Ahab's Journal

Florida oyster advocates fuming over FDA treatment

Before hunting, there was gathering.

Like an orange hanging on the tree, a raw oyster is one of the most basic of foods. Reach down and pull it out of the water, open it and eat it. OK, maybe add a little lemon or hot sauce.

But it may soon not be that simple. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided that starting in 2011, raw oysters coming out of the Gulf of Mexico during warm-weather months must be treated before they can be sold to consumers.

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As oceans fall ill, Washington bureaucrats squabble

WASHINGTON — Off the coast of Washington state, mysterious algae mixed with sea foam have killed more than 8,000 seabirds, puzzling scientists. A thousand miles off California, researchers have discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling vortex roughly twice the size of Texas filled with tiny bits of plastic and other debris.

Every summer a dead zone of oxygen-depleted water the size of Massachusetts forms in the Gulf of Mexico; others have been found off Oregon and in the Chesapeake Bay, Lake Erie and the Baltic and Black seas. Some studies indicate that North Pole seawater could turn caustic in 10 years, and that the Southern Ocean already may be saturated with carbon dioxide.

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NMFS Proposes Adjustments to Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Regulations

NMFS announces a proposed change to the General and Harpoon Category fisheries for Atlantic bluefin tuna.  NMFS is seeking comment on this proposed action until December 21, 2009. 

NMFS would increase the General Category maximum daily retention limit and allow the full January General Category subquota to be reached.

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Requests for help skyrocket

BY SANDY SEMANS | SENTINEL STAFF

http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/11/06/top_stories/tops0581.txt

Jay Burrus, director of Dare County Department of Social Services, recently told members of the North Banks Rotary Club that the past year had been record-setting for his agency.

"October's [2008] 176 applications was an all-time monthly record. November's - which is a short month - 196 applications eclipsed that," said Burrus. "We continued at high levels through the fiscal year, ending up with a monthly average number of applications 52 percent higher than in the previous year and more than a 100 percent higher than in fiscal year 04-05, when our economy was strong."

Good news, bad news: Hatteras islanders feel the impact

BY SANDY SEMANS | SENTINEL STAFF

http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2009/11/06/business/bus058.txt

The state of Dare County's economy is a classic example of whether one chooses to view the glass half empty or half full...or acknowledge the fact that there's plenty of room for improvement.

The slowdown in construction, real estate sales and tourism which make up the meat and potatoes of Dare County's economy have severely impacted businesses across the county.

Hatteras Connection Will Help Island Food Programs

Hatteras Connection will hold a seafood fundraiser for Hatteras Island Food Pantry and Hatteras Island Meals, Inc. on Tuesday, December 8, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Hatteras Village Civic Center.

 

The next fundraiser planning meeting will be 2 p.m., Thursday, November 12, at the Fessenden Center.

 

Here's a rundown of decisions made at the last planning meeting for the fundraiser, a Hatteras Connection project suggested by Lynne Foster.

Sport anglers applaud decision on striped bass

A decline in the number of striped bass swimming up the Maine coast in recent summers helped persuade regional fisheries managers this week to reject a proposed expansion of the commercial catch to the south.

Sport fishermen and state officials in Maine had criticized the proposal because of signs that the striped bass population, and the state's valuable recreational fishery, may be in trouble.

Despite scientists' assurances that the bass population is healthy, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted 8-6 on Monday in Newport, R.I., against opening the door to bigger catches in Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere.  

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Nantucket scallops open at $8 per pound

Harbormaster Dave Fronzuto reported at Tuesday's Shellfish and Harbor Advisory Board meeting that 440 bushels of the much sought-after shellfish were hauled in by 77 boats on opening day, and that 178 commercial licenses had been sold.

Island fish markets were paying scallopers $8 a pound for shucked meat, and charging $12 retail.

It was a far cry from last year, which saw slim pickings of classic adult scallops among heaps of nubs, the local term for adult-sized scallops missing the readily-discernible growth rings that indicate their having already spawned.

