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~~>FISHLINK SUBLEGALS 7/21/00<~~
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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 2, NO. 3 21 JULY 2000
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2:03/01. AUTHOR/IFR ASSOCIATE MARC REISNER DIES: Marc
Reisner, author of Cadillac Desert, the award winning book on western
water, and an associate of the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR)
working on dam removal projects in the upper Sacramento watershed died
today, 21 July, at his home in San Anselmo, CA. He was 51. Reisner, a
Minnesota native who attended Earlham College, worked for the Natural
Resources Defense Council until embarking on writing his major work on
western water, including the impacts of water development on the
salmon fishery, that became Cadillac Desert. Four segments from the
book, which was recently rated among the top 100 pieces of twentieth
century non-fiction, were made into a Public Broadcasting System (PBS)
television series that ran last year. He authored numerous articles on
water, co-authored the book Overtapped Oasis, and wrote Game Wars.
This past year he had been named a Pew Fellow, a grant that IFR was
administering for him. Marc Reisner is survived by his wife Laurie and
his two daughters. A public memorial service is planned for September.
There will be more information in later issues of Sublegals.
2:03/02. MINETA SWORN-IN AS COMMERCE SECRETARY,
HOGARTH NEW NMFS DEPUTY: On Thursday, 20 July, the U.S.
Senate confirmed former California Congressman Norman Mineta (D-San
Jose) as U.S. Commerce Secretary and he was sworn-in today. Mineta,
68, succeeds William Daley, son of the late Chicago Mayor Richard
Daley, who has gone to head the Gore Campaign. In other Commerce
news, Dr. William Hogarth has been named the new deputy director of
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Hogarth has served in
numerous positions in the federal fisheries agency, including a stint as
Southwest Regional Director.
2:03/03. QUOTA LIBRE - DC RALLY AGAINST INDIVIDUAL
FISHING QUOTAS: On the 26th of July New England fishermen will
converge on Washington on the Senate side of the Capitol Building to
rally against Individual Transferable Fishery Quotas (ITQs). There is a
moratorium in effect until 30 September 2000 on the imposition of ITQ
systems in U.S. fisheries, but some members of Congress are considering
letting the moratorium expire to open the way for regional fishery
management councils to make them part of fishery management plans
(FMPs).
ITQs have been touted by proponents, including Environmental
Defense (E.D.), as a means of allowing the free market to allocate fish
stocks, foster conservation and improve safety. In practice, however,
critics argue the allocation is seldom fair, and when the quotas end up in
the hands of absentee vessel owners, processors or banks they no longer
foster conservation or improve vessel safety. In fact, they argue, that
without strict conditions placed on who may own the quotas, fishermen
often end up as "seafaring sharecroppers." Now, on top of the ITQ
moratorium debate, there is a demand by fish processors that they be
given half the individual quota shares in any fishery. While some
Congressional staffers are giving this request serious consideration, it has
led others to charge that the processors are attempting to create a "fish
cartel" for themselves.
In response to a possible lifting of the ITQ moratorium, the Marine
Fish Conservation Network, a coalition of conservation, commercial and
recreational fishing groups, has drafted a set of conditions to be met prior
to the implementation of any ITQ system. The Network, given the
unlikelihood that Congress will develop any conditions for ITQ systems
this year, is supporting a one-year moratorium. For more information, on
the Network's proposed conditions, e-mail: mfcn at mindspring.com.
The Wednesday rally, according to organizers, is to bring political
attention to the opposition felt by fishing communities throughout New
England to ITQs. The fishing and community groups are calling for a
minimum of a one year extension on the ITQ moratorium. For more
information, contact Azure Westwood, at the Cape Cod Commercial Hook
Fishermen's Association at (508) 945-2432 or visit the group's website at:
http://www.ccchfa.org.
2:03/04. ITQs FOR ALASKA'S CRAB FISHERIES?: On 13 July, the
Seattle Times reported that the Seattle-based Alaska crab fleet is lobbying
Congress for an ownership stake in the Bering Sea harvest of king and
snow crab. Crab-boat owners want these rights in the form of annual
harvest shares that could be used at sea or sold to the highest bidder.
