>
>       Underwater Obstruction Removal.  On Mar. 26, 1998, LA Dept. of
>Natural Resources personnel were scheduled to meet with commercial and
>sport fishermen in Grand Isle, LA, to initiate a program to identify and
>remove
>underwater obstructions.  While some compensation for damage from
>underwater obstructions has been paid regularly, this is the first LA program
>to
>remove obstructions, with one-year funding of $1.6 million from federal
>Hurricane Andrew disaster relief.  If an owner can be identified, the owner
>will
>be required to remove the obstruction.  Obstructions too large to remove will
>be marked. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       El Nino and Fishmeal Production.  On Mar. 26, 1998, Peruvian
>officials announced that, due to El Nino conditions, fishmeal production for
>the
>first two months of 1998 was almost 81% lower than for the same period in
>1997 (72,400 metric tons vs. 376,200 metric tons), while fish oil production
>had fallen more than 87% for the same period of comparison (6,200 metric
>tons vs. 48,700 metric tons). [Dow Jones News]
>       .
>       Protection of Whale Sharks and Manta Rays.  On Mar. 25, 1998,
>Philippine government officials signed a directive ordering a prohibition on
>the
>killing and sale of whale sharks and manta rays, with moderate fines and up
>to
>four years imprisonment for violators.  This action was taken to prevent
>further
>decline in stocks.  Both species are considered delicacies, with demand
>especially strong for export to Taiwan. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Geoduck Clam Indictment.  On Mar. 25, 1998, a federal grand jury
>indicted 6 individuals for conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act by purchasing
>and selling geoduck clams harvested in violation of WA state law.  The trial
>of
>this case in U.S. District Court is scheduled for June 1, 1998.  Illegally
>harvested clams are alleged to have been shipped to markets throughout the
>United States. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Cholera from Seafood?  On Mar. 25, 1998, the United Nations Food
>and Agriculture Organization released a statement to the effect that banning
>fish imports from nations affected by cholera is an inappropriate response,
>since the World Health Organization has not documented a significant
>outbreak of cholera resulting from commercially imported food. [FAO press
>release]
>       .
>       Fisheries Disaster Request.  In late March 1998, the Pacific Coast
>Federation of Fishermen's Associations wrote CA Governor Pete Wilson and
>OR Governor John Kitzhaber requesting that they declare a state of disaster
>in
>west coast fisheries as a basis for requesting federal disaster relief.  The
>requests cite the effects of El Nino reducing the availability of many
>species,
>more stringent limits on groundfish harvest, and increased protection of
>salmon under the Endangered Species Act as combining to leave no
>alternatives for fishermen. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Atlantic Billfish Minimum Sizes.  On Mar. 24, 1998, NMFS published
>an interim rule in the Federal Register increasing the minimum size for
>Atlantic blue marlin and Atlantic white marlin, effective Mar. 27, 1998.
>This
>action fulfills the U.S. commitment to ICCAT to reduce marlin landings by at
>least 25%.  Minimum size (length) for blue marlin was set at 96 inches, while
>the minimum size (length) for white marlin was set at 66 inches.  Both
>species were identified in September 1997 by NMFS as overfished. [NOAA
>press release, Fed. Register]
>       .
>       FL Net Ban.  On Mar. 24, 1998, FL Governor Chiles and his Cabinet
>approved regulations prohibiting small (less than 500 square feet) seine nets
>with mesh larger than 2 inches, in an attempt to settle confusion over what
>gear is legal under FL's July 1995 net ban law.  {On Apr. 13, 1998, a FL
>Circuit Court Judge ruled that "Pringle-Crum" nets (500 square feet of mostly
>3-inch mesh with a small area of 2-inch mesh) are legal and not prohibited by
>the State's net ban provisions.  However, State officials announced that they
>would file an appeal of this order.} [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Sand Disposal Lawsuit.  On Mar. 23, 1998, two Pacific northwest
>fishermen's groups filed suit in U.S. District Court, seeking an injunction
>to
>force the Army Corps of Engineers to dump several million cubic yards of sand
>dredged from the lower Columbia River further offshore than currently
>planned.
