Tag Archives: EDF
Catch Shares Enable Wealthy Landlords to Gobble Up Local Fisheries
A recent investigative report has reignited public discussion over catch shares, a controversial approach to fisheries management that privatizes the rights to fish. The investigation exposed how Blue Harvest Fisheries, owned by a billionaire Dutch family, became the largest holder of commercial fishing rights in New England, benefiting from lax antitrust regulations and pilfering profits from the local fishermen who work under them. As a commercial fisherman in Mississippi, I know these dynamics go well beyond New England. Here in the Gulf of Mexico, private equity firms and other large investors have come in and gobbled up the rights to fish, driving up the cost of fishing access and making it prohibitively expensive for fishermen like me to harvest fish in our own backyards. >click to read< 07:55
Eric Schwaab Comes Aboard as New Head of EDF’s Oceans Program
“Eric was critical to the success we achieved during my time as NOAA Administrator,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, University Distinguished Professor, Oregon State University and former EDF Board Trustee. “His unflappable get-it-done approach makes him notably effective working with a range of stakeholders from fishermen to global leaders.” As head of NMFS, Schwaab led the transformation of U.S. fisheries management including widespread adoption of science-based catch limits and catch shares. EDF was a leading advocate for these reforms, which have driven a dramatic recovery of fish populations and increased catch and profits for fishermen. >click tp read<10:02
Big Green – The Handmaiden Of Big Oil
It is part of the green fairy tale that skepticism only exists because the oil companies are funding it. So I did some digging and the reality turns out to be just the opposite.,,, The central vehicle for moving these green billion dollars goes by a perfectly descriptive name — the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative or OGCI., started in 2014, shortly after the famous Chesapeake Energy scandal. Chesapeake’s CEO was caught giving the Sierra Club millions,,,With a billion bucks in funding, it may well be the biggest outfit in Big Green (not counting the green governments).However, I also found that EDF is actively engaged with corporations, via its EDF+Business arm. >click to read<19:15
If Renewables Are So Great for the Environment, Why Do They Keep Destroying It?
If solar and wind farms are needed to protect the natural environment, why do they so often destroy it? Consider that: New offshore wind turbines in Germany could “lead to the extinction of individual species” including the rare, intelligent, and highly-threatened harbor porpoise, according to Friends of the Earth-Germany (BUND). Migratory bat populations, including the hoary bat, could go extinct, say, scientists, if the expansion of wind energy in North America continues. A single California solar farm, Ivanpah, required the killing of hundreds of desert tortoises, the state’s threatened reptile, and annually kills six thousand birds by lighting them on fire. Wind turbines on California’s Altamont Pass killed an estimated 4,700 bird kills annually including Golden Eagles. “Some lose their wings,” says the Audubon Society, “others are decapitated, and still others are cut in half.” Come on, you might be thinking — aren’t these impacts trivial compared to other threats? After all, house cats kill between one and four billion birds per year in the U.S. >click to read<18:49
THE FORAGE FISH FARCE
December 14, 2012 — The Providence Journal’s “PolitiFact” unit investigated claims made by Pew Environment Group in advertisements they ran in several newspapers asking east coast governors to support their demand for a 50% cut in the menhaden harvest. Pew justified this demand saying “… in recent years, menhaden numbers along our coast have plummeted by 90 percent.” The newspaper found the claim to be “Mostly False”. The Providence Journal Lenfest is a Marketing/PR/Lobbying arm of Pew Charitable Trusts, Pew Environmental Group. They (Pew, Lenfest, Oceana, EDF, etc.) are presently working on eliminating the East Coast Menhaden fishery (aka Bunker, Pogies) after going after West Coast sardines recently. click here to read the story 11:38
NOAA has yet to determine fines and penalties in civil case involving Carlos Rafael
So far, New Bedford fishing mogul Carlos Rafael has lost a fraction of his fishing empire after pleading guilty to 23 counts of false labeling and identification of fish, as well as cash smuggling, conspiracy, falsifying federal records and tax evasion. He was found guilty and sentenced to nearly four years in jail last month. But there could be millions more in fines and penalties as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration decides what civil measures to impose on Rafael. Fishermen and environmental groups have been lobbying for that money to go toward restoring the fishery, and many would like to see it pay for better monitoring of what fishermen catch at sea and land on shore. click here to read the story 12:47
Louisiana’s New Red Snapper Catch-Share Program
When it comes to the great red snapper management mess, the consensus of opinion among recreational-fishing interests and advocates is that states (vs. the feds) can manage coastal fish stocks more effectively and fairly. One assumption here is that states are much more in tune with recreational fishing in their waters. Well, in that regard, Louisiana has just delivered a solid bitch slapping to the recreational-fishing community. At least, that has been the reaction of many anglers groups to the surprise announcement made by the Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday (May 25th) that a group of 150 anglers would be gifted with 25,000 pounds of red snapper in 2018 and again in 2019. In case you haven’t yet made the connection, let me make that for you. In two words: catch shares. click here to read the story 09:41
UPDATED: Charlie Melancon resigns from post as secretary of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Melancon spent most of his brief tenure either pissing people off or running another typical Louisiana corruption scheme. The biggest issue that has arisen in Melancon’s tenure was his opposition to the state taking over red snapper fisheries from the Federal government. Why would the state be opposed taking over red snapper jurisdiction from the Feds? Because as Scott wrote back in September, a JBE (Gov. John Bel Edwards) donor would be hurt. Read the story here About that Sealord donor! Charlie Melancon has resigned Wednesday as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “Charlie and I have agreed that we should move the agency in a different direction,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday. Read the rest here 09:44
Is Environmental Defense Fund Controlling Louisiana’s Department Of Wildlife And Fisheries?
