Fish Talk in the News
Atlantic cod (Photo credit: MA Division of Marine Fisheries).- In late January, NOAA announced that it has begun using a new system to estimate catch from recreational fishermen. The new system will correct past bias and start to better represent what is happening on the water.
- Massachusetts set up the Commercial Fisheries Revolving Loan Fund, a $1 million fund that will provide loans of up to $50,000 each to small boat fishermen to assist them with purchasing groundfishquota under the sector system.
- More Massachusetts news: the Commonwealth’s Seafood Marketing Commission, a group comprised of lawmakers, state officials, restaurant leaders, and commercial fishermen, had its first full meeting earlier this week. According to the Boston Globe, “[t]he goal is to brand Massachusetts seafood — the way Maine does with lobster and Alaska promotes salmon — as a healthy, sustainable food that supports the local economy.”
- This piece of news is from a few weeks ago, and it’s not one of the topics we usually cover, but some might find it interesting: a couple is raising tilapia in garbage and recycling bins in the South Bronx and teaching low-income children about aquaculture and urban farming.
- This week, the Conservation Law Foundation announced the creation of its Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper program. Waterkeeper Peter Wellenberger will work to protect the waters making up New Hampshire’s Great Bay estuary, which are threatened by pollution, population growth, sprawl, and outdated water infrastructure. As we reported earlier this week on TalkingFish.org, protecting estuaries (such as the Great Bay estuary) is critical to preserving important fish habitat.
- Gulf of Maine cod is of course featuring heavily in the news this week, and for good reason. Here’s an article from the Globe with updates on the interim rule proposed by the New England Fishery Management Council for GOM cod catch limits for the 2012 fishing year, as well as steps the Council and NOAA will take going forward. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in science based, proven, fish protection.
