http://www.icsf.net/ International Collective in Support of Fishworkers 2012-02-02T16:50:54+00:50 http://www.scindependent.com/articles/2012/02/02/local/doc4f2aa1466f053932427218.txt Officials are considering a ban on herring pair-trawling in the waters of the State of Rhode Island in the United States.. Galilee fishermen have called the vessels, most which approach the state?s maximum 165-foot commercial fishing vessel limit, too large and incompatible with the operations of the local fleet. ?I have people calling me telling me, ?Rich, it?s getting out of hand with the pair-trawlers,?? said Rich Fuka, president of the R.I. Commercial Fishermen?s Alliance. For years, out-of-state trawlers have targeted Rhode Island waters for Atlantic herring, which funnel into Rhode Island every winter via the Nantucket Sound. This year, warm weather and relatively high water temperatures have kept the herring schools here for longer periods of time. ?This is the most herring that some people have ever seen,? said Fuka. ?Normally there are here and then they are gone. This year they are sticking around.? While the large schools of herring ? which fetch between a dime and 15 cents per pound ? have created a windfall and stimulated some economic activity in the port, fishermen out of Point Judith have been battling with massive out-of-state trawlers. The tiny herring, while used in a limited capacity for human consumption, are used as lobster bait and feed for killer whales and dolphins at aquariums around the world. The schools consist of millions of migratory herring, which move up and down the coast and enter Rhode Island through Nantucket Sound. The giant schools annually attract commercial fishermen from both the local fleet and out-of-state pair-trawling vessels. While most of the state?s fleet operate individually, utilizing small mesh bottom trawls, pair-trawlers team with another vessel and drag a net through large swaths of sea. The boats can hold anywhere between 600,000 and 1 million pounds of herring, most of which is transported out of state and processed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. ?We see zero,? said Phil Roule Jr., captain of the 55-foot Seabreeze in Point Judith. ?Plus, nobody wants to see that, a giant factory boat off the beach.? The state Department of Environmental Management confirmed it is considering drafting legislation that would ban pair-trawling in Rhode Island waters. ?There is an emerging consensus within the Rhode Island commercial fishing community that pair-trawling operations should be prohibited in Rhode Island waters, largely because they are viewed as being incompatible with the fixed-gear and smaller-scale trawl fisheries that have long occurred without conflict in state waters,? said Bob Ballou, acting chief of DEM?s Division of Fish and Wildlife in a statement. ?DEM supports the interests of the Rhode Island commercial fishing community, and anticipates working with the Rhode Island General Assembly during the current session to address the issue legislatively.? Though Roule said he hates to see any commercial fishing banned, the pair-trawling situation in Rhode Island has grown beyond control. Herring schools congregate close to shore, clustered among mixed gear like lobster traps. In recent weeks, Ballou said, his department has received several complaints from local fishermen alleging the out-of-state trawlers are wreaking havoc on their fixed gear. http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/top/2012/02/02-45/Bays-sturgeon-now-an-endangered-species.html The Atlantic sturgeon, an imperiled bottom-dwelling fish in the Chesapeake Bay, has been declared an endangered species. The designation means the rarely seen sturgeon will be afforded greater protection in hopes of preventing them from becoming extinct. "The federal government is giving this remarkable fish a fighting chance to live on into the 21st century," said Brad Sewell, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a national environmental group that petitioned to add sturgeon to the Endangered Species List. Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) look much as they did during the Jurassic period, 150 million years ago. The dark gray fish has a long snout, flat belly and armor-like "scutes" on its back. One of the Chesapeake's few large bottom-dwelling fish, the sturgeon gobbles worms, shellfish, mollusks, soft-shell clams, shrimp and small fish in its vacuumlike mouth. The largest sturgeon recorded in Maryland was 14 feet long and weighed 811 pounds. Sturgeon were overfished in the late 1800s and early 1900s as diners sought the female sturgeon's eggs, or roe, which were prized for caviar. The population collapsed and never recovered, as sturgeon take a long time to reach sexual maturity - 10 to 15 years - and spawn only every three years. Catching sturgeon has been illegal for years, but the population has not rebounded. Federal officials have considered putting Atlantic sturgeon on the Endangered Species List several times over the past two decades. A species can be declared endangered based on overfishing, destruction of its habitat, inadequate regulations to protect it, or other natural or human factors that harm the population. