Daily Archives: August 5, 2014

A Retrospective Trip on the F/V Arctic Hunter – Gone, but not forgotten.

arctic hunterF/V Arctic Hunter went on the hard in November, 2013. I ran a few stories about her, and ironically, the last one in July, because a restaurant in Florida claimed they were getting fresh Weathervane Scallops from the Arctic Hunter! Anyway, I found this photo article by Chris Miller at his blog. Lets make one more trip on her! Read more here, with 14 great shots! 22:34  July 17 post

Coastal Fisheries Reform Group wants ‘otter trawl’ shrimping equipment banned

The Coastal Fisheries Reform Group has presented the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission with a position paper asking for the removal of otter trawls – widely used shrimp-trawling gear. Representing the CFRG, Joe Albea of Winterville, who produces an outdoor show for North Carolina public television,,, The parade of morons is never ending! <Read more here> 22:15

The final show of Deadliest Catch, and guess who’s in the news?!! Cornilia Marie saves four from capsized F/V Auriga

The Coast Guard responded to four mariners aboard the capsized 40-foot fishing vessel Auriga near Valdez, Monday. The mariners climbed aboard the vessel’s skiff and were rescued by nearby good Samaritan fishing vessel Cornelia Marie and taken to Port Valdez. <Read more here> 21:01

State to appeal setnet initiative ruling

The State of Alaska will appeal a state Superior Court decision that would permit a ballot initiative that could ban setnets in certain parts of the state. The Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance, or AFCA, filed a ballot initiative petition last November seeking to ask voters whether to ban setnets in urban parts of the state, which would primarily impact Upper Cook Inlet setnetters. <Read more here> 19:27

Out of Nowhere Comes an Updated Stock Assessment on Cod!

Some quips, quotes and communications of the new reformulated and deadly impromptu Cod Assessment from the good people at NOAA, and its under agencies. Read it, and tell me what you think. Our comment section is open! <Read more here> 17:16

North Carolina Commercial fishing groups file complaint regarding Endangered Species Act

Litigation was filed today alleging that several agencies and their representatives have failed to abide by the Endangered Species Act, (ESA),  in the. Plaintiffs are the North Carolina Fisheries Association, Inc,; and the Carteret County Fisherman’s Association, Inc., both non profit trade associations of commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and processors. <Read the Press Release here> 16:43

Spraying for Mosquitoes a Risky Proposition -Has this destroyed the Southern New England Lobster Stocks?

Both Connecticut and New York sprayed Scourge over Long Island Sound communities and placed Altosid briquettes or “dunks” in catch basins, with outlets to the Sound, to kill mosquitoes. After Hurricane Floyd dropped torrential rains in mid-September, lobstermen said they began witnessing mass die-offs of lobster in Long Island Sound. For the next 13 years, as frequent pesticide applications continued, researchers said the first die-off was due to oxygen depletion, a condition known as hypoxia, coupled with a rapid turnover of the water column. <Read more here> 14:28

UNE Professor Presents Significant Dogfish Findings

One key finding, says Sulikowsi, is that dogfish do not only dwell at the bottom of the ocean, as widely believed. He says this research shows them living up and down the water column, which means that trawler surveys do not give us the whole picture, which in turn means their numbers might be significantly underrepresented. <Read more here> 12:42

How Endangered Species Act litigation means big money for environmental groups

Easy ButtonFor most people, an hourly wage of $125 would be an awfully good deal, especially in this economy. But President Obama and environmental groups are warning that it is not nearly enough for one group: lawyers engaged in Endangered Species Act litigation. They would prefer that these attorneys continue to get the $300 to $450 an hour they are typically paid now. <Read more here> 12:28

BP still in the frame for Gulf of Mexico fish lesions

‘We can’t say with 100 per cent certainty that it was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill’, explained Steven Murawski, marine science professor at the University of South Florida, ‘but we can say what it wasn’t. The findings, published in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, were disputed by BP. According to Geoff Morrell, a senior vice president with BP, such lesions ‘have long been observed in the Gulf and have little effect on a species’ health or population.’  <Read more here> 11:34

Coast Guard Suspends Search For Timothy Lybrand Who Jumped Off F/V Paloma

Coast Guard officials suspended their search off Ocean Beach for a man they believe may have died at sea after a distress call early Monday morning, warning that he was about to jump from his fishing boat and swim to shore. Crews had been looking for Timothy Lybrand since 3:30 a.m. but called off the search at noon, after scouring an 18-square-mile area from the San Francisco beach to the Golden Gate Bridge and finding nothing. <VIDEO, Read more here> 09:02

Don’t throw away that fish waste!

The disposal or reuse of fish processing waste has long been a challenge for Michigan’s fish processing industry. Approximately 5 million pounds of waste from commercially processed lake whitefish, lake trout, and salmon are generated, annually. <Read more here> 08:44

Key West – FWC Arrests Man for Illegal Commercial Lobster Fishing

On Aug. 2, officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrested Pablo Enrique Anaya-Rodriquez, 49, of Key West, for actively fishing commercial lobster traps without having the required crawfish license tags attached to his traps. <Read more here> 08:38

Captain Paul Cohan, Gloucester: NOAA’s latest data doesn’t pass smell test

I smell a rat,,,, NOAA and its National Marine Fisheries Service stinks to high heaven,,,, If there was ever any doubt about the catastrophic effects of “catch shares” it should now be dismissed. Sectors, ITQ’s, Closures, and Consolidation, have not created conservation — instead devastation of all, well most, involved, both fish and fishermen, as well as those who depend upon them.  As much at fault, perhaps more so are the environmental non-government organization — or ENGO’s. For it was their infiltration of NOAA at the highest levels that facilitated this debacle. GDT letter <Read more here> 07:28