Daily Archives: October 12, 2014
Study finds birth control pill has negative effects on lake ecosystems
The lead researcher of a new study is calling for improvements to some of Canada’s waste water treatment facilities after finding that introducing the birth control pill in waterways created a chain reaction in a lake ecosystem that nearly wiped out a freshwater fish. Read the rest here 22:48:07
Kiribati deal shocks fishing world – US Tuna Fleet Forced Out – Chinese and Taiwanese boats take over
A tiny South Pacific nation has shocked the fishing world by revealing without warning that it has forced most of the American tuna fleet out of its vast waters and is letting Chinese and Taiwanese boats take over. Earlier this week governments of the 17 members of the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency, which included New Zealand and Kiribati, and the United States had settled a tuna deal in Pacific waters for 2015. Read the rest here 17:48
PUTNAM: Slow government action hurts fisheries
Christian Putnam is a Scituate resident and board member of Friends of South Shore Fisheries. This is his take on administrative bureaucrats, stock assessments, cod behavior, and the Canadian cod fishery, which by some unknown to our regulators reason, is experiencing an ongoing cod renaissance for as long as Gulf of Maine cod have been missing! Read the rest here 16:59
China Gets Aggressive in the Pacific — and Gives U.S. Arms Dealers a New Customer
This past summer saw multiple incidents of 
skirmishing with Vietnamese boats in the South China Sea, battling for position around a Chinese oil rig that’s been set up within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. In one notable incident, a Chinese vessel rammed, and sank, a Vietnamese fishing boat. Read the rest here 14:07
Do otters eat a lot of rockfish?
Here’s some irony. Rebounding rockfish populations have created a concern that river otters may be eating enough to hamper continuing population growth. “It’s more of a lack of information,” said Joe Gaydos, director and chief scientist of SeaDoc Society. Predation on rockfish populations is poorly understood. “It’s better to take a look at the issue.” Read the rest here 13:56
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, October 12, 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 10:20
New Bedford: Winners showed their skill at waterfront festival
On Saturday ,groundfishing skills were highlighted with a net-mending competition emceed by net designer Tor Bendiksen of Reidar’s Manufacturing, and a rope splicing contest emceed by Barbara Merry of Marlinspike Artist. Winners of the net mending competition were Meghan Lapp, Geoffrey Hatfield and Sarah Fortin, while Kevin Curole of Grand Isle, Louisiana, won the splicing contest. Read the rest here 09:47
Global Ocean Grabs Privatize Oceans, Harm Fisheries, and Threaten Fishing Communities
The report states, “Ocean grabbing is occurring mainly through policies, laws and practices that are (re)defining and (re)allocating access, use and control of fisheries resources away from small-scale fisheries and their communities, and often with little concern for the adverse environmental consequences.” Read the rest here 09:12
Video Shows RV Ocean Researcher V Aground Off Taiwan, Frantic Search and Rescue
New video shows the scene from Friday night’s search and rescue after the Taiwanese research vessel Ocean Researcher V struck a reef and sank near the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait. Search and rescue crews were able to recover all 45 people onboard, but tragically two researchers lost their lives in the accident. In the video you can clearly see the research vessel sitting high up on the reef. Watch video here 08:51
Cod crisis: Iconic species faces an uncertain future
Our cod crisis has become a sad cliche, ironic enough to catch the eye of the national media, and the truth does indeed hurt. Just ask Chatham and Harwich fishermen, who fished in what was once one of the top cod ports in the country but now catch mostly skates and dogfish and very little cod. Read the rest here 08:18
