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Congressional
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New info and changes since 9/05/97 are bracketed {...}.
New info and changes since 9/11/97 are double bracketed {{...}}Marine Fisheries .
NMFS Oversight Hearings. 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 for Sept. 11, 1997. [personal communication, Congr. Record] .
ICCAT Advisory Committee Regional Public Meetings. Between Sept. 10 and Oct. 3, 1997, the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will hold a series of 6 regional public meetings along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to discuss relevant international and domestic issues and receive public comment. [Federal Register] .
{Japanese Vessel Pursuit. On Sept. 9, 1997, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis began pursuit of a Japanese fishing vessel, Yoshimaru No. 038, reported to have been observed fishing about one-half mile inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, about 340 miles northwest of St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea. Upon approach, the Japanese vessel ceased fishing and began moving westward. This was the 15th reported incursion into U.S. waters this year, compared to only one in 1996. On Sept. 10, 1997, the Storis lost contact with and ceased pursuit of the Yoshimaru No. 038. The U.S. Dept. of State will discuss this incident with the Japanese government.} [Assoc Press] .
{Undersize Swordfish. On Sept. 9, 1997, NMFS published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, requesting comments on options to prohibit the sale of undersize Atlantic swordfish. This action would implement an International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) recommendation.} [Fed. Register] .
Cyanide Fishing Report Briefing. On Sept. 9, 1997, the World Resources Institute held a briefing in Washington, DC, on its new report Sullied Seas: Strategies for Combating Cyanide Fishing in Southeast Asia and Beyond, documenting efforts to launch a Cyanide Fishing Reform Program by the Philippines government. [WRI announcement] .
{{Redfish Case. In early September 1997, a federal jury began deliberations in a case against a Jackson, MS, seafood company wherein nearly 70,000 pounds of redfish were alleged to have been illegally sold in MS and LA between 1988 and 1993. The defendant faces a maximum of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count of a 15-count felony indictment under the Lacey Act.}} [Assoc Press] .
{American Seafoods Opens Anchorage Office. In early September 1997, Norwegian-owned American Seafoods opened an office in Anchorage, AK, announcing that it is seeking to increase Alaskan employment on its Bering Sea factory trawler fleet of 16 vessels to at least 500 individuals or one-third of its workforce.} [Assoc Press] .
IFQ Meetings. The National Research Council's Committee to Review Individual Fishing Quotas held public meetings in Anchorage, AK, to take public comment on its review of IFQs on Sept. 4-5, 1997. A similar meeting is planned for Seattle, WA, in mid-November 1997. [personal communication, Assoc Press] .
Mexican Oil Pollution Lawsuit. On Sept. 4, 1997, officials of the Mexican Center for Environmental Law, Blue Tide, and Greenpeace of Mexico held a news conference to announce that they had filed a lawsuit against the government oil monopoly, Petroleos Mexicanos, for pollution damages to a mangrove swamp and estuary at Laguna del Pom, off Campeche Sound, arising from petroleum exploration and development. The groups also seek to halt construction of a nitrogen compressing plant in Cuidad del Carmen that would inject gas underground to increase petroleum production. [Assoc Press, Dow Jones News] .
NJ Horseshoe Crab Case. On Sept. 4, 1997, the NJ Supreme Court announced that it would accept the case alleging that Governor Christie Whitman exceeded her authority by extending an emergency order limiting horseshoe crab harvesting in Delaware Bay. In the process, the emergency order limiting crabbing was retained, but no date has yet been set for the Court hearing on the case. [Assoc Press] .
Mercury in King Mackerel. On Sept. 4, 1997, LA state health dept. officials renewed a warning to limit consumption of large king mackerel caught in the Gulf of Mexico due to elevated mercury levels. [Assoc Press] .
