Daily Archives: October 25, 2016
Sport Fishing Industry Voices Concern With Possible Offshore Sanctuary Idea; Official Provisions Sought Before Designation Considered
On the same day the National Aquarium announced it was seeking an Urban National Marine Sanctuary designation for the Baltimore Canyon off the coast of Ocean City, aquarium officials attempted to reassure the sportfishing community a successful designation would not impact the fertile fishing grounds. When the National Aquarium announced on Monday it was seeking the nation’s first Urban National Marine Sanctuary designation for the Baltimore Canyon off the coast of Ocean City, the knee-jerk reaction from the resort’s sportfishing community was fear of gradually losing more and more of the heart of the multi-million fishing industry. The overriding fear, and there is precedent for it, is that once the federal government gets its foot in the door, more and more regulations would be forthcoming and access to the canyon for recreational and commercial fisherman would be gradually chipped away. However, National Aquarium officials later on Monday attempted to allay those fears. According to spokesperson Corrine Weaver, the National Aquarium is keenly aware of the importance of the recreational and commercial fisheries in the Baltimore Canyon and seeking an Urban National Marine Sanctuary designation would not impact those industries. Read the rest here 21:24
Fishermen freed years after capture by Somali pirates
A group of 26 hostages, all of whom were Asian crewmen of an Omani-flagged fishing vessel seized nearly five years ago by Somali pirates, have arrived in Kenya, with both tears and smiles marking the end of their ordeal. “Am so, so happy. Really am so, so happy. For UN, for Mr John (negotiator), for all the world. Thanks to you all,” one of the hostages, Mr Sudi Ahman, said on Sunday. The crew from China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan were seized when the Omani-flagged FV Naham 3 was hijacked by Somali pirates close to the Seychelles in March 2012, when pirate attacks were common in the area. Mr John Steed, coordinator of Hostage Support Partners (HSP) who helped negotiate their release, had gone to the Somali city of Galkayo to fetch the crew of the Naham 3, who had been held hostage for longer than any other crew except one. A retired British colonel, Mr Steed has made it his mission to rescue “forgotten hostages”: Poor fishermen with no insurance who are often left languishing the longest in the hands of pirates. Read the rest here 17:27
NOAA Appoints Dr. Jon Hare New Director of Northeast Fisheries Science Center
NOAA announced the appointment of Jonathan A. ‘Jon’ Hare, Ph.D. as the new Science and Research Director for NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center. As director, Dr. Hare will continue the work of planning, developing, and managing a multidisciplinary program of basic and applied research on the living marine resources of the Northeast Continental Shelf Ecosystem from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, NC. He will lead NOAA Fisheries’ five northeastern labs and field stations. Dr. Hare will officially assume his new role starting October 31, 2016. Dr. Hare has held various positions with NOAA Fisheries for more than two decades, winning multiple awards for his leadership and administrative capabilities, as well as for his research. Most recently, he served as Supervisory Research Oceanographer and Acting Ecosystems Processes Division Chief for the NEFSC Narragansett Laboratory. In this role he managed division research while also managing personnel and research resources for five different locations in the center. Link 16:40
Species At Risk? Eel decline in Quebec and Ontario could end industry in Maritimes
An effort to protect eels in Ontario and Quebec is threatening to shut down the little known but lucrative eel fishery in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. “What is at stake is the livelihood of people in rural Nova Scotia,” said Yvonne Carey of Atlantic Elver Fishery, one of eight Nova Scotia eel fishery licence holders. Another licence is in New Brunswick. Between 130 and 140 people are employed each year netting adult and baby American eels as they enter and leave rivers in the two provinces. This week in Dartmouth, officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will review data collected on those rivers as part of a to decide whether the Maritime eel population is really at risk. The department is considering a recommendation from wildlife experts to declare American eels a species at risk. Read the story here 14:41
Japanese whaling back in focus as battle lines harden at IWC meeting
Pro- and anti-whaling nations clashed during a key meeting Monday where Japan sought to ease the 30-year-old moratorium on commercial hunts while others pushed for creation of a whale sanctuary in the Atlantic Ocean. Host Slovenia urged compromise for the sake of the marine mammals — some species of which were hunted to near extinction — but member states of the International Whaling Commission soon split into familiar factions. Japan, which conducts a yearly whale hunt in the name of science, which its detractors say is for meat, insisted that stocks of some species have recovered sufficiently to make them fair game. These included the Southern Hemisphere minke whale, Japan’s IWC commissioner, Joji Morishita, told journalists on the conference sidelines. “Many species can actually stand a limited take,” he said. Read the story here 14:04
Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Jamie Campbell rules against Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association
Bay of Fundy fishermen have failed in their bid to stop the deployment of electricity-generating 
in the Minas Basin near Parrsboro, N.S. In a ruling released today, Justice Jamie Campbell of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court said there is no evidence to suggest irreparable harm will be caused by putting the turbines in the water from now until next February. That’s when the court is scheduled to hear an appeal of the government’s decision to permit the deployment of the turbines. The Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association went to court last week to try to get an injunction to stop Cape Sharp Tidal Ventures from putting two test turbines in the water. Campbell said the fishermen have legitimate concerns. But the judge also noted there was nothing to suggest that having the turbines in the water for the next four months would have a lasting impact. Read the rest here 13:32
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for October 24, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 13:19
Why trade deals like CETA have become a ‘whipping boy’ for anti-globalization forces
Globalization has always had its critics — there’s nothing new there, says Fen Hampson, professor of international affairs at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. But given the problems Europe is experiencing now, with high levels of unemployment, particularly among youth, it’s not surprising that free trade deals like the Canada-EU CETA have become “a whipping boy for very unhappy people who are out of work,” Hampson said. And that’s why the backlash against the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, he said, is symptomatic of growing anti-globalization sentiments, and may well have played a role in the decision by Belgium’s Wallonia socialist government to scuttle the trade pact between Canada and the 28-nation bloc. Read the rest here 11:33
A Rare Albino Haddock!
Fishermen have landed an extremely rare ‘albino’ haddock at estimated odds of one in 100,000,000. The incredible catch was made about 45 miles north of Unst — the most northerly inhabited island in Britain — on the weekend. And it has now been put in a freezer by scientists who want to preserve it for future research. The haddock was caught by the local fishing boat Resilient (LK 195) and taken to a fish market in Lerwick, Shetland. It was picked up by marine experts from the University of the Highlands and Islands who said they had never come across anything like it. Leanna Henderson, a marine technician at the university’s NAFC marine centre, said the ‘golden’ haddock had no pigment in its skin. Read the story here 10:54
How a national craze caused lobster prices to boil over
The coast-to-coast craze of lobster roll food trucks has made lobster more affordable, and abroad the appetite for the crustaceans is growing as well, experts say.”The demand for this product now is really unprecedented,” said Annie Tselikis, marketing director for Maine Coast Co., a live lobster wholesaler based in York, Maine. She spoke Monday just before boarding a flight for a seafood trade show in South Korea, a major customer of North American lobsters along with China and others. According to John Sackton, one of the chief reasons prices are so high in August, September and October is “because the processors are buying lobster for customers such as lobster roll trucks, competing with the live lobster buyers. And that’s pushed up the price for lobster overall.” As a result, fresh lobster meals at some well-known Boston seafood restaurants are going nearly $60 for the 2- or 2.5-pound lobster and about $44 for the 1.25-pound. In Maine, lobster dinners at fine dining locations can set you back around $50, and in New York City and California you’re looking at upward of $70. Read the rest here 10:31
Nations 1st Urban Sanctuary Designation Sought For Popular Offshore Fishing area, Baltimore Canyon
The National Aquarium on Monday announced it is seeking the public’s support in its effort to nominate the Baltimore Canyon off the coast of Ocean City as the nation’s first Urban National Marine Sanctuary. The Baltimore Canyon, a 28-mile long and five-mile wide submarine canyon off the coast of Ocean City lies at the center of the resort’s multi-million dollar fishing industry and contains fragile deep sea corals rarely seen anywhere in the world along with habitat for countless species of marine life. The National Aquarium has launched a petition drive to have it designated as the nation’s first Urban National Marine Sanctuary, presenting a unique opportunity to connect an urban population to the ecological treasure using cutting edge deep sea exploration technology. While an Urban National Marine Sanctuary designation for the Baltimore Canyon does not appear to impact fishing and other recreational uses, it certainly bears monitoring. Earlier this fall, the Obama administration designated a vast area the size of Connecticut off the coast of Cape Cod as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the first of its kind in the Atlantic. Marine National Monuments are far more restrictive than national marine sanctuaries. The long-range plan is to phase out all commercial fishing in the marine national monument off the coast of Cape Cod although recreational fishing will still be allowed. Read the story here 08:48
