Daily Archives: October 27, 2016
Cape Breton man taken into custody after protesting on roof of CTV Atlantic
A Cape Breton man was taken into police custody after he took his protest over the snow crab fishery to the roof of CTV Atlantic in Halifax. Paul Fraser of New Waterford, N.S. climbed onto the roof Wednesday morning and held up a sign reading, “I want the minister of fisheries and oceans to review my snow crab proposal.” Fraser told CTV Atlantic that he has been trying to get the federal government to listen to his snow crab plan for years, and he wants a meeting with federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc to discuss the matter. Read the rest here 20:37
FISH-NL elects executive, adopts constitution, and looks to a 2017 certification date
The process to formalize a breakaway fish harvesters union began at the Albatross Hotel in Gander Thursday morning. “I’ve never seen the unrest as widespread as it is today. It’s in every corner of the province,” said the leader of the Federation of Independent Seafood Harvesters (FISH-NL), Ryan Cleary, in his opening address. Cleary, a former New Democrat member of Parliament, was acclaimed as president of the union that presents itself as a rival to the Fish, Food and Allied Workers. “We don’t have a lot of money, but we have a lot of will, we have a lot of determination to move this forward, so your being here means a lot,” Cleary told harvesters. “The revolution begins today, that’s why we’re here,” he said. “We’re looking at taking down what I consider as the saltwater mafia,” said Reg McDonald who drove to Gander from Summerside on the province’s west coast. Read the rest here 19:41
Bill C—228: Federal NDP MP proposes bill requiring fish farming be done in closed containment
Bill C—228, a bill that would require fish farming to be carried out in closed containment facilities, is on the table in the House of Commons and will be given a second reading sometime during the current session of Parliament. The private members bill was first introduced by Fin Donnelly, NDP MP for Port Moody —Coquitlam, in February, 2016. The bill amends the Fisheries Act. The proposed amendments state that licences for finfish aquaculture would not be issued unless they will be carried out in a closed containment facility and that no one shall carry out finfish aquaculture in Canadian fisheries waters off the Pacific Coast unless in a closed containment facility and with the proper license. Read the rest here 17:33
ASMFC scientists conclude Maine’s shrimp fishery should stay shut down
A scientific committee says Maine’s shuttered cold water shrimp fishery should stay shut down for at least another year. The shrimp fishery has been shuttered since the end of 2013 because of low populations. Scientists say warming ocean temperatures off New England are inhospitable for the shrimp. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says a scientific committee that studies the shrimp reports the species still faces “poor prospects for the near future.” The committee is recommending the commission extend the moratorium on fishing for the shrimp through 2017. An arm of the Atlantic States that deals with Maine shrimp will meet to make a decision about the coming fishing year on Nov. 10 in Portsmouth. link 15:53
Time, salt air takes its toll on Middle Thorofare Bridge
The captains of the big fishing trawlers heading out to the Atlantic from Lund’s and other fisheries face their first challenge almost immediately: passing under the drawbridge spanning Middle Thorofare. The channel has a 50-foot opening from upright to upright. The largest fishing vessels are about 145 feet long and 38 feet wide, leaving little room for error. “They’re getting banged up on anything other than a slack tide,” said Dale Foster, Cape May County’s engineer, in a recent interview, referring to when the tide is either all the way in or all the way out, and the water is still. Interviewed this month, Foster said a trawler crashed into the bridge in August, taking a good sized chunk out of a bridge section. The morning of the interview, he said, a sailboat had hit the bridge, but he said they were still looking for some sign of damage from that accident. Read the story here 14:13
Department of the Interior to auction over 79,000 acres offshore New York for wind development
