Fishermen’s News Online – Page 71

NOAA Seeks Nominations for Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

8Jun

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Fishermen's News Online, News

NOAA Seeks Nominations for Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

NOAA Fisheries is seeking nominations by July 8 for non-government U.S. commissioners for eight regional fisheries management organizations, including the International Pacific Halibut Commission and North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission. Both are treaty-based entities that play a critical role in the global system of fisheries governance. The commissioners participate in meetings and delegations to help develop and support the United States’ positions on conservation and management of shared living marine resources. NOAA officials have said they’re committed to increasing the diversity of stakeholder voices that represent the U.S. in its international fisheries engagements and promoting representation of underserved communities with a pool of potential candidates. Up to two i...

Biden Administration Urged to Send Clear Message Opposing IUU Fishing, Forced Labor

8Jun

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Features, Fishermen's News Online, News

Biden Administration Urged to Send Clear Message Opposing IUU Fishing, Forced Labor

In advance of the U.N. Ocean Conference and in recognition of World Oceans Month, Congressmen Jared Huffman, D-CA and Garret Graves, R-LA, are calling on the Biden Administration to make clear that the U.S. is addressing illegal fishing and forced labor issues. Both congressmen are strong advocates for combatting IUU fishing, which impacts the health of oceans, human rights and the competitiveness of American fisheries. Earlier this year, major parts of Huffman’s bill with Graves, “The Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act,” passed the House as part of the America COMPETES Act. The bill aims to combat IUU fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood supply chain and make America more competitive in the global seafood market. In March, a bipartisan amendment led by ...

8Jun

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Fishermen's News Online, News, Vessel Profile

Newly Built USCG Cutter Heads for Ketchikan, Alaska Homeport

U.S. Coast Guard cutter Douglas Denman, the 24th Fast Response Cutter built by Bollinger Shipyards in Key West, Florida, will be homeported in Ketchikan, Alaska. The 154-foot-long cutter will have a crew of 24, according to the USCG. Coast Guard officials accepted the vessel in Key West in late May, at a ceremony attended by Denman’s son, Doug Jr., daughter Karen, and the elder Denman’s grandchildren and their families. The Coast Guard is in the midst of a Fast Response Cutter (FRC) acquisition program to replace an aging Island-class 110-foot patrol boats. The vessels feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance equipment and an over-the-horizon cutter boat. Douglas Denman is designed for multiple missions, including...

NOAA Fisheries Speaks at UN On Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management

8Jun

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NOAA Fisheries Speaks at UN On Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management

NOAA Fisheries is taking a lead on the global stage in sharing its ecosystem approaches to fisheries management with interested nations, including opportunities at a recent United Nations conference. “For the United Nations to prioritize discussing ecosystem approaches to fisheries management is not trivial,” NOAA Fisheries Senior Scientist for Ecosystems Jason Link said. “It is indicative of how important the topic has become around the world.” The UN holds theme-based consultations annually as an international forum for member countries to advance fisheries issues. The focus May’s meeting was to explore how well countries are implementing ecosystem approaches to fisheries management. This approach is codified as part of International Law and Ecosystem-based Fisheries Managem...

1Jun

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Fishermen's News Online, From the Editor

From the Editor: ‘A Scallop Disco’

By Mark Edward Nero According to a recent article in the British newspaper The Guardian, a new and unorthodox fishing technique is not only effective when it comes to catching scallops, but could also help preserve fragile seafloors. And it involves use of disco-like LED lights to attract fish. The article, which was published May 18, says the discovery occurred when marine scientist Dr. Rob Enever and his team at Fishtek Marine, a southwest England-based fisheries consultancy, designed small underwater lights to help protect fish stocks by replacing the need to use fish to bait crab and lobster pots. “The lights were supposed to attract crabs into the pots. But quite unexpectedly, scallops, which can have up to 200 eyes, were more attracted to the LED lights, the article states. ...

1Jun

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NMFS Modifies Cape Falcon Area Commercial Troll Salmon Limits

The National Marine Fisheries Service has modified the Chinook salmon landing and possession limit for the commercial salmon troll fishery for the entire area north of the Cape Falcon area to 40 Chinook per vessel per week through June 8. Officials with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said the rationale behind the decision is that total Chinook landings in the area from the U.S.-Canada border to Cape Falcon, Oregon are estimated at 13,500 out of the spring quota of 18,000 fish, leaving a remainder of just 4,500 Chinooks on the quota. Landings last week were estimated at 5,250 Chinooks. Eric Schindler of ODFW’s marine resources management section noted that the majority of salmon moving north have not been doing well in recent years, but whether this is due to predation...

Demand Remains High for Limited Commercial Catch of Copper River Salmon

1Jun

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Demand Remains High for Limited Commercial Catch of Copper River Salmon

Consumer appetites remain high for limited pounds of Copper River king and sockeye salmon, which are fetching up to $114.95 a pound and $79.95 a pound respectively in some retail markets, data show. Fishmongers at Fred Meyer seafood counters in Anchorage said there was a lot of interest in those fresh Copper River sockeye salmon fillets at $35.95 a pound. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game anticipates the next opener for the Copper River will be Thursday, June 2. To date, ADF&G has cancelled two of five potential openings. ADF&G biologist Jeremy Botz in Cordova said Chinook salmon so far have come in above anticipated numbers and there is now room for optimism for keeping a regular commercial fishing schedule. Veteran Copper River harvester Bill Webber said state f...

Research Shows Growing Kelp Helps Reduce Ocean Acidification

1Jun

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Research Shows Growing Kelp Helps Reduce Ocean Acidification

Researchers at Stony Brook University in southeastern New York say their studies show that the presence of kelp, already recognized as a nutritious food source for people and marine life, significantly reduces ocean acidification, which is a result of climate change. The study, led by Christopher Gobler and scientists at the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, also demonstrated that deployment of kelp on an oyster farm nullifies ocean acidification, thereby protecting bivalves such as oysters and clams. Researchers said the process may also have additional ecosystem and aquaculture benefits, including sequestration and extraction of carbon and nitrogen, and protection against harmful algae blooms. Overall, researchers said “the cultivation of kelp...

1Jun

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Gulf of Alaska Expedition Finds Abundant Life on Surface, Sea Floor

Researchers engaged in a Gulf of Alaska expedition in late May for ocean conservation organization Oceana say they found every marine site filled with life, from the surface to the seafloor Their initial report on the eight-day expedition exploring 23 sites in search of deep-sea corals and other seafloor habitat areas notes finding striking coral gardens in an area south of Kodiak Island in the open Gulf of Alaska, in an area still open to bottom trawling. Large groves of sea whips, a soft coral, were found in an area closed to bottom trawling to protect king crab. Sea whip groves provide vertical structure in soft sediments on the seafloor and are used by fish and invertebrates to hide from predators. The same area also had other organisms like sea pens, another form of coral th...

Migrating Puget Sound Steelhead Challenged by Hood Canal Bridge

1Jun

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Migrating Puget Sound Steelhead Challenged by Hood Canal Bridge

NOAA Fisheries biologists say that threatened Puget Sound steelhead smolts are facing challenges on their migration route, with the Hood Canal floating bridge being a major source of mortality for about half of the smolts while trying to get past the bridge, or soon after. Puget Sound steelhead are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and most populations are shown to have declined since 2007. Research biologist Megan Moore of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center said researchers had no idea the bridge was causing such an impact on the migrating steelheads. The research report, led by Moore, was published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Ecosphere by the NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Pacific Northwest sustainable fishing non-profit...