From: Kate Wing <[log in to unmask]>
Fisheries and Marine Mammals: Most Recent Developments -- 8/29/97
Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division Congressional
Research Service
New info and changes since 8/8/97 are bracketed {...}. New info and
changes since 8/28/97 are double bracketed {{...}}.
Marine Fisheries
{{ICCAT Advisory Committee Regional Public Meetings. Between Sept.
10 and Oct. 3, 1997, the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to
the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
(ICCAT) will hold a series of 6 regional public meetings along the
Atlantic and Gulf coast to discuss relevant international and
domestic issues and receive public comment.}} [Federal Register]
{Cyanide Fishing Report Briefing. On Sept. 9, 1997, the World
Resources Institute has scheduled a briefing in Washington, DC, on
its new report Sullied Seas: Strategies for Combating Cyanide
Fishing in Southeast Asia and Beyond documenting efforts launching a
Cyanide Fishing Reform Program by the Philippines government.} [WRI
announcement]
IFQ Meetings. On Sept. 4-5, 1997, the National Research Council's
Committee to Review Individual Fishing Quotas has scheduled a public
meeting in Anchorage, AK, to take public comment on their review of
IFQs. A similar meeting is planned for Seattle, WA, in mid-November
1997. [personal communication]
{Muckleshoot Fishing and Shellfish Production Site. On Aug. 27,
1997, an attorney for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe announced that
the Tribe had purchased a 95-acre tract on Vashon Island, WA, with
almost a half mile of waterfront for use as a fishing and shellfish
production site. The tract was purchased for $2.5 million, derived
as proceeds from the Tribe's casino, bingo hall, smoke shop, and
liquor store.} [Assoc Press]
{SC Marine Fisheries Reform. On Aug. 26, 1997, the SC Dept. of
Natural Resources began a series of public hearings on proposals to
overhaul state marine fisheries law. The proposals include
authorizing the Dept. of Natural Resources to set seasons, size and
catch limits, and methods and areas of fishing, which are currently
established by the state legislature. If approved by the Dept. of
Natural Resources Board, the proposal would go to the state
legislature in 1998.} [Assoc Press]
{{Chesapeake Bay. On Aug. 26, 1997, the VA Marine Resources
Commission received a report on an experimental oyster reef in the
Great Wicomico River. This reef was built in December 1996 and
stocked with mature oysters taken from Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds,
and now shows oyster spat production between 18 and 260 times that
observed on natural reefs two years ago.}} [Assoc Press]
{Coral Reef Accident Report. In late August 1997, the U.S. Coast
Guard released a report on its investigation of the grounding of the
container vessel Houston on a coral reef in the FL Keys National
Marine Sanctuary on Feb. 2, 1997. The report indicated the
grounding was likely caused by wayward course changes, crew failure
to supervise novice sailors, and a plotting mistake.} [Assoc Press]
{WA Oyster Warning. On Aug. 23, 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration issued a warning against eating live oysters from WA
state, which could have elevated bacterial levels due to warmer
waters. About 40 cases of illness in CA and WA as well as another
100 cases in British Columbia have been reported and attributed to
consumption of raw oysters.} [Assoc Press]
{Bluefin Tuna Import Sanctions. On Aug. 21, 1997, NMFS announced
that the United States would prohibit all imports of Atlantic
bluefin tuna caught by fishing vessels from Panama, Honduras, and
Belize, because these nations were determined to be fishing in a
manner that undermines the conservation efforts of the International
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas ICCAT). The
import ban against Honduras and Belize would be immediately
effective, while the ban against Panama would be delayed until Jan.
