Daily Archives: March 28, 2015
Fish-farm madness – A US/Canadian Collaborative, The “Joint Forward Plan”
The Joint Forward Plan states that “Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency worked on aligning product reviews and risk assessment methodologies” in order to “reduce administrative burden on industry and provide simultaneous product access” to users. Regarding fish farms, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is collaborating with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Read the rest here 16:02
Coast Guard closes Oregon Inlet, Charter Fishermen are FURIOUS with four days left of the Blue Fin Tuna Season.
Oregon Inlet is closed to vessels drawing more than 2 feet, essentially shutting down the charter fishing fleet with four days left in the bluefin tuna season and as Easter week approaches. Petty Officer Kathryn Bruner with the Coast Guard in Wilmington said Saturday that the closing was prompted by the latest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers survey, which showed that search-and-rescue vessels can no longer get out of the inlet. Read the rest here 14:53
2 commercial fishermen convicted of trap robbing
Two commercial fishermen were convicted this week of robbing another fisherman’s stone crab traps last year. Both will face a maximum of five years in prison at sentencing, according to the State Attorney’s Office. A FWC pilot alerted FWC officers on the ground after tracking Salado’s boat, according to reports.The officers spotted the duo in the vessel March 8, 2013, on the oceanside of Ballast Key, pulling four traps with colors that did not match their vessel number. Some 25 undersized stone crab claws were found on the boat when it was boarded by FWC, reports state. Read the rest here 14:15
NEFSC Conducting Protected Species Program Review April 13-16 in Woods Hole, MA
Science programs at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center that support protected species conservation and management in the Northeast will be peer reviewed at the Center’s facility in Woods Hole, MA April 13-16, 2015. The species involved include whales, small cetaceans, seals, and sea turtles, as well as fish populations that fall under provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act. Click here for more information on the meeting, including logistics and meeting materials. Read the notice here 13:46Massachusetts: Local lobstermen busy selves during NMFS lobster/pot ban
The federally mandated lobster/pot closure aims to protect endangered whales during the three-month stretch when the mammals are known to frequent the restricted waters, according to the NMFS National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries division. Local lobstermen, backed by the Scituate-based , maintain they can co-exist with the whales. “We can land a man on the moon. There has to be a way for us to co-exist,” Herb said. Read the rest here 10:39
Ocean Salmon Season Will Open April 4 by Dan Bacher
The recreational salmon fishing season is slated to begin in the Fort Bragg, San Francisco and Monterey South regions of the California coast on Saturday, April 4, 2015. In spite of the record drought, the outlook for this year’s season is promising, due to an abundance of both Sacramento and Klamath River Chinook salmon. On March 12, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) adopted three public review options for the 2015 recreational and commercial salmon seasons off the West Coast. Read the rest here 10:01
Letter: Fishermen grateful for Congressman Seth Moulton’s efforts
We would like to publicly thank Congressman Seth Moulton for his support for fishing business in Gloucester. During the campaign, Congressman Moulton promised to advocate for sound policies for the fishing industry. In office for less than one month, he has delivered on that promise. Congressman Moulton’s strong and timely support of a sector-based solution offered by the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund was critical and well received. Ultimately, NOAA agreed to amend the Gulf of Maine cod for the remainder of this fishing year. Read the rest here 09:31
With fish spotting, aviation’s relationship with fishing turned contentious
Of all the ways in which Alaska’s aviation and fishing industries have been associated over the years, the use of aircraft to spot fish for commercial fishing operators has by far been the most controversial. Fish spotting is not unique to Alaska or even the West Coast; according to Aerial Age Weekly, it was used as early as 1920 off the coast of Virginia when “….each morning at 5 o’clock a flying boat carrying a pilot, radio operator and fish spotter leaves the station to aid fishing craft.” Read the rest here 08:23
