Daily Archives: February 14, 2016
Dick Grachek responds to “Cod stocks on south coast of Newfoundland ‘OK but not great’
From the above linked article posted on Fishery Nation.com: “The spawning stock is now between the ages for four and seven years, which [lead researcher Rick] Rideout called a ‘pretty restricted’ age.” Click here to read the article “Basically, fish are not surviving to those older ages, they’re coming into the stock … but they’re not surviving to older age, and again, that’s a big concern.” Then abandon MSY management! A majority of younger fish comprising the spawning stock is a function of Maximum Sustainable Yield management (MSY). This MSY management balances the numbers of larger spawning fish taken out of a stock against the numbers of individuals of smaller younger fish entering the stock or “recruitment”—guess what, this yields a highly unstable stock of smaller younger fish. Read the rest here 19:47
Fisherman arrested after reportedly trying to ram fishing vessels with his fishing vessel near Sitka
A Klawock man faces a slew of charges, including boating under the influence, after Alaska State Troopers say he ran his fishing vessel over other vessels’ deployed gear near Sitka on Saturday. Troopers said in a Sunday dispatch that 33-year-old Timothy D. Demmert was taken into custody after several calls shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday, reporting “a fishing vessel attempting to ram other vessels” during the Sitka Sound winter salmon troll fishery near Cape Edgecumbe. Read the rest here 18:45
Tanner crab fishermen receive OK to catch quota
It’s official. 
fishermen can catch their whole quota, and not leave 1.4 million pounds unharvested at the bottom of the Bering Sea because of a surprising provision in the federal rules governing the crab rationalization program that blindsided fishermen and processors late last year. That oversight nearly cost the industry some $5 million. That’s good news as the Tanner fishery moves along, with 72 percent of the eastern Tanners harvested as of Monday for 8.1 million pounds by eight boats catching an average of 37.4 crab per pot. Read the rest here 12:30
Cod stocks on south coast of Newfoundland ‘OK but not great’, says researcher
A new study into the state of cod stocks off the south coast of Newfoundland and Labrador shows a decline and high mortality rates. Lead researcher, Rick Rideout, says while stocks aren’t in terrible shape, there is reason for concern. “3PS cod is currently what we would call in the cautious zone … it’s certainly below the target of where fisheries management would like the stock to be,” said Rideout. “We’re okay, but we’re not great.” “Our estimates of mortality are really high right now, as high as we’ve seen in monitoring this stock,” Read the rest here 10:24
Vero Beach couple escalates war on Lionfish with the Frapper Trap
Relationship experts say the secret to lasting love is to have something in common. For some couples, it’s a shared interest in travel, wine or maybe binge-watching the same drama series. But for one Vero Beach couple, the tie that truly bonds them is a devotion to lionfish. To be specific, Bob and Maria Hickerson share a passionate love for the removal of lionfish from Florida’s waters. “Lionfish are one fish that we actually want to fish to extinction,” Maria Hickerson said. Read the article here 08:59
Alaska: Fisheries politics was rough for all in 2015; let’s at least have a working truce in 2016
Gov. Walker’s recent appointment of three individuals to the Alaska Board of Fisheries seems to send the message “Let’s move on.” 2015 was unique for Alaska fisheries, especially in Cook Inlet. Many things happened to make people unhappy. The Alaska Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit by the Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund, commercial fishers, who asked the court to require the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to provide more red salmon fishing time for them in the setnet fishery regardless of the impact on the Kenai River late-run king salmon. The court upheld the discretion of ADF&G managers to protect the kings. This significantly cost the setnetters. Next came the court’s rejection,,, Read the rest here
