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Slick Moedee
09-13-2012, 01:25 PM
Not sure what this means for the rec side of things next year.

Secretary of Commerce declares disaster in Northeast Groundfish Fishery

Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank today declared a commercial fishery failure in the Northeast groundfish fishery for the 2013 fishing season. Despite fishermen’s adherence to catch limits, several key fish stocks are not rebuilding, resulting in the expectation that further cuts to catch limits may be necessary in the 2013 fishing season, which begins May 1, 2013.

The disaster declaration makes it possible for Congress to appropriate money toward alleviating the financial hardship to fishermen caused by the fishery disaster. If money is appropriated, NOAA will work closely with Congress and the Governors representing the affected states to develop plans to assist coastal communities.

“Fishermen in the Northeast are facing financial hardships because of the unexpectedly slow rebuilding of fish stocks that have limited their ability to catch enough to make ends meet,” said Acting Secretary Blank. “The Department of Commerce has determined that the diminished fish stocks have resulted despite fishermen’s adherence to catch limits intended to rebuild the stocks, and I am making a fishery failure declaration so that Congress is able to appropriate funding that will mitigate some of the economic consequences of the reduced stocks and help build a sustainable fishery. The future challenges facing the men and women in this industry and the shore-based businesses that support them are daunting, and we want to do everything we can to help them through these difficult times.”
Acting Secretary Blank is declaring the commercial fishery failure under Section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and Section 308(b) of the Interjursdictional Fisheries Act. The declaration was requested and supported by elected officials in the region. This announcement supersedes earlier requests for disaster declarations made by several northeast states.

For the past several months, NOAA and the New England Fishery Management Council have engaged the fishing industry and others in discussions to develop actions that can be taken given the anticipated low quotas for some key stocks in the groundfish fishery. However, it is unlikely that the economic impacts can be fully mitigated in the coming fishing year, which begins May 1. The work that NOAA has been doing with northeast states, including an in-depth look at impacts to specific industry segments provided by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, will be useful in developing spending plans to assist coastal communities should Congress appropriate the funding that today’s declaration authorizes.

"Fishing is the lifeblood of many coastal communities, providing jobs, a continuation of an historic tradition and culture, recreational opportunities for millions of anglers, and contributing to food security for the nation,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator. “Finding solutions will not be easy, but by continuing to work together, we can have healthy fish stocks, profitable fisheries, and vibrant fishing communities.”

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels at NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA and Social Media (http://www.noaa.gov/socialmedia/).

Piscator
09-13-2012, 02:10 PM
Pair trawlers killed everything in sight. Pounded the bank hard.

I heard 40-65% reduction in bag limits for charter and rec next year.

striperman36
09-13-2012, 02:14 PM
Pair trawlers killed everything in sight. Pounded the bank hard.

I heard 40-65% reduction in bag limits for charter and rec next year.

5 tog, 5 scup, 10 bluefish, 2 flounder over 22"

I can see it now.\

likwid
09-13-2012, 03:42 PM
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has committed to include $100 million for fishermen and fishing communities in emergency assistance legislation that will be debated during the lame-duck session after the election, Kerry said Thursday. Lawmakers must now fight for the money in a potentially reluctant Congress, he said.

Raider Ronnie
09-13-2012, 05:03 PM
Thanks Dr. Jane !
F***ing douchebag !

big jay
09-13-2012, 06:06 PM
The offshore daggers that killed Stellwagon last winter are now going to get paid off with "disaster funds".
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Van
09-15-2012, 12:20 AM
Good thing Scott Brown is on the comms side on this.

He thinks they are,,,,,,,,,
Over regulated.............. my arse !!!!!!!!!
Over fined......................I wish, but doubt it !!!!!!!!!

Anything for a freakin vote, even the destruction of a fishery and
extinction of a species (or two, whats the difference)..

They dug this hole now deal with it.....
pesses me off to no end.

MakoMike
09-15-2012, 10:15 AM
5 tog, 5 scup, 10 bluefish, 2 flounder over 22"

I can see it now.\

Only applies to New England groundfish, and flounder is the only one that you listed.

likwid
09-19-2012, 04:40 PM
I love the last paragraph

US seafood catch reaches 17-year high
Maine fishermen had the third most valuable harvest, only beaten by Alaska and Massachusetts.
The Associated Press

PORTLAND — The U.S. seafood catch reached a 17-year high last year, with all fishing regions of the country showing increases in both the volume and value of their harvests. New Bedford, Mass., had the highest-valued catch for the 12th straight year, due largely to its scallop fishery.

