Monthly Archives: January 2017
Study: How China maintains large catches and what it means for fishery management elsewhere
China, the world’s largest seafood producer, has done something extraordinary. For the past 20 years, despite minimal management and some of the most intense industrial fishing in the world, it has maintained large catches of key species in its most productive waters. A new study from UC Santa Barbara, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests another explanation: By reducing the population of predatory fish, China has increased populations of preyed-upon species. “If you fish down the large predatory fish, then you can catch more small prey fish, because they are no longer being eaten before you get to them,” explained lead author Cody Szuwalski, a fisheries scientist in UCSB’s Sustainable Fisheries Group. Key to the success of this approach is that predators typically need to eat 10 pounds of prey to add one pound to their own weight, so fishing out predators tends to increase prey catches by much more than it reduces predator catches. Read the story here 12:09
Alaska’s Senators push Trump nominees to guard fisheries, rural areas while cutting regulations
Alaska Sens. Lisa
Murkowski and Dan Sullivan pressed Cabinet nominees to consider Alaska’s uniqueness, the difficulties of rural areas and the nation’s largest fisheries at a spate of confirmation hearings this week. Senators can publicly question President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections when they sit on the committee holding a confirmation hearing. Several of those nominees faced controversy and opposition from Democrats. Hallways were packed with supporters and protesters Wednesday in a Senate office building where three hearings were happening simultaneously. Murkowski pressed her nominees on how they would adjust some their conservative stances to meet her needs for rural and Native populations in Alaska. Sullivan focused on the state’s fishing industry. Both urged peeling back regulations they said are onerous and often a barrier to economic growth or healthy public services. Read the article here 11:29
Connecticut’s fishing fleet facing potentially ‘disastrous’ quota cuts for fluke
“It’s going to put us out of business,” Stonington fisherman Robert Guzzo, vice president of the Southern New England Fishermen and Lobstermen’s Association, said Wednesday. “I’ve never seen so many fish in the ocean. The fish are out there, but the science and the regulators haven’t caught up with what’s actually out there.” On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., pressed commerce secretary nominee Wilbur Ross to use his authority to change how quotas for fish species including fluke — also called summer flounder — are allocated among states from the mid-Atlantic to New England. In response, Ross said he is interested in helping the fisheries and ensuring quotas are allocated properly. The Department of Commerce includes the National Marine Fisheries Service. Blumenthal’s statements during the hearing came a day after he and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, sent a letter to the current commerce secretary urging that the new quotas be withdrawn. Read the story here 10:30
Commerce Secretary Declares Fisheries Disasters for Nine West Coast Species
The US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker has determined there are commercial fishery failures for nine salmon and crab fisheries in Alaska, California and Washington. In recent years, each of these fisheries experienced sudden and unexpected large decreases in fish stock biomass due to unusual ocean and climate conditions. This decision enables fishing communities to seek disaster relief assistance from Congress. Read the story here 09:54
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Mentions RI Fishermen During Pruitt Hearings
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse quizzed President-elect Trump’s nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency about his support for Rhode Island fishermen. During Senate hearins today, Whitehouse asked Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt if “he would support the fishing and aquaculture industries in the face of climate change, and whether he would protect Rhode Islanders from out-of-state polluters.” “As we discussed when you and I met, the oceans off our Ocean State are warming due to fossil fuel-driven climate change,” said Whitehouse. Read the rest here 08:12
Connecticut fishermen are upset (pissed off) with restrictions
Connecticut fishermen are afraid the industry their grandfathers and great grandfathers started may come to an end. The crew of the Regulus just returned to Stonington with a haul of squid from the Hudson Canyon on Wednesday and talked with Eyewitness News. It’s near the continental shelf, which is a long way from their home port Regulus Captain Joseph Gilbert said they’ll be OK with their catch on Wednesday. “It’s getting tougher and tougher we end to have more fishing season in order to get by,” Gilbert said. Connecticut’s fishing fleet is one of the oldest in the country. But, now these fishermen are saying the federal regulations are killing them. “Our commercial fisherman are actually throwing more fish overboard than they’re allowed to bring in,” Mike Gambardella, who is a fish wholesaler, said. Gambardella’s family has been selling fish in Connecticut for more than a century. He explained as federal regulators reduce the types and numbers of fish they can catch. It doesn’t make economic sense to stay in business. Video, read the story here 07:51
