August 17, 2017 — The Netherlands is testing a new technique to fish – using electric currents. Electrofishing is controversial and is banned by the EU, but can be used on an experimental basis. Critics argue it is cruel because it breaks the backs of some larger cod. But advocates say it is less damaging for the environment than traditional beam trawling. James Clayton reports for BBC Newsnight.
ALASKA: The F/V Akutan’s sad, failed season in Bristol Bay
August 17, 2017 — Fiasco. Disaster. Nightmare. These are words used by those involved with the floating processor Akutan to describe a fishing season gone terribly wrong. The Akutan, owned by Klawock Oceanside, Inc., was supposed to custom process up to 100,000 pounds of Bristol Bay salmon a day for a small fleet of fishermen under the banner Bristol Bay Seafoods, LLC. After July 25, it was bound for the Kuskokwim to give local fishermen their only salmon market.
Nothing went right. The owners, the fishing fleet, the lender, and the crew have gone unpaid or lost big sums of money. Onboard the vessel sits 130,000 pounds of headed-and-gutted sockeye salmon, the only bounty other than the vessel itself that may eventually compensate the parties involved. The owners, fishermen, and other parties filed liens against that fish as the 180-foot floating processor Akutan and a skeleton crew limped out of the silty, shallow Nushagak Bay Sunday to seek repairs at a blue water port.
“We’re in peril,” Captain Steve Lecklitner said Saturday. “We know we cannot stay in this river. It’s breaking down our systems. The owners have basically abandoned the vessel. The mortgage holders and the lenders have not established contact. I’m trying to get parts for our generator, and as soon as that’s done, it’s our intention to move the vessel to Dutch Harbor.”
Best laid plans
After last season a group of about 15 Bristol Bay drift boat fishermen decided to again pursue their own market. These fishing families are members of an Old Believer community in Homer and are commonly, and not pejoratively, referred to as the “Russians” in Bristol Bay’s fleet.
Skipper Kiril Basargin, a leader of this group, has been vocal about his frustration with the “mega corporate seafood buyers” that process 99 percent of Bristol Bay’s catch, faulting them for catch limits and low prices. In 2015 he brought his concerns to the state’s board of fisheries, telling them that Bristol Bay’s seafood companies promise “every year that they are going to keep up, and not holding there [sic] promises. Holding on, the commercial fisherman loses money every minute while they sit. We finally got tired of sitting and losing our seasons. The huge corporations control the markets and commercial fisherman. Finally in Bristol Bay in 2014 Wild Legacy Seafoods was born,” he wrote.
What happened to Wild Legacy Seafoods is unclear. But ahead of the 2017 season, Basargin and others formed a new company, Bristol Bay Seafoods LLC, to be their own “buyer”. They hired Klawock Oceanside to be their processor.
“And really they’ve lost their whole season to mismanagement and mis-operation of the F/V Akutan,” said William Earnhart, an attorney for the Bristol Bay Seafoods fishermen.
Cape May County Chamber Applauds Governor’s Opposition to Offshore Oil Drilling Plan
August 17, 2017 — CAPE MAY, N.J. — The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce applauds the Christie Administration for its statement opposing offshore exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources off the coast of New Jersey or any area of the Atlantic that could adversely affect our pristine coastal communities, fishing estuaries and vibrant tourism economy.
The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Clean Ocean Action and the Jersey Shore Partnership, along with other concerned organizations, encouraged Governor Christie to issue this statement before the Aug. 17 deadline to submit comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
International Seafood Sustainability Foundation Releases Updated Snapshot of Large-Scale Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleet
At least 1,815 authorized purse seiners fishing for tunas worldwide as of June 2017
August 17, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has issued an updated “snapshot” of Large-Scale Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleet as of June 2017. The purpose of the snapshot is to ensure that all management stakeholders have the best and most up-to-date information available when making management decisions. The number of active vessels on the water is particularly relevant when it comes to managing the global tuna fleet’s fishing capacity.
Purse seine vessels account for over 60 percent of the world’s tuna catch, but the exact number of operating vessels is not known. ISSF combed through information from the five tuna Regional Management Organizations (RFMOs) and other databases in order to aggregate and update data in the new report.
The analysis shows that at least 1,815 purse seiners were authorized to fish for tunas worldwide as of June 2017, with around 685 of those vessels being large-scale seiners targeting tropical tunas. Three of the five major commercial species of tuna are tropical tunas. These 685 vessels represent a combined fish hold volume or FHV — a preferred way to measure a vessel’s fishing capacity — of over 860,000 m3.
