From: Kate Wing <[log in to unmask]>
Fisheries and Marine Mammals: Most Recent Developments -- 4/25/97
(available via e-mail; updated daily)
Eugene H. Buck, Senior Analyst Environment and Natural Resources
Policy Division Congressional Research Service
New info and changes since 4/18/97 are bracketed {...}. New info
and changes since 4/24/97 are in CAPITAL LETTERS.
Marine Fisheries
{AK Halibut Charter Boat Fishery. On Apr. 23, 1997, the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to release for public
review a condensed version of a 900-page report on proposals to
regulate the AK halibut charter boat fishery. The proposals will
be discussed at the Council's Sept. 1997 meeting.} [Assoc Press]
ICCAT Advisory Meeting. On Apr. 22-24, 1997, the advisory
committee to the U.S. section to the International Convention
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will meet in
Silver Spring, MD, to discuss 1996 ICCAT accomplishments, 1997
management and research activities, trade and compliance issues,
implementation of Sustainable Fisheries Act provisions, and
results of species working group meetings. [Federal Register]
{French Port Blockade. On Apr. 22, 1997, French fishing vessels
blockaded the French ports of Calais, Boulogne, and Dunkirk, in a
protest of new EU regulations INCREASING MESH size FOR FIXED SOLE
NETS FROM 80 MM TO 120 MM. ON APR. 23, 1997, A FRENCH COURT
ORDERED THE FISHERMEN TO LIFT THE BLOCKADE. The fishermen
COMPLIED ON Apr. 24, AFTER FRENCH OFFICIALS PROMISED TO RAISE
FISHERMEN'S CONCERNS AT A JUNE 17 EU MINISTERS MEETING.} [Dow
Jones News]
{Navy Pays for Coral Reef Damage. On Apr. 22, 1997, the FL
Dept. of Environmental Protection signed a settlement agreement
with the U.S. Navy, whereby the Navy will pay FL $750,000 to
settle a $2 million lawsuit over coral reef damage by a nuclear
submarine on Feb. 25, 1993, near Hollywood, FL.} [Assoc Press]
{Japan-China Fishery Agreement. On Apr. 21-22, 1997, Japanese
and Chinese negotiators conducted working-level discussions on a
new provisional bilateral fishery agreement. Negotiators agreed
to consider a fishery agreement separately from territorial
disputes. Negotiators will resume discussions in May 1997 in
Beijing, with the objective of concluding an agreement by summer
1997.} [Dow Jones News]
{SEAFOOD FRAUD. ON APR. 21, 1997, THE U.S. DEPT. OF
COMMERCE/NOAA CHARGED 2 NEW BEDFORD SEAFOOD COMPANIES WITH 113
VIOLATIONS FOR ILLEGALLY BUYING AND SELLING GROUNDFISH AND
SCALLOPS OVER AN 18-MONTH PERIOD. NOAA ALLEGES THAT FALSE
REPORTING PERMITTED VESSELS TO FISH LONGER THAN ALLOWED AND TO
LAND MORE FISH THAN PERMITTED. NOAA IS SEEKING $4.7 MILLION IN
CIVIL PENALTIES AND REVOCATION OF DEALER PERMITS HELD BY THE 2
COMPANIES.} [ASSOC PRESS, NOAA PRESS RELEASE]
{AK IFQ Case. On Apr. 21, 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court denied
a hearing on the lawsuit of the Alliance Against IFQs (individual
fishing quotas) against the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and the
North Pacific Fishery Management Council, wherein the Alliance
argued that the federal quota system unfairly eliminated
fishermen from AK's halibut and blackcod fisheries.} [Assoc
Press]
Japanese Fisheries White Paper. On Apr. 18, 1997, Japan's
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries released a white
paper on fisheries, calling for international cooperation in
fishery management and enhanced measures to protect fisheries
from oil spill damage. [Dow Jones News]
Tri-Tech Fishing Services Sale. On Apr. 17, 1997, Smith
International, Inc. announced that it had completed acquisition
of Tri-Tech Fishing Services, LLC (Lafayette, LA). Tri-Tech is a
supplier of fishing services in the Gulf of Mexico, TX, and LA,
and had 1996 revenues of about $13 million. [Dow Jones News]
Servac Sale. On Apr. 17, 1997, Dow Jones reported that Ira Food
Brokers Inc. had agreed to acquire Servac Inc. and Servac
International Inc.; Servac is a commercial fishing business with
assets of about $14 million and 1996 sales of about $2.2 million.
