Fisheries

With the global population expected to reach over nine billion by 2050, food production will need to increase by almost 70 per cent to meet the increasing demand.

IntraFish is reporting live from the US National Fisheries Institute Global Seafood Market Conference in San Diego. Keep checking back for all the latest.

British Columbia, Canada - $2 million to restore salmon habitat will help feed endangered southern resident killer whales

Once the Most Abundant Fish in the San Francisco Delta, Smelt Numbers Dangerously Decreasing

Lawmakers are optimistic bills to implement bipartisan commission's 2014 recommendations will advance after years of delay.

WANCHESE, N.C. -- South of the Virginia border, the shores off Corolla have become an Outer Banks hot spot to catch winter shrimp. "It's kind of new, and it's kind of related to the water warming," Mirabilio said. "Everybody's chasing them north."

There are only so many fish in the sea. And our appetite for seafood has already stressed many wild fisheries to the breaking point. Meanwhile, the planet’s growing population will only further increase the need for animal protein, one of the most resource-intensive types of food to produce.

There are only so many fish in the sea. And our appetite for seafood has already stressed many wild fisheries to the breaking point. Meanwhile, the planet's growing population will only further increase the need for animal protein, one of the most resource-intensive types of food to produce.

Representatives write to Congress opposing the expansion of aquaculture in US waters.

An 11th-hour attempt to weaken the country's fishery protections has been averted—for now.

Long before fillets reach your dinner plate, lots of seafood is thrown away. Overboard, actually. As fishing crews sort through their catches, they toss unwanted fish back into the sea—as much as 20% of the global catch. The vast majority die. On 1 January, the wasteful practice became illegal in waters of the European Union.

MADISON, S.D. – The trū Shrimp Company, a pioneer in healthy, innovative and sustainable shrimp aquaculture, today announced that it is planning to build its first shrimp production facility, a Harbor, in Madison, South Dakota. trū Shrimp’s advanced technology is designed to raise shrimp in a near natural and disease-free environment. Construction is expected to break ground this summer in Madison’s Lakeview Industrial Park, with the exact timeline pending the completion of permitting and financing.

When it comes to fishery management controversy never seems to be too far away. Last month you may have read about the dubious nature of a decision by the New England Fishery Management Council to close a large area of https://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20190105/our-surf-clam-fishery-is-headed-for-disaster there, ostensibly to protect fish habitat.

A Japanese sushi boss has paid a record $3.1m (£2.5m) for a giant tuna at the first new year's auction in Tokyo's new fish market.

Growing numbers of bluefin tuna are being seen in the waters around the UK because of the warming impact of a long term ocean current say researchers.

One of the last actions taken by Pres. Donald Trump in 2018 was to sign the Modern Fish Act into law. The act amended some of the recreational fishing management rules in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, or MSA, the principal body of fisheries' laws.

WWhen David Secor started his career at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory almost three decades ago, one of his first projects concluded that the Atlantic sturgeon had all but disappeared from polluted Maryland waters.

There’s reason to fret, seafood lovers. According to an international team of ecologists and economists, the world’s oceans will be empty of fish by 2048. The causes? Overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change.

BOSTON -- The Secretary of Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Matthew Beaton is partnering with shellfish stakeholders to establish a Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative (MSI) Task Force. The Task Force had its first meeting today, January 2, and includes representatives of commercial shellfishermen, shellfish farmers, recreational harvesters, restoration groups, and municipalities, as well as legislative and executive office members, in an effort to provide comprehensive stakeholder participation.

Revisions to federal fishing regulations that have received widespread praise from competing interests are drawing a more cautious reaction from one commercial fishing group.

MONTEREY — Will sustainably-caught swordfish receive a wave of support from Central Coast fishermen, consumers and restaurateurs?

The federal government shutdown is already causing problems for participants in the upcoming fishing season in the Bering Sea, which are likely to escalate if the stalemate in Washington, D.C. continues.

As global warming changes the Texas coast and cheap food imports flood the country, the people who make their living off oysters and shrimp are disappearing.

The fishing year began with a changing of the guard at the helm of the regional headquarters of NOAA Fisheries and ended with a federal government shutdown that halted many of the agency's administrative tasks.

Alaska is the nation’s superpower when it comes to seafood. American fishermen landed just shy of 10 billion pounds of fish and shellfish last year valued at $5.4 billion, both up slightly from 2016. Of that, Alaska accounted for 61 percent of total landings (6 billion pounds) and 33 percent of the value ($1.8 billion).

The U.S. House voted to pass the Modern Fish Act on Wednesday, just two days after the Senate approved it unanimously, swiftly sending the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature.

