Mad Mariner - News Stories

Revamping Fishing Penalties

Associated Press — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

BOSTON — The nation's oceans chief has proposed a rule that would force her agency to better justify penalties against fishermen.

The proposal was among reforms in how the nation's fisheries are policed that were detailed last week by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco.

She also announced meetings in New England next month and Washington in June to try to mend the frayed relationship between fishermen and fishery enforcement.

Japanese Welcome Tuna Ban's Defeat

Malcolm Foster — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

TOKYO — Japanese fish dealers on Friday welcomed the rejection of a proposed trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna — a prized ingredient of sushi — while urging that existing quotas be more strictly enforced to protect the species from overfishing.

Thursday's vote at a U.N. meeting in Doha, Qatar, rejecting the ban was front-page news in all major Japanese newspapers Friday morning.

Cruise Liner Hit Again with Illness, Returns to SC

Bruce Smith — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A cruise liner hit by an outbreak of intestinal illness for a third straight trip from South Carolina returned a day early Thursday as operator Celebrity Cruises brought in extra crew to scrub the ship down for three days.

The Celebrity Mercury arrived about 2 a.m. and passengers began disembarking as the sun rose over Charleston. The company said 369 of more than 1,800 passengers became ill following a March 8 departure.

Judge Orders Halt to Waste Dumped in Ocean

The Associated Press — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — Federal authorities won a court order Wednesday requiring officials in this U.S. territory to repair sewage plants that have dumped raw waste at beaches renowned for snorkeling and surfing.

The islands' Waste Management Authority dumped more than 50 million gallons (189 million liters) of untreated sewage into Cane Garden Bay and Long Reef off St. Croix since January, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Local officials said they had no option and blamed malfunctioning pumps at the two treatment plants.

Pacific Smelt Listed as Threatened, Impact Unclear

The Associated Press — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The Pacific smelt, a small silvery fish that was a staple of Northwest American Indian tribes when the Lewis and Clark expedition arrived, is getting federal protection because it's been declining toward extinction due to global warming and other factors.

The fish, also known as eulachon or candlefish, will be listed as a threatened species in the Federal Register on Wednesday, NOAA Fisheries Service said.

Sharks Threatened By Asian Consumers, Group Says

Michael Casey — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Surging demand for shark fin soup among Asia's booming middle classes is driving many species of these big fish to the brink of extinction, a marine conservation group said Tuesday.

Sharks Threatened By Asian Consumers, Group Says

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Youngest Rower Crosses Atlantic

Bert Wilkinson — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

GEORGETOWN, Guyana — A 22-year-old American rower completed a solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, touching a pier in the coffee-brown waters of Guyana to claim a record as the youngest person to accomplish the feat.

Katie Spotz, who spent more than two months alone at sea, hugged her father and brother as 200 people cheered her arrival in this South American capital.

"The hardest part was just the solo part," Spotz said, saying she struggled with boredom and had trouble sleeping inside the cramped, 19-foot (6-meter) row boat.

Acquittal in 'Lobster War' Trial

Associated Press — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ROCKLAND, Maine — A Maine lobsterman and his daughter were acquitted Friday of all counts stemming from the shooting of a lobsterman in a dispute over fishing territory off the coast of Maine.

Vance Bunker, 68, was charged with elevated aggravated assault for shooting 44-year-old Christopher Young in the neck on a wharf on remote Matinicus Island in July. Young survived the shooting. Bunker's daughter, Janan Miller, was charged with reckless conduct for her role in the shooting.

Bluefin to Dominate Conference

Associated Press — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

DOHA, Qatar — The Atlantic bluefin tuna and other marine life in the world's overfished oceans are the focus of a United Nations conference in the Gulf state of Qatar.

The 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, is discussing new proposals to regulate the shark trade and a ban on the export of a tuna species prized by sushi lovers.