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Mississippi fishing boat captains to bring complaints to state officials

Like a chum slick on a strong tide, angler discontent over federal fisheries management decisions is spreading across the country.

According to published reports, just within the last 10 days:

Hundreds of fishermen swarmed a National Marine Fisheries Service office in Gloucester, Mass., protesting new rules for groundfish and scallops.

Atlantic snapper fishermen complained about the potential closure of fisheries from North Carolina to Florida.

Hundreds gathered in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., rallying against the early closure of the amberjack fishery in the Gulf.

On Saturday, collaborative protests will be held simultaneously at Mexico Beach, Panama City and Destin in Florida, Orange Beach in Alabama, and some ports in Louisiana. 

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Whale Watch: Endangered Designation in Danger

For the first time in a decade, the U.S. is reviewing the endangered status of the humpback whale, prompted by evidence that these acrobatic leviathans -- once hunted to near extinction -- appear to be thriving world-wide.

From fewer than 5,000 in the 1960s, humpbacks now number 60,000 or more. "They appear to be coming back pretty strongly in most of the places we are studying," says whale biologist Phillip Clapham at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle.

Under the federal review, though, more than their growing numbers will determine the regulatory fate of these immense marine mammals. It also will hinge on blubber biopsies and maternal DNA from the most intensive studies ever conducted of a marine mammal species, encompassing humpback whale herds world-wide.

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TBF’s Peel representing U.S. as Commissioner to ICCAT

The Billfish Foundation President Ellen Peel in Brazil for 10 day worldwide summit

but is not overly optimistic about strong conservation measures being passed  

 

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. USA and RECIFE, Brazil -- (November 6, 2009)  --  Ellen Peel who was recently appointed as the new U.S. Commissioner to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) is in Brazil today for the start of the 21st annual meeting of the commission.

    But on the eve of the 10 day (Nov. 6 – 15) summit Ms. Peel, who has been the president of The Billfish Foundation for over a decade, is not highly optimistic any strong changes will be made among the attending countries to conservation of tuna and related species. 

 

RFA & ALLIES OFFICIALLY FILE SUIT ON SEA BASS

Charges NMFS With "Failure to Comply With The Law"

 

November 6, 2009

- In a 40-page legal challenge submitted before the U.S. District Court of New Jersey on November 4, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and industry allies have officially brought legal action against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke due to the recent recreational closure of the Atlantic recreational black sea bass fishery.   The challenge contends that the recent closure is not only unprecedented for a fish whose stocks are considered rebuilt and not overfished, but that the action is also based upon "misapplication and misuse of a fatally flawed angler survey which NMFS itself has acknowledged is not to be used for this type of decision."

Proposed quota 'frustrating' for sustainable fishery

NEW BEDFORD — The deep and murky waters of fishery management in New England just became a little murkier for Jon Williams, CEO of the Atlantic Red Crab Company in the city.

In the middle of September, his company was awarded certification by the Marine Stewardship Council, a London-based nonprofit that seeks to influence consumers by issuing ecolabels to fisheries around the globe that it deems sustainable.

Atlantic Red Crab is the first company on the East Coast to attain Marine Stewardship Council certification, and Williams was proud to receive the recognition for a business that was also contributing new jobs and revenue to the city.

Just two weeks later, however, the New England Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee spoiled the party and stunned the industry by recommending that the allowable catch for 2010 be pegged at the 2007 level. The decision has left Williams perplexed because, he says, 2007 was a complete anomaly. 

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ASMFC Weakfish Board Adopts Addendum IV in Response to Depleted Stock Status

Newport, Rhode Island – The Commission's Weakfish Management Board approved measures to reduce exploitation by over 50 percent in both the recreational and commercial sectors. Addendum IV requires states to implement a one fish recreational creel limit, 100 pound commercial trip limit, 100 pound commercial bycatch limit during closed seasons, and 100 undersized fish per trip allowance for the finfish trawl fishery. All other management measures previously adopted to conserve the stock and reduce bycatch remain in effect.

