Saving Seafood

Hawaii-based longline fishermen allowed to keep catching ahi

November 28, 2015 — HONOLULU (AP) ” Hawaii-based longline fishermen have exhausted multiple catch limits for ahi this year, but federal regulators said Friday a new agreement will ensure the fish will be available in the state through the holidays.

Regulators have approved a deal allowing Hawaii fishermen to attribute up to 1,000 metric tons of bigeye tuna catch to Guam, said Mike Tosatto, National Marine Fisheries Service regional administrator for the Pacific Islands.

The agreement will enable Hawaii fishermen to keep catching ahi as usual and deliver their haul to Honolulu. In exchange, Hawaii fishermen will pay $200,000 toward the development of the fishing industry on Guam.

“We want to inform the public that fish will continue to be available through the holidays,” Tosatto said.

Environmentalists say the arrangement contributes to the overfishing of bigeye tuna in the western and central Pacific.

“There’s just absolutely no way to reconcile that behavior with what the science says, which is that all fishing nations ” including the United States ” need to show some restraint. And need to reduce catch, not increase catch, which is what the fisheries service is allowing to happen here,” said David Henkin, an attorney for Earthjustice.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Bedford Standard – Times

 

NEW JERSEY: Massive school of fish fights off predators in Raritan Bay

November 16, 2015 — A group of New Jersey fishermen pulled their boat into a breathtaking scene last week and captured video of massive numbers of menhaden schooling to avoid the jaws of predator bluefish.

“My father and his friend have a combined 120 or so years of experience on the water and they had never seen anything like that,” said Nick Kita, 22, of Manville, who shot the video and posted it to Youtube. Kita also provided the video to NJ.com.

A professional photographer, Kita used both a submerged GoPro camera and an overhead drone to capture dramatic footage of the fish.

Read the full story at New Jersey Advance

 

Legislator: Fed money for fish study a good sign

October 2, 2015 — BOSTON — One of the Legislature’s top fishing advocates has taken encouragement from the federal government approving funding for an industry survey of cod stocks.

As part of $6.9 million in federal disaster relief, the National Marine Fisheries Service approved federal funds for an industry-based survey of Gulf of Maine cod, a species whose apparent decimation led to drastic reductions in catch limits and a fisheries disaster declaration.

Gov. Charlie Baker and other Massachusetts elected officials have criticized federal fishery regulators for refusing to consider alternative scientific methods for estimating fish stocks. The School for Marine Science and Technology at UMass Dartmouth has developed new methods for assessing sea life.

Sen. Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, said he was encouraged that the industry study was included in the grant award approved by federal fishery regulators.

“It offers me a sign of hope that they will begin to take seriously collaborative research and consider the independent efforts to try to give us a better understanding of what’s happening with cod stocks,” Tarr told the News Service.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries on Thursday announced the award, which will send most of a $6.7 million pot toward direct aid for fishermen and use another $200,000 to fund the administration of a program to buy back fishing licenses, which would be industry-funded, according to the state. The division will work on developing a proposal for a buyback program, and will work on helping fishermen obtain experimental federal permits for small-mesh nets.

Read the full story at New Bedford Standard – Times