Our Blog: From the Waterfront

‘Localized Depletion’

‘Localized Depletion’

We all get it… So why they hell don’t fisheries managers? Top photo by John McMurray Localized depletion… Pretty self-explanatory right? You scoop up tons and tons of bait fish in a pretty specific area, then they just aren’t there anymore. Sure, some may remain, maybe even a good amount. But those big schooling concentrations […]

Rethinking Marine Protected Areas

Rethinking Marine Protected Areas

Sunset over Stellwagen Sanctuary. Photo courtesy of Anne Smrcina, NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary When various conservation organizations began pushing the concept of marine protected areas (MPAs) back in the late 1990s, I didn’t like the idea at all. Back then, the MPAs being proposed were, with few if any exceptions, so-called “ocean wilderness […]

On The Proposed New England Marine Monument

On The Proposed New England Marine Monument

As Conservation-Minded Anglers, We Should Support This Top Photo: Squat Lobster on Coral in Nygren Canyon. Credit: NOAA OKEANOS Explorer Program, 2013 Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition Last year the Obama Administration announced that it was considering what could possibly be the nation’s first marine monument off the continental U.S. Of course, it touched off a […]

Just for the Halibut

Just for the Halibut

I know, such an over-coined phrase, but it certainly has some meaning in several different capacities. As we wrap up another successful halibut season off the Oregon Coast, it never ceases to amaze me how much there is to learn about our fisheries right under our noses. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but […]

Utilizing Bycatch: The Hidden Hazard

Utilizing Bycatch:  The Hidden Hazard

For many years, reducing or eliminating “bycatch,” unwanted fish or other creatures incidentally caught by fishermen while seeking other species, has been a goal of fisheries managers. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens), defines “bycatch” as “fish which are harvested in a fishery, but which are not sold or kept for personal use, […]