Help striped bass conservation and win great prizes! The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is seeking volunteer anglers to record data while fishing for striped bass this year. Your data will be used in important striped bass mortality research, and you’ll be entered in a weekly raffle drawings to win Shimano rod and reel combos...
March 30, 2023
Category: Fisheries
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Federal Researchers Say Two Widely Used Pesticides Harm Many Endangered Fish Species
Federal researchers have found that two widely used pesticides significantly harms endangered Northwest salmon and steelhead species. The opinion could lead to a change in where and how the pesticides can be used. The National Marine Fisheries Service issued a draft of its biological opinion Thursday concluding that continued use of insect-killing chemicals containing carbaryl or methomyl...
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What’s Next After Court Ruling Scuttles Gulf Reporting System for Charter Boats?
In late February, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth District set aside the final rule implementing the SEFHIER data-collection program for charter fishing boats in the Gulf of Mexico. This means the gulf program is currently not in effect. The ruling does not affect the South Atlantic SEFHIER program. Just what is...
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Federal Regulator Acknowledges Danger To Wildlife Caused By Offshore Wind Farms
The federally-chartered regulator responsible for managing fisheries in the oceans of New England acknowledged that offshore wind farms could pose a threat to the local marine wildlife, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Thomas Nies, executive director of the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), noted the “concerning implications” of...
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Costa Rican Legislator Introduces Law to Protect Sailfish
With the goal of stimulating the economy in the coastal areas of the nation through the protection of a marine species for tourism promotion, a new law protecting sailfish has been introduced in the Legislative Assembly. Costa Rican Deputy Eli Feinzaig presented Expedient 23,463, “Law to promote the economic development of the coasts: Declaration of...
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Biden To Create New Marine Sanctuary In Pacific
President Joe Biden announced that he would expeditiously expand and increase environmental protections for a group of remote atolls and islands in the Central Pacific and the nearly 777,000 square miles of waters around them. He’s directing the commerce secretary to consider initiating a new national marine sanctuary designation within the next 30 days around...
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Lawsuit Accuses Alaska of Unconstitutionally Mismanaging Salmon Fisheries
An attorney who successfully overturned a billion-dollar Alaska oil tax credit program is now targeting the state’s management of its salmon fisheries. On Monday in Bethel, attorney Joe Geldhof argued that the state is managing those fisheries so poorly that it is violating the Alaska Constitution. Article VIII, Section 4 of the constitution says that fisheries should...
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Researchers are Looking Into Risk Factors for Whales Who Get Caught Up in Fishing Gear
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Researchers with Oregon State University are trying to better protect whales from getting entangled in fishing gear. They have discovered some areas of the ocean are more at risk for whales to get caught up in that gear, and the research has been forcing some changes for some fisherman. The research is focused on...
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Important Changes to ASMFC 2023 Spring Meeting Details
Please note that changes have been made to Monday’s schedule. The American Eel Management Board will NOT be meeting and the start time for Monday is now 12:45 PM. The attached notice and agenda have been revised accordingly. Please find below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s...
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Steelhead fishery to open on Skagit, Sauk rivers under updated management plan
Fisheries managers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Skagit co-managing tribes can now begin fisheries directed at steelhead on the Skagit and Sauk rivers under an updated plan approved by federal agencies this month. Biologists have forecasted that 5,211 wild steelhead will return to the Skagit River in 2023, enough to...