Daily Archives: June 8, 2018
Mashpee Selectmen Push To Move Herring Trawlers Off The Coast
The New England Fishery Management Council, a federal entity, will host several public hearings to solicit comments on possible alternatives under consideration in an amendment to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. More specifically, the council is seeking feedback from the public on which alternatives should be selected and why. One of those amendments includes forcing fishing vessels called midwater trawlers 12 miles off the Cape Cod shore.,,, But the operators of these midwater trawlers contest the proposed amendment,,, Mary Beth Tooley, a representative of O’Hara Corporation in Maine, says that about 80 percent of the Maine lobster fishery uses herring as bait. “That’s thousands of lobstermen that will be impacted,” >click to read<20:13
Booker, Carper, Nelson Introduce Bicameral Bill to Establish Grant Program for Right Whale Conservation
U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Bill Nelson (D-FL), along with Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have introduced a bill to protect the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. Booker is a member of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, Carper is the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Nelson is the top Democrat on the Senate’s Commerce Committee, which oversees ocean policy. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), along with Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jared Huffman (D-CA), and Bill Keating (D-MA), has introduced a companion measure in the House of Representatives. >click to read<18:46
Three New Species Of Warm-Blooded Fish Discovered
Scientists have found three more species of a fish that – despite what we are taught at school – are fully warm-blooded. The species in question are large deep-sea fish known as opah, and are found in many oceans around the planet. A few years ago, the opah made headlines when it was revealed to be the first fully warm-blooded fish species ever discovered. Living in the frigid waters of the deep ocean, it warms its blood by continuously flapping its fins to generate heat. This keeps the fish’s core temperature at about 4 to 5°C (7.2-9°F) >click to read<16:22
Elver fishermen push for higher quota, say resource isn’t endangered
Despite the abrupt end to the elver season last month due to poaching, elver fishermen continue to support an increase in Maine’s annual catch limit. The Bangor Daily News reported that more than 60 elver fishermen appeared at a hearing held Wednesday by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — the interstate body that oversees the eel and elver fishery, among others — to consider whether to raise the quota from 9,688 pounds to 11,749 pounds. >click to read<13:47
Book questions Maine lobster fishery’s future
Author Christopher White will explore Maine’s lobster industry at an author talk and book signing for “The Last Lobster: Boom or Bust for Maine’s Greatest Fishery?” at the Jesup Memorial Library on Thursday, June 21, at 7 p.m. In the last five years, Maine lobstermen have annually caught more than 120 million pounds, six times what was caught annually in the 1980s.,,, Over the course of a year, White followed three lobster captains — Frank, Jason and Julie — as they hauled and set thousands of traps off the coast of Stonington and fought a warming ocean, volatile prices and rough weather to keep their livelihood afloat. >click to read< 11:39
Bob Jones Retires After 54 Years as E.D. of Southeastern Fisheries Association
After 54 years serving as the leader of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, Executive Director Bob Jones is retiring from SFA by the end of 2018. The SFA Board of Directors has begun the process to search for qualified candidates to be the next leader of the SFA organization. The SFA Board of Directors and Jones will continue to lead the organization during this transition. The open and honest interaction Jones has had with all the seafood industry stakeholders gave credence to the impact Southeastern Fisheries Association has on saving the commercial fishing culture because of the importance of producing seafood for the United States of America. >click to read<10:59
Ottawa eyes protection measures for the porbeagle
It is stout but fast, a top predator affectionately called “Canada’s shark.” But years of intense fishing left the porbeagle shark endangered, and the federal government is now considering protection measures.,,, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in an e-mail it will make a recommendation to the environment minister after reviewing input from the public and industry stakeholders, as well as scientific research. There is no current timeline for a decision, it said.,,, The latest population assessment on the porbeagle was from a 2009 survey which estimated,,, >click to read<09:41
With New Kuskokwim King Salmon Data Released, Bering Sea Bycatch Restrictions Come Under Review
New state data reveals that the number of king salmon returning to the Kuskokwim River has been inflated for decades. Now, the state is recommending that the body governing the Bering Sea pollock fishery adopt this new information. If it does, restrictions on the fleet’s bycatch of king salmon could tighten, and a long-voiced demand from Kuskokwim residents could be met. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting in Kodiak, Alaska this week. It’s scheduled to make a decision by Monday on how many king salmon can be caught incidentally by commercial fishing boats targeting pollock in the Bering Sea. >click to read<08:33
MLA says P.E.I. fishermen getting around $5 per pound for lobster
Souris-Elmira MLA Colin LaVie wants to know what the provincial government is doing to help increase lobster prices. During Thursday’s question period, LaVie, who is also a fisherman, raised the issue of lobster prices he said were as low as $5-$5.50 per pound. “Do you consider that a good price for lobsters?” The spring lobster season has been underway for more than a month and the P.E.I. Fisherman’s Association raised similar concerns about prices last month. >click to read<08:11
