Photo: Bob Rees with a Neah Bay halibut, caught on May 21st, 2017 I have often written about how fortunate I am to have the job that I do. I get to go into communities all across the region and talk to people about fish conservation issues. In the last few years, I’ve gone to […]
Fluke photo by John McMurray. Managing federal fisheries is a relatively simple process, thanks to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens). Pursuant to Magnuson-Stevens, “Conservation and management measures shall be based on the best scientific information available.” Such “Conservation and management measures shall prevent overfishing.” To better assure that overfishing doesn’t occur, each […]
Photo: Angler Brian Albano practices catch and release when fishing with Capt. Joe Pagano. Shown with a 30-pound striped bass caught, tagged and released at Pt. Judith Light off Narragansett, RI. Playing tag with sharks “I can remember the exact moment I decided to start tagging rather than killing sharks. I was showing my wife […]
Localized depletion and bycatch are real in this fishery and need to be addressed If you fish at all, really, you know that just about everything eats squid. Fluke, striped bass, black seabass, scup, weakfish, bluefin and yellowfin tuna, billfish, mahi… I could probably go on. And hey… I eat it too! Because it’s pretty […]
Red snapper photo courtesy of Charles Witek The state of Louisiana is embracing innovation and technology as a way to improve red snapper management. On Thursday May 25, Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife (LDFW) released a press statement detailing a pilot program for red snapper management in the recreational sector. This test program, in […]
By Noah Oppenheim, Bob Rees & Kevin Scribner On April 6th Congressman Garret Graves of Louisiana and three of his Congressional colleagues introduced H.R. 2023, the “Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017.” To many of us on the West Coast, this bill clearly represents an end run around the federal fishery management processes. The […]
Photo: Harbor in Newport, Oregon. Photo via Wikipedia. After a long and harsh winter, coastal businesses and ports are finally getting their well-welcomed rush of visitors. I was one of those visitors this week, as I went down to talk to my colleagues about the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Despite being a weekday, much to my surprise, […]
Tough decisions that benefit the “public trust” come with the territory For the last 9 years I’ve served on the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council – one of eight regional federal fishery management councils – holding New York’s “Obligatory” seat. It is no easy gig. There is nothing more I’d rather NOT be doing than […]
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