Daily Archives: July 2, 2015
Louisiana shrimpers applaud new Turtle Extruder Law
Today is a monumental day for our shrimp industry and will show the world that Louisiana fishermen and processors have always been concerned with the successful management of our shrimp fishery,” said Mark Abraham, chairman of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, an advisory panel that includes representatives from the industry and state agencies that regulate it. “The Shrimp Task Force applauds Governor Jindal and our state legislators who worked with us to pass this legislation.” Read the rest here 21:07
The Common Fisheries Policy: the destruction of the British fishing industry
This island nation has a proud fishing heritage going back many generations. By 1970 the fishing industries in England and Scotland were among the finest in the whole world. Britain was catching over a million tons of fish a year, and was in preparation to claim its international right to the resources of a 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone around the whole British Isles as per the new law of the sea agreed by the United Nations in 1973. By the 70’s fishing ports were prosperous and the future of our fishing industry looked secure. Then Edward Heath surrendered out national sovereignty and ended centuries of independence when he joined the “Common Market” in 1973, the embryo of the European Union. Read the rest here 17:20
ICES Advice on North Sea fishing quotas 2016 recommends increase on major stocks
The International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has just published its catch quota recommendations on the Bay of Biscay (including the Iberian Coast), Celtic Seas and the Greater North Sea for 2016. These figures, based on scientific stock assessments, show significant increases for key species for 2016 with many stocks having shown clear signs of recovery. The scientific data presented reflects a positive long term trend of increasing fish populations and a reduction of fishing mortality across many areas. Read the rest here 15:04
“Jaws” made great whites villains but great whites rebounding
“It’s a matter of relativity,” George Burgess said of the great white’s status. “There are in fact more today than there were 10 years ago.”“I don’t ever remember surfers and waders being bit like they are these days, because the commercial sharkers were thinning them down,” said Ron Rincones, a longtime fisherman and diver from Grant-Valkaria. “People are now being attacked. There’s a lot more people shark fishing these days on the surf, because there’s a lot more sharks.” Read the rest here 14:27
Gulf states reach $18.7 billion settlement with BP over 2010 oil spill
The settlement announcement comes as a federal judge was preparing to rule on how much the British oil giant owed in federal Clean Water Act penalties after millions of gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf. BP was leasing the Deepwater Horizon rig in April 2010 when it exploded and sank off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 crewmen and releasing some 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf. Read the rest here 12:48
Roger Frate of Darien has a simple answer to improving the lobster stock in Long Island Sound.
Frate said it was pesticide used to combat the West Nile Virus in 1998 and 1999 that decimated the Sound’s lobster population and sent it into a tailspin from which it has yet to recover. Connecticut banned the use of some pesticides, but New York hasn’t, he said. But Carlo said he’s noticed a rebound in the number of lobsters. “The lobsters right now are looking nice and healthy,” he said. “There’s been a huge improvement since 2012.” However, Frate said fishermen still believe pesticides are harming lobsters. Read the rest here 12:20
Help stop “catch shares” and more in the South Atlantic
Last year, the SAFMC promised that the Vision Project would be “stakeholder-driven” (click here, third paragraph) and conducted 26 “port meetings” that were supposed to seek stakeholder input into the project. These meetings produced overwhelming input from stakeholders, like you, that catch shares, vessel monitoring systems, and more closed areas like MPAs, are vehemently opposed, and should not be in the plan. Breaking its promise of a stakeholder-driven plan, the SAFMC has now included those overwhelmingly opposed measures in its Vision Project plan! Read the rest here 10:30
Easy prey? Not anymore – “the onslaught of NGO and media prevarication” and Pope Francis
Fishermen, especially the small-scale ones, represent easy prey for groups driven and financed by powerful interests, who blame them for damaging the marine environment, whether or not that is actually happening. Some are supported by petro-chemical industries and large – often corporate – owners of industrial fishing fleets, with an increasing appetite for the inshore, coastal fishery resources accessible to and traditionally exploited by artisanal and other small-scale fishing people. Read the rest here 09:17
Florida FWC requests public feedback at workshops around the state
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is hosting several workshops across the state, including the two in the Florida Keys, to gather input and develop a better understanding of the public’s views on marine fisheries issues. Groups that might be interested in participating include commercial and recreational fishers, wholesale dealers, those in the tourism industry, fishing guides and divers, FWC spokeswoman Bekah Nelson said. Read the rest here 08:00
Kenai River late run king salmon returns triggers restrictions in commercial setnet fishery
On the opening day of fishing for Kenai River late run king salmon Wednesday, Alaska Department of Fish and Game managers announced restrictions for the commercial setnet fishery that operates on the east side of Cook Inlet. For the second consecutive fishing season, restrictions in sport fishing for Kenai River king salmon have triggered automatic restrictions in the number of hours setnetters can fish. Read the rest here 07:32