TOP FISHING PORTS BY QUANTITY (IN WEIGHT):
1. Dutch Harbor, Alaska
2. Empire-Venice, La.
3. Akutan, Alaska
4. Reedville, Va.
5. Kodiak, Alaska.
TOP FISHING PORTS BY VALUE:
1. New Bedford, Mass.
2. Dutch Harbor, Alaska
3. Kodiak, Alaska
4. Akutan, Alaska
5. Cape May-Wildwood, N.J.
TOP SPECIES BY TOTAL WEIGHT OF CATCH:
1. Pollock
2. Menhaden
3. Salmon
4. Flatfish
5. Cod
TOP SPECIES BY TOTAL VALUE OF CATCH:
1. Crab
2. Salmon
3. Scallops
4. Shrimp
5. Lobster

Commercial fishermen last year caught 10.1 billion pounds of fish and shellfish valued at a record $5.3 billion, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That's a 23 percent increase in catch by weight and a 17 percent increase in value over 2010.

New Bedford, Mass., was the highest-valued port for the 12th straight year, due largely to its scallop fishery. Dutch Harbor, Alaska, was the No. 1 port for seafood volume for the 15th year in a row.

The increases are evidence that fish populations are rebuilding, said Sam Rauch, deputy assistant administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service.

Still, a number of fisheries are in trouble. The Department of Commerce has declared disasters for cod and other so-called groundfish in New England, oyster and blue crab fisheries in Mississippi, and chinook salmon in Alaska's Yukon and Kuskokwin rivers.

"Overall nationally, the numbers are very good news," Rauch said. "But we don't want to miss the fact that there are parts of the industry that are or soon will be suffering economic pain."

Alaska led all states by far in catch volume, with 5.4 billion pounds, followed by Louisiana, California, Virginia and Washington, according to the report. Alaska was also tops in the value of its catch, at $1.9 billion, followed by Massachusetts, Maine, Louisiana and Washington.

Fishermen brought 706 million pounds of product to Dutch Harbor, the leading port by volume, while New Bedford, the top port by value, had $369 million worth of seafood cross its docks.

All nine of NOAA's fishing regions saw the volume and value of their catches go up in 2011. The numbers nationally were boosted by sharp increases for Gulf of Mexico menhaden, Alaska pollock and Pacific hake, also known as whiting.

The catch in the Gulf of Mexico rose to its highest volume since 1999 following a 2010 fishing season that was shortened by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In all, last year's Gulf catch rose 55 percent to nearly 2 billion pounds, with the value rising 25 percent to $797 million.

While certain regions were bolstered by strong showings in some fisheries, other sectors didn't fare so well.

New England, for instance, had strong lobster and scallop harvests. At the same time, fishermen who catch groundfish were having a tough time of it, with sharp cuts in quotas expected for next year because of dwindling populations.

It's good that the overall harvest numbers are growing nationwide, but that doesn't help groundfishermen, said Russell Sherman, 64, who fishes out of Gloucester, Mass.

Sherman, who owns a 72-foot boat, has had to spend $40,000 of his personal savings the past two years to keep his business afloat. With groundfishing in such bad shape, he's trying his hand at catching squid for the first time, he said.

"I'm pretty much out of business in groundfishing," he said in a phone interview from Stonington, Conn., where he was preparing to go squid fishing. "I'm nearing retirement, only I'm not retiring because I can't afford to."

Rauch said he expects the overall catch to continue going up in the years ahead, thanks to rebuilding fish populations and improved fisheries management.

The report also showed that Americans ate an average of 15 pounds of seafood per person in 2011, down from 15.8 pounds in 2010.

About 91 percent of the seafood consumed in the U.S. was imported, up from 86 percent in 2010. A portion of the imported seafood, however, was caught by U.S. fishermen, exported to other countries for processing then imported back into the U.S.

Nebe
09-19-2012, 06:03 PM
If you order calamari at a place in point Judith, the squid was caught from a boat that may have been based out of the port. The squid is sold to a buyer and flash frozen. Then It's shipped to china, where it's thawed, cleaned, breaded and packaged in nice little plastic bags. Then it's shipped back to the united states to a distributor.. Then it's shipped to the resteraunt that's about 20 feet away from the boat that might have caught the squid in the first place. Crazy. All that squid could be cleaned and processed here in the state, but it's my guess is that the state regulates the business so much that it is obviously cheaper to ship it across the globe...I can't believe how cheap it is for all of that shipping.
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