Ahab's Journal

U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan introduces legislation he says will protect jobs, help fishermen

BARNEGAT LIGHT - U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan wants commercial and recreational fishermen to be able to catch more fish, and in the process create more jobs.

Runyan, R-3rd, held a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the Viking Village fish docks to announce legislation he introduced to ratchet back federal fishing regulations. He said his bill would preserve fishing jobs in coastal communities that are in jeopardy because of overly strict regulations.

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Hagan Defends NC Fishermen in New York Times

Once vibrant North Carolina fishing communities are becoming remnants of the past because of an arcane law praised in the April 21 editorial “A Good Law That’s Working.”

The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires any fishery deemed overfished to be rebuilt within 10 years — an arbitrary timeline. This effectively closes fisheries without allowing for any flexibility or modern stock assessment technologies to evaluate fishery health.

Without flexibility, fisheries that are rebuilt in less than a decade must remain closed, leaving fishermen stuck at the docks, and businesses from tackle shops to boat builders suffering. Our coastal economies are hemorrhaging jobs. Fishermen are now spending more time in the waters off South America’s coast, where they can fish without laws that straitjacket them.

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NOAA Fisheries Service to update guidelines to promote safety in fisheries regulations

The current National Standard 10 guidelines, which help fishery managers implement that standard, were drafted in 1998 and since then fishery management and analytical methods to evaluate safety have changed and improved. Through the revision of these guidelines, NOAA’s Fisheries Service intends to enhance consideration of safety issues in fisheries management. NOAA is therefore issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register. The notice describes issues related to safety of human life at sea that NOAA’s Fisheries Service is considering addressing in the guidelines. For example, guidance on how to analyze fatality statistics to identify and address hazards within a fishery could be added to the National Standard 10 guidelines.

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The Fish Stock Crisis Fraud

Ever wonder why in the midst of our worldwide financial meltdown crisis the largest corporations and their ceo's and their Wall Street cohorts are showing record "earnings"?  Crisis >> Distraction >> Scam >> Great Profit

 The crisis is ours.  The profits are for a few corporate entities, the result of a Milton Freidman economics privatization, commodification, and market-capitalization of everything that has value (and also several things that don't) scam. 

 Does all that sound familiar?  It should.  It's the scam that the collusion between the eco-Funds and our esteemed government agencies has perpetrated on our fishing resource.

Commerce Department appoints marine fisheries advisors to national committee

The Department of Commerce today announced the appointment of three new public advisors charged with counseling the Secretary of Commerce and NOAA on national saltwater fishery management and laws that protect marine mammals, sea turtles and other ocean life.

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Paper by UMass' Brian Rothschild says Overfishing is more Metaphor than Scientific Measure

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- April 10, 2011 - The term “overfishing” carries far more metaphoric weight than practical meaning, according to Dr. Brian Rothschild, Montgomery Charter Professor of Marine Science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology. In “The Overfishing Metaphor,” a paper recently published for the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists, Dr. Rothschild issues a bold challenge to a long established paradigm, arguing that outmoded benchmarks are hindering real-life fisheries management.

“The golden metric is whether stocks are overfished or not,” explains Rothschild. In other words, is the rate of fishing incompatible with sustaining future healthy fish populations?  The answer to this question is determined by calculations  -- through various mathematical formulas that attempt to relate the magnitude of an entire fish stock to fishing mortality -- to determine if that number is greater than a pre-determined maximum yield. “But those determinations are being based on models created 50 or more years ago and do not consider the nuances of the latest science. Theoretically, fisheries are supposed to be managed with the best available science.”

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Let Us Eat Fish

THIS Lent, many ecologically conscious Americans might feel a twinge of guilt as they dig into the fish on their Friday dinner plates. They shouldn’t.

Over the last decade the public has been bombarded by apocalyptic predictions about the future of fish stocks — in 2006, for instance, an article in the journal Science projected that all fish stocks could be gone by 2048.

