Monday, April 25, 2011
U.S. SHOULD RATIFY LAW OF THE SEA
It's been in place for nearly 30 years; nearly 160 countries (plus the European Union) have signed it. But the United States has yet to ratify the United Nations Convention on the law of the sea. As a result, the United States, the world's leading maritime power, is at a military and economic disadvantage.
– New York Times
More:www.nytimes.com
Hopes dim for Yukon Chinook
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released its prediction and management strategy for this summer's Yukon River king salmon run this week and it doesn't look good.
– Fairbanks News Miner
More:newsminer.com/bookmark
Tough management works in New England
The new limits are evidence that after many years of overfishing followed by years of harsh regulation, the fish populations are rebounding.
– Portland (Maine) Press Herald
More:www.pressherald.com
Pacific: Keep catch-shares option
Although no two catch share programs are the same, and quotas are certainly not a fix in every fishery, they are one proven model for building both economic and environmental sustainability.
– West Coast Trawlers' Network
More:www.westcoasttrawlers.net
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, Icicle will be heading back to Adak this summer; the state Legislature wants to help cities keep their harbors up, and trying to figure out how to keep those pesky whales from stealing your catch.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
When will Crescent City be repaired?
Dredging of Crescent City Harbor is a distant image on the horizon while temporary docks may not even be in sight before crab season begins.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Mysterious 'crab king' in Seattle
The crab king is mending at home in the United States, but his plight is still the center of an international diplomatic dispute.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
Japan fishing industry waning
The wreckage of a 379-metric ton tuna boat blocks the road to the deserted fish market in Kesennuma, once Japan's largest port for bonito and swordfish. Even after the debris from last month's tsunami has been cleared away, the industry may never recover.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
Halibut in Canadian federal election
Why would Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper, on the Saturday of a long Easter weekend, journey all the way from Etobicoke to Campbell River on the northern reaches of Vancouver Island? In a word: Halibut,
– Globe and Main, Toronto
More:www.theglobeandmail.com
Prince William Sound prawns
The Prince William Sound commercial shrimp pot fishery wrapped up its first opener of the season on April 19, and the preliminary results are in: 33 boats caught about 10,000 pounds over five days.
–Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
THESPIAN SHILLS FOR ENVIROS
"I've always been kind of a shill," says Ted Danson. "The guy out in front of the tent saying, Thank you so much for watching Cheers, come on in and let me introduce you to the marine biologists who have something really important to tell you."
– L.A. Times
More:www.latimes.com
B.C. salmon 'culturally' important
Wild salmon are as culturally important to British Columbians "as the French language is to the people of Quebec," according to a new poll.
– Globe and Mail, Toronto
More:www.theglobeandmail.com
Canada sees lower snow crab catch
Many fishers are questioning the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' decision to slash the snow crab quota to a record low of 6,556.9 tons for the second consecutive year.
– FIS
More:www.fis.com
Europeans warn of frankenfish
European salmon farmers and breeders who dominate global sales have a wary eye on transgenic American superfish that grow fast and might gulp part of the $107 billion-a-year aquaculture business.
– Reuters
More:www.reuters.com
Sporties see Sacramento salmon season
For the first time in more than three years, fish and game opens the Sacramento River to salmon fishing. The announcement restores salmon fishing throughout California, for the first since 2008.
– CRCR, Redding
More:www.krcrtv.com
Drifting fish farms
If a message in a bottle or a Portuguese man-of-war can drift for months on ocean currents, why not cages of "farm-raised" fish?
– Honolulu Times Advertisers
More:www.staradvertiser.com
Oregon consumers need gillnets
Fresh salmon dinners from Columbia River's springers may become a thing of the past for most households throughout the region.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
Unalaska mayor honored for safety
Mayor Shirley Marquardt was recognized by the Coast Guard for her work to keep Aleutian waters safe.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Alexandra Gutierrez, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
Early screening of salmon movie
Oregon Public Broadcasting is hosting an early screening of the Nature program, Salmon: Running the Gauntlet, at 7:30 pm Wednesday at the Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, in Portland. Afterward, I'll be moderating a panel discussion with film director Jim Norton and several other stakeholders about salmon management in the Northwest.
– Pacific Fishing correspondent Cassandra Marie Profita reporting in Ecotrope, Oregon Public Broadcasting
More:ecotrope.opb.org
Depoe Bay docks repaired soon
Docks in Depoe Bay damaged in the March 11 tsunami surge should be up and running again in about two weeks.
– Newport News Times
More:www.newportnewstimes.com
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
JUDGE DENIES ALASKA HALIBUT CHARTERS
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., denied a request by the Charter Operators of Alaska for a preliminary injunction blocking the National Marine Fisheries Service from implementing a new halibut limited-entry program that will knock hundreds of small charters out of business.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Coasties prepare for salmon seasons
Coast Guard aircrews from Air Station Kodiak shifted assets to Cordova in response to the upcoming spring and summer fishing seasons in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska.
– Coast Guard
More:www.d17.uscgnews.com
B.C. halibut: The war continues
The West Coast halibut wars are carrying over into the federal election.
– Canada.com
More:www.canada.com
A '70s triumph: the Magnuson Act
Besides disco balls, bell-bottoms and lava lamps, the 1970s can lay claim to something far more important – a host of landmark environmental laws.
– Statesman Journal
More:www.statesmanjournal.com
Killing wild shrimp to farm shrimp
China's increasing population and rising food demand is fueling a boom in both rice and seafood production in the region. Ironically, the mangroves — home to wild shrimp — are being cleared to make room for commercial shrimp aquaculture.
