Tag Archives: legislation
Hoyle Introduces Supporting Commercial Fishing Act
A release from Hoyle’s office said current law does not make it explicitly clear whether ports can apply for Port Infrastructure Development Program grants that support commercial fishing. Hoyle said that often leaves it up for interpretation that can overlook commercial fishing communities which are the backbone of the coastal communities. The release said Hoyle’s legislation would clarify that ports may apply for federal funding through the Maritime Administration’s PIDP for port infrastructure projects which support commercial fishing and all the jobs that comes with it. >click to read< 12:32
Louisiana HB1033: Legislation Would Have Major Costs, New Report Details Fishery’s Economic Value
Despite attempts at further regulation, the Gulf menhaden fishery is already being sustainably managed. The most recent stock assessment found that the species is not overfished nor is overfishing occurring. Since 2019, the Gulf menhaden fishery has been certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. “This report demonstrates that these proposals would likely cause real economic harm to not just the menhaden fishery, but to the coastal communities that rely on it,” said Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs at Ocean Harvesters, which operates a fleet of menhaden fishing vessels. “Severely restricting our fishermen in state waters is both damaging and unnecessary.” The report looked at the direct, indirect, and induced impacts of the fishery, which is one of the largest in the region. >click to read< 13:56
Speaking of the nutters! U.K. weighing ban on boiling lobsters alive
Under new amendments to animal welfare bill, crabs, lobsters, octopi, squid and other invertebrates, are set to be recognized as sentient beings that are capable of feeling pain. A simple google search will tell savvy home cooks looking to try their hand at cooking lobster to simply plunge the live creatures, headfirst, straight into a pot of (salted) boiling water. A piece of animal welfare legislation is currently winding its way through the U.K. parliament. “Lobsters struggle violently for approximately two minutes after being placed in boiling water,,, “scalding” animals to death is “unnecessarily cruel”, a belief that has been echoed by other animal welfare advocates and organizations, like the U.K. based Crustacean Compassion. Legislation banning boiling of lobsters alive has already been passed in a handful of countries, including New Zealand, Switzerland and Austria. >click to read< 20:34
SB 29: Setnet permit buyback bill moves from Senate committee
Without objection, the Senate Resources Committee advanced Sen. Peter Micciche’s Senate Bill 29 to the Finance Committee March 8; the bill authorizes the state to buy back nearly half of the upper Cook Inlet setnet permits on the Kenai Peninsula from any members. “We’re finally at the end of our rope. Fishing families that have been fishing the East Side of Cook Inlet for generations are at the end of their rope,” Micciche said to the committee. “We want some of those fishing families to remain viable and give those that choose to be bought out an opportunity to move to other fisheries or to retrain for another line of work.” >click to read< 09:59
North Carolina House Bill 483 – Tough fishing regulations aim for real change
A bill making its way through the N.C. General Assembly could have anglers in eastern North Carolina remembering 2019 as a year of change, whether they like it or not. House Bill 483, the Let them Spawn act, places strict limits on the catch of six severely overfished species popular among commercial and recreational fishers: southern flounder, spot, Atlantic croaker, striped mullet, southern kingfish (sea mullet) and bluefish. >click to read< 11:14
New Jersey: Andrzejczak/Land Black Sea Bass Summer Flounder Bill Clears Assembly Panel
In an effort to benefit commercial fishing operations, Assemblymen Robert Andrzejczak and Bruce Land (both D-1st) have sponsored legislation permitting commercial fishing vessels to possess more than the daily trip limit of black sea bass and summer flounder under certain conditions. The bill was advanced Oct. 18 by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. >click to read<18:23
Fisheries Omnibus Bill of 2018 – California Lawmakers Act to Protect Whales, Turtles From Entanglement
