Ahab's Journal

Petition Opposing Bluefin Tuna CITES Listing

OPPOSE THE LISTING OF ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA UNDER THE CONVENTION ON TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES (CITES)

Read and sign petition here

WBZ-Boston: Fishermen Hurting Due to Regulations

WBZ-TV Boston's Jonathan Elias presents a two-part series on fishing regulations in New England.  WBZ describes fishing as an iconic symbol of New England and its heritage, but some fishermen say they are in trouble.

 

In Part 1, Jonathan Elias observes that fishermen are trying to live by the rules, but in the process they are losing good fish, losing time, and not making as much money as they used to. 

In Part 2,  fishermen say their livelihoods are on the line and they blame the Federal Government. 

Watch series

Rare tuna? Fishermen protest proposed CITES listing for bluefin tuna

CHATHAM - Fish buyer Robert Fitzpatrick of Magura America Inc. has seen the demand for tuna plummet in high-end restaurants in Manhattan.

“With one customer I typically sell 35 or 40 fish a year,” said Chatham’s Fitzpatrick. “[This year,] I sold them two.”

With more than five million Atlantic bluefin tuna in the ocean, Fitzpatrick finds it hard to believe, but his white tablecloth market is drying up because people say the fish are on the verge of extinction.

“It’s very frustrating,” he said.

The reason for the suspension of reality, he and others say, is because of a coordinated campaign by several environmental groups. Their marketing has prompted many to feel guilty about eating the sleek fish.

But the situation could get worse.

The groups, including Oceana, have been trumpeting that the bluefin tuna is endangered and are lobbying it be listed on CITES, the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species. If that happens, fishermen will not be able to sell tuna in overseas markets, such as Japan.

Read more

Environmentalists skeptical of tuna changes

Bluefin tuna is highly prized by the Japanese and others for its rich meat that is usually eaten raw as sushi. Hundreds of Cape fishermen, and thousands across New England, catch the big fish from early summer through late fall. At $6 to $10 per pound, sometimes more, bluefin is the most valuable fish in the U.S.

An endangered-species listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species comes with a ban on international trade. Since most bluefin, including those caught in New England waters, is exported to Japan, the ban would essentially shut down the fishery.

The United States has long been operating under strict quotas aimed at rebuilding the portion of the Western Atlantic bluefin population. But the Eastern Atlantic, which includes the Mediterranean Sea, has long been subject to overfishing and illegal and unreported catches. Enforcement has been problematic and, as recently as two years ago, European scientists estimated there were as many bluefin caught illegally as there were legally.

Read more

Bluefin Tuna Meeting December 2

Everybody who cares to fish for bluefin tuna, as well as their elected reps, needs to attend this meeting or submit written comments opposing a CITES listing for bluefin tuna.  We need better foreign bluefin management and enforcement of foreign bluefin fishing efforts, not a ban on US fishermen who are already compliant and responsible in our quota management.  A CITES listing is an environmental extremist attempt to force the foreign countries into compliance, and most of them wouldn’t mind one bit if it stopped fishing in the USA also, as most of them are of the PETA vegetarian mentality and don’t think any animals should be killed by humans, fish included.  If they get bluefin on the list the next thing they’ll want is yellowfin and marlin, then we won’t be allowed to fish offshore at all, even recreationally, for fear of interaction with CITES species.

U.S. ocean agency left out of loop

A storm is brewing in Washington, DC, over who should oversee oceans policies. A White House task force has recommended creating a National Ocean Council that would develop and implement national ocean policy and include the secretaries of state, defense, agriculture, interior, health and human services, labor, commerce, transportation and homeland security.

However, NOAA, the nation's primary ocean agency -- which includes the National Ocean Service, the nation's premier science agency for oceans and coasts; the National Marine Fisheries Service, which manages living marine resources; the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which studies climate, weather and air quality; and the National Weather Service -- is missing from the task force's list.

"I am mystified why NOAA has been exempted," said Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, the top Republican on the subcommittee.

Read more
  

Bluefin Tuna Handling Workshop Educates N.C. Fishermen

Thanksgiving weekend traditionally kicks off the annual bluefin tuna fishery in North Carolina. But transporting these rare, prized beasts requires special techniques. To prepare for this winter harvest, commercial fishermen attended a tuna handling workshop presented by North Carolina Sea Grant.

