Tag Archives: United States and Canada
California’s fish population rebounds thanks to strict fishing rules
Among the West Coast’s shrinking fish populations 30 years ago, the largely bottom-dwelling groundfish species were particularly hard hit by overfishing and were declared a federal economic disaster. That spurred one of the world’s most aggressive fishery management programs, with an approach that includes science- and data-driven catch limits and no-fishing zones. Of 17 global regions with ocean fishery management programs examined in a new study by the University of Washington, the west coasts of the United States and Canada had the strictest approaches. >click to read< 09:16
A message from NOAA’s Chris Oliver on conservation and management efforts for North Atlantic right whales
United States and Canada Must Sustain Additional Efforts to Reduce North Atlantic Right Whale Mortalities, Serious Injuries – Last Friday, we met once again with Canadian officials to continue our bilateral focus on the conservation and protection of North Atlantic right whales. The United States and Canada have a shared interest in recovering right whales, and it is critical for both countries to take and sustain additional efforts to reduce right whale mortalities and serious injuries. >click to read< 12:27
ADF&G releases terms of new Pacific Salmon Treaty
A new Pacific Salmon Treaty negotiated between the United States and Canada, and critical to fisheries and the economy of Southeast Alaska, is now in effect for the decade ahead, as state and commercial harvester entities wrestle with how to deal with it. Acting Commissioner of Fish and Game Doug Vincent-Lang notes that his agency released the actual language of the negotiated terms, which were several years in the making, to allow affected users the opportunity to review them, “especially given that the terms adopt new metrics for management of fisheries in Southeast Alaska. This was done to improve transparency,” he said on Jan. 2.>click to read<20:08
Canada, U.S. launch joint investigation into deaths of 13 right whales
The United States and Canada are launching a joint investigation into the deaths of the endangered North Atlantic right whales, after the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared the die-off an “unusual mortality event,” or UME, on Thursday night. Confirmation of the investigation came on Friday, during a phone conference involving representatives of NOAA and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). According to NOAA officials, a UME declaration is only triggered when there is significant die-off in a population and one that demands a significant response. click here to read the story 15:59
Lobster War in the “Gray Zone” – High prices fuel border feud
There have been death threats on both sides of the watery divide between the United States and Canada, as lobstermen accuse each other of sabotaging lines, stealing gear, and setting traps atop those already in the water. “This is a ticking time bomb out here,” said Brian Cates, 61, of Cutler, Maine, who has been fishing the contested waters in the Bay of Fundy since he was 9 years old. “It’s just a matter of time before someone gets killed.” Video, Read the rest here 07:49
New England: Handicapping our fishermen
Hadddock populations are known to be cyclical. Having recovered from recent lows in the 1990s, the stock is now healthy and abundant. In fact, for nearly a decade, haddock biomass has been hovering at or above the highest levels recorded in 60 years. But you wouldn’t know that by looking at what American fishermen have been landing. Despite being one of the most plentiful groundfish stocks available, our fishermen have been mostly unsuccessful at harvesting their allocations. Read more here bostonglobe 11:30More funding for Pacific salmon – Close to $4 million has been promised
Preliminary applications are being accepted for projects involving data collection and stock assessments, as well as rehabilitation and restoration of freshwater habitats. continued@cknw
Tuna Trollers Trash Treaty Talks – Outcome of negotiations disappoints US harvesters as new season begins
Fishermen’s News – Two days of intense negotiations held between government representatives from the United States and Canada in Portland, Oregon in mid-April failed to mollify either nation’s commercial tuna fishermen. continued
Why We Need to Put the Fish Back Into Fisheries – (We know, but you have not included the unregulated fishing community!)
There’s something missing in this cartoon.
This is another article that is incomplete in assessing why the fish stock’s may not be what they should be. It’s obvious there is a predator issue that finds crustacean populations booming. The answer, it appears is to cut back on effort, but until they come to realize the unregulated fishing community that has exploded over forty years, with no effort controls, and fishes continuously, there will be only the regulated to be blamed. This report is typically short sighted.
The research, published today in the journal Fish and Fisheries, shows that traditional fisheries targeting large predators such as cod and haddock, have declined over the past hundred years. In their place, catches of shellfish such as prawns, scallops and lobsters have rocketed as they begin to thrive in unnaturally predator-low environments often degraded by the passage of trawls and dredges. continued
AUDIO: NEFMC Groundfish Committee’s Oct. 11 Meeting Prompts Discussion Related to Closed Area Access and Transboundary Stock Shares
HAMPTON, N.H. – October 11, 2012 – The New England Fishery Management Council’s (NEFMC) Groundfish Oversight Committee met last Thursday to continue development of Framework Adjustment 48 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. Throughout the discussion, there were several key issues that emerged as focal points for a great deal of Committee and public comment, as well as debate. 
