December 31 – The New England Fishery Mismanagement Council - December 20th’s Council meeting in Wakefield, MA, was another excruciating chapter in the tragedy of New England groundfish management. This is not the fishermen’s resource; these are not the fishermen’s fish. This is the public’s resource: yours and mine. It is understandable that fishermen were angry at the meeting because their business world is a mess and getting worse. But conservationists and the general public should be getting just as angry, because their public resources are being plundered and pillaged while no one is being held accountable.

January 1 – Talking Fish’s Look Back at 2012 - A look back at the big stories in fisheries management this year and Talking Fish’s most-read posts of 2012.

January 4 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, January 4 - This week in Fish Talk in the News, the Senate approves Sandy relief but the House avoids a vote, causing outrage; the 112th Congress concludes with the departure of lawmakers active on fisheries issues; the industry responds to NOAA’s report on the multispecies fishery in 2011; debate continues on groundfish closed areas.

December 18 – There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays – After being declared a “fishery disaster,” changes in regulations to allow bottom trawling in Cashes Ledge, Jeffreys Ledge and the only protected portion of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary seems counterintuitive to ever devising a long-term strategy that could help restore groundfish populations in the Gulf of Maine. At a time of the lowest recorded groundfish populations in history, how does it make sense to increase bottom trawling in the best, remaining habitat areas?

December 20 – The Bottom Line: Don’t Remove Protection When Cod Need It Most - New England is famous for cod fishing. But the industry is ailing – and the cure being proposed might be worse than the disease. A proposal by regional fisheries managers to reopen areas where groundfish are currently protected is a big step in the wrong direction.

December 21 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, December 21 - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, NEFMC opens closed areas and delays decisions on catch limits; ASMFC cuts menhaden catch 20%;NOAA will return $543,500 in fines; Brian Rothschild replaces as head of Marine Fisheries Institute; a Gloucester scallop boat goes missing; warm waters in the Gulf of Maine cause environmental change.

December 3- Video: Menhaden Matter – Pew Environment Group’s Atlantic Menhaden Campaign produced this short video to show how protecting this little fish can have big benefits for our coastal ecosystem.

December 7 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, December 7 – In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, ASMFC makes sharp cuts in the 2013 northern shrimp quota; the Boston Globe continues its investigation of seafood fraud; congressmen attempt to tack aid for groundfishermen onto a Hurricane Sandy relief package; a Gloucester Daily Times editorial supports the Amendment 18 process; Cape Cod towns want more shark monitoring; NOAA proposes new rules to help target healthy dogfish and redfish stocks.

November 26 – Closed Areas Cautionary Tales Pt. 1: Canada’s Cod Catastrophe - As fishery managers consider re-introducing damaging forms of fishing like bottom trawling into these protected areas, they should also consider the experiences of other fisheries that exploited protected areas. This post, the first in a series of three, will focus on the dramatic collapse of Canadian cod stocks, brought about in part by poor habitat protection.

November 29 – Closed Areas Cautionary Tales Pt. 2: Scotland’s Firth of Clyde - The Firth (or bay) at the mouth of the Clyde River southwest of Glasgow has been fished for centuries. But the area suffered a crippling collapse in populations of the most important fin fish after eliminating protected areas which had stood for decades.

November 30 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, November 30 - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, the First Circuit Court upholds the legality of catch shares; stakeholders argue over menhaden catch limits; gillnetters take action to prevent porpoise bycatch; the Coast Guard searches for a lost fisherman; dogfish grow in importance for Cape Cod fishermen; a symposium on lobsters and environmental change.

The most important species are not always the biggest, fastest, or most charismatic. The silvery Atlantic Menhaden usually averages only about 12 to 15 inches in length when it is full grown. But, it’s the massive size of a menhaden school which makes this the most valuable fish you’ve most likely never heard of. Menhaden are among the most important forage species along the Atlantic seaboard and a vital food source for dozens of other species.

For decades the menhaden harvest was among the highest catch in tons of any fishery in the nation, and gross overfishing was a strong concern among other fishermen who understand the menhaden’s valuable role as a forage fish. But this isn’t the first time that menhaden have been in the news or that efforts have been tried to establish a more sustainable fishing level. In a landmark move last year, East Coast fishery managers—responding to a plea for action by more than 90,000 people —committed to advancing new protections for Atlantic menhaden. Now is the time to make sure these plans become real improvements on the water.

Right now we need your help in sending the message that Menhaden need better management! Send a message before Nov. 16^th!

