Latest Commercial fishing and hunting News
Record low numbers prompt limits on Chesapeake Bay crabbing
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — New restrictions on crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay will take effect this year after the blue crab count plummeted to its lowest level since surveys began in 1990. Tighter harvest limits are being issued by both Maryland and Virginia as officials and industry...
America's scallop harvest projected to decline again in 2022
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America's scallop fishing industry will continue to decline in catch into next year due to a decrease in the availability of the oft-pricy shellfish off the East Coast, federal regulators say. The decline in scallops is happening as prices for the shellfish,...
Shellfish attitude in lobster land: Maine oysters boom
BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) — Maine is producing more oysters than ever due to a growing number of shellfish farms that have launched off its coast in recent years. The state's 2021 oyster harvest was the largest and most valuable in its history, according to recent data from the...
Butter clams cause shellfish poisoning in WA resident
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Health officials in Washington state say they have confirmed a case of shellfish poisoning in a person who ate butter clams that were recreationally harvested in Island County. The paralytic shellfish poisoning illness was found in a Snohomish County resident...
Family-run business adjusts fishing industry changes
BOWERS BEACH, Del. (AP) — For many, when the metaphorical seas get choppy, they turn to family to find calmer waters. When Capt. Bob Trowbridge of the Bowers Beach-based Captain’s Lady charter vessel is dealing with dangerous waters off the coast of Delaware, he literally turns...
California fisherman sued in 'egregious' crabbing case
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California fisherman illegally caught hundreds of Dungeness crabs in the protected North Farallon Islands State Marine Reserve, according to a lawsuit filed last week by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. State Department of Fish and Wildlife...
China's Pacific plan seen as regional strategic game-changer
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands in April it raised concerns from the U.S. and its allies that Beijing may be seeking a military outpost in the South Pacific, an area of traditional American naval dominance. But China upped...
China's FM visits Kiribati, where fishing ground is at stake
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — China's foreign minister on Friday arrived on the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati, where the future of a vast fishing ground is at stake. The planned four-hour visit by Wang Yi was his second stop on an eight-nation tour that comes amid growing...
Collins blocks NOAA appointment over whale rule objections
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine Sen. Susan Collins halted a nominee's potential appointment to a federal post over objections to rules designed to protect rare whales. Collins cited new regulations on her state's lobster fishing industry that she described as “onerous.” The rules...
Lease terms for California offshore wind projects released
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Biden administration has released the lease terms for offshore wind projects that would place hundreds of turbines in California's coastal waters — the first such project off the nation's Pacific coast. The two projects along the state's northern and...
