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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.15 13 OCTOBER 2000
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2:10/01. INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF FISHERMEN RESULTS IN
FORMATION OF TWO ORGANIZATIONS: On Friday, 6 October, the Second
global conference of the World Forum of Fish Harvesters & Fishworkers (WFF)
concluded with the formation of not one, but two international organizations
to
represent small and mid-size commercial fishing men and women, artisanal and
subsistence fishermen and fish workers (see Sublegals, 2:12/01). The formal
adoption of a constitution and officers followed a week-long session in the
French
fishing port of Loctudy on the Brittany coast. While the divide into two
organizations was a disappointment to many of the delegates from the 39
fishing
nations, some expressed gratification that there is now, at least, with the
WFF, an
organization to represent the interests of working fishing men and women,
albeit
limited to Europe and North, South and Central America.
In the meeting that resulted in the formal formation of the World Forum
of Fish
Harvesters & Fishworkers (WFF) and the creation of an organization called the
World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), made up of the break-away groups from
South Asia, Africa and "Aotearoa" (New Zealand), there was general agreement
on
most of the major issues facing fishing communities today, including concerns
on
trade (i.e., the World Trade Organization), the negative impacts of
multi-national
factory trawler and aquaculture operations, coastal development and tourism,
and a
desire for sustainable fisheries and gender parity in fishing operations.
What was
divisive were some of the issues relating to financing and control, not
policy. There
were expressions of hope on both sides that the groups can resolve there
procedural
differences and begin working as one organization on the substantive issues
they all
agree on. PCFFA President Pietro Parravano, one of the two U.S. delegates to
the
conference, and a member of the coordinating committee, was disappointed but
reminded that it took 12 years to put the Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's
Associations together, and that organization just covers a portion of the
U.S. west
coast.
Elected as co-coordinators of the WFF were Danielle LaSauce from France
and
Humberto Mella from Chile. Francois Pouland from Canada was named General
Secretary. The U.S. delegates remain as Angela SanFilipo of Gloucester,
Massachusetts and Pietro Parravano of Half Moon Bay, California. For more
information, go to the WFF website at: http://assoc.wanadoo.fr/peche.dev/.
2:15/02. CARA LOOK-ALIKE BECOMES LAW, VETO ON ENERGY
AND WATER BILL: On 11 October President Clinton signed into law the FY 2001
Interior Appropriations Bill (H.R. 4578) containing much of the language of
the
Conservation & Recovery Act (CARA) pushed by many members of Congress over
the past months (See Sublegals 2:14/02). However, the funding of the bill
falls far
short of the original CARA bill (H.R. 701) and only provides funding for 5
years, so
CARA proponents will be pushing for a permanent CARA program in the next
Congress. The Interior Appropriations bill also allocates $5 million in
federal funds
for Atlantic salmon habitat protection and salmon restoration efforts in
Maine. The
money would go to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and would be used
for
land acquisition, conservation easements and other related projects. The
federal
government is seeking to have wild Atlantic salmon declared an endangered
species
on seven Maine rivers, a move vehemently opposed by Maine Governor Angus King,
and also Maine Senator Olympia Snowe who was instrumental in obtaining the
funds.
In a related action, late on 6 October the President vetoed the $23.6
billion Energy
& Water Appropriations Bill (HR 4733) blasting specific exemptions for the US
Army Corp of Engineers from the federal Endangered Species Act as "a dangerous
precedent" and also citing lack of Northwest salmon restoration funds and
inadequate
funding for the California-Bay Delta Initiative as reasons for his veto. The
bill now
goes back to the leadership in Congress, which has agreed to drop the ESA
exemption language but given no clear signals on the President's other issues
and
budget priorities, including increased salmon funding. Negotiators hope to
have a
new bill next week. See:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/library/hot_releases/Wed_Oct_11_111610_2000.html.
2:15/03. WATER SUITS THREATENED TO RESTORE IDAHO
SALMON: The Idaho Watersheds Project and the Committee for Idaho's High
Desert announced that they have sent "60-Day Notice to Sue" letters to over
50 state
and federal agencies, farmers and ranchers to "legally force the restoration
of stream
flows and fish habitat in the Upper Salmon watershed." According to the
groups,
"Today we are bringing the ESA home to central Idaho" streams which have been
"dewatered and destroyed by livestock." Farmers and ranchers who divert
water and
dry up streams that are critical habitat for salmon, bull trout and steelhead
are the
main targets, as are the federal and state agencies who are "complicit in the
killing of
these fish." "Our litigation is focused on abuses that have violated laws in
this hidden
landscape for a hundred years," said Pamela Marcum, head of the Committee for
Idaho's High Desert, one of the probable Plaintiffs. For more information see:
http://www.idahowatersheds.org/archives/email/newspt91.htm.