Next year the number of fish stocks managed at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) levels will rise to 59, and there will be additional protection for the European eel. At the same time EU fishermen in the Atlantic and the North Sea will be able to increase their catches of a number of healthy stocks.

Off Cedar Key on Florida's west coast, the water is some of the most pristine in the Gulf. The estuary there has long supported a thriving seafood industry.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the the Modern Fish Act on Monday. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The so-called Modern Fish Act received unanimous support in the Senate late yesterday, Monday, Dec. 17. Whether or not you’re a stakeholder in the Gulf Coast or South Atlantic fisheries, this act is a sign of things to come. Here’s why.

The U.S. government is clamping down on seafood fraud and illegal fishing for shrimp imports.

The ghosts of harvesting can haunt today's conservation efforts.

Aquaculture company Nordlaks is developing Havfarm, a giant ship-shaped fish farm that could revolutionise salmon fishing in Norway. Where will aspects of ship design assist with this cause, and how might it change Norway’s aquaculture industry in the future?

Longtime Alaska fisherman Bill Harrington has a few choices words about killer whales. "As far as I'm concerned, they're only thieves in tuxedos," Harrington says. In the coming years, longline fishermen in western Alaska will be allowed to catch halibut in longline pots, also known as traps in other parts of the country.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — U.S. commercial fishing generated more than $144 billion in sales in 2016, buoyed by growth in key species such as sea scallops and American lobsters, the federal government reported on Thursday.

(CN) – Rebounding from a drop in revenue the previous year, fisheries across the U.S. generated $212 billion in 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.

An announcement this week that a strong recovery in the the West Coast’s biggest fishery would now permit dramatic increases in harvest levels was celebrated by fishermen and conservationists alike, and provided further proof that a healthy ecosystem can go hand-in-hand with a profitable fishing industry and thriving coastal communities.

Flipping through his captain’s log, Larry Colangelo looks at the water temperatures off Atlantic City’s coast this past summer. Unusually warm 70- and 80-degree days are jotted down inside the record-keeping book he’s had for nearly two decades.

Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries charts his priorities to improve the state of the ocean and ensuring a future for Europe’s fisheries

Commercial fishermen and their supporters let Congress know where they stand on a bill that would grant NOAA Fisheries the ability to regulate aquaculture operations in federal waters.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal officials said Tuesday they are increasing catch limits for several species of West Coast groundfish that were severely depleted more than a dozen years ago in a crisis that posed a threat to the commercial and sports fishing industries.

The turkey vultures circled overhead Dec. 3. It would take another day for the smell of decaying dead fish to reach the Palma Sola Causeway approach to Anna Maria Island.

Disaster Declaration Opens Door for Federal Relief Funds. In November, the governor sent congressional leaders a request for an additional $6.3 billion in federal aid, including a declaration of disaster for North Carolina’s fisheries and $20 million for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Disaster Assistance. North Carolina’s full federal request is $8.8 billion.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen who seek one of the most important bait fish on the East Coast are likely to see a dramatic reduction next year in the amount they are allowed to harvest, and the change could have major implications for lobster consumers. NOAA said it wants to cut the annual catch limit from nearly 110 million pounds this year to less than half that in 2019.

OTTAWA, Dec. 10, 2018 /CNW/ - Global demand for fish and seafood as a high-protein food source has increased significantly in the last decades. This demand is projected to further increase as the world's population continues to grow. Combined with unprecedented pressures on many global fish stocks in our oceans, it is clear the world needs aquaculture.

The number of dead and confirmed shot sea lions locally has risen -- again. The total now sits at 18, with 12 confirmed shot.

From oyster farms to cultivated seaweed and farm-raised salmon, aquaculture is often described as essential to the economic future of Maine’s fisheries in the face of a changing ecosystem. Warming waters from climate change are pushing lobster farther Down East and have shut down the shrimp fishery, and threats such as ocean acidification and invasive green crabs are harming Maine’s natural fisheries.

HIXTON, Wis. - If you find yourself eating locally grown, organic lettuce this winter and wonder how that’s possible, it’s probably because of a Wisconsin-based aquaponics firm. On a Native Restoration Sanctuary in the Coulee Region, about 60-miles from the Minnesota border, the company Superior Fresh has built a recirculated aquaculture facility and hydroponic greenhouse.

CHICAGO — On a bleak and biting December morning, a team of state-contracted commercial fishermen at Starved Rock Marina slipped into their waders, salted down their johnboats to protect against ice and launched onto the Illinois River.

BOSTON – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is teaming up with a pair of foundations to fund multiple projects designed to make improvements to the electric monitoring of fisheries in the country.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) approved a 25,001-metric-ton reduction in the Gulf of Alaska (GoA) pollock total allowable catch (TAC), which almost offsets the increase in the eastern Bering Sea.

