Daily Archives: October 26, 2016
MREP bridging trust gaps between fishermen, scientists and regulators
In most coastal areas of the United States where fishing is a significant part of the economy, it’s taken for granted that fishermen and regulators don’t think fondly of each other. Fishermen are convinced regulators don’t know what they’re doing. Regulators are frustrated that fishermen don’t put much stock in their scientific assessments. This mistrust has real consequences. Fishermen begrudge – and sometimes flaunt – regulatory decisions. Regulators come off as vengeful or pedantic. Meetings between the two parties devolve into shouting matches. Scientific conclusions get ignored or flaunted, and opportunities for improving the accuracy of stock estimates through greater participation are lost amidst the acrimony. About 15 years ago, two members of the New England fishing industry, John Williamson and Mary Beth Tooley, created the Marine Resource Education Program (MREP) with the goal of initiating a more positive era of fisher-regulator relations. Read the story here, two pages 21:09
Poor Ocean Conditions Hit West Coast Fisheries Hard
United States commercial fisheries are doing fine overall, but fishermen on the West Coast are hurting. An 2015 annual report out Wednesday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a stark fall-off in the big seafood money-makers in the Pacific Northwest. Nationally, 2015 was an above average year in terms of catch rate, commercial value and national seafood consumption. “On dinner plates, the average American added nearly an extra pound of seafood,” said Richard Merrick, Chief Scientists of NOAA Fisheries during a call with reporters. But this rise in consumption didn’t really help the Oregon and Washington fishing industry because the crab and fish weren’t there to catch. NOAA Fisheries scientists are attributing the low West Coast returns to abnormal conditions in the Pacific that are linked to climate change. Read the story here 19:11
C.G. Cutter Tamaroa “Perfect Storm” ship to be part of first wave of renewed NJ reef program
One of Northfield resident Jim Yost’s favorite memories of the Coast Guard’s famed ship the Tamaroa was when it towed to shore a Navy plane that ran out of fuel at sea. “We were towing it into New York, and the admiral was so embarrassed that the Coast Guard was towing in the Navy,” said Yost, 84, who served on the Tamaroa in the 1950s when he was in the Coast Guard. The Tamaroa, a former World War II ship that was also featured heavily in the book and film “The Perfect Storm,” is expected to be sunk off the coast of Cape May by the end of the year, according to New Jersey and Delaware officials. It will become one of the first vessels submerged since the return of New Jersey’s artificial reef program earlier this year. Read the story here 16:27
Shrimp size on the rise after Hurricane Matthew
In the midst of fallen trees and other debris, Hurricane Matthew left a sweet little calling card: shrimp, big ones. The storm’s rain and river flooding evidently washed large white shrimp out to the commercial grounds offshore, at least in spots, and some commercial boats are reporting some of the biggest shrimp of the season, hoisting their optimism in a year that’s had its ups and downs. The current cold snap evidently slowed down the catch somewhat. But shrimpers expect it to come back and are looking forward to another big run before frigid winter weather sets in. Shem Creek shrimper Tommy Edwards didn’t net much offshore on Monday, after pulling in hundreds of pounds per day on recent trips. But he expected that to change mid-week, and “the big white shrimp are looking beautiful right now,” he said. “Oh yeah, they’re gorgeous,” Tina Toomer of the Bluffton Oyster Co., said about the catch her husband, Larry Toomer, has been bringing in. Read the story here 13:58
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 49′ 6″ Fiberglass/Wood Lobster/Gillnetter, 300HP, 6 Cylinder Cummins 855 Diesel
Specifications, information and 10 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:24:51
Shrimp Fishermen discover body of missing Cuban floating in Gulf of Mexico
A group of Texas fishermen made a gruesome discovery while out shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico. What they first thought was trash floating in the water was really a man’s body, found decomposing on a makeshift raft. It was Jonathan Pena’s first time out on a shrimp boat when he made the unlikely discovery of a man’s body, found adrift at sea. He documented the finding on his cell phone. “That’s when it was just like, wow, wow, wow, wow,” he said as he played back the video for us. The 24-year-old described what he saw as a decomposing body of a bearded man, laying half naked on top of an inflatable tube, with a pod of dolphins swimming nearby. “That’s the first thing that really affected me, was seeing how gruesome it was and that he put himself in that situation just to come over here,” he said. “That’s what really stays with me the most.” Video, read the story here 11:25
Paul Fraser continues his Sno Crab protest in Halifax
Paul is a Lobster Fisherman out of Cape Breton and has been ignored a Snow Crab License, he has been trying to get DFO to review his Snow Crab Proposal for years with no luck, certain people that have recieved these licenses have been related to or friends of the people handing these out, unfair practice, these licenses are hard to get. 10:57
Andrzejczak & Land Aquaculture Bill Heads to New Jersey Governor’s Desk
Legislation Assemblymen Bob Andrzejczak and Bruce Land sponsored to promote aquaculture in New Jersey recently gained final legislative approval in the Senate. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk. Aquaculture involves fish or shellfish farming, and refers to the breeding, rearing and harvesting of animals and plants in all types of water environments including ponds, rivers, lakes, bays and the ocean. As chair of the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Andrzejczak led recent tours of aquaculture research centers and farm locations throughout Cape May County, including the Rutgers Aquaculture Innovation Center, the Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory and the Green Creek Oyster Fishery. Read the rest here 09:16
State of California officials optimistic for crab season: Coast Guard to begin safety inspections
The upcoming Dungeness crab season appears to be headed in a good direction and authorities are reminding fishermen to begin checking their safety equipment in preparation for the season, according to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard officials are set to being inspecting crab-fishing vessels next month on Nov. 8, 9 and 10 at commercial fishing ports from Monterey to Crescent City. The safety checks are part of the Coast Guard’s Operation Safe Crab, an outreach initiative intended to reduce fatalities and accidents during the season. During the safety checks, Coast Guard personnel check vessels for the required lifesaving equipment, pot-loading practices affecting stability and vessel watertight integrity, according to the Coast Guard. Commercial crab fishing is an inherently dangerous job and West Coast crabbing vessels reportedly have a high fatality rate, Coast Guard officials said. Read the story here 08:32
Greens fight and fuss but shark nets are coming
A SPATE of shark attacks and failed attempts to find an eco-friendly alternative means mesh nets known to kill dolphins and other non-shark species are almost certain to be rolled out at New South Wales North Coast beaches. The NSW Government has reversed its opposition to installing the nets and announced plans to launch a six-month trial on the North Coast before the summer holidays. The policy shift brings the government in line with NSW Labor, meaning the shark net legislation will pass through parliament when introduced next month despite Greens opposition. Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said he wanted to get the nets into the water “as soon as possible”. “Marine life is important, which is why DPI’s world-leading fisheries experts are investigating how mesh nets might be improved to avoid unnecessary entanglements, but protecting human life is our first priority,” he said. Read the rest here 08:07
