August 2, 2017 — PORTLAND, Maine — An interstate panel that manages fisheries voted on Tuesday against a plan to try to preserve the declining southern New England lobster population with new fishing restrictions.
Gulf Seafood Leaders Find Aquaculture Doable in Gulf of Mexico
August 1, 2017 — Growing shell and finfish in an aquaculture setting is certainly doable in the Gulf of Mexico according to Sebastian Belle, Executive Director of the Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA). The association recently hosted 20 members of the Gulf seafood community who ventured to the Pine Tree State to examine its innovative aquaculture program.
The tour, organized by the Gulf Seafood Institute and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was designed to showcase the success of Maine’s 40-year-old aquaculture program and give Gulf visitors new insights.
In 2016, NOAA filed a final rule implementing the nation’s first comprehensive regulatory program for aquaculture in federal waters. The rule allowed for the establishment of a regional permitting process to manage the development of an environmentally sound and economically sustainable aquaculture industry in federal waters of the Gulf.
Throughout the process, NOAA Fisheries has worked with stakeholders to address questions and help policy makers understand the challenges and opportunities in aquaculture. By traveling to Maine, Gulf of Mexico fishermen, scientists and state officials were able to explore real-world examples of successful aquaculture companies and seafood farmers and have meaningful discussions with researchers, policy makers and growers.
Study tracks great white sharks off Maine coast
A UNE professor joins Massachusetts researchers in examining patterns of a population likely to proliferate in the Gulf of Maine.
July 31, 2017 — Marine biologists are embarking on the first study dedicated to learning about the habits of great white sharks off the coast of southern Maine, where the scientists say the fishes’ population is likely to increase.
University of New England professor James Sulikowski will collaborate with Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries to see how often the sharks come near the coast.
Great white sharks are the world’s largest predatory fish. Known for their powerful jaws and serrated teeth, they can grow to more than 20 feet and 4,000 pounds.
They have been protected from harvesting in U.S. waters since 1991. Skomal said the shark population has been rebounding since.
“We definitely believe the entire East Coast population is increasing and that we are likely to see white sharks in the Gulf of Maine increasing,” he said.
Change in Area 1A Trimester 2 Effort Controls and Meeting Notice
July 27, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts revised the effort control measures for the 2017 Area 1A Trimester 2 (June 1 – September 30) fishery. The revised measures are underlined and become effective Sunday, July 30, 2017.
Days Out of the Fishery
- Vessels with a herring Category A permit that have declared into the Trimester 2 Area 1A fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week. One landing per 24 hour period. Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
- Landing days in New Hampshire and Massachusetts begin on Monday of each week at 12:01 a.m.
- Landings days in Maine begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m.
- Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with a herring Category C or D permit that have declared into the Trimester 2 fishery may land herring seven (7) consecutive days a week.
Weekly Landing Limit
- Vessels with a herring Category A permit may harvest up to 680,000 lbs (17 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week.
- 120,000 lbs out of the 680,000 lb weekly limit can be transferred to a carrier vessel (see below).
At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions
The following applies to harvester vessels with a herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire or Massachusetts port.
The following applies to harvester vessels with a herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire or Massachusetts port.
- A harvester vessel can transfer herring at-sea to another catcher vessel.
- A harvester vessel is limited to making at-sea transfers to only one carrier vessel per week.
- Carrier vessels are limited to receiving at-sea transfers from one catcher vessel per week and can land once per 24 hour period. A carrier vessel may land up to 120,000 lbs (3 trucks) per week. The carrier limit of 3 trucks is not in addition to the harvester weekly landing limit.
- Carrier vessel: a vessel with no gear on board capable of catching or processing fish. Harvester vessel: a vessel that is required to report the catch it has aboard as the harvesting vessel on the Federal Vessel Trip Report.
The initial Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 31,115 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for a carryover from 2015 and the research set-aside. The Section allocated 72.8% of the sub-ACL to Trimester 2 and 27.2% to Trimester 3. After incorporating the 295 mt fixed gear set-aside and the 8% buffer (Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL) the seasonal quotas are 20,625 mt for Trimester 2 and 7,706 mt for Trimester 3.
These effort controls are projected to extend the Trimester 2 fishery through mid-September. Landings will be monitored closely and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the trimester’s quota is projected to be reached.
The Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are scheduled to reconvene via conference call to review fishing effort on:
- Wednesday, August 9 at 10:00 AM
Please noted the new passcode for the next call: To join the calls, please dial 888.394.8197 and enter passcode 499811 as prompted.
Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A on no landing days. Please contact Toni Kerns at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740 for more information.
Maine’s lobster business is booming despite record catches
July 19, 2017 — The lobster business is booming in Maine.
Lobstermen are hauling in record catches, while prices are near all-time highs. That’s because the industry is also seeing record demand.
U.S. lobstermen have seen their yearly haul quintuple over the last 30 years. They brought in 131 million pounds of the crustacean in 2016, more than 80 percent of that was caught in Maine.
“Compared to 20 years ago, I’m getting twice as much,” said Jack Thomas, who has been lobstering for almost 50 years. He works traps off the coast of Freeport, Maine. “Last year, the last couple of years have been record years for me.”
But increased catches haven’t always been good news. In 2012, an historic lobster harvest sent prices plummeting, when demand didn’t keep up.
