Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: Fishing Gear Recovery Effort Seeks Applicants

October 5th, 2016 — The North Carolina Coastal Federation is accepting applications from North Carolina-based commercial fishermen for its annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project.

Applicants must have a valid Standard Commercial Fishing License and must be able available between Jan. 18 through Feb. 7, 2017. Selected watermen will be required to attend a training session.

The watermen will help the federation and the North Carolina Marine Patrol remove lost fishing gear from coastal waters between Jan. 15 to Feb. 7. The 2017 project will work within all three Marine Patrol districts across the state’s coast. Compensation will be $400 per boat, per day.

The project is intended to improve water quality and support coastal economies. During Jan. 2016 program, 11 crews removed 7.5 tons of marine debris, including 753 crab pots, from the waters of Northeastern N.C.  Funding comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Read the full story at Coastal Review Online 

Hawaii’s longline fishermen on course to hit bigeye limit

HONOLULU (AP) — July 28, 2015 — Hawaii’s longline fishermen are on course to hit their annual bigeye tuna catch limit next week, which means they will have to stop catching bigeye in their most productive fishing grounds west of Hawaii on Aug. 5.

Hawaii fishermen will still be able to catch bigeye in eastern waters regulated by a different fisheries commission.

Last year fishermen continued catching bigeye after they hit their quota in November because federal authorities drafted rules allowing them to attribute some catch to U.S. territories.

But Mike Tosatto, Pacific Islands regional administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries service, said officials haven’t yet had time to draft similar rules for 2015.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Washington Times