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper announced that 79,350 acres offshore New York will be offered in a December 15 commercial wind-lease sale. The New York Wind Energy Area starts approximately 11.5 nautical miles (nm) from Jones Beach, NY. From its western edge, the area extends approximately 24 nm southeast at its longest portion. The lease area consists of five full Outer Continental Shelf blocks and 143 sub-blocks. After reviewing comments received on the Environmental Assessment, BOEM removed about 1,780 acres from the lease area due to environmental concerns regarding a seafloor feature known as the Cholera Bank. In a comment letter, the National Marine Fisheries Service identified the Cholera Bank feature as a sensitive habitat to be avoided for the placement of structures. As a result of this removal, the revised lease area will be approximately two percent smaller than the lease area considered in the Proposed Sale Notice. Read the rest here 13:55
San Diego’s Commercial Fishing Industry Skeptical Of Massive Port Makeover
There are no metaphors here: The boat isn’t life, the fish aren’t dreams and no deep truths lie hidden among the worn creases and fresh scars on Harris’ hands. His voice, a blend of sea salt and gargled pebbles, isn’t a reflection on the primal nature of man. He’s just a fisherman, having a rough day, and will try again tomorrow. It’s the tomorrow that holds all the meaning. In the city once hailed as the Tuna Capital of the World, Harris and roughly 150 other local commercial fishermen have seen their numbers dwindle against ever constricting catch laws and the crush of foreign competition. Today, in a turnaround, this aging generation finds itself in a position of power: able to make or break a billion-dollar development proposal called Seaport, which seeks to radically redefine San Diego’s waterfront. “There’s a 50-50 chance that we could kill it,” Harris said. But killing it won’t solve their problems. Like every real-life situation, the fishermen’s tale is not black and white. Read the story here 12:04
Breakaway union FISH-NL begins formalization process, will start handing out cards Nov. 1
The process to formalize a breakaway fish harvesters union began at the Albatross Hotel in Gander on Thursday morning. The group, led by former politician Ryan Cleary, began registration at 9 a.m. with plans to adopt a constitution and elect officers in the afternoon. Following Thursday’s meetings, the group known as the Federation of Independent Seafood Harvesters (FISH-NL) will submit an application to the labour board, which will check with all registered fish harvesters in the province to see if there is a majority of 50 per cent plus one support. Read the story here 10:11
National Marine Fisheries Service issues annual report on Fisheries of the United States, 2015
This publication is the annual National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) yearbook of fishery statistics for the United States for 2015. The report provides data on U.S. recreational catch and commercial fisheries landings and value as well as other aspects of U.S. commercial fishing. In addition, data are reported on the U.S. fishery processing industry, imports and exports of fishery-related products, and domestic supply and per capita consumption of fishery products. Information in this report came from many sources. Field offices of NMFS, with the generous cooperation of the coastal states and Regional Fishery Information Networks, collected and compiled data on U.S. commercial landings and processed fishery products. The NMFS Fisheries Statistics Division in Silver Spring, MD, managed the collection and compilation of recreational statistics, in cooperation with various States and Interstate Fisheries Commissions, and tabulated and prepared all data for publication. Sources of other data appearing in this publication are: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Read the press release here, Read the full report here 09:34
Regulators increase menhaden quota – “Science says the stock’s in good shape,”
Regulators voted Wednesday to increase the annual quota for menhaden in 2017, giving Maine lobstermen a welcome boost in the supply of a popular bait fish, but no relief for Maine fishermen who want a bigger share of the national menhaden harvest. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has struggled to set its quota for the oily forage fish, also known as pogey, with members split between wanting to maintain the annual menhaden catch at 187,880 metric tons and those who say the stock has rebounded enough to raise the quota. On Wednesday, as the commission gathered for its annual meeting in Bar Harbor, the menhaden board voted 16-2 to increase the annual quota by 6.5 percent, to 200,000 metric tons, with Pennsylvania and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holding out for keeping the quota unchanged. “Science says the stock’s in good shape,” said Bill Adler of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. “I find it difficult that we can deal with overfishing, we can do a good job of cutting things down, but then we have success and we don’t know what to do with it.” Read the rest here 08:07