Congressman Frank to NOAA chief: Many questions on catch shares

In a pointed letter to the Obama administration's top fisheries administrator, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank has added his voice to a growing chorus of concerns about the transition of the New England groundfishery to a "catch share" regulatory system.

He also expressed a number of related frustrations with federal fisheries management, including the death by old age of "tens of millions of dollars" of scallops in a overlooked, closed area of Georges Bank. 

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Pew's catch-share paper reiterates need to push back catch shares

For months, the Gloucester fishing community and industry leaders across New England and the nation have begged federal regulators to delay the implementation of a new regulatory structure that, by many counts, could throw the regional industry into chaos and drive many independent boat owners out of business.

Now, one of the biggest environmental lobbies in the nation is joining them — sort of.

This doesn't mean that the Pew Environmental Group is suddenly in sync with area fishing interests. The $5 billion philanthropy still believes in draconian restrictions on fishing, in the name of preserving the resource and fighting the effects of alleged and disputed "overfishing." The Big Green still supports "catch-shares," a system of fisheries management that divides the resource into saleable commodities, for the groundfishing industry in New England, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its National Marine Fisheries Service are moving toward implementing the system next year.

But the words from Lee Crocker, director of Pew's federal fisheries policy — outlined during a nationwide teleconference Tuesday and reported in yesterday's Times — took many by surprise. That's because Crocker urged the Obama administration — and that means NOAA chief and former Pew Fellow Jane Lubchenco — to "go slow" on catch shares, and not to make it "the default management system."

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Seafood by the Roadside

Bubba John wants to sell you fresh seafood, but first he wants to know how your day is going. John Keesee, a.k.a. Bubba John, is a spirited entrepreneur with a smile as wide as the Gulf Coast, a work ethic as ironclad as a bullet-proof lock and a mind as inquisitive as a stray dog looking for scraps.
“How ya doin’ today?” asks Keesee. “Ya in the mood for some really good seafood? Take a look at these Alabama Wild Shrimp—you’ve never seen anything like ‘em.”
Keesee operates Bubba John’s Shrimp and Seafood, a pristine roadside seafood stand on the busy 135th street strip that spans from Olathe to the state line, just east of Mission Road. Keesee set up shop adjacent to a green-striped tent selling locally grown produce on May 1, and his reputation for being a purveyor of quality seafood spread like wildfire amongst savvy foodies and high-profile restaurateurs. 

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ASFMC Denies Increase in Commercial Striped Bass Harvest

Anglers rally to defeat proposal for commercial sector to kill more fish

Coastal Conservation Association commends the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) for denying a proposal to increase the commercial harvest of striped bass at its meeting this week in Newport, Rhode Island. The proposal would have allowed commercial fishermen to add at least half of their uncaught commercial striped bass quota to their quota for the following year. Many anglers from CCA Maine made the journey to Newport to express their concern over the status of this important fish, and their voice made a difference.

 

Catch share slow-up hailed

A consumer group, Food & Water Watch, yesterday seconded the Pew Environment Group's motion that the Obama administration ease its ardor at commodifying public fisheries to achieve ecosystem restoration with investor principles.

And the latest action may have sparked a full-fledged national debate on the privatization of the oceans' resources.

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NOMINATING COMMITTEE TO MEET

MOREHEAD CITY – The Nominating Committee to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet via conference call at 10:00 a.m. Nov. 10 in the second floor conference room at the Division of Marine Fisheries, 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City.

Economy forces Crocker’s Marine to close

Crocker’s Marine, a longtime landmark announcing the entrance to Wrightsville Beach, closed its doors Friday.

And a portion of the company’s Morehead City operations have been taken over by Gregory Poole Equipment Co. and Starling Marine, officials for those companies said this week.

