Daily Archives: April 7, 2019
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Avalon, NJ April 8-11, 2019
The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s meeting to be held at Icona Avalon Resort, 7849 Dune Dr, Avalon, NJ 08202, Telephone: 609-368-5155 , Briefing Materials & Agenda Overview Agenda >click here< Attend Meeting with Adobe Connect >click here< To Listen Live!! 21:28
Boat owner responds to Port of Astoria lawsuit
A boat owner being sued by the Port of Astoria for abandoning his vessel shot back recently,,,,The Port sued Nick Mathias, a California resident and owner of the Coastwise, claiming he fell behind on moorage before sending a letter in September notifying the agency he would be abandoning the vessel. Mathias claims the Port in 2014 was charging him $2,000 annually for moorage fees, raising it to $3,000 the next year, $9,600 the third year and finally $37,000. The Port has closed all access to the East Mooring Basin causeway because of a rotting substructure, leaving a dwindling group of boat owners to reach their vessels by skiff. >click to read<18:53
Seal Fishery Set to Open Tuesday
The seal fishery opens this Tuesday. The fishery will open for longliners, small boats and speed boats on the front and in the Gulf, as well as personal use. DFO has tagged 12 harp seal beaters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with satellite linked time-depth recorders to track the movement of young seals and determine how they respond to climate change. Harvesters are being asked not to take those tagged seals. The tag is clearly visible and fixed on the animal’s shoulders with an antenna extending over the head. >click to read<15:53
Our View: New NOAA administrator right to emphasize collaboration
Mike Pentony took over as the regional administrator for NOAA’s Northeast fisheries division about a year ago and he’s received good marks from some quarters of the local fishing industry since that time.Pentony, an engineer and environmental manager by education, has worked in the North Atlantic fishery for most of his adult life. First as a policy analyst for the New England Fishery Management Council and later for 12 years as a team supervisor in NOAA’s sustainable fisheries division. As assistant regional administrator since 2014, Pentony oversaw 14 fisheries management plans for 42 species valued at nearly $1.6 billion annually. >click to read<15:41
How big should a clam get? Maine eyes new harvest rules
Maine is the country’s leading producer of soft-shell clams, which are steamed or used to make New England staples such as fried clams and clam chowder. The harvest has fallen in recent years to the point where the nationwide haul for 2017 and ’18 was the lowest for any two-year period in more than 60 years. In Maine, the shellfish business is challenged by growing populations of predators that eat clams and a declining number of clammers. >click to read<12:07
The Destin Fisherman’s Cooperative has provided fuel and supplies since 1989
On Feb. 9, 1989, local fishermen established the co-op to help them and other fishermen to buy discounted fuel. “We had three or four fuel facilities back in the day that were gouging us, and some fishermen expressed an interest in getting some sort of a discount and they laughed at us,” said Kelly Windes, a member of the founding co-op board. “There were a lot more of us than there were of them, so we took control of it.” After buying their own fuel tanks and pumps and finding suppliers, the cooperative opened shop in an old building on March 23, 1989, at what is now HarborWalk Village. >click to read<10:56
How eating sea bass and crab can help Maine lobstermen
A group of Rhode Island fishermen who witnessed southern New England’s near-shore lobster fishery evaporate and its offshore fishery diminish dramatically in their time on the water came to last month’s Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockland to give lobstermen here a bit of seasoned advice: Embrace ecosystem change while you’re in a good position to do so.,,, “As the poster child for a fisherman who has had to adapt to sea change, I can tell you that black sea bass represents a huge opportunity,” said Norbert Stamps, a Barrington, Rhode Island-based offshore lobster fisherman. Even if fishing for black sea bass is only done on a small scale, Stamps said, it can make an impact. >click to read<09:58
