Commercial Fisheries

Fishermen Rally to Reform Magnuson Stevens Act

Thousands of Coastal Fishermen to Rally in Washington, D.C. on March 21.   In another historic show of solidarity, U.S. recreational and commercial fishermen will gather at Upper Senate Park in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2012 starting at noon in an organized demonstration supporting sensible reform of the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act. This is a follow-up to a rally in February of 2010 that brought some 5,000 recreational, commercial and party/charter vessel owners, fishermen and people in fisheries dependent businesses from all over the country to Washington. Twenty plus members of the Senate and House of Representatives spoke regarding efforts to reform Magnuson.     Signed into law in 1976, the 36-year-old law "most notably aided in the development of the domestic fishing industry by phasing out foreign fishing," according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.  In recent years however, the act has been transformed from its original intent into a weapon employed by a handful of mega-foundations and the so-called marine conservation organizations they subsidize aimed at reducing overall participation in our nation's rich fisheries while driving both commercial and recreational fishermen off the water. Rally organizers are asking legislators for help by amending the law to provide a better balance of marine conservation and coastal commerce, as it was originally intended to do.  

Congress Updated on Status of Marine Fisheries

In its second report to Congress on the status of marine fish stocks, the National Marine Fisheries Service said 100 species reviewed are overfished or approaching an overfished condition, while another 200 species are not overfished. Data from the report will be used by national and regional fishery managers as they finalize plans to end overfishing and rebuild the depleted fisheries, officials of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

NOAA Fisheries Offer Reward for Shooting of Sea Lion

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) of the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is offering a reward for information regarding an adult female California Sea Lion found Nov. 6 in Moro Bay, Calif. shot in the neck with a crossbow arrow. NOAA Fisheries enforcement officers are seeking information about the shooting incident, which is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and will pay $1

NOAA Fisheries Seize 80 Tons of Albacore

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) Office for Law Enforcement (OLE) special agents have seized 80 short tons of albacore tuna, worth over $141,000 , from a Cambodian-flagged longline fishing vessel, the Long Man Yun #66 in Pago Pago, American Samoa, for allegedly violating U.S. fishing laws. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the Commerce Department.

Tragic Mishap Downs Japanese Trawler

As hopes of finding survivors faded, anguished relatives of the nine Japanese missing after a surfacing U.S. submarine sank their trawler off Hawaii pleaded to have the wreck raised so they could discover if it was the tomb of their loved ones. The request -- also being pushed strongly by the Japanese government -- was forwarded to top U.S. government officials, but a key investigator said he saw no reason at present to recover the 499-ton Ehime Maru from its watery grave 1,800 ft

New Report Reveals World Fish Stocks Crisis

Head of international ocean conservation organization, Oceana, responds to alarming new report on the status of the world's fisheries. Andrew F. Sharpless, CEO of Oceana, issues the following statement about a new report: Status and Solutions for the World's Unassessed Fisheries. "This study finally lays to rest the question of whether or not the world's fisheries are in crisis – they are. As the authors report, more than half of the world's fisheries are in decline

Feds Propose Rules for Lobstering in Federal Waters; Expand on Interstate Plan Measures

NOAA Fisheries is proposing rules for lobstering in federal waters from Maine to North Carolina. The rules are intended to complement lobster management measures developed by the interstate commission that manages lobster fishing in state waters. Lobsters are overfished and at significant risk of sharp decline because of very high fishing pressure. The rules propose federal managers adopt the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's approach to management

Owners not Protected from Government Changing Rules

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has reminded us that owners are not protected against adverse impacts when government changes the rules. In the instant case, a fishing vessel owner possessed a federal permit to catch fish in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Congress then amended the law and the National Marine Fisheries Service was unable to renew the permit, making the fishing vessel unprofitable

APS, Swift Returns to Ghana in Support of NOAA, Fisheries

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Campbell, Partnership Station Public Affairs High Speed Vessel 2 Swift arrived in Tema, March 30 for its second visit here, as well as its seventh engagement visit as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS). Swift will host a group of 40 Ghanaian fisheries observers in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service, who will be leading a training workshop.

Jensen Designed Longliner Wins Award

Jensen Maritime awarded for vision and innovation in design of the 'Northern Leader'  longline fishing vessel. Jensen Maritime , Crowley Maritime Corp’s Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm, has been honored with the New Wave Award, which recognizes the company’s vision and innovation for the concept and design of the Northern Leader, a 184-foot long, environmentally-friendly longline fishing vessel owned by Alaskan Leader Fisheries LLC.