Seafood companies also want exclusive rights to process shares of the
harvest. Proponents are claiming such a share, or quota, plan would
create a slower, safer and more efficient harvest with fewer discards of
undersized crabs. The Alaska snow crab fishery has recently been
declared a disaster and fishermen in that fleet have also been seeking help
from Alaska's senior Senator, Ted Stevens, for a fleet buy-back program.
During the past few weeks, lobbyists for crabbers and processors have
been holding discussions with aides of Stevens (R-AK) and Senator Slade
Gorton (R-WA). If the industry can reach a consensus, permission for
vesting could be put into legislation as early as September, lifting the 1996
moratorium Congress put in place on individual transferable fishing
quotas (ITQs). A final ITQ plan for the crab fishery would have to be
drafted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which
could take several years. For more information see
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/business/html98/crab13_20000713
.html
2:03/05. SUNKEN TRAWLER WINS A SHARE OF POLLOCK
FISHERY: The Anchorage Daily News reported on 15 July, the F/V
Ocean Hope 1, which sank two years ago in Shelikof Strait off Kodiak
Island, looks to have a profitable future in the fishing business. Pursuant to
the American Fisheries Act (AFA) which has revolutionized the Bering
Sea Pollock fishery -- the most valuable fishery in Alaska and worth $700
million annually -- the Ocean Hope 1 may be able to lease its catch
history to other boats. The 1998 AFA changed the pollock fishery by
dividing up the total allowable catch among a handful of cooperatives, or
groups of boats. Each boat gets its own share, generally corresponding to
its average catch over the years.
2:03/06. TRAWLING ORDERED STOPPED IN STELLER SEA
LION HABITAT: On Thursday, 20 July, Federal District Court Judge
Thomas Zilly ordered a halt to trawling for groundfish, including pollock,
Pacific cod and Atka mackerel, off Alaska within the designated critical
habitat of the endangered Stellar sea lion. The decision was in response to
a motion made in March by Greenpeace and other conservation groups to
protect the habitat and food sources for Stellars' whose populations have
declined between 80-90 percent in the past 30 years. In January, Judge
Zilly had ruled the National Marine Fisheries Service was in continued
violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for failing to prepare a
comprehensive biological opinion (B.O.) examining the cumulative
effects of the North Pacific industrial trawl fishery on the animals.
Stellar sea lion habitat was established in 1993, and includes areas out
to 20 nautical miles around rockeries and haulouts, as well as three
distinct aquatic areas in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska that are known
feeding areas for these sea lions. Under the ESA, "critical habitat" is
defined as areas that are "essential to the conservation of the species."
These same areas are being targeted by the factory trawl fleet, with as
much as 50 to 80 percent of the catches being taken from areas designated
as critical habitat. For more information visit:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/media/press_releases/00_03_30.htm.
2:03/07. PFMC GROUNDFISH MEETINGS: The Pacific Fishery
Management Council has announced the following public groundfish
meetings. The Ad-Hoc Allocation Committee to Develop Preliminary
Options for Canary and Cowcod Rockfish Allocation will meet 9-10
August at the Council's Portland offices. The Groundfish Management
Team will be meeting, also at the PFMC offices from 14-18 August. And
the Ad-Hoc Groundfish Strategic Plan Development Team will meet
24-25 August at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission offices in
Gladstone (near Portland). For more information, visit the PFMC website
at: http://www.pcouncil.org.
