As the New England Fishery Management Council gathers in the Port City this week to discuss the fate of the region's fishing industry, lawmakers are advocating a softening of regulatory proposals they say could wipe out commercial fishing in New Hampshire.
The first of a four-day New England Fishery Management Council meeting began Monday behind closed doors at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel. Fishermen are most anxious for Wednesday, when the council will discuss in public the details of its request to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service for interim action regarding overfishing of Gulf of Maine cod and haddock in 2013.
Portsmouth fisherman Erik Anderson, president of the N.H. Commercial Fishermen's Association, said Wednesday will be the day the council discusses the fate of this and other fishing communities as it addresses fishing quotas. Proposals suggest reductions of cod and haddock catches by as much as 80 percent, he said.
"The impacts are huge. We've said it right along," he said. "This is it. If these guys don't have any fish to catch, it's over."
Read the full story at Seacoast Online>>
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Over 500 lots of seafood processing equipment formerly owned by Adak Seafood will be sold at auction on Tuesday, June 18, starting at 10 a.m. Hawaiian-Aleutian Daylight Time at the Hilton Garden Inn in Anchorage Alaska.
The equipment is located in a recently updated 250,000 square foot state-of-the-art processing facility in Adak, Alaska. Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Hilco Industrial, which conducts 75 machinery and equipment auctions in a wide range of industries annually, will conduct the auction.
Adak Seafood opened originally as Ada Fisheries in Anchorage in 1986. The facility, updated in 2005, is located on the island of Adak, the southernmost city in Alaska near the western end of the Aleutian Islands. The facility processed cod primarily, as well as halibut, blackcod, crab and pollock, Hilco says.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
National Fisherman has been the industry standard for over 50 years. Readers from coast to coast depend on it to stay up to date on news, regulations, fish stocks, to research purchasing decisions and to stay informed of the newest vessel and product technology.
