Daily Archives: April 9, 2015
Sockeye overfishing risks salmon future: critics
Conservationists say federal fishery managers allowed serious overfishing of Fraser River sockeye salmon,,, Bob McKamey, vice-president of the Area E Gillnetters Association, dismissed the objections from Watershed Watch. “It wouldn’t matter what the fishing plan is, they have a kneejerk reaction to the commercial fishing industry in general,” he said. Read the rest here 21:12
NOAA OLE Agents probe possible sea lion shootings in Astoria
The Sea Lion Defense Brigade discovered bullet casings and bleeding sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin in Astoria. We can tell you that NOAA office of law enforcement has received a complaint, and we are investigating the possible shooting of sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin,” said Sean Stanley, a special agent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Stanley wouldn’t comment further, citing the ongoing case. Read the rest here 17:13Fisherman Finds Deer Lost At Sea, Gives Him A Lift To Shore
A friendly fisherman piloting his small vessel off the coast of Italy made the catch of a lifetime over the weekend — reeling in a roe deer who had somehow gotten himself lost far out to sea. was about a half-mile out from the port village of Giulianova when he spotted what he thought was a floating tree trunk. It was only as he drew closer that he was shocked to discover it was, in fact, an exhausted animal who seemed very much in need of a helping hand. Read the rest here 13:03
Fish-stealing whales take bite out of black-cod harvest
How do you keep a whale from grabbing the fish off your lines? Do you put out decoy buoys to try to trick them? Do you blast heavy metal from the deck of your boat to annoy them, or run for hours in hopes of ditching them? The problem has grown so bad that many favor a radical move: They want to abandon their traditional hooks and lines in favor of baited steel traps — akin to crab pots — that would protect their catch from whales. NPFMC takes this up this week at its meeting. Read the rest here 12:33
Fisherman recounts rescue of Portland man who fell from Casco Bay ferry
Rick Garland had just finished a day of dragging for periwinkles outside Portland Harbor on Tuesday and turned his fishing boat, the Christina & Caelyn, back toward Hobson’s wharf when his crewman saw what he thought was a harbor seal. “I looked over and said ‘That’s not a seal,’” Garland recalled Wednesday. It was a man floating in the middle of the channel at the mouth of the harbor.,, The man wasn’t yelling and had almost no strength left. Read the rest here 12:00
Banks seek to expand portfolios in stable (rationalized) fishing industry
When the quota system was first begun in the federal fisheries off Alaska, a common fear was consolidating too much quota in too few hands. Commercial Fishing and Agricultural Bank, or CFAB, president Lea Klingert said consolidation isn’t necessarily an evil. “Regardless of whether or not it was right or wrong, it seems to have worked in the financial realm,” Klingert said. “Right now, the options for fishermen are better than they’ve ever been. For everything but permits, over the last several years the fishery has shrunk through rationalization. Read the rest here 09:42
N.L. pledges $2M to seal hunt
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador pledged $2 million Wednesday to support the seal hunt this year – a move animal welfare advocates called a “bailout.” Two processing plants, Carino Processing Ltd. in South Dildo and . in Fleur de Lys, will each receive a loan of up to $1 million toward the purchase of seal meat, pelts and fat from the 2015 harvest. “These loans will help to ensure income for sealers and processing workers throughout the province and support the long-term viability of fish stocks off our shores,” Read the rest here 07:47
Fishermen sentenced to prison following convictions in stone crab trap case
Capt. Romualdo Ricardo Salado, 44, of Stock Island and mate Christopher Joseph Payne, 54, of Miami were both found guilty in March of one count of third-degree felony molestation of another’s stone crab trap by a commercial harvester. County Judge Wayne Miller sentenced Salado to two years and four months in state prison on the trap conviction and 60 days in county jail on the stone crab violation, said Assistant State Attorney Christine Poist. Payne was sentenced to two and a half years in state prison, as well as 60 days in county jail on the stone crab violation. Read the rest here 07:22
Raising The Profile Of An Undereaten Fish
Fishermen are facing tougher quotas and declining populations for some of the most popular fish species, most notably Cod, a New England favorite. That’s one reason why environmentalists and fishermen have been working to promote more locally-caught seafood. Some, like lobster, quahogs, and other shellfish are catching on. But there are other fish that teem the waters of Narragansett Bay. There’s one effort underway to raise awareness about scup, an abundant local catch. Audio, Read the rest here 06:54
