HONOLULU - The US Coast Guard, Monday 29 Oct. in Honolulu, presented the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council with an overview of the new federal safety examination requirements for commercial fishing vessels. USCG Fisheries Enforcement Specialist Charlie Medlicott said the Coast Guard recognizes that these safety requirements may be inappropriate for small vessels fishing in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The requirements would apply to all vessels owners who commercially fish beyond 3 nautical miles offshore, not only those who own a USCG documented commercial fishing vessel but also those who hold a State of Hawaii commercial marine license, for example.

The Council directed its staff to work with the USCG and affected fishermen in the Western Pacific Region to identify potential exemptions and equivalencies that are locally available and appropriate for the region’s fishing activities. The Council also directed its staff to work with the USCG on education and outreach on these issues.

Source: PNC

The U.S. Coast Guard has recognized that the new federal safety examination requirements for commercial fishing vessels may be inappropriate for small vessels fishing in the CNMI and other Pacific Islands governed by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

The requirements would apply to all vessel owners who commercially fish beyond 3 nautical miles offshore, including those who own a USGC-documented commercial fishing vessel.

Source: Clarissa V. David / Saipan Tribune

AQUACULTURE 2013 will be held on 21-25 February, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the Triennial meeting of the Fish Culture Section, American Fisheries Society, World Aquaculture Society and National Shellfisheries Association. Also, holding their Annual Meetings at AQUACULTURE 2013 are the National Aquaculture Association, U.S. Aquaculture Society and the Aquaculture Suppliers Association, American Tilapia Association, Striped Bass Growers Association, U.S. Trout Farmers Association, Zebrafish Husbandry Association, Aquacultural Engineering Society, International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management.

The “King of Fish” has virtually disappeared from a river where it once flourished. The number of Wild Atlantic Salmon could be counted on one hand this year with just one finger.

Jonathan Carr visits the St. George Fish Ladder every day. The ladder provides an accurate count of Wild Salmon swimming up the Magadavic River. He says this year the pen where salmon are temporarily held has been empty every day but one.

"One fish. It can't get much worse than that," says Carr.

Source: CTV News

Ukraine and Sweden are in talks on the creation of joint ventures in the fishery sector, according to the press service of the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry.

"Ukraine is interested in the creation of joint Ukrainian-Swedish companies to grow freshwater fish in Ukraine, because Ukraine has many freshwater ponds, which should be used fish farming," Ukrainian First Deputy Agriculture Minister Ivan Bisiuk said at a meeting with Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Ukraine Stefan Gullgren in Kyiv on Friday 26 Oct., the press service said.

Source: Kyiv Post

TOKYO - The operator of Japan's quake-struck Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Friday 26 Oct- it could not rule out the possibility that it may still be leaking radiation into the sea.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 triggered fuelrod meltdowns at the plant, causing radiation leakage, contamination of food and water and mass evacuations, although the government declared in December that the disaster was under control.

Source: Reuters

Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community Development, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Atinuke Osunkoya, has urged women in the state to give support to the present administration to achieve the desired transformation, reformation and repositioning agenda to enable it regain its lost glory.

Mrs Osunkoya said this while speaking at the presentation of equipment to grass roots women trained in fish farming and processing at the Staff Development Training Centre, Samonda, Ibadan.

Source: Tolu Olamiriki / Nigerian Tribune

KYODO - The government will ban the expansion of bluefin tuna farms across the country as part of efforts to prevent overfishing, fisheries minister Akira Gunji said Friday 26 Oct.

The ban is intended to protect immature tuna from being overfished for farming. In June, the ministry asked prefectural governments not to allow fish farms to expand their tuna facilities.

Source: The Japan Times

NZ King Salmon applied for a resource consent last week to cut up part of a salmon farm pontoon on a riverbank near Havelock.

The company had laid up the pontoons and cages from a salmon farm on Twidles Island three weeks ago. The structure was swept into the main channel at Havelock in a flood two weekends ago.

King Salmon said at the time that it did not need resource consent for the removal work, but last week it applied to the Marlborough District Council for consent.

Source: Katie Bell / The Marlborough Express

Plans to establish a new aquaculture research lease on the North Coast to investigate sustainable seafood production, will go on public exhibition this week, Fisheries NSW executive director Dr Geoff Allan said on 25 Oct.

Dr Allan said the project to extend the successful marine hatchery work at Port Stephens Fisheries Institute to an offshore research lease is classified as a State Significant Infrastructure proposal.

"The application seeks to establish a 20ha lease, (370m x 530m) 3.5km off Hawks Nest, for a period of five years," he said.

Source: The Chronicle