Daily Archives: May 15, 2015
Unalaska City Council supports smaller bycatch reduction, mayor says
Even without a formal resolution, the Unalaska City Council does agree with the mayor that any cuts to halibut bycatch allowed to trawlers should not exceed 10 percent, according to Mayor Shirley Marquardt. Last week’s newspaper incorrectly reported that she failed to win the city council’s support on the issue. At the April 28 meeting, Marquardt called for a halibut bycatch reduction of no more than 10 percent, versus the 50 percent supported by a group of Alaska state legislators. Read the rest here 16:39
Fate of the blueline tilefishery is now in the hands of the National Marine Fisheries Service
The species grabbed anglers’ attention in February when the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council requested that NMFS take emergency action on bluelines when it learned commercial fishing boats out of North Carolina planned on landing tilefish in New Jersey to take advantage of a no-limit loophole. A week after the Mid-Atlantic made its request, The SAFMC directed its Science and Statistical Committee (SSC) to determine if its earlier assessment, SEDAR 32, was applicable to the entire Atlantic Coast. Read the rest here 13:11
Climate change impact on lobster already visible, Lobsters struggle for breath in warming ocean
Warmer water temperatures and more acidic conditions seem to make lobster larvae grow more slowly, preliminary studies have found. A researcher at the University of Maine is collaborating with a professor at the University of Prince Edward Island on what impact climate change could have on lobster. University of Maine Masters student Jessica Waller is trying to figure out why the larvae are growing more slowing, by testing them in the water conditions expected 85 years from now due to climate change. Read the rest here 10:26
Crab-laden longliner almost submerged at Lumsden wharf
Most of a longliner carrying 19,000 pounds of crab was found almost underwater Thursday morning at the wharf in Lumsden. Nobody was aboard the Miss Cape Freels at the time of the incident. Devon Cross, the nephew of the boat’s captain, told CBC News that the vessel was fine around 3 a.m., but was clearly in trouble about three hours later, when his uncle was called. Read the rest here 10:17
MV Miner cleanup on hold while Cape Breton lobster fishery underway
Cape Breton fishermen say they’re relieved the cleanup of the MV Miner is being put on hold while lobster season is underway. Work to remove the ship, which ran aground off Scaterie Island in 2011 while being towed from Montreal to Turkey to be scrapped, is nearly completed. But to prevent any potential interference with the busy lobster harvest, that work has been put on hold. Read the rest here 10:08
Congress must protect Louisiana’s shrimping industry – “Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act” (HR 1907).
Consumer Reports found banned antibiotics on samples of imported shrimp collected from the shelves of major retail chains, such as Kroger, Wal-Mart, and Costco. The illegal trade schemes that allow tainted shrimp to evade food safety laws and reach our dinner plates are the same fraudulent trade practices that jeopardize our local shrimp industry, which sources from natural, sustainable stocks that do not need antibiotics. That is why Louisiana’s shrimp consumers and,,, Read the rest here 09:49
Upcoming Alaska Navy training exercises prompt protest plans for Saturday
A Navy training exercise planned in the Gulf of Alaska has sparked heated opposition in a small commercial fishing town nearby whose residents say the drills are taking place in the critical habitat of breeding and migratory marine life. Migrating salmon and other marine animals will be harmed by explosions, sonar and up to 352,000 pounds of debris that includes toxic materials like mercury, lead and cyanide, said Emily Stolarcyk, program manager for the Eyak Preservation Council. Read the rest here 07:53
Judge Dismisses Newport Fishermen’s Wives Helicopter Lawsuit Against Coast Guard
Despite the dismissal, the Fishermen’s Wives say the lawsuit ultimately staved off the Coast Guard’s plan to close the Newport air facility last December. The Fishermen’s Wives filed the lawsuit last fall shortly before the planned closure of the Newport Air Station and resulted in an injunction for several days before President Obama signed legislation prohibiting removal of the rescue helicopter prior to January 1, 2016. Read the rest here 07:22
