commercial fishing

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The Snow and Rain Came, Then Lots of Salmon

After 5 years of drought, California is seeing one of its best salmon fishing seasons in years

(Newser) - California fishermen are reporting one of the best salmon fishing seasons in years, thanks to heavy rain and snow that ended the state's historic drought. It's a sharp reversal for chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, an iconic species that helps sustain many Pacific Coast fishing communities,...

'Codfather' Permanently Banned From US Fisheries

He was found guilty of fish fraud

(Newser) - A fishing magnate known as the Codfather will never be allowed to return to US fisheries, the federal government said Monday in announcing it has settled its civil case against a man whose arrest for shirking quotas and smuggling profits overseas shocked the East Coast industry. The settlement with Carlos...

Tragedy in Treacherous Waters Featured on Deadliest Catch

Crabbing vessel capsizes, killing all 3 onboard

(Newser) - A commercial crabbing boat capsized in rough waters off the Oregon coast this week, killing the three men aboard and sending a shock wave through a seafaring community already struggling from a monthlong delay to the annual crabbing season. The Coast Guard said the vessel, the Mary B. II, overturned...

Sharks Need Protection —From People

Eight species could get protection

(Newser) - Sharks are fearsome predators, but they are no match for fishermen. Caught and eaten in soup or used in skin-care products and nutritional supplements, sharks are in danger of extinction. They may get help at this week's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. One proposal would protect eight species,...

Fishermen Hook Silver Lining in Pirate Crisis

Fish stocks soar after bandits scare away illegal trawlers

(Newser) - The fishermen of Kenya and Somalia are enjoying their best catches in many years thanks to Somali pirates scaring away illegal trawlers. Before piracy became a problem, commercial fishing vessels from around the world took advantage of Somalia's lack of an effective government to raid its waters, reaping vast numbers...

$3M Ill. Fish Kill Yields 1 Carp

Scientists pleased with effort to combat invasive species

(Newser) - The 3-day, $3 million attempt to purge a canal leading to Lake Michigan of invasive Asian carp has so far yielded just a single dead specimen. Biologists are still sifting through the tens of thousands of other fish poisoned in the purge, the largest deliberate fish kill in Illinois history....

Forget Fur: New Celeb Cause Is Food

Overfishing, too much meat are the top causes

(Newser) - Protesting fur is so last decade. Celebrities are now championing their favorite food-related causes, whether it's Paul McCartney asking Brits to cut back on meat, Jamie Oliver refusing to serve endangered bluefin, or celebs lining up to publicize a new film about overfishing, the Guardian reports. Why now? Government inaction...

In Uncertain Economy, Maine Lobstermen Stew

(Newser) - Maine lobster prices are uncharacteristically low, leaving the industry unsettled on the eve of the all-important summer tourist season, the Portland Press Herald reports. Wholesale prices are as low as $3.25, and retail prices start at $5.50. But some aren’t worried by the mercurial interplay of supply,...

Fishing Ban Imperils Calif. Salmon Industry

There aren't enough fish to sustain industry: fishery heads

(Newser) - Plummeting populations have led to a federal ban on commercial salmon fishing off  California for the second straight year, raising fears that the industry will disappear altogether, the Los Angeles Times reports. "If we don't go fishing next year, we have to start thinking that salmon fishing in California...

20 Years On, Valdez Lessons Haven't Been Drilled In

(Newser) - It’s been 20 years to the day since the Exxon Valdez dumped about 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound, and the area has still not recovered. Oil, particularly below the surface, persists, and marine animal populations have not recovered. Still, Time reports, the...

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