Drayton Harbor Maritime calls for assistance in effort to restore historic Columbia River salmon boat
Under the watchful eye of the US Coast Guard (USCG), members of Drayton Harbor Maritime (DHM) are continuing a years-long effort to restore a historic sailboat formerly used at the Alaska Packers Association Diamond NN Cannery in Nanek, Alaska. The Trident Seafood Corporation donated the now 111-year-old Columbia River salmon boat to DHM in 2015. Since then, a handful of dedicated shipwrights and craftsmen have begun restoring the historic vessel to use for educational tours in the bay. On January 13, three members of the USCG paid a visit to the restoration site to conduct one of several inspections scheduled to ensure the vessel adheres to strict safety standards prior to it entering the water once again. The salmon boats set sail in Bristol Bay, Alaska as early as 1884 – an estimated 8,000 of the boats were built between 1884 and 1951 and now only a handful remain. Read the rest of the story here 21:33
Trump’s NOAA Pick Says He Won’t Censor Global Warming Data
The Trump administration won’t censor climate scientists or delete temperature data, nominee for Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. If confirmed, Ross will oversee the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has caused environmentalists to become terrified Trump and Ross will censor scientists or delete government data about global warming. They even tried create back-ups of NOAA temperature data to prevent this. Democratic Florida Sen. Bill Nelson asked Ross during the hearing if he would change existing policies to prevent NOAA scientists from sharing their opinions about global warming with the press or public, or suppress federal data about global warming. “I support the dissemination of valid information to the public,” Ross responded. “I don’t think valid information should be concealed, and in general I have great respect for the scientific quality of NOAA. Its my understanding that there are four Noble prize winners at NOAA, and that is certainly a measure of their expertise.” Read the rest here 17:10
Silver Bay Seafoods recruits in American Somoa for Alaska Fish Processing Jobs
The demand for jobs was evident Saturday when about 300 people responded to a company from Alaska’s call for workers. Silver Bay Seafoods is looking to hire 250 employees for the salmon season which runs from June to September. Two officials of the company including Shannon Grant, the Hiring Manager, explained the types of jobs that were on offer, the work schedule and the pay. Many of those who turned up Saturday said they wanted to give it a try and were attracted by the $10-$12 per hour wage, and working in Alaska. Hiring Manager Shannon Grant was quite pleased with the response. Link 16:01
Ontario needs fishing boat captains — and thus has called Newfoundland
Lake Erie needs boat captains. The fishery, one of Ontario’s relatively quiet but successful businesses, is facing the same problem as fisheries around North America: its labourers are ageing into retirement and too few young people are interested in replacing them. “We have boats right now that aren’t able to fish because there’s no one to captain the boat,” says Jane Graham of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association (OCFA). “People on the fishing tugs require specialized training, and we’re having a hard time finding them.” So who do you call when you need more fishing boat captains? Newfoundland and Labrador, it turns out. Read the story here 15:11
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 2006 38′ Northern Bay Lobster/Gillnetter, 525HP John Deere
Specifications, information and 4 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 14:42
Herring stock falling to critical level say scientists at Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Even if there was a two-year hiatus in the spring herring fishery in the Gulf of St Lawrence, there would still be a 90 per cent chance the fish stocks would remain at critical levels, say scientists at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Herring stocks have been dwindling for two decades. Despite the advice of its own scientists, Fisheries and Oceans Canada still allowed 2,000 tonnes of spring herring to be caught in 2016, and will allow the same this year. Federal herring biologist Jenni McDermid said there is a risk of pushing these fish beyond the recovery point. Read the story here 11:33
North Carolina Fisheries Association – Update on yesterday’s North Carolina shrimp petition meeting!
