Daily Archives: April 29, 2016
NOAA puts bigeye tuna on overfishing list
NOAA has put Atlantic bigeye tuna on the overfishing list in its annual Status of the Stocks update. It means the harvest rate is higher right now than the rate that produces its maximum sustainable yield — the largest long-term average catch that can be taken from a stock under prevailing environmental and fishery conditions. It could also mean potential reductions in the total allowable catch will be implemented. Jennie Lyons, from NOAA Fisheries Public Affairs, said the listing is based on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas’ (ICCAT) most recent accepted stock assessment that showed fishing mortality rate in 2014 exceeded the overfishing threshold by 28 percent. Read the rest here 19:53
Fourth Amendment Issues Raised in Connecticut Clam-Poaching Dispute
An odd dispute involving Long Island Sound clams has resulted in a criminal trial and a civil lawsuit challenging the authority of state environmental police officers. In December 2011, officers with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to a complaint made by Christopher Walston, who accused Nicholas Crismale and his boat, the Mighty Maxx, of trespassing on Walston’s leased shellfish beds. Crismale, who is president of the Lobsterman’s Association of Connecticut, claims he was merely turning his boat around. Walston, who used to work for Crismale, claims his former boss was illegally harvesting Walston’s clams. He reported Crismale to state authorities as well as the Guilford Fishing Commission. Read the article here 17:23
Details emerge- Pilot may have seen missing Florida teens during search – Lawsuit filed
According to the FWC report, during the search for the boys on July 26, a pilot identified as Bobby Smith was searching for the boys and stated that he saw two pieces of white debris tied together by an orange lifejacket as he flew at an altitude of about 1,000 feet. He then circled the area “three or four” times at 200 feet and said he saw a person lying on the debris and lifting their arms above their head. James Dulin, a commercial fisherman who was fishing about five miles offshore, said that as the storm moved westward around 2 p.m., he saw 40 boats heading into Jupiter Inlet, presumably to take cover. Dulin said he saw a small boat with two “young people” on board head away from shore around the same time. 31 photo’s, Video, Read the rest here The family of one of the two Florida teens who disappeared at sea last summer is speaking out for the first time after being sued by the mother of the other missing teen over the iPhone that was found aboard the boys’ derelict fishing boat. Link 15:54
Bellingham commercial fishing fleet hosts garage sale April 30
BELLINGHAM The local commercial fishing fleet will be hosting a garage sale at the web lockers in Squalicum Harbor 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 30. The public will be able to purchase a variety of nautical items, including nets, buoys and tools, according to a news release from the Whatcom Commercial Fishermen’s Association. The lockers are near Zuanich Point Park. link 15:37
P.E.I. lobster fishermen begin the penny per pound Lobster Levy for marketing on Saturday
P.E.I. lobster fishermen are the first in Canada to offer money from their catch to help market their product. The one-cent-a-pound levy will begin to be tallied when the first Island lobster is landed on Saturday. The chair of the new 12-member P.E.I. Lobster Marketing Board, Charlie McGeoghegan, says around a dozen proposals with recommendations how to spend the money have been submitted so far. He said those have come from consulting firms, fishing groups and individuals both on and off the Island. McGeoghegan wouldn’t share details, but said some of the ideas have been rejected already but a handful are still on the table. Read the rest here 13:10
“foreign” NGOs, Pew instrumental in stripping indigenous people of constitutional rights with N.Z. Marine Sanctuary
When New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key announced the establishment of one of the world’s largest marine reserves at the United Nations last year, it was met with near unanimous praise. The proposal got the nod from big conservation groups and scientists, and media coverage was generally flattering. The 620,000 square kilometer sanctuary in the Kermadec region, northeast of New Zealand, is one of the most pristine and biodiverse on Earth, home to 35 species of whales and dolphins, 150 types of fish, and three of the world’s seven sea turtle species. Under the plan, fishing, oil, gas, and mineral exploration would be banned. But seven months later the sanctuary is at the center of a legal dispute and claims that “foreign” NGOs — most notably the Pew Charitable Trusts — were instrumental in a decision that will see New Zealand’s indigenous people stripped of constitutional rights. Read the rest here 12:26
Turtle Island Restoration Network sponsors bill to phase out gill nets, moves forward in Legislature
Marin’s Turtle Island Restoration Network has sponsored Senate Bill 1114, which would phase out the use of gill nets in favor of another method that better targets what the gill nets seek: swordfish. The change would prevent turtles, whales, dolphins, sharks and pinnipeds from being taken, the group says. The bill was approved by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water earlier this month, the first stop during its journey in the Legislature. An appropriations committee is expected to take it up next month before more votes. “Despite the fact that Pacific leatherback sea turtles are the largest sea turtles on the planet, they are no match for the driftnet fishery,” said Peter Fugazzotto, Turtle Island’s program manager. “This deadly fishery has been operating at too high of a cost to marine wildlife.” Read the rest here 11:48
Early New Brunswick crab season opener sees higher prices
The early opening of the crab season has resulted in good catches and increased prices for crab fishermen. The season opened April 22, three eeks earlier than the 2015 season. The early opening was due to a milder winter in New Brunswick and an earlier break up of ice. Crews on wharves on the Acadian Peninsula are busy unloading the good catches. The good catches have resulted in prices ranging from $3.50 to $3.60 a pound, which is 75 cents higher than last season. “The crab this season is as good and better than anytime,” said one crab fisherman who added many people on the Acadian Peninsula are enjoying eating the crabs. link 09:10
Former Commercial Fishermen’s Festival director resentenced after appeal
The former director of the Commercial Fishermen’s Festival who stole money out of festival bank accounts, took signs and autographed memorabilia and kept a dunk tank was resentenced Thursday in Clatsop County Circuit Court. Ronald Kay Williams, 51, was originally sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2013 after a jury found him guilty of first-degree aggravated theft, first-degree theft and tampering with a witness. He immediately appealed the sentence, specifically claiming he never knew the person he contacted would be a witness in his trial. Read the rest here 08:18
Pembrokeshire fisherman search resumes: One fisherman has been rescued
Coastguards have confirmed one man has been found and taken to hospital in the search for the crew of a sunken fishing boat in Pembrokeshire. The vessel – believed to be “The Harvester”, from Milford Haven – got into trouble on rocks at St David’s Head at about 14:30 BST on Thursday. The condition of the rescued man is not known. The search for a second man resumed on Friday at 06:00 after being called off overnight. Speaking to BBC Radio Wales’ Good Morning Wales programme, Jim Phillips, from the RNLI in St Davids, said: “The gentleman who has been taken to hospital, we don’t know his condition at all, but the boys are out there now busy searching for this one remaining fisherman.” Read the rest here 07:55
Coast Guard rescues 3 fishermen following collision off Cape May, NJ
The Coast Guard rescued three men Thursday from their life raft approximately six miles east of Cape May, New Jersey. The Coast Guard received a request for assistance from the captain aboard the 42-foot boat Last Stand, reporting they were sinking following a collision with the 78-foot Tug Dean Reinauer. A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Cape May launched to assist. The RB-M crew arrived on scene and took the three boaters aboard from their life raft. “The crew of the fishing vessel Last Stand was extremely prepared and knowledgeable on their safety equipment and procedures,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class James Pappas, Station Cape May officer of the day. “Their readiness allowed them to abandon ship within 10 minutes of the collision, including scrambling into their survival suits and ultimately into their life raft. They saved their own lives.” The Last Stand sank, and no injuries were reported. link 07:30
