Tag Archives: herring
Herring bait shortage could pinch Maine Lobstermen
Maine regulators are considering intervening to help fix a bait shortage that threatens to affect its signature lobster fishing industry. Lobstermen typically use herring for bait, and regulators and members of the fishing industry say there’s a shortage of them. The shortage is happening at the time of year when lobster catches usually start to pick up — and just as New England’s high tourist season is arriving. The Maine Department of Marine Resources met Tuesday afternoon to discuss what role it can play. Meredith Mendelson, the deputy commissioner of the department, told The Associated Press before the meeting that the department anticipates passing rules at a later date based on Tuesday’s discussion. The problem is that not enough herring are being caught on Georges Bank, a key fishing area off Massachusetts, members of the fishing industry said. That means there could be more herring fishing closer to the shore, and fishermen could reach their quota for that area before the summer is out. Read the story here 08:47
Disease in herring threatens broader food web
Tiny herring eggs and larvae are eaten by a multitude of invertebrates, such as crabs and amphipods. They are also important to fish, such as juvenile salmon and smelt, as well as numerous marine and diving birds. As herring grow into juveniles and adults, they enter into the larger food web, including numerous marine mammals, from harbor seals to orcas; vast numbers of birds, from tufted puffins to great blue herons; and a wide variety of fish, from Chinook salmon to halibut. Paul Hershberger, research fisheries biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, has been studying diseases of herring at his lab on Marrowstone Island near Port Townsend. Read the article here 21:22
Weir fishermen struggling to catch herring in Bay of Fundy
Some fishermen in the Bay of Fundy are worried the centuries-old herring weir fishery could be coming to an end because of a lack of fish. Dan Cunningham is one of those fishermen. He says over the past six years he has noticed a steady decline in the amount of herring. Last summer, weir fishermen only landed a quarter of what they caught the year before. They say this year is even worse. Read the rest here 08:44
Bloody, red Cod Livers has Long Harbour fisherman suspicious of nearby Vale Smelter operation
Andy Murphy of Long Harbour said last spring he was finding herring with bloody red-coloured innards, something he insists is a result of Vale’s smelter operations in the town. Now, Murphy said he is finding cod with the same discolouration and wonders if chemicals are being pumped out near the shore by Vale and contaminating the fish. “I noticed the livers are really dark red,” he said. “Some of them are green and red, more are white and red, and I’ve never noticed that before. Plenty of people noticed it during the food fishery.” Read the rest here 08:02
Meghan Lapp: Herring face no danger from fishing
The July 12 Associated Press article “There’s a herring boom off our coast” unfortunately misled readers about herring stock size and commercial harvest levels. There is not a “catch boom” in New England — far from it. Contrary to the article’s statement that 2014 harvest levels were unusually high, the 2014 fishing mortality rate (which is a comparison of the harvest level to the stock size) was at its lowest level since 1965. That is, commercial harvest rates of herring are at their lowest in a 50-year time period. Read the rest here 14:22
Huge herring haul worries rival fishermen, environmentalists
A little fish that New Englanders have sought since the Colonial era is at the center of a battle over how to manage massive boats that trawl swaths of ocean off the East Coast. The catch for the Atlantic herring, which travels in groups sometimes numbering in the billions, is in the midst of a massive boom. Last year fishermen caught more than 95,000 metric tons of the fish for the first time since 2009, federal statistics show. Now rival fishermen are raising concerns about the high catches, and regulators are starting to consider whether the big haul is adversely impacting the environment, marine mammals or other fisheries. Read the rest here 14:29
Prince William Sound Herring count looking up
One thousand feet over Prince William Sound, the plane tilted sideways, its left wing stretching toward the waves below as pilot Mike Collins circled in for a closer look. The water sparkled. “There’s a school of age one herring,” said Scott Pegau, turning in his seat, “right up against the beach.” Against the curve of the shore, a dark cloud formed below the surface of the Sound, where hundreds of juvenile herring clustered. Their school is among 1,227 counted so far this season along the islands and inlets off the Prince William Sound. Video, Read the rest here 11:24
Herring starts today at Kodiak, Togiak’s next; Sitka price info
Kodiak’s roe herring season starts today and unlike other regions, where the fishery is very concentrated and can last less than a week, Kodiak herring can show up in roughly 80 districts around the island well into June. About 3,200 tons will come out of the fishery, taken by 15 to 20 boats. While test fisheries to gauge roe counts are underway at Kodiak, boats and five buyers are also showing up early at Alaska’s largest roe herring fishery at Togiak in Bristol Bay. Read the rest here 17:44
Herring return to Auke Bay – Significant spawn for first time in decades
At the end of June, herring returned to Auke Bay to spawn in significant numbers for the first time in more than 20 years — and though the ultimate success of the eggs remains to be seen, it’s a promising sign for those working to increase herring’s abundance in Lynn Canal and Southeast Alaska. Read more here 10:44
NEFMC – Herring Press Release
Please click here for a copy of the NEFMC Press Release Measures to Promote Accountability in the Atlantic Herring Fishery. The Press Release provides This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Three from her today. ( She’s a busy gal!)
BIOp break, Status quo for BOF… more fish news, A new bi-op, Board of Fish names and a big name comes back to Bristol Bay. here Herring, byproducts boosted by AK legislature, Silencing Alaskans bill stalled,A look at fish issues before the Alaska legislature. here Seiners can sign on for first ever pollock fishery! Deadline 4/11,Seiners fishing for pollock? Sign up now. here 17:10
Make way for herring
HARWICH — In the next two weeks, the herring will start their annual run from Nantucket Sound to Hinckleys Pond. But before this annual rite of spring starts, Herring River has to be cleared to make the journey a little easier. Read more here 06:55
SAN FRANCISCO: Fishermen enjoy plentiful herring season -Video
.jpg)
Herring boats stretched across the Bay near the San Rafael Bridge Friday morning, the scene attracted thousands of birds and even some seals got into the act, diving and jumping to catch a fish. Watch @ktvu 18:07
Herring proposal disapproved by National Marine Fisheries Service – Lots of grumbling from the Cape!
“They basically approved nothing,” said a frustrated and angry John Pappalardo, the CEO of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance and a former member and onetime chairman of the New England council. continued@capecodtimes
Sitka Sound having another spawning wave
SITKA, Alaska — Herring are spawning again in Sitka Sound on the shores of Baranof and Kruzof islands. The second wave comes after a previous peak of spawning was observed about two weeks ago, around the time of the commercial sac roe openings. Dave Gordon, area management biologist for Fish and Game, said a second spawn is not unusual, and he is not looking at reopening the sac roe fishery. continued
MIDDLEBORO Ma. – Five things you may not know about local herring runs
1.The herring are returning to their native waters, making the 40-mile trek from Mount Hope Bay, through the Taunton River to the Nemasket River, ending at the Assawompset to spawn. River herring – the collective term for alewife and blueback herring – continued
Seiners try co-op to finish Sitka herring season – audio
Herring seiners in Sitka launched a cooperative fishery on Wednesday in an attempt to salvage what remains of the 2013 sac roe season. So far in three competitive openings, fisherman have landed just 5,600 tons of herring, leaving almost 6,000 tons still to go. continued
Herring harvest: Inside the last commercial fishery in San Francisco Bay
SAN FRANCISCO BAY — Dennis Deaver was doing his taxes late at night at home in Alamo when he got an urgent call. It was time to hunt in San Francisco Bay. The herring were running. A school of the silvery fish had followed the tide in and were slathering millions of their tiny golden eggs in shallow waters near Tiburon. In days, maybe even hours, the fish would disappear back into the ocean Read more here