2:15/04. TWO MORE DAMS DOWN IN CALIFORNIA: On 6 October
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt presided over the demolition of the aging
Seltzer
Dam, near Anderson, California, which is being removed to help restore
critical
salmon habitat for the ESA listed spring-run chinook. The dam, built in
1903, was
a barrier across Deer Creek which blocked about 12 miles of prime spawning and
rearing habitat. Four other dams have also been removed or in the process of
removal in that area in 1999, on Battle Creek, a project pushed by PCFFA's
Nat
Bingham for several years with the help of local landowners (see:
http://www.enn.com/enn-news-archive/1999/11/110999/salmon_7172.asp ). After
dam removal, Deer Creek is expected to produce about 13,000 salmon yearly,
officials said. Since last year, Babbitt has presided over about two dozen
dam
removal projects, with another 18 scheduled this year. Babbitt also presided
over a
similar removal project for the Matilija Dam in Ventura County, in Southern
California on 12 October, which blocks an endangered steelhead run in the
southernmost range of that fish in the US. The Matilija will be "the largest
dam to
come down anywhere in the world to date," according to Interior. The dams are
being removed as part of the broader CALFED program, a cooperative
state-federal
water management effort. For more information see:
http://www.sacbee.com/news/news/local02_20001007.html.
2:15/05. US NATIONAL WATER QUALITY INVENTORY RELEASED:
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its bi-annual
National Water Quality Inventory for 1998 data. All 50 states collect and
submit data
to EPA on the quality of their waters, highlighting the percentage of waters
in each
state that do not meet minimum water quality standards. For a copy of the
report,
current as of 1998, and which includes individual state water quality
summaries, go
to: http://www.epa.gov/ow and click on "National Water Quality." The top
item on
the next page is the 1998 National Water Quality Inventory. An "Atlas of
America's
Polluted Waters" by state is also included on that web site, as well as
several other
useful resources. The Inventory confirms that over 40 percent of our
nations rivers,
lakes, and coastal waters are still too polluted to met basic safety
standards designed
to protect human health and aquatic life, and that non-point source pollution
is by far
the leading cause of polluted waterways.
2:15/06. CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION WANTS SAY IN
COASTAL HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS: The California Coastal
Commission is asking for a role in a federal program that allows developers
to create
Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) in return for incidental take permits
allowing
them to kill threatened and endangered species with impunity under the
Endangered
Species Act (ESA). The Commission request, as expected, provoked strong
criticism
from developers, industry and some government officials. Approximately 80 such
HCPs have been created in the last decade all over the California coast, but
the
Commission has never been involved. Now, the Commission is asking the U.S.
Office of Ocean & Resource Management to review federal permits for habitat
plans
that might affect coastal areas, many of which affect salmon recovery
efforts. The
federal office is expected to respond by the end of the month. However, the
Commission's efforts to involve itself in what are essentially coastal land
use plans
for endangered species have "set off a firestorm, drawing harsh criticism"
from
business groups like the California Chamber of Commerce and the California
Building Industry Association. For more information see the 12 October Los
Angeles Times at: http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20001012/t000097286.html.
2:15/07. PACIFIC COUNCIL GROUNDFISH PANEL SEATS OPEN: The
Pacific Fishery Management Council's (PFMC) Groundfish Advisory Panel has been
expanded for next year (2001) by adding an additional open access seat.
There will
be one open access seat for the area north of the Mendocino line, and one for
south
of Mendocino. Applicants can get others to nominate them or nominate
themselves
if need be. Applicants need to submit a letter of interest in which they
state their
interest in the position and describe why the applicant feels they are
qualified for the
job. The position involves 4 meetings per year. Your travel, hotel & per diem
[within certain limits] gets picked up by the Council. For more information
contact
the PFMC office at (503)326-6352 or see: http://www.pcouncil.org.
