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This morning at 10 a.m., the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) will once again make its opposition to catch shares in the recreational sector perfectly clear. When it comes to privatizing the nation's fisheries under the guise of a new fisheries management tool, no means no!

"This is a fact that cannot be compromised," said Jim Donofrio in advance of his expected testimony before Congress on today. "We do not want any discussion on any program that compromises traditional open access of seasons, size limits and bag limits."

The Congressional Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife will convene a special hearing on Earth Day to review the implementation of catch shares and individual fishing quotas. Led by Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), A Community Perspective on Catch Shares will feature testimony from key members of the fishing and conservation community. Donofrio said that since being invited on April 5th to testify, he's had plenty of opportunity to talk with other members of the coastal fishing community. "Our individual members and our closest allies in the recreational sector have all said the same thing, no way, no how," Donofrio said.

Read the complete story at the World Fishing Network.

 

 

 

 

 

The striped bass fishing along the New Jersey coast, and certainly in the Delaware River, is the best many have seen in 10 years. In my opinion, the Delaware River is fishing the best that I have ever seen.

For the saltwater angler, the lure and fly bite situated off of central and north Jersey has been absolutely nuts. With gannets dive bombing from high in the sky on bunker and herring, really big striped bass are gorging below. Word all week was that charter captains were limiting out by 8 a.m.

"Just find the birds and you'll catch," said Capt. Frank Crescitelli of Fin Chaser Charters on Staten Island, N.Y.

Many believe that this huge body of striped bass is staging off Sandy Hook, N.J., and preparing to shoot up the Hudson River to carry out their spawn. Others feel that this school of bass is the missing population of that really hasn't showed up on the Chesapeake Bay. I guess only Mother Nature knows the real truth but if you truly want to fly or light tackle 20- to 40-pound striped bass, this is the place to fish and it is one right now. Get up here and check it out before it's over.

Read the story in full at ESPN.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Horton, conservation director for BASS and ESPN Outdoors, was one of about 170 from the recreational fisheries community invited to participate in a special Marine Recreational Fishing Summit hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) April 16-17.

It's hard to get excited about sitting through two long days of meetings when we've been down this road before, and despite some good recommendations during past efforts, there hasn't been much to show for it. Will this time be any different? Will the apparent frustrations and sincere recommendations to the agency result in positive actions? That remains to be seen, but personally, I'm optimistic for a number of reasons.

Schwaab's boss, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator and undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, dropped in after lunch on the first day and spoke to the assembly of desperate, but hopeful, representatives of recreational interests. She had just come from a White House conference on the outdoors, where President Obama — well-aware of our summit — passed along his encouragement and willingness for the administration to work with recreational anglers. Her talk led off with the assurance that "NOAA is committed to working with the recreational fishing community." Also recognizing the agency's past failures, she said it will no longer make "hollow promises" and will follow up on commitments. She went on to say the right things, and her presentation ended with a standing ovation.

We were encouraged by her words. With renewed vigor that this could actually be a meaningful gathering, we got back to work. With over 170 people in attendance, you can imagine the number of opinions and ideas that evolved on how to fix an apparently broken agency. Yet several consistent themes rose to the top.

•More data, more data, more data. We need better fish stock assessments, but we also need better socioeconomic data. What's the real value of a family trailering a boat to the coast, staying in a hotel, going out to dinner, buying tackle, lunch, ice, etc., just to try to catch a snapper? NOAA Fisheries doesn't have a clue, even though MSA insists that it must.

•Catch shares. This is a complicated subject that will be explored in more detail later, but suffice it to say that, as currently designed, they're good for commercial fisheries and bad for recreational anglers. NMFS has a considerable amount of money in the next budget set aside for catch shares, and based on the comments of Schwaab and Lubchenco, they are probably going to happen. Question is — will NOAA Fisheries be willing to ensure that catch-share allocations are fair and equitable, giving recreational anglers an opportunity to secure a significant portion of the allotted catch, or will they solely benefit the seafood industry?

•Invest more in the recreational fisheries. Lubchenco, to her credit, has already fulfilled one promise to recreational anglers. She created the new position of national policy advisor for recreational fisheries, which has been filled by Russell Dunn. That position effectively doubles the agency's staff dedicated to recreational fisheries. However, two ain't going to cut it. We need an Office of Recreational Fisheries, sufficiently staffed and adequately funded within the NOAA Fisheries. After all, recreational fisheries are every bit as profitable and important for the country as commercial fisheries.

•NOAA Fisheries needs to be an advocate for recreational angling. It needs to be the voice for recreational anglers during the Marine Spatial Planning process and when the National Oceans Service is considering marine protected areas or sanctuaries. It needs to take a page from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's playbook: ensuring the public's use of public resources, unless the science dictates otherwise, and then allowing public use when the problem is solved.

•Better representation on the management bodies. The councils and commissions that make the ultimate decisions regarding the management of marine fish stocks are terribly lacking in recreational angler representation. That has to change.

Read the complete story at ESPN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishing is as good as it’s ever been, but doing it for a living is getting harder and harder, fishermen say.

Tougher federal red snapper regulations have driven local fisherman to march on Washington, D.C. Shorter seasons in recent years have left charter boat captains with fewer profitable trips. A down economy also has cut down on the number of tourists who come to the Gulf Coast to fish.

