Continued from page 1WA Tribal Shellfish Harvest. On Aug. 1, 1997, Puyallup tribal officials announced interest in subsistence and ceremonial harvesting butter clams from beaches in the Titlow Beach marine reserve area, near Tacoma, WA, because of the close proximity to the tribal community and ease of access. [Assoc Press] .
Coral Reef Protection. On July 31, 1997, the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans marked-up H.R. 2233, the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 1997, and approved this measure for full Committee action. [Congr. Record] .
LA Oil Spill Lawsuit. On July 31, 1997, three LA commercial fishermen filed a lawsuit in LA state district court against Texaco, Texaco Pipeline, and 9 oil cleanup companies, seeking damages to brown shrimp and oyster harvests and habitat from a May 16, 1997, oil spill from a ruptured pipeline at Lake Barre. The lawsuit seeks to have a class-action declaration and alleges negligent cleanup activities. A hearing on the lawsuit was scheduled for Aug. 1, 1997, before Judge Timothy Ellender. On July 31, 1997, LA public health officials announced that oyster beds closed since the May 1997 oil spill were scheduled to be reopened for harvesting on Aug. 1, 1997. [Assoc Press] .
UK Quota Hopper Court Decision. On July 31, 1997, the British High Court ruled that foreign trawlers illegally denied the right to fish in British waters were entitled "in principle" to compensation from the British government, but could not claim punitive damages. The suit was filed by 97 vessel owners and managers, most of them from Spain, after the 1988 Merchant Shipping Act outlawed quota hopping, wherein foreign vessels registered for an allocation of the UK fish harvest. The 1988 Merchant Shipping Act was subsequently overturned in 1992 by the European Court of Justice -- the first law by the British Parliament reversed by a EU court. [Dow Jones News] .
EU Seafood Import Bans. On July 30, 1997, EU officials announced that the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office had imposed a temporary import ban on shrimp from Bangladesh for non-compliance with EU health standards; no shrimp from Bangladesh will be accepted for 3 months after Aug. 15, 1997. After a review before Nov. 30, 1997, by EU officials, the import ban will be removed or extended. On Aug. 4, 1997, the European Commission announced temporary import bans on all fishery products from Bangladesh, India, and Madagascar, for health and safety concerns with serious deficiencies at processing facilities discovered by EU inspectors; these prohibitions will be reviewed by Nov. 30, 1997. On Aug. 7, 1997, the proposed implementation date of Aug. 15 was scheduled to be reviewed by EC veterinary experts. [Reuters] .
AL Crab Processor Probe. On July 30, 1997, the Mobile Register published a story reporting that business records of about a dozen South AL crab processors had been subpoenaed in a federal probe of alleged sales of undersize blue crabs. [Assoc Press] .
Southern Bluefin Tuna. On July 30, 1997, TRAFFIC Oceania, a trade monitoring program of the World Wide Fund for Nature, released a report "The Review of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery: Implications for Ecologically Sustainable Management." The study concluded that southern bluefin tuna are below a biologically safe level (the population mature southern bluefin tuna is estimated to be less than 9% of its 1960 abundance) and are at risk of commercial extinction if fishing continues at the current high level. Unregulated fishing by Taiwan, Indonesia, and South Korea was identified as particularly problematic since it occurs outside the guidelines of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna. In addition, the study called for quota reductions by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna. [Assoc Press, Dow Jones News, Reuters] .
Minimata Bay Declared Safe. At a press conference on July 29, 1997, Kumamoto Governor Joji Fukushima declared fish in Japan's Minimata Bay safe for human consumption. This declaration was necessary before nets could be removed to allow fish to migrate beyond the Bay; consumption of Bay fish was linked by a May 1973 report to possible mercury poisoning and death of local residents. The net is scheduled to be removed by the end of Sept. 1997. Results of a fish survey were released earlier in July 1997, indicating that mercury levels in fish were below safety standards for the third year in a row. [Dow Jones News, Reuters] .
Canadian Groundfish. On July 29, 1997, Canada's Fisheries Resource Conservation Council released a report on efforts to save Atlantic groundfish. [personal communication] .
New England Groundfish. On July 29, 1997, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted, boarded, and seized the catch of an NC fishing vessel found fishing in a closed area 133 miles southeast of Cape Cod. The catch was to have been sold with the proceeds held in escrow while the case is prosecuted. [Assoc Press] .
Atlantic Herring and Mackerel Fishery. On July 28, 1997, the U.S. House approved H.R. 1855, proposing a moratorium on the use of large fishing vessels in the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries, by voice vote. [Congr. Record, Assoc Press] .
