Learning Lessons from Red Snapper and HR 3094

Learning Lessons from Red Snapper and HR 3094

Photo: Red Snapper in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, by Greg McFall/NOAA. Out here on the West Coast, we’ve been watching the Gulf Coast red snapper management battle with a keen interest. It’s been an ugly one. Fishing sectors pitted against one another. Fundamental disagreements on whether management is necessary, let alone effective. And an […]

Conservation vs. Preservation: Protecting Fish & Fishermen from Species Collapse

Conservation vs. Preservation: Protecting Fish & Fishermen from Species Collapse

On 4 May, U.S. Federal District Court Judge Michael Simon ruled for fishing and conservation groups on every major issue in a long-standing landmark lawsuit, National Wildlife Federation, et al. vs. National Marine Fisheries Service, et al., challenging the most recent version of the federal Columbia-Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan and Biological Opinion (the “Columbia […]

Feeding the Fish: NMFS’s New Forage Fish Rule

Feeding the Fish: NMFS’s New Forage Fish Rule

Photo: Pacific Sand Lance The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) this month finalized a new rule put together by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) that protects forage fish between California and Washington. On the West Coast, we’re celebrating. Forage fish are the little marine critters that transfer energy up the food chain – from […]

Honoring Zeke Grader’s Legacy

Honoring Zeke Grader’s Legacy

Most folks reading this blog already know about the death of the inimitable William F. “Zeke” Grader, Jr., a legendary veteran of the fight to protect fishing communities and the fishing way of life. Zeke ended a long, vicious battle with pancreatic cancer earlier this month, throughout which he never lost his quintessential combination of […]