2:03/08. SPRING-RUN SALMON WORKGROUP MEETING:
California's Central Valley Spring-Run Chinook Salmon Workgroup will
meet 31 July-1 August in Eureka, CA. On Monday, 31 July, there will be
a Salmon Creek watershed field trip to examine restoration projects and
strategies aimed at improving coastal salmon habitat throughout the
Salmon Creek watershed habitat. The general meeting of the group will
be held the following day, 1 August, beginning at 1000 HRS. Central
Valley spring-run chinook are listed as threatened under the Endangered
Species Act, although the numbers of fish have been increasing in the past
few years to watersheds in the Upper Sacramento River, including Deer,
Mill and Butte Creeks. Much of the effort at dam removal on these
tributaries has been to improve habitat and spawning conditions for
spring-run, including the efforts of Marc Reisner to remove obstacles for
the fish in the Butte Creek watershed. For more information, contact:
Mitch Farro at (707) 839-5664.
2:03/09. CLINTON ADMINISTRATION PUNTS, SNAKE DAMS
WILL STAND FOR ANOTHER TEN OR FIFTEEN YEARS AT
LEAST: On 19 July, the Associated Press reported the Clinton
Administration has put off a decision on the fate of four lower Snake
River dams that had been proposed for breaching to save salmon in this
Columbia River tributary from extinction. Under the Clinton proposal,
the dams will stand for at least 10 years -- and as long as 15 years -- even
under the most aggressive dam-removal scenario envisioned, according to
an Administration spokesman. In written testimony Wednesday, Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) head George Frampton said agency
heads will decide in five, eight or 10 years whether dam removal is
needed, though the exact timing of the decision had not then been set. This
deferral strategy will include making adjustments at dams, reforming
hatcheries, improving estuaries, monitoring and establishing performance
standards. PCFFA and most fishery groups and fish scientists have called
for immediate removal of the dams. The final plan, including proposed
non-dam measures, is to be released 27 July.
"Punting won't save the salmon," said PCFFA Executive Director Zeke
Grader in response to the announcement. "This Administration had no
trouble announcing plans for marine protected areas a few weeks ago, but
first we need a protected area, a sanctuary, for Snake River salmon before
they become extinct. That means getting rid of those fish-killing dams.
This is the most pressing issue but this Administration just doesn't get it."
For more information on the administration's dam removal deferral policy,
visit the following website: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/
news_week.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/07/lc_41dams19.frame
2:03/10. SUMMER SALMON READING LIST: The following are
four recent books IFR and PCFFA recommend for some "light" summer
fisheries reading:
Balancing the Water: Restoring the Klamath Basin, by William
Kittridge, (2000). University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
Fishy Business: Salmon, Biology and the Social Construction of Nature,
by B. Scarce (2000). Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA.
Salmon Nation: People and Fish at the Edge, by Edward C. Wolf and
Seth Zuckerman (editors) (1999). Ecotrust, Portland, OR.
Salmon Without Rivers: A History of the Pacific Salmon Crisis , by
Jim Lichatowich, (1999). Island Press, Covelo, CA.
2:03/11. TRACKING GLOBAL WATER RESOURCES: Scientists
have been trying to assess the future of fresh water resources on a global
scale according to a report in the 14 July issue of Science. Studies
incorporating climate models, water budgets and socioeconomic
information indicate that a large portion of the world's population is
currently experiencing water stress. There is also great concern on how
global warming, which has dominated much of the science media, will
affect the water supply. Less attention has been given to how human
society directly influences the water cycle. Researchers predict that there
could be a large economic cost in the future for water infrastructure and
fisheries. For more information visit Science on the web at:
http://www.sciencemag.org.
2:03/12. DEADLY SALMON VIRUS FOUND IN CANADIAN FISH
FARMS ALONG THE ATLANTIC: The Bangor Daily News reported on
17 July, that a virus which is "deadly to Atlantic salmon" has been found
in Canadian fish pens near the Maine coast where the last U.S. populations
of wild Atlantic salmon are struggling for survival. Five of the eight rivers
which are home to the wild Atlantic salmon proposed for ESA listing
could be impacted if the virus spreads from the aquaculture pens near the
mouths of those rivers to the wild populations. For more information
see: http://www.bangornews.com/cgi-bin/article.cfm?storynumber=18044
2:03/13. HEARINGS SCHEDULED ON PFMC'S STRATEGIC
GROUNDFISH PLAN: The Pacific Fishery Management Council has
announced its schedule of public hearings on its Groundfish Strategic Plan
and the deadline for comments. Several proposed changes in the
regulation by the regional council and NMFS of the Pacific groundfish
fishery involve elimination of the open access fisheries and development
of additional permits to allow the incidental take of various groundfish.