– National Geographic Daily News
More:news.nationalgeographic.com
Dutch dock ready
The American President Lines crane is finally operative. A cargo vessel offloaded at the dock on Tuesday.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Alexandra Gutierrez, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.kucb.org
Judge: Irrigation hurting coho
A judge has ruled that the California Department of Fish and Game's deal allowing ranchers to continue drawing water from two Klamath River tributaries that often run dry in the summer does not do enough to protect threatened coho salmon.
– San Francisco Chronicle
Read more:www.sfgate.com
If you're in a tsunami …
If you're at sea and learn of an approaching tsunami, head for a depth of 50 fathoms or greater and monitor your radios for specific instructions from port authorities or the Coast Guard.
– Pacific Fishing's May issue
More:Tsunami Awareness
Thursday, April 28, 2011
FISHING DANGEROUS, BUT LESS SO
Commercial fishing remains Alaska's most dangerous occupation based on the sheer number of deaths, but even there, fatalities dropped by almost half.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Salmon on proposed Pebble site
A new fisheries research report documents the presence of wild salmon in streams on top of a major Southwest Alaska mine prospect and calls for further studies into potential impacts groundwater contamination could have on salmon populations.
– Bristol Bay Times
More:thebristolbaytimes.com
Charters ponder more court action
A charter halibut group is discussing whether to continue trying to block a limited-entry program in court.
– KRBD, Ketchikan
More:krbd.org
Corporations own your salmon
Last summer, as estimates of the returning Fraser River sockeye grew toward the 30 million mark, DFO was faced with some serious management issues.
– Alan Haig-Brown, writing in The Tyee, British Columbia
More:thetyee.ca
Salmon sporties boycott Safeway
Recreational fishermen are being urged to Stay Away From Safeway! According to a recent press release from Safeway, the corporate grocery giant is openly endorsing California's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA).
– Indybay media, California
More:www.indybay.org
Redden's word not final
Next month, our eyes will turn once again to see what Judge James Redden has to say about dam management and salmon recovery on the mighty Columbia.
– Pacific Fishing correspondent Cassandra Marie Profita reporting in Ecotrope, Oregon Public Broadcasting
More:ecotrope.opb.org
Dillingham closer to fish tax
City of Dillingham officials have received approval from the state's Local Boundary Commission to hold an election to determine whether residents want to annex the waters of the Nushagak fishing district, allowing the city to impose a 2.5 percent raw fish tax.
– Bristol Bay Times
More:thebristolbaytimes.com
Japan fishing fleet decimated
The March 11 tsunami rendered around 90 percent of the 29,000 fishing boats in the three most severely hit prefectures unusable, according to provisional tallies by the three prefectures.
– Japan Times
More:search.japantimes.co.jp
Cities not cause of sockeye decline
Urban development in the Lower Mainland over the past decade is not a major factor in the general decline of sockeye salmon runs on the Fraser River, a report by Golder Associates for the Cohen Commission concludes.
– Vancouver Sun
More:www.vancouversun.com
Safety course in Haines
Changes have been made to the commercial fishing safety training course scheduled for May in Haines, Alaska, according to a press release from the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA).
– Capital City Weekly
More:www.capitalcityweekly.com
Friday, April 29, 2011
DUNGENESS SEASON BETTER THAN THOUGHT
Even better news is this season's ex-vessel value — at $45.1 million it has already eclipsed least year's $44.8 million total.
– Bend (Ore.) Bulletin
More: www.bendbulletin.com
Ready for Copper River
Gillnetters are expected to get their first crack at those famed Copper River king and sockeye salmon on May 16.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Sea lion hazing kinda effective
After firing hundreds of noisemaking devices from dawn to dusk to stop sea lions from snacking on endangered fish at Willamette Falls, state wildlife workers believe anything short of a round-the-clock hazing probably won't be effective.
– The Oregonian
More: www.oregonlive.com
Using Cook Inlet processing waste
For years, leftovers from the western Kenai Peninsula commercial salmon fishery – heads, spines and guts – have been dumped back into Cook Inlet after being ground up.
– Anchorage Daily News
More: www.adn.com
Green crab pots
You probably don't know that all those crab pots that get launched overboard in the TV hit 'Deadliest Catch' are designed to help protect sea creatures and the marine environment.
– SitNews, Ketchikan
More: www.sitnews.us
Sitka Coastie one of the best
The Coast Guard has named Petty Officer 1st Class Troy Brevik, an aviation maintenance technician and a Juneau resident stationed at Air Station Sitka, as the service's 2010 active duty Enlisted Person of the Year.
– Coast Guard
More: www.d17.uscgnews.com
B.C. salmon farms won't offer safe route
With the recent reactivation of the Conville Bay farm in HoskynChannel (sublet by Grieg Seafood from Marine Harvest), the big three salmon farm companies in BC are ignoring the desperate need for an emergency migration route in the Wild Salmon Narrows.
– Georgia Strait Alliance
More: www.georgiastrait.org
Mussels fight sea lice
University of Maine researchers have published a paper in which they demonstrate that the blue mussel can eat larvae of the sea louse, a parasitic pest that has recently made a comeback on fish farms, decimating populations of farmed finfish.
– FIS
More: www.fis.com
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, the spring troll season in Southeast could be a little early this year; a federal judge denies the charter halibut industry on limited entry; and more herring news from around the Gulf.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More: www.kmxt.org
Vimless Fish Wrap: An apology
Perhaps you've noticed Fish Wrap lacks its accustomed vim and vigor today. Well, it's time to end the charade. Our spirits have been crushed because we were not invited to the Royal Wedding. (Sob!)