[Dow Jones News]
Mississippi Floodwaters. On Apr. 17, 1997, the last 18 bays of
the Bonnet Carre Spillway were scheduled to be closed,
terminating a one-month release of Mississippi River floodwater
into Lake Pontchartrain, LA. [Assoc Press]
{CITES Proposal - Sharks. On Apr. 16, 1997, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that it would not submit a
proposal to list western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations
of requiem sharks and spiny dogfish on CITES (Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and
Flora) Appendix II, although FWS believes these species meet the
requirements for inclusion on this Appendix. As an alternative,
the United States is submitting a draft resolution proposing
establishment of a Marine Fishes Working Group to address
implementation issues associated with placing marine fish on
Appendix II. The United States anticipates proposing shark
species for Appendix II at the 1999 CITES meeting.} [Federal
Register]
{CITES Proposal - Sawfishes. On Apr. 16, 1997, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service announced that it had submitted a proposal
to list all sawfishes on CITES (Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora) Appendix I.}
[Federal Register]
Subsistence Halibut Fishery. On Apr. 16, 1997, the AK House
voted 24-13 to approve a resolution calling on the North Pacific
Fishery Management Council to reject a proposal to create a
subsistence fishery for halibut in state and federal waters off
AK. [Assoc Press]
Canadian Atlantic Groundfish. On Apr. 16, 1997, the Canadian
government announced that selected Atlantic cod stocks have
recovered sufficiently that a limited commercial fishing will be
allowed to resume. Details of this reopening were presented by
Fisheries Minister Fred Mifflin on Apr. 17, with limited fishing
to be allowed off the southern coast of Newfoundland (10,000
metric tons) and in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (6,000
metric tons). [Assoc Press, Dow Jones News, Reuters]
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. On Apr. 16, 1997, NMFS proposed to
increase general commercial category (from 531 metric tons (mt)
to 633 mt) and angling recreational category (from 222 mt to 265
mt) quotas for Atlantic bluefin tuna for the 1997 season. This
increase responds to a slight (33 mt) increase in the
international quota granted to the United States (unallocated
quota held in reserve by the U.S. was reduced to provide the
remainder of the harvest quota increases), and seeks to reflect
scientific monitoring requirements and recent changes in the
fishery. A series of 9 public hearings is scheduled along the
Atlantic and Gulf Coasts between Apr. 22 and May 8, 1997.
[Assoc Press, NMFS press release]
EU Fleet Restructuring. On Apr. 15, 1997, the EU's Fisheries
Council approved, by a 13-2 qualified majority vote (Britain and
France opposed), a new 5-year program to reduce catches of
endangered fish stocks by 30% while catches of overfished stocks
would be reduced 20% by the end of 2001. Individual EU Members
would retain flexibility in choosing whether to remove fishing
vessels from the fleet, reduce fishing vessel time at sea, or a
combination of both. Fishing vessels {less than 12 meters} in
length are exempt from the new restrictions. [Reuters, Agence
Europe via Reuters, Assoc Press, Dow Jones News]
Van Camp Sale. On Apr. 15, 1997, Van Camp Seafood Co. Inc.
announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell its
assets to Tri-Union Seafoods LLC, and that Van Camp had filed a
voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code
in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to facilitate the sale. Van Camp
markets "Chicken of the Sea" brand seafood. [Van Camp Seafood
press release via Dow Jones News]
National Undersea Research Center Proposals. In mid-April 1997,
the National Undersea Research Center (Univ. of NC, Wilmington)
announced a search for research proposals to fund in 1998.
Research priorities include fisheries oceanography and
recruitment processes, evaluation of ichthyofauna in the Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), factors affecting
recruitment of conch and lobster within FKNMS, hardbottom reefs,
reef fish communities in Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary,
and coral habitat in the Oculina Banks Research Reserve.
[National Undersea Research Center announcement]
Italian Driftnets. On Apr. 14-15, 1997, the EU Fisheries
Council was scheduled to consider a co-financing plan to convert
the Italian swordfish fishery away from driftnet use during the
1997-1999 period. The proposed plan would provide financial
incentives for fishermen and vessel owners to encourage them to
cease or modify their driftnet fishing. [Agence Europe via
Reuters]
Chesapeake Bay. On Apr. 14, 1997, Virginia Institute of Marine
Science researchers reported that the 1997 aerial survey of
Chesapeake Bay indicated a 6% increase (3,500 more acres) in area
covered by sea grasses, reversing a 2-year trend of declining
acreage. [Assoc Press]
Galilee Redevelopment. On Apr. 10, 1997, RI Governor Lincoln
Almond announced plans for redevelopment of the fishing port of
Galilee and selection of a planning firm to develop a master plan
within 6 months. [Assoc Press]
Herring Spotter Accident. On Apr. 9, 1997, two single-engine
planes carrying spotters of spawning herring for fishermen
collided over Prince William Sound, AK, killing two individuals
in one of the planes. [Assoc Press, Reuters]
Glacier Bay Commercial Fishing. On Apr. 8, 1997, Glacier Bay
National Park (AK) officials announced that proposed regulations
would be published in late April 1997 gradually eliminating
commercial fishing in wilderness waters of the Park. Commercial
fishing would still be allowed in outer coastal areas. A March
1997 federal appeal court decision upheld a lower court ruling
that federal law prohibits commercial fishing in the park's
wilderness waters. Proposed regulations were published in the
Federal Register on Apr. 16, 1997, and a 6-month public comment
period is provided. The proposal would phase-out commercial
fishing over a 15-year period in Glacier Bay proper with fishing
prohibited annually from May through September, but authorize
commercial fishing in outer marine waters of the Park.