Read more

NOAA Law Enforcement and the OIG

NOAA, NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES LAW ENFORCEMEN MANAGEMENT DEMONSTRATES LACK OF RESPECT FOR THE LAW; SHOWS LITTLE CONCERN FOR EMPLOYEES, COMMERICAL FISHERMEN OR THE ABILITIES OF THE INVESTIGATORS FROM THE INSPECTORS GENERALS OFFICE

Dale Jones and Mark Spurrier, the Director and Deputy Director of the NOAA - NMFS Office for Law Enforcement, have for years thumbed their noses at commercial fishermen, the fishing industry as a whole, and their own employees, that we know.  Now however it seems they have moved up to new levels of contempt for the very system they are sworn to up hold.   Can it be that LE management has totally lost touch with reality?  Is their arrogance so far beyond the limits of personal responsibility that they don’t see themselves as having to follow the same laws as the rest of us?  We are a nation of laws, are we not?

Recently investigators from the US Department of Commerce, Office of the Inspector General, conducted interviews of NOAA LE employees.   As such those interviewed have reported that they were (prior to the interviews) contacted by members of LE management and coached on how to testify.   They complained that they were intimidated, and felt threatened to do as they were told.   They were instructed NOT to provide any additional information that might INCREASE the scope on the investigation against management, and NOT to add any additional information other than that specifically requested by the OIG investigators.  In other words don’t tell on us or else!

 

Pew Environment Group Urges Stronger Action to save Bluefin Tuna and Sharks, Regrets Failure of International Fisheries Commission

Porto de Galinhas, Brazil – November 15, 2009 – After meeting for ten days, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) refused to end fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna.  Instead, ICCAT set the catch limit for bluefin, considered the most valuable fish in the sea, at 13,500.  Member countries also agreed on only one measure that will help conserve sharks in the Atlantic, a ban on the retention and landing of big eye threshers, but Mexico was granted an exemption to catch 110 of these vulnerable sharks.

NOAA Issues Statement on ICCAT Annual Meeting

“As a member of ICCAT, the United States entered this meeting seeking the strongest possible agreement for the conservation of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

The ICCAT agreement on eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna is a marked improvement over the current rules, but it is insufficient to guarantee the long-term viability of either the fish or the fishery. While we are disappointed that the total allowable catch is not lower, we strongly support the commitment to set future catch levels in line with scientific advice, shorten the fishing season, reduce capacity, and close the fishery if the stocks continue to decline. We remain committed to pursuing every legitimate avenue to recover Atlantic bluefun tuna and ensure their long-term survival.

Read more

Fishing Alliance sues feds over sea bass action

The Recreational Fishing Alliance and thousands of anglers are biting their nails waiting for federal fisheries managers to respond to an RFA lawsuit filed last week.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Marine Fisheries Service and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke are listed as defendants in the suit, filed after NOAA Fisheries used emergency action to close the sea bass fishery in federal waters from Cape Hatteras to Maine.  

Read more

Shark Meeting in Manteo Monday, November 16

NMFS announces the availability of the Proposed Rule for the 2010 Atlantic Shark Season.  The comment period for this action closes on November 27, 2009.  You may view the Federal Register Notice and other documents along with the Draft Environmental Assessment on the HMS Management Division at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/breaking_news.htm or contact Guy DuBeck at 301-713-2347.

United States Pushes for Strong Measures to Protect Bluefin Tuna

Dr. Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator issued the following statement urging the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to heed the scientific advice and adopt measures that will end overfishing in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean and put bluefin tuna on the path to recovery. The ICCAT is scheduled to meet this week in Brazil.

Read more

Canada to push for action on tuna fishery

The Canadian delegation to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas is on an important mission. It's trying to help convince non-complying member countries to respect ICCAT fishing allocations and protect an industry worth $10 million a year, not counting spin-offs.

Read more   

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.

Read more

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. 

Read more

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.

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. 

Read more

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. 

Read more

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.

Read more

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. 

Read more

Fishermen come in for grass-roots rally

In a press statement issued yesterday, organizers said the rally has four goals:

To demand flexibility in rebuilding timelines, and support efforts in Congress to change unrealistic regulations;

To demand better management and greater professionalism from NOAA Fisheries;

To demand an independent economic analysis of the affects of planned fisheries regulations before they are enacted;

To mitigate the effect of anticipated negative economic consequences with programs, such as credit availability and buy-backs when government policy is expected to cause economic hardship; for example, an expected reduction in the number of vessels and businesses.

