CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE SUMMARY OF FISHERIES
NEWS FOR AUGUST, 1996
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MARINE FISHERIES (CONTINUED)
First Non-Harbor Marine Superfund Site. On July 10, 1996, the
Environmental Protection Agency added the first non-harbor marine site to its
list of Superfund cleanup projects. The Montrose Chemical Corp. sewer
outfall
deposit contains more than 100 tons of DDT spread over a 27-square mile
area off the Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA. [Greenwire]
.
Bumble Bee Seafoods. On July 11, 1996, Questor Partners Fund,
L.P. (Southfield, MI), announced that it was acquiring the brand name and
seafood business of Bumble Bee Seafoods, Inc. of San Diego, CA, from
Unicord Public Co., Ltd., of Bangkok, Thailand. In addition, H.J. Heinz Co.
(through its affiliate Star-Kist Foods, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA) will purchase
Bumble Bee's tuna production facilities in Maayaguez, Puerto Rico; Sante Fe
Springs, CA; and Manta, Ecuador. Star-Kist will co-pack tuna under the
Bumble Bee label for a new Questor company being formed. Questor is
rumored to have paid more than $200 million for this acquisition, with Heinz
paying Questor between $50 million and $60 million. The U.S. Dept. of
Justice must approve this consolidation of the tuna industry. [Reuters, Assoc
Press, Questor-Heinz press release, Wall Street Journal]
.
Coast Guard Boardings. On July 11, 1996, the armed individual who
had refused a Coast Guard boarding and inspection of his fishing vessel off
the
California coast on May 19, 1996, pleaded innocent to charges of forcibly
resisting a routine safety check as well as intimidating and interfering with
Coast Guard inspectors. Magistrate Judge Patricia Trumbull set a Sept. 16,
1996 trial date. On July 15, 1996, the Jamaican government called for an
investigation into allegations that the U.S. Coast Guard illegally boarded
seven
Jamaican fishing vessels within Jamaican waters on July 7, 1996. The U.S.
Coast Guard was searching for drugs. Jamaican fishermen claim that fishing
gear was destroyed and that they must be compensated. [Assoc Press]
.
High-Seas Fishing Vessel Reflagging Agreement. On July 11,
1996, the EU Council agreed to the European Community's adherence to the
Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and
Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas. [Agence
Europe via Reuters]
.
Apalachicola Bay Reopens to Oystering. On July 10, 1996, the FL
Dept. of Environmental Protection reopened Apalachicola Bay to oyster
harvesting after tests indicated no trace of red tide. The Bay had been
closed
to oyster harvesting on June 4, 1996. [Assoc Press]
.
Seahorse Report. In early July 1996, TRAFFIC (Trade Records
Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce) International released a
160-page "Species in Danger" study entitled "The International Trade in
Seahorses," forecasting that wild populations could decline significantly if
demand for seahorses (particularly for traditional Chinese and derivative
medicines) does not diminish. [World Wide Fund For Nature - International
press release]
.
Louisiana Gillnets. In early July 1996, the Gulf Coast Conservation
Association of Louisiana reported a study by Economics & Issues Research
Inc. indicating that the State ban on gillnet use had no impact on retail and
restaurant prices for seafood. This contradicted the results of a Louisiana
Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board survey released in June 1996
contending there had been widespread price increases and limited supplies of
some fishery products. [Assoc Press]
.
Norton Sound Crab Strike. On July 9, 1996, Norton Sound, Alaska,
crabbers agreed to processors' offer of $2 .25 per pound for red king crab,
and
began fishing. The fishery had officially opened July 1, but fishermen
declined
to fish when processors offered $2 per pound. [Assoc Press]
.
Canadian Flying Squid Fishery. On July 9, 1996, Canada's Dept. of
Fisheries and Oceans released a management plan for a 1,500-ton
experimental fishery for neon flying squid for export to Japan. Fourteen
fishermen will test various harvesting techniques. [Assoc Press]
.
Illegal High Seas Driftnet. On July 6, 1996, the U.S. Coast Guard
cutter Boutwell intercepted an unidentifiable 110-foot fishing vessel using a
2-mile long illegal driftnet to catch salmon, 250 miles southwest of Attu
Island
in the Aleutians. As of July 8, the Boutwell was 500 miles southwest of Attu
and still following the vessel, which had cut loose its driftnet. On July 9,
1996,
the vessel, now 700 miles southwest of Attu, ran up a Taiwanese flag and
identified itself as the Chang Fu 31. The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking
permission from Taiwanese officials to board the vessel. On July 11, 1996,
the U.S. Coast Guard, now 1,200 miles southwest of Attu, continued to
pursue the Chang Fu 31, which was reported by Taiwanese authorities to have
been prosecuted in 1989 for salmon violations. The Taiwanese government
reported it plans to prosecute the owners of the Chang Fu 31 for driftnet
violations. On July 13, 1996, U.S. Coast Guard personnel and Taiwanese
police boarded the Chang Fu 31 600 miles off the Japanese coast. No nets or
fish were found aboard the vessel. The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to
escort the Chang Fu 31 toward Taiwan and a meeting with a Taiwanese patrol
vessel. On July 18, 1996, a second Taiwanese patrol vessel met the Chang
Fu 31 about 420 miles off the Japanese coast, and the U.S. Coast Guard
cutter Boutwell departed to return to U.S. waters. On July 25, 1996, the
captain of the Charngder No. 2 (previously referred to erroneously as the
Chang Fu 31) admitted to a Taiwanese prosecutor that he had fished for
salmon with an illegal driftnet following orders from the vessel's owner.
