<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>><<
~~> FISHLINK SUBLEGALS 4/7/00<~~
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>><<
A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT AND
LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S
ASSOCIATIONS
VOL 1, NO. 14 7 APRIL 2000
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>><<
EPA AUTHORITY OVER NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION
UPHELD: In a far reaching court decision, the US District Court of the
Northern District of California, last week unambiguously upheld the
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) authority to regulate
non-point source pollution in America's rivers through Total Maximum
Daily Loads (TMDLs). "The Clean Water Act called for a comprehensive
set of water-quality standards for every navigable river and water in
America," wrote Judge Alsup. "But as to whether TMDLs were
authorized in the first place for all substandard rivers and waters, there is
no doubt. They plainly were and remain so today -- without regard to the
sources of pollution." EPA authority was challenged by the Farm
Bureau, American Forest and Paper Assn., and the California Forestry
Assn. in the case Pronsolino vs. Marcus (C99-1828 WHA). The Pacific
Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) and the
Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Districts intervened on behalf of
EPA.
Water quality in many streams across the west coast has been seriously
degraded. In 1995, PCFFA brought suit with a number of other
organizations against the EPA for foot-dragging on its Clean Water Act
obligations to establish TMDL's on more than 22 major northern
California rivers (PCFFA, et. al vs. Marcus), an action which resulted in a
Consent Order in 1997 establishing a northern California TMDL
implementation schedule to be completed by 31 December 2007. Similar
lawsuits were brought by other organizations in Oregon and Washington
with similar Consent Orders and schedules. The first of these TMDLs to
be completed in California (the Garcia River), prompted the Farm Bureau
and timber industry challenge in an effort to claim that the regulation of
any nonpoint source pollution exceeds EPA's statutory authority. Both
logging and farming can cause elevated water temperatures and siltation
that jeopardize west coast salmon runs, and both these causes have been
identified as major factors in salmon declines that have now resulted
in the ESA listing of 27 separate salmon runs coastwide.
The EPA is also in the process of promulgating final rules on how
those TMDLs will apply to forestry operations. Meanwhile, the timber
industry lobby is still pushing Congressional bills (H.R. 3609 and S. 2041)
to completely exempt itself from Clean Water Act standards (see
Sublegals, 17 March 2000). Similar Congressional efforts are expected to
try to exempt farming practices. For more information on the ruling,
see: http://www.sjmercury.com/breaking/headline2/006077.htm .
SCIENTISTS SAY ALGAL BLOOMS HURTING MORE THAN
ONE-THIRD OF COASTAL WETLANDS: A formal scientific report
issued 4 April by the Committee on the Causes and Management of
Coastal Eutrophication for the Ocean Studies Board of the National
Academy of Sciences, Clean Coastal Waters, notes that coastal fish and
wildlife are being killed by massive nurtrient-caused algal blooms over
more than a third of the nation's coastlines. "Excess nitrogen in our
coastal waters starts a dangerous chain of ecological events that is
exacerbating harmful algal blooms such as red tides, contaminating
shellfish, killing coastal wildlife, reducing biodiversity, destroying sea
grass, and contributing to a host of other environmental problems," said
Committee chair Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and environmental
biology at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. "Conditions in many coastal
areas are expected to worsen unless action is taken now to reduce nutrient
pollution." Severe problem areas were found along the coast of nine
states: California, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland,
New York and Massachusetts. Worldwide, human activities have caused
the amount of nitrogen in the environment to more than double since the
1960's. The widespread use of synthetic fertilizers accounts for much of
the growth. For a copy of the press release or to order the full report, go
to: http://www.nationalacademies.org/topnews
SCOTTISH FISHERMEN JOIN WITH WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
PUSHING FOR SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES POLICIES: The 17 March
issue of Fishing News, the weekly U.K. fishing trade publication, reports
that the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) and the World Wildlife
Fund (WFF) have joined forces to "promote sustainable fisheries
management policies." The alliance of the two groups - one commercial
fishing, the other environmental - was announced at a Scottish Labour
Party conference in Edinburgh. A key element of the joint initiative is
seeking the decentralization of Europe's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)
and the setting up of regional management zones involving only the
stakeholders in the affected areas. For more information, visit Fishing
News website at: http://www.fishingnews.com.uk
BILL TO COORDINATE STATE OCEAN RESEARCH
PROGRAMS CLEARS FIRST HURDLE IN CALIFORNIA
LEGISLATURE: On Tuesday, 4 April, a measure known as the California
Ocean Resources Stewardship Act (CORSA) that would establish as state
policy the "conservation, restoration, and enhancement of California's
ocean resources," and create the California Cooperative Ocean Studies
Program (CalCOS) to assist in the coordination of marine science between
public and private and governmental and non-governmental agencies,
institutions and organizations, passed unanimously out of its first policy
committee. The bi-partisan bill, AB 2387 by Assemblyman Fred Keeley,
is modeled somewhat after the highly successful 50-year old CalCOFI
(California Cooperative Fisheries Investigations) concept and, among
other things, would create a non-governmental California Ocean Trust to
seek funds and fund cooperative, ocean resource research and monitoring.