“Everybody points to this year as a year that was a big learning experience for all of us in the industry and it certainly was,” said Annie Tselikis, marketing manager at Maine Coast, a distributor in Portland, Maine. “What that did was give us a wake-up call to invest in infrastructure, to really invest in marketing, our business relationships. And in that one year, we changed the entire game.”
The industry made a huge push to increase demand, both domestically and around the globe. And they’ve had great success, especially in China, where distributors are marketing Maine lobster as a clean source of quality protein. It also helps that the Chinese word for lobster is similar to the word for dragon, it resembles the mythical creature and when cooked, it turns the lucky color red.
China accounted for just third-of-a-percent of all U.S. lobster exports in 2010. By 2016, that jumped to 13 percent, according to WISERTrade.
New England lobstermen save trapped seal pup
July 18, 2017 — The internet is celebrating two Maine lobstermen who rescued a seal pup trapped in a fishing net.
WCSH-TV reports Jeremy Willey and Jeffrey Door were lobstering near Matinicus Rock Monday when they saw a baby seal floating in rope. Door pulled the trapped pup aboard to see what they could do.
Willey carefully cut the rope around the sea critter in order to free it as it wriggled. He returned the bewildered-looking seal pup to the water and watched the furry captive float near the boat for few moments.
Video of the lobstermen saving the seal pup has been viewed on Facebook more than 800,000 times.
Head of Maine Aquaculture Association named to federal marine panel
July 14, 2017 — The head of the Maine Aquaculture Association has been named to a federal marine advisory panel.
Sebastian Belle, executive director of the aquaculture trade association, has been appointed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. As a member of the advisory committee, Belle will advise the Secretary of Commerce and NOAA on issues related to living marine resources that fall under the purview of the Department of Commerce, according to a joint release from U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins announcing the apointment.
“Sebastian has established himself as a national leader in the aquaculture industry, and his expertise will help guide the Department of Commerce and NOAA as they shape important policy relating to our marine resources,” said the senators in the statement. “Sebastian brings with him a deep understanding of Maine’s diverse marine ecosystem that supports our state’s coastal communities, creates and sustains jobs, and helps drive the economy.”
Belle was formerly a lobsterman and state aquaculture coodinator. He helped found TAAG, which specializes in aquaculture investment and consulting, and is also the president of Econ-Aqua, a consultancy that focuses on farm management, financial due diligence, and risk and analysis control.
Maine’s river herring making dramatic comeback, a godsend for the food chain
July 17, 2017 — Motorists crossing the bridge over the Kennebec this spring and early summer were afforded dramatic views of one of Maine’s mightiest rivers, a chain of islands and warships under construction at Bath Iron Works.
But one of the most awesome sights was hidden from view: millions of fish swimming under the bridge in a pilgrimage from the Atlantic Ocean to their spawning grounds in lakes, rivers and ponds scattered over hundreds of square miles of southern, central and western Maine.
River herring – in the midst of a dramatic comeback in Maine’s rivers with the recent removal of dams that blocked their spawning runs for decades – had a banner spring run this year, with millions of fish traveling up the Kennebec and Penobscot and the best run in decades recorded on the St. Croix. This was despite heavy rains this spring that created extra challenges for the fish.
The recovery of the small schooling fish is having dramatic secondary effects, as they represent a perfect food source for everything from bald eagles to Atlantic cod, and researchers anticipate future benefits as the herring’s numbers grow in the coming decade.
“You just don’t expect ecosystems to bounce back so quickly,” says Joshua Royte, a conservation scientist at The Nature Conservancy in Maine, which played a key role in a collaborative project to remove the Penobscot dams. “These rivers are coming back gangbusters and there will be children growing up now who will never know there was a time when you couldn’t run out to see fish running in these rivers.”
Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald
Baby eel lottery is a go in Maine, where elver fishing pays
July 14, 2017 — AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine is implementing a new lottery system for licenses to fish for baby eels, which are worth more than $1,000 per pound on the worldwide sushi market.
Baby eels, called elvers, are a major fishery in Maine, where fishermen sell them to dealers so they can be sent to Asian aquaculture companies to be raised to maturity and used as food. But industry members and lawmakers have said the fishery needs a way to bring new people into the business because many elver fishermen are nearing retirement and there is no way to get a license.
The Legislature approved a permit lottery system last month. The law will likely be in effect by late October, said Rep. Jeffrey Pierce, a Dresden Republican who serves as a consultant to the elver industry. The law states that the first lottery could be held next year on or before Feb. 15.
“At some point you have to ask: How low do you want your license numbers to go?” Pierce said. “They don’t have to hold a lottery every year, but they do have the ability if they want to.”
Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Sentinel
Fisherman killed saving whale recalled as longtime advocate
July 14, 2017 — Members of the marine community in the U.S. and Canada said Thursday that a Canadian fisherman who died freeing a whale from fishing gear was a longtime whale advocate who bridged gaps between fishing and conservation.
Joe Howlett was killed on Monday after freeing a North Atlantic right whale that had been entangled in fishing gear off New Brunswick. A close friend of his said the 59-year-old Howlett was hit by the whale just after it was cut free and started swimming away.
Howlett’s death came as a shock to many in the maritime communities of New England and Atlantic Canada. Howlett lived on Campobello Island, a Canadian island which can only be accessed by road from Lubec, Maine, and he was well known in fishing and marine circles on both sides of the border.
The New England Aquarium said Howlett was a lobsterman, boat captain and whale rescue expert who helped found the Campobello Whale Rescue Team.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 235
- 236
- 237
- 238
- 239
- …
- 303
- Next Page »