Daily Archives: January 27, 2018
Report detailing enforcement abuses barred from fisherman’s trial
The first criminal trial of a Long Island fisherman charged in connection with a federal probe of a controversial fish-auction program is set to begin, but a report detailing fisheries enforcement abuses by the government has been barred from the trial. Lawyers for Northport fisherman Thomas Kokell, charged in a multi-count indictment with overharvesting fluke, argued in pretrial motions that a 2010 federal inspector general’s report detailing abuses and “overzealousness” by the National Marine Fisheries Service was vital to the defense. >click here to read< 21:35
Letter: The time is ripe for a Fishing Permit Cap
The New Bedford ground fishing fleet as been laboring under a quota system for five of more years now. Many are unhappy with the quota system, but it is the system we have to work with. One of the main concerns of quota system is the concentration of fishing power in very few businesses. Currently the permit situation in New England is in a state of flux >click here to read< 19:13
UNACCEPTABLE! No plans to raise Nancy Glen after Loch Fyne sinking
Marine investigators do not plan to raise the wreck of a ship which sunk in Loch Fyne, with two men thought to be on-board. A fundraising campaign to raise the Nancy Glen from the bottom of the sea loch and recover the bodies of Duncan MacDougall and Przemek Krawczyk has raised more than £150,000.,, In The National yesterday, former First Minister Alex Salmond also called on the UK Government to stop being so “heartless” and raise the vessel.“It is unacceptable in terms of humanity that fishermen should be left aboard sunken vessels within eyesight of the shore. >click here to read< 15:46
HR 2083 – Inslee beats drum for Herrera Beutler bill, urges U.S. representatives to back plan to protect fish runs
Gov. Jay Inslee is urging U.S. House representatives from Washington, Oregon and Idaho to support a bill penned by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, that seeks to reduce sea lion predation on at-risk fish populations, including salmon and steelhead. Inslee sent a letter to the Northwest delegation asking for support Friday with the support of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. >click here to read< 13:37 
Fishing on the Dark Side
Cordova is a fishing community, and we’ve all heard stories of seiners or gillnetters being caught plying their trade in closed waters. It is sometimes called “creek robbing,” for the action often involves harvesting salmon inside the protected waters of countless streams around Prince William Sound or elsewhere in Alaska. In the Copper River drift net fishery, the term is aptly named “going over the line,” as the salmon being illegally caught are inside imaginary lines marking closed waters. >click here to read< 12:36
2017 Gulf Shrimp Landings: Louisiana At Historic Lows, Alabama At Historic Highs
NOAA’s Gulf of Mexico Data Management division released information regarding December shrimp landings in the Gulf of Mexico. In December, the commercial fishing industry landed 6.6 million pounds of shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico, up from 5.8 million pounds in December of 2016. Despite the significant increase from 2016, landings last month were 23.4 percent below the prior seventeen-year historic average for December of 8.7 million pounds. >click here to read< 10:32
The Story Behind the Rescue
The sinking of an Alaskan fishing boat last July 24 made news around the world when a video of the crew’s rescue went viral. The ship’s captain, Christian Trosvig, spotted a crewmate who had been trapped inside the sinking boat. Trosvig dove in and rescued his unconscious friend. In media interviews later, Trosvig boldly shared his Christian faith. Here is the story of how Trosvig himself was rescued by Jesus Christ.,,, When I saw Brandon’s limp body pop to the surface, I didn’t hesitate. I jumped into the choppy and frigid water to rescue him. As captain of the Grayling, I would do anything and everything to help save my crew. >click here to read< 10:08
Pebble Mine: In reversal, EPA deals setback to controversial gold mining proposal in Alaska
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced late Friday that he will not scrap the agency’s 2014 determination that a large-scale mining operation could irreparably harm Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed.,, The announcement said the decision “neither deters nor derails the application process” for the mine. “It is my judgment at this time that any mining projects in the region likely pose a risk to the abundant natural resources that exist there,” Pruitt said. “Until we know the full extent of that risk, those natural resources and world-class fisheries deserve the utmost protection.” >click here to read< 08:54
State disputes study that predicts sharp decline in Gulf of Maine lobster population
The state agency that oversees Maine’s marine fisheries is questioning the reliability of a new study that predicts a sharp decline in Gulf of Maine lobsters over the next 30 years. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the University of Maine and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration built a computer model that predicts the population will fall 40 to 62 percent by 2030. But Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources, won’t be using the model to help him decide how to manage the state’s most valuable fishery,,, >click here to read< 01:06 
