Fishing

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam - 18 May 2009: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and FXA Group today announced a first of a kind collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and the Vietnamese State Agency for Technological Innovation (SATI) that will accelerate the adoption of traceability solutions to improve global food safety.    » read more »

1,000-pound, pregnant manatee released after rehabilitation from fishing line entanglement

May 15, 2009 -- HOMESTEAD – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today joined Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Chairman Rodney Barreto for the release of Patsy the Manatee, a 1,000-pound pregnant manatee rescued last month in Key Largo. The Governor assisted staff from the FWC, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Geological Survey, the Miami Seaquarium and other organizations as they released the manatee back into the wild at Biscayne National Park headquarters.    » read more »

The planet’s largest animal may be returning to pre-whaling feeding grounds

May 11, 2009 -- Scientists have documented the first known migration of blue whales from the coast of California to areas off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska since the end of commercial whaling in 1965.

In the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science, researchers from Cascadia Research Collective in Washington state, NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in California, and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans identified 15 separate cases where blue whales were seen off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska. Four of the whales were identified as animals previously observed off the coast of California, suggesting a re-establishment of a historical migration pattern.    » read more »

Statement by Francesca Grifo

April 28, 2009 -- Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar rescinded eleventh-hour Bush administration changes to Endangered Species Act regulations that allowed federal agencies to decide for themselves if their own projects—such as roads and dams—would threaten imperiled species. Federal agencies again will be required to consult with expert biologists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service before undertaking or permitting new projects.

The rule change was just one of several controversial Bush administration actions that undermined the scientific foundation of the Endangered Species Act, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).    » read more »

Interior and Commerce Secretaries Must Act by May 9

April 27, 2009 -- More than 1,300 federal and independent scientists with biological expertise and three leading scientific societies today called on the Interior and Commerce departments to overturn rule changes made in January that weaken the scientific foundation of the Endangered Species Act.    » read more »

Brussels, Belgium - 04/22/2009 - Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group’s EU Marine Programme, issued the following statement in response to the European Parliament’s vote today in favour of stronger control of the EU fleet.

“Today’s vote by the European Parliament reinforces the need to reverse the damage due to overfishing, such as decreased fish stocks and fewer fishing jobs.

“Annually, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is valued at an estimated €10 billion worldwide, and contributes substantially to overfishing and the depletion of marine resources. In EU ports, and for the EU fleet, there is currently no coherent or effective control.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 04/22/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today applauded Senator John Kerry’s (D-MA) introduction of the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 (companion of legislation introduced in the House by Rep. Madeline Bordallo of Guam) on the day before the EU Fisheries Ministers consider a new Plan of Action for Sharks that covers all European Union Member States’ waters.

“Sharks, the top predators in the marine environment, are rapidly disappearing from the world’s oceans,” said Joshua S. Reichert, Managing Director of the Pew Environment Group. “We are hopeful that this week’s events mark a turning point where governments around the world will take concrete steps to stop the widespread killing of these animals.”    » read more »

Low returns of Sacramento River fall Chinook will curtail commercial salmon fishing; Governor orders state agencies to help struggling coastal fishing communities

April 21, 2009 -- (Salem) - Today, Oregon Governor Kulongoski and California Governor Schwarzenegger requested that U.S. Commerce Secretary Locke declare both a resource disaster under the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act, and a commercial fishery failure under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Securing federal declarations under the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Act will provide important leverage for ocean fishermen seeking vital economic assistance.

“Salmon are a vital component of California and Oregon’s natural resources and provide    » read more »

04/21/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today took action to avoid harmful impacts to the state’s economy following the California Fish and Game Commission’s vote to close the 2009 recreational salmon season. The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) voted to close the commercial salmon season on April 8. This is the second consecutive year that the state’s salmon fishery has been closed.

The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a state of emergency in California and sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke asking for his support in obtaining federal disaster assistance.    » read more »

Winter Dredge Survey Indicates Bi-State Management Actions are Having Desired Effect

April 17, 2009 --
ANNAPOLIS, MD and RICHMOND, VA — Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley today announced the Chesapeake Bay's adult population of blue crabs has increased substantially over last year, indicating management measures put into place in 2008 to address population declines are working.

The results of the most recent Bay-wide winter dredge survey, which is conducted annually by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), estimate the total number of crabs overwintering in the Chesapeake Bay during 2008-2009 has increased from 280 million in 2007-2008 to just over 400 million.    » read more »

Quirky fish is key to protecting coast's most fragile ecosystems

LOS ANGELES (April 15, 2009) – In an attempt to save a unique and endangered fish found only in the most fragile of California coastal habitats, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) will file a suit today against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service after habitat protections were needlessly limited. NRDC fought to keep the fish on the Endangered Species List in 2000, and now a removal of habitat that the Service had previously labeled as essential to the species’ survival have forced a return to the courts.    » read more »

“America’s hunters and anglers have been pushing hard for this legislation, which will conserve the resources and recreation opportunities that drive local economies.”

March 25, 2009 -- National Wildlife Federation, Northwest Steelheaders, and Wyoming Wildlife Federation welcomes passage of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, and congratulates the many lawmakers who worked so hard to pass bipartisan legislation vital to protecting America’s sporting heritage.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 03/09/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today called upon the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to diligently implement important new federal requirements designed to prevent overfishing and rebuild depleted fish populations.

The council is currently developing plans to apply the new federal rules, which became effective on February 17, 2009. These rules correspond to 2006 congressional amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the nation’s primary law governing management of U.S. fish populations.    » read more »

Jekyll Island, GA - 03/05/2009 - Holly Binns, Project Manager for the Pew Environment Group’s Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast, issued the following statement today about the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s 7 to 6 vote to halt red snapper fishing for six months, with an optional six-month extension, in the South Atlantic from North Carolina to Florida. The moratorium would go into effect as early as mid-June.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 02/12/2009 - Culling whales will not increase fisheries catches in tropical waters, according to a new paper supported by the Lenfest Ocean Program and published today in the journal Science. For years, Japan has argued that reducing the number of baleen whales in the oceans would improve fisheries because whales eat fish that are caught for human consumption. The study published today found that even a complete eradication of whale populations in tropical waters would not lead to any significant increase in fish populations.    » read more »