Tag Archives: politics
Caiozzo Questions Langevin’s Support for Fishing Industry in RI
Republican candidate for Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District Sal Caiozzo is questioning the support being offered by Congressman Jim Langevin for the commercial fishing industry in Rhode Island. “For the past two years I’ve gone to D.C. and fought for Rhode Island’s commercial fisherman. I’ve made several day-long trips on commercial fishing vessels, I’ve met with fishermen, industry leaders and congressmen from states with a commercial fishing industry urging them to hear the plight of fishermen and stop over-regulating the industry. click here to read the story 09:02
Editorial: Fishermen should look for smart ways to survive
As spring Chinook salmon congregate in the ocean around the mouth of the Columbia River in anticipation of their ancient migration to upriver spawning grounds, this spring also sees a swirling conglomeration of politics in Oregon and Washington state over how to allocate salmon among different interests. In some ways nothing new, in other respects the fight over salmon is rising to a higher pitch. Increasingly involving elected leaders, the outcome is becoming even less predictable. Also unclear is where a majority of Oregon and Washington state voters stand on the issue. The key point of recent news in the matter is the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission’s unanimous vote to curtail gillnet fish harvests, altering an earlier decision that was more favorable to commercial fishermen. Bullied into the decision by Gov. Kate Brown, the commission backed away from its earlier acknowledgment that the states have so far failed to keep a promise made by the Oregon Legislature to ensure the continuing economic viability of the commercial fleet. Alternative fishing methods have proven ineffective, alternative fishing grounds are in short supply, and money has been slow to arrive to aid transition away from the decades long gillnetting tradition. continue reading the op-ed here 16:20
Hooked Up!!! Catch Share Politics – ‘Sea Lords’ hook a congressional reformer
Steve Southerland agrees: He was something of a threat to some commercial fishermen. The former Florida congressman led the effort to change a federal program (catch shares) – unknown to most taxpayers – that allows a handful of businesses and fishermen to make millions off a government resource, creating what some fisherman call “lords of the sea.” The government essentially decides who will be a successful commercial fisherman and who will not.” And it doesn’t matter how hard you work,” Southerland says. “It doesn’t matter, you know, how much money you have to… That you’ve borrowed. It’s all based on a philosophy. And if you believed in that philosophy, then you win.” Southerland took to the floor of Congress, trying to make changes. In response, the same commercial fishermen profiting off this government resource poured tens of thousands of dollars into the campaign account of Southerland’s congressional opponent. Those same fishermen contributed additional money to a political action committee called Ocean Champions that also went after Southerland. “I think that it was a group of fishermen that worked towards that,” says Galveston, Texas commercial fisherman Buddy Guindon. “Mostly guys out of Florida. I didn’t have much to do with it. I contributed a little money to them.” Video, Read the story here 08:25
Opinion: State, council fail to help Kodiak trawl fisheries
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has a record for successful fishery management, built on principles known as the Alaska Model. Recently, the council abandoned the Alaska Model and its solid reputation for progressive fishery management. In doing so, the council failed the Gulf of Alaska trawl groundfish fisheries and our community of Kodiak. Led by the state of Alaska, the council voted at its December meeting in Anchorage to “postpone indefinitely” any further work to address the goal of bycatch reduction through a cooperative management program for Gulf of Alaska trawl fisheries. Instead, the Council ended a four-year public process to develop a program to achieve this goal. By their action, the state and the council put politics first, and the health of our fisheries and coastal communities came in dead last. Read the op-ed here 17:46
Waldoboro Selectman Emphasizes Importance of Jobs, Commercial Fishing Industry in Run for House
Waldoboro selectman is hoping to parlay his time at the municipal level of government into a role in the Maine State Legislature. Abden Simmons, R-Waldoboro, is looking to represent House District 91, which includes Friendship, part of Union, and Washington in addition to Waldoboro. Simmons, who was elected to the Waldoboro Board of Selectmen in June 2015, said he believes the Legislature needs to create favorable conditions for businesses, which, in turn, will lead to job creation. Another big part of Simmons’ focus is the commercial fishing industry. He believes the commercial fishing industry is an integral part of the state’s economy that deserves to be defended in the Legislature. “I want to make sure commercial fishing doesn’t get interfered with any more than it already is,” Simmons said. Simmons is the executive director of the Maine Elver Fisherman Association, and has spent time on the state’s shellfish advisory council, in addition to taking part in the governor’s task force on the invasive European green crab. Read the story here 16:36
Fishy politics lures candidates of every stripe to Kodiak
The lure of reaching a statewide radio audience once again is attracting a full slate of political hopefuls to Kodiak for its popular fisheries debate. On Wednesday, five candidates for U.S. Senate will travel to the nation’s No. 2 fishing port to share their ideas on Alaska’s seafood industry. “It’s a great service to Kodiak, to our fishing communities and to Alaska in general,” said Trevor Brown, director of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce, host of the event. “Fishing is the state’s largest private-sector employer. I think the candidates realize the importance of the fishing industry.” Since 1990, the Kodiak debates have been an election year staple for candidates running for governor and Congress, and they’ve gotten 100 percent participation. Read the story here 09:41
