Daily Archives: January 30, 2015
Western Aleutian Steller Sea Lions Potentially Falling Prey To Sleeper Sharks
There has been plenty of money spent trying to figure out why the sea lion population in the Western Aleutians is not recovering. But nobody has put much money into studying sharks. The latest data from a study that implanted high-tech tags in the animals suggests that maybe they should. “In 15 out of the 17 instances we actually got the full data set, so we can tell what happened to those 15 animals, and, lo and behold, all 15 of those young sea lions died by predation,” Horning said. Read the rest here 21:21
Alaska halibut fishermen granted quota increase
Fishermen in Alaska will have access to slightly more halibut this year than last. The International Pacific Halibut Commission voted Friday in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a total catch in Alaska of 21.215 million pounds, up from 19.705 million pounds in 2014. That’s the first time in a decade the commission has increased the catch. Read the rest here 20:23
NCFA Weekly Update for Jan. 30, 2015
On behalf of NCFA’s Board of Directors, Members and Staff, we offer our most sincere condolences and prayers to the family of Janice Smith. Read the NCFA Update here 17:02
Too many risks to drill off Virginia
IT TAKES a lot of assumptions to conclude that offshore drilling will benefit Virginia:– That the Navy will reverse years of analysis and decide that drilling poses no danger to its training mission offshore or its installations onshore.– That oil companies won’t imperil Hampton Roads’ tourism and commercial fishing with a spill, as has happened everywhere else.– n That despite years of resistance, every state in America will now agree to simply hand over royalties to Virginia. — Read the rest here 15:46
New England Fishery Management Council reject expanded protections for herring
In a decision lauded by state regulators and decried by environmentalists, federal regulators ruled this week that a plan to extend greater conservation efforts to river herring is not necessary at this time. There is a need for more data to assess river herring and shad stocks, but the factors affecting the species include water quality and fish passage, which are difficult to address through federal management plans, said Jeff Nichols, a spokesman for the state Department of Marine Resources. Read the rest here 14:25
California wild salmon harvest continues to dwindle with drought
It’s still a little too early to tell for sure, but the news on the California wild salmon front is not good. A combination of low water levels in streams because of the drought and high summer temperatures resulted in a massive die-off of young salmon in Northern California. Read the rest here 13:57
N.C.Commercial fishing advocate Janice Smith’s legacy
The death of Janice Mason Smith, 84, of Atlantic this week leaves the community bereaved. A woman of great strength, perseverance and commitment to the people Down East, she was a lady of tremendous strength and determination but also great compassion. She gave without ceasing, often to those everyone else overlooked. Read the rest here 12:29 Community honors memory of Janice Mason Smith, 84 – Read the rest here 12:34
Crabbing by day, pouring beer by night
If you want to know what the new Half Moon Bay brew pub Cowboy Fishing Co. is all about, just read the writing on the wall. Painted on the side of the restaurant is the “Cowboy Code” — a simple set of 10 business rules: “Rule No. 1: Live each day with courage. Rule No. 2: Take pride in your work. Rule No. 3: Always finish what you start.”A huge fan of Western films, owner Tom McGuirk first took those rules to heart as the mantra of his commercial crabbing business, also called Cowboy Fishing. Read the rest here 09:10
Matthew P. Mullin, Environmental Defense Fund – We need cameras monitoring every fishing vessel
THOMAS FARRAGHER is absolutely right: If politicians, ranging from the governor to the attorney general to our congressional delegation, really want to help the fishing industry and save the fish, they need to listen to fishermen like Frank Mirarchi (“An expert to reel in,” Metro, Jan. 17). Mirarchi and fishermen like him have seen the benefit of on commercial vessels in New England for years. We need to see what is happening at sea — what is being caught and where, and what is being thrown overboard. Read the rest here 08:55
NPFMC to focus on halibut bycatch, new P-cod fishery during February 2nd – 10th Meeting in Seattle
Halibut and cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutians Islands will be the focus for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council at its upcoming meeting, with some attention to the simmering issue of national monument designations that are chafing Alaska politicians and communities. The council will hold their first meeting of 2015 in Seattle Feb. 2-10. Read the rest here 08:35
DFO leaving nearly $1B unspent is ‘appalling’
Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay says the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans leaving $950 million unspent is ‘appalling’ and the money should have been used to benefit P.E.I. programs. However, federal Fisheries Minister and Egmont MP Gail Shea says that’s not accurate and MacAulay should know how the budget process works since he was once a cabinet minister. Read the rest here 08:15