2:15/08. NEW REPORT WARNS OF MORE EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS: A study published 22 September, 2000 in the journal Science reviews
observations, impacts and results from 20 global climate models currently in
use
worldwide. The paper, "Climate Extremes: Observations, Modeling and Impacts,"
by Easterling, et. al. (Science Sep 22 2000: 2068-2074), was prepared by
climate
scientists from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center and the National Center
for
Atmospheric Research. Some global climate changes have already been observed
over the last century and are expected to escalate. These changes, according
to the
study, will make extreme weather events, including drought, floods and
hurricanes,
more common in the future. Hotter, wetter weather would also bring the spread
of
infectious and deadly diseases, including malaria, encephalitis, dengue
fever, west
nile virus and hantavirus. Growth in both population and wealth, along with
demographic shifts to storm-prone areas, has made the United States more
vulnerable
to weather assaults. Total federal relief payments for weather-caused
disasters from
1990 through 1997 hit $12 billion. Costs are expected to soar if extreme
weather
intensifies over the next century, as predicted by the study. To order a
copy of the
study, go to: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol289/issue5487.
2:15:/09. NATIONAL ECO-LABELING CONFERENCE IN PORTLAND,
19-20 OCTOBER: The Food Alliance is hosting "Read the Label! Understanding
the Challenges and Opportunities for Eco-labels and Eco-brands," a national
conference on eco-labeling in Portland, 19-20 October, 2000. The conference is
designed to promote an exchange of ideas among the many stakeholders in
sustainable agriculture, ecosystem conservation, and the food industry.
Though eco-
labeling has been around for agricultural products for some time, seafood
producers
are increasingly turning to eco-labels to differentiate their products, and
several eco-
labeling certification programs for seafoods now exist, including a
"sustainable
fisheries" certification recently obtained by the entire Alaska salmon
fishery (See
Sublegals 2:10/01) as well as efforts to make use of the existing "organic"
label for
ocean harvested seafood. Call (503)493-1066 or visit:
http://www.thefoodalliance.org for more information or to register.
2:15/10. NOMINATIONS SOUGHT TO MONTEREY SANCTUARY
COUNCIL: The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council is
seeking new Sanctuary Advisory Committee members for the 9 seats that expire
in
February of 2001, including a sea reserved for a fishing industry
representative as
well as one representing research, recreational, business and agricultural
interest and
three at-large seats. Some of the issues that the Sanctuary Advisory Committee
(SAC) has or is addressing include fiber optic cables, kelp harvesting and
management, reauthorization of the national Marine Sanctuaries Act, live fish
fishery, and proposed coastal legislation. Completed applications must be post
marked or received in the office no later than 30 October, 2000 and should be
sent
to: Brady Phillips, MBNMS Advisory Council Coordinator, Monterey Bay National
Marine Sanctuary, 299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940. Anyone interested in
applying for any of the nine vacant seats can get the SAC application packet
from
the Sanctuary office at (831)647-4237 or go to:
http://www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov.
2:15/11. NMFS DEDICATES NEW SANTA CRUZ LABORATORY, NO
MORE RESEARCH ON SAN FRANCISCO BAY?: On Tuesday, 17 October,
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta will dedicate the National Marine
Fisheries Service's new marine laboratory at Santa Cruz on Monterey Bay in
California. The new facility is to replace the aging laboratory at Tiburon on
San
Francisco Bay. While the Tiburon Laboratory was badly in need of replacement
(there had been previous proposals to move it to either Bodega Bay or Eureka)
the
concern has been that the move from Tiburon will leave San Francisco Bay, the
most
important estuary on the west coast of North and South America (and a major
contributor to offshore fish production) with no federal fishery research
facility. San
Francisco Bay is now the gateway for the largest salmon run along the west
coast
and was the largest Dungeness crab nursery area on the Pacific Coast, as well
as
supporting the largest herring fishery south of British Columbia. Other
sites for a
replacement laboratory on San Francisco Bay, include the old Corps of
Engineers
facilities at Sausalito and the Crissy Field Warehouses on The Presidio in San
Francisco. For more information on the dedication, e-mail:
hilker at cats.ucsc.edu.
2:15/12. FOURTH WORLD FISH INSPECTION AND QUALITY
CONTROL CONGRESS: The International Association of Fish Inspectors (IAFI),
along with their supporting sponsors, have announced their 4th World Fish
Inspection & Quality Control Congress (formerly the International Fish
Inspection
& Quality Control Conference), to be held 24-26 October, 2001, at the
Sheraton Wall
Centre Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia.. The Congress is being held in
conjunction with the IAFI 2nd Biennial Meeting, 23 October 2001. The theme of
the
Congress will be "Science & Technology in Fish Inspection". Individuals
interested
in presenting at the Congress may send proposals and papers to
congress at iafi.net.