Feds to auction 122,000 acres in North Carolina for wind energy
“Today’s announcement demonstrates how our collaborative efforts with Federal, state and local partners over the past eight years have built a foundation to harness the enormous potential of offshore wind energy,” said Secretary Jewell. “The lease sale underscores the growing market demand for renewable energy and strong industry interest in meeting that demand.” The Kitty Hawk lease sale is the latest effort in the Obama Administration’s renewable energy program at the U.S. Department of the Interior, which recently marked the operational launch of the nation’s first offshore wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island, and the lease sale for over 79,000 acres offshore New York. To date, BOEM has held six competitive lease sales, which have generated over $58 million in high bids for more than one million acres in federal waters. Read the rest here 09:05
Chinese investors eye Port Union fish plant as a seal processing plant
Venture capitalists who are looking to invest $90 million US in the province have their sights set on the former Ocean Choice International shrimp plant in Port Union, according to MHA Neil King. OCI turned the plant over to the municipality of Trinity Bay North in August 2016, six years after it was destroyed by Hurricane Igor. The town is looking for a new business — or several — to breathe new life into the facility. “Last week we had a group of Chinese investors come down who are looking at investing in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said King, who hopes to see the plant soon process seal. “There’s some good potential there to get things rolling.” Read the story here 08:19
Advisory committees recommend denying shrimp trawling limitations
Five advisory committees to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission met Tuesday to contemplate a petition on restrictions to shrimp trawling. The Division of Marine Fisheries announced Tuesday evening that all advisory committees voted to recommend the Marine Fisheries Commission deny the petition for limitations. Marine Fisheries will make the final decision in February at a separate meeting in Wilmington. Video Read the rest here 20:28
BIG Tuna story! Local man hauls in huge catch
It seems like everyone has a big fish story – and every year that fish – and the tall tale that goes along with it, gets bigger and bigger. But for Reidsville native Tommy Adkins, he’s got the story and the photos to prove that his big fish story, is the real deal. Adkins, a self-described small-time commercial fisherman, took his boat “Fish ‘N Frenzy” out off the coast of Morehead City last Wednesday morning and came home with a whopping 800 pound-plus Atlantic blue fin tuna. It was not only the biggest tuna Adkins ever landed, but also the biggest blue fin tuna caught off the Morehead City port so far this season. After the fish was processed and cleaned, it dressed at 629 pounds and sold for $19 per pound. That’s a $11,951 pay day, but Adkins says there is a huge expense that goes along with the job that most people don’t realize. Click here to read the rest of the story 17:00
Crawling with crab! Temporary glut slows processors
A perfect storm of weather, strong catches and domoic acid worries has led to a glut of crab on the market, overwhelming processors and making it harder for fishermen to find buyers for the high-value crustacean. Dave Hubbard, captain of the fishing vessel Katrina, said he waited 58 hours to unload 25,000 pounds of crab his crew had caught between Garibaldi and Klipsan Beach, Washington. On Monday, the Katrina docked at the Port of Astoria’s Pier 2, its catch unloaded by workers from Bornstein Seafoods. Hubbard said processors were hit by icy weather on land preventing delivery trucks and workers from coming and going. The processors have boats on catch limits, he said, based on the amount of crab pots they drop. “Everyone’s jammed up,” said Steve Fick, owner of Fishhawk Fisheries in Astoria. Read the story here 16:05
You are invited to the 2017 Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association’s Annual Weekend and Industry Trade Show January 19-22, 2017
You are invited to the 2017 Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association’s Annual Weekend and Industry Trade Show January 19-22, 2017 This event is open to all and admission is FREE! MLA ANNUAL WEEKEND AND TRADE SHOW 2017 PROGRAM Calling all Commercial Fishermen READ MORE HERE>>> COME MEET “WICKED TUNA” CAPTAIN DAVE MARCIANO f/v HARD MERCHANDISE Click here for more information 13:10
Port of Savannah leads in the export of shark fins
