Monthly Archives: February 2015
Influence peddling, green energy, and romance: An Oregon Love Story
When a love affair begins with shared dreams of solar panels and fantasies of switchgrass, it shouldn’t surprise us that it leads to tears, resignation and federal investigations. Such is the love story of Oregon’s former governor John Kitzhaber and his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes. “Their relationship, from its beginning in 2002,” the New York Times wrote Feb. 15 after Kitzhaber announced his resignation, “was based, friends said, on a shared passion for a low-carbon energy future.”The Department of Justice last week issued subpoenas to Oregon state agencies, as part of a federal investigation involving Kitzhaber and Hayes. Read the rest here 17:52
Brokers say “slow going” for Halibut IFQs, catch shares; lots of buyers/few sellers
Right after the yearly catch limits are announced for halibut, brokers are busy with buying and selling shares of the catch. But it’s been slow going so far this year. Less of a rush this year, but there is less available. So I think the increases in 3A and 2C and the higher prices might bring out some more sellers, and of course the buyers are sitting there waiting. Listen, Read the rest here 16:50
Louisiana Fisheries – Steam on down to the seafood summit
The third annual summit for Louisiana commercial fishermen and the seafood industry will held March 11 at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. Hundreds of commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, processors and others from across the state will participate in the Gulf South’s premier commercial fishing and seafood industry event. Participants will learn about the latest updates, techniques and programs concerning commercial fishing and seafood production. Read the rest here 15:51
On Tilghman Island, law-breaking watermen defended
On a midwinter afternoon, William “Billy” J. Lednum steered the Kristin Marie into the Knapps Narrows, This was the 42-year-old waterman’s last trip before heading to prison — and perhaps the last rockfish haul of his life. Lednum, known around Tilghman Island as “Billy,” is now Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate No. 57529-037 at Fort Dix, N.J. On insular Tilghman — a 2.7-square-mile island with fewer than 800 residents — many are outraged by Lednum’s fall. Not because of his crime: poaching rockfish in violation of state and federal law. Read the rest here 12:13
Editorial: NOAA ‘reconsideration’ finally opens door to industry input
Only time will tell whether NOAA Fisheries’ agreement to reconsider some of its most draconian Gulf of Maine cod restrictions will prove a turning point in NOAA’s dealing with the fishing industry. And one can argue that the move — coming in response to a Jan. 22 letter from Congressman Seth Moulton in support of a very viable fishing — is one that NOAA’s Northeast administrator, John Bullard, should have given more credence when he flatly rejected it last month. Read the rest here 11:18
Quinlan Brothers Ltd. suing former workers, Daley-owned firm for $1M
One of the province’s biggest fish processing companies is suing two former employees and a competing firm for $1 million, alleging they have “misappropriated, disclosed and made improper use” of “confidential information and trade secrets.” The matter revolves around a piece of crab processing technology that was developed and used by Quinlan’s at its Bay de Verde plant, an automatic crab butchering machine, otherwise referred to in court documents as the “Quinlan CBM.” Read the rest here 10:31
Loving the Puget Sound to Death
Hidden amid the pleasure boats and cargo ships that roar through the canal in northwest Seattle is one of the oldest fishing economies in North America. From midsummer to October, from early morning until after dusk, fishermen from the Suquamish Tribe zoom up and down the canal in orange waterproof overalls, tending to salmon nets that dangle across the water like strings of pearls. The story of water pollution in Puget Sound mirrors that of other urban areas in the country. In the mid-twentieth century, the damage caused by waste and industrial pollution became obvious. Read the rest here 08:08
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
Steinbeck’s Western Flyer purchased, coming to Monterey
,The Western Flyer, a ship immortalized by author John Steinbeck, has been purchased by an investor who plans to restore it to its former glory and bring it back to Monterey Harbor, said Cannery Row historian Michael Hemp. “Bob and I have been working since 1983 to get our hands on the Western Flyer with basically no money and no resources,” Hemp said. “In recent years it’s been moored in a boat yard in Port Townsend, Washington, where it sank twice in the past two years.” Read the rest here 17:23
DA: Westbury Seafood Firm Sold Over $100G in Fish, Shellfish Without License, Permit
The owner and CEO of a Westbury-based seafood marketing company allegedly sold more than $100,000 in fresh fish and shellfish to Long Island restaurants without proper licenses and permits, authorities said. Richard Scores, Jr., 57, of Commack, was arrested Thursday by Nassau County District Attorney investigators and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation police officers after a joint investigation, officials said. Read the rest here 15:58
Electronic Technology: Quinault boats test new crab pot-monitoring system
Three Quinault fishermen have been using an electronic crab pot monitoring system to track gear use. This entails placing quarter-coin-sized radio frequency tags in their crab pot buoys over the summer and since November. As the pots were pulled aboard, they scanned the buoys in front of a sensor: “Basically like you’re scanning groceries at the store,” said Quinault fisherman Pete Wilson, who was one of the three participants in the pilot program. The sensor transmitted the identification number and the GPS location to a computer. Read the rest here 15:44
Commerce appoints Blue North CEO to serve on NPFMC
The US Commerce Department is appointing Blue North Fisheries CEO and President Kenny Down to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). “This is an out-of-cycle appointment. He has been appointed because John Henderschedt resigned,” Speegle said. Henderschedt is executive director of the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum. Read the rest here 14:32
Faeroe Islands Boom by Selling Salmon to Russia – Video report included.