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46243693/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.TysgiMi1u0I Humpback whales living on different sides of the southern Indian Ocean bellow very different songs, suggesting the behemoths don't mingle much, or at least they aren't freely sharing their musical material, a new study finds. The results, published in the January issue of the journal Marine Mammal Science, give scientists more information about how culture in the form of these songs spreads among these whales that can reach lengths of 50 feet (15 meters). Among humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), males are the typical crooners, singing their tunes at a population's winter breeding grounds, along migration routes and at summer feeding grounds. The songs consist of complex arrangements of so-called themes, which are mixes of wails, moans and shrieks that get repeated in cycles lasting up to 30 minutes, according to the researchers. Like disc jockeys fading out one song while starting another, humpback whales also transition between song themes; these transitional "phrases" combine bits from both the preceding and subsequent themes. (A past mathematical analysis revealed just how complex these songs are, using grammatical rules to string together hours-long melodies.) While past research has suggested humpbacks sharing the same ocean basin also share similar songs, the new study suggests that's not the case for the two populations on both sides of the southern Indian Ocean. http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Japan+grim+task+searching+tsunami+dead+continues/6091736/story.html Leaden winter skies lour on a coastguard boat as it cuts its way through the seas off Japan?s tsunami-wrecked shores. Somewhere under these unforgiving grey waters lie hundreds, perhaps thousands of bodies; the unfound, unclaimed dead of one of the country?s worst ever disasters. Even though the hunt on these sullen seas goes on every day, Yoshifumi Suzuki says none of his coastguard colleagues has seen a single corpse since the partial remains of a man were untangled from a fishing net in November. But they are not prepared to give up. ?If we don?t do this, nobody will,? Suzuki said. ?We want to continue the search until we find the very last one. I want to return people to their families not because it is my official duty, but because it is my duty as a human being.? ?The (missing) person is in the mind of his or her family but they still want proof that the person lived in this world. I think it?s hard for them to accept the reality? without a body, he said. The massive tsunami that pummelled Japan in March last year claimed more than 19,000 lives. One-in-six of the dead has never been found. In the ravaged port city of Ishinomaki and the adjacent town of Onagawa, 20 percent of the 4,700 victims are still officially listed as missing, although no-one believes they will be found alive. ?If the sea was transparent, we would be able to find more people. It?s awful,? Suzuki told AFP aboard the 26-ton Shimakaze. Occasional snow stings the five-strong crew as they peer through winter fog at the surface of the sea and use underwater sonar equipment to detect submerged cars or other debris that can trap bodies. If they see anything that suggests a corpse, they call for divers. But visibility below the surface is only one metre (three feet) and the low temperatures mean frogmen can be in the water for no more than a few minutes. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-02-02/vanuatu-earthquake/52933654/1 A strong earthquake has struck about 77 miles west of the capital of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-7.1 quake struck Thursday. The quake struck at a depth of 14 miles. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin saying "no destructive widespread tsunami threat exists" from the quake but warned that local tsunamis could occur within 62 miles of the epicenter. The region lies on the "Ring of Fire" ? an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim. About 90% of the world's quakes occur in the region. http://www.forbes.com/sites/gcaptain/2012/02/02/angola-invests-in-fight-against-illegal-fishing-in-coastal-waters/ Damen Shipyards Galati is building the Ngola Kiluange, a Fishery Inspection Surveillance Vessel (FISV) 6210, for the Angolan Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries. With another two ships under construction, the Angolan government is set to strengthen its knowledge of and control over its rich fishing grounds. The spectators at Damen?s Romania based Galati Shipyard were treated to a moment of suspense when the 62 m Nngola Kiluange sharply heeled over at her launch. As people drew their breath it elegantly sprang back, keeping her balance perfectly. The Angolan Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries purchased the slender multipurpose vessel. Another vessel of this type is currently under construction at the Galati Shipyard, as is a smaller, 28 m long Fishery Research Vessel (a Damen FRV 2810), also