Ocean International Acquisition. On July 28, 1997, Corsaire Snowboard Inc. announced that it had completed its acquisition of Ocean International Products SA de CV. [Dow Jones News, Corsaire Snowboard press release] .
Hurricane Danny Aftermath. In late July 1997, LA and AL commercial shrimp trawlers requested that NMFS temporarily exempt them from using turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in light of the debris from Hurricane Danny. The shrimpers contend that abundant debris clogs TEDs and allows shrimp to escape. [Assoc Press] .
Swordfish Quotas. On July 25, 1997, NMFS published proposed regulations outlining more stringent swordfish quotas to help restore overfished stocks, with different regulations for fisheries in the North and South Atlantic. While the 1997 North Atlantic quota would be reduced to 2,458 metric tons from a 1996 quota of 2,625 metric tons, a separate South Atlantic quota for U.S. fishermen would be set at 187.5 metric tons. North Atlantic quotas would decline further in 1998 and 1999. Four public hearings will be held on this proposal, with written comments due by Aug. 21, 1997. [Assoc Press, NMFS press release, Federal Register] .
NJ Horseshoe Crab Regulations. On July 24, 1997, NJ officials were reported to be considering new regulations to permit a restricted horseshoe crab harvesting to better protect migratory shorebirds that feed on horseshoe crab eggs. On July 29, 1997, Gov. Christie Whitman imposed new 60-day emergency restrictions prohibiting horseshoe crab trawling through September 1997, replacing a previous 60-day emergency ban on all horseshoe crab harvesting. The NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection has proposed permanent restrictions on horseshoe crab harvesting, with a limited 2-month season for hand-harvesting, a complete ban on trawling for horseshoe crabs, and no new horseshoe crab licenses to be issued in 1998. [Assoc Press] .
NMFS Oversight Hearings. On July 24 1997, the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans held an oversight hearing to review the authority and decision-making processes of NMFS's Northwest Region. {On Sept. 11, 1997, the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans has tentatively scheduled an oversight hearing to review NMFS management of the nation's fisheries.} [personal communication, Congr. Record] .
NC Commercial Fisheries Moratorium. On July 22, 1997, the NC Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources approved the package of fishery reform measures. The package next must be considered by two additional Senate Committees. On July 29, 1997, the NC Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment to the package of fishery reform measures, reducing proposed license fees for out-of-state fishermen. On Aug. 6, 1997, the NC Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amended package of fishery reform measures, clearing this bill for consideration by the full Senate. {On Aug. 11, 1997, the NC Senate voted 45-0 to tentatively approve a package of fishery reform measures. On Aug. 12, 1997, the NC Senate gave final approval by a vote of 46-0. The NC House will reconsider the Senate amended measure.} [Assoc Press] .
NC Seafood Poisoning. On July 21, 1997, 7 new cases of possibly ciguatera fish poisoning were reported to NC health officials serving Orange and Wake Counties; the affected individuals reported they had purchased grouper from a grocery market. Grouper was immediately removed from grocery shelves. [Assoc Press] .
El Nino. On July 18, 1997, the Peruvian government reinstated a coastwide ban on anchovy fishing, based on lowered harvests related to El Nino conditions. {On Aug. 8, 1997, Chilean officials imposed a 30-day ban, beginning Aug. 15, on anchovy fishing in 2 northern regions due to El Nino effects.) [Dow Jones News] .
PRC GIFA. On July 16, 1997, President Clinton transmitted an extension of a Governing International Fishery Agreement with the People's Republic of China through July 1, 1998, to Congress. [U.S. House Doc. 105-106] .
Van Camp Seafood Sale. On July 10, 1997, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the sale of Van Camp Seafood assets to Tri-Union Seafoods, LLC for $97 million, after the Court discounted a rival $110 million offer for Van Camp Seafood Co. from International Home Foods, Inc., due to serious antitrust problems. On July 15, 1997, Van Camp Seafood, Inc. filed a motion requesting a 120-day extension for filing a reorganization plan. On July 18, 1997, the Court entered a bridge order extending Van Camp's exclusivity until a Sept. 5, 1997, hearing on the 120-day extension motion. On Aug. 6, 1997, the sale of Van Camp Seafood Co., Inc. to Tri-Union Seafoods, LLC was completed, with the operations subsequently to be known as Chicken of the Sea International. Company headquarters are to remain in San Diego, CA, and operation of a cannery in American Samoa will continue. [Dow Jones News] .
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