Subsequent research, including a paper I co-wrote in Science in 2009 with Boris Worm, the lead author of the 2006 paper, has shown that such warnings were exaggerated. Much of the earlier research pointed to declines in catches and concluded that therefore fish stocks must be in trouble. But there is little correlation between how many fish are caught and how many actually exist; over the past decade, for example, fish catches in the United States have dropped because regulators have lowered the allowable catch. On average, fish stocks worldwide appear to be stable, and in the United States they are rebuilding, in many cases at a rapid rate.

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McIntyre calls federal closure of some fisheries “draconian”

“U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre is standing up for North Carolina fishermen by urging congressional hearings on the draconian fishing closures being implemented by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

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Fishing interests plead for help from Congress

The casualties in the Northeast fishing industry continued to mount even as New Bedford's fishery council made its case directly to members of Congress Tuesday.

The shutdown of NORPEL, a herring and mackerel fishing and processing company in New Bedford, meant nearly 120 layoffs on the waterfront and, when the news of it was announced during the two-hour meeting, it became a perfect example of the struggle that the council is telling Congress about.

The unusual session, in which citizens conducted a meeting within the walls of the Capitol with members of Congress as invited guests, was the culmination of an intense year of lobbying, meetings, lawsuits, hearings and, in general, disappointment and frustration.

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New Bedford fishermen set sail for Washington

NEW BEDFORD — First they took the show on the road. Now, after appearances in New Bedford and New Hampshire, the mayor's Ocean and Fisheries Council is taking its pitch to the Broadway of politics: Capitol Hill.

Frustrated with the attitude of the Commerce Department toward the plight of the Northeast fishing industry, the council has secured the use of a hearing room in the Capitol to present its case for a rethinking of Amendment 16, the Magnuson-Stevens Act rule-making that set up catch shares and sector management along with sharp reductions in allowable groundfish catch.

As of Monday midday, 37 people from as far away as Alaska had signed up to attend the two-hour session, which starts at 4 p.m. today, according to Chairman Dr. Brian Rothschild, dean emeritus of the UMass School for Marine Science and Technology.

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HAGAN COSPONSORS MEASURE TO PROTECT NC FISHERIES

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) today announced she cosponsored a bill to protect the North Carolina fishing industry. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) last week introduced the Flexibility in Rebuilding Fisheries Act, which will give fishery managers additional flexibility. Hagan also cosponsored this bill in the 111th Congress.

Fisheries chief sees end to overfishing

The administrator of federal fisheries has reportedly declared restoration efforts of overfished stocks — now in their fourth decade under Magnuson-Stevens Act mandates — have succeeded in making sustainable the nation's last great wild food resource.

In informal remarks during a private meeting with a seafood marketing group on the first day of the International Boston Seafood Show, Eric Schwaab, administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service, was applauded not only for his optimistic assessment of the long struggle to end overfishing, but for his commitment to marry government resources with U.S. industry efforts at increasing the domestic share of the global seafood market, according to multiple audience sources.

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Federal judge hears New Bedford's fishing suit

BOSTON — The legal dispute over catch shares and fishing industry sectors reached a federal courtroom Tuesday, with Judge Rya Zobel making it clear she is considering an order putting the new system to a referendum, as New Bedford and Gloucester have asked.

Four lawyers representing New Bedford, Gloucester and other fishing interests squared off against eight U.S. government attorneys while National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration general counsel Lois Schiffer watched grimly from the audience of about 50 people.

As the strictly timed 90-minute hearing progressed, Zobel gradually steered it away from arguments over declining or rebuilding fish stocks or the cost of sector management. Instead, the legal wrangling centered largely on the issue of whether the new system is one of quotas, which would require that it be put to a referendum.