"Fifteen years of increasingly severe catch limits on cod, flounder and other groundfish are paying dividends off the New England coast," the release said. "Although the public has been fed a diet of gloom-and-doom stories about fish, stocks are making great strides. It is time, they say, that management plans reflected this."

Read "Fishermen come in for grass-roots rally"

Dover, Hampton, Rye residents among area fishermen to protest feds today in Gloucester

DOVER — A group of New Hampshire commercial fishermen were bound for Gloucester, Mass., this morning to participate in a widespread protest at the regional office of the federal agency they say is threatening their livelihood.

Padi Anderson of Dover, whose family owns two fishing boats, the Rimrack and the Madrigan, said some of those fishermen include Erik Anderson, president of the New Hampshire Commercial Fishermen's Association, David Goethel of Hampton, who also serves as a member of the New England Fishery Management Council in Newburyport, Mass., her husband, Mike Anderson, of Rye, Jay Driscoll and Carolyn Eastmen.

They and hundreds of other commercial fishermen from across New England plan to protest outside the offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Fisheries Service in Gloucester at 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon one day before the fishery management council's deadline for submissions by fishermen to prove what the correct catch histories were between 1996 and 2006, the years voted for most of the fishery.

Read "Dover, Hampton, Rye residents among area fishermen to protest feds today in Gloucester"
 

NMFS Requests Nominations for the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is soliciting nominations for the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP). NMFS consults with, and considers the comments and views ofthe AP when preparing and implementing Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) or FMP amendments for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, billfish, and sharks.

Read "NMFS Requests Nominations for the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel" 

Nobel winner's rally support sends message to NOAA

Friday's planned demonstration in Gloucester against federal regulations of commercial fishing will not be a social gathering.

It will be a deadly serious protest against regulations that, in the name of a "sustainable fishery," are inexorably destroying the livelihood of fishermen. And it is an event that the National Marine Fisheries Service and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, must take seriously.

Read "Nobel winner's rally support sends message to NOAA"

Fishermen plan protest at NMFS

With participants expected from as far away as Maryland, plans for a massive fishermen's protest Friday against federal policies at the regulators' regional offices got a boost yesterday with the release of a supportive "Dear Colleagues" note from Elinor Ostrom, the new Nobel laureate in economics.

A professor at the University of Indiana, Ostrom said major commitments on campus will keep her from joining the protest, which is informally generating a list of grievances that includes converting common resources into privatized commodities or catch shares in the groundfish and scallop fisheries.

But in an e-mail she said "could be read from me at the event," Ostrom wrote, "I wish I could join you today as you struggle with an important issue for you and your families and for all of us affected by the fisheries of the world."

Lead organizer Amanda Odlin, who with her husband Chris, owns and operates two Boston-based trawlers, said "hundreds" of fishermen are expected by bus and car from all the Middle Atlantic states and New England.

Read "Fishermen plan protest at NMFS"

On dogfish it's NMFS that's not seeing the whole picture

An NMFS spokesperson says though fishermen see dogfish everywhere, ‘they're not seeing the whole picture." Nils Stolpe counters "fishermen today are seeing a larger picture than they ever have before," and asks if marginalization of fishermen's views is Obama Administration policy.

Read "On dogfish it's NMFS that's not seeing the whole picture"

'THEY'RE KILLING US': Captains, politicians react and Rodeo reshuffles as feds lock down amberjack

DESTIN — News that a federal agency had slammed the door on this year’s amberjack season without notice didn’t sit well Tuesday with charter fishermen.

They believe Big Brother is out to take their livelihood from them.

“They’re killing us,” said boat captain Thomas Swanson. “They’re flat killing us.”

There are 11 days left in the Destin Fishing Rodeo and, with a ban already in place on snapper, amberjack is the last large fish charter captains know they can find for their customers.

