Monthly Archives: September 2014
Nova Scotia fishing industry continues to be most deadly
Nova Scotia’s fishing industry continues to be the deadliest workplace in the province because health and safety are not priorities, a legislature committee heard Wednesday. “We see an industry that’s struggling with high levels of fatality and also severe injury and a high frequency of injury,” said MacLean. Read the rest here 10:43
TONIGHT!!! Pamlico County Fishermen’s Association Meeting
Attention – Pamlico County Fishermen’s Association – The Pamlico Fishermen’s Association will meet this Thursday, September 18th at 7:00pm at the County Opry on Hwy 55, one mile before you get to Grantsboro. (Coming from New Bern.) – Please encourage all the fishermen you know to attend this meeting! 07:47:15
Commerce Secretary asked to cut by-catch of salmon in the Bering sea–Aleutian Islands Pollock fishery
T–C–C officials said the Chinook salmon stocks are crashing, and they need to do everything possible to reverse the trend. The petition asks for an order to reduce the Chinook Salmon by–catch in the Bering sea–Aleutian Islands Pollock fishery. It would cut by–catch from 60 thousand down to 20 thousand. Read the rest here 23:22
New England Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Oversight Committee want emergency measures to conserve cod
The federal New England Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Oversight Committee recommended a battery of changes, including one restriction that would prohibit fishing by private recreational and charter boats in the spawning closure areas. The committee also recommended new prohibitions on some commercial groundfishing vessels, and requested a review of the extent of cod bycatch in the lobster fishery. Read the rest here 22:53
Hired Skipper Privileges Changing in Halibut/Sablefish IFQ Fisheries
Frank Miles of Kodiak, who made the proposal, said that grandfather/hired skipper privileges had led to widespread abuse of the 20 percent boat ownership requirement, and that the hired skipper privileges promoted leasing of quota and the common practice of charging excessive rents. Read the rest here 17:58
Dangers of lobster fishing
Commercial fishing, particularly lobster fishing, is a high-risk livelihood for many families in the Gaspé and the Maritimes. Mitch Girard, a second generation lobster fisherman in Barachois in the Gaspé, weighs in with this audio report. Listen here 16:59
Am. Samoa Governor Implores Obama Not To Expand Marine Monument
I mean, What the Hell is an extra 700,000 square miles, right?
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (The Samoa News, Sept. 16, 2014) – To protect fishing grounds of the U.S. Pacific jurisdictions, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has urged U.S. President Barack Obama not to expand existing marine national monuments or create new monuments in the U.S. Pacific islands. Read the rest here
Anxiety grows about red tide bloom 5-15 miles off northeast Gulf of Mexico local beaches
It’s like Florida’s version of The Blob. Slow moving glops of toxic algae in the are killing sea turtles, sharks and fish, and threatening the waters and beaches that fuel the region’s economy. Karenia brevis is not believed to be caused by man-made pollution such as agricultural runoff, and historical accounts of what is believed to be the same red tide date back to the 1700s. Read the rest here 13:59
ICES honours scientists – Outstanding Achievement Award to Bill Karp, Northeast Regional Science Center
“Bill Karp has been involved with ICES for over 20 years, serving in many roles – from member of various groups and committees, including the Science Committee (SCICOM), to symposia convener. Read the rest here 12:12
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Dixon Tuna/Longliner 800HP, 6 Cylinder CAT, Prices Optional!
Specifications, information and 27 photo’s click here 12:55 To see all the boats in this series, Click here 11:53
Whaling opponents and pro-whaling nations, led by Japan, remain at odds
Diplomats were preparing for one last push to find a compromise capable of bridging the divide between whaling nations and their opponents at the biennial International Whaling Commission summit in Slovenia. Read the rest here 11:09
In 100 Years, Maryland’s Crab Cakes Might Be Shrimp Cakes
For centuries, the Chesapeake Bay has been a natural seafood factory along the East Coast, and that wealth of marine resources has shaped the area’s food culture and history—a 2011 Garden & Gun article referred to Maryland crab cakes as “practically a religion.” Seafood production also represents a critical portion of the Chesapeake Bay’s economic backbone. Read the rest here 10:17Lots of lobster, few workers – Curb on foreign employees imperils industry, processors say
Changes to the 
might mean the lobster on your plate may someday be processed outside of the Maritimes. “The other alternative they have is to go offshore and have the work done in some other country, and we don’t want that.” Read the rest here 09:52
NEFMC Groundfish Oversight Committee meet’s today to discuss shutting down the Cod fishery
The New England Fishery Management Council is working on new management measures for the fish. The full council will consider the ground fish committee’s recommendation at its meeting later this month. Read the rest here 07:56
Fraser River’s sockeye salmon run size uncertain, but ‘great’ – seine boats given a three-day opener
The Fraser River’s sockeye run is being hailed as exceptional by fisheries experts even though there is considerable doubt about how many millions of salmon remain at sea and how many of those fish should be caught. “I would call it a great run,” Jennifer Nener, area director for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), said Tuesday as seine boats were given a three-day opening to scoop up late-arriving sockeye off the mouth of the Fraser. Read the rest here 21:08
Day at the Docks kicks off Thursday night – Hatteras, North Carolina
