Daily Archives: December 14, 2017
Maine Harvester Enters Guilty Plea, Maine Dealers Sentenced for Illegally Trafficking American Eels
Yarann Im was sentenced to six months imprisonment and three years of supervised release and Thomas Choi was sentenced to six months in prison with a fine of $25,000 today for trafficking juvenile American eels (also called “elvers” or “glass eels”) in violation of the Lacey Act, following a hearing in federal district court in Portland, Maine. The sentence was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. This sentencing follows the entry of a guilty plea on December 12, 2017, by Albert Cray,,, click here to read the press release 18:51
Full Committee Markup on 15 Bills – Magnuson Stevens HR 200 Advances, But Not Without a Fight
House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday advanced out of committee revisions to the Magnuson-Stevens Act (H.R. 200 (115)) governing marine fishing and management in federal waters. The law is intended to prevent overfishing, but several conservation groups and Democrats are critical of the way it was written. Only three out of 12 amendments to the bill passed, and the bill moved out of committee on a party-line vote, your host reports. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who voted against it, called it a plan to “deregulate our oceans and fish everywhere until there’s nothing left.” click here to read the story Watch the hearing click here 15:30
Senate panel clears Trump’s nominee for NOAA
The Senate Commerce Committee voted Wednesday to move forward with the nomination of Barry Myers to be head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The 14-13 vote, along party lines, puts Myers in a position for a vote in the full Senate. Myers was until recently the CEO of AccuWeather Inc., which he founded with his brother. The weather forecasting company provides products similar to some NOAA services such as the National Weather Service, leading to concerns among Democrats that Myers is unacceptably conflicted. click here to read the story 14:30
Bill To Let Wormers, Clammers Dig At Acadia National Park Clears House Committee
Prospects for wormers and clammers digging in the intertidal zone of Acadia National Park improved today after a U.S. House panel voted for the Acadia National Park Boundary Clarification Act. Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin of Maine’s 2nd District and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st District, the measure was unanimously approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources, a result that Poliquin described as a credit to the Mainers who spoke out in favor of clarifying protocols at Acadia. “We received input from our wormers,” he said. “There are about 900 families that depend on the flats around Acadia National Park and other parts of our coast to dig for blood and sand worms.” click here to read the story 14:00
DFO looking at fines instead of charges for minor fishing offences
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is seeking the public’s views on plans to expand the use of tickets for minor fishing infractions. The new ticketing regime would mean fixed fines for minor commercial and recreational fishing violations instead of charges and court appearances. click here to read the story We plan to expand our options for enforcing the following regulations: Pacific Fishery Regulations, Atlantic Fishery Regulations, Fishery (General) Regulations, British Columbia Sport Fishing Regulations, Newfoundland and Labrador Fishery Regulations, We want to expand our use of tickets for minor fishing offences. click here to read the notice 11:50
Businessmen fined a historic $2 million for overfishing rock lobster
Australian rock lobsters are the best in the world but after they started to disappear from unlimited fishing, the government decided the expensive crustacean was going to be fiercely protected. And that was the expensive lesson a number of Wollongong businessmen learnt yesterday after a judge in the coastal city handed down the biggest fines ever given for illegal fishing in NSW history. The group of men, who were part of the fishing company that engaged in the major scam, the seafood restaurant that bought them and anyone associated with the crime, were fined a whopping $2.1 million. click here to read the story 11:16
Beyond Deadliest Catch: The Fisherman in Pursuit of One of the World’s Great Delicacies
Dan Jansen had been awake for about a day and a half on his first-ever trip as captain of a crab-fishing boat way back in 1986. When there was finally a lull, Jansen left the wheelhouse to get some rest. His eyes hadn’t been shut for more than 15 minutes when he heard what sounded like an explosion. In the time it took for his feet to swivel from his bunk to the floor, Jansen’s stateroom had filled up with more than a foot of water. click here to read the story 10:46
FWC Charges 3 in ‘Disturbing’ Shark-Dragging Incident
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office announced charges against three individuals connected to the video of a shark being dragged behind a boat at high speed. The individuals charged are Michael Wenzel, Robert Lee Benac, Spencer Heintz. The charges resulted from a four-month investigation into the video and other disturbing images on social media “involving shocking disregard for Florida’s natural resources,” Rob Klepper, public information coordinator of FWC’s Law Enforcement Division,,, click here to read the story 09:47
Where have the stone crabs gone? Shortage of Florida delicacy drives up prices
Less than halfway through Florida’s lucrative stone crab season, traps are drying up, dealing another blow to a fishing industry still recovering from a beating delivered by a brutal Hurricane Irma. “Everybody’s feeling it,” said Walter Flores, owner of the Golden Rule Seafood in Palmetto Bay, which has been selling and serving stone crabs since 1943. Normally Flores starts taking orders for holiday crabs about now. But this year, he said, it’s first come, first serve. “We have them,” he said, “but you have to offer more money to get them. It’s almost a bidding war.” click here to read the story 09:00
Ocean State goes to bat for menhaden
Menhaden aren’t the most popular fish in the Atlantic Ocean, but an increase in their catch limit could make the Narragansett Bay population more attractive to commercial fishermen. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has ruled at least 0.5 percent of the quota of menhaden should be allocated to each state. That increased the limit in Rhode Island waters from 0.2 percent. The board also ruled to increase the amount of fish that could be caught in American waters annually by 8 percent, from 200,000 metric tons to 218,000 metric tons. Finally, it deferred a decision on implementing a new management standard for the species. click here to read the story 08:21
Seeking a 41 percent butterfish quota decrease, NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Quotas for Squid and Butterfish
NOAA Fisheries proposes squid and butterfish quotas for the 2018-2020 fishing years and will maintain the mackerel quotas previously set for 2018. Based on the status of these stocks, we are proposing a 41 percent decrease in the 2018 commercial butterfish quota compared to 2017, and a 2 percent increase for longfin squid. Annual quotas for Illex squid would be maintained at current levels, as they have been since 2012. A March 2017 butterfish assessment update indicates that recent low recruitment may soon reduce biomass below target levels. click here to read the notice 12:55
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