For more information, visit Assemblymember Keeley's website at:
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/demweb/members/a27/.
PARRAVANO TO AGAIN HEAD WEST COAST'S LARGEST
FISHING GROUP: The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's
Associations (PCFFA) at its March meeting re-elected Half Moon Bay,
California commercial fisherman Pietro Parravano to a ninth term as
president of the west coast's largest organization of professional
fishermen. Parravano also serves as one of the two U.S. delegates to the
World Forum of Fish-Harvesters & Fishworkers (WFF) and will be
attending the preliminary meeting of that group later this month in
Brittany. (The general membership meeting of the WFF will be held in
October in Loctudy, a fishing village along France's Brittany coast.) Also
re-elected were Eureka fisherman, Dave Bitts, as vice-president
(Bitts is a commercial fishing representative on the Klamath Fishery
Management Council), Barbara Stickel, a fisherwoman from Half Moon
Bay, as secretary, and Bob Miller, president of the Crab Boat Owners
Association, as treasurer. For more information contact PCFFA at (415)
561-5080.
AUSTRALIA ADOPTS TRAINING PACKAGE FOR FISHING
INDUSTRY: On 25 March, Australia's Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries
& Forestry, Warren Truss, launched that nation's Seafood Industry
Training Package (STIP) at a ceremony at Fisherman's Wharf in Geelong.
The event was hosted by the Australia Seafood Industry Council (ASIC).
The STIP covers all sectors of the seafood industry and includes 21
vocational qualifications in: fishing operations, including fishing charter
operations; all aspects of aquaculture; fisheries compliance; and seafood
processing, sales and distribution. For more information on STIP, visit
the Seafood Training Australia website at: http://www.asic.org.au.
DAVIS SUBMITS NAMES FOR PFMC VACANCIES: California
Governor Gray Davis has submitted six names to Secretary of Commerce
William Daley for two upcoming vacancies on the Pacific Fishery
Management Council for seats held currently by Californians. The
vacancies are for the seats of Robert Fletcher, a San Diego charter boat
representative who cannot serve again, and James Caito, a Fort Bragg
fish processor. Nominated were: Dave Bitts, a salmon, crab and albacore
fisherman from Eureka; Peter Flournoy, a San Diego attorney who has
represented tuna and pelagic fishing groups; Dr. Michael Domeier,
a researcher and southern California sportfishing representative; and three
members of the Pacific Council "family" - Caito, Peter Leipzig
(representing larger groundfish trawlers and a former PFMC member) and
Don Hanson (a southern California charter boat representative and
member of the Council's Groundfish Advisory Subpanel). The PFMC has
been severely criticized for its past management practices, specifically for
ignoring for many years habitat factors affecting salmon populations, for
allowing the overfishing of some groundfish species and the destruction of
essential ocean hard bottom habitats by large "roller" trawl gear. For more
information, contact the California Governor's office at (916) 445-2841.
