Monthly Archives: April 2015
PERC’s Alden recognized as an innovator for fisheries sustainability work
Robin Alden is the recipient of the 2015 Innovator Award as part of the first SOURCE Maine Sustainability Awards. “Alden has made it her life’s work to help fishermen, scientists and fisheries managers understand each other before the goal of making local fisheries more sustainable for Maine’s coastal communities and future generations,” according to a statement accompanying the award. Read the rest here 11:59
Florida Key’s Illegal fish case continued
A Key West charter boat captain’s change of plea will be heard on April 21 in Plantation Key after a scheduling conflict continued the matter last week. Wickers and four other men were charged in the undercover Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation into the illegal sale of finfish and lobster by charter and commercial fishermen. Read the rest here 11:18
Senate committee questions Fish Board appointee over sportfishing support
Robert Ruffner, director of the conservation group Kenai Watershed Forum, has faced criticism from some personal-use dipnetters and sportfishermen from Copper River, the Kenai and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. They’ve accused him of supporting commercial fishing interests instead, and have opposed his appointment to the seven-member board that sets and revises fishing regulations in Alaska. Read the rest here 11:00
Obama Proposes New Rules For Offshore Oil Wells – How about Observer Coverage??
The proposal Monday by the Interior Department builds on standards industry has set for so-called blowout preventers since the April 2010 disaster on the Deepwater Horizon rig, and establishes schedules for maintenance and repair. If adopted, the rules would mandate outside audits of equipment, require each device to have a backup shear to cut a pipe, and call for real-time monitoring onshore for heat and pressure at the well. Read the rest here 10:37
Japan Won’t Accept “No” to Whaling
Japan on Monday said it hoped to resume its Antarctic whale hunt around the end of this year, after providing further information to win over an international panel that says its whaling plan does not prove the need for killing the animals. Japan has long maintained that most whale species are not endangered and that eating whale is part of its food culture. Read the rest here 09:32
New player in this year’s seal hunt – Bernie Halloran feels struggling industry about to ‘bust wide open’
There’s a new player in the seal processing sector in Newfoundland and Labrador this spring, and it is promising to shake things up for an industry that’s already facing a great deal of challenges and uncertainty. The company name — PhocaLux International Inc. — may not be familiar to many, but Bernie Halloran, the man at the helm, is no stranger to the sealing industry. Read the rest here 09:20
CSF proposes cooperative trawl survey program
Below you can read the prospectus CSF has developed and is putting forth as a good-faith attempt to solve some of the persistent challenges constraining the New England groundfishery. This paper will be widely circulated and it is our hope that the meeting with all fishery stakeholders that we are currently proposing will open a dialogue among the parties and produce better outcomes for all with an interest in preserving our fish and our fishermen. Read the rest here 08:50
Absolutely Fascinating! FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report – Alligators, Mako’s, Face Book Busted Turkey’s!
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. BAY COUNTY, Officers Gore and Moore found a vessel with three commercial oystermen harvesting shell stock in a closed area, and it just gets better! Read the rest here! 18:41
Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting Apr 14 – 16, 2015, in Long Branch, NJ,
Briefing Materials & Agenda Overview Agenda, click here Complete Briefing Book, click here MAFMC Stock Status click here Attend Meeting with Adobe Connect click here Webpage, click here 18:07
Alaska groundfish sector gears up for access to resource battle with halibut
Letters in protest of potentially drastic halibut bycatch reductions for Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) as groundfish fleets are flowing to fisheries regulators as companies prepare to battle with the halibut sector for access to resource at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) meeting in June. The battle will not be easy. They’re going up against an ailing 4CDE area , which has seen its quota cut by roughly 58% since 2011 as groundfish bycatch has increased to become the majority of the catch in that region. Read the rest here 17:35
Killer grey seals could attack humans say scientists
A VIDEO showing a grey seal biting and eating a harbour porpoise it has just killed has sparked fears that seals could attack humans. Seals have a reputation for being playful and friendly but the footage, off the Welsh coastline, displays another side to their character, reported the South Wales Evening Post yesterday. Filmed by a local wildlife watching operator in Pembrokeshire, the video shows an adult male grey seal eating its prey. Read the rest here 13:00