Crew
members reported that 6 tons of salmon were sold to another vessel on June
26 and about 60 tons of salmon were discarded overboard after the U.S. Coast
Guard spotted the vessel. [Assoc Press]
.
Lobster Dragging. On July 1, 1996, the Massachusetts House of
Representatives approved, by a 77-66 vote, a bill that proposes to limit the
landing of incidentally caught lobsters by groundfish draggers to no more
than
100 per day or 500 per week. Proponents of this measure fear that groundfish
draggers will increasingly target lobster while groundfish stocks are
depressed. Earlier this year, the MA Senate had passed a more stringent
version limited draggers to no more than 50 lobsters per day or 350 per week.
There are no federal limits on lobster bycatch by groundfish draggers. [New
Bedford Standard Times]
.
New England Groundfish. On July 1, 1996, the Associated Fisheries
of Maine filed an amended complaint in U.S. District Court, challenging the
legality of Magnuson Act regulations aimed at restoring depleted haddock,
cod, and yellowtail flounder. The group claims the regulations seriously
disadvantage the industry while providing little conservation benefit. On
July
10, 1996, the U.S. Coast Guard observed a New Bedford, MA, scallop vessel
fishing inside a closed area east of Chatham, MA. The vessel's catch of
scallops, lobster, and fish valued at more than $23,000 was seized and was to
have been sold, with the proceeds to be held in escrow until the case is
settled. On July 23, 1996, the U.S. Coast Guard seized the catch (valued at
$22,185) of a U.S. scallop vessel found inside a closed groundfish spawning
area 30 miles east of Nantucket Island. On Aug. 1, 1996, the House
Committee on Resources' Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans
has tentatively scheduled an oversight hearing on the economic effects of
Amendment 7 to the New England groundfish management plan. [Assoc
Press, personal communication]
.
Italian Driftnets. On July 1, 1996, EU Fisheries Commissioner Emma
Bonino told Italy to respect international regulations on large-scale
driftnets or
face possible U.S. trade sanctions on Italian fishery products. Bonino
reported that EU fishery enforcement patrols during June found that 15 of 16
Italian vessels inspected were using driftnets averaging twice the allowable
length. On July 25, 1996, Italy's Agriculture Minister reported that
agreement
had been reached to compensate Italian fishermen who ceased using illegal
driftnets. Together, the EU and the Italian government have allocated $230
million to retrain and purchase new equipment for 3,500 fishermen over a
three-year period. [Reuters]
.
EU Halves Herring Quotas. On July 2, 1996, the European
Commission halved 1996 quotas for North Sea herring from 313,000 metric
tons to 156,000 metric tons. In addition, herring quotas were reduced in
waters adjacent to Denmark, and bycatch allowances for young herring were
substantially reduced. Commercial fishing groups demanded compensation
for loss of potential catch. [Financial Times via Greenwire]
.
FRESHWATER FISHERIES
.
Tui Chub in Diamond Lake. On Sept. 20-21, 1996, the Oregon Fish
and Wildlife Commission will meet to consider alternatives for eradicating
introduced tui chub in Diamond Lake. Costs may exceed $1 million if
rotenone is used and an environmental impact statement is required. [Assoc
Press]
.
Great Lakes Lamprey Funding. In a July 30, 1996 letter to Canada's
Minister of Fisheries Fred Mifflin, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce
Babbitt
urged the Canadian government to reconsider plans to cut their budget for sea
lamprey control in the Great Lakes. [U.S. Dept. of the Interior press
release]
.
Chippewa Bands Fishing Rights. On July 23, 1996, the Mille Lacs
Band of Chippewa, six Wisconsin bands, the federal government, the MN
Dept. of Natural Resources, and the MN Attorney General's Office filed an
agreement in federal court on some of the outstanding issues relating to
Indian
fishing rights in Minnesota. If approved by U.S. District Judge Michael
Davis,
the agreement would limit band members' harvest of walleye for five years.
On
July 26, 1996, the bands held a scheduling conference with U.S. Magistrate
Judge Jonathan Lebedoff, who ruled that the trial on remaining contentious
issues, such as how to divide the fishery resource among user groups, will
begin in March 1997. On Aug. 16, 1996, the bands anticipate filing a motion
for a preliminary injunction providing for the exercise of fishing rights
while the
case is being tried. [Assoc Press]
.
Operation Bass Sale. On July 24, 1996, an executive of the holding
company, Bass Acquisition, Inc., announced the acquisition of Operation
Bass (Gilbertsville, KY), the nation's largest bass fishing tournament
organization with 140 annual events across the United States. [Operation
Bass press release]
.