Menhaden populations have plummeted 90 percent over the past 25 years and remain at an all-time low—just 10 percent of historic levels. Because these small fish are prey for larger animals, this decline threatens to disrupt coastal and marine food webs and affect the thousands of fishing, whale-watching, and bird-watching businesses that menhaden help support.

We need to leave more menhaden in the ocean to promote their recovery. There is no limit on the total amount of these fish that can be caught at sea. Every year, hundreds of millions of them are ground up to make fertilizer; fish meal for farm animals, pets, and aquaculture; and oil for dietary supplements.

On Dec. 14, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will make decisions that are critical to the recovery of Atlantic menhaden and the ocean wildlife that depends on them for food. Let the commission know that it’s time to bring the menhaden fishery into the 21^st century.

Please take a few minutes to send a letter to the Atlantic States Fisheries Commission before Nov. 16^th!

Or you can do the right thing by writing a letter to Dr. Louis Daniel, vice chair, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission via the ASMFC staff and urge them to:

• Set an enforceable catch limit;
• Reduce the overall amount caught each year; and,
• Follow-through on commitments to restore the menhaden population.

Thank You for your help – now pass it along to your friends!

Atlantic Menhaden are small but vital for a healthy ocean ecosystem

November 7 – Small Fish, Big Opportunity - Over the past several months, a collection of conservationists, anglers and others have come together to urge federal policymakers to safeguard the array of species that serve as the foundation for a healthy marine ecosystem. And, to their credit, regional fishery managers on both coasts heeded the message these advocates delivered: If we want to protect the oceans, it makes sense to start small.

November 8 – Maine fisherman Terry Alexander works to revive redfish - Terry Alexander is a fourth generation fisherman from Harpswell, Maine. Alexander has teamed up with other fishermen, scientists, and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to help revive redfish fishing in New England.NOAA’s Monica Allen caught up with Terry Alexander to learn more about the redfish revival and how sector management is working for him.

November 9 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, November 9th - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, Hurricane Sandy lowers fish prices in New England; New Jersey fishermen push for a disaster declaration; the battle over menhaden catch limits continues; NEFMC sets a special meeting to discuss groundfish allocations and closed area access; NOAA holds a forum on groundfish science; and the mayor of New Bedford says fishermen have no confidence in stock assessments.

October 23 – All About Aquaculture: Current Status in New England - In the fourth and final post in the All About Aquaculture series, we take a look at current aquaculture research and production in New England and the government agencies involved in the regulation of aquaculture operations.

October 26 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, October 26 - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, scientists and environmental groups speak out against a proposed fisheries data confidentiality rule; Carl Safina and Andrew Read argue against a delay for a gillnetting closure; The New York Times discusses the damaging effects of trawling; fishing communities prepare for Hurricane Sandy, a coalition celebrates the removal of a dam in Taunton; a new bill would allow spearfishing for stripers in MA; NMFS proposes more relaxed regulations for dogfish; Ellen Pikitch argues for precautionary, ecosystem-based fisheries management.

October 16 – All About Aquaculture: Environmental Risks and Benefits - This post, the third in the All About Aquaculture series, discusses the environmental risks and benefits inherent in various types of aquaculture practices and the sustainability challenges associated with aquaculture.

October 18 – Murky Waters Make for Poor Fishing - The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has proposed a long-awaited rule regarding confidentiality of information under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Unfortunately, it would unnecessarily stifle public participation in the management of public trust ocean resources, including depleted fish populations and protected species. The proposed rule would take the unprecedented and unwarranted leap from protecting personal privacies to withholding basic required information.

October 19 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, October 19 - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, recreational and commercial fishermen express concerns over opening the closed areas; a new website documents cases of marine ecosystem-based management; SMAST will conduct an independent survey of groundfish stocks; barramundi thrive in New England aquaculture; record warm sea surface temperatures linked to a Gulf Stream shift, and the NSC hesitantly supports catch share accumulation caps.

October 10 – WHOI scientist Sarah Cooley studies the impacts of ocean acidification – Talking Fish interviews Sarah Cooley, a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientist, on the processes behind ocean acidification, its effects on fisheries and other industries, and the future of our oceans.

October 11 – All About Aquaculture: What is aquaculture, anyway? – This post, the second in a series that focuses on aquaculture, discusses the various methods and practices used by fish and shellfish farmers in raising their products.

October 12 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, October 12 – In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, some fishermen continue to oppose 10-year rebuilding requirements for overfished stocks; a new initiative will help Maine fishermen seeking to enter the groundfish fleet; a dead finback whale creates a challenge in Boston Harbor, John Bullard supports limits on catch share accumulation, cod brings large trawlers to inshore waters; a new article discusses the history and restoration of alewife populations.