Of those 685 large scale purse seine vessels fishing for tropical tunas, 512 are registered on the ISSF ProActive Vessel Register (PVR), or 75% in number and 82% in fish hold volume (FHV).
View the updated report here.
Warming oceans: fish on the move
August 17, 2017 — The oceans are getting warmer, and fish are adapting to rising ocean temperatures with their fins and swimming to waters that better suit their temperature preferences. Shifts in the distribution of important coastal fish species are resulting in changes to historical fishing options, new fishing opportunities and new fisheries management challenges.
There are many examples of the distributions of fish species changing in response to the warming oceans, but let’s focus on a few species important to Delaware both past and present. Winter flounder were popular recreational fish decades ago, but they have largely left Delaware waters that are now too warm. Summer flounder and black sea bass remain two of the most sought-after recreational fish in Delaware, but their distribution is gradually shifting northward, with fewer fish available in Delaware waters.
While flounder and black sea bass are examples of changing fish distributions that have decreased fishing opportunities in Delaware, other species seem to be more available in Delaware due to the warming ocean, such as cobia and blueline tilefish, with other southern species likely to become more common in Delaware as our waters continue to warm.
Changing temperatures, changing fish
Winter flounder were a popular, cool weather catch for Delaware’s recreational anglers during the 1960s and 1970s. Delaware was at the southern range of winter flounder distribution and their departure from Delaware waters began soon after those peak years. The number of winter flounder caught during December in Delaware’s Inland Bays by the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s trawl survey declined by more than 90 percent between 1966 and 1981.
Adult winter flounder had virtually disappeared from the trawl survey catches by the early 1990s, with a similar and notable reduction in recreational angler catches. Winter flounder have suffered a steep population decline over the past 20 years and the current winter flounder distribution suggests that this species is still moving north to stay in its preferred temperature range, making it unlikely that they will return to Delaware.
Read the full story from Outdoor Delaware at the Delaware State News
MASSACHUSETTS: Sanfilippo to be honored at Sea to Supper Celebration
August 17, 2017 — To Angela Sanfilippo, the glass is never half empty. Or half full. To Sanfillippo, the glass is always full. As president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association for the past 40 years, her unbounded optimism and energy has lit the way through the most troubled waters ever seen by the fishing industry of Gloucester and all of New England.
In 2012, during some of the darkest of those very dark days, she told a local audience, “We have 250 boats in our harbor and 198 of them are commercial fishing boats … and just last year when everyone thought the fishing industry was dead, what they brought into this port, into dock, was $60 million … people want us to think that the fishing industry is dead … the fishing industry is not dead.”
The feisty Sanfilippo — who noted in the same speech that Gloucester is the city of “Captains Courageous” — is widely considered to be the region’s most effective long-term advocate for commercial fishermen, and for this she will be honored at a dinner on Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Mile Marker One Restaurant & Bar.
The gala benefit, billed as the Sea to Supper Celebration, is one of three gala fundraisers commemorating the 20th anniversary of Fishing Partnership Support Services, a nonprofit Sanfilippo helped found in the late 1990s and on whose board she still serves.
Hawaiʻi nearshore fishery provides big benefits
August 16, 2017 — The monetary, social and cultural importance of Hawaiʻi nearshore fisheries has been examined by researchers in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM). The study argues that fully appreciating the multitude of benefits the nearshore fishery provides to society is a crucial step towards sustainable management.
The multi-year study tracked commercial and noncommercial reef-fish value chains, which was conducted as a collaboration between researchers in the College of Tropcial Agriculture and Human Resources and Conservation International Hawaiʻi. The study, “Follow that fish: Uncovering the hidden blue economy in coral reef fisheries,” was published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.
Small-scale fisheries support the well-being of millions of people around the world—even in a well-developed economy such as Hawaiʻi’s, they provide important economic as well as social benefits. The total annual monetary value of the fishery is approximately $10.3 to $16.4 million. The non-commercial fishery in particular provides huge benefits to the community—non-commercial catch is around three times reported commercial catch and is worth $4.2 to $10 million more annually.
NOAA Fisheries Designates Critical Habitat for Atlantic Sturgeon
August 16, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries today designated critical habitat for Atlantic sturgeon–an important step to ensuring their recovery.
The critical habitat designation will require federal agencies to consult NOAA Fisheries if they operate or fund activities that may affect designated critical habitat in more than 3,968 miles of important coastal river habitat from Maine to Florida. Atlantic sturgeon was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2012 and is comprised of the threatened Gulf of Maine distinct population segment and the endangered New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, Carolina, and South Atlantic distinct population segments.
