May 2022 – Fishermens News

Commercial Crab Fishing Violations On the Rise in California, CDFW Says

Officers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Marine Enforcement Division said March 1 they’ve seen an uptick in the number of commercial Dungeness crab cases in North Coast waters in the past few months. Since Dec. 9, 2021, there have been seven cases regarding possession of undersize crabs by commercial crab fishermen, according to the CDFW. “Commercial Dungeness crab fishermen are expected to measure their entire catch and keep only crabs that are equal to or greater than 6 ¼ inches, which is slightly more than the required 5 ¾ width required of recreational crabbers,” officials said in a statement. “There is a provision in the law to authorize possession of no more than one percent of the catch to be undersize.” In all seven cases, citations were written, t...

Hawaii’s Restricted Bottomfish Areas Reopened by BLNR

On Feb. 25, Hawaii’s Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved the re-opening of eight restricted areas that had been closed to 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 Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas (BFRA) 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 agency’s Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) said it “believes that opening of all 12 of the BFRAs (four opened as of July 2019), will not adversely affect the overall sustainability of the Main Hawaiian Island (MHI) Deep-7 fishery, and will be a benefit to local...

USCG Uncovers Illegal Halibut Catch Near Kodiak, Alaska

A U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement boarding team discovered illegally caught fish about 12 nautical miles northeast of Kodiak, Alaska on Feb. 19, officials said. 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 lingcod onboard that were retained while the season was closed. The crew seized the catch; those aboard the Competition crew are suspected of violating three regulations—possession of halibut during a closed fishery, operating beyond three nautical miles with an expired radio beacon hydrostatic release and not having a current commercial fishing vessel safety examination. The cutter crew transferred the seized catch to NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement in Kodiak,...

Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission Sets Control Date for Growing Commercial Market Squid Fishery

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has set Jan. 1, 2022 as the control date should it consider a limited-entry structure for the state’s growing commercial market squid fishery in the future. This means that if the commission decides to change from an open access to limited entry fishery in the future, only commercial fishermen participating before Jan. 1 of this year could be considered for permits allocated based on historical participation. Commercial market squid is a relatively new fishery for Oregon, but is growing in popularity, leading to concerns about the resource’s sustainability. Also during its February meeting, the commission directed Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) staff to come back with a proposal to prohibit light boats in the fishery beginning in 20...

Coast Guard Patrols EEZ in Partnership with Samoa

Working with the government of Samoa, crews from the U.S. Coast Guard vessels 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 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 been underway in Oceania supporting Ope...

Kurland Succeeds Balsiger as NOAA Regional Administrator for Alaska

NOAA Fisheries veteran Jon Kurland has been named by the agency as the new regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Region, succeeding Jim Balsiger, who is retiring after 21 years in that post. Kurland’s tenure began March 27 as head of the agency’s regulatory and management programs for fisheries, marine mammals and habitat conservation, including managing about 105 employees and 20 contractors and other affiliates. The Alaska regional office is located in Juneau, with field staff in offices in Anchorage, Kodiak and Dutch Harbor. Kurland’s staff works with its counterpart, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, in science-based stewardship of living marine resources and their habitats in the waters of the North Pacific and Arctic oceans off of Alaska. “Alaska’s waters support ...

Seafood Processors Association Applying for Processing Facility Grant Funding

The West Coast Seafood Processors Association has joined with the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay to seek grant funding for a feasibility study that would evaluate opportunities to construct a multi-user byproduct recovery center on port property. Among the goals of the proposed multi-user facility, according to the association and port, would be supporting the local and regional seafood processing industry by reducing capital and operational costs associated with treating wastewater from the individual processing facilities. The project also would create opportunities to recover organic material and improve the sustainability of wastewater treatment. The aim—to identify ways to treat the material, allowing it to be re-used rather than sent to landfills. Due to increased regulat...

Gulf of California Fisheries – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Gulf of California, aka the Sea of Cortez, is the body of water below Southern California that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It’s one of the more productive and biodiverse marine ecoregions in the world. But according to various reports, there are multiple issues affecting the region’s commercial fisheries including overfishing, the potential collapse of the tuna fishery and rampant organized crime that has managed to gain control of the entire seafood production chain. The Good As mentioned above, the Sea of Cortez is home to a very rich ecosystem and is considered one of the most diverse seas on Earth, as well an environment filled with natural beauty that has yet to be spoiled by man and industry. The region also has a long history as a com...

Pacific PARS Moves Forward and Takes on New Work

Last July, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the start of a Port Access Route Study (PARS) along the entire U.S. Pacific Coast (PacPARS). This is the first such all-encompassing Pacific Ocean study, although regional PARS were done in the past. There have been two recent important study developments. One, expected and procedural, was the close of the public comment period on Jan. 25. The Coast Guard received comments from 52 individuals and organizations. The comments present the top challenges and concerns, at least on the public side, that the USCG must confront as it starts the next phase of the study. The second development is something of a showstopper. On Feb. 25, the USCG announced a big change within PacPARS: that USCG District 11—which encompasses California, Arizona, Nevada, and U...

Maintaining Your Immersion Suit

Protect yourself and your crew by inspecting and maintaining your survival suits regularly Immersion suits have saved thousands of fishermen’s lives. Most fishing vessels on the West Coast and Alaska are required to carry them. They are your “parachute” if staying on the vessel is more dangerous than being in the water, but survival suits need attention and care. After the sinking of the F/V Wayward Wind, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation revealed that corroded zippers on immersion suits most likely contributed to the deaths of three crewmembers. The suits were not fully zipped, allowing cold water to ﬂush in and out. Inﬂation bladders were not attached to all of the suits and none had lights. The NTSB concluded that the crewmembers may have survived if the su...