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FISHERIES DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES WATERFRONT ACCESS SITES

MOREHEAD CITY – N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Director Louis Daniel today announced the final projects selected for funding from the Waterfront Access and Marine Industry Fund.

 

A grant of $2.8 million is earmarked to purchase 6.98 acres at the end of Lewis Road in Hampstead for a public boat ramp and parking facility and $2 million is set aside to buy any combination of four parcels on Fulcher’s Landing Loop Road in Sneads Ferry for commercial and recreational docks, a public boat ramp and parking.

Thursday Meeting Reminder

 

Hatteras Connection plans to sponsor an early winter seafood fundraiser to benefit the Hatteras Island Food Pantry and the Hatteras Island Adult Care Home Delivered Meals program.

 

Island watermen are ready to donate fish for the fundraiser.

 

But, we need your help in organizing the event.

 

Please attend a planning meeting Thursday, November 5, 2 p.m., at the Fessenden Center in Buxton.

ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Assessment Update Finds Resource Not Overfished and Overfishing Not Occurring

Newport, Rhode Island - The 2009 Atlantic striped stock assessment update indicates that the resource remains in good condition with female spawning stock biomass (SSB)  percent of the SSB target and 185 percent of the SSB threshold (see Figure 1). Estimated fishing mortality rates (F) in 2008 are equal to or less than 0.21 and below the target (0.30) and threshold (0.34) rates. The assessment provides stock status for the combination of the three primary stocks (Hudson River, Delaware River, and Chesapeake and tributaries).  The striped bass stock complex is determined to be not overfished with overfishing not occurring.

Request for Oversight Hearings on Catch Shares

Dear all,

Concerned about the implications of Catch Shares, we are sending the
letter below asking for congressional oversight hearings.  We want to
hear directly from Congress whether the current state of fisheries
management meets their intent when they set out to create the Magnuson
Stevens Act.

The letter below is directed to Senator Snowe because she chairs the
committee.  The letter was put together by NAMA and Food & Water
Watch.  Although it specifically talks about Maine, we are looking for
a cross section of fishermen, fishing groups and families as well as
individuals, fishing community businesses, scientists, etc. from all
over to sign on if they feel comfortable doing so.

Falling for fig cake

I fell in love on my honeymoon - with Ocracoke fig cake.

Inside the display case at the Ocracoke Fish & Seafood Co., next to the blue fish and the squid, was a plastic container holding slices of this glazed spice cake, a culinary tradition on the barrier island just south of Hatteras.

Fig cake became a culinary custom on the island because figs are the only fruit that grow well there, explained Elizabeth Wiegand, author of "The Outer Banks Cookbooks: Recipes and Traditions from North Carolina's Barrier Islands." Fig trees flourish in the island's sandy soil and benefit from the nutrients released by the clam and oyster shells that locals use as mulch around the trees' trunks. 

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Pew: Go slow on catch shares

Stand shows split between enviro groups

The Pew Environment Group yesterday urged the Obama administration to "go slow" on fishermen's catch shares, the economic system of fisheries management pushed by the Environmental Defense Fund and Jane Lubchenco, its former vice chairman, now the national administrator for fisheries.

"Do not make catch shares the default management system," said Lee Crockett, director of Pew's federal fisheries policy. "One size fits all is inappropriate and ignores local variability."

Pew made its pitch for a cautious, bottom-up approach to catch shares in a national teleconference.

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VMS Troubles

I am All in favor of VMS on NOAA/NMFS employees.

 Current VMS system is a joke. It is a problematic system that "the Agency" gave approval to. But when there is a problem it is always the fault of the fisherman (never the manufacturer nor the Agency for approving such systems). My Skymate went so far as to send out a false reports and actually started and ended a trip when the vessel was tied to the dock. I found out by seeing the automatic e-mails that said how much time was deducted from my total DAS. 