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Dr. Steve Cadrin's Report on Uncertainty in Catch Forecasts Entered into Committee Record by Senator Kerry

WASHINGTON - March 8, 2011 - At today's Oceans Subcommittee hearing, in addition to his comments and written testimony, Senator John Kerry included a report "Quantifying Uncertainity in Catch Forecasts"  written by Professor Steven X. Cadrin, Ph.D of the UMass School for Marine Science & Technology.  It was prepared for and delivered at the National Annual Catch Limit Scientific Workshop in Silver Spring, Maryland on February 15-17, 2011.

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Senate Subcommittee Hearing

Webcast of the U.S. Senate  Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee hearing on implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is available here.

Giacalone takes catch share fight to Congress

A leader of New England's commercial fishing industry is expected to urge a congressional committee today to junk the Magnuson-Stevens Act's mandatory rebuilding timelines for overfished stocks.

Vito Giacalone, policy director for the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, said the deadline-driven rebuilding requirements written into the act in 1996, when combined with 2006 requirements for hard catch limits with penalties, brought about a rushed transition from effort to output controls — days at sea to catch shares.

The changeover, he told the Times Monday, has brutally culled small boat businesses, left the big ones with even greater control over the industry, and set up an opening for commodity giants to take over.

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March 8 Hearing on Implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

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 implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

See notice

Betrayal, When Those that get the Lions Share, Say its not enough

There are a group of American people that have done the almost impossible. They have survived every possible plot, and underhanded scheme that has been presented to eradicate them from existence. This drama, unnoticed by most Americans, has been going on for three decades or better, and there is more bad news than good in their lives, everyday.

A quick trip through my index of seeded articles, will reveal the journey I've followed, and am amazed at the resiliency the men and women that make up our US fishery. Their number shrink on a daily basis, for one reason. Environmental extremism. Some of the greenest minded people in the food production industry, are fishermen. They leave the smallest carbon foot print. They add no chemicals to their product. They use no fertilizer. They bring you the ultimate natural food.

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Begich not bashful about securing fisheries chairmanship

"Bashful" is likely the last word his U.S. Senate colleagues would use to describe Mark Begich.

So when an opportunity arose to become chairman of the Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard Subcommittee, the junior senator from Alaska was not shy about talking his way into the seat.

Addressing Coast Guard needs in northern Alaska will be an early priority for Begich, but the first two hearings he is working to schedule will be on updates and issues related to the MSA and on the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Begich said he intends to vigorously exercise oversight as a subcommittee chairman, and he did not sound enthusiastic about two NOAA funding requests totaling nearly $100 million.

NOAA has requested $54 million to encourage the implementation of catch share fishery management programs around the country, and another $40 million to begin implementing "marine spatial planning," or, as the former Anchorage mayor Begich calls it, "ocean zoning."

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“Fishing Matters to Me” Rally Questions Govt. Regulation

ST. PETERSBURG – Fishermen/fisherwomen came from all over the eastern U.S. to protest the National Marine Fisheries Service about current fishing regulations they deem as over-regulations. The peaceful gathering was held outside the NMFS headquarters where many guest speakers promoted conservation, but expressed bylaw concerns to a cheering crowd. Organizers plan to take their message to Washington D.C. in the next few days.

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Sen. Brown touts FISH Act in harbor visit

The U.S. Senator who's filed legislation to reform federal fishing policy and hold federal regulators accountable got a firsthand look Saturday at the impact those regulations are having on Gloucester and other communities.

Sen. Scott Brown spoke to some 30 Gloucester-based fishermen and waterfront business operators about his proposed Fishery Impact Statement Honesty (FISH) Act during a Saturday visit to the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction.

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Sen. Snowe Cosponsors Sen. Brown FISH Bill

U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today cosponsored legislation with Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.), to ensure that fisherman and fishing communities are not subjected to unnecessary and over-broad regulations imposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

 

Under National Standard 8 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, NOAA is currently required to release a fishing impact statement prior to the ratification of any new fisheries management plan or amendment to the existing plan. The bill Senator Snowe is supporting today, the Fishing Impact Statement Honesty (FISH) Act of 2011, S. 238, expands on that requirement by calling for those impact statements to be updated annually to better track the social and economic effect of these regulations on the fishing community. Specifically, the FISH Act requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to select an independent third party to conduct the statement analysis.