The ESA requires that NOAA Fisheries designate critical habitat when a species is listed as threatened or endangered. Under the ESA, critical habitat is defined as specific areas within the geographical areas that are occupied by the species, that contain physical or biological features essential to the conservation of that species, and that may require special management considerations.
The designation of critical habitat does not include any new restrictions or management measures for recreational or commercial fishing operations, nor does it create any preserves or refuges. Instead, when a federal agency funds, authorizes, or carries out activities that may affect critical habitat, it must work with NOAA Fisheries to avoid or minimize potential impacts to critical habitat. The activity of the federal agency may need to be modified to avoid destroying or adversely modifying the critical habitat.
“We look forward to working with our federal partners to reduce potential impacts to Atlantic sturgeon critical habitat,” said Samuel D. Rauch III, deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs at NOAA Fisheries. “Our focus now will be on providing guidance to federal agencies to help them carry out their actions efficiently and effectively while minimizing impacts to habitat that is critical to these endangered and threatened populations of sturgeon.”
Atlantic sturgeon are anadromous and use coastal and estuarine waters throughout their lives, and travel to rivers to spawn or lay their eggs. Unlike some anadromous fish, sturgeon do not die after spawning and will return to spawn multiple times. They can grow up to 14 feet long, weigh up to 800 pounds, and live up to 60 years.
Historically, Atlantic sturgeon inhabited approximately 38 rivers in the United States spanning from Maine to Florida. Scientists identified 35 of those as spawning rivers. Atlantic sturgeon can now be found in approximately 32 of these rivers, and spawn in at least 20 of them. Critical habitat areas in coastal rivers were identified based on physical and biological features, such as soil type in the river bed, water temperature and salinity, and underwater vegetation, that are essential to the conservation of Atlantic sturgeon, particularly for spawning and development.
Atlantic sturgeon were harvested heavily in the twentieth century, particularly for their eggs (or roe) used for caviar. Overfishing led to a decline in abundance of Atlantic sturgeon, and in 1998 the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission issued a coast-wide moratorium on the harvest of Atlantic sturgeon, and NOAA Fisheries followed with a similar moratorium in federal waters.
More information on the critical habitat designation is available in the Federal Register notice and on our website.
Fishery officials to consider 2017 red snapper season
August 16, 2017 — Federal fishery managers will vote on an emergency order next month to create an open season later this year for red snapper, which are protected by strict regulations designed to help the species recover from overfishing.
The surprise move, which would create the first open season since 2014, will likely be welcomed by many local anglers who believe red snapper are thriving and mismanaged by overbearing federal officials.
Others were caught off guard by the news and concerned about the repercussions of loosening the regulations and whether fishery managers were legally allowed to make that decision on such short notice.
“The question is, what’s the emergency? Where’s the fire?,” said Leda Cunningham, who works for a campaign to end overfishing run by an arm of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “If there’s new information that indicates the status of the population has changed for the better or worse, we’ll need to see it.”
Red snapper have been protected by strict regulations since 2010, a result of the federal government ruling the species was overfished to dangerously low numbers. Anglers can still catch red snapper, but they’ve had just a few opportunities to keep the fish since the rules took effect.
Activists say proposed EPA cuts threaten Maine
August 16, 2017 — SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Officials and experts spoke out against President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, saying they could hurt beaches, air quality, and tourism, and contribute to sea level rise and damage the health of Maine residents.
The remarks came at a press conference Aug. 10 at Scarborough Beach State Park, hosted by the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
“President Trump’s EPA budget could spoil Maine coastal towns, beaches, water, and air,” Emmie Theberge, federal project director for the NRCM, said. “The Trump Administration and its allies in Congress are endangering our children and communities by pushing to gut environmental protections that are critical to Maine people and our economy.
“These cuts would affect every corner of Maine, but today we are focused on coastal impacts in particular,” Theberge said. “Sea-level rise could cause widespread economic impacts and costly property damage in Maine communities up and down the coast. Maine can’t afford to have EPA turn its back on climate science and the resources needed to help states prepare. These cuts mean more asthma attacks for our kids, more health problems for Maine’s elderly, and more ‘Code Red’ bad air days when vulnerable people must stay indoors.”
During the event it was announced a letter, signed by more than 70 organizations, is being sent to Maine’s U.S. senators and representatives, urging them to do “everything possible” to maintain the EPA’s budget “at no less than current funding levels. The health of our air, water, people, and economy is at stake.”