Florida Archives - Page 17 of 62

Florida commercial fishermen still allowed to sell shark fins

October 7, 2020 — When weather permits, Capt. Rich Osburn sails a few days each week from the Fort Pierce Inlet to ply the waters of the Gulf Stream for his targeted catch.

As a commercial shark fisher, Osburn and his crew of one or two deckhands legally deploy six miles of longline in federal waters with about 500 baited hooks. The sharks they are permitted to harvest according to federal guidelines include:

Blacktip
Bull
Lemon
Silky
Tiger
Hammerhead

Osburn said he does not harvest any tigers or hammerheads because there is no value for their meat. They get turned loose. They also are among 26 species of sharks protected from harvest in Florida state waters.

Read the full story at The Ledger

Offshore aquaculture project hoping to make history gains critical EPA permit

October 2, 2020 — There are currently no commercial finfish operations in US federal waters, which is defined as ocean water spanning between 12 and 200 miles offshore.

This week, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the Velella Epsilon aquaculture project, another big step in making American offshore aquaculture a reality.

The Velella Epsilon offshore demonstration farm is a netpen aquaculture facility set to be located approximately 45 miles southwest of Sarasota, Florida, slated to raise a single batch, or cohort, of 20,000 kampachi (Seriola rivoliana).

Read the full story at IntraFish

Trump’s SC offshore drilling moratorium doesn’t stop seismic testing, feds say in lawsuit

September 23, 2020 — The federal government said in a court filing Monday that a new Trump administration ban on oil drilling off the south Atlantic coast doesn’t stop companies from requesting to search for oil in those waters.

The case involves two consolidated lawsuits challenging permits issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service that allow seismic testing companies to disturb marine life.

The testing involves shooting air gun blasts at the ocean floor to map whether fossil fuels lie underneath. It has been shown to harm sea life such as whales.

The litigation fell into question briefly when President Donald Trump announced earlier this month he was ordering a 10-year ban on drilling off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Read the full story at The Post and Courier

FLORIDA: Gov. DeSantis signs measure banning import and export of shark fins

September 21, 2020 — Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a measure into law banning the import and export of shark fins in Florida.

Sen. Travis Hutson sponsored the bill (SB 680), but the measure is named after the late Kristin Jacobs. She sponsored the House version of the bill (HB 401). Jacobs passed away in April — almost exactly one month after the Legislature approved the legislation — after a yearslong battle with cancer.

“This bill’s really important to the state,” Jacobs said as the Legislature approved a final version of the bill.

Jacobs prioritized banning the shark fin trade. Toward the end of the legislative process, Rep. Toby Overdorf offered an amendment renaming the bill the “Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation Act.” That amendment was approved.

“It was an incredible honor and privilege to help Rep. Jacobs across the finish line with this bill,” Overdof said. “The aptly named Ocean Conservancy Act allows her advocacy for the environment and for bipartisan relationships to continue long after her passing.”

Read the full story at Florida Politics

Cooper urges Trump administration to include North Carolina in offshore oil drilling moratorium

September 16, 2020 — Governor Roy Cooper said he’s reached out to President Donald Trump and his administration to include North Carolina in the recently announced moratorium on offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.

Last week, Trump extended a ten-year moratorium on offshore oil drilling for South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, but did not include North Carolina in the executive order.

“I am deeply concerned and disappointed that you did not include North Carolina in the moratorium,” Cooper wrote in a letter to President Trump on Tuesday. “Offshore drilling threatens North Carolina’s coastal economy and environment and offers our state minimal economic benefit. Accepted science tells us that there is little, if any, oil worth drilling for off North Carolina’s coast, and the risks of offshore drilling far outweigh the benefits.”

Read the full story at WECT

USDA Includes Florida’s Spiny Lobster Under Seafood Trade Relief Program

September 10, 2020 — On Wednesday, U.S. Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer federal relief to the seafood industry and fishermen hurt by tariffs from other nations.

Perdue said that that the Seafood Trade Relief Program will used around $530 million from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), to offer this relief.

“Many nations have not played by the rules for a long time, and President Trump is the first president to stand up to them and send a clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate unfair trade practices,” said Perdue. “The Seafood Trade Relief Program ensures fishermen and other U.S. producers will not stand alone in facing unjustified retaliatory tariffs while President Trump continues working to solidify better and stronger trade deals around the globe.”

Read the full story at Florida Daily

Trump signs order extending and expanding oil drilling moratorium off Florida’s shores

September 9, 2020 — President Donald Trump brushed back critics of his record on the environment in the crucial swing state of Florida Tuesday during a visit to Palm Beach County by signing a presidential order that extends and expands a ban on drilling off the state’s coastline.

The order — which Trump signed atop a stage not far from the mouth of the Loxahatchee River — extends by 10 years the life of a moratorium that previously prohibited drilling in federal waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast until July 1, 2022. He said it also expanded the ban on energy exploration, development and production to include the Atlantic coast off Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Read the full story at the Miami Herald

NOAA awards $2.7 million in grants for marine debris removal and prevention

August 27, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA today announced a total of $2.7 million in grants supporting 23 projects to address the harmful effects of marine debris on wildlife, navigation safety, economic activity, and ecosystem health. With the addition of non-federal matching contributions, the total investment in these marine debris projects is more than $5.9 million.

The grants, selected after a rigorous and competitive review process, are spread across 18 U.S. states and territories. Ten marine debris removal projects will receive a total of $1.3 million, while 13 prevention projects will receive a total of nearly $1.4 million.

“NOAA is the federal government’s lead for addressing marine debris,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. “These grants are going to help clean up our coastal and Great Lakes communities and further power the American blue economy by creating more attractive recreational opportunities.”

Among the projects selected are the removal offsite linkof 21,000 pounds of marine debris from NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; the removal offsite linkof at least 20 abandoned and derelict vessels from estuaries in North Carolina; the engagementoffsite link of 500 students in Michigan to become Marine Debris Prevention Ambassadors and reduce waste produced in school lunchrooms;.and the development offsite linkof a recycling program for fiberglass boats in Washington State and across New England.

Read the full release here

Habitats for endangered green sea turtles will be federally protected in Florida

August 25, 2020 — Endangered green sea turtles will have some of their nesting beaches in Florida protected by federal agencies under a new legal agreement with conservation groups.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service must designate protected critical habitats for green sea turtles by June 30, 2023, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement this week.

The agencies will likely consider proposing protections for beaches where green turtles nest in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as offshore oceanic habitat in the Southeast and on the West Coast, according to the agreement. These critical habitats designations don’t prohibit development, but they require that any project that’s permitted by a federal agency must minimize harm to these special areas.

“We’re thrilled that these imperiled creatures will finally get the habitat protections required by the Endangered Species Act,” said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Green sea turtle recovery has come a long way, but the fight’s not over yet.”

Read the full story at PHYS.org

Habitats for endangered green sea turtles will be federally protected in Florida

August 21, 2020 — Endangered green sea turtles will have some of their nesting beaches in Florida protected by federal agencies under a new legal agreement with conservation groups.

Read the full story at the Miami Herald