Read "'THEY'RE KILLING US': Captains, politicians react and Rodeo reshuffles as feds lock down amberjack"

Coast Guard to host town hall meeting on bluefin tuna fishing season

ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. - The Coast Guard is scheduled to host a bluefin tuna informational town hall meeting at the Carteret County Community College, Joslyn Hall, located in the McGee building Oct. 30, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Representatives from the Coast Guard Sector N.C. commercial fishing vessel office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement, N.C. Marine Fisheries, and Sea Grant will discuss bluefin tuna fishing safety.

NOAA chief backs Euro steps on tuna

The United States has announced a two-pronged campaign to induce the international community to begin controlling fishing for bluefin tuna — the giant and most valued alpha predator that's caught in waters off Gloucester and New England in late summer and fall.

Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has challenged the international commission that has been given the task of managing stocks of the super-migratory species to take "definitive action" at its November meeting in Brazil, or else.

The "or else," Lubchenco made clear in a statement last week, involves an option for the United States to join a movement to put Atlantic bluefin on an endangered species list under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES.

Listing the tuna with CITES would bar international trade.

Read "NOAA chief backs Euro steps on tuna"

U.S. supports ban on worldwide exports of bluefin tuna to Japan

When by mid-day the United States had not taken up Pew's urgings to co-sponsor the measure, the group's director Joshua Reichert put out a statement lamenting a "lost opportunity" to reverse bluefin declines. (See previous post.)

But at 5:30 p.m. Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced the United States would join Monaco. That could give American negotiators and big stick to carry at next month's meeting in Brazil on Atlantic tunas, when 2010 catch limits will be set.

Read "U.S. supports ban on worldwide exports of bluefin tuna to Japan"

Pew laments lack of U.S. leadership to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna at CITES

WASHINGTON – Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, today issued the following statement on the United States’ failure to co-sponsor a proposal for consideration by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that would protect Atlantic bluefin tuna. The proposal was made by Monaco to ban the international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna through a listing of the species on Appendix I of the Convention because of the deteriorating status of this species.

Predatory Spiny Dogfish (Video) Unites Fishermen From Maine To N. Carolina

An unprecedented alliance of commercial, recreational and party/charter boat fishermen and associated businesses has formed Fishermen Organized for Rational Dogfish Management (FORDM) to deal with a looming crisis: the spiny dogfish.

FORDM has requested assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in dealing with an out-of-balance population of highly predatory spiny dogfish that is depleting other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic fisheries.

Scientists estimate their biomass at up to four billion pounds. 

Read "Predatory Spiny Dogfish (Video) Unites Fishermen From Maine To N. Carolina"
 

NOAA rep shoots down rumor of NMFS' candidate

Squelching a hot and fast-moving rumor, an official source yesterday said Elliott Norse, a crusading environmentalist and fierce opponent of trawling or dragging — hauling a weighted net along the ocean bottom for groundfish — is not a candidate to fill the top spot at the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Justin Kenney, communications director for Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, responded to reports on a blog and industry Internet Web site that Norse — seen as something of a lightning rod figure — had become a candidate to head NMFS.

"Elliot Norse is not currently a candidate for the NMFS position," Kenney said in an e-mail to the Times.

Read "NOAA rep shoots down rumor of NMFS' candidate"

Jones spearheads letter opposing spiny dogfish CITES listing

 Congressman Walter Jones and Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan urge Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to oppose the listing of spiny dogfish under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.  The letter is signed by 18 other representatives.

Download Dogfish Letter

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, AND UPDATES INTO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL INVESTIGATION OF NMFS LAW ENFORCEMENT MANAGEMENT.

I just recently completed an interview with a Special Agent from the United States Department of Commerce, Office of the Inspector General (OIG).   While I have at least for now agreed not to make public a copy of that interview I did reserve the right to do so if I felt that something less than a legitimate effort was being made to seek the truth. So for now I will speak in general terms and of the direction I feel this official inquiry is proceeding.  

 

My interview if you want to call it that (I feel it was much more like a fact finding mission) allowed me to provide direct testimony, investigative leads, and new (to my knowledge) information into the wrongdoings, waste, fraud, and corruption that is present inside NOAA LE.   The process began on day one at 8:00 am and ran until after 5:30 pm and continued the next day for an additional five hours.   You should have no doubt we covered a lot of ground and, in addition to the information provided verbally, I supported much of my testimony with documents that were in my possession.  As such it should not be long before we find out if this investigation is the real deal or more of the same.   I have been assured by OIG that it is for real.

