I know that everyone is getting ready to slip into their flip flops and sandals, but let us all not forget that less than a few months ago, the east coast, New York in particular, was experiencing a pretty brutal winter. I decided that instead of fighting the cold harshness of mother nature, embracing it might be a better approach! That is when I decided to travel up to the beautiful town of Schroon Lake, NY to photograph the annual ice fishing derby.
Changes to halibut sharing a ‘callous, desperate’ ploy for votes, says FFAW
A decision by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to deviate from an established halibut quota sharing arrangement will have a deep impact on fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador, and greatly benefit harvesters in Prince Edward Island, the home province of Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, a union leader says.
Keith Sullivan, president of the St. John’s-based Fish, Food and Allied Workers’ union, described the decision as a “callous, calculated and desperate” move by the federal Conservatives to win votes in the Maritime provinces.
“It’s like taking bread from the table of hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians just to buy votes in other parts of Canada,” Sullivan said.
DFO has announced that the total allowable catch (TAC) for Atlantic halibut in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, known as NAFO Division 4RST, will increase by 20 per cent.
Scientists and NGOs advocate for fisheries management plan in the Strait of Sicily
May 26, 2015 — The conservation organization Oceana and more than 50 scientists have urged the Mediterranean States to establish a management plan in the Strait of Sicily for demersal fisheries, which should be based on the best scientific advice available to help recover overexploited hake and deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) stocks.
The letter signed by scientists will be released at the 39th session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), which began on Monday in Milan.
The contracting parties of the Commission have met throughout the week to identify management measures for the Mediterranean stocks given a complicated picture: 91 per cent of the stocks for which they are responsible are overexploited.
Within the agenda there is a plan for hake and deepwater rose shrimp demersal fisheries in the Strait of Sicily, which are severely overfished. In the case of hake, GFCM scientists have spent almost 30 years warning about the alarming situation of the stock. To this day no measures have been implemented to recover this fishery.
NEW YORK: New fishing regulation questioned
May 26, 2015 — Turns out it was all a misunderstanding. Sort of.
The new fishing regulation that makes it seemingly illegal to so much as take a photo of an out-of-season, out-of-water fish was questioned a couple of weeks ago by Syracuse Post-Standard outdoors writer Dave Figura.
The new regulation, which took effect April 1, is listed on page 52 in the new DEC fishing guide that comes with a fishing license:
“A person may not fish for a species (even if immediately released) during the closed season for that species on a given water. Fish caught during the closed season must be unhooked and released immediately. They may not be handled for any other purpose, including taking a picture.
“Such action can result in a ticket from an environmental conservation officer and a resulting penalty of a fine of up to $250, and/or 15 days in jail.”
DEC spokeswoman Lori Severino was quoted in Figura’s column: “It’s a ticketable offense. It’s all because of the social media thing and people posing with the fish for pictures. They often spend too much time dilly-dallying and don’t return the fish immediately to the water. This was designed to protect the fish species.”
Read the full story at Press and Sun-Bulletin
Sen. Mark Kirk joins Congress members to back bills to phase out plastic microbeads
May 26, 2015 — Two Michigan lawmakers they and other members of Congress are sponsoring bipartisan legislation to protect the Great Lakes from the damaging effects of plastic microbeads found in some soaps and personal care products.
ASMFC American Lobster Board: States Schedule Hearings
May 26, 2015 – The following was released by the ASMFC:
Arlington, VA – The states of Maine through Rhode Island and Maryland have scheduled their public hearings to gather input on the Draft Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Jonah Crab. The details of those hearings follow.
Maine Department of Marine Resources
July 6, 2015; 6-8 PM
Casco Bay Lines Conference Room
56 Commercial Street
Portland, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6024
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
July 7, 2015; 7:30 PM
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwin Road
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
July 8, 2015; 5 – 9 PM
Fairfield Inn and Suites
185 MacArthur Boulevard
New Bedford, Massachusetts
Contact: Dan McKiernan at 617.626.1536
Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management
July 9, 2015; 5:30 – 9 PM
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus
Corliss Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Mark Gibson at 401.423.1935
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
June 30, 2015; 4:30 – 7 PM
Ocean Pines Library
1106 Cathell Road
Ocean Pines, Maryland
Contact: Craig Weedon at 410.643.4601 ext. 2113
The Jonah Crab FMP was initiated in response to concern about increasing targeted fishing pressure for Jonah crab, which has long been considered a bycatch in the lobster fishery. However, growing market demand has increased landings by 6.48 fold since the early 2000s. The majority of crab are harvested by lobstermen using lobster traps. With the increase in demand for crab, a mixed crustacean fishery has emerged that can target both lobster or crab or both at different times of year based on slight legal modifications to the gear and small shifts in the areas in which traps are fished. The mixed nature of the fishery makes it difficult to manage a Jonah crab fishery completely separate from the American lobster fishery without impacting the number of vertical lines and traps capable of catching lobster in state and federal waters. A complete picture of the Jonah crab fishery in federal and state waters is difficult to ascertain due to the mixed nature of the fishery. In the absence of a comprehensive management plan and stock assessment, increased harvest of Jonah crab may compromise the sustainability of the resource.
The Draft Jonah Crab FMP presents management objectives, proposed regulations to the commercial and recreational fisheries, monitoring requirements, and recommendations for federal waters fisheries. The proposed options seek to address the following issues:
· The crab resource is not directly regulated in federal waters but is rather regulated incidentally by the American lobster regulations. There are no crab specific regulations in federal waters or permit/license requirements.
