Daily Archives: February 2, 2018
GARFO Releases 2017 Year in Review Report
The Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office is proud to announce the release of our third annual Year in Review report. In 2017, we continued to work toward our goals of sustainable use of living marine resources, conservation of the habitats upon which these resources depend, and the protection of endangered species and marine mammals. >click to read< 19:30
Unalaska gets new pollock plant
The city of Unalaska has a big new fish processor, but it’s not new to Unalaska Island. The Northern Victor, owned by Icicle Seafoods, is now inside city limits, on Ballyhoo Road, docked permanently in Dutch Harbor, the famous body of water within the municipal boundaries of Unalaska. Until late last year, the 380-foot-long vessel was located across the mountains, in Beaver Inlet, a bay on the south side of Unalaska Island. >click to read< 18:05 
Kayak Rescues Man Who Can’t Swim Off Burning Crab Boat
According to Swinomish Tribal Police Chief Lou D’Amelio, there was only one occupant on the boat and no injuries were reported. So shoutout to that brave woman who was able to rescue that dude. The Swinomish Tribal Police Department and the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office responded with boats and were able to extinguish the fire. >Video. click to read< 16:40
Cuts in commercial fishing budgets lead to reductions in staffing leading to a potential loss in fishing opportunity.
Budget cuts at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game have led to reductions in staffing in the commercial fishing division, leading to a potential loss in fishing opportunity. Since fiscal year 2015, just before the drop in oil prices that led the state to its current fiscal crisis, Fish and Game has seen an approximately 36.4 percent cut in general fund dollars from the state, coming out to an approximately 8.3 percent cut in the total department funding, or $3.9 million less. >click to read< 14:26
Our View: Time for Maine to look past lobster boom years
There is an economic principle that’s usually attributed to Herbert Stein, who worked for the Nixon administration and The Wall Street Journal. Stein’s law: If something can’t keep going forever, it won’t. Maine’s lobster industry is near the peak of a historic boom, making it the state’s most lucrative fishery. In the last 30 years, lobster landings have increased from 20 million pounds a year to 130 million. No one expects the catch to keep growing forever. The question is not whether it will decline, but when. >click to read< 13:57
Gulf of Maine had cool year in 2017, but is still warming – >click to read<
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for February 2, 2018
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates Click here, for older updates listed as NCFA click here13:19
Massachusetts Governor Baker releases fiscal year 2019 budget proposal
Today, the Baker-Polito Administration filed its Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) budget proposal,,, Includes $625,000 to support a new environmental police class of ten officers who will oversee protection of the Commonwealth’s natural resources, marine recreation, and hunting and fishing industries. $450,000 for the School of Marine Science and Technology at UMass Dartmouth, as well as full support for the Commercial Fisheries Industry Based Survey at $400,000 to continue enhancing the science behind the management and regulations of the Commonwealth’s fisheries. >click to read< 11:27 
Oregon Dungeness crab season underway, USCG checks in on fleet
Dungeness crab off the Oregon coast has been a staple in the region for years and a big boost to the coastal economy, and it takes a team effort to make sure everyone is playing by the rules during the commercials season. On Thursday a U.S. Coast Guard C-27J Spartan flew up from Sacramento to help Guardsmen in Astoria check in with the Dungeness crab fishing fleet. >video, click to read<10:25
NMFS Lists Oceanic Whitetip Shark as Threatened Species
On January 30, 2018, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a final rule listing the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharinus lonigmanus) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This final listing rule is the culmination of NMFS’ analysis following the 2015 petition filed by Defenders of Wildlife,,, This listing may impact U.S. longline and purse seine fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic, Hawaii, American Samoa, and elsewhere throughout the species’ range, as the species is susceptible to incidental capture as bycatch. >click to read< 09:30
Shubenacadie Sam predicts an early spring. And Lucy the Lobster agrees
Shubenacadie Sam had a spring in his step as he scurried out of his temporary enclosure to greet more than 100 anxious onlookers Friday. “And he didn’t see his shadow,” said a smiling youngster who watched the famous prognosti-critter from an elevated perch.,, On the South Shore, Lucy the Lobster made her debut as a prognosticator and sided with Sam. Lucy’s forecast happened at North East Point by the Cape Sable Island Causeway, when she came out of the ocean to see if she could see her shadow. >click to read< 08:53
