Monthly Archives: September 2014
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, September 28, 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 10:59:07
New England: Fisheries research collaborative calls for new regional projects
The University of New Hampshire-led Northeast Consortium has been selected to lead a new collaborative research initiative on the groundfish stocks and groundfish fishery in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. The NEFMC stated in announcing the new funding initiative, “The NEC’s excellent track record over the course of 14 years speaks for itself. Read the rest here 09:01
Working Waterfront bridges the generations in New Bedford
Every family fishing tradition has to start somewhere. Capt. Lou Lagace of the sea clamming vessel “Mariette” said his began with a summer job in 1978. “I’m first generation,” Lagace said Saturday, standing on the docks at the 11th annual Working Waterfront Festival. Although he was the first in his family to enter the industry, Lagace started the tradition when he brought in his 29-year-old son. Read the rest here 08:54
Craig Medred Trashes Fisherman, He Responds – Dispatch News fall short of journalistic standards
My name is Wally Page. I’ve been a Cook Inlet commercial fisherman since before statehood. I’m nobody special, just a regular Alaskan working hard to support my family. I’m not someone “in the news.” Nevertheless, on July 21 of this year, the Alaska Dispatch News published a long article entitled, “Fish wars obscure need to manage for economic yield.” It was written by regular Dispatch columnist Craig Medred and focused on me. Read the rest here 07:02
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources opening more waters for shrimping on Monday
BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will open additional waters for shrimping on Monday, Sept. 29, according to a news release. Beginning at 6 a.m., all waters south and west of a line beginning at beacon “18” in the Biloxi Bay Channel and,, Read the rest here 21:12
Swordfish washes ashore in Loon Bay!
It was a peculiar sight — a large swordfish washed ashore on a beach in Loon Bay on Sept. 16. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a swordfish wash ashore. I’ve seen sunfish, but never one like this,” said Loon Bay resident Jon Lewis. The fish was approximately 12 feet long from the tip of its sword to its tail. Lewis estimated the sword was about three feet long. Read the rest here 18:53
Fishermen get a Fair Shake, Opposition whines – Championing Ocean Conservation Or Paying Lip Service to the Seas?
President Barack Obama this week extended the no-fishing areas around three remote pacific islands, eliciting praise from some, and disappointment from those who fear the move did not go far enough towards helping depleted species of fish recover. “We missed a unique opportunity to do something important for the oceans,” said Doug McCauley, a marine ecologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Ingrate Read the rest here 18:07
Stupid Ketchikan man faces assault charge of federal fisheries officer
A 23-year-old Ketchikan man has been accused of swinging a knife in front of a federal fisheries officer. The agent noticed a large filet knife on the counter, and he moved it closer to him. Court documents allege Garcia asked him, “Are you scared?” He’s then accused of grabbing the knife and swinging in the air of front of the agent. Read the rest here 16:27
Under the Global Pew Manipulation: The deep-sea fishing, a new geopolitical issue?
A huge operation to geostrategic nature is conducted to confiscate vast maritime and ocean spaces for the exclusive benefit of American interests. Cette manipulation est relayée en France et dans le monde par des ONG en relation étroite avec les acteurs américains de cette entreprise. This manipulation is relayed in France and worldwide by NGOs closely with American actors of this business. Read more about the Pew influence and Ocean Grabbing here 15:38
Council for Sustainable Fishing – Working to prevent a grouper closure and catch shares
Last week, I attended the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Charleston, SC and wanted to make you aware of some important decisions made by the council. While the council approved increased Annual Catch Limits for a number of unassessed snapper-grouper species such as gray triggerfish (commercial and recreational ACLs will increase by about 40,000 lbs. and 51,000 lbs. respectively next year), the council was on the verge of slashing the overall scamp grouper ACL by over 40 percent, which had the potential of hurting fishermen, particularly in the Carolinas. Read the rest here
Officials Speak in Kodiak on Proposition Four, Bristol Bay Forever – Audio report
Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell met with representatives from around the state in Kodiak this month to discuss ballot proposal four, which would prohibit mining projects if harmful to wild salmon in fisheries reserves. Executive director of the Renewable Resources Foundation Anders Gustafson made it clear that prop four would only effect large mining projects, it will not effect what he called “mom and pop” mines. Listen, and read the rest here 14:00
Who’s a seaman? Supreme Court may chart the waters
William Smith Dize’s life revolved around water. Dize died in 2012. His widow, Jennifer, is asking the Supreme Court to take her husband’s case. Some experts say the case could prove important to thousands of maritime workers who spend long periods on land and shorter bursts at sea, including salmon fishermen in Alaska, workers on fire boats and salvage vessels, and even those who repair undersea telephone cables. Read the rest here 11:56
NEFMC Meeting – September 30 – October 2, 2014 in Hyannis – Attend via Webinar
Read the Agenda here Register to attend the meeting via Webinar here 11:31
MAFMC – Summer Flounder Amendment Scoping Hearings – Monday, September 29, 2014 – Wednesday, October 22, 2014