Maine’s scallop season looks strong, is over for 2015
The 2014-15 Maine scallop fishing season is over and state fishery regulators say it appeared to be a good year for the beloved bivalve. The season began in December and wrapped up April 9 for dragger boats and April 11 for divers. Maine regulators say they won’t know the total haul until early 2016. They say December 2014 numbers indicate a strong season. The fleet landed 215,920 pounds of scallop meat in that month, up 16 percent from December 2013. To be updated. Read the rest here 12:26
F/V Sea Ranger suffers mechanical problem’s – Towed in
Petty Officer 3rd Class Jordan Smith, a machinery technician aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Tiger Shark, stands tow watch as the cutter tows the vessel Sea Ranger approximately 25 miles south of Moriches Inlet on April 12, 2015. The crew of the Sea Ranger, a 98-foot fishing vessel, reported being disabled due to a problem with the vessel’s shaft. The tow is scheduled to be passed to a commercial provider near Narragansett Bay on April 13. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Fireman Amanda Seneca. Click here 10:58
Valuable west coast fishery to close July 1
Poor recruitment, thought to be the result of unfavorable ocean conditions, has resulted in a perilous drop in the Pacific sardine of the Pacific sardine off the U.S. West Coast. Just to note, contrary to recent claims and reports – the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee states the fishery is NOT overfished nor is it subject to overfishing. Read the rest here 10:39
US pollock fleet faces reduced chinook salmon bycatch shutdown level
US pollock catchers are set for more restrictive chinook salmon bycatch limits, after a unanimous vote on a motion during the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) on Saturday. The decline in returns of chinook salmon since 2007 means a lowering of the cap was expected by the industry. A reduction by as much as 60% was being discussed, however, so the level agreed is not as bad as some thought. Read the rest here 09:00
Commercial fishing much more fun when catching lots of fish, even above the Arctic Circle
It is my first day commercial fishing with my father again. As he fires up our 115-horsepower Suzuki boat motor, it roars on the back of our fishing boat, a baby-blue 22-foot fiberglass hardtop. Our crew includes Mary Hyatt, my younger brother Pete, and my father, the captain. My dad will soon be idling out of the newly renovated boat harbor in Kotzebue, our village of about 3,200 people located 30 miles inside the Arctic Circle in Northwest Arctic Alaska. Read the rest here 08:29
Fishery Legend Zeke Grader, PCFFA Executive Director, Honored At Sausalito Gathering
Hundreds of people attended an event honoring Zeke Grader, Executive Director of The Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Associations (PCFFA) and The (IFR) on Friday, April 10, at the Bay Model in Sausalito.,, I have known Zeke for 30 years and admire him for his understanding of the big picture of fisheries and conservation in California and across the world. Read the rest from Dan Bacher here 18:49
F/V Captain Gavin hauled off Point Pleasant Beach – 10 photo’s
The commercial fishing boat that ran aground in Point Pleasant Beach was successfully removed from the beach late Saturday night, officials said. Several attempts to get the Capt. Gavin off the beach were unsuccessful until around 11:30 p.m., when a tugboat from Donjon Marine Co. Inc. was able to pull it into the ocean as the tide was coming in, officials said. Previous efforts were hindered by bad weather and high winds. Photo’s, Read the rest here 16:23
Wis. DNR punished workers in ’14 for sexual harassment, running sex toy business
A February letter accuses Teague Prichard, a state lands specialist, of sexually harassing three female co-workers in a hotel bar in Appleton following a forestry meeting in January. The letter alleges he rubbed one of the women’s thighs and called her beautiful and sexy. He then began rubbing another co-worker’s back while simultaneously rubbing the third woman’s thigh. When the third woman commented on his conduct, Prichard allegedly suggested she was dressed inappropriately. The letter counts as an unpaid three-day suspension. There’s more! Read the rest here 13:44
‘Deadliest Catch’ ‘Captain’s Choice 1: Sig Hansen’ on Discovery
Today, as a prelude to the eleventh season of “Deadliest Catch,” Discovery Channel gave the captains a chance to choose their favorite episodes. Sig Hansen, the only captain to appear on all eleven seasons of this fan favorite chose the premiere episode of season one titled “Greenhorns.” When it first aired on April, 12, 2005, it began a documentary and nobody ever expected that it would take off and become such a gigantic hit. So sit back and watch as you will see some familiar faces and boats, some that may have appeared once or twice and others whose whereabouts are unknown. Read the rest here 13:12
N.C. man had record-holding catch… if only for a week
