SAN FRANCISCO - Kevin Lunny's struggle to keep his family's oyster farm running in Point Reyes National Seashore appears to be over, closing out an era of oysterman plying the park's pristine waters and ushering in the nation's newest ocean wilderness.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's announcement Thursday that he was allowing the oyster farm's lease to expire took many by surprise - especially Drakes Bay Oyster Co. owner Lunny - whose family also operates a cattle ranch in the park.
"We expected a different decision. We really thought that there was a right and a wrong here, and we expected the secretary to make the right decision," Lunny said.
Salazar's move keeps intact a Congressional mandate from 1976 that sought to restore Drakes Estero to its natural state, removing the oyster racks and motor boats used to shuttle the shelled delicacies to and from shore. Environmentalists and the National Park Service said the farm disturbed harbor seal pupping, and damaged native plants.
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Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
The United Fishermen of Alaska, a statewide commercial fishing industry trade association representing 36 member organizations, announces the election of Jerry McCune of Cordova District Fishermen United as president.
NMFS has announced two senior leadership changes that the agency says align with changes it is making to its West Coast operations.
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