Daily Archives: November 15, 2015
D.B. Pleschner: Anchovy collapse simply a manufactured ‘crisis’
If you follow news about the Monterey Bay, you’ve undoubtedly heard the recent outcry by environmentalists in the media claiming the anchovy population in California has collapsed and the fishery must be closed immediately. The current controversy stems largely from a study funded by environmental interests that claims an apocalyptic decline of 99 percent of the anchovy population from 1951 to 2011. However, fishermen have seen a surge in anchovies in recent years. Read the rest here 20:19
Court case highlights conflict between fishermen and marine mammals
A Cape May County tuna fisherman is fighting federal charges of shooting a pilot whale that was feeding on his boat’s catch. Daniel Archibald denies the charges filed against him in U.S. District Court. But his lawyer, Bill Hughes Jr., said in court papers that even if Archibald shot the animal, he wasn’t breaking any laws. The unusual case highlights the often contentious relationship between fishermen and the seals, whales and dolphins that steal their catch. And it points to the murky laws that give fishermen, marine contractors, researchers and others permission,,, Read the rest here 14:15
For Lummis, fishing is more than a living — it’s a way of life
Members of Lummi Nation say that for them, fishing is different. Tribal and nontribal fishers alike must keep to the seasons and mind their catch quotas. Still, for most Washington residents, fishing is a privilege granted by the state government, said Jay Julius, a Lummi member who has a seat on the tribe’s council. The tribe, on the other hand, has been fishing for 150 generations, Julius said. “To us, culture is fish and fish is culture,” he said. “It’s more than a privilege, it’s who we are. “It’s in our DNA.” Read the rest here 13:24
Connecticut DEEP to issue licenses to commercial whelk fishermen
The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is taking over the licensing and regulation of the commercial whelk fishery. In an announcement Tuesday, DEEP said whelk fishermen could apply starting Dec. 1 for new licenses that would take effect Jan. 1. After that date, all previously issued licenses will be void, regardless of the expiration date. Many former lobstermen turned to whelk fishing after the collapse of the lobster population in Long Island Sound in the 1990s, he said. Both fisheries use similar gear. Read the rest here 12:29
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, November 15, 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 11:54
Border-security push is reshaping role of Texas game wardens
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — The early morning sky brightened to a slate blue, providing Luis Sosa with just the right camouflage. Sosa, a state game warden, steered a 65-foot boat over open water at the southern tip of Texas. Sosa and three fellow game wardens from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department watched the horizon and the radar screen aboard the boat, the Captain Williams. They were looking for signs of the Mexican fishing boats they had seen the day before, operating illegally in Texas waters. But the game wardens also kept an eye out for illicit activities,,, Read the rest here 11:43
Yakama Nation Treaty Rights: 1917 illegal-fishing conviction is finally overturned
Justice can come slowly. In this case it has taken nearly a century. It is the story of treaty rights, Washington’s belated efforts to correct wrongs and an 81-year-old Yakama man who sought for years to vacate his great-uncle’s 1917 conviction for illegally fishing. George Meninock was 77 when he told a court it’s his right to fish his family’s traditional site near the just-built Prosser Dam. That right, he argued through a translator, was protected by the Yakama Nation’s 1855 treaty that he had watched 14 chiefs, including his father, sign with Washington Territory Gov. Issac Stevens. Read the rest here 11:24
Lobster buyer balks at wharf fee increase
A lobster buyer based at the Seal Cove Wharf is asking the town to make major improvements at the wharf to justify the extra $600 he was assessed for commercial use of the facility. Donald Crabtree began using the Seal Cove Wharf earlier this year. On June 1, he paid the $400 fee then in effect for commercial use of the wharf. At the time, lobster buyers using the were paying a $2,500 fee. That fee changed July 1, when it doubled to $5,000.,, Read the rest here 10:50
U.S. District Court Judge Russel Holland speaks out on Exxon Valdez saga
U.S. District Court Judge Russel Holland, who presided over the monumental Exxon Valdez oil spill court cases, removed his black robes to joke and offer personal thoughts on the stories surrounding his on the disaster Thursday in an Anchorage federal courtroom. Speaking to dozens of lawyers and judges in an informal gathering of the federal bar, Holland said the oil spill could have been avoided if Exxon had acknowledged the captain of the tanker fell off the wagon. Read the rest here 10:10
NO!!! – Eric, the little endangered sea turtle found in N.S., has died
A rare and endangered sea turtle died Friday, only two days after washing ashore, thin and hypothermic, in Hall’s Harbour, N.S. Community members tried to nurse the ill turtle — nicknamed Eric — back to health. “We’ve really been rooting for him,” said Kathleen Martin, the executive director of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network. “We knew he had a tough battle in front of him. There were a lot of odds stacked against him, but as you do when you’re working with animals, you get attached anyway and hope for the best.” Read the rest here 09:16
Frustrated Bay of Fundy Lobster fishermen losing gear to ship traffic
Tuesday marked the beginning of lobster season in the Bay of Fundy, but some fishermen have run into a problem that is costing them time and money during what they say is the cream of the lobster fishing season. Lobster fisherman Larry Cook almost lost some of his traps Friday when a ship was going to anchor where they were set up. A friend noticed the approaching ship and moved some of Cook’s gear for him. Cook fishes at a place called Deadmans Point, between Blacks Harbour and Beavers Harbour. Read the rest here 08:33