As the tit-for-tat economic confrontation between Russia and the West nears its first anniversary, there are plenty of losers: associates of President Vladimir Putin barred from going to the U.S., European farmers banned from selling fruit to Russia, and German electrical-equipment companies that have lost a fifth of their Russian sales. But one winner can be found in the rough sea between Iceland and Scotland: the tiny Faeroe Islands. Read the rest here 13:16
Offshore drilling is not the right move for Maine
Gov. LePage has been clear that Maine’s energy future should be fueled with natural gas.,, Now he has joined Southern governors in a campaign to increase offshore drilling for gas and oil, in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, including, presumably, off Maine. Maine is a state that depends on the ocean for tourism and commercial fishing, including lobster fishing. The state has too much to lose in an oil spill to risk drilling for small amounts of expensive oil. Read the rest here 11:39
AK: Tracking Halibut
Fisheries are managed under certain assumptions that determine whether a fisherman can support a family, if a consumer can buy a fish at the local grocery and how much tourist traffic enters the state. Halibut are managed as if they spawn every year and move freely, without preference to localized areas. But are these assumptions true? Audio , Read the rest here 08:37
Dewey Hemilright, Commercial fisherman from Wanchese, N.C., One of Six 2015 Class Of ‘Busch Heroes’
Busch, the beer with a time-honored tradition of rewarding hard-working men and women who “earn it,” announced today six new men and women as its new class of 2015 Busch Heroes. Identified and nominated by friends, families, neighbors and others who recognized their overall dedication to their job as well as to their passion for making a difference in their hometown, Busch is proud to present its 2015 class of Heroes: Watch the Video here,,, Read the rest here 08:00
Fisheries Minister Vaughn Granter Optimistic About Revisiting LIFO
The Fisheries Minister says he’s cautiously optimistic that when provided the evidence, the federal government will abandon the LIFO policy. The latest in a series of protests against shrimp quota allocations was held in Old Perlican by the FFAW yesterday. Vaughn Granter says the province categorically doesn’t support the last-in, first-out policy. He says if the federal government doesn’t back off, it will mean total devastation for some coastal communities. Audio, Read the rest here 07:10
Alabama U.S. Rep Bradley Byrne wants red snapper quotas repealed, their management brought home to Gulf Coast
The Red Snapper Regulatory Reform Act is back on the table in the U.S. Congress. Its sponsor, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01) and long-time observers of management of the popular reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico say its passage is necessary to open the fishery to alternatives to the current restrictive quota system as created under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Read the rest here 22:20
Despite drought, Bay Area salmon fishermen see hope for 2015 season
Bay Area commercial salmon fisherman got a jolt of good news this week in the form of population data that could bode well for the upcoming season. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council released estimates for the number of chinook salmon that returned from the Pacific Ocean in the fall to spawn in rivers where they were born or released from hatcheries. The estimate for the Sacramento River, the top spawning ground in California, was relatively robust, considering the state’s three-year drought. Read the rest here 19:03
