Daily Archives: March 4, 2015
Alaska lawmaker wants to limit seine vessel length
A Ketchikan lawmaker is proposing that no seine vessels longer than 58 feet can fish in state salmon fisheries. Rep. Dan Ortiz said the bill he introduced Wednesday would protect fishing and processing opportunities for Alaskans by limiting the size of boats seining for salmon. Read the rest here 19:32
A Tale of two pictures – NOAA and Enviros have it all wrong on Gulf of Maine Cod!
This is a picture of approximately 2000 lbs. of cod. It represents the first time I have targeted cod in two years. While one picture does not determine the status of the stock it is a powerful illustrator of our current assessment shortcomings. This presentation is on Gulf of Maine Cod but the problems it illustrates cut across numerous species. By way of background, this was a one hour research tow in an open area. I travelled 20 miles to make this tow and it represents the first area that had not been taken over by lobster traps. This alone is cause for concern because most of the Gulf of Maine is now defacto closed to commercial fishing and the trawl survey, by the proliferation of fixed gear. The fact is, none of us now know how many cod exist because no one, including the NOAA trawl survey can fish here. Read the rest here, by David Goethel 16:36
Enviros Petition for Immediate and Permanent Rule Making to Prohibit Fishing for Gulf of Maine Cod
Togiak Herring Biomass Forecast Above 10-Year Average
Alaska fishery area management biologists in Dillingham say the 2015 Togiak District herring biomass is forecast to be 163,480 tons, about 110 percent of the recent 10-year average. The forecast issued in late February is based on an age-structured analysis model in use since 1993. It shows so far that herring ages 4-6 are expected to comprise 17 percent of the projected biomass, ages -7 and -8 comprising 27 percent, ages 9-11 up to 50 percent, and the remaining 6 percent from fish ages 12 years and over. Read the rest here 15:22
$1 million fish pier project tops Rockland list
A $1 million overhaul at the city’s fish pier tops Rockland’s proposed capital improvement program for 2015-2016. The fish pier work would consist of replacing the surface of the pier, which has deteriorated over the past few decades. New concrete will be poured, new pilings will be installed and two new cranes would be purchased to help fishermen unload their catches. Read the rest here 14:43
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 63′ Steel Shrimper/Trawler,1986, Dragger, Shrimper Steel, Detroit
Specifications, and information and 10 photos of the vessel, click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 13:20
There really ARE more fish in the sea: Scientists find deep sea species untouched by fishing makes up 95% of all fish in the world
Scientists have vastly underestimated the number of fish in the sea – and say the majority of them have never been fished.Australian researchers found that mesopelagic fish, which live between 100 and 1000m below the surface, constitute 95 per cent of the world’s fish biomass and are untouched by fishing. They say the secret to the animal’s success may be its ability to evade fishing nets. Read the rest here 10:49
40 Years of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum
“We had an industry that was nearly unregulated—nobody had experience dealing with regulators. People were being thrust into this world where the government would have a large say in how their lives ran,” said Jim Wilson. Wilson attended a meeting of fishermen in Rhode Island, and when he returned to Maine, he came up with the idea for the Maine Fishermen’s Forum (Click here). “The idea of the forum was to build a community that could start to prepare for this brave new world.” Read the rest here 10:19
Longtime Kenai River habitat advocate applies for Board of Fisheries seat
A Kenai Peninsula resident known for his habitat advocacy has applied to be on Alaska’s Board of Fisheries. Robert Ruffner is a 19-year resident of Soldotna and has supervised dozens of culvert and fish passage projects on the Kenai Peninsula. Ruffner, who has not actively participated in fisheries politics on one side of the sport, commercial, or personal-use fishing battle over Cook Inlet fish, could be a less polarizing figure. Read the rest here 08:47
South coast harvesters blast DFO and FFAW; call conservation ‘a joke’ – Cod fishery extended into spawning season … again
Inshore fish harvesters on the south coast of Newfoundland are accusing the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) of using the guise of science to allow large company-owned trawlers to catch cod during a time that is traditionally closed for cod spawning. The cod fishery in area 3Ps was set to close for spawning on March 1. But it was decided, the same as last year, the fishery would remain open until the end of March to help gather more information. Read the rest here 07:55