I had Manny from SEAPORT down on the boat multiple time. The VMS was missing position reports while at tied to the dock and while at sea. Never heard a single word from NMFS. But I was in violation because VMS are required to send out position reports. Missed position reports are a violation. Manny said all Skymate systems miss position reports.

Sample Letter Supporting Rothschild for NMFS Chief

It has come to our attention in the fishing community that the decision to fill the post of National Marine Fisheries Service Administrator may be imminent. In light of the recent selections to fill posts at NMFS/NOAA with people of the same background and affiliations as Dr. Jane Lubchenco, I ask that you consider supporting Dr. Brian Rothschild’s appointment as NMFS Administrator. He is seen as fair and open minded; and has won the confidence and respect of the fishing community.

State Wildlife Conservation Group Calls for Restoration of Integrity for State Wildlife Commission

The state's leading conservation organization dedicated to wildlife and wildlife-based outdoor recreation has asked Governor Beverly Purdue to investigate allegations that appointments to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission were  made in return for political donations. In an emergency resolution passed on November 2, 2009, by the board of directors of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF), the 64-year-old organization points to allegations that the appointment of certain commissioners to the Wildlife Resources Commission was predicated upon political donations of over $100,000. These allegations came in sworn testimony during the recent hearings of the Board of Elections regarding irregularities in the Mike Easley for Governor Campaign of 2004.

EDF's Kate Bonzon Responds to the Pew Catch Share Report

"Pew is right that these are tough problems for fisheries, but they neglect to mention that catch shares are better at achieving positive outcomes than nearly any other management approach currently in use."

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The Pew Environment Group's Catch Share White Paper: "Design Matters"

At the start of the briefing,  Lee Crockett, director of Federal Fisheries Policy at the Pew Environment Group, and moderator of the teleconference made clear that the Pew Environmental Group has "not yet communicated its thinking on [catch share] programs"

He stated that Pew does "not support making catch shares the default management system in every sector of every fishery in the United States."  And he expressed concern that "this one-size-fits-all philosophy is inappropriate and ultimately harmful to sound fisheries management because it ignores local variability."

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US Senate Hearing on Ocean Policy Wednesday

The Future of Ocean Governance: Building Our National Ocean Policy

Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

10:00 AM

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the following Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee hearing on The Future of Ocean Governance: Building Our National Ocean Policy. Read more

 

Fish share proposal rankles activists

SM PIER — A few feet from the Santa Monica Pier's iconic sports fishing sign, a group of environmentalists engaged in a symbolic game of tug-of-war, pitting small fishermen against corporate giants in what has become a bitterly divisive debate over how best to manage seafood supplies.

The activists with Food & Water Watch, a consumer advocacy group, are trying to draw attention to a new management plan intended to protect endangered fish species by limiting the number that can be caught during a given season, dividing that number into "fish shares" or "catch shares" which are then distributed like stocks to fishermen, cooperatives or communities who could then buy, sell or lease their shares.

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Oysters bountiful in Tangier Sound; just 250 oystermen now work bay

DEAL ISLAND -- One month into this year's oyster season, watermen working in the Tangier Sound are finding a healthy and plentiful harvest.

"We've got about 200 boats working out there right now, and every one of them's catching their limit," said Capt. Art Daniels of Wenona, who has been working on the water for the past 72 years.

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Hit-and-run may have caused boat to sink off N.J. coast

CAPE MAY, N.J. — A scallop boat owned by a Bayboro man that sank off the New Jersey coast in March, killing six of the seven crew members aboard, may have been doomed by a fatal hit-and-run crash on the high seas, the lawyer for its owner said Monday.

Stevenson Weeks, the lawyer for Lady Mary owner Royal Smith Sr., said extensive damage to the boat's rudder, propeller and other equipment indicates that some other vessel crashed into it and kept going.

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Council weighs what to save: Fish or jobs?

Pending closures of vast portions of the South Atlantic fishery could put hundreds of area residents out of their jobs and take local seafood off the table.

