Daily Archives: March 23, 2015
DNV GL Launches Rules for US Fishing Fleet
The fishing vessel industry fatality rate is 30 times higher than the average of all U.S. industries. To address this, U.S. legislation requires that all new fishing vessels larger than 50 feet must be built to classification rules. DNV GL is the only classification society to develop rules specifically for the U.S. domestic fishing fleet, addressing how fishing vessels are designed, built and maintained for safety. Read the rest here 21:10
Worried about sustainability of herring stocks, First Nation protests commercial fishery
Tensions are escalating on B.C.’s central coast where the Heiltsuk First Nation is protesting commercial herring fisheries. Chief Marilyn Slett said Monday that after failing to stop the seine fleet from hauling in about 680 tonnes of herring over the weekend, plans are being made to escalate the protests when the gillnet fleet gets clearance to fish, possibly later this week. The seine boats were cleared for a short opening late Sunday after a test fishery showed the herring, Read the rest here 20:14
Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Lobster Rolls? Not at Hadlock Field, Home of the Portland Sea Dogs!
The City of Portland owned Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, won’t be serving lobster from Maine Lobster Processor Linda Bean any longer, because the concessionaire, whomever these narrow minded, under the PETA influence, executives are, have decided to consider PETA’s extremist views about lobster processing! This certainly is the “dumbing down” of the hospitality sector. Shame on the City of Portland to allow a local sustainable Maine food product harvested from the waters of the State of Maine to be ejected because a small group of the extremist fringe are offended. Read the article here 19:40
Coast Guard rescues two fishermen near Block Island
Coast Guard crews rescued two fishermen from a sinking vessel 10 miles south of Newport, Rhode Island, Monday. At approximately noon, the two person crew of the 38-foot fishing boat More Misery notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England in Woods Hole, Massachusetts that they were taking on water and needed help. Read the rest here 16:31
Cod stocks off Newfoundland improving but recovery still years away: researchers
Scientists tracking northern cod stocks off Newfoundland say there are hopeful signs of recovery but that any lifting of an almost 23-year-old commercial fishing moratorium is likely a decade away. “In the past half a dozen years or so, we’ve seen a remarkable change,” said George Rose, director of the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research at Memorial University’s Marine Institute in St. John’s. There are more fish, they’re larger and older, he said. Read the rest here 15:39
Fraser River Sockeye run estimated at nearly seven million
It won’t be a super sockeye run this year. But salmon fishermen of all stripes should be allowed to get their nets or lines in the water if advance projections are on target. Roughly 6.8 million sockeye should come back to the Fraser River this summer, plus or minus a few million, if the pre-season estimates from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are close. Read the rest here 15:33
NOAA Law Enforcement Investigative Work
NOAA special agents and enforcement officers handle more than 3,000 seafood fraud, marine mammal protection and fisheries-related incidents per year in the United States. This video focuses on the investigative work of NOAA Office of Law Enforcement special agents.11:51
Letter to the Editor: Cashes Ledge must be protected from fishing – Betsy Fecto, Portland
Cashes Ledge is currently afforded the protection and conservation measures of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Public hearings have been held throughout New England to help decide whether Cashes Ledge should continue to be closed to the harvesting of groundfish or opened with some restrictions. Scientists, researchers, fishermen and others have shared their future visions of Cashes Ledge. Read the rest here 09:55
Heiltsuk First Nation threatens to blockade commercial herring fishery
“We don’t trust the DFO [Department of Fisheries and Oceans] science.” said Carrie Humchitt, the first nation’s legal adviser. “It’s very industry driven.” Humchitt says if a commercial fishing is allowed, the Heiltsuk will act. “Our people are ready to mobilize and go out an protect our territory if we have to,” he said. We’re prepared to go out and protect our stocks.” “We think it’s in very bad faith that the DFO is forcing us and other nations up and down the coast to go out and protect our fisheries.” Read the rest here 09:31
Alaska Fish Factor: Seventh Time Lucky for Personal Fisheries Priority? Fishy bills to watch, ComFish is coming!
The priority shift has been introduced during each of the last seven legislative sessions by (now) Senator Bill Stoltze (R-Chugiak), but has never made it past a first hearing – until now. Lawmakers said PU fisheries “need more protections from commercial fishermen.” The United Fishermen of Alaska’s position on the PU issue has remained the same for seven years: the legislature should leave prioritization of fishery allocations to the Board of Fish and management to the Department of Fish and Game.Read the rest here 07:29
NEFMC giving $450K to fish research projects
The New England Fishery Management Council is funding the work. One project will seek to develop ways for cod and haddock fishermen to avoid accidentally catching flatfish in Georges Bank. Another will assess the performance of fishing gear designed to avoid accidental catch of windowpane flounder. A third project seeks to improve capture and handling methods for haddock discarded in recreational Gulf of Maine fisheries. A final project will assess recreational haddock discard mortality on Jeffreys Ledge. Read the rest here 06:54
