EDFish

Selected tag(s): Fishing

Pound Net Fishing on the Scuppernong River, North Carolina

By Tom Lalley / Bio / Published: June 2, 2009

EDF mostly works on ocean fisheries, but we took some time out a few months ago to meet with Willy Phillips from Columbia, North Carolina to see how he fishes using pound nets on the Scuppernong River. Willy owns Full Circle Crab Company, Inc. and he also fishes for yellow perch, shad and other fish that mostly come to the river after spending part of their life in the ocean.

Pound nets are an ancient fishing method. They’re basically fish traps: fish swim in but can’t swim out. Fishermen simply pull the nets up and harvest the fish. There’s virtually no bycatch or waste because unwanted fish are thrown back unharmed into the river.

Here are two video clips of my trip out on the river with Willy. I was on a rocking boat surrounded by flopping fish and working fishermen who were very gracious to this city boy.

VIDEO 1: This is the start of the pound net fishing process. The fishermen pull the nets up until the fish are close to the surface where upon they can be scooped up with smaller nets.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-QtQaJA0Kw

VIDEO 2: As you can see, the nets are loaded with fish. The herring fishery is closed in North Carolina and herring constitutes most of the fish you see here that are being thrown back into the river.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEBl9StVXfw

Captain Bill Kelly’s Radio Show, Live from the Florida Keys

By / Published: May 21, 2009

Michelle Owen, EDF Recreational Fisheries Specialist Michelle Owen, EDF’s Recreational Fisheries Specialist, shares her first experience appearing on the Captain Bill Kelly Friday Night Radio Show in the Florida Keys.

What was scheduled as a 30 minute meeting on April 17th with Captain Bill Kelly turned into 90 minutes as he persuaded me to be a guest on his Friday night radio show. The show is great community radio broadcasted live every Friday night from Wahoo’s Bar and Restaurant at the Whale Harbor Marina in Islamorada. Yes, my meeting was scheduled in a bar, it’s the Keys! And it’s the perfect spot for a productive meeting – a great view of the charterboat fishing fleet, fresh fish and a great crowd. Not too surprising that a fishing show packs the bar every Friday night.

Michelle Owen with Captain Bill Kelly, and Rob Clift of the National Parks Conservation Association, during the Captain Bill Kelly Friday Night Radio Show live from the Florida Keys. It was my first time on the radio and Capt. Kelly and his co-host did an excellent job keeping it easy and fun. Capt. Kelly introduced me to his listening audience and encouraged recreational fisherman in the Keys to contact me to learn more about EDF’s fisheries work.

I have a standing invitation to come back for a more lengthy topical conversation and I plan on taking him up on that offer sooner rather than later. Though I can’t promise a view, I’ll let you know when you should fire up the grill, pour a cold drink and listen live via internet to EDF talk fish on the “Friday Night Radio Show”.

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged Florida Keys, Radio, Recreational, South Atlantic | Read 1 Response

Boston Globe Op-Ed by Peter Baker and Robert Johnston Raises Key Point

By / Published: May 19, 2009

Julie Wormser, NE Regional Director for EDF Oceans program. Yesterday’s Boston Globe op-ed by Peter Baker and Robert Johnston, and the economic report on which it’s based, make a key point that I think is the cause of a lot of the conflict and distrust between fishermen and fisheries managers.

The underlying economics of any effort-based regulation–such as the current “days-at-sea” system for New England groundfish–mean that the average profitability of the fishing fleet is zero at the target catch level regulators set. This drives fishermen with capital to be more productive than the fleet average, and fishermen without access to capital are driven out of the fishery. Overfishing continues and regulators are forced to continually clamp down on fishing effort.

Under sectors, a form of “catch shares,” the underlying economics are to maximize profitability–both of individual boats and the fleet as a whole. Regulators set an annual catch limit, allocate portions of that catch limit in this case to fishing cooperatives, and fishermen are free to fish when and how they can make the most money per fish. It takes pressure off fishermen to catch as much fish as they possibly can just to break even.

Posted in New England / Also tagged Catch Shares, New England, Sectors | Comments are closed

EDF/Brookings Event, Steps for U.S.-Cuba Cooperation on Oceans

By Tom Lalley / Bio / Published: May 6, 2009

Dr. Doug Rader, EDF Oceans Chief Scientist, presenting at an event on Cuban fisheries at Brookings Institution.

At least on the surface, relations between the U.S. and Cuba appear to be warming. Fidel Castro was even seen wearing a lapel pin with the U.S. and Cuban flag on it, so timing couldn’t have been better for a meeting hosted by EDF and the Brookings Institution where a new path was outlined for the U.S. and Cuba to work together on protecting the diverse marine resources in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean (read more about EDF’s Ocean program initiatives in Cuba).

Dan Whittle, EDF The panel of experts at the Brookings Institution.

The experts at the meeting agreed that the environment could be the easiest issue for the two countries to collaborate on since so much is shared, and so much is at stake. Whatever Cuba does in its waters directly affects, for example, the U.S. fishing industry and vice-versa. Other shared resources include coral reefs, ocean fish populations, habitats for migratory birds, marine mammals and turtles, and the list goes on.

Among the many bright spots on this issue is that President Obama already has the authority to authorize government-to-government initiatives or American NGO projects in Cuba.

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged Brookings Institution, caribbean, Catch Shares, Cuba, EDF, Fisheries | Comments are closed