For the last three years the port of Savannah has been the U.S. leader in the export of shark fins, a legal but controversial trade item used to make shark fin soup, a delicacy in parts of Asia. Federal fisheries data show that although no shark fin was exported from Savannah in 2013, the trade here jumped in the following years from 18,444 pounds in 2014 to 25,765 pounds in 2015. That amounts to about $1.2 million in shark fins over the two years. Last year through November the export amounted to 19,171 pounds, valued at $559,845. In each case the shark fins were shipped to Hong Kong. Oceana is now advocating a nationwide ban on the shark fin trade. Not all shark lovers agree. Shark researcher Chris Fischer, a founder of Ocearch and a leader of its expeditions to catch and satellite tag great white sharks, said shutting down trade here will merely create a bigger opportunity for unmanaged fisheries elsewhere. Read the story here 12:33
Penobscot East Resource Center Founder Robin Alden to step down as fisheries organization director
Robin Alden, a one-time commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources under Governor John Mckernan and longtime editor and publisher of the regional trade publication Commercial Fisheries News, will step down as executive director of the Penobscot East Resource Center at the end of this year. The organization has begun a national search for her successor. Alden founded Penobscot East 13 years ago together with her husband, MacArthur Fellow Ted Ames, former Maine Sea Coast Mission pastor and fisheries advocate Ted Hoskins and Kristen and Paul Lewis. Started with only a few employees and a thin-as-a-shoestring budget in 2003, Penobscot East now has a dozen employees including fisheries scientists and marine policy experts. Under Alden’s stewardship, its operating budget has grown to $1.8 million. Read the story here 12:05
Trump presidency may bring changes to U.S. fishing laws
Previously unsuccessful efforts to reform the US’s main federal fishing law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, are positioned to move ahead under a Donald Trump administration. New efforts to amend the US Magnuson-Stevens Act are expected from the new Congress, leaving some in industry concerned with any move away from a law judged by many to have worked reasonably well for four decades. “Right now you might be looking at potential for a whole lot of changes and revisions,” said an Alaska-based source who wished to remain unnamed. “I would say there should be some anxiety about how far you go giving people flexibility that moves outside the scientific realm.” HR 1335 – One of the bill’s central provisions would have reformed Magnuson-Stevens’s mandatory 10-year stock rebuilding timeline, incorporating additional flexibility. Instead of formally defining all stocks in decline as “overfished”, Young’s amendment would allow the term “depleted” when the reason for a stock’s decline is due to depredation or other non-fishing factors. Read the story here 11:39
Washington State Commercial and Sport fishermen demand transparency in setting salmon seasons
Commercial and sport fishermen are demanding change when it comes to the annual process that determines who gets to fish how much salmon and when. It’s called the North of Falcon process, and it involves several months of private meetings between federal, state, and tribal representatives. They typically start in February. The meetings are not open to the public, but a petition that’s gained more than a 1,000 signatures is just one sign of rising tides against the process, as non-treaty recreational and commercial fishermen rally for transparency. Tribal representatives defend their push for fishing restrictions over the last few years, pointing to low salmon returns. In 2016, the North of Falcon process took so long, the fishing season was canceled for weeks as the state and tribal co-managers stood at a stalemate. Read the story here 09:18
WATCH: Fishing Vessel Battles Chetco River Bar (Nearly Loses)
Check out this amazing video posted to facebook showing an inbound fishing vessel crossing the Chetco River (Brooking) bar near Brooking, Oregon. The footage is grainy but if you watch and listen closely it’s easy to see what’s happening. According to the person narrating, the video shows the 24-meter dungeness crab vessel F/V Pacific Hooker battle a strong current while inbound. In the first half you can see two guys standing out on deck, but luckily it looks like they head in right before things got really bad. At the two minute mark a HUGE wave take out just about everything on deck. The person in the video said the vessel actually had to back off and turn around. Read the rest here, and watch the video 08:18
BIG DAY AHEAD: North Carolina Shrimpers to argue against proposed industry restrictions
The public will have a chance to speak during a meeting in New Bern that could lead to commercial shrimp trawling restrictions in North Carolina. Multiple media outlets report five advisory committees to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet jointly Tuesday at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. The committee members will discuss a petition was filed by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation that would designate fishing waters in the sounds and three miles into the ocean as primary nursery areas to protect habitats for juvenile fish. Another change would be to limit the days and hours when shrimp trawling is allowed. Commercial fishermen say the proposed regulations would further threaten the shrimping business in North Carolina. link 07:41
