Salmon fishery doubtful for 2010

Granite Bay Press Tribune
By George deVilbiss
March 9, 2010

For a couple of years now, there has been no offshore salmon fishery for any recreational, sport anglers or for the state's numerous commercial fishermen. In fact, there has been essentially no salmon fishing in the Sacramento River drainage for a couple of years now.

It's not the California Department of Fish and Game, but the Pacific Fisheries Management Council instituting this mandate, and whatever directives the PFMC make, the CDFG simply follows.

Herring fishery could close by 2012

Times Herald-Record
By Adam Bosch
March 8, 2010

An interstate commission has told New York and 14 other states to outlaw herring fishing, a staple of the Hudson River and its tributaries, if they cannot prove the fish population is stable.

Crunch time is now for the state Department of Environmental Conservation to gather data and consider new regulations that could allow some fishing for alewife and blueback herring, commonly known as "river herring." The state must submit a plan by early summer and could face closing the fishery in 2012 if the population is found to be declining.

Red grouper operate as underwater architects

Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin
March 8, 2010

Red grouper are known for a few key characteristics -- their hue, which can range from pink to bright orange; their tastiness, whether they're grilled or sautéed; and their predation method, in which they ambush fellow sea creatures and swallow them whole.

But their least-known attribute might be the most valuable of all: They operate as underwater architects, transforming the seascape for myriad other forms of underwater life, rather than just residing there. That surprising discovery is forcing scientists and policymakers to recalibrate their approach to preserving the ocean's natural order -- and heightening tensions with those who fish for a living or as a hobby.