Winners and Losers – The politics of fisheries decisions in Lobster Fishing Area 25
With just about any political decision there are winners and there are losers. A tax break helps some while others pay through a reduction in service somewhere else. There are also winners and losers, or at least a perception of such, in the case of Federal Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo’s decision last week to increase the minimum lobster carapace size in Lobster Fishing Area 25. The Maritime Fishermen’s Union in New Brunswick can claim to be the winner, in that it had been lobbying for an increase, while the Prince County Fishermen’s Association in P.E.I. is taking the loss as it had been arguing in favour of leaving the size limit unchanged. Read the rest here 12:15
Conservative Cape Cod scientist announces 2nd run for Congress, hoping to challenge Keating
A Brown University biology professor calling for tighter border security and less government regulation is taking his second run at the U.S. House of Representatives, announcing plans Thursday to vie for the Republican nomination in the 9th Congressional District. Mark Alliegro, a former senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, said securing the country’s southern border is “probably about the top issue” for people he speaks with in the district, which spans Cape Cod and much of SouthCoast. Read the rest here 06:57
California’s bluefin tuna drowning in a sea of politics
California should shut down its Pacific bluefin tuna fishery. That’s something conservationists have been demanding for years, citing evidence of severe overfishing,,, federal rules and interagency politics are getting in the way of smart fishery management. “I don’t think we have any choice but to adopt our rules in conformance with what the federal council recommended,” Sutton said of the recommendation from the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, the industry-dominated (?) regional advisory body,,, Read the rest here 10:36
Why Southeast Alaska Seiners Association chooses Parnell for governor
Three items point to the reason behind this unanimous endorsement by the Southeast Alaska Seiners Board of Directors, who hail from Petersburg, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan, as well as at-large seats from Seattle and Anacortes, Washington. Read the rest here 06:44
Hunting for whale and votes in Barrow, Alaska-‘It’s exciting that people in this small community could shape America,’
Gabe Tegoseak tired after a late night spent butchering one of three bowhead whales that subsistence hunters towed in from the pewter-colored waters of the Chukchi Sea. Slabs of blubber cover front yards all over town, and Tegoseak has some whale of his own to cut up and cook at home. But not yet. There is an election coming soon, and doors await his knock. Harold Snowball answers one of them. Read the rest here 08:50
Tom Steyer: the green billionaire pouring millions into the midterms
The former hedge fund executive has now emerged as the biggest single donor of this election cycle – at least as far as publicly disclosed donations are concerned – and a favorite new punching bag for Republican opponents, a role previously reserved for Al Gore. Read the rest here 13:28
Fishy Money Fuels Super PACs In Alaska Senate Race
Outside super PACs have played a major role supporting Sen. Mark Begich (D) ,,, The majority of this outside spending binge has come through the super PAC Put Alaska First.,,, While evidence suggests Fishermen’s Finest is the largest donor with an actual interest in Alaskan affairs,, In a conversation with The Huffington Post, Fishermen’s Finest president and general counsel Dennis Moran avoided questions about the ownership of the LLCs. Read the rest here 12:48
NEW BEDFORD —Offshore wind and fishing industries must ‘coexist to survive’
“Our people know what they’re doing at sea.” That’s the common refrain of city and state politicians alike as they try to convince industry leaders and the public that New Bedford should be America’s offshore wind hub. “There is a big feeling that this is just another thing encroaching on us,” said seafood consultant Jim Kendall. “But we know we’ll have to coexist to survive.” Read more here 08:18
Alaska: Governor’s appointments are a joke, but he’s not kidding
This is the time of year year when the governor appoints people to official positions. Parnell is delivering a couple of real doozies. In searching high and low (especially low) for a fisheries advisor, the governor landed on the six-year spokesmodel for the Pebble mine project, a guy named Ben Mohr. You know Pebble, the project that plans to build a giant poison lake at the headwaters of Alaska’s most productive salmon rivers. Mohr is definitely a guy you want making policy to ensure the health of our fisheries for the next millennium. Read more here 15:33
Connecticut inches toward lucrative eel industry
Days after a deal by state lawmakers , a 15-state regional agency proposed to ease rules allowing broader access to the multimillion-dollar global eel market. “Why is it so overwhelmingly concentrated in one state? If we’re going to have fisheries, let’s talk about opening it more fairly,” Read more here 13:58
Politics catching up with Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board
BATON ROUGE – Last week saw Ewell Smith resign as executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board after 13 years of service. And despite the lengthy reign, it was really only the last two years that did him in, thanks in large part to coastal lawmakers. The board was once a sleepy quasi-government organization, but that all changed when BP gave it $30 million to help the seafood industry recover from the 2010 oil spill. more@acadiaparishtoday 20:26
