Daily Archives: June 1, 2016
Ten-Year Review for Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands Crab Ratz Management Program
North Pacific Fishery Management Council June 2016 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document is a 10 year review of the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Crab Rationalization (CR) Program. Implemented in 2005, the CR Program is a “voluntary three pie cooperative” program which allocates BSAI crab resources among harvesters, processors, and coastal communities. The CR Program was designed to address conservation and management issues associated with the previous over-capitalized derby fishery, reduce bycatch and associated discard mortality, and increase the safety of crab fishermen by ending the race for fish. The program issued harvest quota shares to vessel owners (License Limitation Program license holders) and captains, as well as processor quota shares to processors based on historic participation to protect investment in and reliance on the program fisheries. Program components include quota share allocation, processor quota share allocation, individual fishing quota and individual processing quota issuance, quota transfers, use caps, crab harvesting cooperatives, protections for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries, an arbitration system, monitoring, economic data collection, and cost recovery fee collection. Read it here 18:32
Fraserburgh skipper William Whyte, named as country’s best
A north-east skipper has been named as the country’s best fisherman. Scottish fishermen took home six gongs in total at this year’s Fishing News Awards, but it was Fraserburgh skipper William Whyte, who helms vessel Forever Grateful, who was named as the country’s best. Mr Whyte, who the awards said showcased determination and skill, was named as Pelagic Fisherman of the Year, while Burnmouth’s John Affleck was named Shellfisherman of the Year. The awards were presented by professional chef and restaurateur Simon Rimmer. Ian Shearer, skipper of Shetland’s Courageous, was named best fisherman under the age of 25, while Billy Hughes, manager of Pittenweem Fishermen’s Mutual Association, took home an award for his lifetime in the industry. Link 15:10
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 65′ D.M.R. Fiberglass Stern Trawler, Permits, Detroit 12-V-71 Diesel
To see specifications, information and 26 photos Click here. To see all the boats in this series, Click here 14:28
Bay of Fundy Fishermen want more studies before tidal turbines tested
The bounties of the Bay of Fundy have sustained us for over 400 years. The Upper Bay of Fundy is an important spawning, nursery and feeding ground for many fish, mammals, and invertebrate species. They include species-at-risk, such as white shark, striped bass, sturgeon and inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon, among others. The is the most important nursery for lobster larvae in Atlantic Canada and fulfills the same function for sea scallops, cod, haddock, gaspereau and many other commercially valuable species that exit the basin through Minas Passage, populating the entire Gulf of Maine. In 2014, $464 million worth of lobster were taken from the Bay of Fundy on Nova Scotia’s side alone. Landings and value were both up significantly in 2015. The three million pounds of allowable scallops fetched about $50 million. In excess of three-quarters of a billion dollars was extracted from Nova Scotia’s waters last year. And it will happen again this year, next year, and every year — truly a renewable resource. Read the Op-ed here 12:22
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 30, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 12:05
Canadian patrols and inspections of NAFO vessels off N.L. coast drop by 50%
“An analysis of program data identified that patrol days and at-sea inspections in the NAFO regulatory area have decreased by 50 per cent between 2011 and 2015,” an internal DFO report published in March noted. Fisheries and Oceans officials told CBC News this week there are reasons for the reduction. There are now fewer foreign ships fishing in international waters outside Canada’s 200-mile territorial limit, and they are subject to more stringent reporting requirements. That, according to DFO, means fewer ships are necessary to monitor them. “We were comfortable making the decision back in 2012 to reduce our numbers of inspections, based on the fact that we had seen better compliance, smaller number of vessels,” said Allan MacLean, director general of the conservation and protection program at DFO. “It’s kind of like taking the cops off the Trans-Canada Highway on a long weekend, ” Earle McCurdy said. Read the rest here 11:31
Trudeau says Hunter Tootoo resigned after ‘very difficult situation’
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had very little to say Wednesday morning after the abrupt resignation of his fisheries minister the night before. “As was announced yesterday, Hunter Tootoo has left the Liberal caucus and resigned from cabinet to seek treatment for addiction issues,” Trudeau said in his first public words on the resignation of the fisheries minister last night. “This was his own choice after a very difficult situation and we’ll have nothing further to say on the matter,” Trudeau said on Parliament Hill, before making his way into his party’s weekly caucus meeting. Trudeau did not specify what kind of addiction issues Tootoo is seeking treatment for, nor did he elaborate on the “difficult situation.” He did not take questions from reporters. Government House Leader Dominic Leblanc has taken over as fisheries minister, the prime minister’s office announced Tuesday evening. Link 10:59
Last-minute change allows public comments on Joint Law Enforcement Agreement at tonight’s DMF meeting
The Joint Law Enforcement Agreement Advisory Group has been scheduled to meet June 1 at 5:00 P.M. at the Craven County Agricultural Center in New Bern for several weeks. In a press release e-mailed to media outlets and those on the Division of Marine Fisheries/Marine Fisheries Commission contact list on the afternoon of May 31, the Division of Marine Fisheries announced the agenda had been changed to allow public comment at the meeting. This was a surprise and hopefully those wanting to speak will be able to change their schedules at the late notice. Read the rest here 10:30
South Shore ground fishermen skeptical of plan to use digital cameras for monitoring mandate
Longtime commercial fishermen from Marshfield and Scituate said the project to equip some groundfishing boats with digital cameras comes with numerous pitfalls, including cost burdens and concerns about how video footage would be used. Beginning this week, up to 20 groundfishermen from the Maine and Cape Cod will use three to four cameras to document fish handling on their vessels. At the end of each fishing trip, boat captains will send hard drives to third-party reviewers, who will view the footage and determine how much fish was discarded. The Nature Conservancy is overseeing the project and hailed it Tuesday as a “new era in fisheries monitoring” South Shore fisherman Ed Barrett questioned whether there would be any cost savings, saying the camera equipment would cost thousands of dollars. Read the rest here 10:06