There’s a chance the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will allow each Gulf Coast state to set its own seasons and potentially other management measures for the recreational red snapper harvest in both state and federal waters.

CALLS are being made for stricter regulation of the scallop dredging industry after footage was captured of a protected seabed near Oban which has been illegally dredged.

Three projects are seeking millions in BP oil spill recovery dollars to help revitalize the oyster industry in Franklin and Wakulla counties.

WHAT'S THE CATCH: Advocating for strong conservation with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse: Ed Doherty of Mattapoisett, Cape Cod Canal fisherman and author; Steve Brustein of West Warwick, recreational fisherman, food service industry and chef; Tony Friedrich of Virginia, fish advocate; Capt. Greg Snow of North Kingstown, Snow Fly Charters; Senator Sheldon Whitehouse; George Baldwin of Northford, president, CT Surfcaster Association; Capt. Abbie Schuster of Martha’s Vineyard, Kismet Outfitters and Fly Fishing; and Capt. Dave Monti of Warwick.

In 1977, the International Whaling Commission imposed regulations on the whaling practices of the Inupiaq people in Alaska. Decades later, the group has finally gained the ability to hunt more freely, even as offshore oil drilling threatens their livelihood once more.

Norway has reduced its 2019 fishing quota for male king crab by 20%, or 350 metric tons.

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) has announced that Michael Waine, most recently a Fisheries Management Analyst with NOAA Fisheries, has joined the ASA staff as Atlantic Fisheries Policy Director.

Alaska fishermen are bracing for more cuts to their halibut harvest next year. The results of this year’s surveys showed that the Pacific stock from California to the Bering Sea continues to decline, and will likely result in lower catches.

NEWPORT, RI — Clamming captains, business-owners and attorneys huddled in the lobby of the Viking Hotel on Tuesday sharing disbelief and despair over a decision by the New England Fisheries Management Council that will close vital harvesting grounds.

Some of the world's most unusual sharks and rays are on the brink of extinction because of threats such as commercial fishing, scientists have said.

New England Fishery Management Council members have shown little collective enthusiasm for limiting access to the Northeast small-mesh whiting fishery and the great majority followed through on that sentiment Tuesday.

Half the country’s chinook salmon populations are endangered and most of the rest are in decline, according to a science committee that monitors the health of wildlife populations.

Stable ahi prices are expected during the holidays, but environmental groups are concerned about the longterm health of fish stocks.

U.S. soy farmers know that investment in developing economies today builds U.S. soy’s customers for tomorrow. In the simplest terms, children in Pakistan and elsewhere require nutrients to learn and grow, and people of all ages need sustained access to affordable, nutritious food to contribute productively to local and global communities.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will be meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk this Monday afternoon through Friday. The council, headquartered in Charleston, S.C., is responsible for managing fish stocks within the federal 200-mile limit off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and east Florida to Key West.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold ten public hearings and a webinar to solicit public comments on Draft Amendment 50 – State Management of Recreational Red Snapper. The Council is currently considering state management that would provide flexibility to the Gulf states to set the recreational red snapper fishing season and potentially other management measures.

The oyster dressing is safe this year. Since the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010, 4 billion to 8.3 billion subtidal oysters were estimated to be lost across the Gulf coast. Many states are struggling.

Trade hostility from across the ocean was supposed to take a snip out of the U.S. lobster business, but the industry is getting a lifeline from its northern neighbor.

The state has chosen four fishermen from eastern Maine from almost 1,300 applicants who sought the first new scallop fishing licenses to be issued in Maine in the past nine years.

Economic impact of 2017 season topped $1.1 million, officials say.

The Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC), a group of seven harvester associations that previously opposed efforts to modify the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), is already working to win over the next US Congress.

New England’s fishing industry wasn’t expecting a bountiful shrimp harvest this winter, as the fishery has been shuttered since 2014. But the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission went above in beyond in its November meeting, shutting the shrimp fleet down not only for 2019, but for ’20 and ’21 as well.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There is good news and bad news as it relates to the red tide bloom the Bay area has been dealing with for months.

A Canadian-owned land based fish farm in Iowa has gone belly-up with over US$100 million in debt, adding to the litany of failed businesses that try to grow fish on land. VeroBlue Farms (VBF), which had recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facilities near Webster City in Hamilton County, owes $98,943,246.22 in unsecured debt to its top 20 creditors and another $6 million in secured debt, according to its bankruptcy petition.

Fishing companies operating worldwide are leaving between $51 billion and $83 billion in unrealized net economic benefits on the table every year due to the overexploitation underperformance of fish stocks, according to new research from the Sea Around Us initiative, the Institute for the Oceans and Fishers at the University of British Columbia, the Fish Tracker initiative and the Sea Around Us—Indian Ocean project.

