Daily Archives: November 6, 2014
Digby Neck company continues to develop Far East markets for its live lobster at China’s fisheries expo
president Robert MacDonald, whose company sells about a half-million pounds of live lobster annually in China, is at the expo as part of his two-week tour of Far East markets. Company official Mark Croft said the Digby Neck firm has found China, Hong Kong and South Korea to be one of the better sale areas. Read the rest here 19:42
NC officials host closed meeting on oil drilling today Enviros denied access, what about fishermen?
John Filostrat, spokesman for the federal Ocean Energy Management bureau, denied his agency asked that the meeting be closed to the public. However, Filostrat said environmental groups and others would have ample opportunity to comment on the plans for off-shore drilling once a draft of the proposed regulations are completed. Read the rest here 18:37
Is there a Global Illegal Fishing Crisis? A Quick Look at the Problems with Fisheries Crime Estimation
A leading issue in the marine conservation arena is the global and large-scale nature of illegal fishing. Various NGOs have made Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing a key target of their campaigns, and indeed, you find that IUU is generally used as a proxy term for “illegal fishing”. Just off the top of my head, I can tell you that ,,, Read the rest here 15:36
KODIAK: Coast Guard prepares for severe weather in Western Alaska
The Coast Guard is preparing for an incoming severe weather system forecasted to impact the Bering Sea and Western Alaska on Friday. The Coast Guard has forward deployed an Air Station Kodiak MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew to a forward operating location in Cold Bay and notified the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Munro, Read the rest here 14:41
As It Turns Extra-Tropical, Typhoon Nuri Could Challenge All-Time Record
Typhoon Nuri has already had a remarkable run on this Earth. The Capital Weather Gang explains that for 24 hours over the weekend, Nuri was a category 5 monster storm with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph, tying with Typhoon Vongfong as the strongest cyclone of the season. But Nuri may actually make a name for itself after it loses its tropical characteristics when it moves north into the Bering Sea. When it gets there,,, Read the rest here
Fit to Serve? Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District has a poacher on its board of commissioners.
Commissioner Aaron Newman, on the eve of trial, recently entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors in which he admitted to misdemeanor charges of illegally obtaining hunting tags, lying to a state agency and misusing abalone tags. (Additional charges, including a pair for felony perjury, were dismissed under the deal.) Read the rest here 11:46
Pacific Legal Foundation making news on the east coast by fulfilling its mandate
Meanwhile, just across the Potomac River from Alexandria, the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C., heard oral argument today in the case of John Yates v. United States. PLF filed its amicus brief on behalf of several commercial fishing associations earlier this year. “Sort of inexplicably, the federal government decided to turn a regulatory minor fine into a federal prosecution involving a law for white-collar criminals.” Read the rest here 11:40
Former Cortez fisherman shares his side of case that has reached U.S. Supreme Court
John Yates remembers the day his life as a commercial fisherman was forever changed. The 62-year-old sat inside his Cortez furnishing store Off the Hook on Wednesday and recalled that day in October 2007. As he shared his story, Yates’ wife Sandy — who has a background in law — and their daughter Jennifer Miller were more than 900 miles away in Washington, D.C. for his case in front of the United States Supreme Court. Read the rest here 11:16
Yates v. United States to question over-criminalization Make a comment here
BREAKING: Investigators Surround Sturgeon Bay Fish Business
State and federal investigators spent the day at a Sturgeon Bay business. DNR conservation wardens stood guard outside Dan’s Fish, Incorporated. Other investigators could be seen going in and out of the building. A spokesperson with the US Attorney’s Office of Western Michigan wouldn’t confirm an investigation but sources tell us a search warrant conducted today involves a tri-state investigation tied to the commercial fishing industry. Read the rest here 10:57
Feds shut down Maine shrimp season again
For the second year in a row, federal rregulatorsvoted Wednesday to cancel the shrimp season, leaving fishermen, processors and distributors without income during the tough winter months. “It’s a big blow in the winter when it’s slow for lobstering and ground fishing with our size boats and the shrimp is big. It fills a big void in the middle of the winter,” said shrimp harvester and processor Dave Osier. Video, Read the rest here 10:52
Sikes: Snapper battle ramps up a notch
CORPUS CHRISTI – As expected, speculation and the latest outrage regarding red snapper regulations are ramping up for an epic battle. The Gulf Coast Fisheries Management Council voted to recommend a proposal that would divide the annual recreational quota of red snapper into separate portions. Read the rest here 08:15
