Daily Archives: February 8, 2025
Western Flyer scheduled to make historic expedition 85 years after Steinbeck and Ricketts
The historic Western Flyer will return to the Gulf of California this spring, marking 85 years since the famous expedition with John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts and their crew. Local scientists, educators and conservationists will team up to study the Gulf of California’s ecosystems, exchange knowledge and brainstorm new ideas to protect the marine world. The expedition starts at 3 p.m. March 16, departing from Old Fisherman’s Wharf. The send-off celebration will mark nearly 85 year to the day since the now-famous journey that inspired the book ‘Sea of Cortez. ’more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:04
Judge allows Maine lobstermen’s lawsuit over ‘red listing’ to advance
After almost two years in limbo, a defamation lawsuit Maine lobstering groups filed against a California aquarium can move forward, a federal judge ruled Friday. The Maine Lobsterman’s Association, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and three lobster businesses sued the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation in 2023 after the organization’s Seafood Watch program put lobster on a “red list” of seafood consumers should avoid. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation argued that it has a right to make its rating based on Maine’s free speech laws. But U.S. District Judge John Woodcock disagreed. Maine lobstermen have said that the red listing not only is false but also has caused significant economic harm to them and the Maine lobster brand. Companies like Whole Foods, Hello Fresh and Blue Apron subsequently pulled Gulf of Maine lobster from their menus, in line with Seafood Watch’s allegations. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:42
LETTER: A possible solution to tariffs and the snow crab fishery by Barry Darby and Helen Forsey
In regard to the current discussions around the crab fishery as it faces potential U.S. tariffs, we want to suggest a solution. Both the Fish Food and Allied Workers union and the Association of Seafood Processors acknowledge that the threat of those tariffs creates significant challenges around developing a price-setting formula and setting wharf prices. The tariffs pose a risk that the harvest and processing might be severely disrupted, with serious impacts on all involved. We have been studying and observing this harvest and processing for decades, and this year it is especially difficult. Our suggestions are that for the 2025 season, harvesters and processors would agree to the following: more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:23
Offshore wind farm areas ‘reduced’ following campaign by fishing sector
In what will be seen as a victory for fishermen, various alterations (reductions) have been made to offshore wind farm concessions. The Ericeira area has been removed from the Offshore Renewable Energy Allocation Plan (PAER), while the northern part of the Viana do Castelo area has been reduced and the southern area removed altogether. “As a result of the weighting carried out, the need to reduce the impact on fishing activity and the environment was recognised,” says the document published today in state gazette Diário da República – pointing out that “the area north of Viana do Castelo has been reduced, the area south of Viana do Castelo has been eliminated, the Leixões area has been adjusted slightly, and the Ericeira area has been eliminated”.Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:57
