Daily Archives: November 27, 2015
Simple greed shut down cannery: Nobels
The Skeena Queen Charlotte Regional District is demanding a higher stake in the region’s salmon resources, calling for a return to abandoned policies that protected communities precisely from those such as Canfisco’s closure of Prince Rupert’s salmon cannery. Vice chair and director of Area A, Des Nobels, wasted no time at the last regular meeting to blame the of simple greed for the hundreds of lost jobs at the Canfisco cannery. Read the article here 20:14
Lobster Fishermen Reminded of Safety as Season Starts
Lobster fishermen in southwest Nova Scotia are reminded to stay safe as they launch the start of their season Monday, Nov. 30. “Fishermen have led the change to improve safety across the fishing industry with more man-overboard training and an increased use of personal flotation devices,” said Kelly Regan, Nova Scotia Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. “I urge all fishermen to continue with the great progress they’ve made, and keep safety a priority as they head out,,, Read the article here 19:54
Toxic Truth – Brave Fishermen shut down their fishery
Newcastle Australia – 
Commercial fishers met at the Newcastle co-op on Thursday to discuss their options before they decided to place a voluntary ban on prawn trawling in the Hunter River because of contamination concerns. Robert Gauta, the manager of the Newcastle Commercial Fisherman’s co-op said the decision was “brave”. “It is going to have huge impacts for these people and it’s going to be felt right across the commercial fishing industry in the Hunter,” he said. “They could have gone back to work [but] they don’t want to be the ones whose produce it later turns out is going to harm people. Read the article here 18:21
Top science groups tell Congress to stop probing NOAA’s alleged misdeeds
Saying it will have a ‘chilling effect’ on science, eight scientific organizations have sent a letter this week to Rep. Lamar Smith (R) for investigating corruption at NOAA. Whistleblowers came forward during a congressional oversight hearing about data manipulation in a much-hyped global warming study. Rep. Smith, who chairs the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, has subpoenaed government-owned emails related to NOAA’s work,,, Read the article here 16:59Friday Tomfoolery with vegan Shadow Environment Secretary Kerry McCarthy
Members of the public should stop using the expression “fishermen” because it is sexist, according a member of Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench team. The party’s Shadow Environment Secretary Kerry McCarthy was ridiculed (as she should’ve been) for suggesting on Twitter that Britons (I’m certain she’s a globalist) should not use the word “fishermen”. The minister, who does not eat meat but is in charge of food and rural affairs, said on Twitter that people should find a “gender neutral alternative”. Read the article here 14:22
If only these fishing vessels could speak! – Weathering the waves
The harbors are full of characters, silent and strong. Each one’s got a story, but it’s pretty hard to tease it from a boat. In Hammond’s basin, recently repaired and maintained by Astoria Marine Construction Company, the halibut schooner Arrow is moored, a remarkable example of the heavy, slippery-hulled wooden long-liners built in Puget Sound boatyards nearly a century ago. “Dave Kelly owns it,” says AMCCO’s Tim Fastabend. “He’s always taken care of it. He’s adamant about that.” Clear across town in Astoria’s East Mooring Basin a trio of modern trawlers,,, Read the article here with 8 photos 13:38
Protecting the fishermen: 20th annual Blessing of the Fleet
To mark the 20th annual Blessing of the Fleet in Trinidad, U.S. Coast Guard Humboldt Bay Sector Commander Capt. Art Snyder dazzled the large crowd gathered for the ritual with two low flybys in a Coast Guard rescue helicopter. Assembled at the Memorial Lighthouse above the ancestral Tsurai Village on a brisk Thanksgiving morning, the sea was calm and there was not a cloud in the sky as the smell of sage wafted through the air and people of all ages danced to tunes played by the Redwood Ramblers. Read the article here 10:43
Increased carbon dioxide enhances plankton growth, opposite of what was expected
Coccolithophores–tiny calcifying plants that are part of the foundation of the marine food web–have been increasing in relative abundance in the North Atlantic over the last 45 years, as carbon input into ocean waters has increased. Their relative abundance has increased 10 times, or by an order of magnitude, during this sampling period. This finding was diametrically opposed to what scientists had expected since coccolithophores make their plates out of calcium carbonate, which is becoming more difficult as the ocean becomes more acidic and pH is reduced. These findings were reported in the November 26th edition of Science,,, Read the article here 09:45
Georges Bank drilling moratorium extended by Nova Scotia government
The Nova Scotia government is extending the Georges Bank moratorium on oil and gas exploration and drilling. The fishing bank has been off limits since 1988. This extends the protection until at least 2022. Ottawa passed a similar protection bill last June. Such exploration comes under the joint jurisdiction of the provinces and federal government. BP and Chevron have drilling and exploration rights in the region, but will remain unable to use those leases. Read the article here 09:07
Projects Stall After Feds Allow Fish Farming in Open Ocean
Some 90 percent of seafood consumed by Americans is imported — a fact that the Obama administration vowed to start turning around by expanding fish and shellfish farms into federal waters. Yet nearly two years since the first permit was issued, the United States still has no offshore farms. The pioneers of offshore aquaculture say their plans have stalled or been abandoned because of the long and expensive federal permitting process that requires extensive environmental monitoring and data collection. Read the article here 07:36
Tests show progress toward lifting of Dungeness closure
Sport-crabbers could be back on South Coast bays in less than two weeks, and the state’s commercial crabbing fleet is eyeing a Dec. 15 opener after new tests on Dungeness crab show that levels of domoic acid that closed the fisheries are now falling, authorities said. But all eyes are on Monday’s results of Dungeness samples taken last weekend for Brookings and Port Orford to see whether they mirror crab in Coos and Winchester bays as dropping beneath health-alert levels or whether they join Northern California ports still seeing potentially unhealthy levels. Read the article here 07:11
