concludes that Butterfish Are Not Overfished
Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council Applauds Collaborative Efforts to Determine Butterfish Stock Status. A new scientific assessment of the butterfish population indicates that the stock is not overfished and that overfishing is not occurring. Read the MAFMC Press Release here 15:56
Juniper Systems to Host Fisheries Webinar April 24th on Custom Fisheries Apps – Register to Attend
Juniper Systems is hosting an upcoming webinar for fisheries professionals on April 24th. The webinar— Low-Cost Software Options for Custom Fisheries Apps—will describe how fisheries professionals can significantly improve their data collection processes using inexpensive software with Juniper Systems’ rugged handhelds. Read the Press release and register for the webinar here 13:42
Boat of the Week from the Athearn Marine Agency: 42′ Northern Bay Lobster/Scalloper,2003, Lobster,Scalloper Fiberglass, Detroit
Specifications, and information click here
With young lobsters in decline, concern for Maine fishery rises
Warmer ocean temperatures, pollution, atmospheric conditions and changes in predation and availability of food could all be to blame, say scientists, state officials and industry leaders. Lobsters are very sensitive to even subtle changes in temperature, scientists say. Maine Department of Marine Resources officials say the decline does not appear to be the product of overfishing, as some environmental groups contend. portlandpress Read more here 09:49
Four men arrested on elver charges in two incidents
Two men, a father and a son from Massachusetts, are facing criminal charges after Maine Marine Patrol officers found them with 31 pounds of elvers in their vehicle here over the weekend. Read more here 09:33
Georges Bank drilling moratorium maintained by Ottawa
Federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver says Ottawa will maintain its moratorium on oil and gas exploration on Georges Bank, a rich fishing area southwest of Nova Scotia. The ban expires at the end of 2015 and Nova Scotia has been in talks with the federal government about extending it until the end of 2022. Read more here 08:38
