Humpback whales, similar to this one, have been involved in a number of strandings and deaths off the New York Bight in recent months. Elianne Dipp via Pexels While I hate to say it, whale strandings and deaths along the East Coast aren’t particularly unusual anymore. Since 2016, there’s been a whopping 178 whale mortality […]
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Image: International Pacific Halibut Commission. The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) has adopted reduced catch limits totaling 38.34 million pounds coastwide, a reduction of 10.3% or 4.25 million pounds of the popular white fish. The action came at this past week’s annual meeting of the IPHC in Vancouver, Canada and included new restrictions as well […]
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Red grouper are a prized catch in the Gulf of Mexico for both recreational and commercial fishermen. Alex Suescun The Gulf of Mexico is back in the news. Or still in the news, anyway. But the news is not about red snapper this time — it’s about red grouper. And it’s still a heated conversation […]
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Image: NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries has denied a request to institute emergency action closing the red king crab savings area in Alaska to all fishing gears through June 30, 2023. The decision was made on the grounds that the petition did not meet criteria necessary to determine that an emergency exists. According to the federal […]
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The right whale named “Snow Cone” and calf sighted off Fernandina Beach, Florida in 2022. Snow Cone has been entangled in rope since March 2021. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA permit 20556-01 If you know me, you likely know that in addition to owning a charter fishing business, I’ve dedicated a […]
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Today’s shark anglers aren’t trying to kill sharks, they’re working with scientists to study them and to help save them. Sean Lawless (@the_lawless_tide) “It all comes from the movie Jaws,” says Big John McLean, a land-based shark fishing guide who specializes in connecting novice anglers with the notorious predators. “Whether people are local or they […]
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Lake Huron, January 13, 2023 PHOTO COURTESY OF NOAA COASTWATCH GREAT LAKES Mild temperatures this year have impacted ice coverage and thickness on all the Great Lakes, reports CBC, a trend that is consistent with years over the past decade. According to Jay Austin, who studies Lake Superior at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Large […]
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An offshore wind energy project taking place off Massachusetts and Rhode Island has the potential to disrupt codfish spawning in the area. Courtesy Department of Energy It is hard to deny that there are multiple and likely unnecessary layers of bureaucracy related to ocean development. If one sides with the developers, this bureaucracy is a […]
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The Coast Guard recently stopped five lanchas with 22 Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing near Texas. Courtesy US Coast Guard The Coast Guard recently detained 22 Mexican citizens for allegedly poaching nearly 600 pounds of red snapper and sharks near the Texas coast. Boat crews, air crews and the Cutter Jacob Poroo caught the […]
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Image via NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries has announced a proposed rule that would expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), a risk-based program for targeted species of seafood imported into the United States. SIMP currently includes reporting and recordkeeping requirements for nearly half of all seafood imported, in order to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated […]
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This nearly 4-foot long sand tiger shark was caught on a live mackerel some 30 miles upriver of the coast. Capt. Dean Krah To catch a shark off the coast of Maine is not so uncommon. To catch one 30 miles up a tidal river? That’s a different story. Capt. Dean Krah would know. He’s […]
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Image: NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries has recommended spending more than $16 million for 13 tribal priority fish passage projects in seven states, including Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. In Alaska, the allocations include $1,558,006 to the Chickaloon Native Village, $425,920 to Sealaska Corp., and up to $2.9 million to The Eyak Corp. to remove […]
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Image: U.S. Department of Commerce. Fishery disaster determinations have been issued by Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo for eight fisheries in Alaska and Washington, including the Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries, based on data submitted by state and tribal entities. Raimondo found that the 2021 Alaska Kuskokwim River salmon, […]
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Not all the fish we hook can be trophies. Some of our catches can elicit groans rather than high fives. Here are eight fish (well, technically, seven) most anglers would rather not catch (and what to expect if you do have a close encounter). Read more about these Rodney Dangerfields of the fishing realm. Moray […]
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Image: NOAA. An updated research report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is providing new insight into historically poor chinook and chum salmon runs in Alaska. A report published in early December in SeafoodSource says the latest research from NOAA indicates poor diet, changes in metabolism and increases in parasitic infection are contributing […]
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Image: NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries is seeking comment through Feb. 7 on a plan for abundance-based management of halibut in the Bering Sea. The proposed rule would implement Amendment 123 to the fishery management plan for groundfish within the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area for the Amendment 80 trawl sector prohibited species catch […]
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File photo of an offshore wind farm. A Federal Survey Mitigation Strategy developed by NOAA Fisheries and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is the new vehicle for the two agencies to address potential impacts of offshore wind energy development on NOAA Fisheries’ scientific surveys. An announcement from NOAA on Monday, Dec. 5 stated that […]
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A tanner crab. File photo via NOAA Fisheries. A Tanner crab fishery opens on Jan. 15 in the Makushin/Skan Bay section of the Eastern Aleutian District, but is to remain closed in the Akutan and Unalaska/Kalekta Bay sections for lack of sufficient mature male abundance. Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists said the 2022 […]
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These aren’t stealthy fish. In fact, if you are on the flats when they come in, you’ll likely see them from a mile away. A giant herd of slow-moving, alien-looking fish gently flopping their bluey-green tails on the surface. But spotting them and landing them are two different things entirely! If you have the chance, […]
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Image: National Marine Fisheries Service. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) has reinstated steps in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to evaluate effects of fisheries managed under the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska, on ESA-listed species and designated critical habitats. State of Alaska parallel groundfish fisheries are also subject to evaluation. North […]
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