Already, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has ordered that most grouper fish be left alone from Jan. 1-April 30, a blow to the local fishery as well as restaurants and their patrons, people involved in the industry say.

The latest proposal would shut down huge areas of the ocean to fishing to allow the red snapper population to restore itself. The council says red snapper are dangerously overfished and are at 3 percent of the level they were measured at in 1945.

The moves affect both recreational and commercial fishing, and could eventually affect tourism if people can't come and catch the fish they want, or if they can't dine on the local fresh-caught fish they expect.

"I think there's a lot of areas that can be affected," said chef James Clark of Waterscapes in Myrtle Beach. He participates in the sustainable fishery movement and helps train other chefs in ways to cook fish that are not on the limited list, but fears the shutoff of some areas will cut access to all local fish, forcing restaurants to use less-fresh and less-tasty imports.

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A Maine idea that could help the nation

As Maine's working waterfront came under increasing pressure of residential development, advocates for water-dependent industries advanced an idea.

The concept was simple: use state bond money, combined with private funds, to permanently preserve waterfront land used for commercial fishing.

Dozens of groups persuaded voters to approve this new concept by a margin of 66 to 34 percent in the 2005 election.

The program is working. Since 2006, Maine's Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program has saved 19 properties with a fair-market value of $17 million, using $5 million in state bond money. These 19 properties support almost 1,000 fishing-related jobs, which generate $40 million annually in income. This program has saved working waterfronts all along the coast, from Scarborough to Beals Island.

If it works in Maine, why not take this concept nationwide?

First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree believes this program which is working so well in Maine, it can help waterfronts around the country, so she introduced the "Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act of 2009" in the U.S House of Representatives (bill H.R. 2548).

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DNR Retires 530 Crab Catcher Licenses Through Buy-Back Program

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has to date purchased and permanently retired more than 530 Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) commercial crabbing licenses through its LCC buy-back program.   To further reduce latent effort (fishing effort that is not currently deployed) the agency is also proposing a change in regulations governing the LCC License.  

“With the purchase of more than 530 licenses, the buy-back program is certainly meeting our expectations,” said DNR secretary John Griffin. “However, while retiring these unused licenses is an important component of our efforts to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab population, additional actions are needed to ensure a sustainable fishery.”  

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Fishermen, friends protest at homeless' panhandling spot

FORT WALTON BEACH — The idea of bringing the Destin charter boat fishermen’s beef with the federal government to the corner of Perry Avenue and U.S. Highway 98 started out as kind of a joke.

That Fort Walton Beach corner is best known, after all, as a spot where vagrants panhandle for beer money.

“We said, ‘Why don’t we stand out there with all the homeless folks, since the National Marine Fisheries is going to make us homeless?’ ” said boat captain Greg Marler. 

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Fishermen, friends protest at homeless' panhandling spot

FORT WALTON BEACH — The idea of bringing the Destin charter boat fishermen’s beef with the federal government to the corner of Perry Avenue and U.S. Highway 98 started out as kind of a joke.

That Fort Walton Beach corner is best known, after all, as a spot where vagrants panhandle for beer money.

“We said, ‘Why don’t we stand out there with all the homeless folks, since the National Marine Fisheries is going to make us homeless?’ ” said boat captain Greg Marler. 

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Study shows fish diverting north to cooler waters

A new study by fisheries scientists in Woods Hole shows that about half of the 36 fish stocks they surveyed had shifted north or east toward cooler waters over the past 40 years, possibly in response to rising water temperatures due to global warming.

The study, conducted by scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center, requires further research to factor out the effects of decades of overfishing to get a true picture of the impact of warming seas, researchers said.

But the fish migration northward could mean that fishermen will have to travel farther to catch familiar species but might also see new opportunities in species coming up from southern waters.

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Public hearing frustrates area anglers

CHARLESTON -- The mood in the room was almost resigned. Anglers kept tossing out suggestions to forestall closing bottom fishing offshore. But only about a dozen spoke. A few more listened and then walked away.

