Tuesday, April 23, 2013
MULTI-MILLION DOLLARS OF UPGRADES FOR ALASKA PORTS
Fishing ports and harbors from Kodiak to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor and Bristol Bay to Sitka will see millions of dollars in upgrades over the next few years, from ramps, floats and docks to an entire new cargo terminal.
– Fishermen's News
More:fishermensnews.com
Permit buyback for Bristol Bay?
The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association is conducting an "informal poll" of drift gillnetters on the idea of a permit buyback.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Fishing deaths probed
Two bodies were found on separate fishing vessels in two Kodiak harbors on Friday.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
Bristol Bay plan opposed
Nearly a hundred people turned out Friday night in Dillingham to voice concerns about a document that will guide the future of development across the Bristol Bay region.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
CA gillnet fishery declared a threat
A federal report released today ranks California's drift gillnet fishery one of the nation's deadliest fisheries for marine mammals.
– Center for Biological Diversity
More:biologicaldiversity.org
Adak processor closes
Just two years after reopening, the seafood processing plant in Adak is shutting down.
– KCUB
More:kucb.org
Joint commercial fisheries deal
Local First Nations chiefs and the Ontario Natural Resources minister heralded their latest five-year commercial fishing agreement as one which marks the beginning of a new relationship between them.
– Owensoundsuntimes.com
More:owensoundsuntimes.com
Monster wave a killer?
The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Sunday (April 21) that it was suspending the search for four fishermen whose boat is believed to have been destroyed by a rogue wave.
– Yahoo! News
More:news.yahoo.com
Herring management challenged
The San Francisco Herring Association filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court against the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to challenge new federal restrictions prohibiting fishermen from catching spawning herring in waters that abut protected Golden Gate National Recreation Area land.
– Mill Valley Patch
More:millvalley.patch.com
Late start for Oregon's pink shrimp season
After weeks of disputes between fisherman and processors, the Oregon commercial pink shrimp season finally got going this week, the Oregon Trawl Commission announced Thursday.
– The Worldlink.com
More:theworldlink.com
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
TRAWLER CRASH IN ESQUIMALT
A Seattle factory fishing trawler being towed into Esquimalt Harbour crashed into a docked warship Tuesday, causing seawater to slam onto the bows of both vessels.
Photograph by: ADRIAN LAM
– The Times Colonist
More:timescolonist.com
Panama's huge frankenfish farm
Supersized genetically modified salmon grown fast and fat and after years of wrangling, are ready for market – but is the market ready for them? And why is the firm hidden away in Panama?
– The Guardian
More:guardian.co.uk
Pebble nears permitting phase
The companies spearheading development of the proposed Pebble Mine anticipate going into permitting before the end this year.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Fishermen's deaths questioned
The father of a 22-year-old commercial fisherman who died says not enough has been done; he voiced frustration over what he called a lack of government oversight of the fishing industry.
– KPLU
More:kplu.org
Oil giant passes 'beer can' test
Shell's efforts to open a new frontier of oil exploration in the Arctic Ocean continue with work conducted in Puget Sound.
– KCAW
More:alaskapublic.org
'Unusual mortality' for SoCal sea lion pups
Hundreds of sea lion pups have been found severely underweight and stranded on Southern California beaches this year, overwhelming marine mammal centers with starving animals.
– The Del Norte Triplicate
More:triplicate.com
Setting record straight on herring population
The amount of spawn in the area is much stronger than 40 years ago when the sac roe fishery started.
– Sitnews
More:sitnews.us
Nova Scotia grapples with fishing death rates
Sadly, worker safety in the province's fishing sector is not top of mind and poor decision-making is continuing to result in injuries and industrial fatalities, the chief executive officer of the Workers' Compensation Board said Tuesday.
– The Chronicle Herald
More:thechronicleherald.ca
New forage fish management touted
On the west coast, the first-ever Fishery Ecosystem Plan has been unanimously approved, which will protect not only individual fish species, but the forage species they depend on for food off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington.
– Sustainablebusiness.com
More:sustainablebusiness.com
Fishermen oppose satellite monitoring
Keys commercial fishermen unanimously opposed mandatory satellite tracking while fishing for snapper and grouper in the South Atlantic at a federal hearing in Key Largo.
– Keysnet.com
More:keysnet.com
Thursday, April 25, 2013
LAWMAKERS FIGHT FRANKENFISH
On Tuesday Congressman Don Young joined 2 Democrats from California in introducing a new bill called the "Prevention of Escapement of Genetically Altered Salmon in the United States Act."
