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*******
Note to list members: These reports from the U.S. Congressional
Research Service, are generally posted once a week and are made
available by way of friendly staff in congress.
This posting consists of new material from these summaries, obtained
by extracting only the material in {curly brackets}. In some cases,
when new material is inserted into an existing paragraph, the new
material may not make much sense by itself. Hint: if the lines in a
paragraph are very uneven, it is probably because the new material
was added to an existing paragraph, and the old stuff was cut out.
*******
MARINE FISHERIES
Boat-Burning Protest. On Jan. 8, 1999, inshore fishermen in southern
Thailand plan to burn their own boats in protest over a government
decision
not to curb what they consider to be improper and possibly illegal
night-time anchovy trawling. [Bangkok Post]
ICCAT Tuna Enforcement. On Dec. 17, 1999, Mitsubishi Corp. distributed
a
press release announcing that it was ceasing to buy or transport any
tuna
caught by 315 flag of convenience tuna fishing vessels identified as not
complying with International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic
Tunas (ICCAT) regulations and reporting requirements. [personal
communication]
Victoria Sewage Treatment. In mid-December 1999, the British Columbia
attorney general's office killed a lawsuit by the United Fishermen and
Allied Workers Union and the Sierra Legal Defense Fund, that had sought
prosecution for Victoria-area dumping of untreated sewage into the
Strait of
Juan de Fuca. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
3 million gallons As of Dec. 19, 1999, the oil was
in numerous small sections about 40 miles off the French coast and
moving
southward. The tanker's captain is in a Paris jail under investigation
for
"endangering the life of others and marine pollution." Oil first hit
shore
on Dec. 25, 1999. On Dec. 26, 1999, France's Environment Minister
Dominique
Voynet declared that France's Atlantic coast is facing a significant
ecological catastrophe from oil washing up on beaches and rocky
coastline.
Thousands of dead birds have been collected. Eight tugboats have
vacuumed
up about 10% of the spill. [Environment News Service, Assoc Press]
On Dec. 21, 1999, U.S. District Court Judge Ernest
Torres announced approval of the agreement between Eklof Marine Corp.
and RI
lobstermen. On Dec. 22, 1999, a tentative agreement was announced for
environmental damages, including more than $16 million to be spent on
restoring fish stocks and other resources. Between $8 million and $10
million would be spent to purchase 1.24 million female lobsters from
wholesalers to be reintroduced into the fishery with markings making
them
illegal to land. This agreement must be approved by the court. [Boston
Globe, MSNBC, Assoc Press, NOAA press release]
The Council is expected to
take final action on recommendations for the temporary moratorium on
Jan.
20, 2000. [GMFMC press release, Naples Daily News]
On Dec. 16, 1999, the
Commons Fisheries Committee release a report criticizing Dept. of
Fisheries
and Oceans handling of the Native fishery following the Sept. 17 Supreme
Court decision. [Calgary Sun, Canadian Press, National Post, Toronto
Star,
Ottawa Citizen, Vancouver Sun, Reuters]
Harmful Algal Bloom Workshop. On Nov. 20, 1999 through Dec. 17, 1999,
the
Univ. of Southern California Sea Grant Program's College of Exploration
held
an online workshop "To HAB or HAB Not" focusing on harmful algal blooms
in
the Pacific region. [personal communication]
Chesapeake Bay. On Nov. 16, 1999, the VA Marine Resources Commission
voted
unanimously to reduce VA's harvest of large striped bass by 8% rather
than
the 14% ordered by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
[Roanoke Times]
SALMON ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST
The document is reported to include an
advisory recommendation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the
dams be breached. The Corps recommended more study in the belief that
current scientific understanding in inconclusive. A preferred
alternative
would be identified late in 2000. NMFS officials announced a plan to
conduct a comprehensive economic analysis of the all salmon recovery
options. [Assoc Press, Seattle Times, American Rivers press release]
Salmon Habitat and Mining Lawsuit. On Dec. 13, 1999, U.S. District
Court
Magistrate John P. Cooney ruled that U.S. Forest Service officials
violated
the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan and federal law threatening critical
salmon
and steelhead spawning habitat by allowing mining operations in the
Silver
Creek, OR (Illinois River) drainage without environmental analyses and
approved operations plans. The lawsuit was filed in September 1998 by
the
Siskiyou Regional Education Project. [Assoc Press]
FRESHWATER FISHERIES
MARINE MAMMALS
Dolphin-Safe Logo. In late December 1999, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
officials
announced that the Dept. will propose adopting an official dolphin- safe
logo in conjunction with a tuna tracking program to assure consumers
that no
dolphins were injured or killed during tuna harvesting. An interim
final
rule establishing specific requirements for the program is expected to
be
published shortly by NMFS. [Environment News Service]
Canadian Sealing. On Dec. 21, 1999, Canadian Fisheries Minister Herb
Dhaliwal announced that the year 2000 harp seal kill quota will remain
at
275,000 animals, saying no information justifies a change from last
year.
The hooded seal kill quota would remain at 10,000 animals. In addition,
a
kill of several hundred grey seals will be allowed in areas other than
Sable
Island. [Canadian Press]
Japanese Whaling. On Dec. 20, 1999, Greenpeace activists harassed
Japanese
whalers killing minke whales in the Antarctic. On Dec.21, 1999, the
Japanese factory whaling ship Nisshin Maru collided with the Greenpeace
vessel Arctic Sunrise carrying activists protesting Japan's research
kill of
Antarctic minke whales. There were no reported injuries and damage
appeared
to not be serious. [Reuters, Greenpeace press release, Environment News
Service, personal communication]
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