Monthly Archives: June 2015
Setnet numbers, bycatch rates refute sport claims
Salmon setnets are not outdated forms of fishing gear that indiscriminately kill everything in their paths. That’s the main talking point of sport fish advocates aiming to ban setnets in six regions of Alaska. “I believe now more than ever that Alaskans want to end the devastating and outdated mode of commercial fishing called setnetting. I spent six years as a setnetter in Upper Cook Inlet and during that time I caught a lot of red salmon. However, my nets also caught sharks, birds, ducks, flounders, dolly vardens and a lot of king salmon. Setnets are decimating other species in Alaska.” But the data don’t back up the deadly claims that the gear indiscriminately kills and threatens other species. Listen, Read the rest here
Lobster Mac and Cheese, an Economist’s Perspective
The Canadian lobster industry has experienced price volatility in recent years due to an unexpectedly high volume of lobster. In Canada, environmental regulation was so successful at protecting the stock of lobster that the supply well exceeded historical landings. This unanticipated influx of product to the market along with lack-lustre demand dragged prices so low that the Maritime region experienced adverse socioeconomic effects,,, Read the rest here 15:14
Seafreeze Ltd, defrauded of more than $200,000 – Insurance agent arrested
John Sexton, 61, was charged with two counts of second-degree grand larceny, three counts of first-degree falsifying business records, and first-degree scheme to defraud, the DA said. Between January 2010 and July 2013, Sexton created invoices that inflated insurance premiums for Seafreeze, Ltd., a client of Ocean Marine Insurance Agency who was a client of Sexton’s, the DA said. Sexton forwarded the bills to OMIA and pocketed a total of $58,000, officials said. He also pocketed more than $200,000 from the insurer between 2012 and 2014 by withholding payments meant for the seafood producer, the DA said. Read the rest here 14:46
With Maryland crabs scarcer than usual, prices from Louisiana and Carolina rise
Though locally caught crabs are rarely plentiful this time of year, a scarcity of mature Maryland crabs has been driving up prices for all sources of crabs for Maryland restaurants, say many in the industry.”We’ve got a really slow start in Maryland,” said Davis. There were fewer crabs to harvest at the start of the season in April, she said, because last winter’s bitter cold killed a lot of the adult crustaceans that slumbered on the bottom in Maryland waters. The annual winter survey of the crab population found,,, Video, Read the rest here 11:58
Deadly catch: The raw fish that can cause liver cancer
The practice of eating raw fish is causing life-threatening health issues in certain areas of north-east Thailand. Local fish populations are infected with a type of worm known as a fluke which, once consumed, migrates to the human liver. Over many decades, the infestation causes inflammation and tissue damage that can eventually lead to liver cancer. In men, liver cancer makes up less than ten percent of cancers worldwide. But in affected areas of Thailand, it accounts for more than half. Video, Read the rest here 09:42
Small Filipino fishermen losers in sea dispute
While the Philippine government has taken the territorial dispute to the United Nations’ arbitral tribunal, the livelihood of small fishermen on the western coast of Luzon has become collateral damage in the escalating feud between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea. It was the first time that Chinese coast guards drove Filipino fishermen away from the shoal, Lopez said. “It happened while we were taking refuge in the shoal. The weather was so bad at that time but what those Chinese did to us was even worse.” Read the rest here 09:13
NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center to gauge unprecedented West Coast toxic algal bloom
The bloom stretches from the Central California Coast north to Washington and possibly Alaska, and involves some of the highest concentrations of the natural toxin domoic acid ever observed in Monterey Bay and off the Central Oregon Coast. In early June elevated toxin levels led shellfish managers to close the southern Washington Coast to Dungeness crab fishing, the largest-ever closure of Washington’s multi-million-dollar crab fishery. Read the rest here 08:29
Scientists, Fishing Fleet Team Up To Save Cod — By Listening
In the ocean off of Massachusetts, an unlikely alliance of scientists and fishermen is on a quest. They’re looking for mating codfish. The goal is not only to revive a depleted fish population, but to save an endangered fishing community as well. Frank Mirarchi, a fisherman in the area for 52 years, was one of those who came forward. “We know the fish are spawning somewhere in this fairly large area of several hundred square miles,” he told the scientists. “Help us find out where.” “We’re trying to fish but not catch cod,” says Mirarchi. “That’s the new strategy.” Read the rest here 08:20
U.S. senators want longer red snapper season, Gulf Council looks at reallocation!