>The fishermen's groups contend the proposed dumping will damage productive
>crab habitat and fisheries. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       ME Lobster Regulation Challenge.  On Mar. 23, 1998, the U.S.
>Supreme Court declined to review an appeal by a group of ME lobstermen
>challenging 1995 state legislation that established new regulations to limit
>the
>lobster fishery, including trap limits, license limits, and an extension of
>state
>authority to regulate lobstering in offshore federal waters. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Atlantic Shark Fishery.  On Mar. 23, 1998, NMFS announced that the
>commercial fishery for Atlantic large coastal sharks will close on Mar. 31,
>1998, when it is estimated that this year's first semiannual quota of 642
>metric
>tons will have been harvested.  {On Apr. 13, 1998, NMFS announced the
>availability of the court-ordered draft consideration of the economic effects
>and
>potential alternatives to the 1997 quotas on the Atlantic large coastal shark
>fishery.  NMFS will accept written comments on the draft through Apr. 24,
>1998.} [Fed. Register, NMFS notice]
>       .
>       Canada's Atlantic Groundfish.  On Mar. 23, 1998, the Canadian
>Parliament's Commons Fisheries Committee released a report blaming the
>government for the collapse of Atlantic cod fisheries.  The Committee
>recommended that the federal government remove all senior officials in the
>Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) deemed responsible for the
>mismanagement of Atlantic groundfish stocks, that foreign fishing in Canadian
>waters be eliminated, that the DFO be decentralized, that subsidies be
>continued for unemployed fishermen in Maritime Canada, and that an
>expanded seal hunt be considered. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Japan-South Korea Fishery Agreement.  On Mar. 21, 1998, South
>Korean and Japanese officials met and agreed to resume bilateral fishery
>negotiations, perhaps as early as April 1998. [Dow Jones News, Seoul
>Yonhap via Foreign Broadcast Information Service]
>       .
>       IFQ Meetings.  On Mar. 18-20, 1998, the National Research Council's
>Committee to Review Individual Fishing Quotas took public comment at
>meetings in Washington, DC.  On May 6-7, 1998, the National Research
>Council's Committee to Review Individual Fishing Quotas is scheduled to
>conduct its fifth and final public meeting in Boston, MA. [National Research
>Council press release, personal communication]
>       .
>       Shrimp Embargo and the WTO.  On Mar. 13, 1998, a consumer
>group reported that a three-member dispute panel of the World Trade
>Organization (WTO) had issued a preliminary (draft) ruling that a U.S.
>measure protective of sea turtles is inconsistent with global trade policy.
>U.S.
>law imposes shrimp import sanctions against nations not requiring shrimp
>trawlers to use turtle excluder devices.  U.S. officials are likely to
>challenge
>the decision. [personal communication, Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Salmon Along the Pacific Coast
>       .
>       {Bristol Bay Price-Fixing Lawsuit.  On Apr. 10, 1998, Superior Court
>Judge Peter Michalski rejected the petitions of two Seattle-area salmon
>processors to be dropped as defendants in the $1 billion Bristol Bay
>fishermen's antitrust class action case.  On Apr. 14, 1998, an Anchorage
>attorney announced that the one of the Japanese companies charged in this
>case has offered $6.25 million to settle all claims against it.  Court
>approval of
>the settlement is required.} [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       {1998 Commercial and Sport Salmon Fishery.  On Apr. 10, 1998,
>the Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted restrictive salmon seasons
>for 1998, with no harvest of coho salmon provided for areas south of the
>northern OR coast.  North of the northern OR coast, coho and chinook quotas
>were reduced about 40% from 1997 harvests.  At the Columbia River mouth,
>sport fishermen will be able to keep only specially marked hatchery coho
>salmon.  Seasons for chinook salmon are a patchwork along the coast to
>protect proposed and listed populations and to reduce the incidental harvest
>of
>coho salmon.} [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       {Tribal Steelhead Harvest.  On Apr. 8, 1998, NMFS officials notified
>Nez Perce tribal officials of a proposed cut in the allowable tribal harvest