For registration online see: http://www.iafi.net/congress.html The IAFI Home
Page
is: http://www.iafi.net.
2:15/13. CASPIAN TERNS IN COLUMBIA ESTUARY ARE
RELOCATING: Caspian terns inhabiting the artificially produced Rice Island,
the
product of past US Army Corps of Engineers dredging programs, have often been
pointed to as a source of non-natural predation on outmigrating salmon and
steelhead
smolts from the Columbia Basin. However, after aggressive relocation efforts
by the
Corps, nearly all of the terns have been moved from Rice Island downstream to
East
Sand Island and predation on salmon smolts has been reduced about 40%. A good
source of information on the populations of terns and their predation impacts
is:
http://www.columbiabirdresearch.org.
2:15/14. NATIONAL FISHERIES CONSERVATION CENTER HOSTING
FISHING INDUSTRY ONLINE DISCUSSIONS: The National Fisheries
Conservation Center (NFCC) is hosting a series of ongoing moderated
discussions
on fishing industry restructuring, marine reserves and cooperative research
in the
fisheries at: http://www.nfcc-fisheries.org. Topics include the challenges
and
opportunities fishing communities face as they attempt to reduce fishing
capacity to
more sustainable levels, the role of marine reserves in fishery management,
and the
usefulness of cooperative data collection and research in meeting increased
demands
for scientific information. Each discussion is supported by background papers
describing the issues. All those involved or interested in these topics are
invited to
participate. For more information, please contact NFCC at:
nfcc at nfcc-fisheries.org.
2:15/15. WASHINGTON RIPARIAN PROTECTIONS TOUTED: Copies of
the 14-chapter final report from Washington's Timber Fish & Wildlife Project
(TFW) entitled, "Effectiveness of Riparian Management Zones in Providing
Habitat
for Wildlife" are available as TFW publication #129 from the Washington State
Department of Natural Resources (360)902-1400. Electronic copies are also
available from: http://nwifc.wa.gov/cmer by searching under that title. The
study
began in 1991 to determine whether Washington forestry rules provide adequate
riparian habitat to maintain wildlife and to provide recommendations for
improving
riparian management zone guidelines. The study concludes that current rather
narrow buffer do provide adequate habitat for most species for at least the
two year
study period. The University of Washington's press release regarding the
report is
on the web at: http://www.washington.edu/newsroom/news/2000archive/
06-00archive/k062700b.html. The report is expected to be used to support
current
minimal riparian forestry protection rules in Washington and in other states,
though
its conclusions are not supported by other studies.
2:15/16. HEARING IN PORTLAND 24 OCTOBER ON FATE OF
TILLAMOOK STATE FORESTS: The 615,000 acre Tillamook State Forest is the
only significant block of publicly owned land in northwestern Oregon and the
home
of Oregon's best remaining salmon and steelhead runs, including ESA-listed
coho
salmon, but is now managed by the Board of Forestry primarily for logging.
The
Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has proposed a new 50-year Forest
Management Plan and Habitat Conservation Plan that would lock in forest
practices
that many scientists have criticized as insufficient to protect and restore
endangered
salmon runs. The proposed plan would allow logging across approximately 85%
of
the Tillamook State Forest over time and does not create significant permanent
refuge areas for salmon and other forest-dependent species. The Oregon
Department
of Forestry is holding a public hearing on the draft plan on 24 October,
beginning at
1800 at the World Forestry Center, Portland, Oregon. PCFFA has taken the
position
that the plan should have long-term reserves should be created as "habitat
anchors,"
particularly for salmonids, as well as an increase in riparian protections
generally,
a position supported by many scientists and conservation groups (see for
instance:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/10/lc_51tilly12.fr
ame ). Comments on the draft plan are due by 5PM on 3 November, 2000 to:
Oregon Department of Forestry, Attn: Jeri Chase, 2600 State St., Salem, OR
97310,
Fax: (503)945-7376. For a copy of the plan call Jane Hope at (503)945-7359
or get
it on the web at http://www.odf.state.or.us. For more information you can
also
contact: Sybil Ackerman, Audubon Society of Portland (503)292-6855 ext. 110.
