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 […]
Does it take aliens for us to protect our natural resources? Photo Credit: Dan Cherry, of the NW Sportfishing Industry Association Independence Day used to be one of my favorite movies, and one of my favorite holidays, too. Now, because of the sequel, and because this holiday’s fireworks festivities in my new neighborhood shook the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Fire from an oil train derailment in Mosier, Oregon. Photo by Michael O’ Leary. I know, no-brainer, right? It’s been a busy week, and couple of months for that matter, here in the Pacific Northwest. It seems, despite domestic and world-wide market demand, coal and oil corporations are looking to the Pacific Northwest to export […]
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 […]
Photo: A day’s catch of seabass and lingcod Like many sportsmen, we rely on fall to fill our freezers and what oftentimes feels like an insatiable need to harvest. I’m not sure I can explain it, but before I had the ability to drive, let alone work a rod, reel or rifle, I poured copious […]
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 […]
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