Daily Archives: February 21, 2016
Baby eels are wriggling gold – Maine lawmakers look to ease restrictions on lucrative elver fishery
Fishermen are making money on sushi in Maine, the only state in the country with a significant baby eel fishery, and lawmakers are looking to make it possible for them to make more. A legislative committee recently approved a plan to extend the season by a week and allow weekend fishing, as opposed to the current limitation of five days per week. Elver fishermen have spoken in favor of the changes, which they said will allow them to make the most of the brief elver season, which is scheduled to begin March 22 and end May 31. Read the article here 18:58
Book Review – Rough Waters: Our North Pacific Small Fishermen’s Battle
What it’s about: A commercial fisherman looks at the threats facing West Coast small-boat fishermen, including ecological changes, weak management, and pushback from industrial fishing. As a result, some fishing families and towns — and businesses that rely on them — struggle to stay afloat. The book presents the issue in two parts. The first analyzes state-managed West Coast fisheries vs. federally managed fisheries. Mendenhall goes on to compare the industry in the United States with other parts of the world, examining the destruction she contends is wrought by the strategy of “catch-share” management. Read the story here 15:09
My Turn: Banking on Alaska’s fishing future
Many people our age have written wills. Have you? It’s a good idea, of course, because wills preserve family harmony while planning for ways our youth can prosper. Many in the fishing industry feel the same. As fishing leaders gathered in Juneau this week for the United Fishermen of Alaska board meeting, Symphony of Seafood and other events, we have to look past our industry’s near-term challenges and focus on our collective “will” to ensure Alaska’s local fishing legacy lives on. Linda Behnken of Sitka, Edward Davis of Hoonah, Duncan Fields of Kodiak and Norman Van Vactor of Dillingham are long-time leaders in the commercial fishing industry. Read the Op-ed here 13:27
Rebuilding Maine’s Scallop Fishery: Part 1 & Part 2
2014 scallop landings netted nearly 7-and-a-half million dollars, not a lot compared to the lucrative lobster industry in our state. That catch was valued at about a half billion dollars. But the scallop profits help more than 400 fishermen and their families living on the coast stay afloat. State regulators want to ensure scallops stay plentiful in Maine controlled waters. That’s why we’re constantly hearing about new rules, regulations, and closures. Before Cobscook Bay was closed for scallop fishing, we boarded a boat in Eastport to see the trade firsthand. Caitlin Burchill reports. Video’s, read the articles Click here, part 1, Click here, part 2 11:37
Another “blob” of warm ocean water discovered, this one ancient
While the Pacific “blob” seems to have died, this new research say they can find blobs lost in time. What is most interesting is that they say Greenland went through temperature shifts of 10-15 degrees C in just 50 years, all without any man-made influence. New research published in Scientific Reports in February indicates that a warm ocean surface water prevailed during the last ice age, sandwiched between two major ice sheets just south of Greenland. Read the rest here 09:51
“Corrupt” goings on? Fishery council decision endangers scallop stock
Outdoor writer Bill Biswanger received a letter from Jason Colby, who is a charter-boat captain and sits on the board of directors for non-commercial fishermen here in Massachusetts about the nasty — he calls it “corrupt” — goings-on in the scallop fishery. He told me how Eddie Welch, a shellfish advisor, had written to him about the problem down on the Cape and wanted to share this with me and the readers. Here are excerpts from his letter: “A recent controversial decision to open select scallop grounds off the coast of New England to certain select fishing groups undermines sustainable scallop management, and threatens the future health of one of the region’s most valuable resources. Read the rest here 08:48
