Daily Archives: May 1, 2016
ASMFC Spring Meeting – May 2-5, 2016, Alexandria, Virginia
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in Alexandria, Virginia at The Westin Alexandria 400 Courthouse Square May 2-5, 2016. The agenda is subject to change. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein. Board/Section meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning at 9:00 a.m. on May 2nd and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 2:30 p.m.) on May 5th. Click here for details, Click here for webinar 18:42
U.S. brine shrimp industry could be in peril if Great Salt Lake keeps shrinking
If you want to get a sense of what a bizarre, globally interconnected economy we live in, look no further than the tiny brine shrimp living in the Great Salt Lake. Americans chow down around four pounds per person of shrimp and prawns a year. In 2014, we imported 567,551 tons of shrimp to eat. We consume more shrimp than any other seafood, including tuna and salmon. And that might not be possible if not for the non-charismatic, durable brine shrimp living in the Great Salt Lake — and the people fishing for them. Today, brine shrimp harvesting contributes just under $57 million to the state’s economy. But as the Great Salt Lake shrinks, the vitality of the brine shrimping industry is threatened. Read the rest here 16:41
Catch Shares – Proven to be A Bad Idea
The following is an opinion piece written by CSF board member Dick Grachek some time ago but time has not altered his view: The problem with catch shares is not in their “design”. The problem with catch shares is in their existence. Except for a few “winners” perhaps, it’s a problem for all concerned that this flawed and destructive privatization scheme was even considered, no less established as a management approach. Catch Shares have done nothing to help the fish. Catch Shares have done nothing to help the fishermen and the fishing communities. Catch Shares have done nothing to help the fish consuming public. Catch shares were not put to the referendum vote as statutorily mandated by the MSA. Catch Share Sectors were not “voluntarily” joined by the majority of the fishermen—the common pool was not a viable “option”. Read the rest here 15:21
Crabbing Boat Crew Rescued from Delaware Bay
The three-man crew of a commercial crabbing boat was rescued Thursday afternoon by members of the Leipsic, Little Creek and Bowers fire companies, the US Coast Guard, DNREC officers and the Delaware State Police. The effort began at about 3:38 p.m. April 28 when the Kent County Emergency 911 Center received a call about the boat, which had not returned as scheduled. The boat last had been seen around noon off Port Mahon, said Little Creek Volunteer Fire Company Chief Michael Bundek. Weather conditions were poor, with four- to five-foot seas,, Read the rest here and here 14:51
Full steam ahead for composite ship doors and hatches
Cost reduction, says Arnold Vaandrager, director of VABO Composites (Emmeloord, The Netherlands), is the most important factor in the commercial shipping world. To meet that need, VABO has added to its wide range of composite products (e.g., architectural structures, shovels/buckets for construction vehicles, 10m-tall radar masts for superyachts and manipulator doors and valves for pallet placement machines) ship doors and hatches that offer a 50% weight reduction vs. conventional steel doors. The composite design not only reduces fuel costs but also improves ergonomics and practically eliminates maintenance costs — repeated painting is no longer required. Another advantage is that vibration isolation, ballistic resistance and flame retardation also can be integrated into the part during manufacture. Read the rest here 10:27
External Review of the Department’s Last-In, First-Out Policy on Northern Shrimp
The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard launched the Ministerial Advisory Panel to carry out the external review of the Department’s Last-In, First-Out policy (LIFO) for the Northern shrimp fishery. The Panel will provide advice on whether LIFO policy specific to the Northern shrimp fishery should be continued, modified or abolished. For more information on the purpose of the Panel, go to the Terms of Reference tab below. The Panel is planning to hold public consultation meetings with fishers, Indigenous peoples, industry and others to hear their views on the LIFO policy. For planning purposes, anyone wishing to attend a meeting will be required to register for that meeting in advance. The Panel is also accepting written submissions. Please note: While the Panel is independently carrying out the review process for LIFO, the Department is providing the Panel with logistical and administrative support. 10:05
A possible resurgence of invasive green crabs poses a threat to Casco Bay’s soft-shell clams
Soft-shell clams are a summer tradition around Casco Bay, both for the tourists and residents who love steamers and for the clam diggers who turn long, backbreaking hours on the mud flats into cold, hard cash. But an infestation of invasive green crabs ravaged juvenile clam stocks in the past four years, adding to ecological changes, competition for coastal access and other pressures facing the state’s second most valuable fishery. Clam landings in the Casco Bay communities of Freeport, Harpswell and Brunswick, some of the state’s leading clam producers, plummeted to historic lows in 2015, and the scarcity of soft-shell clams contributed to all-time high prices. Read the rest here 09:21
