Category: June ’15

New England Council approves Draft EIS for AMD 18 to Groundfish FMP

MYSTIC, CT – Four years after its initiation, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEMFC) has approved the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan. The action, taken during the council’s April meeting here, was not without controversy.  See Guest Column, page 6. The council also …

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EDITORIAL: Summertime – Another season of lobster boat racing

By the time most of you see this, the pages of the old shop calendar will have turned to June.  And that means just one thing. The start of another season of lobster boat racing here on the coast of Maine … and by all early indications this one promises to be a corker. Jon …

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CFN Shakedown Cruise: John’s Bay 47

By Brian Robbins Welcome to another CFN Shakedown Cruise. Periodically, we will focus on a new launch and dig a little deeper into what went into the project – whether it be a new model or a hull well-known to the New England commercial market.  What we hope to do is provide insight and information …

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GUEST COULMN: Mosquito fleet fights consolidation

by Brett Tolley Control over the iconic New England groundfish is concentrating into fewer hands because of catch share policy, and the future of our ocean and seafood system is at stake. According to last year’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) report, one entity controlled 25% of the entire groundfish revenue. With no safeguards in …

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SAFE-BOAT SMART-BOAT: Development of commercial fishing vessel alternative safety compliance programs

The following is Part 2 of a column that began in the last issue.  To see Part 1, view online here, CFN May, 2015. —Editor The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 requires the Coast Guard to prescribe and develop, in cooperation with the commercial fishing industry, Alternate Safety Compliance Programs. The 2010 Act added …

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New England Council takes on sticky issue of at-sea monitoring costs

MYSTIC, CT – At the end of the New England Fishery Management Council’s (NEFMC) April meeting, the council requested that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) prepare an estimate of the cost-revenue ratio for at-sea monitoring of Northeast Multispecies sectors that would take into account rapidly declining annual catch limits (ACLs) and coverage methodology. The …

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Mixed messages in “2014 Update to American Lobster Settlement Index”

The following is this year’s “Update 2014 to the American Lobster Settlement Index,” prepared and presented here by Rick Wahle and his colleagues at the University of Maine’s Darling Center.  Our thanks to Dr. Wahle and his team for sharing this important information once again this year with our readers.   —Editor   WALPOLE, ME …

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Jason Joyce wants you to see the light – and stay afloat

SWANS ISLAND, ME – Lobsterman Jason Joyce didn’t get into selling LED lights because he was looking for a side business … he simply wanted to be able to see what he was doing when it was dark. After experimenting with numerous types of bulbs from different suppliers, Jason happen to connect with the right …

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