Daily Archives: August 27, 2017
Biologist slams U.S. vessel for running aground in Witless Bay Reserve
Oil from a U.S. fishing vessel killed a number of birds inside the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve on Friday, and a seabird biologist says the boat had no business being so close to Green Island to run aground in the first place.,, The Canadian Coast Guard’s environmental response team cleaned up Friday, and DFO said no pollution was reported in Witless Bay. Transport Canada is investigating. Montevecchi said the Eyelander, an American fishing boat, was apparently too close to Green Island early Friday morning and ran aground. click here to read the story 20:46
No oiled birds spotted in Witless Bay area – In a statement Tuesday, the Canadian Coast Guard said its environmental response surveillance flights — and surveys by boat of the area on Saturday along with the Canadian Wildlife Service — confirmed there was no pollution in the area. Meantime, two dive surveys have been completed on the fishing vessel with no sign of diesel or oil leakage. click here to read the story 8/28 16:39
Bonackers vs. Big Wind – Cuomo’s preposterous renewable-energy plan threatens Long Island’s fishing industry
Nat Miller and Jim Bennett didn’t have much time to chat. It was about 8:45 on a sunny Sunday morning in early May, and they were loading their gear onto two boats—a 20-foot skiff with a 115-horsepower outboard, and an 18-foot sharpie with a 50-horse outboard—at Lazy Point, on the southern edge of Napeague Bay, on the South Fork of Long Island. “We are working against the wind and the tide,” Miller said as he shook my hand.,, If Governor Andrew Cuomo gets his way, though, they and other commercial fishermen on the South Fork may need to look for a new line of work.,,, Deepwater Wind and D. E. Shaw have close ties to the NRDC and to Cuomo. click here to read the story 19:11
2nd Round of 2017 Groundfish Assessment Port Meetings Scheduled
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center is coming to a port near you! Join us for the second set of port meetings between August 28 and September 7 to discuss the upcoming groundfish operational stock assessments. These meetings will include an informal explanation of the stock assessment process, the cooperative research program, and ways that your concerns can be addressed by the science center. We’d like to talk to commercial and recreational fishermen. We’re listening to what you have to say. August 28-Narragansett RI, August 30-Montauk, September 6-Portsmouth, September 7- Plymouth. See the full schedule of confirmed meetings. Click here 16:27
Opioid Crisis Taking Toll On Maine Lobster Industry
The nation’s opioid crisis has hit hard in Maine, where at least one person died every day last year of drug overdoses. It’s also penetrated the state’s lobster industry. Some fishermen are suffering in silence in a community that rarely asks for help. Josh Kane has spent more than 15 years fishing off the coast of Maine. For 10 of those years, he struggled with an opioid addiction as his fellow lobstermen looked the other way. In Washington County, economic leaders say the impact of the opioid epidemic on the lobster industry could easily affect an entire generation. “If you look around a coastal town, you have a sense of the value of the catch coming in,” Rudelitch said. “That new roof, that investment that should have come from a series of good years, just isn’t.” click here to read the story 15:16
P.E.I. tuna fishery just getting started
They set sail on the Ocean Drifter out of Alberton Harbour at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday and they were back in port six hours later with a 744-pound bluefin. “I didn’t think he was that big,” Captain Wallace said, indicating he thought the fish probably weighed 500 to 600 pounds prior to bringing him onboard. He then upped his estimate to 700 to 750 pounds before learning just how close the scales put the weight to his higher number.,, The season opened Aug. 2 and , so far, only about a dozen tuna have been landed. click here to read the story 14:32
Washington State halts salmon farm permits after fish escape – Critics call for Land Based Aquaculture
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has directed the Department of Ecology to put on hold any new permits for net pens after thousands of Atlantic salmon escaped into Puget Sound earlier this month from a damaged salmon farm. State officials also announced on Saturday the formation of a response team made up of the departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, and Ecology. The team includes the Office of the Governor and state Emergency Management Division. It’s not yet clear how many non-native Atlantic salmon escaped into Puget Sound from Canada-based Cooke Aquaculture’s salmon farm off Cypress Island. click here to read the story 12:05
Salmon spill prompts open-net fish farm critics to tout benefits of land-based aquaculture – Critics of open-net fish farms say the escape of Atlantic salmon from a Washington state pen should convince Canada to support a transition to land-based aquaculture, used by most of the world. click here to read the story 12:09
Herrera Beutler: To save steelhead, we must cut sea lion numbers
Steelhead, longtime residents in our rivers here in the Pacific Northwest, are now approaching extinction with alarming speed. This isn’t exaggeration; the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife found that one population of steelhead has an 89 percent chance of becoming extinct in the not too distant future. The culprit for the fish’s demise? Sea lions. Experts are pointing to the increased population of California sea lions as the biggest threat. The sea lions gather in locations where steelhead and salmon are the most vulnerable, like below the Willamette Falls or the Bonneville Dam, where these native fish species congregate before heading upstream to spawn. An alarmingly low number of native steelhead — just 512 — made it over Willamette Falls this year. click here to read the story 10:01
Two Newport Port Commissioners and Staff to Meet with Federal Grant Officials to Save International Terminal Project
Two Newport Port Commissioners and staff will meet Monday for a reality check with federal officials over a big grant to support the completion of the long-awaited International Terminal. The project involves the city of Newport that may be in a position to provide urban renewal bonding as well as support from the Hall family which owns waterfront property just to the east. But none of it can happen unless the Port can keep the effort on target and on time. click here to read the story 09:50
Harvey: Water rescues ongoing after nearly 20 inches of rain reported in Houston
Southeast Texas is experiencing “catastrophic flooding” from Tropical Storm Harvey, with forecasters saying nearly 20 inches of rain have fallen in the Houston area as of Sunday morning (Aug. 27). The National Hurricane Center said an additional 15 to 25 inches of rain are possible, with storm totals as high as 40 inches through Thursday. As of 7 a.m. Sunday, Harvey was about 45 miles northwest of Victoria, Texas, and about 65 miles southeast of San Antonio. It has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and is moving southwest at 1 mph. click here for photo’s and story. 09:18