By now our readers are surely familiar with the very strange behavior of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries secretary Charlie Melancon with respect to his opposition to a bill brought by most of Louisiana’s congressional delegation that would put individual Gulf states, rather than the federal government, in control of the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. If you’re not up to speed on Melancon’s antics and escalating feud with a key member of the delegation, Baton Rouge congressman Garret Graves, we offered a primer here. Most of the speculation you may have seen involves the idea that several of the larger commercial fishing concerns along the Gulf coast, who benefit from a crony-capitalist scheme wherein shares of the red snapper market have been allocated based on incumbency – the owners of those concerns have been given the moniker “Sea Lords” since the red snapper catch largely resembles a feudal system of sorts – have essentially bought Melancon and his opposition to the bill Graves is proposing is a product of that purchase. Graves’ idea to put the state in charge of the red snapper fishery would break up the current allocation scheme and put the Sea Lords out of commission in Louisiana, or at least make their incumbency a matter which would be up for grabs. Read the story here 08:10
Enviro Defense Fund Applauds 9th Circuit’s Pacific whiting fishery ruling
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday upheld a federal program that limits the number of Pacific whiting, or hake, fishermen can catch off the Northwest Coast. Two fishing companies, Pacific Dawn and Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish Co., sued the Secretary of Commerce and the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2013, claiming the Fisheries Service unreasonably refused to consider fishing activity after 2003 and 2004 when it set new quotas in 2011 and 2013. The three-judge panel Wednesday refused to overturn U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson’s 2013 grant of summary judgment. Writing for the panel, Judge Sandra Ikuta agreed that the Fisheries Service considered more recent fishing activity when it set quotas but that it “gave greater weight to historic participation” in setting the new limits. Pacific Dawn said it was “disappointed’ with the ruling. “The decision upholds an individual fishing quota program that resulted from no meaningful consideration of current harvests or present participation in the fishery, as Congress requires,” Pacific Dawn said in a statement. Read the rest here 11:59
South Shore ground fishermen skeptical of plan to use digital cameras for monitoring mandate
Longtime commercial fishermen from Marshfield and Scituate said the project to equip some groundfishing boats with digital cameras comes with numerous pitfalls, including cost burdens and concerns about how video footage would be used. Beginning this week, up to 20 groundfishermen from the Maine and Cape Cod will use three to four cameras to document fish handling on their vessels. At the end of each fishing trip, boat captains will send hard drives to third-party reviewers, who will view the footage and determine how much fish was discarded. The Nature Conservancy is overseeing the project and hailed it Tuesday as a “new era in fisheries monitoring” South Shore fisherman Ed Barrett questioned whether there would be any cost savings, saying the camera equipment would cost thousands of dollars. Read the rest here 10:06
Shaheen Puts Focus of Senate Hearing on New Hampshire’s Struggling Fishing Industry with EDF!