FISH-NL SLAMS FFAW for stonewalling on membership list
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) is slamming the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union (FFAW) for trying to prevent the release of the list of inshore fish harvesters. “The FFAW has thrown around the 10,000 figure as the rough number of active, inshore harvesters, but the union knows that’s a fairy tale,” FISH-NL president Ryan Cleary said in a news release. “The attempt to block the release of the list is a sure sign of guilt of exaggeration.” On Dec. 30th, FISH-NL presented an application to the Labour Relations Board to represent the province’s inshore fish harvesters with 2,352 membership cards signed by inshore harvesters around Newfoundland and Labrador. FISH-NL said that number represents more than 50 per cent of all harvesters, the amount required to force a vote by the Labour Relations Board to decide which union will represent harvesters. Read the rest here 17:24
Fisherman Kirby Elson’s legal challenge of inshore fishery rules is back on
A Labrador fisherman who launched a legal challenge of rules for Atlantic Canada’s inshore fishery only to back away from litigation last week has had another change of heart. Lawyers for Kirby Elson have notified the Federal Court that he will be proceeding with his case, after all. Elson’s legal challenge is widely seen as a test case for Canada’s ban on controlling agreements in the inshore fishery. Elson, of Cartwright, N.L., did not explain why he changed course in a letter to the Federal Court. “I have reconsidered this matter and I have decided I wish to proceed. Please accept this letter as a retraction of my letter dated Jan. 10, 2017,” Elson wrote in a Jan. 12 letter, which was made public Monday. Read the story here 16:54
Questions arise over commercial license fees collected for flounder fishery observers
Watermen want to know what happened to commercial license fees that were collected to fund observers required by law for flounder fishing when sea turtles are spotted in area waters. Few answers were provided at a meeting of the North Carolina Commercial Fishing Resource Funding Committee on Jan. 4. Records show that $1.3 million was allocated for the observers in the 2015-2016 fiscal year, but only $608,065 was spent. Dewey Hemilright, who attended the meeting, asked how so much could have been spent on the Section 10 permit program when the flounder fishery was closed much of the season. “Expenses need more accountability,” said Hemilright, a long-line fisherman. “This doesn’t affect me, but I’m willing to pay the extra money if it allows others to fish. But if there’s more being paid in than is needed, then it should be returned to the fishermen.” An additional license fee was imposed after a state appropriation to cover the cost of complying with the federal permit’s conditions was eliminated. One condition requires the observers, who monitor interactions with endangered sea turtles and sturgeon. Read the rest here 15:53
81 False killer whales die off South Florida coast
81 false killer whales have died after stranding themselves off the South Florida coast. NOAA announced the grim news on Monday afternoon. NOAA initially reported that 95 false killer whales were stranded in South Florida. Then on Monday afternoon, NOAA Fish Southeast tweeted that 81 whales had died and also said the whales were at a remote location off of Hog Key in the Everglades. One whale was seen alive on Monday and 13 others are unaccounted for, NOAA Fish Southeast said on Twitter on Monday afternoon. The National Park Service has closed the area around the whale stranding location. The National Park Service is asking that aircraft not fly over the area and that boats stay away from the area. Read the rest here 15:14
The True Story of the Fugitive Drug Smuggler Who Became an Environmental Hero
When Raymond Stansel was busted in 1974, he was one of Florida’s biggest pot smugglers. Facing trial and years in prison, he jumped bail, changed his name, and holed up in a remote Australian outpost. Even more remarkable than that? His second life as an environmental hero. – Even before he arrived at the accident scene, sergeant Matt Smith knew it would be bad. Smith was in charge of the 12-person police department in Mossman, a speck of a town located along Australia’s remote northeastern edge. He knew from experience that there was a fundamental truth about car wrecks: drivers have a pretty good chance of surviving a crash that’s car versus car, but they rarely walk away from a vehicle that’s slammed into a tree. The call that came over the police radio on that May 26, 2015 afternoon said that a vehicle had struck a tree along a two-lane road hugging the coastline. Officers traced the registration to Dennis “Lee” Lafferty, age 75. Everybody knew Lee. Read the story here Read Traffic accident in Australia ends 40-year-old mystery in Florida Click here 14:04