2:15/17. FIRST SCHOLARSHIPS GIVEN TO CHILDREN OF LOST
SEATTLE FISHERMEN: The Seattle Fishermen's Memorial Educational
Scholarship Fund has begun distributing its first scholarships to help in the
education
of children of fishermen lost at sea. The Fund gives only to immediate family
members, spouses or children of Seattle-based commercial fishermen lost at
sea.
"There's no one in the commercial fishing industry who does not know anyone
who
was lost at sea," said Seattle attorney Ken Karlberg, a former fisherman who
heads
the Fund's Scholarship Committee. For additional information about the Fund,
see:
http://www.seamar.com/memorial.html or contact the Fund at: Seattle
Fishermen's
Memorial Committee, P.O. Box 17356, Seattle, WA 98107.
2:15/18. ALASKA KING CRAB SEASON MAY BE ONLY FIVE DAYS:
According to the 12 October Anchorage Daily News, the Alaska Department of
Fish
& Game will manage the upcoming Bristol Bay red king crab fishery by closing
it
once the fleet nears its quota, instead of setting a closure date before the
fishing
begins as it has done in previous years. About 255 boats preregistered to
fish the
season, which opens 15 October. With the quota set at 7.7 million pounds,
however,
Fish & Game biologists expect the season could close within five days. Past
year
harvest underestimates may have resulted in overfishing, but this short a
season may
also result in fishermen having to work in unsafe conditions for fear of
missing the
season entirely. For more information see:
http://www.adn.com/metro/story/0,2633,202869,00.html .
2:15/19. NMFS CONSIDERS PLAN TO OPEN HERRING, MACKEREL
FISHERIES TO FOREIGN TRAWLERS: The 2 October edition of National
Fisherman's "On Deck" reports that a controversial proposal by the National
Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) to allow foreign trawlers to fish American waters
for the
first time in a decade is moving closer to reality (see Sublegals, 2:12/12).
The news
of this first slipped out when the President announced on 13 September
sanctions
against Japan for violations of the whaling limits set by the International
Whaling
Commission.
NMFS is currently reviewing plans -- put forward by the New England and
Mid-Atlantic fishery management councils -- to allow foreign vessels to fish
for
herring in 2001 off New England and for mackerel from Maine to North
Carolina.
Officials hope the opening, planned to last one year initially, would help
develop
markets abroad for the two species, which they allege are now thriving but
underutilized. Some fishermen's groups, however, are less optimistic about
the
health of the stocks and question why the proposed plan would let huge foreign
factory trawlers re-enter waters where similar ships flying American flags
can't go,
particularly when those large ships can cause so much impact through bycatch.
The
last foreign fishing presence in U.S. waters was phased out by 1991. A
Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council proposal would allow foreign fishermen to catch
3,000
metric tons of mackerel, and up to 20,000 metric tons in "joint ventures"
with U.S.
catcher-boats The New England Fisheries Management Council plan would allow
5,000 metric tons to be directly caught. So far, Lithuanian boats have
applied to
catch 1,000 tons of herring, and Russian boats have sought permission for
2,000
tons, according to the Associated Press reports. For more information go to
the
October 2 news link at:
http://www.nationalfisherman.com/ondeck/news/news.html.
For more reactions to these proposals see:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/oct2000/2000L-10-11-01.html.
2:15/20. PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS BEACH PROTECTION BILL:
On 10 October President Clinton signed into law the Beaches Environmental
Assessment & Coastal Health Act of 2000 (H.R. 999) which requires states to
adopt
coastal water quality standards and to alert the public when those standards
are not
being met. The bill also authorizes $30 million annually in federal grants
to help
coastal states develop and implement effective water quality monitoring and
public
notification programs. Currently, only eleven states comprehensively test
their beach
waters and notify the public when contamination occurs. The states and
localities
that did test their beach waters in 1999 posted 6,100 beach closings and
advisories
due to the presence of bacteria and viruses from polluted stormwater and
runoff,
overburdened sewage treatment facilities and malfunctioning septic systems.
President Clinton's message on signing the bill can be found at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/library/hot_releases/October_102000.html . For a
copy
of the legislation, see the Library of Congress's THOMAS index under H.R. 999
at:
http://thomas.loc.gov.
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items, comments
or any corrections to Natasha Benjamin, 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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