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Alaska rep lobbies against frankenfish
An Anchorage legislator made a trip this week to the far reaches of the Canadian Maritime Province of Prince Edward Island to raise awareness about what she sees as the detrimental effects of genetically-engineered salmon.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
Cod fleet calls it quits
For the first time since its inception, the state-waters Pacific cod pot fleet quit fishing with a substantial amount of the quota still in the water.
– Homer News
More:homernews.com
Scallop monopoly dissolved
New opportunities should open for commercial fishermen interested in expanding to the scallop industry since the passage of a bill that eliminates a monopoly currently held by a single Washington state operator.
– Homer Tribune
More:homertribune.com
EPA's Bristol Bay assessment delayed
Many stakeholders in the Pebble Mine fight anticipated getting a look this week at the latest version of the EPA's "Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment". They will have to wait a little while longer.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Kenai bans dipnet waste
The City of Kenai will fine individuals dumping fish carcasses and other refuse on its beaches in an effort to keep the North and South beaches clean during the July dipnet fishery season.
– Peninsula Clarion
More:peninsulaclarion.com
Group joins gillnet lawsuit
The Oregon Court of Appeals will allow the Coastal Conservation Association to intervene in the lawsuit filed by commercial fishing interests seeking to over a new bi-state Columbia River fish management plan.
– The Columbian
More:columbian.com
Hundreds of smuggled fish bladders seized
Seven people have been charged with smuggling bladders from an endangered fish in what authorities said Wednesday may be a growing international practice in which the bladders are sold for more than $10,000 each to be used in a highly desired soup.
– The Times Colonist
More:timescolonist.com
New Arctic fishing management pact
As the world warms, more and more polar ice thaws during the summers, creating newly opened waters and the need to address commercial exploitation.
– World Politics Review
More:worldpoliticsreview.com
UK scientists admit fish count mistake
With scientists admitting they got the amount of fish in the North Sea and surrounding waters wrong, one Whitby fisherman has said: "Now give us our quota back."
– Whitby Gazette
More:whitbygazette.co.uk
Friday, April 26, 2013
COAST GUARD SAVES BERING SEA FISHERMAN
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew medevaced a fisherman reportedly suffering from symptoms of intestinal bleeding more than 110 miles northwest of Cold Bay Thursday.
– U.S. Coast Guard News
More:uscgnews.com
Coast Guard saves 35 ton shrimp catch
The U.S. Coast Guard came to the assistance of two fishing vessels, helping to save a total catch of 35 tons of shrimp from spoiling Wednesday.
– The Daily Astorian
More:dailyastorian.com
It's official: Cal's first tsunami boat
The small barnacle-encrusted boat that became a symbol of hope for a Japanese city devastated by the March 2011 tsunami has officially been declared the first piece of debris to arrive on California's shores after traveling thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean to a beach in Del Norte County.
– Eureka Times-Standard
More:times-standard.com
Togiak herring fishery could start soon
For the last month or so the speculation has been that the annual Togiak sac-roe herring fishery might get underway later than normal, somewhere between May 7th and the 14th. However, the recent weather and ice conditions might change that timeline.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Alaska fisheries report
Coming up this week, Bristol Bay fishermen will be surveyed about how they feel about a permit buy-back, Alaska salmon is getting a good reception on the world stage, and an State Representative returns from Canada's smallest province after asking them to oppose genetically engineered salmon.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
Alaska rep recaps year for fisheries
It was Rep. Bob Herron's first session legislating for the Aleutian and Pribilof islands, along with the Bethel region. He spoke with KUCB's Lauren Rosenthal to recap the year.
– KCUB
More:kucb.org
Herring fishery lowdown
As previously reported, the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was less than fulfilling this year.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
King salmon fishery tightened
The first commercial fishing announcement of the season in the Upper Cook Inlet restricts commercial king salmon fishing in the Northern part of the inlet.
– Peninsula Clarion
More:peninsulaclarion.com
The ultimate fishing town?
Manatee County's historic fishing village is a contender to be voted the "Ultimate Fishing Town."
– Bradenton Herald
More:bradenton.com
NZ declares fishing a threat to sea birds
The New Zealand Government has released a statement of intent to save native seabirds, including endangered albatrosses and petrels, from being killed by commercial and non-commercial fishing activity.
– WildlifeExtra.com
More:wildlifeextra.com
