Daily Archives: June 7, 2015

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in Key West, June 8 thru 12, 2015 Listen Live!

GMFMC SidebarThe public is invited to attend the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting at the Marriot Beachside in  Key West. Read the Committee and Council Agenda, Click here Read the briefing material, Click here,  Joint Gulf/South Atlantic Council Meeting Agenda  Register here to listen live Kick off, 08:30 21:37

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Key West June 8 thru 12 – Listen Live!

SAFMC SidebarThe public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held at the Doubletree Grand Resort in Key West, Fla. Read the Meeting Agenda Click here, Briefing Book – June 2015 Council Meeting Click here Webinar Registration: Listen Live, Click here  Kick off, 08:30  21:19

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Virginia Beach, June 8 thru 11, 2015 – Listen Live

MAFMC SidebarThe public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s June 2015 meeting to be held at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, 3001 Atlantic Ave., Virginia Beach, VA  . June 2015 Council Meeting Agenda, Complete Briefing Book, For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest Click here Kick off, 09:00 21:03

Commercial fishing trial worries Lake Huron anglers

When the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced a three-year trial to allow a commercial fishery to pursue whitefish in southern Lake Huron, recreational anglers took to social media to express their outrage. The state also is hoping that by allowing the commercial fisherman, Dana Serafin, to move his operation to southern Lake Huron, some of the fishing pressure in Saginaw Bay will be relieved. the state also announced a panel to look at the possible effects of proposals to raise fish in net pens in the Great Lakes. Read the rest here 20:30

Center for Biological Diversity offended by F&WS – NMFS ESA Proposal

The two federal agencies tasked with listing endangered species jointly proposed to revise the Endangered Species Act’s petition process, but conservationists are not happy. The proposal published Thursday by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service would make the best use of available resources, increase “stakeholder engagement” and improve transparency, according to the agencies’ announcement. Calling the move “boneheaded,” the (CBD), a frequent petitioner and litigant,,, Read the rest here 19:40

Legislators applaud House passage of legislation to permanently save Newport Air Station

uscg-logoHouse Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) applauded the House passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015, legislation that would keep the Newport air facility open indefinitely. Due to budget cuts, the Coast Guard threatened in 2014 to close the Newport air facility– which handles half of the emergency response calls on the Central Oregon Coast. Read the rest here 14:59

Marysville native Dan Borovina, on ‘Deadliest Catch’ finds clarity, recovery on the water

cape caution crew with dan borovina

In the summer of 2001, Dan joined the crew of his Uncle Michael Borovina’s boat, the purse seiner Sea Pride. “I wanted to fill that void created by not having my dad around. I wanted to learn more about my dad by going fishing,” he said. “We headed out. When we got to Snow Pass off of Southeast Alaska, my uncle told me that my dad would want me to know that I was about to see a fish jump, a bald eagle and a whale. When I did, I knew I was where I was supposed to be.”,,,  Borovina fell into drug abuse. Read the rest here 14:04

Card plan for Maine’s valuable urchins draws mixed response

jj quota cardJoe Leask, a diver on the Maine coast who is also the chairman of the Maine Sea Urchin Zone Council advisory board, said he’s not sure the swipe card system is necessary. Urchin fishermen already keep log books and are subject to a highly regulated fishing season as it is, Leask said.”What is the goal of the swipe card? If it’s accountability, the system’s already in place,” Leask said. “I’m not sure it’s a tool that’s needed right now.” Read the rest here 12:48

Fishermen give emotional testimony on Halibut bycatch caps at Sitka meeting, resumes at 12:00 Eastern, Listen live

pacific_halibut“I mean, why is their family more important than mine?” Balovich asked. “Why are their kids more important than mine? Why is their boat more important than mine? Why is their crew more important than mine?” Trawlers echoed that argument. “Why is a crew member on a directed halibut boat more important than a crew member’s livelihood on a trawl boat?” said Heather Mann, of the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative. “It’s not. It’s not more important.” Read the rest here  Listen Live at adobe connect 11:47

Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, JUNE 7, 2015

rifa2The 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 11:17

Imperiled fish add to California’s drought stress

Their populations dwindling, Northern California’s fish suddenly are taking a leading role in the drought-related drama gripping the state. State regulators, alarmed at declining numbers of winter-run Chinook salmon, acted in late May to temporarily curtail the flow of water from Lake Shasta, hoping to cool the giant reservoir’s waters and prevent another massive die-off of juvenile fish. The move means less water, at least for the time being, for farmers and urban Californians downstream. Read the rest here 11:06

Erecting old Markets, Plan calls for revival of seal penis sales

Sales of Canadian seal products could get a lift if the federal Fisheries Department adopts a plan that, among other things, calls for the revival of the controversial seal penis trade, a key supporter of the East Coast seal hunt says.  says its five-year plan, dated March 2014, focuses on creating markets for a number of products that could be derived using every part of the seal carcass. Officials at the Fisheries Department declined an interview, but said in an emailed response that they were considering the report. Read the rest here 10:07

Five years after ‘catch shares’ and ‘sectors,’ groundfish industry is on the rocks

10172769-largeFive years have now gone by since the reshaping of the Northeast fishery, five years that the the Northeast groundfishing industry does the best it can under a new set of rules. Five years ago, few knew the definition of the word “sector” as Fisheries was suddenly using it. Basically they are what most people would call co-operatives.  “Catch shares” were a bit easier; it’s another word for quotas. And it’s the catch shares, not so much the sectors, that many believe are at the root of the problem. Read the rest here 09:00