· There are no minimum size protections for Jonah crab, nor are there regulations to protect spawning biomass, including restrictions on the harvest of females or egg carrying females.
· Supermarkets and other major buyers are positioning to discontinue selling processed and whole Jonah crab unless it is managed sustainably which would impact the ex-vessel price.
· A lack of universal permit and reporting requirements makes it difficult to characterize catch and effort to the full extent in order to manage the fishery
· A Jonah crab trap is not distinguishable from a lobster trap making it difficult to independently manage crab and lobster fisheries.
· Because crab traps are similar in design and function to lobster traps, but are not specifically regulated, there may be implications with the lobster fishery and marine mammal interactions compromising the effectiveness of the Large Whale Take Reduction and Lobster plans.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft FMP either by attending public hearings or providing written comments. The Draft FMP can be obtained at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/DraftJonahCrabFMP_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on July 24, 2015 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Jonah Crab FMP). For more information, please contact Megan Ware at mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
Fishermen’s service honors those lost at sea
New Bedford, Mass. — May 26, 2015 — When the Carpenter family gathered on the waterfront Monday morning to pose for a group photo after the annual Fishermen’s Memorial Service hosted by the New Bedford Port Society, it took a few minutes to get everyone positioned.
There were a lot of people to fit in the frame.
At least 15 immediate and extended family members of late fisherman Joseph F. Carpenter Jr., traveled from various parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island to attend Monday morning’s service on Pier 3, as they said they do every year.
This year, though, marked 20 years since Carpenter’s death in September 1995, when he was aboard a boat named Rapture. Cheryl, one of his five sisters, said Monday that Carpenter got tangled in a line, and indicated the weather was rough.
The family didn’t talk very much about the exact circumstances of his death. Instead, they enjoyed their time together and shared the opportunity to remember Carpenter, whose name was one of more than 300 read under sunny skies Monday by the Hon. Armand Fernandes and Pat Hunt of the Port Society.
Read the full story at New Bedford Daily Times
Land-based industry suffering along with fishermen
New Bedford, Mass. — May 26, 2015 — When consumers enjoy a seafood dinner caught by local boats, it isn’t just the fisherman they need to thank for the pleasure.
Dozens of family-owned allied area businesses play a vital role in the local fishing industry, supplying a wide variety of goods and services that keep fishing afloat, ranging from gear and fuel to food, fresh water and ice.
Retired fisherman James Kendall, owner of New Bedford Seafood Consulting, underscores the importance of these allied businesses to all sectors of the commercial seafood industry. Often family-owned, these operations, he notes, have been forced to become “very adaptive” to meet the changing and frequently diminishing needs of the fishing industry brought about by the reduction in fishing trips allowed by the federal government.
According to Kendall, these allied industries are “critical” to the survival of the fishing industry but are in danger of disappearing. In some smaller ports, Kendall notes, some services are no longer available, causing fishermen to turn to businesses in New Bedford and Gloucester or similar, larger ports.
“Without them, we can’t operate,” Kendall said, listing services such as fuel and ice delivery, equipment and ship repair, and stocking provisions as crucial supports to the successful operation of any commercial fishing vessel.
Read the full story at The New Bedford Standard-Times
New call for outside review of NOAA assessments
May 26, 2015 — GLOUCESTER, Mass. — The battle over the validity of NOAA fish stock assessments that continually have led to slashed groundfish quotas has reached a higher pitch, with mounting calls for a third-party assessment of the manner the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assesses fish stocks.
Under questioning by U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., on Wednesday, NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan defended the accuracy of the agency’s fish stock assessments and said she would welcome a third-party review of the agency’s methods and performance in arriving at the science that serves as the basis for the federal government’s fishery management policies.
Ayotte’s questioning stemmed largely from the Northeast Seafood Coalition-sponsored petition proclaiming no confidence “in the stock status reported by recent assessments for many groundfish stocks” and seeking a third-party review of NOAA’s methods and results.
The petition urged the formation of a “blue ribbon panel of assessment scientists” that would include government, academic and industry leaders and be coordinated by either the National Research Council or the U.S. Government Accountability Office “to determine the underlying causes of assessment failures.”
The petition also seeks binding recommendations from the blue ribbon panel “to correct those causes in a transparent and collaborative manner and in time for the updated review scheduled for all groundfish stocks this coming September.”
The petition, signed by almost 150 fishermen from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Virginia, was sent to 14 U.S. senators and 20 members of the House of Representatives.
Read the full story and watch the Youtube video at the Gloucester Times
New York State DEC changes stance: ‘We do not ticket anglers for taking photos of fish’
The Department of Environmental Conservation announced this afternoon that it would not be ticketing anglers for taking pictures of out-of-season or endangered fish they catch.
The statement contradicts the recent DEC fishing guide and a position stated earlier this month by the state agency.
“The DEC does not ticket anglers for taking pictures of fish,” said Lori Severino, a DEC spokesperson, in an email to syracuse.com this afternoon. She said she wished to “clarify” the DEC’s position on the issue.
Earlier this month, Severino said taking a picture of an out-of-season fish that was caught by an angler was a “ticketable offense” that can result in a ticket from an environmental conservation officer. The fine could be up to $250, and/or 15 days in jail, she said.
She noted then that the “new” regulation, published on page 52 of the DEC’s fishing guide, was in response to the increasing trend of anglers catching out-of-season fish and posting pictures of their catches on Facebook and other social media.