Daily Archives: October 13, 2015
Penny Rich: Dangerous drilling
Last month, the Orange County Board of Commissioners told Gov. Pat McCrory and President Obama that we oppose offshore oil and gas exploration, drilling activities and seismic blast activities off the coast of . We are not alone. About 80 municipalities along the East Coast have opposed these activities, including 70 percent of the coastal communities in North Carolina. In addition, 92 members of Congress, roughly 500 local and state officials, more than 300 businesses and several fishing interest groups have weighed in with opposition. Read the rest here 19:55
Ocean wind project making waves to get guaranteed funding
A committee appointed by Governor Kate Brown 
has begun work to figure out how to pay for what would be the first offshore wind project on the West Coast. The commercial fishing and processing industries also opposed the bill and continue to raise concerns about the project. “The project is now located directly in prime shrimp and rockfish fishing areas utilized by several small businesses in Charleston,” the coalition wrote. “This action displaces traditional fishermen.” The project could also take over some of the area used by a fishing fleet whose members are based in Newport, Astoria and Seattle. Read the rest here 17:24
Fishermen encouraged to take big bite out of Bay’s blue catfish population
For years, Rocky Rice made his living primarily by fishing two of the Bay’s most iconic species: striped bass in the spring and blue crabs much of the summer. But after several years of poor blue crab catches, and with new catch limits on striped bass being put in place, Rice added one of the Bay’s most troublesome species to his mix: blue catfish. Rice is one of a growing number of fishermen responding to the plea of fishery officials to catch as many of the voracious predators as they can. Read the rest here 17:07
Chesapeake crabbers face changing workforce, murky future
Morgan Tolley is a third generation crab processor working on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, but he’s worried that his industry may be under threat as more and more young people shun the traditional family-oriented trade. The A.E. Phillips crab picking house Tolley manages in Fishing Creek, Maryland, relies on crabs harvested by the “watermen” of the Bay. “It’s passed down from generation to generation, that’s how you learn to become a waterman. Not everybody knows how to fish a trotline or bait a crab pot,” Tolley said. Read the rest here 13:08
Commercial, recreational flounder fishermen at odds
Two months have passed since the state’s Marine Fisheries Commission was supposed to approve new protections for flounder, but fishermen are still catching them under the same rules. A fight between commercial and recreational fishermen has stymied discussion, with commissioners disagreeing over even the rules for holding meetings. Though some commissioners say a change is urgently needed to help the fish, the group will not meet until Nov. 18. “We won’t be really able to impact southern flounder until September of 2016,” Read the rest here 12:55
Hawaii’s $100 Million Fishery Reopens in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean
HONOLULU (13 Oct. 2015) After a closure that lasted more than two months, Hawaii’s longline vessels can fish again for bigeye tuna in the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. Since Aug. 5th, the 145 active vessels in the Hawaii longline fleet have been prohibited from catching bigeye tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), i.e., waters east of 150 degrees West longitude. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) determined that the fleet had reached its 2015 US bigeye tuna limit of 3,502 mt, developed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, to which the United States is a party. Read the rest here 11:35
Sea urchin, or uni, is a popular B.C. delicacy — but not in B.C.
As the weather turns colder, some of the most prized sea urchin in the world is being caught right now off the coast of B.C. The spiny creatures are treasured in Japan, where Canada will export much of the haul. There, sea urchin is called “uni,” and is considered a delicacy. “The thing with buying live sea urchin is you never know what’s inside,” said Janice Yu, owner of Fresh Ideas Start Here fish shop in Burnaby. “That’s why we try and pick the best boats with the best divers who know where to pick these sea urchins.” Read the rest here 11:25
Uganda: Army to Replace Fishing Enforcement Officers
Wakiso — State minister for Fisheries Zurubabel Nyiira Mijumbi has said UPDF officers will replace law enforcement officers in fighting illegal fishing. “We are going to recruit UPDF officers to replace these lazy law enforcement officers to carry out operations in fighting illegal fishing in the country as it is in Naads now,” Mr Nyiira said last week. He made the remarks while addressing stakeholders during the annual review and planning workshop on fisheries in Kajjansi, Wakiso District, last week. Read the rest here 10:59
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for Oct. 12, 2015
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 10:27
Alma celebrates the launch of lobster fleet – The annual late-night party has grown into a vibrant community event
Tonight, at midnight, by the light of the moon and the stars, the lobster boats will put out to sea from the wharf in Alma. And they won’t be heading out quietly. What started off four years ago with a cup of coffee and a simple goodbye has grown into a major event. Starting on on Tuesday afternoon, the Alma Fleet Launch festival gets underway with a kitchen party and an awards presentation. The party continues into the evening music and fireworks. Read the rest here 10:00
Pilot program looks at health factors for commercial fishermen
Dr. Debra Cherry returned to Cordova earlier this week to present results from a commercial fishing health survey conducted this summer. Cherry is an Associate Professor and Director of the Occupational Medicine Training Program at the University of Washington. Not surprisingly, the study found three areas of health concern: hearing loss, upper extremity disorders and fatigue. Part of the value in the research is identifying these issues as chronic, versus acute; and also looking at underlying issues. Read the rest here 09:06
