Killer Sea Slugs in NZ?

Tetrodotoxin from sea slugs was originally thought to be the cause of a series of animal deaths on the beaches of New Zealand. Now an uptick in dolphin deaths in the Hauraki Gulf has biologists urging that the investigation needs to look beyond sea slugs as the cause.

From the UK Times Online
NZ beaches empty as dogs poisoned by killer seaslugs

New Zealand's normally teeming North Island beaches have been emptied after a spate of mystery poisonings left five dogs dead and the bodies of hundreds of fish, dolphins and penguins littering the coastline.

At least two dogs in Auckland, NZ's largest city have been found to have been killed by tetrodotoxin, a poison found in the deadly pufferfish and at least a dozen others have become seriously ill.

More than 1000 fish,penguins and seabirds also washed up dead on beaches around Auckland at the same time dog owners began reporting their pets' illness.

From the New Zealand Herald:
Biologist urges closer look at dolphin deaths
A spike in the number of dead dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf could point to a problem other than poisonous sea slugs - if only authorities would do the necessary tests, says a researcher.

Marine biologist Karen Stockin, who is responsible for autopsies on common dolphins that wash up around Auckland, wants authorities to investigate the deaths of eight otherwise seemingly healthy dolphins in the space of three weeks.
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Dungeness crab caught off New England

Via the Gloucester Daily Times
West Coast crab shows up off Cape Ann
For the second time in three years, a Gloucester fisherman has caught and landed an adult male Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) off Cape Ann.

Could this commercially important West Coast crab be the Northeast coast's new invasive animal? And how did it get here in the first place?

Read the entire story from Gloucester Daily Times
Read the ScienceDaily account of the 2006 occurrence.
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Martha's Vineyard Protest

The Gloucester fishing fleet has organized a protest to express their displeasure over the recent adoption of a catch shares fisheries management scheme for New England.

From the Gloucester Daily Times:
Fishermen shipping message to Obama

An armada of commercial fishing boats has been organized to make the trip across Vineyard Sound from New Bedford today to deliver a protest message to President Obama, vacationing on Martha's Vineyard.

Richard Canastra, a pivotal figure in the New England fishery, said the boats will swing through Vineyard Haven carrying banners in an effort to get the attention of the president.

Read the entire article at The Gloucester Daily Times.
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Arctic FMP approved

Via the NMFS Alaska Regional Office:

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke today approved a plan to prohibit the expansion of commercial fishing in federal Arctic waters until researchers gather sufficient information on fish and the Arctic marine environment to prevent adverse impacts of commercial harvesting activity on the ecosystem.

"As Arctic sea ice recedes due to climate change, there is increasing interest in commercial fishing in Arctic waters," said Locke. "We are in a position to plan for sustainable fishing that does not damage the overall health of this fragile ecosystem. This plan takes a precautionary approach to any development of commercial fishing in an area where there has been none in the past."

The Arctic Fishery Management Plan, approved today, will be implemented through regulations to be published in the Federal Register. Fisheries managers have identified Arctic cod, saffron cod, and snow crab as likely initial target species for commercial fishing in the region.

The plan governs any future commercial fishing for finfish and shellfish in federal waters, except Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut, which are managed under other authorities. It does not affect fisheries for salmon, whitefish and shellfish in Alaskan waters near the Arctic shore. The fishery management plan also does not affect subsistence fishing or hunting in the Arctic.

Under the plan, in any new Arctic fisheries that may be approved in the future:

* fishermen will be required to keep records that will help determine catch, production, effort, price, and other information necessary for conservation and management
* fishermen may be required to carry certified fisheries observers on board in order to verify catch quantity and composition, track at-sea discards, and collect biological information on marine resources

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council and NOAA’s Fisheries Service will establish prescribed procedures before authorizing a future fishery, and will monitor and adjust the plan periodically. These adjustments might include annual total allowable catch levels and in-season adjustments through gear modifications, closures, fishing area restrictions, and quota restrictions.

In 2006, the council began considering options for fishery management in the Arctic. The council talked extensively with communities on Alaska's North Slope and other stakeholders to consider management options. The council voted to prohibit commercial fisheries until researchers gather sufficient information on fish and the Arctic marine environment.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit www.noaa.gov. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, visit alaskafisheries.noaa.gov or: www.afsc.noaa.gov.

On the Web: Arctic Fishery Management Plan: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/arctic/

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GDT: Pollock Numbers Spark Industry Outrage

From the Gloucester Daily Times:
NMFS: Cut pollock catch by 67 percent
Numbers in new system spark industry outrage

Sector fishery cooperatives, the linchpin of federal plans to protect wild fish stocks in New England, could collapse under new catch restrictions for one of the ocean's more unpredictable species, members of the industry working on the system say.

Pollock, the low-profile relative of cod often consumed anonymously in breaded cutlets and fish sticks, is dangerously overfished in the northwest Atlantic, federal scientists say, and needs to be protected with sudden, large-scale catch reductions.

Read the entire article at The Gloucester Daily Times.
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NOAA Fisheries Scallop Survey

Via the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Annual Survey Shows High Numbers of Seed Scallops on Georges Bank, Low Numbers in Mid-Atlantic

Total Scallop Biomass Remains High in Mid-Atlantic

A NOAA Fisheries scallop survey off the northeastern coast between North Carolina and Massachusetts shows high numbers of juvenile "recruit" sea scallops and ocean quahogs on Georges Bank tempered with weak numbers for seed scallops in the Mid-Atlantic for 2009. This survey, which included the first successful use of a scallop dredge and high resolution underwater imaging system from the same vessel, also shows the overall biomass for the Mid-Atlantic remains high.

Read the entire press release at NEFSC.

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New Arctic Deep-sea Observatory

Via Underwatertimes.com News Service
Researchers Install New Arctic Deep-sea Observatory To Study Mud Volcano

BREMEN, Germany -- Three research institutes from the German federal state Bremen among others have set up an observation ward for the long-term observation of a mud volcano in the Norwegian deep sea. This took place during RV Polarstern's 24th Arctic expedition from July 10th until August 3rd.

Read the article here at Underwatertimes.com.
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