NEW SURVEYS REPORT OCEAN GETTING HOTTER: In a
summary of millions of recently tabulated deep ocean temperature data
from 1948 to 1998, scientists have reported in the 24 March 2000 issue of
Science that there is a clear worldwide trend toward ocean warming. The
report, "Warming of the World Ocean" (Science Vol. 287, pp. 2225-2229)
measured substantial changes in heat content in several layers of ocean
strata and a mean temperature increase for the 0 to 300-meter layer of 0.31
C. Both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans have warmed since the 1950's
and the Indian Ocean since the mid-1960's, according to their data. This
explains, say the scientists, why observed global temperatures have not
increased as much as predicted by global warming climate models -- the
ocean is serving as a gigantic 'heat sink' buffering these changes. The
implications, however, are that biological disruptions caused by global
warming will likely take place first in the worlds oceans. This is also
consistent with several global warming predictions, including more severe
and persistent El Ninos and major shifts in marine species populations
consistent with what has been observed in recent years. For copies of the
article, go to Science Magazine at: http://www.sciencemag.org under back
issues.
Mounting evidence from a wide variety of sources indicates record and
increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are having
worldwide warming climate impacts. Actual observations also
increasingly support the global warming theory. For instance, the
1999-2000 winter season in the US was the warmest on record since
temperature data have been kept, and record warm seasons were also set
by the last three winters before that, with the 1990's also the warmest
decade on record. PCFFA has written about the potential impacts on the
fishing industry of global warming. For more information go to:
http://www.pond.net/~pcffa/fn-jan98.htm.
SENATOR STEVENS BLEAK ABOUT ALASKA CRAB FLEET
BUYOUT: No one disputes the fact that the Alaska 250-boat snow crab
fleet is now overcapitalized, with this years quota slashed by 85%, but
fishermen asking for Congress to provide buyout funds are likely to meet
a deaf ear, according to Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. Estimates are that a
mere 25 boats could catch the whole quota, but Congress seems unlikely
to fund buyouts in the fleet. Stevens is hoping to get some funds in an
emergency spending bill somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million,
but even that, he says, will be difficult, according to reports
in National Fisherman (http://www.nationalfisherman.com/
ondeck/news/news.html ). In the meantime, the Northwest groundfish
fleet is also seeking emergency disaster relief funds as well as vessel
buyout funding, as a result of a recent groundfish fishing disaster
declaration, but the Administration's requested funds have been stripped
from the same emergency supplemental appropriations bill, though efforts
are ongoing to have
them restored.
2000 COMMERCIAL SALMON SEASON DECIDED AT MEETING
OF THE PACIFIC FISHERIES MANAGEMENT COUNCIL: At this
weeks meeting of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC)
in Portland Oregon, the 2000 commercial salmon season was set.
According to meeting participants the adopted season was mostly option
two with some modifications. For details or more information on this
decision call the PFMC's office at (503) 326-6352or visit their website:
http://www.pcouncil.org .
GOT NEWS?: Submit news items to Molly Thomas, Editor at:
ifrfish at aol.com or call the IFR office with the news and a source at
either: (415) 561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000 (Northwest
Office).
##########################################################
Sublegals are a weekly fisheries news bulletin service of Fishlink. For
a free subscription to Fishlink, contact <majordomo at pond.net> with
the words "subscribe fishlink" in the body of the text (the request is not
case sensitive). You will be subscribed as soon as the request can be
approved. To remove your name from our list, follow the same
instructions with the command "unsubscribe fishlink." If you have any
problems, you can contact us directly at: <fish1ifr at aol.com>.
##########################################################
"Fishlink" is a registered trademark of the Institute for Fisheries
Resources. All rights to the use of this trademark are reserved to IFR.
This publication, however, may be freely reproduced and circulated
without copyright restriction. If you are receiving this as a subscriber,
please feel free to pass this on to your colleagues. Thanks!
##########################################################
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To get off ACN-L send a note to majordomo at acn.ca with unsubscribe acn-l
ACN-L archives are at http://www.peter.unmack.net/archive/acn
The Aquatic Conservation Network is dedicated to the exchange of
information regarding aquatic conservation issues. http://www.acn.ca
ACN-L is hosted by Gordon Dewis (gordon at pinetree.org) at www.pinetree.org