Monthly Archives: November 2015
1 fish, 2 fish: Film examines new seafood counting technology
It appears to be an unanswerable question: “How many fish are in the ocean?” But marine research scientist Kevin Stokesbury is searching for that number, and his findings could have far reaching implications for fisherman facing catch limits. Part of Stokesbury’s efforts have been documented in “Counting Fish”, a film shot and produced by Mattapoisett’s Don Cuddy. In the 1990s, Stokesbury developed new video technology that brought big changes to the scallop industry. The methods showed that scallops were being undercounted with the old methods, drastically increasing catch limits for New Bedford fishermen. Read the rest here 08:01
Lobster diversity startles fisheries research group
The Canadian Fisheries Research Network, a collaboration between academic researchers, the fishing industry and government, recently wrapped up several research projects that began in 2010, shortly after the group was founded. One of those projects included an exhaustive look at lobster stocks in 17 locations from Newfoundland all the way to Rhode Island. There were five components to the research, including a genetic study — the first of its kind in the world — in which researchers sequenced more than 10,000 little stretches of DNA on lobsters from each of those locations. What they found took them by surprise. Read the rest here 19:35
Entrepreneurs Pitch Sustainable Seafood Ideas. Investors Take The Bait
Entrepreneurs presented ideas that ran the sustainability gamut: Licensing schemes designed to keep local family fishermen on the water; developing consumer-friendly, ready-to-cook sustainable seafood products; collecting old nylon fishing nets to recycle into skateboards and sunglasses; cutting-edge technology to monitor everything from a fishing fleet’s location to the storage temperature for its catch; land-based aquaculture solutions; and programs designed to create both jobs and sustenance for tiny remote fishing communities in the Pacific.Read the rest here 17:30
Wesmac 46 Battle Wagon prepares to battle tuna
Wesmac Custom Boats launched its latest Super 46 last week, and though it has celebrity owners it is hard to imagine a more serious fishing machine than Battle Wagon. TV talk show host Maury Povich and his wife, newswoman Connie Chung, ordered the boat nearly two years ago for their son Matthew to use, primarily, in the commercial offshore canyon fishery for bigeye and yellowfin tuna, the fish often marketed under the Hawaiian name “ahi” in restaurants. Read the rest here 15:07
Bristol Bay fishermen to land 2 billionth salmon in 2016
Next July, a commercial fisherman will land the 2 billionth salmon caught in Bristol Bay’s 133-year fishing history. Since the inception of Bristol Bay’s canned salmon industry in 1884, its fishermen have landed 1.99 billion salmon, 93 percent of which were sockeye. Fishermen will achieve the 2-billion-salmon milestone when they catch another 9.5 million. This will happen next season, based on the Alaska Department of Fish & Game’s recently released forecast for a harvest of almost 30 million sockeye in 2016. Read the rest here 13:58
For Shetlanders the sea is a natural environment, but never a friendly one
Most people in Shetland live and work within sight and sound of the sea. On clear summer days – almost 20 hours long, in June – it lies flat out to a distant horizon and children play on great wide beaches; from the cliff-tops, fish and diving birds are clearly visible even several metres below the surface. It’s not like that now. At this time of year and into the winter, during the great gales that sweep across the Atlantic, the sea climbs steeply into the howling wind as it hits land, and sheets of spray sweep across our fields and moors. Read the rest here 11:34
Crab season: West Coast Fishermen scrambling to pay bills
This was supposed to be the winter Braeden Breton finally realized his dream of running his own crab fishing boat. After putting down $7,500 in April toward a commercial permit, he was counting on earning enough money as a deckhand this fall to pay off the rest and begin setting his own traps after the new year. Now the indefinite postponement of the commercial Dungeness crab season has thrown that plan into disarray. Like hundreds of other fishermen in the Bay Area, Breton finds himself scrambling to pay the bills. Read the rest here 10:36
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for Nov. 16, 2015
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 10:03
International angler caught up in DFO bluefin tuna sting
It’s a picture that captures a moment of pure joy: a young woman in sunglasses and a wetsuit straddling the back of a huge Atlantic bluefin tuna. Like a cowboy at a rodeo, she grips a rope that straps the fish to the side of the boat. In her other hand, she hoists a bottle of wine high in the air in celebration. A CBC News investigation has learned the wealthy woman may be one of the best female anglers in the world. The tuna was hooked off the shores of Antigonish County in October 2014. And according to court documents, fisheries officials say it was caught illegally. Read the rest here 09:39
2014 study shows haddock is booming and cod remains in decline in the northeast
U.S. government scientists reporting on fish stocks off New England are reaching the same conclusions as their Canadian counterparts who have found that haddock is booming and cod remains in decline in the northeast. On Monday, the Northeast Fisheries Science Centre at Woods Hole, Massachusettes released an assessment of 20 northeast ground fish stocks from 2014 surveys. “The rapid increase in haddock, redfish, pollock and white hake contrasts sharply with the decline of cod and the flatfish species,” the report states. Read the rest here 09:13
New nationwide coalition seeking to unify commercial fishing interests
A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group with strong New Bedford ties is creating a national coalition of commercial fishing interests to boost outreach and communication for the industry, which supporters claim often can be overmatched by unified environmental groups that promote competing interests. “We’re aiming to bring the entire supply chain of fishermen, shoreside businesses, processors, markets and restaurants together to join this effort to move the national conversation in a positive direction.” Read the rest here 08:43
