Fishermen’s News Online

On Feb. 25, Hawaii’s Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved the re-opening of eight Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas (BFRAs) that had been closed to commercial fishing since 2007. The re-openings were effective immediately. This follows a similar action from nearly three years ago, when four of the 12 total BFRAs were reopened for both commercial and non-commercial fishing of Deep-7 bottomfish species, among Hawai‘i’s most popular fish for consumption. In its presentation to the BLNR regarding the reopening, the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) said it “believes that opening of all twelve of the BFRAs (four opened as of July 2019), will not adversely affect the overall sustainability of the Main Hawaiian Island Deep-7 fishery, and will be a benefit to local comm...

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued a statewide fleet advisory for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery due to a recent humpback whale entanglement about five miles west of Cypress Point near Monterey Bay. The entanglement, first reported in late January, involved heavy line from unknown fishing gear. CDFW is encouraging the commercial fishing fleet and all mariners to be on the lookout for entangled whales in the area and across California waters. If an entangled whale is seen, CDFW advises to not approach or attempt to disentangle, but to report it immediately to the U.S. Coast Guard, or call the Entanglement Reporting Hotline at (877) SOS-WHAL or (877) 767-9425. Based on recent surveys and historic migration patterns, overall entanglement risk remains low acro...

A U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement boarding team discovered illegally caught fish about 12 nautical miles northeast of Kodiak, Alaska on Saturday, Feb. 19, according to the USCG. The crew of Coast Guard cutter Bailey Barco, homeported in Ketchikan, Alaska, boarded the 38-foot fishing vessel Competition and discovered 18 halibut and one ling cod onboard that were retained while the season was closed. The crew seized the catch and issued violations for possession of halibut during a closed fishery, operating beyond three nautical miles with an expired EPIRB hydrostatic release, and not having a current commercial fishing vessel safety examination. The cutter crew transferred the seized catch to NOAA Office of Law Enforcement officers in Kodiak, and NOAA is investigating the ille...

Working with the Government of Samoa, crews from the U.S. Coast Guard cutters Juniper (WLB 201) and Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) conducted security patrol operations in Samoa’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) throughout February to protect fisheries and other natural resources. The Juniper and Joseph Gerczak crews helped fill the operational presence needed to deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing while Samoa’s Nafanua II patrol boat is out of service. “We always look forward to assisting our partners in the region,” Cmdr. Jeff Bryant, the 14th District’s chief of enforcement, said. “The United States offered to assist the government of Samoa by providing security and sovereignty operations in Samoan waters due to the absence of their patrol boat.” The cutters have bee...

Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are citing their new Sea Level Rise Report as a global wake-up call that offers America information on how to best position the U.S. for the future. “As we build a climate-ready nation, these updated data can inform coastal communities and others about current and future vulnerabilities in the face of climate change and help them make smart decisions to keep people and property safe over the long run,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said. The U.S. will see as much sea level rise in 30 years as we have seen over the last century, Spinrad said. The research, the first update since 2017, offers projections out to the year 2150, with information to help communities -- particularly coastal communities -- assess ch...

A 10-year “tree-to-sea” plan is underway for Washington state’s Snohomish River watershed, to boost salmon habitat for as many as 16 populations of salmonids listed as endangered or threatened, an issue that impacts the entire marine food web up to Puget Sound’s iconic orcas. Department of Natural Resources plans include identifying priority restoration needs across the watershed, such as kelp and eelgrass in nearshore environments and forest canopies to shade spawning streams and filter pollutants. Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz said the Watershed Resilience Action Plan is designed to coordinate, enhance and maximize protection and restoration of salmon habitat along the 20-mile river. Franz said that despite decades of focus and nearly $1 billion spent in recovery effor...

Commercial salmon fishermen in Alaska have mounted a new legal effort to restore their right to fish in the federal waters of Cook Inlet. A lawsuit filed in federal court in Anchorage in early February by the United Cook Inlet Drift Association and Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund against National Marine Fisheries Service contends that NMFS’s approval of the fishery closure is arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law. The litigation comes in the wake of a decision of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in late 2021 to close those federal waters to commercial fishing. Plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that the Ninth Circuit Court held previously that NMFS is required to produce a fishery management plan to govern the Cook Inlet salmon fishery, as the stated purpose of the Magnus...

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has awarded $13 million to 15 multi-benefit restoration and projection projects for the state’s North Coast coho salmon recovery, via its Proposition 1 grant program. The awards were made under CDFW’s 2021 Proposition 1 North Coast Coho Recovery Proposal Solicitation Notice. The solicitation was part of CDFW’s “Cutting the Green Tape” initiative to increase the pace and scale of restoration by making the permitting and granting processes more efficient. CDFW’s Watershed Restoration Grants Branch partnered with the North Coast Salmon Project on the solicitation, focusing on coho salmon recovery in North Coast watersheds. CDFW director Charlton H. Bonham said the project represents an opportunity to double down on coho recovery on the Nor...

Bristol Bay commercial fishermen have launched two new campaigns against the proposed Pebble mine, which would extract copper, gold and molybdenum from land abutting the Bristol Bay watershed. Mine proponents have repeatedly said they can extract the minerals with no harm to the waters, which are home to the world’s largest run of wild sockeye sockman. Mine opponents strongly disagree. The Bristol Bay Action Now campaign is a new 501(c4) initiative calling for finalization of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act “veto” authority to stop the mine and to establish enduring protections and investments in a sustainable future for the region through legislation. Longtime Bristol Bay leaders Robin Samuelsen, AlexAnna Salmon, Katherine Carscellen and Brian Kraft would s...