Queen Conch Trial. On Sept. 2, 1997, five Hialeah, FL, individuals were sentenced to 3 years probation and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service for the May 1997 slaughter of 458 queen conchs, destroying one of only three breeding aggregations in Biscayne National Park, FL. [Assoc Press] . Spain Extends Fisheries Jurisdiction. On Aug. 27, 1997, Spain extended its fisheries jurisdiction in the Mediterranean Sea from 12 miles to a maximum of 106 miles and a minimum of 20 miles to better limit abusive fishing including driftnetting. This action was particularly targeted against 100 vessels under flags of convenience from Panama and Sierra Leone fishing tuna for the Japanese market. [Madrid TVE Internacional Television via Foreign Broadcast Information Service] .
U.S.-Russia Coast Guard Cooperation. On Aug. 27, 1997, a delegation from the U.S. Coast Guard arrived in Kamchatka, Russia, to tour Russian frontier guard operations and investigate opportunities for joint operations to better protect fishery resources in the North Pacific and Bering Sea. [ITAR-TASS via Foreign Broadcast Information Service] .
Muckleshoot Fishing and Shellfish Production Site. On Aug. 27, 1997, an attorney for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe announced that the Tribe had purchased a 95-acre tract on Vashon Island, WA, with almost a half mile of waterfront for use as a fishing and shellfish production site. The tract was purchased for $2.5 million, derived as proceeds from the Tribe's casino, bingo hall, smoke shop, and liquor store. [Assoc Press] .
SC Marine Fisheries Reform. On Aug. 26, 1997, the SC Dept. of Natural Resources began a series of public hearings on proposals to overhaul state marine fisheries law. The proposals include authorizing the Dept. of Natural Resources to set seasons, size and catch limits, and methods and areas of fishing, which are currently established by the state legislature. If approved by the Dept. of Natural Resources Board, the proposal would go to the state legislature in 1998. [Assoc Press] .
Chesapeake Bay. On Aug. 26, 1997, the VA Marine Resources Commission received a report on an experimental oyster reef in the Great Wicomico River. This reef was built in December 1996 and stocked with mature oysters taken from Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds, and now shows oyster spat production between 18 and 260 times that observed on natural reefs two years ago. [Assoc Press] .
Sea Urchin Mass. In late August 1997, FL Dept. of Environmental Protection officials reported an "army" of sea urchins in a column a yard wide and two miles long was systematically destroying sea grass in a 3-square-mile area about 8 miles offshore of Marathon, FL. [Assoc Press] .
Coral Reef Accident Report. In late August 1997, the U.S. Coast Guard released a report on its investigation of the grounding of the container vessel Houston on a coral reef in the FL Keys National Marine Sanctuary on Feb. 2, 1997. The report indicated the grounding was likely caused by wayward course changes, crew failure to supervise novice sailors, and a plotting mistake. [Assoc Press] .
WA Oyster Warning. On Aug. 23, 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against eating live oysters from WA state, which could have elevated Vibrio parahaemolyticus levels, due to warmer waters. A total of 42 cases of illness have been reported in WA, 7 in OR, 22 in CA, and more than 100 cases in British Columbia -- all attributed to the consumption of raw oysters. [Assoc Press] .
Bluefin Tuna Import Sanctions. On Aug. 21, 1997, NMFS announced that the United States would prohibit all imports of Atlantic bluefin tuna caught by fishing vessels from Panama, Honduras, and Belize, because these nations were determined to be fishing in a manner that undermines the conservation efforts of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas ICCAT). The import ban against Honduras and Belize would be immediately effective, while the ban against Panama would be delayed until Jan. 1, 1998, to allow Panama an opportunity to demonstrate that its fishing practices have been modified. All 24 ICCAT-member nations are expected to implement similar restrictions. No bluefin tuna is currently imported by the United States from these 3 countries. [NOAA press release] .
Marine Recreational Charter Boat Data Program. On Aug. 21, 1997, NMFS announced that it would spend nearly $500,000 during the next year on a coordinated federal-state program to improve data collection from the Gulf of Mexico charter boat industry. A Charter Boat Research Program will commence in September 1997 to test data collection methods including telephone survey and logbook survey efforts. [NOAA press release] .
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