Illegal use of driftnets still a big problem in the Mediterranean

FISJune 6, 2012At a recent bilateral meeting in Brussels, high-ranking officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the European Commission (EC) discussed the problem of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, including the ongoing use of illegal driftnets in the Mediterranean. In September 2011, the US and the European Union (EU) signed a joint Read More…

Invasive species ride tsunami debris ashore

Bend BulletinBy Jeff BarnardJune 10, 2012 When a floating dock the size of a boxcar washed up on a sandy beach in Oregon, beachcombers got excited because it was the largest piece of debris from last year’s tsunami in Japan to show up on the West Coast. But scientists worried it represented a whole new way for invasive species of seaweed, crabs and other marine organisms to break the Read More…

Single-day shad count at Bonneville Dam hit six-digits

The Seattle TimesBy Mark YuasaJune 8, 2012If you haven't noticed the shad counts at Bonneville dam have soared even higher with 54,707 on Tuesday, 61,664 on Wednesday and then boom another 142,265 flooded the gates on Thursday bringing the total this season to 341,743."It is time to go shad fishing, and especially with the free fishing weekend, and with no limits on shad," Joe Hymer, a state Fish Read More…

Scientists protest federal cuts to water research

Vancouver SunBy Margaret MunroJune 6, 2012 Opposition to federal science cuts is getting louder, with top researchers and academics urging the Harper government to rescind curbs on basic research and its plan to close a unique experimental lakes facility. An open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the environment and fisheries ministers was released Tues-day, denouncing the decision to Read More…

Exploring ecosystems takes plenty of guts

Sydney Morning HeraldBy Nicky PhillipsJune 7, 2012 At the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in Noumea, Elodie Vourey pulls the stomach of a bigeye tuna from a large plastic bag and puts it on a white tray. With tweezers in one hand and a scalpel in the other, the laboratory assistant carves a deep incision into the fleshy organ, revealing the fish's last meal. Inside, a Read More…

North Coast Marine Protected Areas Adopted in Final Coastal Ocean…

Fish & Game NewsJune 6, 2012 A major milestone was reached today in the effort to establish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along California’s coast. In a 3-0 vote, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) today approved and adopted regulations for the north coast MPAs, completing the network of MPAs in California’s open coastal waters, from Mexico to the Oregon state line. The Read More…

Mercury Bigger Worry Than Radiation in Tuna

Huffington PostBy Michele SimonJune 5, 2012 Few things get a media frenzy going like the combination of two words: radiation and food. Despite the ubiquitous availability of truly unhealthy foods 24/7, just raise the specter of radioactivity on our plates, and people suddenly get very serious about what they are eating. And the media fans the flames. So when scientists reported traces of Read More…

Eating fish to keep your vision sharp in old age

New York Daily NewsJune 5, 2012 In yet another study touting the benefits of omega-3s in healthy aging, a new study out of Canada has found that choosing fish for dinner could help stave off age-related vision loss. In normal aging, vision loss results from the accumulation of a toxic molecule at the back of the eyes which builds up in the retina. But after feeding lab mice with an omega-3 Read More…

NOAA to consider classifying herring species as ‘threatened’

Gloucester TimesBy Richard GainesJune 3, 2012 As part of the legal process of determining whether river herring, a close cousin of the commercially important Atlantic herring, qualifies for legal protection as a threatened species, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is launching a set of workshops in Gloucester on June 22. The protection was requested last August by the Natural Read More…

Eating Fish Can Protect Against Alzheimer’s

Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research FoundationJune 4, 2012 Eating fish has long been linked with heart health. Now new research adds to growing evidence that fish is good for the brain as well. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that people who ate baked or broiled fish just once a week had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. They were also at lower risk of mild Read More…