Daily Archives: January 16, 2015
They put a 1,005-pound bluefin tuna in the Fish Bucket! – That’s a very big fish!
It’s a big fish story to tell the grandkids. Anglers are reveling in a 1,005-pound blue fin tuna that was brought in Tuesday by the Morehead City boat Fish Bucket, skippered by Capt. Herb Sheades with mate Jonathan Anderson. The fish was 116 inches long and one of the longest ever to be brought back to the docks in Carteret County. The Fish Bucket is one of several commercial fishing boats that are part of the fleet trying to hook the giant tuna as a supplement to their winter income. Read the rest here 19:22
Could BP, Feds settle in massive 2010 oil spill civil case? Experts weigh in
BP faces a top fine of $13.7 billion for its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, down from a possible $18 billion after a federal judge ruled Thursday that the spill was smaller than the federal government had estimated. Legal experts count the ruling as a victory for BP,, The Justice Department and BP have spent months preparing for the three-week trial, which will determine how much BP owes in pollution fines under the Clean Water Act. Read the rest here 17:52
Swordfish Facts – The Fishery, and the Fish
Swordfish are pursued worldwide by the fleets of more than 20 nations. In the U.S., swordfish are landed from Maine to Louisiana, as they migrate up and down the East Coast. U.S. swordfish catches peaked in 1993 at just over 10,000 metric tons. In recent years, following the introduction of a variety of conservation measures, U.S. catches have fluctuated between 3,500 and 4,000 metric tons. Read more here 16:19
Haida Nation threatens legal challenge if federal authorities open herring roe fishery
The Haida Nation says the 
is considering opening a large commercial fishery this year in the community on the north coast. Haida Nation president Peter Lantin says herring stocks have not rebuilt enough to support the opening, saying department’s management process flawed. Read the rest here 15:49
There’s a better solution to the problem of too few fish than privatizing the ocean. -The Right Catch of the Day
Then an approach called “Individual Transferable Quotas” was implemented. Under this approach, each fisherman was awarded the right to catch a certain percentage of the total annual allowable catch, which was set each year. The idea was that if each fisherman owned a percentage share of the total, they would have a strong incentive not to overfish and destroy the fishery, since that would of course destroy the value of what they owned. This was supposed to protect the fishing ground, and also protect the economic security of individual fishing operators. Read the rest here 15:28
Climate, pollution and overfishing – Menakhem Ben-Yami
It seems that at least every five years I have to return to the dispute of overfishing versus other factors responsible for depleted fish populations. I wrote about it on this page in 2002, 2007 and 2012. Now, with a feeling of déjà vu, I’m back at it. The trigger was a letter sent to me by a friend, in which a British fishing skipper was complaining of the lack of judgment with which the general press distributed misinformation “by conservationists who are self proclaimed ‘experts’…very good at manipulating the media who love them, and publish every dubious, or in some cases, completely false, stories given to the press”. Read the rest here 12:44
Sitka processor sells ownership stake to Starkist
Sitka-based Silver Bay Seafoods has sold a twelve percent stake to Dongwon, the Korean owners of Starkist Tuna. The news of the sale has been public since November, but Silver Bay CEO Rich Riggs added details during a presentation to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce. The fisherman-owned processor is only 8 years old, but has grown rapidly in Alaska and on the West Coast. . Read the rest here 11:04
Hands off the Aleutian Islands
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility submitted a nomination to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a marine sanctuary around the islands in December. It is supported by environmental groups, including some in Alaska, according to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. While that could take a long while, the environmental groups are hoping to draw this proposal to President Obama’s attention — undoubtedly hoping for a national monument designation. Read the rest here 10:53
Herring festival hangs in balance – Lack of set price keeps fishermen out of water
As locals prepare to celebrate the humble herring, a dispute over prices of the omega-3 rich silvery fish has organizers of the Sausalito Herring Festival wondering if the guests of honor will even show up. Mel Wickliffee of Pier 45 Seafood said the price disagreement is keeping out-of-state fishermen on the sideline. He said the fish company unloads the herring for another company and has nothing to do with the price. Read the rest here 10:21
