Daily Archives: March 10, 2016
Nova Scotia lobster buyers must take a lobster handling course for licence renewal
Nova Scotia lobster buyers will have to take a lobster handling course this spring to have their licences renewed, the provincial fisheries minister said Thursday. Proper handling of lobsters should mean fewer crustaceans lost, said Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell. He said buyers were not consulted before introducing the new mandatory licence requirement. “If we would have waited … every day we lose not having proper handling practices in place on lobsters means we’re losing revenue for the province of Nova Scotia and for rural communities in Nova Scotia,” Colwell said.”If that lobster doesn’t make it to market for whatever reason, then that’s revenue that we’ve lost.” Read the article here 20:45
Permit values plummet for Alaska salmon
Fire sale salmon prices last year and a dim outlook ahead have pushed down the value of fishing permits. A lot of people had disastrous salmon seasons last year, whether it was drift gillnet, permits or seine permits have all declined across the board fairly dramatically. Doug Bowen runs Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. At Alaska’s bellwether fishery at Bristol Bay drift gillnet permits have dropped into the $90,000 range down from $175,000 last spring. And that may have been the bottom, they seem to have come up a bit – firming up at around $97-$98,000 is where they are today. Audio, Read the rest here 18:58
Gulf of Maine Research Institute says lobster season will likely start around June 19.
An updated forecast points to an even stronger likelihood that Maine’s lobster season is going to get off to a very early start. The forecast from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, updated Thursday, said there’s a 47 percent chance of an “extremely early start,” defined as beginning as early as June 12. The lobstering season typically kicks into high gear after July 4. A “very early start,” defined as beginning around June 19, has a likelihood of 50 percent, the institute said, and an “early start” of around June 26 has a likelihood of 3 percent. The institute said there’s virtually no chance of a normal or late start to the season for Maine’s most valuable fishery. Read the rest here 17:38
Cameras could play a role in fisheries enforcement – C&P chief. That’s really the issue. Enforcement
Cameras onboard commercial fishing vessels as condition of licence could act as a deterrent to illegal fishing activities suggests John Coleman, Acting Chief of Conservation and Protection for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Gulf Region . “I can’t really speak for the government, but it’s certainly something that we in DFO are exploring and looking to advance the conversation around,” Coleman said of the possible use of cameras for surveillance work. It was during an interview about hefty fines and suspensions to three Nova Scotia tuna fishermen that Coleman referred to surveillance cameras. “Given the tuna fishery, and the nature of catch and release, it is very difficult, unless you have a camera on a vessel, to be successful in a prosecution.” Read the rest here 16:22
Bellingham fishermen rescued from boat in 70 mph windstorm
U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued three fishermen Thursday morning, March 10, from a boat that broke loose at a Bellingham harbor in an intense windstorm. A 52-foot commercial fishing boat named Bergen broke free from the spot it was moored, near Bellingham Cold Storage, 2825 Roeder Ave., sometime around 5 a.m. All of the lines must have come loose as the crew slept, said one the deckhands, Jacob Imholt, 35. Overnight a windstorm had roared into Whatcom County, with sustained winds above 40 mph and gusts measured around 70 mph. Read the rest here 14:45
Maine Department of Marine Resources will re-open three closed scallop fishing areas
The Maine Department of Marine Resources will re-open three scallop fishing areas after having closed them to protect scallop populations in December. Inner Machias Rotational Area, Wahoa/Jonesport Reach, and Gouldsboro Bay and Dyers Bay will open next week when the Department of Marine Resources allows the emergency rulemaking to lapse. The Department of Marine Resources has instituted a new system for estimating scallop abundance. This new system showed that these three areas for scallop fishing had more available biomass than originally estimated in December. Read the rest here 12:49
Dr. Molly Lutcavage – Environmental Bullies: How Conservation Ideologues Attack Scientists Who Don’t Agree With Them.
In science, there’s always disagreement among experts and well-respected, conscientious non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on tough questions. We are used to that. And we work things out as a team using objective scientific methods and evidence. A good scientist should be ready to make mistakes, to be wrong sometimes, to be called out, or to miss something obvious that someone else runs with and gets credit for. Or to get lucky with research, to be in the right place at the right time – we experience it all. And woman scientists that make it all the way to professional positions most likely have already been hit on or harassed or received unfair treatment, because there are fewer of us. Women scientists know plenty of these stories. We receive training for that too, even though it rarely helps. Read the rest here 11:55
Michigan state officials recommend against Great Lakes fish farms
Three state agencies released a report recommending Michigan not pursue commercial fish farming operations in the Great Lakes because of several environmental and economic risks. The state departments of agriculture and rural development, environmental quality and natural resources released a report Wednesday on the controversial topic and proposals regarding net-pen aquaculture — a practice that involves raising fish in underwater nets, or solid structure cages serving as pens, also known as fish farming — in northern Lakes Huron and Michigan. The agencies concluded the report by urging the state not to pursue commercial net-pen aquaculture in the Great Lakes at this time. Read the rest here 11:31
Elver fishermen unite as tribes agree to new rules
Last year, Maine fishermen harvested elvers worth more than $11.4 million from the state’s streams and rivers. That made the fishery for the tiny, translucent juvenile eels the fourth most valuable in the state, but it still wasn’t a good year. A cold, dry spring delayed the migration of elvers from the sea into the rivers where harvesters set their gear. As a result, Maine fishermen landed just 5,259 pounds of the tiny wrigglers, little more than half the 9,688-pound quota allocated the state by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. When the Maine Elver Fishermen Association gathered for its annual meeting Saturday morning, harvesters received some good news from Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher and former MEFA Executive Director Jeffrey Pierce. Read the article here 09:42
The Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant is leaking radiation contamination into Biscayne Bay
Wednesday’s news of radiation contamination emanating from the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant leaking into Biscayne Bay alarmed Florida Keys citizens on every level. First, the Keys drinking water comes from the same neighborhood as the plant. Second, the affect to the fishery — so close to home waters — could also have an enormous impact. Florida Keys Commercial Fishing Association’s Bill Kelly said he called on Nick Wiley, the director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, to study the problem on Wednesday. “We need to test the lobster, shellfish and finfish in Biscayne Bay,” Kelly said. “We need to know if there’s any concern about public consumption of any of those products collected in that area.” Read the rest here 09:20
Walker names picks for North Pacific Fishery Management Council
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will have two new faces next fall, and the governor’s picks for the seat could push the council toward decisions favorable to small-boat fishermen and coastal communities. Governor Bill Walker announced his nominations for the two seats opening up. Theresa Peterson of Kodiak and Buck Laukitis of Homer were tapped to replace Duncan Fields and David Long, whose three-year terms expire in August. Fields, of Kodiak, has served the maximum three consecutive terms; Long, of Wasilla, simply isn’t being re-appointed. Read the rest here 08:08