The California Senate yesterday sent legislation to Gov. Jerry Brown to sign that requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to adopt regulations to prevent whales and sea turtles from being entangled in commercial Dungeness crab lines. West Coast entanglements have skyrocketed in recent years. California commercial Dungeness crab gear is responsible for the majority of entanglements where the gear could be identified, entangling at least 35 whales from 2015 to 2017. Senate Bill 1309 responded to the crisis by requiring regulations by November 1, 2020, and directing the department to restrict fishing as needed until then to prevent a significant risk of entanglements. >click to read<20:33
Dan Webster’s Sustainable Shark and Fisheries Trade Act Championed in Senate by Marco Rubio, Lisa Murkowski
At the end of last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced they would champion in the Senate U.S. Rep. Dan Webster’s, R-Fla., proposal for the U.S. Commerce Department to increase regulation on the international shark trade. Last month, Webster, who is the vice chairman on the U.S. House Water Power and Oceans Subcommittee, unveiled the “Sustainable Shark and Fisheries Trade Act” which modifies the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act. The proposal has support from both sides of the aisle,,, >click to read<09:50
Sustainable Shark Bill Recognizes Sacrifices of U.S. Fishermen, Fin Ban Undermines Them
At a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing today, John Polston, a fisherman and member of the Sustainable Shark Alliance (SSA), testified in support of legislation that would promote shark conservation by incentivizing other nations to meet the same high standards of sustainability as U.S. shark fishermen. In testimony before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans, Mr. Polston, owner of King’s Seafood in Port Orange, Florida, praised the Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act (SSFTA) as a “proactive bill that levels the playing field for American fishermen.”>click to read<11:16
Fishermen: Legislation To Protect New York’s Horseshoe Crabs Is ‘Overkill’
There is a new layer of protection for New York’s horseshoe crabs. Environmental groups said it’s needed to preserve a threatened marine species, but commercial fisherman are opposed — they’ve called the legislation ‘overkill.’ Inside of a breeding laboratory run by Molloy College in Suffolk County, the next generation of marine biologists is learning about the long history of horseshoe crabs. Dr. Tanacredi warns the ancient lineage is now threatened by over-development and over-harvesting.,,, A spokeswoman for one fishing group went further telling CBS2, “this legislation is unnecessary and reflects the environmental lobby’s power,” while labeling it, “another attempt to eliminate the commercial fishing industry.” click here to read the story 09:25
Legislation for lobster levy ready – won’t go ahead without fishermen’s support
Pictou West MLA Karla MacFarlane asked Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell Friday for an update on the levy that could see Nova Scotia fishermen pay either one or two cents for every pound landed, which would go towards marketing Nova Scotia lobsters. “We are losing ground on collective efforts to co-ordinate a lobster marketing plan like other provinces such as Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, for they are all supportive of the Lobster Council of Canada and are moving ahead of Nova Scotia with their marketing strategies,”,, Read the article here 11:14
NY State Legislature Passes Commercial Fishing Advocate Position
“The commercial fishing industry is part of the fabric of the East End of Long Island,” Mr. LaValle said in a statement on the measure. “It’s essential that we ensure that the industry is adequately represented before state agencies and is provided the proper tools to thrive. By creating an advocate, fishermen will have a strong voice to assist in the promotion of the industry, and will be part of state economic development plans.” Read the rest here 15:13
Connecticut’s Controversial Shellfish Bill Dead For 2015
The controversial bill, which the legislature’s legal staff warned was potentially unconstitutional, was “recommitted” to the General Assembly’s Environment Committee Saturday. A coalition representing the biggest shellfishing companies in the state, together with several influential lawmakers, had been seeking legislation to create a new shellfishing council to direct all state shellfishing regulatory policies. Malloy’s administration opposed the bill and also opposed the budget-related plan to shift the aquaculture unit from one state department to another. Read he rest here 08:20
LI fisherman’s death inspires change to permit law
Assemb. Fred Thiele on Thursday said he introduced legislation that would end a technicality barring commercial fishing licenses from being passed to family members who don’t live at the home of the original permit holder. more@longislandnewsday