At one of the last public hearings before the drastic step is voted on to protect the red snapper, there was a sense that this one was going to get away.

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Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Forming King Mackerel LAPP Panel

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is forming a new Ad Hoc Advisory Panel to consider the trading of catch shares and other issues related to limited access privilege programs for Gulf king mackerel.

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Fishermen protest catch rules

Hundreds of grumpy fishermen, their spirits visibly buoyed yesterday by the assemblage, rallied for justice from the National Marine Fisheries Service at the front door of its regional headquarters here.

In banners, homemade signs and more than two hours of speeches through a battery-operated bullhorn, the boatsmen and -women, a lawyer and scientist all proclaimed that with the rebounding stocks stronger than any other time in the past 30 years, according to scientific reports, there is no reason and this is no time to consolidate and commodify the fishery.

But Patricia Kurkul, the service's regional administrator, suggested redress can only come from Congress, and afterward, many protesters agreed.

"We need Congress to give us a little flexibility," said Chris Odlin, husband of Amanda Odlin, the lead organizer.

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NOAA and Partners Announce South Atlantic Alliance

Representatives from NOAA and the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, announced the formation of a partnership to better manage and protect ocean and coastal resources, ensure regional economic sustainability, and respond to disasters such as hurricanes. The announcement was made during the annual meeting of the Coastal States Organization in Charleston, S.C.

The Governors’ South Atlantic Alliance will leverage resources from each state and supporting partners to protect and maintain healthy coastal ecosystems, keep waterfronts working, enhance clean ocean and coastal waters and help make communities more resilient to natural disasters. The four states previously met with the White House Council on Environmental Quality to obtain support from NOAA and other federal agencies including the U.S. Geological Survey and EPA. 

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Summer dredging killed sea turtles

A harbor dredging operation carried out despite concerns from wildlife officials killed at least six loggerhead sea turtles in September - two in Savannah and four in Brunswick.

A possible seventh turtle was killed in Savannah, but recovered remains have not yet been confirmed as being a sea turtle.

Dave Allison, senior campaign director for the non-profit conservation group Oceana, which has pushed for the uplisting, called the dredging project a "perverse" use of stimulus funds.

"The killing of sea turtles and putting them at further risk of extinction just to pump money through the system is at the very least unfortunate," he said. "I can understand the desire to keep dredge operators employed and keep money going through the stimulus. But there simply is no real justification for this kind of carnage."

Allison finds it "shocking" that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration approved the loss of seven turtles for this project.

"If seven sea turtles were taken in two weeks in a number of fisheries in this country, we would be looking at closing the entire fishery," he said. "That rate of take is really unacceptable."

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Is catch-and-release a threat to rockfish?

In Maryland last week, natural resource officials pored over recommendations to limit preseason catch-and-release fishing for trophy striped bass, locally called rockfish.

The state's volunteer Sport Fish Advisory Commission recommended outlawing preseason fishing for rock with bait and banning trolling all but three days a week in the month and a half before trophy rockfish season opens the third Saturday of April. Resource managers are responding to a five-fold increase in effort in recent years, from an estimated 50,000 trips in March-April 2002 to about 250,000 last spring.

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The Last Herring Fishers

In September, San Francisco’s commercial herring fishermen were told that this year, for the first time ever, their season has been canceled. Herring are disappearing from the Bay, and no one knows why. Possible causes: El Nino, a 2007 oil spill, overfishing. Whatever the reason, the Fish and Game commission says herring need time to recover. But herring fishermen say their jobs–and a 100-year old Bay tradition–are being tossed away.

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Fishery council pushes to continue rockfish pilot program

Federal fisheries officials are considering making permanent a controversial rockfish pilot program that essentially privatizes that fishery in the central Gulf of Alaska.

The final program likely would exclude the divisive requirement that deliveries must be made to specific processors, federal officials said.

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