Cape Cod fishermen delight in tuna bite

The past several days have been reminiscent of the early 1990s, when the waters off Chatham looked like a small city with hundreds of boats pulling in the lucrative and exciting giant tuna.

Following last year’s “surprise” showing of the big eye in the middle of November, some are hoping the dismal years are behind them.

“2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 were very, very slow years,” said Eric Stewart, a fisherman who owns the fishing supply store The Hook Up in Orleans.

Read "Cape Cod fishermen delight in tuna bite"

Greedy dogfish blamed for Mass. fishery's problems

CHATHAM, Mass. — The sea air isn't all that's salty when fishermen in the Cape Cod town of Chatham talk about the hated spiny dogfish.

Fishermen consider the small shark, renowned for its stunning appetite, the vermin of the ocean. They say the once-threatened dogfish has rebounded under federal protections to an insatiable mass that's devouring more valuable and scarce fish that regulators are trying to restore, such as cod, while it destroys nets, steals bait and eats catch right off their hooks.

Read "Greedy dogfish blamed for Mass. fishery's problems"

NOAA chief seeks more leadership posts

Lubchenco asks for a politically appointed 'chief scientist' for agency

The $4.5 billion federal agency charged with managing the commerce of oceans and their bounty is facing its first restructuring and modernization in 40 years, via an enlargement of executive offices and political influence.

Notice of the planned reorganization of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was announced in an internal memorandum last week by the agency's first-year administrator, Jane Lubchenco.

She said the intended "practical" impact of the changes will be to "allow me to take a more active role in many of our high priority programs and objectives," including the conservation and use of the fisheries — the flash point of controversy, especially in Gloucester and throughout New England — and a little- known satellite information system known as "NPOESS."

Read "NOAA chief seeks more leadership posts"

New name in the wind for top NMFS job

From Deckboss:

"Ever heard of Elliott Norse?

He's president and founder of a Bellevue, Wash., nonprofit called the Marine Conservation Biology Institute.

He's also the latest somebody I've heard the Obama administration is considering for administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service."

Read "New name in the wind for top NMFS job"

 

Lubchenco proposes organizational overhaul of NOAA in letter to staff

October 8, 2009 

At the beginning of this administration, the president’s transition team looked closely at how NOAA conducts everyday business. These consultations engaged many NOAA leaders and staff, as well as officials in the Department of Commerce. It was no surprise the team found that NOAA has an outstanding work force. However, they also recognized that our headquarters leadership structure is not aligned effectively to keep pace with the many changes our agency has experienced through the years, nor with the complex environmental, economic and social challenges facing our nation and the ever-growing demands for NOAA’s science, service and stewardship missions.

Our agency budget, roughly $250 million in 1970, has grown to about $4.5 billion. Yet, the administrative structure has changed little since 1970. We lack a sufficient number of senior-level administration officials to manage our resources and effectively oversee headquarters functions.I’m pleased to announce that, for first time since 1970, we are proposing to realign and enhance our headquarters leadership structure. The addition of senior-level political appointees and the redefinition of some existing roles will streamline decision-making at headquarters, strengthen guidance to the agency, improve accountability, and more clearly outline authority and responsibilities among senior NOAA leadership.

Protect the Atlantic bluefin tuna

Commercial overfishing has slashed the population of this ocean giant off the U.S by more than 82%. The Obama administration should list it as endangered to give the species a chance to recover.   

A listing under Appendix I of CITES would still allow fishermen to sell bluefin domestically but would stop high-seas fishing and international trade, finally giving the tuna a chance to recover. It would mark the first time a major commercial fish was protected in such a fashion.
 

Read "Protect the Atlantic bluefin tuna"

Jones & Frank Urge NMFS to Fund Scallop Observer Program

Dear Dr. Lubchenco:

Last June, I along with Congressman Jones wrote to you regarding the federally mandated observer program and the negative financial impact this program had on the Atlantic scallop industry.  As you know, the scallop fishery is the only East Coast fishery that must pay for observer coverage in a program managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service.  Fishermen are compensated for the significant expense of carrying an observer by awarding a vessel extra allowable catch either in the form of days at sea (DAS) or additional harvest depending on whether a vessel is fishing in open or access areas. 

