Daily Archives: April 23, 2016
D.B. Pleschner: Pacific Sardines are not collapsing, may be in recovery
On April 10, the Pacific Fishery Management Council closed the West Coast sardine fishery for a second straight year. The council followed its ultra-conservative harvest control policy and relied on a stock assessment that does not account for recent sardine recruitment. But in fact, there are multiple lines of evidence that young sardines are now abundant in the ocean. In addition to field surveys, fishermen in both California and the Pacific Northwest have been observing sardines – both small and large — since the summer of 2015. And California fishermen also provided samples of the small fish to federal and state fishery managers. Read the rest here 19:29
PEIFA president is optimistic, sees signs of higher prices
The president of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is chomping at the bit to get the 2016 spring lobster fishery underway next weekend and he’s optimistic of higher prices. “Prices are tremendously high, over $8.00 a pound over in Nova Scotia right now,” Craig Avery said Friday. Avery, who will be setting out of Northport Harbour in Lobster Fishing Area 24 on April 30, estimated the starting price for a lobster fishery that got underway in Nova Scotia on April 19 to be between $2.00 and $2.50 a pound higher than what they got starting out in years past. “There’s a lot of optimism out there and we’re hoping, definitely, for a higher price than last year, for sure,” Avery commented. Read the rest here 14:47
Monitoring The Catch Aboard Groundfishing Vessels
Regulations are stiff in the commercial fishing industry – and especially so for those who go after groundfish like cod and haddock. Now, one of the industry’s biggest players is accused of skirting those regulations for years – allegedly cooking the books and reaping big profits on illegally caught groundfish. As Brian Morris reports, that’s having a ripple effect on small, single-boat groundfishermen who play by the rules. Around the docks of New Bedford, people know Carlos Rafael as the “Codfather,” a legendary, self-made figure who dominates the city’s biggest industry. He manages a fleet of some 40 vessels, and also operates a fish distribution operation. Authorities raided his business in February, and federal officials allege he was changing documents – falsifying the types of fish he reported catching. Audio, Read the rest here 14:26
Last In-First Out (LIFO) policy – DFO official assures advisory panel is ‘arms-length and independent
An official from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) says the Ministerial Advisory Panel chosen to assess the Last In-First Out (LIFO) policy on northern shrimp is an “arms-length” independent panel. Fisheries and Oceans minister Hunter Tootoo declined a request for an interview earlier this week. Instead, Sylvie Lapointe, DFO’s director general of fisheries management, was chosen to answer questions posed by TC Media regarding the appointment and independence of the panel. As for the choice of panelists, Lapointe said the minister selected the members based on their “wide range of skills, experience and expertise, to ensure we can have an independent and comprehensive review of the LIFO policy.” Read the rest here 11:45
Governor Walker names two good Alaskans to North Pacific Fishery Management Council
“Alaska strong” is the phrase that best describes Gov. Bill Walker’s recent nominations of Theresa Peterson and Buck Laukitis to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, or NPFMC, which is composed of 11 voting members from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest states. Six of those members are nominated by Alaska’s governor. Theresa Peterson is a fisherman, Kodiak resident and multi-term member of the NPFMC advisory panel, as well as a staff member for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. Buck Laukitis also stresses the importance of catering to the demands of the current fleet while also ensuring that the future of coastal communities is not sacrificed in the process. He also comes with a formidable pedigree for the job. Read the rest here 10:07
Nova Scotia fisherman ‘died a hero’ after helping save crewmate
Fishermen know that the sea is both sweet and cruel. On good days it’s your best friend, giving you food and a livelihood; on bad days it’s a vengeful enemy you’ll be lucky to escape. All three Wedgeport, N.S., men aboard the Dwayne Allen no doubt knew this before they set out Thursday to fish lobster off the province’s south shore. By the end of the day one of them would be dead after helping save the other. Neil LeBlanc Sr.’s son, Neil LeBLanc Jr., was the captain of the Dwayne Allen. Read the story here 09:40
Benefits to harvesters – New business to connect seafood harvesters with seafood lovers
A new business hopes to make it easy to buy seafood direct from local harvesters, with just the click of a mouse. The man behind the website From The Wharf is Blaine Edwards, who came up with the idea after talking to industry stakeholders in the wake of September 2015 changes to provincial legislation, that allowed direct sales of seafood from harvesters to consumers and restaurants. “We felt right away there might be an opportunity to create some kind of mechanism or site or organization, but we didn’t really know what the site would look like, and that’s when we started our research,” Edwards told CBC Radio’s The Broadcast. Read the rest here 09:22
Small Boat Fishermen Worry New Rules Won’t Come in Time to Save N. Atlantic Scallops
A quandary over scallop rules has two groups of fishermen in Maine at odds over the increasingly lucrative shellfish. Kristan Porter, is an independent fisherman who catches lobsters for most of the year with his boat “Brandon Jay.” But for additional income, for five months each year, he and the two other men on his boat have begun collecting scallops. Eric Hansen, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, is one of the permit holders that aren’t bound by the same quota that Porter and others follow. Hansen, who typically fishes south of Maine, returned to the Gulf of Maine this year for the first time in decades. His family business obtained one of the permits back in 1994 for free that now could be sold for millions of dollars. Read the rest here 08:41
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney met with local fishermen Friday in Stonington over onerous catch limits
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, spoke with local fishermen Friday who shared their ongoing concerns about federal fishing regulations that limit the numbers of fish they can haul. We need to get all the states along the Northeastern seaboard together to confirm what the scientists are saying about how the regulations are out of date,” he said. “We need to get the New England legislators and governors involved and send a letter to NOAA and to the secretary of Commerce and ask them to change this. What you’re doing by bringing elected officials down here, this is what will create change.” Read the rest here 08:00
