Monthly Archives: April 2018
Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act of 2018 – bill nets solutions for overfishing
A new bipartisan bill introduced in U.S. Congress this month encourages a science-based approach to significantly reduce the overfishing and unsustainable trade of sharks, rays and skates around the world and prevent shark finning. The Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act of 2018 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Daniel Webster, R-FL, and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA, along with co-sponsors Rep. Bill Posey, R-FL, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-MO, and Rep. Walter Jones, R-NC., >click to read<09:39
DFO trawl surveys – Fishery decisions shored up on flawed science
As unintentional metaphors go, it was strangely apt: a reader with ties to federal fisheries science wrote to me to tell me that a recent column on problems with that science, “only scratched the surface.” In some ways, that seems like a perfect description of the problem. What I’d written about was the use of a contracted private fishing trawler to do a shortened annual fisheries survey on George’s Bank. The vessel was going to do the survey in 11 days – the work normally takes five weeks, and is done by one of two federal fisheries vessels,,, >click to read< 09:17
Coast Guard rescues four commercial fishermen 12 miles off Rockaway Beach, Ore.
A Coast Guard aircrew rescued four commercial fishermen after their 54-foot fishing vessel capsized off the coast of Rockaway Beach, Sunday evening. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Sector Columbia River hoisted the four fishermen to safety and transported them to the helicopter landing pad at Station Tillamook Bay where they were transferred to local emergency medical technicians for further care and evaluation. Command Center watchstanders at Sector Columbia River received a mayday call over VHF-FM channel 16 at 4:17 p.m. from the captain of the commercial fishing vessel MT Tamgas,,, >Video, click to read<23:49
Japanese Whaling Fleet Reaches Quota
Japan’s whaling fleet has returned home from the Southern Ocean after a successful 143-day investigation “without being interfered with by the anti-whaling group.” Of the 333 whales killed, 152 were males and 181 were females. A preliminary analysis of pregnancy rate suggests healthy fertility rates, says the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research. The animals’ earwax plugs and eye lens were used to determine age, blubber was used to determine nutritional status, gonads were used to obtain breeding information and digestive system contents used to examine prey species. >click to read<21:34
An inside look at the first haul of Quebec snow crab season
Captain Bertrand Desbois sets off aboard the Dauphin III from the Port of Matane at 5 a.m., eager to check in on the first Quebec snow crab traps of the season, launched the night before. Radio-Canada journalist Maxime Corneau accompanied the crew of seven on their first fishing expedition of 2018 and documented what he saw. A few minutes out, the boat comes up alongside two pink buoys announcing the kilometre-long line where some 20 traps are sunk. “It’s a strong start, like last year,” says Desbois as the traps are raised out of the water by a winch. >click to read<12:04