Despite a letter from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is not looking to extend the federal recreational red snapper season for 2015. (shoulda known that, fellas) NOAA Southeast Regional Administrator Roy Crabtree predicted one of the items the council will vote on at its August (GMFMC)meeting is moving 390,000 pounds of catching capacity from the commercial sector to recreational, thus extending the season. Read the rest here 20:46
Scientist, legislators voice opposition to fisheries procedures of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission
A scientist and two legislators joined the state commercial fishing lobby in protesting the procedure planned by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission for possible drastic changes in regulation of the summer flounder harvest. The North Carolina Fisheries Association held a Monday morning press conference at Union Point Park in New Bern to challenge the use of a supplement approach to the management plan for the flounder. Six management plan proposals were quickly assembled since February, with a public hearing Wednesday in New Bern,,,Read the rest here 19:18
Coast Guard will be making safety checks until Thursday in Naknek and Dillingham.
“We just do a walk around the vessel, make sure the hull doesn’t have anything that would keep it from being safe before they go into the water,” said Chief Petty Officer Cody Howard with U.S. Coast Guard who made quick but detailed work as he inspects F/V Maverick at Leader Creek in Naknek. Onboard, Chief Petty Officer Howard makes sure the lifesaving gear is in order. After checking all the immersion suits, he offers up a tip for how to store the rope for the life ring. Listen, Read the rest here 17:27
Cape Wind Project: A Tale of Crony Environmentalism (Part 2) Did Mass Audubon Sell its Soul to the Wind Industry?
As an environmentalist and bird lover, it gives me no pleasure to criticize the largest conservation organization in New England; an organization of which I am a member. Personal conflict aside, it seems apparent that Massachusetts Audubon Society’s support for a massive industrial project threatens thousands of birds a year.,, Case in point: Cape Wind poses a serious threat to marine mammals, yet is one of their biggest cheerleaders. Cape Wind Project: A Tale of Crony Environmentalism Read part 1 here, Read part 2 here 15:51
Oleg Naydenov – Salvage Firms to Remove Oil from Sunken Trawler Off Canary Islands
Ardent, the new salvage company formed by a merger between Titan Salvage and Svitzer Salvage, is partnering with Ardentia Marine, a leading salvage and diving company in Spain, to remove oil from the Russian trawler Oleg Naydenov, which caught fire on April 11 while docked at the Port of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. The ship was later towed out to sea and it eventually sank approximately 15 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canarias island. All 72 people aboard the ship were able to disembark safely at Las Palmas. Video, Read the rest here 15:12
National Marine Fishery Service Reduces Common Pool Gulf of Maine Cod Limits to ZERO!
Northern Shrimp fishery could re-open on a limited basis
Members of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are taking comments from a series of public hearings and compiling them into recommendations. The shrimp fishery closed in 2013 and has yet to reopen because of concerns about shrimp population levels. Fishermen from harvested Maine shrimp prior to the collapse of the fishery.
Some of the guidelines being considered include establishing a system of state-by-state quotas and shortening the season to only 90 days. Video, Read the rest here 11:31
Carla Samson’s charges dropped in Phillip Boudreau ‘murder for lobster’ case
The Crown has dropped charges against a Cape Breton woman charged in the death of a fisherman whose body has never been found. Carla Samson had been facing a charge of accessory after the fact in the death of Phillip Boudreau, who disappeared on June 1, 2013. Monday morning, the Crown announced it was calling no evidence and dropping the charge in the case which has become known as the ‘murder for lobster’ case. Read the rest here 11:14
New England Fishery Management Council meeting in Newport, RI – June 16, thru June 18, 2015 – Listen Live!
The New England Fishery Management Council and its advisory bodies will meet June 16 – 18, 2015 at Hotel Viking, Newport, RI. View the Revised Council Meeting Agenda, Click here. Register to Listen Live, Click here Starts 8:30 a.m. with Introductions and Announcements (Council Chairman Terry Stockwell) 10:57
North Carolina Fishermen prepare for hearing on southern flounder fishery
The North Carolina Fisheries Association, the state’s trade association for the commercial fishing industry, is rallying commercial fishermen to attend the June 17 public hearing to be held in New Bern to express their concerns about a draft supplement to the North Carolina Southern Flounder Management Plan. Under the proposals, the commercial sector would take the biggest hit, with recommendations including a commercial Total Allowable Catch, 15-inch size limit, seasonal closures and a possible ban of anchored large-mesh gill nets in internal waters effective Jan. 1, 2016. Read the rest here 10:11
F/V Cornelia Marie – new mains,new gen sets, new galley, and new shareholders
When Roger Thomas and his partner Kari Toivola began searching for a Bering Sea crab investment, Roger called Casey McManus. Casey has skippered the Cornelia Marie and is a shareholder in the boat. After checking with Josh Harris another owner, he got back to Thomas and Toivola with an offer of a 50% stake in the famous boat. The two flew to Dutch Harbor in January 2015 to inspect the vessel. “We knew that, if we bought shares in her, she would require new engines and new decking under the accommodation area,” Thomas explained. Read the rest here 08:31
Electronic fishing for lucrative razor clams could be legalised as ministers consider applying for exemption from EU laws