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) have scheduled a series of scoping hearings to gather public input on the range of issues and information to be considered in the Comprehensive Summer Flounder Amendment. Hearings will be held September 29 – October 22 in coastal states from Massachusetts to North Carolina. Read the rest here 10:55
Bluefin tuna being caught in more northern Atlantic Ocean waters of Iceland, Greenland
Scientists, academics to lead groundfish study
A group of scientific and academic institutions is leading a researching initiative about the groundfish stocks in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. The federal New England Fishery Management Council is giving $800,000 to the Northeast Consortium for the project. Read the rest here 08:11
Alaska judge dismisses Pebble lawsuit against EPA
U.S. District Court Judge H. Russel Holland ruled, after listening to brief oral arguments in his Anchorage courtroom, that the Pebble Limited Partnership does not have valid legal basis for its lawsuit seeking to stop the EPA’s deliberations about whether it should block development of large-scale mining in the region. Read the rest here 21:46
Military-grade radar network watching for oyster poachers ‘It doesn’t sleep’
In the 1860s, poachers struck at night, sometimes in black-painted ships with darkened sails, outlaws raiding protected oyster beds. Lawmakers formed an Oyster Navy armed with cannons, but this police fleet was outgunned in the oyster wars of the 19th century. Today, cannons are out and military-grade radar is in to protect Chesapeake Bay oysters. Read the rest here 18:46
As is Obama’s, Chagos marine reserve polluted by politics
ADVICE to the UK’s foreign secretary David Miliband was clear. For 48 hours, memos flew from his officials, all advising him to hold back, take his time, consult and consider alternatives. He ignored them. The next day, five weeks before the 2010 election that would remove him from office, Miliband set up a giant marine protected area (MPA) covering 640,000 square kilometres of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), an area roughly the size of France. Read the rest here 15:28
Swan’s Island, Me: Islanders say lobster license waiting list unfair
At age 31, with 15 years of lobster fishing experience under his belt, Zeke Freelove is betting he won’t be able to get a lobster fishing license until he’s 50. That’s because of the state’s limited-entry system, which leaves aspiring fishermen on waiting lists for years.hat’s because of the state’s limited-entry system, which leaves aspiring fishermen on waiting lists for years. Read the rest here 14:55
Oregon charter captain sentenced for harvesting protected salmon
A Warrenton, Ore., charter boat captain pleaded guilty and was sentenced earlier this month for harvesting federally protected wild coho salmon on charter trips with sport fishing clients. Read the rest here 14:31
Commercial fisherman oppose Biscayne National Park proposals
After a Key Largo workshop Wednesday, the next news on new rules for Biscayne National Park could come with publication of a final management plan early in 2015. “We’ve been at this 14 years,” park Superintendent Brian Carlstrom said of the effort to update the park’s rules and operations. “We hope to get this knocked out next year.” Read the rest here 11:35
Photo Essay: Portrait of two fishing cultures along the Kenya-Ethiopia border
The Dassanach people in southern Ethiopia and Kenya, and the Turkana of Kenya, live and draw fish from different points of a shared border along Lake Turkana. But the Turkana people have historically clashed over ethnic differences and resources such as fishing, pasture and fresh water with other tribes bordering their territory, the Dassanach among them. See the rest of the photo’s here 11:04
Coast Guard: Investigations underway in 110-foot cutter collision that sank fishing vessel
“Though they’ll be looking into the same incident, the three investigations have different purposes and are clear and distinct from each other” said Captain Mike Zamperini, deputy commander, Coast Guard Sector San Juan. “Public service requires transparency and, if warranted, accountability, which we will ensure through these investigations.” Read the rest here 10:18
2010 BP oil spill still having an impact on commercial fishing
Commercial catches for several varieties of seafood have decreased since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officials said. Since the oil spill, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has paid close attention to the possible depletion of natural,,, Read the rest here 07:37
New Bedford!! – Complete Guide to the 2014 Working Waterfront Festival – September 27th, 28th
The nation’s number one commercial fishing port hosts the annual Working Waterfront Festival, a free, family friendly celebration of commercial fishing culture. The 2014 event takes place on the working piers of New Bedford’s historic waterfront on Saturday, September 27th and Sunday, September 28th. Read the rest here, and get to the festival! 07:08
Bringing the pink shrimp back to Petersburg
Petersburg once was host to sound enterprise of commercial shrimp fisheries and processing plants, drawing in hundreds of thousands – even millions of pounds of shrimp, ranging from the tiny pink crustaceans commonly found gracing salads to their larger brethren that are fried, grilled, battered and steamed in cuisine across the world. Read the rest here 06:55
Alaska delegation seeks name change of Russian-water fish sold as “Alaskan pollock”
When you buy Alaska pollock at the store, there’s a nearly 40 percent chance the fish was caught in Russian waters, U.S. pollock producers say. “The problem that we’re facing is that pollock caught by the Russians is also being called Alaskan pollock, which is pollock that is of a more inferior quality,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). “It’s causing confusion with our good, sustainably managed fishery and a fish that is of high quality.” Read the rest here 21:20
ASMFC says Striped Bass on a downward trend – Watermen comment on proposed options
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