Daily Archives: March 30, 2018
Spend a day in the life of a Florida tuna fisherman
A white scar carved across Carl Roby’s hand tells the story of the time a tuna, a creature he has spent decades harvesting, almost won. It was late. He and his crew were pulling in the miles’ worth of line they strung out earlier that day with hundreds of hooks. It’s methodical work, pulling the line in hand-over-hand and raveling it back onto the spools. The bright spot is when a yellowfin tuna, sleek, strong and worth hundreds, glimmers just under the water. Roby had been fishing for decades at this point. He started as a teenager in the 1970s,,>click to read<21:43
Iconic in Alaska, classic Xtratuf boot gets a redesign
Xtratuf has launched a redesigned version of the classic dirt-brown Legacy boot that overwhelmingly outfits sport and commercial fishermen throughout Alaska. Purists needn’t fear, said Bo Thai, associate project manager for Xtratuf. The traditional Legacy will remain in the brand’s line for those who think the boot is fine just the way it’s always been. To eliminate this classic boot would be foolhardy, he added, as it still represents the majority of the company’s sales. Still, the company now has the technology to create a better product,,, >click to read<20:44
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly support changes to Chinook by-catch limits
King salmon are causing some trouble for Kodiak’s trawl fleet. The problem, too many are being caught as by-catch. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is currently looking at changing the Chinook prohibited species caps for the Gulf of Alaska for non-pollock catcher vessels in the trawl sector. The purpose of the adjustment would be to reduce the risk of fishery closures. If too many kings are caught in certain commercial fisheries, they’ll be shut down. In 2015, the Pacific cod and flatfish trawl fishery were closed because of this and it cost Kodiak millions >click to read<17:54
Carp Conundrum: Too Many Fish, Not Enough Fishermen
Two Rivers Fisheries in west Kentucky has more than doubled its Asian carp processing since it opened in 2013. Employees at the Wickliffe fishery are working on a load of silver carp caught by contracted commercial fishermen. The crates of fish represent a small amount of the more two million pounds that Two Rivers processes. “We need at least 10 groups of full-time commercial fishermen, ”,,, “I’ve got fishermen here that are making $2,000 to $3,000 a week… We are trying to get people to start fishing for this fish because this fish is here to stay and we are here to stay.” >click to read<16:22
CoA Institute Lawsuit Prompts Archivist to Examine Potential Record Destruction at NOAA
Cause of Action Institute (“CoA Institute”) filed a lawsuit last summer against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) seeking copies of electronic records created through the agency’s Google-based email platform. These types of records are commonly known as “instant messages.” The Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) requests at issue (available here and here) also sought formal agency guidance on the retention of “Google Chat” or “Google Hangouts” messages. We had already learned, through earlier investigation, that at least one internal NOAA handbook, dating from March 2012, instructed agency employees to treat all chat messages as “off the record,” raising concerns about potential unlawful record destruction at NOAA. >click to read< 15:22
British fishermen tired of taking ‘scraps’ from Brussels are counting down the days to Brexit
They still like a Canadian down in Cornwall. The fishermen here all remember flying the Maple Leaf on their boats in solidarity back in 1995, when Canada and Spain went to battle on the high seas in the Turbot War. Back then, anyone taking on European Union boats accused of overfishing, especially Spanish boats, could count on the support of not just Cornish fishermen, but of the entire British fishing fleet. Canada accused Spanish boats of overfishing turbot using outlawed nets and actually fired shots across the bow of a Spanish trawler called the Estai in international waters off the coast of Newfoundland. Mounties and Fisheries Department officers seized the boat and arrested its captain. >click to read< 14:33
Fishermen cautioned from spreading fake news on social media
KUALA SELANGOR: Over 86,000 registered fishermen in the country have been cautioned against receiving and spreading unverified information on the social media.The Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) chairman, Datuk Seri Dr Irmohizam Ibrahim said the dissemination of false news by fishermen through new social media networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp and blog sites could mar the image of fishermen. Barisan Nasional always ensures the welfare of fishermen is taken care of through government transformation programmes. Thus, they should not be easily influenced by the opposition’s provocations through the social media, especially ahead of the 14th General Election,” said Irmohizam, who is also Kuala Selangor Member of Parliament. – Bernama>click to read<
Alaska Senate passes Stedman’s sea otter resolution
The Alaska Senate passed a resolution Wednesday calling on the federal government to take steps to increase the harvest of sea otters in Southeast Alaska. Senate Joint Resolution 13 is sponsored by Sitka Republican senator Bert Stedman. It asks the federal government to transfer management responsibility to the state government or National Marine Fisheries Service, instead of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It also urges federal agencies to work with the state and other interest groups to produce a management plan for otters, recognizing their impact on crab, clams, urchins and other sea creatures. >click to read<11:07
Sector IX vessels make a move to lease quota
Fifty-five vessels have left Sector IX, but they still can’t fish. However, they can lease their groundfish quota. The 55, including four Carlos Rafael vessels subject to forfeiture, were submitted to be included in Sector VII for the 2018-19 fishing season, according to NOAA Sector VII. The move comes after six months of negotiations with NOAA in trying to get an operational plan approved, which would have lifted the groundfishing ban. >click to read<09:17