Changes to recreational fisheries are a possibility. Meetings in California
are scheduled as follows: Eureka, 26 July, 1900-2100 HRS at the Harbor
Commission Office Woodley Island Marina, Eureka; Santa Rosa, 27 July,
1900-2100 HRS at the Flamingo Resort Hotel & Conference Center 2777-
4th Street, Santa Rosa; Long Beach, 9 August, 1900-2100 HRS, California
Department of Fish & Game, 330 Golden Shore, Suite 50, Long Beach.
For more information regarding the PFMC Strategic Groundfish Plan,
refer to: http://www.pcouncil.org
2:03/14. SEATTLE MEETING OF APEC ON NON-TARIFF
MEASURES IN FISHERIES: A meeting was held this past week in
Seattle, hosted by the U.S. Trade Representative, among representatives of
the Asia Pacific Economic Community (APEC) on non-tariff measures in
fisheries. Non-tariff measures include such things as conservation
regulations and labeling. To date, the only fishing industry advisor
to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which is charged with
trade on fishery issues for the U.S., has been the National Fisheries
Institute (NFI) which represents fish importers and exporters and other
shoreside sectors of the U.S. fisheries. Despite repeated requests from
PCFFA and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), NMFS and the USTR
office have refused to include a representative from the U.S. fishing fleet.
While APEC decisions are non-binding, they are important because they
are often followed by the World Trade Organization (WTO). For more
information, contact U.S. fisheries trade representative Linda Chavez at
(301) 713-2379, or visit PCFFA's website for a copy of the November
1999 article that appeared in the Fishermen's News, "WTO: Flying Under
Fishermen's Radar" at: http://www.pond.net/~pcffa/fn-nov99.htm
2:03/15. NMFS RELEASES REPORT ON STATUS OF OUR
NATIONAL OCEANS: The fifth edition of the tri-annual report, Our
Living Oceans (1999), has been released by the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS). This review of the biological status of U.S. fisheries is
divided into the five regions of the United States. Copies are available by
contacting Mark D. Chandler at the NMFS Office of Science &
Technology: mark.chandler at noaa.gov or it can be downloaded from the
web at: http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st
2:03/16. HAWAIIAN LONGLINERS GET NO RELIEF FROM
FEDERAL COURT ON TURTLES: The Los Angeles Times reports that
on Tuesday, 18 July, U.S. District Judge David Ezra said he will not
reverse or modify a 23 June ruling that reduced by 95 percent the number
of fishing days, limited the area in which the longline fleet could fish and
required every boat to have a federal observer on board the Hawaiian
longline fleet (see Sublegals, 2:02/19). The Judge said he would mediate
a plan to allow the fishery to co-exist alongside the Pacific leatherback
turtle, environmentalists and government agencies.
Ezra's ruling will take effect Sunday, the 23rd, and will remain in
force until the National Marine Fisheries Service completes an
environmental impact statement on the effect longline fishing has on the
turtles. NMFS estimates that the ruling would cost the 115-boat fleet
$44.3 million in lost revenue this year. The Hawaii Longline Association
estimates the industry pumps $165 million into the state's economy; the
group's president, Sean Martin, however, applauded the Judge's promise to
mediate a plan.
2:03/17. ENOUGH FISH TO MEET FUTURE U.S. DEMAND? In his
most recent white paper prepared for Fishmonger.com, seafood industry
consultant Howard Johnson examines factors that will affect the U.S.
seafood supply in the coming decades: Will there be enough fish and
shellfish to meet growing consumer demand in America? Click on
http://www.fishmonger.com to read Johnson's white paper.