>of
>Snake River "B-run" steelhead trout, listed under the Endangered Species Act
>as a threatened species, from 20% of the returning adults to a maximum of
>7% of the returning adults.  This is likely to dramatically limit the fishery
>for fall
>chinook salmon, where steelhead trout are taken incidentally.} [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       WA Salmon Restoration.  On Apr. 1, 1998, WA Governor Gary Locke
>signed a package of seven bills into state law related to salmon, including
>measures creating a Governor's Salmon Recovery Office, a framework for
>salmon habitat restoration, a scientific review panel for salmon recovery
>plans,
>a streamlined permit process for volunteer salmon restoration projects, a
>required marking program to distinguish hatchery chinook salmon, and a
>program for planting salmon eggs in streams where wild salmon have
>disappeared.  Together, these measures provide about $36 million for salmon
>protection and restoration activities. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Savage Rapids Dam.  On Mar. 31, 1998, the OR Water Resources
>Commission decided to cancel a 1994 additional water permit for the Grants
>Pass Irrigation District because the District had not acted as directed by
>the
>Commission on removing the Dam, which prevents coho salmon from reaching
>upstream spawning habitat in the Rogue River drainage.  The Commission's
>action sends this case to a hearings officer for review before a final
>commission decision, likely in November 1998. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Three Sovereigns Briefings.  In late March 1998, nine delegates from
>the Pacific northwest were scheduled to arrive in Washington, DC, to brief
>congressional staff on a regional plan for a "Three Sovereigns Fish and
>Wildlife
>Governance Process" to oversee salmon recovery in the Columbia River basin.
> The three "sovereigns" include 1) four Pacific northwest states; 2) 13
>Columbia basin tribes; and 3) the federal government.  Two versions of a
>draft
>agreement on this Process will be introduced at a series of public hearings
>in
>the four Pacific northwest states, beginning Apr. 8, 1998. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Hatchery Egg Agreement.  On Mar. 26, 1998, OR state officials and
>the Nez Perce Tribe reached a court-ordered agreement allowing the tribal
>biologists to rear 800,000 eggs from returning hatchery steelhead trout for
>supplementing natural steelhead production in the Imnaha River drainage, OR.
> OR state biologists were concerned that such a hatchery program could harm
>natural steelhead stocks and wanted the returning hatchery steelhead trout
>destroyed. [Assoc Press]
>       .
>       Independent Scientific Review Panel Reports.  In late March 1998,
>the Northwest Power Planning Council's Independent Scientific Review Panel
>released a draft report on Snake River spring-summer chinook salmon,
>weighing the relative merits of breaching dams and barging fish. [Assoc
>Press]
>       .
>       Pacific Salmon Treaty.  On Mar. 23, 1998, Canadian Minister of
>Fisheries David Anderson released a report critical of arguments by some
>U.S. managers that "pasturage" of salmon may affect the rights to their
>harvest.  On Mar. 31, 1998, U.S. and Canadian negotiators (six for each
>nation) began two days of preliminary discussions in Washington, DC.  {On
>Apr. 15-16, 1998, U.S. and Canadian negotiators began a second round of
>discussions in Vancouver, BC, on how to cooperatively manage salmon and
>allocate harvest for the 1998 season.  Interim arrangements are being sought
>by June 1998.}  {{Talks are scheduled to continue in Portland, OR, on May 11,
>1998.}} [Assoc Press, Reuters]
>       .
>       Draft Biological Opinion for Steelhead Trout.  On Mar. 20, 1998,
>NMFS released a draft biological opinion for steelhead trout to state and
>tribal
>managers, calling for increased water spills at dams to assist downstream
>migration of juvenile fish and continuing a "spread the risk" approach by
>barging some juvenile fish downstream.  A new flow regime for the
>Mid-Columbia Reach would be set at 135,000 cubic feet per second.  On Mar.
>23, 1998, Bonneville Power Administration officials reported that the new
>plan
>would cost BPA $15 million per year in lost power generation and
>transmission revenues. [Assoc Press, Dow Jones News]
>       .
>
>

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