Daily Archives: January 10, 2022
Eels – They may be Australia’s most hardcore animal
They may be no match for saltwater crocs or great white sharks, but for their size, our freshwater eels are surprisingly hardcore. These slippery fish can travel over land, take down serious prey, and climb walls, all without any freaking legs! Their shape-shifting rivals that of insects such as butterflies, moths and cicadas. And eels undertake one of the most epic migrations known within Australian waters, but to this day, their breeding grounds remain a mystery. Lurking in the muddy bottom of a river or dam is only part of an eel’s life. It’s like the Clark Kent bit. The rest is the stuff of fishy superheroes. photos, >click to read< with attached eel articles! 19:04
Wayne Bartlett, responsible for one of the defining songs of the cod collapse, dead at 67
Bartlett died Friday, just two days after turning 67, and more than two years into a battle with cancer. “He wanted to keep traditions alive. He wanted the old ways to be remembered and that was his driving force,” Andy Bartlett, Wayne’s son, said Monday. Wayne Bartlett was born and raised in Quirpon, a remote community at the tip of the Northern Peninsula with a history in the fishery that dates back more than five centuries. But it was the closure of the Newfoundland and Labrador cod fishery three decades ago, displacing 30,000 harvesters and fish plant workers, and ending a way of life that had existed for decades, that inspired Bartlett’s best-known song. She’s Gone, Boys, She’s Gone (click) was the title track on a collection of songs released in 1992, and its haunting lyrics and tone helped make Bartlett a household name well beyond Quirpon. >click to read< 16:55
North Carolina: Southern flounder amendment going to advisory committees, DMF seeks comment
State fisheries managers are proposing more changes to southern flounder regulations to reduce flounder removals by 72%. The proposals include phasing out anchored, large mesh gill nets from the fishery. However, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries staff want public and advisory committee input before they make any recommendations to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission. To continue reducing removals, the draft Amendment 3 contains a suite of additional proposed management options. Michael Loeffler said while phasing out the gill nets may reduce landings, the effect on both the economy and the fishery are uncertain. (I think we already know), >click to read< 15:00
Lawsuit filed to Protect Pacific Humpback from fishing gear, Can lawsuits save North Atlantic Right Whale?
The Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to protect endangered Pacific humpback whales from deadly entanglements in sablefish pot gear off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. According to Fisheries Service estimates, the sablefish fishery on average kills or seriously injures about two humpback whales every year. The fishery uses 2-mile-long strings of 30 to 50 pots. >click to read< Can Litigation Help Save the North Atlantic Right Whale From Extinction? – As conservation organizations and governments around the globe grapple with the devastating effects of climate change and overexploitation, the legal battle fought over the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, one of the world’s most endangered large whale species, may provide insights into how litigation can help, or hinder, efforts to save species from extinction. >click to read< 13:41
Giant sea bass: scientific research that found them critically endangered stopped at US-Mexico border
Giant sea bass live off the west coast of North America in both Mexican and U.S. waters. I have found that large differences in regulation and research effort between the two countries has led to a significant misunderstanding of giant sea bass population health. In California, commercial fishing for the species began in the late 1880s. Large fish used to be very abundant across the entire range, but the fishery collapsed in the early 1970s. As a response, in 1981 the U.S. banned both commercial and recreational fishing for giant sea bass, and there are many ongoing research and population recovery efforts today. The collapse and subsequent protection and flurry of research in the U.S. stand in stark contrast to Mexico. >click to read< by Arturo Ramírez-Valdez 12:14
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for January10, 2022
What the Wildlife Federation isn’t telling you about shrimp trawling in NC! Like the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), the North Carolina Wildlife Federation has very strong opinions about commercial fishing, especially the use of gill nets and shrimp trawls to harvest seafood. They consistently provide their perspective on these issues to the public, and as I pointed out last week, they specialize in playing it fast and loose with the facts. I’ll certainly be providing you with more examples of the deception in the coming weeks. (continues) >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 09:31
Looe-based fisherman’s tweet about dead bass sparks debate over rules
A fisherman’s tweet over a large haul of Bass fish off the Plymouth coast has sparked debate over the current rules on fishing. Andrew Giles took to Twitter with a shocking video which displayed a large haul of fish caught by accident by a trawler, all of which had to be thrown away again. Andrew, who owns the trawler, MFV Guiding Light, wrote: “Just crazy. This could have given the boys a much-needed lift after a very hard winter.” The issue highlighted not just issues regarding commercial rules to protect fish stocks, but also the ongoing thorny issue of Brexit and the British fishing industry as well as food poverty. video,>click to read< 07:35