Day at the Docks was started to celebrate the “Spirit of Hatteras” when the village recovered from Hurricane Isabel in 2003 as an intact community, anchored by the commercial and charter fishermen. The day long event is a confirmation of the strength of community, heritage and living traditions of the waterman. Food, Fun, Exhibits. Something for everyone! Have a great time! Read about it here. 20:01
New paper finds North Carolina sea levels rising < 7 inches per century
A new paper published in Quaternary Research reconstructs sea level rise in North Carolina over the past 1000 years and finds sea level rise since 1845 has been only 1.71 mm/year, equivalent to 6.7 inches per century and in line with many other papers finding global sea level rise of less than 7 inches per century. Read the rest here 18:43
A Big One! NEFMC Groundfish Committee Meeting – Wed. and Thurs. September 17-18, 2014 – Listen Live
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. each day at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, 363 Maine Mall Road, South Portland, ME 04106. Webinar Registration: For online access to the meeting, please click here Meeting Materials: Please consult the Council’s website by clicking here You will find an agenda and copies of the materials to be considered. Questions? call Pat Fiorelli (978) 465-0492 ext. 106, or email at [email protected]. Read this letter from David Pierce, Deputy Director NEFMC. Background, Serious Trouble Read it here Gulf of Maine Cod Stock Status and Needed Action 16:57
‘Wicked Tuna: North vs. South’s’ Dave Marciano: ‘Sailing down from Gloucester was a nightmare’
Q, How would you compare the fish in the Outer Banks to the ones in Gloucester? A: Historically, we get bigger fish back home. But [last summer], because of water conditions, the water got real hot, our fish were … a smaller run than,,, Read the rest here 14:56
Scientists defrost and dissect one of the sea’s rarest creatures: A colossal squid
It was a calm morning in Antarctica’s remote Ross Sea, during the season when the sun never sets, when Capt. John Bennett and his crew hauled up a creature with tentacles like fire hoses and eyes like dinner plates from a mile below the surface. Read the rest here 14:43
“The State of the Crab” – Panel talks crab population, regulations
The first of three panel discussions entitled “The State of the Crab” took place on Sunday at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The focus of the first panel discussion was primarily the cultural and social dynamics of the crabbing industry, as well as the history of harvesting and industry regulations. Nearly 25 attendees took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about where the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population stands. Read the rest here 12:28 This one was found in Yarmouth NS!
Cannonball jellyfish operation – Let science decide if business is good fit
You don’t have to like the idea of a cannonball jellyfish operation — or trust the people who would operate it — to admit their legal representative makes a valid point: A zoning change designed simply to throw another hurdle in front of an unpopular enterprise would be “an irrational, knee-jerk reaction.” Read the rest here 09:05
Summer flounder fishing rules to get examined and overhauled
Summer flounder fishing rules for the Atlantic Ocean may get an overhaul. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is starting a process to prepare an environmental impact statement and plan a scoping process to change the fishery management. NMFS is announcing the effort in the Federal Register of Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014. NMFS plans a series of 14 public scoping meetings where the public can speak between Sept. 22 and Oct. 29. Read the rest here 08:23
Marine monument expansion stirs controversy
“This attempt at crafting an environmental legacy for our nation will ultimately prove to accomplish the opposite by disenfranchising our own fishermen and outsourcing domestic seafood demand to nations whose standards for environmental protections pale in comparison to our own,” remarked Sean Martin, of the Hawai’i Longline Association. Read the rest here 07:57
Time to protect cod habitat
The decline of cod is the result of bad decisions by federal fisheries managers (under pressure from powerful fishing interests?) that encouraged overfishing for decades and failed to protect the habitat cod need to thrive. Read the rest here 07:40
Nations square off at International Whaling Commission conference
The commission’s 65th meeting kicked off in Slovenia with a vote of 46 to 11, with three abstentions, in favour of Greenland’s proposed 207 kills per year from 2015 to 2018, with conservationists fearing much of the meat meant for aboriginal subsistence was actually being sold. “More than 800 whales were condemned today just in the Greenland vote,” Wendy Higgins of the Humane Society International Shut up Read the rest here 19:51
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – AK fishing updates; high halibut $
Alaska’s total salmon catch looks like it will come in at just over 150 million fish – that’s about 20 million more than expected. That’s due in part to a healthy run of reds in many regions, notably Bristol Bay. With sockeye salmon shortfalls in Russia and a lower run than expected at B.C.’s Fraser River, market reports are putting Alaska sockeyes at a premium. Speaking of premiums – halibut prices are,,, Read the rest here 18:18
SAFMC Meeting – September 15-19, 2014
Webinar Registration: Watch the meeting LIVE as it happens – Sign up for daily Webinars here. Meeting Agenda here Briefing Book Materials 14:29
Placentia Bay – Boats destroyed in Southern Harbour wharf fire – as many as 10 vessels.
While the RCMP investigate, fishermen and boat owners
are figuring out what’s next, after an early Monday morning blaze at a wharf in Southern Harbour destroyed as many as 10 vessels. “I was talking to one fisherman there today and he was pretty devastated. He just bought two new engines to go on his boat in the last couple of weeks or so, and everything was destroyed.” Read the rest here 13:20
ASMFC Tonight @ConnDEEP Public Hearing on Cancer Crab management. 7PM, Old Lyme
Connecticut tonight, Maine September 22, Maryland September 24, Massachusetts September 24, Rhode Island September 25. Information is here for review 13:06