“It’s just gotten so tough to do,” said Paul Wagner, captain of Backcountry Outfitters.

Wagner once had two boats, but he had to get rid of his larger one, a 36-footer. He said he has to work more days out of the year now to make enough money.

Read the complete story at NWF Daily News.

 

 

 

 

 

CNN photojournalist John Bena introduces us to a new delicacy that may help save the Chesapeake Bay.

See the video from CNN.

 

 

 

 

 

A free health fair coordinated by Addison Gilbert Hospital, the Healthy Gloucester Collaborative and the U.S. Coast Guard, is slated for Saturday.

And it will have a special focus — local fishermen and their families.

Gloucester's first Fishing Families and Friends Health & Safety Day is slated to run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will feature health screenings and health information on such issues as ultra-violet screening, smoking cessation, prostate screening, diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings.

The event will also provide services on body mass and bone density screenings, pain management, Hepatitis A & B vaccinations, tetanus and H1N1 shots, HIV & Hepatitis C testing, stress management, posture and balance screening and health insurance information and sign up.

Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.

 

 

 

 

 

The Obama administration next week reintroduces to the nation the rough outlines of an offshore ocean aquaculture policy dating back more than a decade, which while still lacking specifics, offers powerful economic incentives if environmental, technological and political problems can be solved.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where the policy template has resided since the Clinton administration, announced a series of "listening sessions" in Rhode Island, Louisana, Washington state, Hawaii and California to be followed by a national call-in event on May 6.

The first listening session will be held in Narragansett, R.I., next Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Corless Auditorium on the Narragansett Bay campus of the University of Rhode Island.

The launch of the ocean aquaculture policy begins four days after the public comment period on the pending catch share program closes Saturday. The radical transformation of the wild stocks from shared ownership into allocated catching rights ripe for investment has dominated the national debate on oceans and fishing almost from the moment Jane Lubchenco was confirmed by the Senate to head NOAA 13 months ago.

Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.

 

 

 

 

 

A Queensbury grocery and department store was among six stores statewide found selling frozen seafood that illegally included the weight of ice in the price, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The Super K-Mart at 308 Dix Ave. allegedly sold overpriced frozen shrimp supplied by a New Jersey seafood packer, said department spokeswoman Jessica Ziehm.

Ziehm said the stores, also located in Batavia, Canandaigua, Rochester, Queens and Hauppauge on Long Island, received warning letters. She said no stores in the immediate Capital Region were part of the state survey.

The state is considering enforcement action or penalties against seafood packers, she added. The overpriced shrimp sold at the Queensbury K-Mart was supplied by Eastern Shrimp Co. of Teaneck, N.J., Ziehm said.

Read the complete story at The Times Union.

 

 

 

 

 

Over 1 billion people across the world rely on fish as their main source of protein, mostly in developing countries.

In America, fish consumption is rapidly increasing with the growing awareness of its health benefits. Due to overfishing, over 70% of the world's fish are either fully exploited or depleted. As a result, fish farming, or aquaculture, has quickly stepped up to meet the demands of fish consumption. While there are methods of sustainable and environmentally friendly fish farming, many of the current methods employed are unregulated and can be extremely harmful to the environment.

See the photos at The Huffington Post.

The value of the halibut catch is more than triple that of a few decades ago and reflects halibut's transformation from a blue-collar staple to a pricey seafood that retails for more — often far more — than $10 a pound. The harvests also have undergone a radical transformation from a pressure-packed derby to a system of individual catch shares that some see as a 21st-century blueprint for reforming other troubled U.S. fisheries.

"From Florida to Alaska, catch-share programs help fishing communities provide good jobs while rebuilding and sustaining healthy fisheries," said Jane Lubchenco, a U.S. Commerce Department undersecretary.

Gjerde claims his shares with the help of a five-man crew. In a grinding season that stretches from April through early September, Gjerde and each of his crew often make more than $100,000.

In 1995, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal group with appointees drawn largely from the industry, imposed radical reforms. For the first time, vessel owners would receive quota shares for halibut and black cod that could be fished each year or sold for what the market would bear.

Crew members were not awarded shares.

Critics decried the quota system as an inequitable privatizing of a public resource. They said it would shut newcomers out of the fishery, or take away dollars the government might have earned by leasing out rather than giving away fishing rights.

Others said the quota shares were a just reward for years spent fishing for halibut and would give the remaining vessel owners the opportunity to fish in a safer, more leisurely fashion and produce a higher-quality product.

A federal study showed that fishery safety improved greatly under the new system. Fish quality also improved as crews took more time to clean, dress and then quickly ice the catch. Prices rose as fish moved onto the market over a period of months rather than swamping buyers after a short season.

Gjerde and other schooner skippers were big winners. Today, most schooner skippers hold shares of black cod and halibut worth $2 million to $6 million, according to industry officials.

But there is a limited market for these shares. Most shares can only be sold to other qualified fishermen. These rules were crafted to keep the shares out of the hands of investors with no connection to the fishery.

Even heirs of fishermen can't hold onto the shares unless they, too, venture out to sea. That means that Gjerde's two children, a daughter who works as a paralegal and another daughter now raising children, couldn't keep the shares without a big change in lifestyle.

Read the complete story at The Seattle Times.