Washington, DC—Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the lead Democrat on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, has invited two prominent industry leaders in the New England fishing industry to testify at a committee hearing scheduled for Thursday. Through her leadership on the committee, Senator Shaheen was able to make New Hampshire’s struggling fishing industry a major focus of Thursday’s hearing. James Hayward of Portsmouth and Dr. Joshua Wiersma will testify at the hearing entitled “The Impacts of Federal Fisheries Management on Small Businesses” and can be watched online here beginning at 10:00AM. Read the rest here To Watch click here The Impacts of Federal Fisheries Management on Small Businesses 07:43
Monitor costs shift to fishermen Tuesday, fall out from Carlos Seafood, and EDF opportunists.
Cape Ann lawmakers Bruce Tarr and Ann-Margaret Ferrante walked a thin line last week when they sat down and penned a letter to state Attorney General Maura Healey on the issue of at-sea monitoring. While the fishermen’s lawsuit has drawn the most attention, there is another that could prove equally as troubling to NOAA and the fishing industry: maritime environmental group Oceana’s lawsuit challenging NOAA Fisheries’ bycatch rule. The issue of monitoring burst back into the public arena on Friday, when federal agents — including those from NOAA Law Enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service — raided the operations of Carlos Seafood,,, The arrests prompted a quick response from environmental groups seeking expanded monitor coverage for the groundfish fishery. Read the rest here 07:22
The NOAA Oversight Project – Fisherman’s FOIA’s Squeeze NOAA
From Dutch Harbor to the Old Harbor Float in Petersburg, from Gloucester and all the way round to Corpus Christi, wherever Americans untied their boats to fish in the decades since the Magnuson Act passed, fishermen had to take on science, politics, and NOAA. Some of you spent your shore time up to your knees in fish politics dividing the stock or arguing with managers about areas or days at sea. Because you engaged in politics, new generations of kids setting and hauling gear can still catch fish. Sort of– Sit down, put a mug up, and read this expose. You will be shocked. Read the article here 16:28
Seafood Harvesters of America “National Outreach Days,” in Washington D.C.
On April 28th the Seafood Harvesters of America will converge on our elected representatives to stay the course on a broken Magnuson Stevens Act. As other groups call for flexibility, the primarily catch share fishery group wants to maintain rigidity! The Seafood Harvesters are aligned with the likes of the Pew Charitable Trust, EDF, and the Nature Conservancy. House Resolution 1335, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act will fix MSA. This is not why this group is in D.C. Read the rest here 10:33
EDF Matt Mullins View: Electronic monitoring is inexpensive, effective
The New England cod fishery is on the brink of collapse. For weeks now we have heard from all stakeholders, with some calling for more closures, some less, and others seeking financial aid for fishing families. We’ve even heard a few calling for an all-out ban on cod fishing. But what is missing from much of this conversation are constructive ideas to pave a path forward for fishermen in New England. Electronic monitoring is one of those solutions. Plenty of EDF hyperbole. Read the rest here 09:49
On the Pipe? The Freaks at EDF that brought you Catch Shares now wants you monitored 100% following THEIR failure!
Matt Mullin said the EDF supports governor-elect Charlie Baker’s recent calls for better fisheries data. The expansion of the observer program would go a long way toward making that happen, he said. That’s not what he’s talking about pickle head. Brian Rothchild and Jim Kendall comment on the ignorance. Read the rest here 20:45
The Real “Seafood Fraud” Mislabeling Miscreants
What is this “mislabeling” and “seafood fraud” scuffle all about these days? Why, you might ask, is Oceana suddenly so concerned about “truth in packaging” for fish? And what is behind their somewhat baffling concern for the fish-consuming public? Actually, Pew, Oceana, EDF, NRDC, and CLF (and too long a list of their additional subsidiaries to cite here) have for many years been doing some of their own “mislabeling” and “seafood fraud”. They’ve been “mislabeling” fishermen as overfishing-greedy-habitat-
Alright Fishermen. Listen up! How a Club of Billionaires and Their Foundations Control the Environmental Movement and Obama’s EPA
Think NOAA/NMFS! How a Club of Billionaires and Their Foundations Control the Environmental Movement and Obama’s EPA A new report was released today by the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, and it is damning. All this time that climate skeptics are accused of being in the employ of “big oil” is nothing more than a projection of their own greed. Read more here Read the Senate.gov report 17:25
The Corporate Take-Over of Fisheries Policy Making – Click Here
In the past couple of years a number of international conferences and gatherings of key policy makers, corporate representatives and international NGOs have taken huge strides in setting the global agenda in fisheries policy. A worrying pattern has begun to emerge: the interests of small-scale fisheries peoples are consistently sidelined as representative organisations are rarely invited and, if so, are barely listened to. This article will run through some of the most recent events, and documents how a corporate take-over of fisheries policy is taking place. Read more here 16:08
We’re working to change who manages our fisheries
The 13 voting members of the SAFMC drive federal fishery management policy off the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia and east Florida. They will decide whether fishermen have the following: Over 1,000 sq. miles of additional, scientifically unjustifiable no-fishing zones or Marine Protected Areas. Job killing “catch shares” schemes. Unnecessary, expensive and intrusive Vessel Monitoring Systems. A red snapper fishery closure that extends beyond the current four years. The two seats up for appointment in June,, Read more here 08:32
Hang on Chesapeake Bay Watermen, EDF has the catch share plan to make your lives just ducky! Say good bye to your way of life and tradition.