Because the compensation is given in the form of a resource set aside, the scallop industry is simply paying for observers out of catch they would be allowed anyhow were these regulations not in place.  Therefore, the proper management of this program is critical to ensuring the scallop industry is not shouldering an unfair burden.

Fishermen reeling over fishery closure

Local fishermen have no choice but to pack up for the fishing season early this year after the National Marine Fisheries Services Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration closed the black sea bass fishery for the rest of the year.

The closure, which went into effect Monday, will last six months, and could significantly impact  many recreational fishing businesses, notably on Long Island’s south shore.

The fishing season typically runs through the end of October.

“I see this as a ‘shot across the bow’ to the entire fishing community,” said Dennis Kanyuk, president of the United Boatmen of New York. “If NMFS is allowed to get away with this outrage, I have no doubt that they will adopt this strategy for any fishery they choose, with no accountability to the public that ultimately owns the resource.”

Read "Fishermen reeling over fishery closure"

NOAA to Close Recreational Fishery for Black Sea Bass for Six Months Due to Overharvest

NOAA announced today the temporary closure of the black sea bass recreational fishery in federal waters north of Cape Hatteras, N.C., for 180 days in response to recent landings data that showed recreational fishermen may catch more than double their annual quota by the end of the year. The closure will commence Monday, October 5, 2009.

Landings data and scientific analyses show recreational fishermen have reached their quota and could exceed their 1.14 million pound harvest limit by as much as 84 to 225 percent if the recreational fishery is not closed.   

Read "NOAA to Close Recreational Fishery for Black Sea Bass for Six Months Due to Overharvest"

Conservationists call for U.S. action to save bluefin tuna

Citing the failure of the international community to rein in harvest of bluefin tuna, Coastal Conservation Association is urging the United States to proceed with an effort to list the Atlantic bluefin on Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and prohibit the international trade in bluefin.

“It is clear from the last meetings of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the failure of the European Union to agree on a ban that we are left with only one option to save bluefin tuna,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of CCA’s National Government Relations Committee. “It is time for the United States to demonstrate some leadership and insist that all international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna be halted, while hope for a recovery still remains.”

MORE ON CORRUPTION WITHIN NOAA FISHERIES LAW ENFORCEMENT

AND HOW THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN MANIPULATED TO BENEFIT A SELECT FEW

 

I have been ask recently to elaborate on the issue of fines and penalties as they pertain to NOAA Fisheries Law Enforcement (NOAA LE).   This is a question of…is there justice?    The good news, yes, there is indeed justice. The bad news is that this justice is NOT for those working in the commercial fishing industry.   I have heard it stated within NOAA that “the way to tell if a commercial fisherman is lying is to see if his lips are moving”.   This is a joke, of course, but also a very sad commentary on a system that pretends to have both the fishing industry, and protection of our natural resources, as it’s priorities.  We all know that as with any industry there are both the good and the bad, such is life.  However, Law Enforcement by its very nature should not have that luxury Mr. Jones! Each and every agent needs to be good and well trained and dedicated to the mission of his or her agency, especially management.

 

EU nations fail to agree on bluefin tuna ban

BRUSSELS — A sharply divided European Union failed Tuesday to protect the threatened bluefin tuna, as the bloc's Mediterranean nations refused to back even a temporary a ban on catching the fish prized by sushi aficionados.

The EU's executive commission urged EU governments to agree to a temporary ban until the stocks recovered but Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Spain, France and Italy — with strong fishermen's lobbies at home — insisted on continuing the hunt despite the precarious state of the species.

Read "EU nations fail to agree on bluefin tuna ban"

NMFS Law Enforcement Complaint

Posted on the web:

IN the last several weeks there has been an extremely high amount of attention being paid to the Inspector generals investigation of NOAAS National Marine Fisheries Service enforcement tactics in massachucetts, North carolina, and other east coast states I would like to bring to the surface what I believe to be a coverup by the NMFS and NOAA in ALASKA.    

Cape fisherman in whale entanglement case cuts a deal

BOSTON — A West Chatham fisherman is no longer facing a big fine and jail time for untangling a humpback whale, according to his lawyer.

Robert J. Eldridge reached a plea agreement Monday with federal prosecutors on charges that he violated the federal Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Eldridge is accused of violating the federal laws when he freed the humpback from his fishing gear off Chatham in July 2008.

Read "Cape fisherman in whale entanglement case cuts a deal"