Daily Archives: February 10, 2015
VANCOUVER – WATCH: Sea lion feeding frenzy on commercial herring catch
Commercial herring fishermen are concerned about the explosion of the sea lion population and the effect it could have on herring stocks. The above sea lion feeding frenzy was filmed in December at a herring fishery near Qualicum Beach. Fishermen say the sea lions have now figured out how to get into the herring nets, get the fish and in many cases, chase the fish out of the nets to eat them. Read the rest here, Watch Video 22:39
Gulf of Maine Shrimp counting to help track egg hatch
While data from this limited sampling project won’t help estimate current stock abundance as do the more comprehensive surveys conducted annually by the National Marine Fisheries Service, 
, it will help managers track the timing of egg hatch, size and gender and developmental stage of the shrimp. Four trawlers from Maine and Massachusetts and five Maine-based trappers have been selected to collect samples in four regions in the Gulf of Maine. Read the rest here 17:18:
Shrimp Fisheries Improving in Gulf of Mexico, Thanks In Part to Seafood Suppliers
Fishery improvement projects (FIPs) are based on the premise that the seafood industry itself is the strongest force for driving improvements in fisheries, and a group of shrimp suppliers from the Gulf of Mexico has shown us how it’s done. Cox’s Wholesale Seafood, Katie’s Seafood Market, National Fish and Seafood, and Philly Seafood worked with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) on shrimp FIPs in Texas and Florida to evaluate the status of bycatch species in the Gulf of Mexico. Read the rest here 16:19
NOAA releases $8.3M to Massachusetts for groundfish disaster
Ed Barrett, a commercial fisherman from Marshfield, thinks the money will help a lot of fishermen missed in the first round of disaster aid released last year.But, he said, it should have come sooner.“It’s been very frustrating. Our legislation worked hard to get money, but the process hasn’t gone easily,” Barrett said. “Come Christmastime, people were hoping to get it by then… People were waiting to pay their mortgage, their gear bills, their fuel bills, and it didn’t happen.” Read the rest here 14:40
Sue and Settle Enviro Groups Go To Court to Protect Blueback Herring from Extinction
Washington, D.C. — Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and a coalition of fishing and watershed protection groups, Anglers Conservation Network, Great Egg Harbor River Council and Watershed Association, Delaware River Shad Fishermen’s Association, filed a complaint today in federal court seeking to reverse a decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) not to list the blueback herring as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Read the rest here 13:41
WHOA! HANDS UP!! – Fish and Wildlife Enforcement division splintered by internal conflict
The Department of Fish and Wildlife’s enforcement division is a serious mess and someone needs to be held accountable, says a parade of critics both inside and outside the division. Controversy surrounding the department’s administration – including internal investigations, allegations of cronyism and a federal civil rights lawsuit – has been circulating among Washington’s game wardens and marine officers for years. But what was once an internal affair has now boiled over into the legislature, and the level of dysfunction is becoming undeniable. Read the rest here. 13:07
Malloy sponsors ‘Blue Plan’ legislation to protect the future use of Long Island Sound
“With a Blue Plan, Connecticut can assure new uses of the Sound are compatible with traditional values and resources,” said Nathan Frohling, director of marine and coastal initiatives for the conservancy’s Connecticut office. “We will be able to better balance new uses, while protecting such things as commercial and recreational boating and fishing, the maritime beauty and environmental values that make the Sound such a desirable place.” Read the rest here 12:48
PALLONE: Block offshore drilling plan for Atlantic
Today our coast faces a number of environmental threats, but the good news is that there is still time to stop proposals for man-made environmental disasters. We have done it before, and we can do it again. Five years ago, the Obama administration released a plan that proposed drilling off the Atlantic coast from Delaware to Florida. Read the rest here 11:30
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council looks at deep-sea restrictions
On Wednesday, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council likely will vote on a proposal to limit the use of bottom-fishing gear that is dragged along the ocean floor, often scouring the area of sea life. Any new limits would have to be approved by federal officials. Limits on fishing are often contentious, these even more so. They have drawn tens of thousands of comments – albeit most of them form letters prompted by environmental advocacy groups – from proponents who want the corals protected, Read the rest here 07:19
