Daily Archives: February 22, 2015
Being female among fishermen: An unwelcome reminder on the docks
When the Kathleen Jo pulls out of her stall at noon, I am there to see them off. My 5-year-old shipmate waves wildly through the starboard window. I wave back. When they turn the corner for the breakwater, I begin the trek to Old Thomsen Harbor.,, I stroll down the main float with sun-burned shoulders and a broad smile. A smile that freezes as two men approach me. I know these men. Sammy, a golden can of Coors clutched in his hand, worked at a local business until drinking cost him his job. The other is Carl, a man I crewed with a lifetime ago. A man who’d expected that sex would be part of the deal, working with a woman. Read the rest here 19:29
Stranded sea lions overwhelm California rescue centers
People in Marina del Rey, Calif., were surprised when a sea lion pup wandered into their apartment complex. But getting help for Walter when he was spotted last week wasn’t easy. Nearly 1,000 have washed ashore so far this year. The warmer water could have affected the availability of prey to the sea lions. Another possibility is “the sea lion population is reaching carrying capacity. Read the rest here 18:41
Poachers Supply Juvenile Eels to Asian Markets
The annual return of blueback herring and alewives this spring to the region’s coastal rivers and streams will be celebrated, but there’s another aquatic migrant that will have the attention of poachers. Elvers, also known as glass eels, are juvenile American eels, and they enter coastal waterways from Texas to Nova Scotia each spring, after developing from eggs and then larvae and then carried by currents from the species’ spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea, in the middle of the North Atlantic Read he rest here 15:36
Great Peconic Bay – 2015: The Year of Local Scallops
This year’s bay scallop season has been amazingly abundant. The scallops have been especially large, with delicate sweet flesh. Many baymen have been catching their limit in just a few hours, with some fish markets putting out a call for extra shuckers just to keep up. Our waters are under great pressure from the nitrogen loading, road run-off and too many poorly maintained septic systems, which has contributed to the collapse of eelgrass that hosts scallops. This year’s harvest seems to run contrary to those impediments. So what has happened? Read the rest here 14:59
Where have all the Whittier coho gone? – commercial seiners being scrutinized
For the past five years, coho salmon smolt specifically released for 
have failed to return as adults. Other nearby coho salmon fisheries in Prince William Sound, which have the same smolt, have not experienced the same declines in returning adult coho. “A possible reason for this is the commercial seiners primarily, not the drifters or setnetters,” Lofland said. “The seiners have started concentrating on the west side of the sound. They are very efficient, and they fish around the points. Read the rest here 12:32
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update FEB 22, 2015
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
To read all the updates, click here 11:11
Video: High winds hurting commercial fishing industry on the Grand Strand
MURRELLS INLET, S.C, The commercial fishing industry is how Reese Hair has been making a living for more than 30 years. Tuesday afternoon, he was at the dock because 15 foot waves were keeping him from doing his job on the ocean. Mershon said the big problem is while commercial fisherman in the Inlet are stuck on the docks, other fisherman from North Carolina to the Florida Keys may be catching the quota in calmer conditions. Read the rest here 10:28
Alaska House Bill targets Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission for elimination
A report by the Department of Fish and Game flagged the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission’s three highly paid heads, and their slow pace for adjudicating permit cases. Other issues highlighted in the Fish and Game report include the hiring of five retired state employees, some who work from home and are rarely seen in the office, and a lack of leadership and accountability in the agency. Read the rest here 10:06
Deep Panuke faces water woes – Pumping and Dumping HUGE amounts of fresh water.
Water problems at the Deep Panuke gas field in Nova Scotia’s offshore appear to have mounted over the past month, although its Calgary-based owner won’t say much about them, the company doesn’t comment on monthly production numbers. “As we said in our quarterly conference call (with analysts) in November, we always expected the reservoir to produce water,” Lori MacLean said via email. “However, recent levels are higher than we would have anticipated at this point in the project.” Read the rest here 09:55
Governor Jerry Brown’s Water board chief admits he ‘was wrong’
It is rare when a public official admits when he/she does something wrong. It’s even rarer when a state water official serving the administration of Governor Jerry Brown admits they did something wrong. But that’s exactly what happened in Sacramento on Wednesday, February 18, when Tom Howard, executive director of the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), the controversial agency overseeing California water, claimed he was “mistaken” last year when he approved emergency actions that harmed imperiled Delta smelt, Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon and other fish species. Read the rest here 09:27
Obama administration agrees to N.J. public hearing on Atlantic oil drilling
Obama administration officials have agreed to hold a public hearing in New Jersey before deciding whether to let companies drill for oil and gas off the Atlantic Coast, lawmakers said today. The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hearing likely will take place in March at a time and place yet to be announced. Read the rest here 09:01