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'The end of overfishing,' what does it mean? by Dr. Ray Hilborn

Dr. Ray Hilborn examines the end of overfishing in the United States. He addresses what fisheries managers can control and what is in the realm of nature, beyond the reach of human management.

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Sen. Brown Amendment Would Require Annual Economic Assessments of Fisheries Regulations Independent of NOAA

WASHINGTON - Jan 31, 2011 - Today, Senator Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) introduced the Fishing Impact Statement Honesty (FISH) Act of 2011. 

Senator Brown’s Fishery Impact Statement Honesty (FISH) Act would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require that economic impact statements on the affect of fishing regulations on communities be produced independently of NOAA and updated on an annual basis.

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Now My Family Starves; Is Your Family Next?

"Hunger, lack of opportunity, poverty, unhappy people-they make war; they
make revolutions" Eleanor Roosevelt.

Recently, a 26 year-old Tunisian man doused himself in paint thinner and
set it on fire. Mohamed Bouazizi, had a small vegetable and fruit stand.
He could no longer pay the corrupt-bribes to the government to keep his
little business.

This act sparked the government to be overthrown in Tunisia and has caused
mass protests in Egypt, Yemen and Lebanon. Another man in Egypt repeated
the self-immolation.   Desperate circumstances create desperate
consequences.  Hunger, starvation and malnutrition should not be taken
lightly.

Extreme regulations and unfair imports are putting a stranglehold on the
little US food producers-small farmers, ranchers and fishermen.  Why is
our government refusing to let the small food providers stay in business?
They continue to make more rules but they won't uphold the ones we have.
Constitution, Bill of Rights, Magnuson-Stevens Act and our human rights
are being misconstrued or ignored.

'Blacklisted' meal provokes 'sustainable' fisheries debate

BOSTON — For a private dinner at one of his Legal Sea Foods restaurants for which he made the intentionally provocative decision to serve three so-called blacklisted fish, Roger Berkowitz minced the black tiger shrimp but not his words.

It was an evening of food for thought.

"We have sustainable fisheries, now we need sustainable infrastructure. It has to come back to the center," Berkowitz said in a plea for common sense and reason, noting that many years of strict conservation have weakened the fishing industry while strengthening U.S. stocks.

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Nils Stolpe: Just do it!

Massachusetts Congressman Barney Franks is on the record with “we will introduce amendments to the Magnuson Act so that we can continue rebuilding fish stocks without causing undue economic harm.” For those of you who aren’t familiar with this issue, most – but surely not all - of the problems facing fishermen today revolve around the Magnuson Act requirement that all fish stocks be “rebuilt” to maximum and often unrealistic levels within a specific time period (generally 10 years). Regardless of how steadily a stock of fish is growing, if it doesn’t reach a certain level by a certain date, the managers will severely cut back or even eliminate fishing on it until it is “recovered.” This is regardless of the economic damage that will be visited on the people, the businesses and the communities that depend on that fishery.

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US fishermen say new law ends Canadian advantage

Congress passed a law yesterday that fishermen say will bring fairness to fish-sharing negotiations with Canada and probably lead to a higher catch limit on a key New England species.

Every year, negotiators decide how much each nation can pull up in a rich section of the Georges Bank fishing grounds that includes both US and Canadian waters.

The new law allows the United States to deal with Canada without being held to the tight 10-year timeline to rebuild the fish stocks, which applies in all other American waters.

