Daily Archives: November 24, 2015
Lobsterman discovers sea squirts on his traps
It’s no secret that the waters of the Gulf of Maine are getting warmer. Although many fishermen say that this summer the water around Downeast Maine has been colder than in recent years, according to data compiled by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, from 2004 to 2013, water surface temperatures rose faster in the Gulf of Maine than in 99.9 percent of the global ocean. Cold or warm, this year strange critters have made themselves at home in local waters, some of them apparently settling in Downeast Maine for the first time. Read the article here 19:02
Pollution may have killed hundreds of fish in Cockburn Sound: Scientist
A leading WA scientist says pollution may have killed more than 700 fish in Cockburn Sound, south of Perth. Over a four-day period from November 19-22, officers from the Department of Fisheries plucked hundreds of different species of fish from in and around the sound after getting a tip-off from anglers. The sound is a popular fishing spot with more than 12,000 boaties using the water each year. It is also used for commercial fishing with close to 130 different species of fish in the sheltered water body. Read the article here 15:15
Researching lobster stock trends in southwestern N.S. by tracking juvenile lobsters
Each year researchers collect samples of juvenile lobsters from the ocean floor in Lobster Bay in Yarmouth County and St. Mary’s Bay in Digby County to track levels of juvenile lobster. Three years ago scientists said there were “troubling signs.” Last year they said sampling had yielded the highest levels ever. This year the numbers aren’t as high as they were last year. “The numbers were definitely lower than last year,” says DFO research scientist Adam Cook. “They’re more on par with what we’ve seen in past years, so it is uncertain as to what that means.” Read the article here 12:21
Smart Gargoor — the first national electronic fish trap system of its kind in the world!
Dubai: New deepwater fish traps in the UAE called gargoor will be equipped with GPS, underwater cameras and sensors to reduce lost harvest amid dwindling fish stocks, officials said on Tuesday. For more than a century, traditional gargoor were fashioned by fishermen into a half-globe-shaped underwater fish net of sorts using palm leaves to include a small entrance to lure fish, very much like lobster traps used the world over.Not only will the new traps modernise the commercial fishing industry, it will also help fisheries regulators monitor and control,,, Read the article here 11:43
Calls for Ireland to double number of permits to protect migrant fishermen
The Irish government will have to issue at least 1,000 work permits to non-EU migrant fishermen – double the number announced by the government last week – if they want to provide protection to all those currently working on Irish trawlers, according to representatives from the Irish fishing industry. “I’ve been getting phone calls from fishermen all around Ireland who don’t think 500 will be enough to get everybody covered,” said Francis O’Donnell, the chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation. “I would be a lot more comfortable,,, Read the article here 11:00
Clark’s Harbour shipyard awash in boatbuilding orders
If you want Gregory Symonds to build you a fishing boat, get in line. “We’re booked until fall 2017,” said Symonds. Together with his son Terry, sister Sybil Kennedy and niece Randi Symonds, the 64-year-old finishes about 10 Cape Islanders a year in his Clark’s Harbour boatyard. A sign reading Boatbuilders Wanted hangs over the front door of Bruce M. Atkinson Boatbuilders just up the road. All five of Clark’s Harbour’s boatyards are flat out. Read the article here 10:28
Why China just may be the seal hunt’s last hope
If you’re looking for the new Always in Vogue location, it’s just around the corner from Sephora in the mall. Except that the mall is not in St. John’s, where Always in Vogue is best known for its boutique on Water Street. Rather, this mall is in Shenyang, in northern China, the country that is the new hope for an industry that’s seen better days. If St. John’s-based company PhocaLux International’s gamble pays off, next year’s harvest will be significantly greater. Read the article here 10:08
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for Nov. 24, 2015
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 09:31
Catch Shares versus Sharing Catch – Comment by Stephen J. Hall, David J. Mills & Neil L. Andrew
Lee van der Voo considers catch shares in the US to be, “one of the coolest vehicles environmental policy has seen in decades,” because they reduce fishing effort, diminish incentives to fish in dangerous weather, can boost the value of seafood, and most importantly, were designed to keep fishing rights with the fishermen and their communities. However this last attribute has not worked for most catch share programs,,, Van der Voo fears that over the long term catch shares will increase costs, fishermen will earn less because of higher rental payments owed to, “people in suits,” that own the fishing rights. Consumers would then pay more in this scenario while a handful of investors would become rich. Read the article here 08:22
Murkowski: No ‘frankenfish’ labeling means no new FDA chief
Alaska’s senior senator isn’t backing off her fight to label genetically modified salmon, and she said Monday she’ll go as far as blocking confirmation of the Food and Drug Administration’s next commissioner. In a statement released Monday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she “will not stand back and just watch these genetically engineered creatures be placed in our kitchens and on our tables without a fight. The “creatures” Murkowski refers to are the genetically engineered,,, Read the article here 07:28