Great Lakes Ballast Water. On July 23, 1996, the Governors of
Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin jointly announced a $1 million project
to install and test new filtration technology to remove unwanted organisms
from the ballast water of bulk carrier ships. Funds for this project are
provided
by the Great Lakes Protection Fund, created by the regional governors
through an endowment. [Greenwire, Assoc Press]
.
Clyde River Dam Removal. On July 25, 1996, Citizens Utilities
officials, conservation group representatives, VT state officials, and
federal
regulators met to finalize details for removing the breached Newport 11
hydroelectric dam on the Clyde River near Newport, VT, by Oct. 1, 1996,
before the fall salmon spawning run begins. Dam removal is anticipated to
restore about one-half mile of landlocked salmon spawning habitat. The
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had recommended in June 1996 that
the Clyde River dam should be removed. [Assoc Press]
.
Alaska Subsistence Fishery Management. In late June 1996, the
U.S. Dept. of the Interior issued a report "Implications of a Federal
Management of Subsistence Fisheries in Alaska" estimating that assumption
of management of Alaska fisheries for subsistence would cost the federal
government $31 million without state assistance, excluding $1 billion to
replace state equipment necessary to manage these fisheries. [Assoc Press]
.
Salmon Harvest Weir Contract Award. On July 16, 1996, the
Michigan Administrative Board approved the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians'
bid of $0.17 per pound of fish and $2.20 per pound for loose eggs to operate
the State of Michigan's six salmon harvest weirs. Only two bids were
submitted for this contract. [Assoc Press]
.
Yellowstone Lake Trout. In mid-July 1996, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service biologists announced that they had netted more than 150 lake trout,
including a 21-pound female, in Yellowstone Lake, WY, since early June
1996, indicating that the lake trout population was much larger and better
established than had previously been understood. [Assoc Press]
.
Atlantic Sturgeon. On July 8, 1996, the State of Maryland released
3,000 juvenile (year-old) Atlantic sturgeon into the Nanticoke River in an
effort
to restore this species in the Chesapeake Bay drainage. [Assoc Press]
.
Whirling Disease. In early July 1996, MT biologists reported finding
whirling disease in Little Prickly Pear Creek, a tributary of the upper
Missouri
River. On July 30, 1996, MT biologists announced that whirling disease had
been confirmed in the main Missouri River below Holter Dam. Both these
discoveries extend the range of known infected waters. [Assoc Press]
.
Umpqua Cutthroat Trout. In early July 1996, U.S. District Judge
Donald C. Ashmanskas made public an order, in response to December 1995
lawsuit by fishing and environmental groups, that NMFS decide by July 31,
1996, whether it will list Umpqua River sea-run cutthroat trout under the
Endangered Species Act. On July 30, 1996, NMFS announced that it would
list all Umpqua River, OR, cutthroat trout as endangered. [Assoc Press,
NMFS press release]
.
Nonindigenous Species Hearing. On July 11, 1996, the House
Resource Committee's Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans held
an oversight hearing on nonindigenous species concerns. [Congr. Record]
.
Lake Erie Commercial Fishing. On July 1, 1996, the 6th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals upheld a Sept. 1994 lower court decision and ruled that
Ohio's restrictions on commercial fishing in Lake Erie are valid. Commercial
fishers had challenged Ohio's regulations as too restrictive and favoring
sport
anglers. [Assoc Press]
.
Bull Trout. On July 1, 1996, Idaho Governor Phil Batt released his
administration's recovery plan for bull trout, focusing on development of
separate recovery plans for each of 59 key watersheds by watershed advisory
groups assisted by technical advisory teams by the end of 1998. [Assoc
Press]
.
AQUACULTURE
.
Cod Culture Success. On July 30, 1996, Univ. of Maine scientists
expressed optimism for successful cod aquaculture of cod, having achieved
larval survival rates of 35-40%. [Assoc Press]
.
New England Aquarium Expansion. On July 30, 1996, the New
England Aquarium received a $25 million loan check, arranged by the MA
Health and Educational Facilities Authority, for renovations including a
17,400
square-foot addition. [Assoc Press]
.
Hawaiian Live Rock and Moi Regulations. In late July 1996, Hawaii
Governor Ben Cayetano approved new regulations allowing ancient coral to be
placed in marine waters and be colonized by marine life, whereupon it can be
recovered after several months and be sold as "live rock" for the
international
aquarium market. Other changes in regulations would allow fish called moi to
be marketed year-round if they are documented as grown in a licensed
aquaculture facility. [Assoc Press]
.
Shellfish Culture Conflicts with Tomato Plasticulture. Virginia
Institute of Marine Science researchers announced that they would begin
testing waters on Virginia's Eastern Shore in late July 1996 to determine if
chemicals and runoff from tomato plasticulture operations were adversely
affecting shellfish culture operations. [Assoc Press]
*****
Items in this summary are excerpted from a variety of information
sources. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is not responsible
for the accuracy of the various news items.
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