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RFA SAYS MARKETING PLOY WILL KEEP AMERICA FROM FISHING

Cautions Angler Support For Lame Duck Legislative Shell Game   November 29, 2010 - Ever since the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson) was reauthorized by Congress in 2006, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) has been leading efforts to reform the law.  "When Magnuson was passed by unanimous consent without any discussion or debate, inflexible definitions were memorialized by federal law removing all ability to responsibly manage both fish and fishermen," said RFA Executive Director, Jim Donofrio.  "RFA has been warning the industry about a looming fisheries crisis and calling for an open debate ever since," he added.    Instead of agreeing to open public debate, a new marketing campaign coordinated by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) through the industry sponsored Keep America Fishing™ website is actively collecting angler contacts into an electronic database, while suppressing any open debate on real fisheries reform.  "The bills sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida (S3594) and Rep. Dan Boren of Oklahoma (HR6316) are supported by trade groups ASA and NMMA, but I wonder if the anglers themselves are really aware of what's actually contained in the legislation," Donofrio said.

As Species Rebound, Skippers Bemoan 'Underfishing'

Tales of huge haddock hauls were a few of the fish stories that came with the boat Chris Brown bought last year from a Canadian. To Brown, they were stories of missed opportunity.

The previous owner told Brown that for years the vessel trolled the edge of an area closed to U.S. fishermen for conservation. Because no one told the fish the Canadians hadn't signed on, the fish grew undisturbed in U.S. waters, then swam east into the nets of waiting Canadians.

"They were incredibly grateful for our conservation efforts," Brown, of Point Judith, R.I, said dryly.

Such circumstances are one cause of underfishing — a phenomenon that has struggling U.S. fishermen catching a fraction of what regulators say is a safe amount to take from rebounded stock, leaving millions in potential revenue in the water.

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NAMA Launches the "Who Fishes Matters" Campaign

If we care about the health of our oceans, fishing communities, and our food system, then who fishes matters. But fisheries policies and regulations do not reflect this and we are working to change that.

In New England, the groundfish fishery is transitioning into a new 'Catch Share' management system, with its promises to improve ecological stewardship of our oceans. However, we know that uncontrolled 'Catch Share' programs haven't taken into account who actually fishes for our seafood. Instead, around the world Catch Shares have consolidated the fishing industry into monolithic, industrial scale, absentee owner fishing fleets. We believe this direction undermines communities, ecosystems, and our food system.

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Fishing industry notches regulation victory

NEW BEDFORD — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Thursday gave the Northeast fishing industry almost everything it asked for in its yearlong battle with federal officials over catch limits and other regulations.

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank convened a press conference at the whaling museum that was also attended by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, Mayor Scott Lang and Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk. Gov. Deval Patrick got stuck in traffic and couldn't attend the event, according to an aide.

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Total makeover sought on fishery management process

Schwaab said the review will be initiated in New England by mid-October, once the services of an independent contractor are procured. The review will then be expanded to other regions, he said.

“We think the lessons we learn in New England can ultimately be applied across the country,” Schwaab said.

The contractor will conduct the study in two phases, he said. The first phase will consist of a series of extensive interviews among participants in the fishery management system. These will include members of NEFMC, staffers with the regional office and science center, fishermen and other representatives and industry leaders in fishing communities.

Leading the review will be Preston Pate, a member of NEFMC’s counterpart in the mid-Atlantic region, the Mid-Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council. Phase 2, said Schwaab, will involve narrowing the areas of inquiry to specific concerns and possible resolutions.

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Retain science-based catch limits

We are a group of fisheries researchers from across New England with expertise spanning marine ecology, fish population dynamics, law, policy and environmental history. We write today to urge U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to maintain the important progress that has been made toward ending overfishing in the northeast multispecies groundfish fishery and elsewhere by adhering to the mandates set out in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (MSRA) and the subsequent National Standard 1 guidelines (NS1).

Specifically, we urge him to retain the science-based catch limits that have been set for the fishery, preserving and respecting the vital role of science in fisheries management, and more importantly allowing stocks to continue rebuilding as the foundation for productive and sustainable fisheries.

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Fishermen look to put human face on regulations

Thirty-six-year-old Carlos Amarim hasn't worked a lot lately.

