Tag Archives: Trawl Surveys
Canadian Coast Guard can’t retire old fisheries science vessels on East Coast
Canada is extending the life of its two aging offshore fisheries science vessels on the East Coast as the Canadian Coast Guard struggles to bring their replacements into service. The transition has floundered because of breakdowns, unplanned maintenance and refits on both new and old fisheries science vessels. In response, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has now postponed the planned retirement of 40-year-old CCGS Alfred Needler on Dec.31 and 34-year-old CCGS Teleost set for March 2023. >click to read< 09:18
R/V Bigelow: Overspread, Under spread, or the Perfect spread.
Today both commercial and recreational fishermen believe that NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science is problematic while N.E. Trawl Panel Members who regulate the R/V Bigelow net, state there is a problem of over and under spreading which causes the net to fish inadequately. The N.E. Trawl Panel wants to put a Restrictor Wire between the trawl doors to stop the overspreading. I believe what they want to do will not work adequately, because if one door hits an obstacle the other door will be affected. Another issue would be dragging wire on the bottom of the ocean between the doors will affect the herding of fish. What will it take to address and fix the overspreading and under spreading and achieve the perfect spread at all times? >click to read< 21:01 Thank you, Captain Salvatore Novello, Gloucester, Massachusetts
Sign This Petition – MAKE COMMERCIAL FISHING GREAT AGAIN
1-Millions of jobs depend on reforming the Magnuson-Stevenson Act by passing HR 200. 2-Repeal Marine Monuments on our fishing grounds. 3-Say NO to wind turbines on our sacred fishing grounds. 4- Do all federal trawl surveys on industry boats and support increased cooperative research. 5- Restore all of the Saltonstall Kennedy money to the fishing industry>click to read, sign this petition<10:23
Trawl Surveys, what are they good for? – Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet USA
(Note that I am only addressing the NOAA/NMFS reliance on bottom trawl survey data in finfish stock assessments. I am not questioning the value of the wealth of biological and physical data that this long – running series of surveys generate.) From the article: According to NOAA/NMFS these surveys have provided and continue to provide “the primary scientific data” for fisheries assessments from North Carolina to Maine (fisheries assessments are the periodic – generally held every 3 to 5 years – scientific/bureaucratic exercises. In NOAA’s words “NOAA Fisheries’ scientific stock assessments are critical to modern fisheries management. Using data gathered from commercial and recreational fishermen and our own on-the-water scientific observations, a stock assessment describes the past and current status of a fish population or stock, answers questions about the size of the stock, and makes predictions about how a fishery will respond to current and future management measures.”) click here to read the article 12:35
Speaking of Science, DFO says trust the science!
In the midst of ongoing protests outside of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in St. John’s Friday, several DFO staff briefed reporters on fisheries science and the approach to resource management. At the Canadian Coast Guard building on Southside Road, they walked through an overview of ongoing scientific study and management work specific to Newfoundland and Labrador. The presentations spoke to the extent and effect of ecosystem changes, including the recent and painful quota cuts to both northern shrimp and crab. A biomathematician and employee for more than 30 years with DFO, Dr. Pierre Pepin spoke to the department’s seasonal ocean climate monitoring and trawl surveys, among other work. He said the science being conducted in the region is robust, and the reports and advice coming from DFO scientists can be trusted as a fundamental source of information. click here to read the story 09:46
NOAA/NMFS Considers Moving Trawl Surveys to Fishing Vessels
NOAA Fisheries is initiating a planning process to support its intention to transition part or all of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s spring and fall bottom trawl surveys from the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow to fishing industry vessels provided that survey data collection quality and time series integrity can be maintained. “The bottom trawl survey is perhaps the most valuable ecological data set that we maintain at the Center,” said Bill Karp, the center’s director. “Those data are critical for many of the fishery stock assessments in the region and are mined by a wide variety of researchers for other purposes. By sharing the responsibility for gathering these data with the fishing industry, I think there will also come greater shared confidence in the results obtained using them.” Read the rest here 17:12
