Daily Archives: December 22, 2017
While setting New England fishery rules, John Bullard was an exception
He’s been called a Neanderthal and the most reviled man in the region’s fishing community. At a public meeting broadcast on national TV, a fisherman once accused him to his face of lying for a living. As the regional fisheries administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, John Bullard has drawn ire from all sides — fishermen, environmentalists, and politicians alike. His decisions have been routinely controversial, and he has rarely minced words in defending them. click here to read the story 20:53
Mayor Jon Mitchell: Ban costing Port of New Bedford 500K per day
In a letter addressed to NOAA, Mayor Jon Mitchell said the Port of New Bedford could be losing nearly $500,000 a day because of the groundfishing ban. Mitchell referenced analysis prepared by Professor Dan Georgiana of SMAST, which stated the 25-day-old ban caused as much as $12 million (to date) in damage to the port. Mitchell filed is letter Wednesday, the final day in which comments regarding the ban could be submitted. Andrew Saunders, the attorney for Sector IX, the Carlos Rafael fishing division that’s prevented from groundfishing, also submitted a letter Wednesday. click here to read the story 17:55
Request for Participant: 2018 Northern Shrimp RSA/Cooperative Winter Sampling Program – Massachusetts
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) are seeking one Massachusetts (MA) trawl vessel/captain to collect northern shrimp samples in 2018 in accordance with the details below, fishing one trip per week for up to ten consecutive weeks. The participant will work with MA DMF staff to provide fresh shrimp samples from the vessel to the MA DMF Gloucester office each week. The participant will be allowed to land and sell up to 800 pounds of shrimp per trip. There shall be no other compensation. click here to read the press release 17:14 
Time to get enviro groups off taxpayer gravy train
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt recently issued a directive to end a 20-year string of “sue and settle” cases that have funneled untold millions of tax dollars to environmental organizations. Predictably, those groups and their allies have been apoplectic about it. Many of these groups have grown from grassroots citizen movements to gigantic cash-flush conglomerates, with much of the cash coming from the government they appear or pretend to be fighting. Many now have separate legal arms with hundreds of attorneys, whose primary job is to sue the government and keep the cash flowing. They are part of the $13-billion-per-year U.S. environmental industry and lobby. click here to read the story 15:43
Spending bill leaves out West Coast fishing disaster funds
California 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) voted against the bill and said the spending bill represents the “latest example of a congressional leadership that refuses to lead.” “Democrats want to make sure that we have equal bargaining, and we’re not going to allow things like disaster relief go forward without discussing some of the other issues we care about,” said powerful Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. click here to read the story 14:13
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for December 22, 2017
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates Click here, for older updates listed as NCFA click here13:37
Oregon commercial crab fishery to open Jan. 15
The commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open on most of Oregon’s coast on Jan. 15. Dungeness crab will be ready to be harvested from Cape Blanco to the Columbia River and north into Washington. While the commercial season can open as early as Dec. 1, the opening can be delayed to ensure a high quality product for consumers by allowing crabs more time to fill with meat, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. click here to read the story 12:42
What Trudeau needs to do to become Canada’s first ‘Oceans Prime Minister’
Last January, The Atlantic magazine named Barack Obama “America’s Ocean President” for protecting a larger ocean area than any former commanders-in-chief. Does that make Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Canada’s “Oceans Prime Minister?” This could indeed be his legacy if he and his fellow ocean champion, Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc, can maintain the momentum they’ve created on ocean protection, deliver on upholding the inherent jurisdiction of Indigenous nations and let divisive — and potentially catastrophic — pipeline and oil tanker projects die a natural death. Here are five things that Canada did right this year — and a few things for Trudeau to work on in 2018. click here to read the story 12:05
DFO reviewing cod quota policy after report says it may encourage dangerous fishing
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said it will be taking a long, hard look at its regulations after a report said a few of the department’s policies could be putting pressure on harvesters to fish in dangerous conditions. The report was issued in late November by the Transportation Safety Board after an investigation into the death of four fishermen from Shea Heights whose boat went down in the waters off Cape Spear. click here to read the story 11:32
Petersburg crabber fined for using others’ pot tags
A Petersburg crabber was fined this week for using other permit holders’ crab pot tags and fishing more pots than he’s allowed. 54-year-old Andy Knight was originally facing six misdemeanor charges. He was fishing for Dungeness crab in his vessel the Kathy K in Gambier Bay on southern Admiralty Island north of Petersburg just after the start of the summer season June 17th. Alaska Wildlife Troopers from the Juneau post onboard the trooper vessel Sentry investigated and say Knight was fishing more than the maximum of 300 pots allowed for him and two other permit holders onboard. click here to read the story 10:56
Agreement reached in lawsuit over extension of red snapper season
The U.S. Department of Commerce has reached an agreement with two environmental advocacy groups that took it to court over a decision to extend the recreational red snapper fishing season by 39 days in the Gulf of Mexico. Under the agreement, approved Wednesday, 20 December by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, the government announced that the extension of the 2017 season “was a one-time action” it has opted not to defend the decision at this time. Further, government officials plan to give a 2018 recreational red snapper season projection by early February and finalize the length of the season around 20 April. Ocean Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund,,, click here to read the story 09:54
Abandoned And Adrift, The Alaska Patriot Has Been Sunk In The North Pacific
The Alaska Patriot has been sunk in the North Pacific. Because of incoming inclement weather, the Coast Guard cutter Sherman left the area Wednesday evening while the 170-foot abandoned fishing vessel was slipping beneath the waves. Petty Officer Luis Fagalnifin of the Coast Guard’s command center in Juneau said the Sherman’s crew boarded the Alaska Patriot on Wednesday afternoon to let in water. The Sherman’s crew then fired 800 rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun and 300 rounds from a 25mm machine gun at the Alaska Patriot to speed the scuttling process. click here to read the story 09:29