A New Bedford fisherman with a wife and three kids to feed, he's finding it hard to get on a dragger when well over half the city's fishing boats are tied up at the dock more than half the time.

That's what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's latest ham-handed fishing regulations have done to families like Amarim's.

So on Thursday, Carlos, his wife Elizabeth and their three children rode out to Martha's Vineyard for the day on the Bulldog, a Carlos Rafael-owned groundfish dragger.

They were there to essentially beg the vacationing president of the United States to pay attention to their desperate plight.

They and the Bulldog were part of a 25-boat flotilla of fishermen — both commercial and recreational — protesting unfeeling federal fishing policies that seem right out of Charles Dickens' Bleak House.

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Fishing activists dig in vs. buyout

Amid pleas for the $100 million relief package, backed by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, are a growing number of hardline arguments by prestigious fishing industry backers — including Gloucester-based attorney Stephen Ouellette and academic scientist Brian Rothschild — that throwing money at the problem would merely allow politicians to escape their own complicity in the growing crisis and undercut efforts to forge policies aimed at the root of the industry's clash with the federal regulatory system.

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Senator Gillibrand visits Montauk in support of local fishing economy

MONTAUK—A fishermen’s roundtable convened at Inlet Seafood Restaurant on Sunday, and sitting in the middle was the woman who promised to be their Congressional advocate.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand attended the roundtable and took notes as each of the veteran Montauk fishermen, boat captains, and marina owners relayed the injustices they say they face, thanks to federal regulations. The senator mostly listened, asking questions when necessary and responding succinctly to each comment made that she would try to be a driving force behind the needed changes.

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Formal fed hearing sought for Magnuson reform bill

A formal request has been filed for a congressional committee hearing on a bill that would give new flexibility to the Magnuson-Stevens Act and allow regulators to give fishermen larger catch allocations while overfished stocks rebuild on an extended timeline.

The Magnuson statute, the governing document for fisheries, still generally requires overfished stocks to be rebuilt on hard, 10-year schedules.

The proposed Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act would allow the government to make the timelines somewhat elastic as long as progress continues toward the goal.

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Fishery Conservation Transition Act weakens key federal fishery law

WASHINGTON – Lee Crockett, director of federal fisheries policy for the Pew Environment Group, and Holly Binns, manager of Pew’s Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast, issued this joint statement today on Senator Bill Nelson’s (D-Fla.) legislation to weaken a key federal fishery law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and delay plans to end overfishing and rebuild the severely depleted South Atlantic red snapper.   

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Sportfishing Community Applauds Legislation to Improve Federal Marine Fisheries Management System

Legislation introduces measures to address management deficiencies and prevent precipitous, massive fisheries closures

WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 15, 2010 – Today, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) introduced legislation designed to safeguard the strong conservation standards of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) while addressing a growing crisis within the federal marine fisheries management system.  S.3594, the Fishery Conservation Transition Act (FCTA), will give federal marine fisheries managers the time, resources and more specific direction necessary to address the chronic deficiencies in data collection and science. 

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SNOWE, LAUTENBERG, WHITEHOUSE, CANTWELL INTRODUCE COASTAL JOBS CREATION ACT OF 2010

Bill Would Establish Grant Program Within Commerce Department to Enhance Coastal Job Opportunities

 

June 25, 2010

Washington, D.C. -

Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) yesterday introduced the Coastal Jobs Creation Act of 2010, a bill to establish a grant program within the Department of Commerce to enhance employment opportunities for coastal communities by increasing support for cooperative research and fishery observer programs, revitalization of coastal infrastructure, and stewardship of coastal and marine resources. The bill was also co-sponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John F. Kerry (D-MA), and Mark Begich (D-AK).

By the Sea - Documentary

A documentary exploring the regulatory changes that occurred in May 2010 to the New England fishing industry. The conversion to a "sector" based system is being seen as either the savior or death of the fishing industry in this region. Filmed over the span of 9 months and produced/directed/editied by Northeastern University student, Jason Bergman, "By the Sea" aims to educate viewers about this quintessential New England industry that will be forever changed by this new system.

