Daily Archives: March 12, 2017
WA’s scallop quota doubled after stock recovery
The quota for WA’s commercial scallop fishery has almost doubled this season, due to a recovery of stocks after a marine heatwave in 2010/11. Fishermen will be able to take 330 tonnes in 2017, compared to 166 tonnes last season. Department of Fisheries principal scientist Mervi Kangas said the speed of recovery in the Shark Bay fishery had quickened.”The stocks are recovering. Denham Sound, which was the key area where most of the scallop take came from, has actually recovered,” Ms Kangas said. “The northern part of Shark Bay is still recovering, but it is improving each year.” continue reading the story here 19:57
Newfoundland Hammered with Hurricane-Force Winds – 13,500 still in dark in N.L. as crews work to restore power
More than 24 hours after hurricane-force winds buffeted Newfoundland, crews are continuing efforts to restore power, with about 13,500 customers still without electricity. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro issued a power warning noon Sunday, asking customers on the Avalon Peninsula to conserve energy to avoid straining the system as more people have their power restored. Holyrood’s Unit 1 was being brought back online slowly Sunday afternoon, delayed because of salt left on equipment left by the storm. One of the customers without power is the St. John’s airport, which is operating on backup power. Desk agents at the airport are wearing parkas because of the lack of heat and baggage carousels are out of service. Environment Canada says the wind gusts should diminish later Sunday morning, after extreme winds wreaked havoc, smashing windows and ripping apart homes. Photos, read the story here 16:52
Changes and Cancellations – NEFMC – Weather Update for Coral Workshops, Herring MSE Peer Review
s a result of the winter storm that’s forecasted for our region on Tuesday, the New England Fishery Management Council is: (1) modifying the schedule for its two Coral Workshops; and (2) reminding members of the public who are interested in the Atlantic Herring MSE Peer Review that a webinar option is available. Here are the details. CORAL WORKSHOP #1, NEW BEDFORD, MA: This workshop will begin as planned at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 13 and extend into the early evening to accommodate as much of the original two-day agenda as possible. The second day of the workshop — Tuesday, March 14 — has been cancelled to avoid unnecessary travel. The workshop will be held at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740. CORAL WORKSHOP #2, PORTSMOUTH, NH: This workshop will take place on Wednesday, March 15 as originally scheduled, but the start-time has been advanced by two hours — from 9:00 a.m. to 11 a.m. — to allow additional travel time. The workshop will be held at the Sheraton Harborside, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801. ATLANTIC HERRING MSE PEER REVIEW: The March 13-15 MSE peer review will proceed as planned on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at the Embassy Suites near Boston Logan Airport. Technical experts involved in the peer review will be traveling to and from the meeting outside of the forecasted storm window. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. each day. ALTERNATIVES TO TRAVELING: Members of the public who are concerned about traveling may listen to the discussion via webinar or telephone. WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Online access to the meeting is available at: https://global.gotomeeting.
Small Scale: Two Scoops Bait Company allows anglers to spend less time looking for bait
“During the week it’s mostly guides, but on Fridays and weekends it’s a lot of guys,” said Trey Daugherty, owner and operator of Two Scoops Bait Company. “Each day more recreational guys call me, and they definitely keep me busy throughout the day.” Daugherty started his bait-selling business in the spring of last year and was so successful he picked up right where he left off early last week. As the demand for scaled sardines and other finned live bait from anglers increases, Daugherty finds himself needing to increase his supply to keep up with rising demand. “Some days I’m spending four or five hours catching bait. I’m catching about 300 to 400 dozen everywhere from Fort DeSoto all the way to Port Manatee. It’s been tough recently, and I think that’s why a lot of guys come to me,” Daugherty says. continue reading the story here 12:11
Drop in herring a mystery in Maine as bait price booms
Scientists and fishermen are trying to figure out why Maine’s Atlantic herring catch — the largest in the nation — has fallen from 103.5 million pounds in 2014 to 77.2 million last year. The per-pound price of the fish at the dock has gone up 56 percent since 2014, and that price is eventually borne by people who buy lobsters. “The whole dynamic of the fishery has changed,” said Jeff Kaelin, who works in government relations for Lund’s Fisheries, which lands herring in Maine. Kaelin, and others who work in and study the fishery, thinks climate and the way the government manages herring may have played a role in the decline of catch. Atlantic herring are managed via a quota system, and regulators have slashed the quota by more than 40 percent since the early 2000s. Last year, herring were also difficult to catch far offshore, where they are typically caught in large amounts, but they were abundant closer to the New England coast. This led to a bait shortage, because fishermen are only allowed to catch a certain percentage of their quotas in inshore waters. Read the story here 10:15
In search of silver: B.C. roe-herring fishery carries risks and rewards
Off Nanoose Bay — The Denman Isle is in stealth mode, dark except for a spotlight off the bow. Skipper Barry Curic sits in the dim wheelhouse of the 21-metre steel seine vessel, watching intently as a band of red shows up on his sonar screen. The sonar is scanning the waters 300 metres ahead at a 12-degree tilt in search of silver — dense schools of herring loaded with roe exclusively for the Japanese markets. Herring stay deep during the day to avoid predators and come closer to the surface at night to feed on krill. Curic doesn’t want to scare them back into the inky depths. “Stand by,” he tells the other five crewmen. As the boat approaches its prey, the red colour also appears on his depth sounder, meaning the herring are now directly below us. It’s time to strike. Curic rises from his chair and announces: “OK, guys. Let’s try it.” continue reading the story here 08:38
