As the year draws to a close, it seems natural to take time to consider what we’ve accomplished, the challenges on the horizon, and the people who have helped us rise above life’s difficulties to become the best we can be. And that’s what we here at CFN want to do now: reflect, assess, and …
On Nov. 6, barely four months after announcing the latest adjustment to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published a proposed rule to change the Massachusetts Restricted Area closure start date from Jan. 1 to Feb. 1. The speed with which this important modification came about is a …
Populations of many fish species – summer flounder, butterfish, squid, black sea bass, cod, and bluefin tuna to name a few – are clearly being impacted by changing ocean water temperatures. The challenge now is to realign fisheries stock assessment science and fisheries management protocols to acknowledge this new reality. Climate-related changes in migration, abundance, …
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) have launched an ambitious joint effort to fully assess and revamp their summer flounder management strategies in response to a number of factors, including changes in the distribution and center of fluke biomass, “possibly related to the effects of stock rebuilding and/or …
Just when you thought things couldn’t get more complicated, they have. The New England Fishery Management Council is gearing up for public hearings on proposed Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Amendment 2. Once finalized, this massive amendment will apply to all fisheries under the council’s jurisdiction and potentially will change the very landscape of fishing …
Summertime is when the thoughts of people in the bluefin business turn to fishing. Chasing bluefin is potentially profitable, true. But on that perfect day when the fish are biting or skimming the surface in a harpooner’s sight, it also can be a tremendous rush, the thrill of a lifetime. Still, the tangled mess of …
The decline of the groundfish fishery, depressed lobster prices, the sluggish economy, and other factors have created serious financial problems for many fishing-related businesses in the Northeast. Most everyone has heard the adage that “it takes money to make money,” but it can be hard to secure sufficient capital to ensure the cash flow that …
The latest butterfish stock assessment is a game changer, not just for the long-finned (Loligo) squid fishery, which has been stymied by a butterfish bycatch cap, but for the way some stock assessments could be conducted in the future. Published in late March, the assessment found that no overfishing was occurring. In fact, scientists then …
Given the fundamental importance of lobstering to the livelihoods of thousands of people, fishing communities, and the economy of the state of Maine, it makes sense that everyone involved wants to do all they can to safeguard the fishery’s future. Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Pat Keliher is now attempting to muster that …
Taking up the theme of fishing vessel safety can be a hazardous thing to do in a CFN editorial since it entails walking that fine line between helpfully calling readers’ attention to a fundamentally important topic and alienating them with nagging. However, this month’s “Along the Coast” column features a particularly pointed example of the …
Your shopping cart is empty
Your Account
Updating... 