Scottish fisherman have been lobbying ministers for a rule change, while police have warned that gangs working off the coast of Argyll have flouted the law by using the technique to illegally capture the costly clams, a gastronomic delicacy which can attract high prices in Europe and the Far East. A controversial technique, which sees electrodes trailing from boats shock razor clams in the seabed causing them to rise up where they are easily collected by divers, has been banned across Europe since 1998 when all fishing using electricity was outlawed Read the rest here 23:09
New Hampshire Fish and Game officials to hold session on groundfish relief money
New Hampshire 
officials will hold a public information session on fashioning a spending plan for additional disaster relief funds coming to the state’s groundfish industry. The session will be held on June 30 at 6 p.m. at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth. New Hampshire is receiving an additional $1 million in Greater Atlantic Fisheries Disaster Funds. The disaster funding recognizes how the groundfish industry has been affected by mandatory harvest reductions since 2013. Read the rest here 22:32
Commercial Fishermen rescue 9 people off the coast of Newfoundland
Military spokeswoman Capt. Kim Lemaire says the Canadian F/V Setting Seas 2 rescued the people from life rafts and brought them to Fortune, on the south coast of the province. Lemaire says the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax received the distress call around 8 p.m. Saturday and dispatched a Coast Guard ship and aircraft to the area. She says the vessel had caught fire but could not confirm the identities of the people rescued or their current condition. Read the rest here 20:37
The Tuna Cartel? – Pacific fishery group imposes sanctions on distant water fishing nations
Pacific islands that want to expand domestic commercial fisheries operations are threatening distant water fishing nations with sanctions for blocking their fisheries development. The PNA (Parties to the Nauru Agreement) is a bloc of eight nations — Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau — that control waters where about 50 percent of the global supply of skipjack tuna is caught.,, “will begin to collectively use the strong bargaining power that PNA can exercise as a coherent group.” Minister Pita Elisala Read the rest here 13:58
3 Short Stories at FISHING UNITED – STORIES FROM THE WHEELHOUSE OF CAPTAIN JOHN BOGAN – F/V SHAMROCK
“THE EASTERN SEA FRONTIER” – I am positive if I had never seen the certificate on the wall thanking my father forhis service, the Eastern Sea Frontier or ESF would be a mystery. The ESF was a divisionof the United States Navy. The key goal of the ESF was to have coastal watches alongthe entire eastern seaboard with one sole purpose in mind- spotting U boats. The year was 1942 and all merchant ships were sent guidelines to follow toavoid German U boats. Each ship was required to have a minimum,,, Read the rest here 12:18
Call for overhaul of fish catch limits in wake of Geelong Star factory trawler controversy
On Friday it was revealed that the head of an advisory group on fishing quotas resigned because of concerns that a fellow member of the group had an “unacceptable” conflict of interest. Documents supplied to the ABC show the former committee chair, scientist Kirsten Davies, wanted the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) to reconsider who can sit on panels that advise on fishing quotas for the Geelong Star. Part owner of the trawler, Gerry Geen, was an industry representative on the advisory panel. Read the rest here 11:39
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, June 14, 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 11:14
Rubio, Nelson want an open red snapper season
Last week, 
announced the red snapper fishery will remain closed in South Atlantic federal waters in 2015 because of overfishing..Florida’s senators are asking the Obama administration to review its decision not to open up the South Atlantic to red snapper fishing. “There will not be commercial or recreational seasons in 2015 because the total number of red snapper removed from the population in 2014 exceeded the allowable level,” the notice said. Read the rest here
Chinook closures impede summer chum subsistence
Summer chum and Chinook salmon have begun their runs along the Yukon River. Wildlife managers and fishermen met via teleconference Tuesday to discuss river conditions and the salmon’s progress upstream. Community members reported summer chum as far upriver as Huslia and Ruby, with Chinook salmon fast on their heels. However, the much-coveted kings may not be a welcome sight to fishermen this year. “We have to eat along this river; everybody has to eat. They can’t live out of the store,” said Martha, a fisherman in Ruby. Read the rest here 10:31
North Carolina Commercial Fishermen, Go to this public hearing
We urge attendance in a 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday public hearing in the New Bern River Convention Center that the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will hold to discuss southern flounder, the state’s most requested finfish. Representing the state’s commercial fishermen who serve the public, the N.C. Fisheries Association, is asking the Fisheries Commission to manage southern flounder in a fair and equitable manner, and it’s seeking fishermen’s participation in the hearing. Read the rest here 09:16
Dr. Brian Rothschild — Reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act and good public policy
There have been basically two approaches to the current reauthorization. One leaves the language of the act as is, the other makes changes.,, The substance of the 1996 reauthorization was driven by a burgeoning political influence of conservation groups. The act was moved from simply defined principles of fisheries management, such as estimating maximum sustained yield to avoid overfishing, to concepts like “rebuilding” stocks that were thought to be overfished, and to protecting the “environment” thought to be degraded by fishing. Read the rest here 08:19