1, 1998, to allow Panama an opportunity to demonstrate that its
fishing practices have been modified. All 24 ICCAT-member nations
are expected to implement similar restrictions. No bluefin tuna is
currently imported by the United States from these 3 countries.}
[NOAA press release]
{Marine Recreational Charter Boat Data Program. On Aug. 21, 1997,
NMFS announced that it would spend nearly $500,000 during the next
year on a coordinated federal-state program to improve data
collection from the Gulf of Mexico charter boat industry. A Charter
Boat Research Program will commence in September 1997 to test data
collection methods including telephone survey and logbook survey
efforts.} [NOAA press release]
{Bluefin Tuna Fines. On Aug. 20, 1997, NMFS announced that 6
individuals had been assessed $380,000 in fines and had their
permits suspended for violations of Atlantic bluefin tuna harvesting
and marketing regulations in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.}
[NOAA press release]
{Toothfish Poaching. On Aug. 20, 1997, South African cabinet
ministers approved measures to increase joint navy and air force
enforcement efforts against Patagonian toothfish poaching within
South Africa's economic zone around the Prince Edward Islands near
Antarctica.} [Reuters]
{{Russian-Icelandic Fishery Agreement. In mid-August 1997, a
framework agreement was concluded in Moscow between Russia and
Iceland on fisheries cooperation. The agreement provides a
framework for negotiating reciprocal fishing rights in each others'
waters as well as purchase or lease of Russian Barents Sea fishing
quotas by Icelandic fishermen. The agreement encourages cooperation
and establishment of international companies and projects.}}
[personal communication]
{Russian Trawler Detention. On Aug. 15, 1997, the Russian trawler
Chernyavino was detained by the U.S. Coast Guard in the northern
Bering Sea after allegedly being observed {{fishing}} within the
U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. The Coast Guard has towed the
trawler to Kodiak, AK, and is investigating the incident.} {{Russia
has requested that the vessel be released.}} [Interfax, Dow Jones
News, Assoc Press, Reuters]
{U.S.-Russian Bering Sea Discussions. On Aug. 12, 1997, another of
a series of discussions began in Washington, DC, between Russian and
U.S. officials on how to deal with problems with the maritime
boundary agreement in the Bering Sea concluded by the former Soviet
Union but never ratified by the Russian Duma. Russia objects to the
terms of the agreement which they characterize as transferring
fish-rich (150,000 metric tons of annual harvest of pollock,
herring, cod, halibut, and flounder, valued at about $300 million)
areas to U.S. jurisdiction.} [Interfax, Delovoy Mir via Foreign
Broadcast Information Service]
{FAO Technical Working Groups. On Aug. 8, 1997, NMFS announced the
formation of 3 United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization
Technical Working Groups (TWGs) on 1) management of fishing
capacity, 2) reduction of incidental catch of seabirds in longline
fisheries, and 3) shark conservation and management. TWG work is
designed to lead to a formal FAO Consultation by all FAO Members and
preparation of draft action plans.} [Federal Register]
Regional Council Guidelines. On Aug. 5, 1997, NMFS announced that
it is seeking public comment on proposed guidelines on how Regional
Fishery Management Councils are to implement 1996 Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act amendments addressing
overfishing, stock rebuilding, and optimum yield. NMFS will receive
comments through Sept. 18, 1997. [NMFS press release]
{Albacore Tuna Fishery. In early August 1997, Alaska vessels began
delivering albacore tuna to Kodiak processors from a fishery about
1,200 miles south of Kodiak. The unregulated high seas fishery was
reported to have grown from about 35 vessels in 1996 to about 200
vessels in 1997.} [Assoc Press]
Smoked Salmon Alert. In early August 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) issued a warning to consumers not to purchase
or eat Royal Line brand smoked salmon imported from Denmark because
it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. According to
the FDA, the U.S. distributor of this product has refused to
cooperate in providing information or recalling the salmon. [Dow
Jones News]
Shellfish Illness. In early August 1997, an outbreak of Vibrio
parahaemolyticus bacteria in undercooked and raw shellfish sold by
Vancouver, BC, restaurants resulted in 20 illnesses with one
individual hospitalized. [Assoc Press]
Korean Longliner Seized. On Aug. 4, 1997, the U.S. Magistrate's
Office in Honolulu issued a seizure warrant for the 137-foot Korean
longliner Shin Chang No. 502, docked in American Samoa for repairs.
