Daily Archives: June 15, 2016
Editorial: Gulf states take on NOAA: More power to them
We wish the Gulf states well, but Florida’s East Coast anglers must be tasting the twang of sour grapes this week. The U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resource Committee passed a landmark bill, H.B. 3094. If it clears the larger legislative hurdle in both chambers, it would basically put federal red snapper management out of business in the Gulf of Mexico, in terms of stock oversight. The bill would remove the red snapper stock from under the federal thumb of the Gulf Fisheries Management Council and the Magnuson-Stevens Act. It would, instead, establish a new agency, the Gulf States Red Snapper Authority. This would have five representatives from the Gulf states — Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas — who would set snapper regulations by majority vote. Magnuson-Stevens is perhaps the most perfect example of a decent idea so poorly managed as to make it a national embarrassment. Read the rest here 18:30
Maine: Two weeks remain for ‘fishing for the halibut’
SOUTHWEST HARBOR — With a May 1 to June 30 season, Atlantic halibut can be a boon to lobstermen before the summer lobster season gets busy. Some are multitasking, checking their halibut trawls in between trips to get their lobster traps in the water. Home and restaurant cooks like the fish for its firm texture; the flesh doesn’t fall apart the way it does with haddock or other common groundfish. Halibut trawls have hooks on them, which must be circle hooks of a certain size. “We set out a trawl with about 80 hooks on it,” said Holly Masterson, sternman on Mike Carroll’s F/V Molly Hock, of a late May day when they caught a 49-pound, 50-inch halibut. Read the story here 14:04
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 13, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 13:54
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Wood Lobster boat, 250HP, 8 Cylinder Detroit 871
Specifications, information and 13 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:39
N.S. fishing companies fight to keep Last In First Out shrimp policy
Members of Nova Scotia’s offshore shrimp fishery are launching a last ditch effort to sway federal politicians to keep the long-standing Last In First Out policy after what they’re describing as an unfair consultation process. On Friday, industry stakeholders met in Halifax to make their case to a federally-appointed panel tasked with reviewing the Last In First Out (LIFO) policy, but some feel their concerns fell on deaf ears. Scott Nichols, CEO of North Sydney shrimp harvester M. V. Osprey Ltd. — one of four Nova Scotia companies that fish eight of the 17 offshore licences — said he felt Friday’s consultation was pointless. In recent years stock declines in that area have caused major quota cuts, which due to LIFO has affected mainly the inshore fishery, leading stakeholders in Newfoundland and Labrador to call for an end to the policy. Read the story here 10:46
What a surprise! Fishermen can catch grass carp, but government scientists can’t!
Despite Quebec’s investment of $1.7 million to tackle a possible grass carp invasion, scientists have yet to locate any specimens themselves. Quebec’s Forests, Wildlife and Parks Ministry was quick to roll out a plan to combat the invasive species after two fishermen in the Lanaudière region caught a 29-kilogram grass carp in the St. Lawrence River May 27. Government scientists’ subsequent fishing expeditions have taken place in the Contrecœur area, about 60 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Tuesday, the ministry announced they have come up empty-handed. At this stage, laboratory tests are underway to determine the presence of grass carp DNA in the St. Lawrence River, sampling water from different areas. Those results will be available at the beginning of July. The grass carp is a type of Asian carp. The one that was caught in the St. Lawrence River was estimated to be between 15 and 30 years old. link 10:17
Brexit flotilla: Bob Geldof and Nigel Farage have massive horn-off in the Thames
In the Leave slipstream: Ukip’s Nigel Farage, and a navy of fishermen on board for Brexit who sailed up the river with him in a parade of up to 60 trawlers. Urging Remain, musician Sir Bob Geldof is giving it back to him on a boat of ‘In’ supporters holding pro-EU banners in protest and blaring out ‘In With The In Crowd’. As they tried to outdo each other with their foghorns, Brexiters soaking the Bremainers with their hoses as they passed. Fishermen campaigning for Brexit argue their industry is being damaged by European Union quotas. ‘The governing principle of the common fisheries policy is that of ‘equal access to a common resource’,’ Farage said. ‘Fish stock that should be within the UK’s internationally-recognised territorial waters is now shared with our European partners. This has led to a 60% drop in oversized landings and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in our industry.’ Lots of images, and video streams, click here 09:04