Scientist forecasts drop in coldwater shrimp catches to below 200,000t
A scientist with Norway’s Institute of Marine Research has forecast a poor outlook for coldwater shrimp fishing in the largest fisheries, around the North Atlantic. Firstly, Carsten Hvingel looked to the West Atlantic, describing how coldwater shrimp stocks there have risen (between 1990 and 2002) and then fallen (2002 until now) due to ecosystem shifts. Cod numbers directly and indirectly reflect shrimp populations – in the first instance because they feed on shrimp, and in the second because they reflect wider shifts in things such as water temperatures. Read the rest here 21:38
Approval of GM salmon eggs will be challenged in Canadian court
The Ecology Action Centre and Living Oceans Society have partnered together in challenging Environment Canada’s decision to approve genetically modified Atlantic salmon eggs. The case will be heard in Ottawa’s Federal Court on Tuesday. The environmental groups contend the government agency did not follow its own legislative rules and conduct a full risk assessment before allowing Massachusetts-based biotech firm, AquaBounty Technologies, to produce GM-salmon eggs on Prince Edward Island. Read the rest here 20:19
Coast Guard crew medevacs man near Boothbay Harbor, ME
The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 49-year-old male Monday five miles southeast of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. At approximately 11:30 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England received a radio transmission from a good Samaritan stating a man aboard a 20-foot commercial fishing boat was in and out of consciousness and in need of medical attention. Both a 25-foot Response Boat crew and 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew launched from Read the rest here 16:26
Virginia Beach fisherman on seeing great white: He could have eaten me like an aspirin
A Virginia Beach fisherman says he had a terrifying encounter with a great white shark last week two miles offshore near Sandbridge. Vince McKaney says the shark was stuck in his net. “I looked back in the boat and I saw this big body surface and a big eyeball,” McKaney said. “Then he opened his mouth, and I seen teeth.” The 35-year commercial fishing veteran said he was in disbelief. “I could have jumped in his mouth he would have eaten me like an aspirin, that’s how big he was. I would have cleared his teeth no problem,”,, Read the rest here 15:51
Symposium offers clues to how lobsters adapt to climate change
While he’s the first to admit predicting the impact of climate change on the lobster population is far from an exact science, Dr. Remy Rochette says some models he works with in a joint project between the University of New Brunswick and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans do offer clues. Rochette was one of the keynote speakers at a Canada-U.S. lobster symposium held recently in Charlottetown focusing on the American lobster in a changing ecosystem. Read the rest here 12:01
3MMI – Dungeness Crab Closures, Future of Seafood in Vietnam? Center of Plate Seafood Trends
After Domoic Acid was found in samples of Dungeness Crab, an indefinite delay in the California Fishery was imposed – this could be good news for the British Columbian Market. Hugh Link of the Oregon Crab Commission does not foresee a need for a delay from the December 1 opening. Yet. The 2015 China Seafood Show wrapped up in Qingdao and Chinese processors have concerns over the future of the seafood markets, but are entertaining the idea of using Vietnam as a processing hub. Watch the 3 Minute Market video here 11:38
Scallop boats scramble for mooring space in Cobscook Bay
Maine’s annual 
is due to start Dec. 1 and fishermen, eager to benefit from strong demand and record high prices, are setting their sights on Cobscook Bay, the most productive scallop fishing area in the state. But, more than any other year in recent memory, many are running into a fairly significant planning obstacle: Where are they going to keep their boats? Eastport, Lubec and Pembroke — all have fewer available places this year for fishermen to tie up their boats overnight than they did a year ago. Read the rest here 09:31
MV Leviathan II tragedy: Official rescue role for First Nations urged
A marine safety expert says coastal First Nations should be given an official role in the province’s search and rescue services. Advocates say the capsizing of whale-watching boat, the MV Leviathan II, off the Tofino coast and the resulting rescue shows how crucial First Nations communities are in emergencies on the water. Two Ahousaht fishermen were the only people who spotted a rocket flare shot off the capsized boat and rushed to the scene, triggering a rescue effort that pulled 21 survivors from frigid B.C. waters. Read the rest here 09:12
Green crab pathogen research raises concern for Nova Scotia lobster industry
New research is raising more concerns about the potential transfer of diseases from the invasive green crab to lobster in Nova Scotia waters. “Our worry is there could be a pathogen transfer and it could damage our lobster industry. We are finding at least two pathogens of concern,” research scientist Fraser Clark says. He adds human health is not at risk. Clark released a study earlier this year showing high levels of a parasite in green crab is being found in areas of southern Nova Scotia where the crab has been introduced as a lobster bait. Read the rest here 08:50
‘Counting Fish’ takes a closer look at UMass Dartmouth team’s fishing industry research
Gentle persuasion might best describe a new 50-minute documentary on fisheries research going on at the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology. Don Cuddy, program director for the Center for Sustainable Fisheries and a Mattapoisett resident, provides the narration, taking the viewer aboard the fishing vessel Liberty in May of 2015 to observe fish survey work. There, one sees footage from eight days at sea, culled from seven hours, of Dr. Kevin Stokesbury of SMAST. He is the researcher who developed the “drop camera” for counting scallops on the sea floor, exposing faulty science, and helped create the highly profitable scallop industry known today. Read the rest here 07:49
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