2:03/18. TOASTING INVADING SPECIES IN BALLAST WATER,
ERADICATING KILLER ALGAE FROM MEDITERRANEAN: The 14
July issue of Science also reports a team of Australian ecologists have
found that heat from the engines of the ships could be used to heat up the
water and kill organisms. The organisms arriving in ballast water range
from viruses to fish that survive in the water that ships take on to add
ballast before embarking. When the species are pumped out in new ports,
they can cause many problems in the new environment. A classical
example of this is the zebra mussels that have devastated rivers and lakes
in this country since arriving in the 1980s. Use of the ship's engines to
heat the water enough to destroy organisms has been proven to be
effective, but it is not the answer for everything. Some smaller organisms
can handle high temperatures and might even prefer them. (See Sublegals,
30 June 2000 for an article on the new Mediterranean algae that has
appeared in San Diego.) Science has also covered the Mediterranean
algae issue in the same volume. There are now attempts to seal off the
area where Caulerpa taxifoliai was found and poison the seaweed, which
would be the first U.S. attempt to eradicate an invading species. For more
information visit Science on the web at: http://www.sciencemag.org.
2:03/19. KEEPING A WATCH ON CONGRESSIONAL RIDERS: In
the July issue of The Fishermen's News, is an extensive article by PCFFA
Northwest Regional Director Glen Spain on the various bills and riders in
Congressional legislation this year that affect fisheries. To view the
article visit PCFFA's website at: http://www.pond.net/~pcffa/fn-jul00.htm
2:03/20. FISHERY FINDINGS FROM AAAS INTERNATIONAL
OCEAN SCIENCE DAY SYMPOSIUM: At its 17 July "International
Ocean Science Day" conference in Washington, D.C, the American
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) heard from a
number of researchers who came to the following conclusions regarding
the status of the world's fisheries, as summarized by former AAAS
President Dr. Jane Lubchenco: 1) the history of fisheries is one of resource
crashes; 2) global fish catches have leveled off after a steady rise during
the last century; 3) one-third of the global fish catch goes for reduction; 4)
fisheries are fishing down the ocean food web; 5) subsidies by
government are aggravating fishery problems; 6) fishery management of
larger reef fish has been a disaster; 7) certain fishing gear are destroying
ocean habitats; 8) the Maine lobster fishery may set a precedent for
fisheries management - local governance, democratic and science based
decision making, and evolutionary; and 9) fully protected marine reserves
can play an important role in fish conservation. For more information on
the 17th session, contact AAAS' Joanne Padron Carney at:
jcarney at aaas.org.
At the following day's session, "Oceans for the New Millennium:
Developing and Implementing Ocean Policy," the portion of the
conference sponsored by the House Oceans Caucus, the American
Geophysical Union and AAAS, were sessions on marine protected areas,
pollution, ocean observation systems and ocean governance. PCFFA
Executive Director Zeke Grader was one of the presenters at the MPA
session. A copy of his remarks, based on PCFFA's MPA Principles and
the late Nat Bingham's 1997 testimony, are available at the top of
PCFFA's website: http://www.pond.net/~pcffa.
2:03/21. FISHERMEN GETTING INVOLVED WITH SCIENCE:
National Fishermen reports chartered commercial fishing vessels will be
carrying out a bottom trawl resource survey for the Northwest Fisheries
Science Center the third annual survey conducted by the Center, a
research arm of NMFS.. The survey will assess the abundance and
distribution of Dover sole, blackcod, shortspine and longspine,
thornyhead, and other groundfish inhabiting the slope zone (100 to 700
fathoms) off the West Coast. Scientists will use specimens and data to
improve their understanding of the species' biological condition,
population dynamics and relationships. For more information:
http://www.nationalfisherman.com/ondeck/news/news.html
2:03/22. SNOWE BILL PUT-OVER UNTIL SEPTEMBER: Hearings
on S.2832, a bill that would significantly weaken U.S. protection of its
fisheries will likely not be heard now until September (see Sublegals,
2:02/20). For more information go to: http://www.senate.gov/~commerce.
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).
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