EDF: A better way to manage the crab harvest We need to take crab management to the next level if we want to build and secure the long-term health and vitality of the Chesapeake’s blue crab population for future generations of blue crab eaters and harvesters. more@baltimoresun 14:37
This ENGO fails to address the real issues of the Bay, and the issues of the crab stock. Same ‘ole warped notions of race to fish, controlling your destiny. It’s total Bull Bleep. Don’t let them continue the destruction of the family fishing operations, because they have YOU in the crosshairs of elimination.
EDF say’s Closed areas can decrease uncertainty in effects of climate change on New England Fisheries!
As fishermen around New England will be the first to point out, this summer, much like last year, has been abnormal. The ocean waters were warmer and cod, haddock, and flounders—the mainstay of our fishing industry for centuries—are increasingly elusive. There’s plenty of blame to go around, including decades of mismanagement and overfishing, inexact science and an overabundance of certain predatory species. more@edf 13:53
Fisherynation.com Editorial: The Great Atlantic Sturgeon Debacle
This Sturgeon debacle should serve as a pretty clear indication of how our fisheries “management” system works, or more to the point, how it doesn’t work.
How, by any stretch of regulation protocol, methodology, or just plain ol’ administrative integrity, can NOAA declare a species to be endangered without an assessment? Perhaps NOAA’s luminous legal department, Lois Schiffer, could give us the “legal” justification,,,continued
Fishermen questioning plan to open new areas
The proposal would open up portions of protected sections of the Gulf of Maine to commercial fishing. The plan is facing stiff opposition from parts of the fishing industry, environmentalists and conservationists. 
continued
From Nils Stolpe – Remember the fishing-induced “plague of jellyfish” that was threatening the oceans…? Remembering the “Worm” hook! Refuted
Brought to us, of course, by the Walton Foundation, EDF and Dr. Lubchenco as a reason to shift fisheries to catch share management immediately? A National Academy of Sciences study – Recurrent jellyfish blooms are a consequence of global oscillations – refutes that (now there’s a surprise!) contention. The article is available here. National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Happy New Year – and sleep soundly, knowing that we aren’t being threatened by hoards of slimy, nematocyst-brandishing cnidaria,
Nils
Boris Worm outed himself with an email that oceans full of jellyfish were the future by 2048, and he used it as a “hook’ in “Oceans of Abundance” the EDF, Walmart bought and paid for doctrine that hooked Lubchenco to the Obama administration. Seem’s though there’s more to it, and the “Smart from the Start” program of ocean industrialization along the East Coast of windmills and drill rig’s is the administrations answer to jellyfish aquaculture!
At the Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting Today, A Citizen Made a Public Comment
Sometimes I wonder why I invest time listening to Fishery Council Meetings. I listen to plenty of them. Today, I was tuned into the PFMC webinar, listening to Public Comments, and a fella named Jonathan Gonzales from Santa Barbara California made his. You’ve got to read it, and look at the presentation he put together. I listened, but didn’t see the slides he put together, but, they are in this power point. Leave a comment here. You’ll want to be ready to be impressed. I am. Read it here 22:09 On September 13, this was released by Center for Biological Diversity. New Data Shows California Drift Gillnets Not Sustainable, Continue to Kill Marine Mammals. “Every year that drift gillnets are used off the California coast to catch swordfish, the result is that iconic whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and thousands of fish are ensnared and killed as bycatch,” said Geoff Shester, California campaign director for Oceana. “Ultimately this gear type must be fully prohibited off the West Coast so we can have a sustainable swordfish fishery.” Jeff Shester is in Jon’s power point. I wonder what he thinks of it! 22:11
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