Daily Archives: January 18, 2016
Fish and Game upheaval reveals shift in California wildlife policy
The sudden resignation of the most adamant defender of hunting and fishing on the California Fish and Game Commission could put the finishing touches on a sweeping philosophical shift in the way the state views wildlife, sets rules for fishing and controls predators like mountain lions and wolves. Commissioner Jim Kellogg retired in late December in frustration over what he termed a lack of consideration for the sportsmen and women he represents. The resignation — combined with the unrelated recent departures of commission President Jack Baylis and Sonke Mastrup, the commission’s executive director — sets the stage for Gov. Jerry Brown to appoint conservationists to the increasingly pivotal state board. Read the article here 21:37
Maine Lobstermen’s Association kicks off new year with focus on lobster marketing
On Jan. 6, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) hosted the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative’s executive director Matt Jacobson at its first monthly board meeting of 2016. The MLA, founded in 1954, is the state’s oldest fishermen’s organization. The MLA was instrumental in establishing the Collaborative in 2013. Lobstermen are reporting an excellent year for both volume of lobster landings and profit for the 2015 fishing season. This is in stark contrast to the steady decreases in profit the industry suffered after the economic crash of 2008,,, Read the article here 20:20
Fishermen urged to wear lifejackets in new safety campaign
Whelk fisherman David Massey knew he was wearing no ordinary lifejacket when he hit the water unexpectedly about 11km off the coast of Wicklow in April last year. His personal flotation device (PFD) was fitted with an emergency beacon which would inform the rescue authorities of his precise location, his name, his address and his next-of-kin. “Still, I thought we were gone,” the 42-year-old, originally from Co Limerick, said. Mr Massey was one of three crew on the MFV Lavicca, which capsized off the Wicklow coast on April 15th, 2015. Read the article here 19:12
White Glacier’s Arctic 25 – Live Cold Water Immersion Demonstrations at Fish Canada Workboat Canada
White Glacier, the industry leader in protective immersion suits, presents the Arctic 25 hypothermia protective suit to the Canadian commercial marine industry at the Fish Canada Workboat Canada tradeshow, January 22-23 at the Moncton Coliseum Complex in Saint John, New Brunswick. The team displays a 1,000-gallon ice water tank exhibition that grabs attention. For 10 hours each day without exiting the water, a subject will be immersed in the ice tank wearing White Glacier’s Arctic 25 — an operation that exceeds the current standards set by The International Maritime Organization (IMO). Read the article here 16:01
B.C. First Nation, fisheries officials agree to herring management plan
A First Nation on British Columbia’s central coast is applauding what it says is a dramatic move toward science-based, joint management of area herring stocks. The Heiltsuk Tribal Council says a management plan for the 2016 central coast herring fishery has been reached with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett says the plan contains four key improvements including a reduction in the central coast herring harvest rate to seven per cent from 10 per cent. Read the article here 13:58
The Division of Marine Fisheries, and its Commission, use inadequate science to regulate fisheries
What if…humans can’t actually control nature to make it behave the way some humans want it to behave? North Carolina participates in a federally dominated system that attempts to regulate the fishing industry. They do this by setting quotas on when, where, how and how many fish can be harvested from the state’s waters (from the “inland” waters–approximately the tidewater area–to the three mile federal limit off our coast.) The legal premise upon which this regulatory system is based is that the fish and other life forms in those waters are a “public trust” and belong to The People. Read the op-ed here 12:57
Fish stocks for sale – Maurice Adams, Paradise
With the respect to John Gillett’s recent letter (“Fishermen never wanted a big brother”), let me say that with the amendment to the NAFO agreement a few years ago (voted down by the House of Commons) but with the support of the province, industry and the union, passed anyway by the Harper government, NAFO nations are taking over where DFO is leaving off. Since then there have been several attempts to use $400 million in tax dollars ($280 million from Ottawa) to again “rationalize” the inshore fishery (remember the province’s big, $400-million MOU?) — all with the objective of shutting down the plants and the inshore fishery that brought almost a million dollars a year of new money into almost every coastal community. Read the letter here 10:01
Fishermen hope to rescue oysters, as well as their livelihood
Coast fishermen are preparing to make much-needed money in the face of disaster. Beginning at sunrise Monday, fisherman will begin to move oysters to safety away from surging fresh water into the Mississippi Sound. But, it won’t be easy, and the money likely won’t be enough to make up for a disastrous six-year struggle.The Oyster Recovery Program is allowing fishermen to move oysters from the St. Joe’s Reef south of Waveland out of harm’s way. Fresh water from the recently opened Bonnet Carre spillway is threatening their habitat. Video, Read the article here 09:34
Watch: Campaign launched after 88 people injured or killed in fishing vessel accidents
More than 80 people have been injured or killed in accidents involving deck machinery on fishing vessels in the last five years. Fishermen in the North of England are being urged to stay safe by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), after figures revealed the number of people injured of killed in UK waters. Data released by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) shows that four fishermen tragically lost their lives in deck machinery incidents from 1 January 2011 to to 10 November 2015, with a further 84 injuries being suffered by commercial fishing crew. Watch, Read the article here 09:00