Commercial fishing in wilderness waters would be prohibited
immediately upon publication of final regulations. [Assoc Press,
National Park Service press release, Reuters]
AK Seafood Tax Lawsuit. On Apr. 8, 1997, the American Factory
Trawler Assoc. (AFTA) announced that it was dropping its 1994
lawsuit in AK Superior Court challenging Alaska's 3.3% tax on
at-sea processors of seafood as unconstitutional, after the AK
Legislature changed the tax law in 1996 to address most of the
perceived inequities that concerned the AFTA. The AFTA decision
will release more than $13 million in taxes held in escrow while
the case was pending. [Assoc Press, Reuters]
Beach Renourishment and Sea Turtles. On Apr. 7, 1997, NMFS
halted hopper dredging in FL, SC, and NC after U.S. Corps of
Engineers projects to replenish beach sand killed 19 sea turtles.
NMFS allowed a $54 million Myrtle Beach, SC, project to resume on
Apr. 8 after the hopper dredge was replaced by a hydraulic
dredge. NMFS had agreed that the Corps could kill as many as 20
turtles during these projects; the Corps is seeking a
modification to allow as many as 30 turtles to be killed. [Assoc
Press]
Humane Society TEDs Survey. On Apr. 7, 1997, the Humane Society
of the United States reported that a July-November 1996
undercover survey of 32 shrimp trawlers in ports along the Texas
coast found 13 with TEDs tied shut. Shrimpers were reported to
have admitted tracking the Coast Guard by radio to determine when
enforcement could be anticipated. The Humane Society submitted
names and vessel identifications of alleged TED violators to
federal officials. [Assoc Press]
NCRI Research Proposals. Apr. 7, 1997 was the deadline for
preliminary proposals for new project funding by the National
Coastal Resources Research and Development Institute (NCRI) in
Portland, OR, in 4 program areas: aquaculture and fisheries,
coastal business and community economic development,
environmental and marine technology, and seafood technology and
production. Projects can be anywhere in the coastal U.S.,
including the Great Lakes and U.S. Territories. [NCRI program
announcement]
Sea Turtle Protection. On Apr. 7, 1997, Fiji banned the killing
and molesting of sea turtles for 3 years, except for traditional
ceremonial purposes. [Assoc Press]
Seabird Protection. In early April 1997, the Commission for the
Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna adopted a program to reduce
the incidental mortality of seabirds in longline fisheries under
the Commission's jurisdiction. [personal communication]
Coral. In early April 1997, a controversial $6.5 million beach
restoration project will begin in Miami Beach, FL, where the Army
Corps of Engineers will mine sand from an offshore area between
two coral communities. This sand will be pumped through an
underwater pipeline to replenish eroded beaches in front of
hotels and condos. Opponents of the project fought it for three
years in federal court, fearing damage to corals. [Assoc Press,
Reuters, Dow Jones News]
1996 U.S. Seafood Trade. In early April 1997, the Seafood
Market Analyst reported that the value of 1996 U.S. seafood
imports decreased more than 1% from the previous year to $6.6
billion, while U.S. seafood export value decreased nearly 8% to
$2.9 billion. This resulted in a U.S. seafood trade deficit of
about $3.7 billion, an increase of about 3% from 1995. U.S.
imports declined for shrimp and prawns (-5%); and increased for
farmed Atlantic salmon (+84% for fresh fillets and +10% for fresh
whole), tilapia (+41% for fresh fillets and +27% for frozen
whole), mussels (+34%), and oysters (+8%). Although the volume
of U.S. seafood exports increased nearly 5% in 1996, salmon
contributed significantly to the decline in export value. The
leading U.S. import was shrimp at $2.5 billion, while the
leading export was salmon at $620 million. [Seafood Market
Analyst, Assoc Press]
Combined HMS Plan. On Apr. 4, 1997, NMFS published a proposal
in the Federal Register soliciting comments on the benefits of
preparing one highly migratory species (HMS) fishery management
plan with one advisory panel. Such a consolidated plan would
combine management of Atlantic sharks, swordfish, and tunas.
Public comment will be accepted through May 15, 1997. [Federal
Register]
Summer Flounder Lawsuit. On Apr. 4, 1997, a group representing
NC commercial fishermen filed suit in U.S. District Court
(Norfolk, VA) against the federal government, claiming NMFS
summer flounder quotas determinations were arbitrary and
capricious. The group claims that NC is the only state where
NMFS uses the state catch in calculating the federal quota. The
group is asking the Court to order the Secretary of Commerce not
to reduce annual quotas to adjust for catch overages from the
previous year. [Assoc Press]
....
End of Part 1/6
|