Baymen Plan Protest Hoping for citations for shipping porgies

To protest state and federal fishing laws, 20 members of the East Hampton Town Baymen’s Association will attempt to ship porgies to market without benefit of a commercial food fish license next month. The civil disobedience is scheduled for Saturday, June 26, at 11 a.m. at Stuart’s Seafood shop in Amagansett.   

Arnold Leo, secretary of the Baymen’s Association and a member of the East Hampton Town Fisheries Consultancy and Committee, said the protest was meant “to call attention to the fact that fishing regulations have become so restrictive and the process of setting them so inflexible that no one can make a living in the traditional way on the water.” Mr. Leo said the action was not an endorsement of illegal poaching.

    Much of the inflexibility has stemmed from a loss of autonomy at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a federally empowered body that oversees marine and anadromous species that migrate along the East Coast, Mr. Leo said.

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State and local officials discuss fishing issues

Outer Banks Sentinel - by Susan West - Fishermen and county commissioners exchanged information with state officials about a host of fisheries issues at the Dare County Commission for Working Watermen meeting April 21.

State officials attending the meeting included NC Rep. Tim Spear, Division of Marine Fisheries director Louis Daniel, and Wildlife Resources Commission director Gordon Myers.  Chris Dillon, special projects director for Senator Marc Basnight, also participated.

In a report on issues affecting Dare County, state fisheries chief Louis Daniel said his agency fully supports the South Atlantic Council minority report objecting to Amendment 17B to the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan that was approved by the council majority in December.

Fox Business: Could New Federal Fishing Laws Cripple Business?

Boston Seafood Co-Owner Richie Canastra on why he believes new government regulations could put many fishermen out of business.

Watch Video

Fed reps target faulty science on catch limits

The emergency economic opportunity program for New England commercial fishing industry sent to the Obama administration by seven members of Congress asks for common sense executive action to break through bureaucratic knots and dubious science that are causing what was described as unnecessary job loss within the fishing industry.

Low-balled hard catch limits are expected to ruin as many as half the family-owned fishing businesses in New England during the coming fishing year which begins May 1.

The bankruptcies would end fishing careers and put on the market their fishing permits at pennies on the dollar just as the catch share system introduces a rudimentary commodities market and privatization of the fishery designed to induce investors into the fishery.

Under these conditions, buyers could expect to buy low and quickly enjoy windfall profits as the stocks are restored and the limits are removed. 

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HAGAN COSPONSORS MEASURE TO PROTECT NC FISHERIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) has signed on to cosponsor the Flexibility in Rebuilding Fisheries Act (S.1255) that is critical to protecting the North Carolina fishing industry.

Fix Magnuson Now rally organizers announce plans for going forward

An ad hoc coalition of recreational, commercial and party/charter fishing organizations brought thousands of   fishermen to Washington to demonstrate to Congress how important it is to change the Magnuson Act, the federal law that underlies our national fisheries management program. In a loud and unified voice they made it clear that the unnecessary rigidity that has been added to the Act by foundation-funded environmental activists is threatening fishing-related businesses and the communities they support in every coastal state.

Keep Fishermen Fishing and Working is the name of the national organization formed by the organizers of the rally and bringing together all fishing user groups that were represented in Washington. The group's main goals are to keep fishing, keep working, and keep businesses that are dependent on fishing thriving.

Dr. Brian Rothschild discusses the Fisheries Summit and a proposed moratorium on catch shares

Dr. Brian Rothschild, Dean Emeritus of the UMass School for Marine Science and Technology, discusses the Northeast Fisheries Summit, science and cooperative research, and a proposed moratorium on catch shares.

Listen here

Barney Frank & Gov. Deval Patrick Speak at 2010 Fisheries Summit

Saving Seafood is now providing an audio recording from the 2010 Fisheries Summit -- Congressman Barney Frank and Governor Deval Patrick.

Listen here