A civil complaint for forfeiture of the vessel alleges this vessel
entered and fished in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone around
Palmyra Island without a permit 5 times in May and June, 1997.
[Assoc Press]
U.S. Seafood Consumption. On Aug. 1, 1997, NMFS officials
announced that U.S. seafood consumption declined modestly to 14.8
pounds per person during 1996 from 15.0 pounds per person in 1995.
The 0.2 pound per person decline was noted for canned seafood
products. Imported seafood comprised 57% of U.S. consumption
during 1996, a 3% increase from 1995. [NOAA press release]
WA Tribal Shellfish Harvest. On Aug. 1, 1997, Puyallup tribal
officials announced interest in subsistence and ceremonial
harvesting butter clams from beaches in the Titlow Beach marine
reserve area, near Tacoma, WA, because of the close proximity to the
tribal community and ease of access. [Assoc Press]
Coral Reef Protection. On July 31, 1997, the House Resources
Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans
marked-up H.R. 2233, the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 1997, and
approved this measure for full Committee action. [Congr. Record]
LA Oil Spill Lawsuit. On July 31, 1997, three LA commercial
fishermen filed a lawsuit in LA state district court against Texaco,
Texaco Pipeline, and 9 oil cleanup companies, seeking damages to
brown shrimp and oyster harvests and habitat from a May 16, 1997,
oil spill from a ruptured pipeline at Lake Barre. The lawsuit seeks
to have a class-action declaration and alleges negligent cleanup
activities. A hearing on the lawsuit was scheduled for Aug. 1,
1997, before Judge Timothy Ellender. On July 31, 1997, LA public
health officials announced that oyster beds closed since the May
1997 oil spill were scheduled to be reopened for harvesting on Aug.
1, 1997. [Assoc Press]
UK Quota Hopper Court Decision. On July 31, 1997, the British High
Court ruled that foreign trawlers illegally denied the right to fish
in British waters were entitled "in principle" to compensation from
the British government, but could not claim punitive damages. The
suit was filed by 97 vessel owners and managers, most of them from
Spain, after the 1988 Merchant Shipping Act outlawed quota hopping,
wherein foreign vessels registered for an allocation of the UK fish
harvest. The 1988 Merchant Shipping Act was subsequently overturned
in 1992 by the European Court of Justice -- the first law by the
British Parliament reversed by a EU court. [Dow Jones News]
EU Seafood Import Bans. On July 30, 1997, EU officials announced
that the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office had
imposed a temporary import ban on shrimp from Bangladesh for
non-compliance with EU health standards; no shrimp from Bangladesh
will be accepted for 3 months after Aug. 15, 1997. After a review
before Nov. 30, 1997, by EU officials, the import ban will be
removed or extended. On Aug. 4, 1997, the European Commission
announced temporary import bans on all fishery products from
Bangladesh, India, and Madagascar, for health and safety concerns
with serious deficiencies at processing facilities discovered by EU
inspectors; these prohibitions will be reviewed by Nov. 30, 1997.
On Aug. 7, 1997, the proposed implementation date of Aug. 15 was
scheduled to be reviewed by EC veterinary experts. [Reuters]
AL Crab Processor Probe. On July 30, 1997, the Mobile Register
published a story reporting that business records of about a dozen
South AL crab processors had been subpoenaed in a federal probe of
alleged sales of undersize blue crabs. [Assoc Press]
Southern Bluefin Tuna. On July 30, 1997, TRAFFIC Oceania, a trade
monitoring program of the World Wide Fund for Nature, released a
report "The Review of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery:
Implications for Ecologically Sustainable Management." The study
concluded that southern bluefin tuna are below a biologically safe
level (the population mature southern bluefin tuna is estimated to
be less than 9% of its 1960 abundance) and are at risk of commercial
extinction if fishing continues at the current high level.
Unregulated fishing by Taiwan, Indonesia, and South Korea was
identified as particularly problematic since it occurs outside the
guidelines of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern
Bluefin Tuna. In addition, the study called for quota reductions by
the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna.
[Assoc Press, Dow Jones News, Reuters]
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