commissioned by the Angolan Ministry. The threefold order has materialised under a unique collaboration of Damen Shipyards, the Dutch Government and ING Bank. The latter two co-financed the project. Given the exclusive economic zone at West-Africa?s Atlantic coast, holding vast and rich fishing grounds, the acquisition of these vessels represents a real opportunity for the Angolan Ministry. The fishing sector is one of Angola?s largest economic sectors and its territorial waters are extremely alluring for illegal fishing. Under a SADC regional programme the country collaborates with Namibia and South Africa to protect and survey the fishing grounds. The FISV Ngola Kiluange can also be brought into action for salvaging and various other jobs. Damen has a long and proven experience in building hydrographic research vessels. Their standardised system allows them to meet with every requirement in terms of hull shape, sensor suite, systems and regulations. ?Imagine the versatility of these vessels?, says Friso Visser, Regional Director Africa. The deal was struck under a currently discontinued program of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called ORET, which supported sustainable investment in infrastructural projects in developing countries. Regulations for such deals were very strict, contemplates Friso Visser. ?We really had to explain the Dutch mania for organisation to our Angolan counterparts. Fortunately, our relationship goes back a long way and we intend to deepen it even further.? The ORET programme regulated Dutch-Angolan co-operation within a clear institutional framework. Education, training and building financial reserves for maintenance and replacement were all compulsory parts of the deal. Some of these requirements are also part and parcel of the Damen philosophy. The delivery of spare parts is customary, training and education are regularly given, and special vessel maintenance programs can be obtained. Damen Shipyards Cape Town provides the necessary services. Thus the slogan ?Africa for Africa? truly exceeds its verbal expression. http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/hook+Canada+jeopardizing+fish+stocks+with+poor+management+report+says/6091501/story.html Twenty years after the collapse of the world's largest cod fishery off Canada's East Coast, experts say the beleaguered groundfish are still being overexploited. Fishing continues in areas where cod stocks are below "critical limits," says Jeffrey Hutchings of Dalhousie University and head of a national science panel that called Thursday for sweeping changes in the management of Canada's oceans. The change needs to start at the top, by reducing the "czar-like" powers of the federal minister of fisheries and oceans, the panel says. The Fisheries Act, which dates back to 1868, also needs to get with the modern age, says the expert panel on marine biodiversity, which was established by the Royal Society of Canada. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is responsible for both exploiting and conserving fisheries ? a "conflict of interest" that the panel says needs to be resolved. The 10-member panel spent two years assessing ocean biodiversity and the challenges posed by climate change, fishing and aquaculture. It has delivered a 316-page report that says Canada's oceans are becoming warmer and more acidic, which could make some waters inhospitable to marine life. And sea ice disappearing from the Arctic and the East Coast will profoundly affect marine life and their ecosystems. It says overfishing has seriously depleted many species and disrupted marine food webs. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence predatory-prey interactions have changed and "Now we find cod and some other species in a position where they are headed for extirpation," Hutchings told a media briefing. The report estimates that fish in Canada's oceans declined in abundance by an average of 52 per cent from 1970 to the mid-1990s and "most commercially fished stocks remain well below conservation target levels. " Catches are about half those of the late 1980s with the landed value of all fisheries in 2009 almost the lowest since 1977, it says. The panel says oceans stewardship and biodiversity conservation need to be made a "top government priority." It notes that government officials like to say Canada is a world leader in oceans and marine management, but the panel says the rhetoric does not square with reality. "We made promises, and we haven't kept them, " says Hutchings. The government has committed to creating a network of marine protected areas to cover 10 per cent of Canada's ocean "real estate" by 2020. So far, marine protected areas encompass less than one per cent of Canada's ocean area, the panel says. And in 160 of the 161 protected areas off the B.C. coast, fishing is still allowed. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41128&Cr=tourism&Cr1= Responsible, sustainable tourism can play a valuable role in conserving and protecting the world?s often fragile wetlands, the head of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said today. ?Wetlands, their wildlife, and the human communities in and around them can benefit directly from tourism through entry fees, sale of local products, and so on,? said Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of UNWTO. ?At the same time, the ?use? of wetlands as tourism locations comes with certain risks,? he added. ?The challenge is to ensure that sustainable tourism practices are being implemented and bring benefits for wetlands, their wildlife and people? We would emphasize that tourism businesses, if well informed and prepared to adapt their operations, can certainly promote and support wetland biodiversity and the natural beauty of wetlands.? UNWTO today marked World Wetlands Day, which this year has the theme of wetland tourism, by saying it will join forces with the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, to promote responsible tourism and recreation in wetlands worldwide. Many wetlands, from the Okavango Delta in Southern Africa to the Danube Delta in Eastern Europe and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, are in a fragile state as a result of both human and natural forces. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41116&Cr=climate+change&Cr1= Criminal gangs are becoming a threat to the world?s glaciers, which are already receding as a result of climate change, the United Nations said today, citing a case in Chile where police are investigating the theft of some 5,000 kilograms of millennia-old ice from the Jorge Montt glacier. Mining for ice could pose a major additional threat to the 454 square-kilometre glacier, which is situated in Chile?s Bernardo O?Higgins National Park, and is part of the 13,000-square kilometre Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the third largest frozen land mass in the world after Antarctica and Greenland, according to the UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The Jorge Montt glacier is melting at a rate of one kilometre per year, making it one of the world?s most iconic symbols of global warming. ?The authorities in Chile are to be congratulated on clamping down on this illegal activity,? said Margareta Wahlstr?m, the Secretary-General?s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of UNISDR. ?The Jorge Montt glacier and other major ice-fields are a precious part of our common world heritage and important yardsticks by which we can measure how man-made global warming is threatening the world?s water supply and damaging the environment. They deserve all the protection we can give them, including safeguarding from this type of vandalism.? The prosecutor handling the case in Chile reported this week that those implicated in the ice theft had been identified as a result of an investigation that followed the arrest of the driver of a refrigerated truck last Friday. The truck was intercepted in the southern Chilean town of Cochrane. Chile?s Centre for Scientific Studies has said that several of the country?s glaciers are shrinking because of global warming, but the much-studied Jorge Montt is one of those shrinking the fastest. http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/the-secret-catch-of-south-jakarta/495381 In the middle of a cemetery and tucked away in the backstreets of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, a stagnant, concrete fishing pond lies dark with algae. Around it, men sit chatting, eating and smoking with their fishing rods dangling in the sludge and slime. It?s quite the social affair. ?Its just entertainment for the people around here,? says Maysudin, manager of the fishing club. ?It?s a tradition for people in this community to fish around here ? it started decades ago.? Madesa Fishing Club, which takes its name from ?masa depan suram? (?the future is bleak?), is a group of local men who often lose themselves sitting around all day in the sport of catching fish. An unofficial rule of the club is that once a man joins the group, he must stay and continue fishing all day, every day, with no future plans past that ? hence the name of the club. Madesa opened in 1998 and is one of four ponds near Menteng Dalam in South Jakarta, though there are more than 100 ponds in South Jakarta and many fish waiting to be caught. You would never guess that the hustle and bustle of the chaotic capital exists just five minutes away from Madesa, because right outside the cemetery people in a small kampung greet strangers with laughter and friendly smiles. Then down a back alley, just past a mountain of rubbish and beside the kite-flying children, two ponds wait with up to 30 men sitting around them, laughing and talking and catching their dinners. Devoted fisherman Rijalani has been going to Madesa Fishing Club for almost two years, and he says the fish are tasty and sweet ? perfect for frying or tossing together with curry and vegetables. The men catch a type of carp known as ?golden fish,? a sturdy breed that is strong enough to survive the polluted waters. Under normal circumstances, carp can grow up to 120 centimeters long and weigh around 40 kilograms, but with the skilled fisherman at this pond ready to snap up the best catch, the carp here only grow to about 50 centimeters in length.