Cherish the moments. They sometimes don’t last very long. A pair of mid-Atlantic anglers can attest to that. Less than two weeks ago, Robert Smith of Manteo, N.C., caught a big bluefin tuna that topped the existing Virginia record for the species. Then last week, Virginia Beach’s Chase Robinson topped Smith’s catch. The current mark is a 573-pounder. Smith’s fish tipped the scales at 576-1/2 pounds. Robinson’s fish came in at 606. Read the rest here 12:16
Lawyer requests former co-op manager serve 45 days for lobster scheme
The recommendation for a sentence for 53-year-old Robert Thompson of St. George was filed Friday by attorney Walter McKee. The U.S. attorney’s office has until Tuesday to file its recommended sentence. Federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 41 to 51 months. Thompson could also be fined up to $250,000. Read the rest here 11:53
Schooner Ernestina Morrissey departs New Bedford for restoration at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard in Maine
The small flags atop the Ernestina-Morrissey’s masts whipped in the wind, as the schooner made its way out of the harbor, tugged by the Jaguar early Sunday morning. “It’s a good omen that it’s one of the most beautiful day of spring that she leaves the harbor to be restored,” Anne Louro said. “It’s a great new chapter for a boat who has had many chapters.” The restoration is expected to cost about $6 million, Pires-Hester said, and the funds are coming from a variety of sources. Read the rest here 11:40
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, April 12, 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 11:05
Point Judith, RI Safety and Survival training – April 15, 2015
This hands-on training, provided at no cost to commercial fishermen, is sponsored by Fishing Partnership Support Services, and conducted by Coast Guard Certified Marine Safety Instructors. The one day program includes: on-board firefighting, man-overboard procedures, flooding & pump operations, flares & EPIRBS, survival suits, life raft equipment, man overboard and helicopter hoist procedures and first aid. Lunch is provided courtesy of Ocean Marine Insurance Agency. For time, location, click here 10:49
NOAA and Mr.Bullard have too much power over our industry – Sam Parisi, Gloucester
As a former fisherman from Gloucester, Massachusetts, I have never seen our industry in such bad shape as it is today. I feel NOAA and Mr.Bullard have too much power over our industry, and since Mr. Bullard has taken over we are not better off, in fact we are worse off. In spite of all the regulations imposed by NOAA, our groundfish stocks have not recovered, that is if you believe NOAA data, which is widely disputed. Read the rest here 10:23Australian commercial fishers say they’re under siege of the recreational lobby – Video
Around Australia, commercial fishers say they’re under siege as the recreational lobby becomes a potent political force. In Victoria, Port Phillip Bay will soon be net-free and a dedicated recreational fishing spot. Queensland’s new Labor government is considering doing likewise in Moreton Bay. And in New South Wales, the Baird Government is pushing ahead with a major structural review of the industry and is being lobbied to proclaim recreational fishing havens in estuaries along the coast. Read the rest here 08:51
Oceana’s Geoffrey Shester says NOAA fails to connect the dots to Sardine overfishing, pushing the stock over the edge
History repeats as the Pacific sardine population collapses and California’s iconic ocean wildlife feels the impacts. The Pacific sardine population has collapsed 90 percent since 2007 and the fishery has been overfishing during this decline. As a result, (overpopulated) sea lions and seabirds are starving and one of California’s most lucrative fisheries must soon shut down. Read the rest here 08:02
Don Young: Stosh Anderson misrepresents Magnuson-Stevens reauthorization
The April 8 opinion piece by Stosh Anderson, “Don Young seeks to unwind ‘Alaska Model’ for fisheries in Magnuson-Stevens Act,” fails to represent the facts of the legislation I introduced to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The issue, which was clearly ignored in Stosh Anderson’s commentary, is the application of the “Alaska Model” to the nation’s seven other regional fisheries councils, which was done in 2006 through amendments to the MSA. While the premise of the reform was good, the “Alaska Model” has not worked in other areas of the country as well as envisioned — for a number of reasons. Read the rest here 14:27
The Rock is threatening cod stocks
There’s the Rock that has been under a cod moratorium since 1992, and then there’s The Rock who most certainly has not. Social media was buzzing this week when Muscle and Fitness magazine posted Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson’s bodybuilding meal plan. Seeing The Rock on television and in movies, I always assumed he needed a good dose of protein to maintain his size and muscle mass. However, what blew me away was just how much codfish the former WWE wrestler consumes on a daily basis. Read the rest here 12:59