NOUADHIBOU, MAURITANIA — This is part of "Ocean Shock," a Reuters series exploring climate change's impact on sea creatures and the people who depend on them.

GLOUCESTER – NOAA Fisheries is ramping up its plans to develop management strategies for the Northeast recreational groundfish fishery for 2019, beginning with three January workshops for stakeholder input.

MONROE, La. — The oyster dressing was safe this year. Since the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010, 4 billion to 8.3 billion subtidal oysters were estimated to be lost across the Gulf coast. Many states are struggling. Louisiana is the only state producing at a level at or higher than before the spill, according to Seth Blitch, The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Coastal and Marine Conservation in Louisiana.

The shortfin mako is at risk due to failure to halt overfishing, with EU ‘most to blame’ The world’s fastest shark may be swimming towards disaster after a major fisheries body failed to address continued overfishing of the highly vulnerable species, conservationists have warned.

For the past few years, Idaho’s Snake River salmon and Puget Sound orcas have become linked in the decades-long battle over the fate of the four lower Snake River Dams and whether they should be removed to save the fish.

The Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) advises the Secretary of Commerce on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. Nominations are sought for vacant positions.

KAILUA-KONA — Almost two years after Conservation International Hawaii and the Western Pacific Fishery Council released a feasibility study on a regulatory system for noncommercial fishing in Hawaii, contributors are touring the state to discuss it with the public.

R.I. is one of the beneficiaries of the ‘aquatic connectivity’ effort

WASHINGTON, D.C. — There’s still time for those with an interest in federal shrimp regulations to comment on a proposal to create a traceability program for farm-raised shrimp.

Federal fisheries managers are set to take final action at their December meeting in Anchorage on charter halibut management measures for Southeast and Southcentral Alaska for 2019.

"Oysters Gulfwide are kind of in a bad spot, but Louisiana is actually sort of the bright spot in terms of commercial production of oysters.

One of Alaska‘s great success stories is the resurrection of our salmon fisheries after a virtual collapse that occurred under federal management in the years before statehood.

Scripps Oceanography-led study finds even most sustainable fishing not enough to support livelihoods in Gulf of California

Both sides in the salmon farming debate recognize that there are gaps in research, studies and investigations but they disagree on what to do about it.

Maine’s rebuilt fishery for scallops is getting started for the winter in the coming days.

2019 could be another down year for pink salmon fishing in Southeast Alaska. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and scientists with NOAA Fisheries Auke Bay Lab are forecasting a commercial harvest of 18 million fish, which would fall in the weak category for catches over the past six decades.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - If you head to a restaurant in Virginia Beach, you might just find freshly caught Virginia shrimp on the menu. That's thanks to an experimental fishing permit given to two local fishermen.

Scientists battling coral reef deaths caused by warming ocean waters 100 miles off the coast of Galveston might now have another climate change problem to fight in coming decades: a proliferation of zebra-striped lionfish.

JAKARTA, Oct 31 2018 (IPS) - The Republic of Seychelles announced on Monday that it has issued a 10-year blue bond to finance fisheries projects, making it the world’s first country to utilise capital markets for funding the sustainable use of marine resources. Seychelles Vice President Vincent Meriton told IPS that the bond was officially issued Oct. 9 and that its sales have so far raised 15 million dollars from three institutional investors: Calvert Impact Capital, Nuveen, and Prudential.

The study finds there is a “strong business case” for both the private and public sectors to increase investments in the protection, preservation and enhancement of coral reefs. The study titled, ‘The Coral Reef Economy,’ finds a shift to improved coral reef health could unlock an additional US$35 billion in Mesoamerica and an additional US$37 billion in Indonesia through coastal development, commercial fisheries and tourism.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Whales and fishing gear increasingly occupy the same areas of ocean in the Gulf of Maine, and whales being injured or killed by entanglement with gear continues to be a top concern of scientists and regulators. Last week, scientists and other interested parties met for a day-long meeting on one idea they hope will reduce entanglements: ropeless fishing.

Portland, Maine — Regulators voted on Friday to close the Gulf of Maine winter shrimp season for another three years, raising fears that the fishery decimated by rising water temperatures may never bounce back.

The surf clam fishery — typically centered from the Mid-Atlantic states to northern New Jersey — continues to shift northward. Over time, the distribution shows increased landings in southern New England and Georges Bank. Southern New England and Long Island are productive for ocean quahogs.

After the first year of electronic monitoring on fishing vessels in Alaska, the National Marine Fisheries Service is expanding the pool for boats that want to get in on it.