Daily Archives: June 19, 2014
About 14,000 young salmon die in Elwha River release of 2.6 million fish
PORT ANGELES — About 14,000 dead 6-month-old salmon were counted in the rearing ponds of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Elwha River rearing facility after 2.6 million were released Tuesday afternoon. About 14,000 dead fish out of 2.6 million total represents a 0.5 percent mortality rate. Read more here 18:29
I’ve got bad news – Study says Earth on brink of mass extinction event
A landmark study by an international group of scientists has concluded that planet Earth is on the brink of a mass extinction event comparable in scale to the one that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The researchers found that extincti,,,, Watch the video here. Better hurry , though! 17:50
Risky business this summer at Bristol Bay: Sockeye Market Analysis
Uncertainty best sums up the mood as fishermen and processors await the world’s biggest sockeye salmon run at Bristol Bay. In fact, it’s being called the riskiest season in recent memory in the 2014 Sockeye Market Analysis. The biannual report is done by the McDowell Group for the fishermen-run Regional Seafood Development Association. Read more here 17:05
Price of bait to rise? Herring Fishermen Denied More Haddock Bycatch
The council denied the request at a meeting Friday TODAY . Federal regulators say Atlantic herring fishermen who fish from mid-water trawl boats are on track this year to exceed their limit for incidental catch of haddock in Georges Bank. That would trigger rules that would effectively shut down the herring fishery. Read more here 16:35
NFI to Obama: We insist on having a seat at the table on new task force, marine sanctuary
The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) is demanding a seat at the table with Obama administration agencies to discuss the implications — and implementation — of two new policies that swirled into view in rapid succession during the State Department’s international oceans summit on Tuesday. Read more here 16:10
Public input sought on proposed floating wind farm off Oregon Coast
Many people are skeptical how projects like a floating wind farm will affect nearby people and animals. A floating wind energy farm proposed off the coast of Coos Bay is under review. “This project is a little outside of the crab grounds,” said Hugh Link with the Dungeness Crab Commission, “but we’re also concerned for other fisheries and for the maritime safety.” Read more here 16:06
SAFMC halts MPA effort, includes catch shares in top ten list
The SAFMC has been pushed hard for over two years by radical environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, and Pew to approve the proposed MPAs even though the SAFMC’s own scientific advisors have said there is no scientific justification. It is of great concern that at last week’s SAFMC meeting, when council members submitted their top three issues/solutions as part of the snapper-grouper fishery “visioning” process, catch shares made it into the top ten issues for consideration. Read more here 14:04
Vita Food Products of Chicago Recalls Smoked Salmon for Possible Listeria Contamination
Vita Food Products of Chicago, IL, has voluntarily recalled 1,878 pounds of Vita Classic Premium Sliced Smoked Atlantic Salmon for potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The product was sent to Hannaford grocery stores in New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire; H-E-B grocery stores in Texas, and Publix grocery stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina beginning April 7, 2014. Read more here 11:46
Anxiety and Threats on the Kuskokwim as First Salmon Gillnet Openings Near
Four weeks into salmon fishing restrictions, the atmosphere along the Kuskokwim River is tense. At a meeting Tuesday the stress the closures are causing was obvious, but gillnet fishing for salmon is near. Reports of stress along the river in some cases were extreme. Working group member Fritz Charles reported on what he’s hearing about possible violence on the river. Read more here 11:20
Troopers, Coast Guard respond to a Father’s Day gone south
The evening apparently began pleasantly enough, with a father and son sharing dinner and drinks for Father’s Day on a fishing boat off in Cordova. But troopers say it eventually spiraled into a two-day episode involving the boat’s grounding off Hinchinbrook Island, a major argument between the two men and a rescue effort involving both the Coast Guard and Alaska State Troopers. Read more here 11:02Mystery surrounds how a bird common on Pacific coast arrived on Machias Seal Island in Bay of Fundy
The first sighting of a tufted puffin on the east coast of North America in almost 200 years has people wondering how the common Pacific coast seabird made it to the Atlantic waters. “The question that immediately springs to mind is how would this bird get here? “This is not a bird that is going to pick up and fly across the continent like a lot of other land birds might. It’s got to stay near water in order to fuel itself for any kind of a flight.” Read more here 10:46
Remapping of federal waters off New England moving forward – Some groups of fisherman will gain and others will lose
Not only do conservationists and fishermen disagree, Bachman said, but some groups of fishermen stand to benefit while other groups could suffer, depending on the gear they use and the fish they catch. “It’s a matter of perspective on where you are coming from,” she said. “It’s going to be a matter of finding out who the winners and losers should be.” Read more here 09:17
It’s Day Three of the NEFMC Portland Meeting – Listen Live! Scallops, Herring
The public is invited to attend the June 17–19, 2014 New England Fishery Management Council meeting. Revised June Council Meeting Agenda. Register by clicking here to listen via Webinar. Meeting Materials: Meeting documents will be posted on the Council’s website at www.nefmc.org. 07:35
