This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS April 2016 N F M D  R Continued from Page 11.


have historical dependence on ground- fi sh and have had continued reliance on the groundfi sh fi shery during the disaster years,” said Maine DMR Deputy Commis- sioner Meredith Mendelson. “We know that Maine’s groundfi sh industry has seen declines in many years preceding this di- saster declaration. However, the Secretary of Commerce’s declaration was made based on what were, at the time, prospective reve- nue losses from the major reduction in Gulf of Maine cod quota available for the 2013 fi shing year. Accordingly, our allocation of relief funds refl ects the impact of that spe- cifi c reduction.” The amounts allocated to eligible per-


mit holders were based on a formula devel- oped by the Maine Department of Marine Resources after several outreach meetings with industry. Amounts issued will refl ect landings in Fishing Years 2013 and 2014 individually and combined. Awards under this formula will range from approximately $9,100 to $44,044. The funds are a portion of the $3.3


million allocated to Maine from the $75 million allocated by U.S. Congress to help with six fi shery disasters, including the di- saster declared in 2012 by the Secretary of Commerce as a result of signifi cant quota cuts for key New England groundfi sh stocks. Of the $75 million, $32.8 million was


allocated to the Northeast groundfi sh in- dustry. The allocation of those funds was


Continued from Page 13.


Guidance The process to fi nalize the guidelines


includes the following steps: NOAA internal review; External peer review; Public com- ment; and Finalize and release guidance. NOAA’s draft acoustic Guidance has


undergone an internal review, 3 external peer reviews, and received informal input from key federal partners. External Peer Reviews The fi rst external peer review, which


was completed September 2013, focused on the scientifi c and technical studies used in the analysis for the development of pro- posed onset PTS and TTS acoustic threshold levels.


The second external peer review evalu-


ates a U.S. Navy Technical paper provided to NOAA in January 2015 as part of the Navy’s Phase 3 Acoustic Eff ects Analysis. The paper describes the Navy’s proposed methodology for updating auditory weight- ing functions and subsequent numeric thresholds for predicting auditory eff ects (TTS/PTS thresholds) on marine animals exposed to active sonars and other active acoustic sources utilized during Navy train- ing and testing activities. Follow-up to second external review:


Concurrent with this third public comment period, NOAA is requesting that peer re- viewers of the Navy’s methodology review the updated sections of the Draft Guidance and indicate whether the revisions would signifi cantly alter any of the comments made during their original review. The third external peer review eval-


negotiated among the state fi sheries agency directors and announced in June, 2014. The agreement split the $32.8 million


evenly, allocating a third of the funds to each of three areas. $11 million was paid out as direct aid to permit holders in the northeast who have landed a minimum of 5000 pounds of groundfi sh stocks in any one fi shing year since 2010. In October, 2014, fi fty-two of Maine’s


federal groundfi sh permit holders received $32,500 each. In 2015, the DMR distributed $640,005 to help Maine’s groundfi sh fl eet and related shoreside industries by rebating dealer landings and handling fees.


Maine’s 2015 Commercial Marine Resourc- es Top $600 Million for the First Time


received are available on regulations.gov. Third Public Comment Period The third public comment period ends


Maine’s commercially harvested ma-


rine resources topped $600 million in overall value in 2015, according to preliminary data from the Maine Department of Marine Re- sources. The total, $631,768,531, refl ects an all-time high and an increase of more than $33 million over the previous record set in 2014.


The largest single increase in value was


in Maine’s lobster fi shery. The fi shery saw the overall landed value jump by more than $37 million and the average per pound value increase by more than 10 percent, going from $3.70 per pound in 2014 to $4.09 per pound in 2015. The overall value of Maine’s lobster


Continued on Page 21. M C F N


on March 30, 2016. Comment now on these proposed changes. Once the comments from all three pub-


uates NOAA’s proposed methodology for defi ning threshold usage for sources charac- terized as impulsive or non-impulsive. This methodology was modifi ed using comments from the initial public comment period. First Public Comment Period The comment period on the initial


draft guidance opened in December 2013 (78FR78822) and closed on March 13, 2014 (79FR4672).Comments received are available on regulations.gov. During this time NOAA Fisheries held


a public meeting to inform interested parties and solicit comments on the proposed acous- tic guidance. The meeting was held on Jan- uary 14, 2014, in the NOAA Science Center in Silver Spring, MD. A transcript from the meeting is available as well as the Public Meeting One-Pager and Presentation. Second Public Comment Period The second public comment period


opened on July 31, 2015 and closed Sep- tember 14, 2015 (80 FR 45642). Comments


PAUL E. LUKE, INC. Fireplaces - Automatic Feathering Propellors - 3-Piece Storm Anchors


Storage/Repair * Feathering Propellers * Storm Anchors


Full Service Boat Yard 15 Luke's Gulch, East Boothbay, Maine 04544


TEL. (207) 633-4971 (207) 633-4971 A. Franklin Luke www.PELuke.com FAX: (207) 633-3388


MAINE COAST LUMBER, INC. 17 White Birch Lane


4 Warren Ave.


York, ME 03909 (207) 363-7426 (800) 899-1664 Fax (207) 363-8650 M-F 7am-4:30pm


Westbrook, ME 04902 (207) 856-6015 (877) 408-4751 Fax (207) 856-6971 M-F 7:30am-4:30pm


04092


lic comment periods are addressed, NOAA will fi nalize and release the acoustic guid- ance fro onset PTS and TTS.


Canadian Fishing News Guilty pleas entered in Gulf Nova Scotia Bluefi n tuna case


Three fi shermen issued signifi cant fi nes, prohibition orders


MONCTON, New Brunswick – Three Nova Scotia fi shermen pleaded guilty in Antigon- ish Provincial Court to a total of 27 charges related to illegal activity in the Bluefi n tuna fi shery.


The charges result from violations


committed under both catch-and-release and commercial Bluefi n tuna licenses issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). George W. Boyle and Dale C. Tren-


holm, both of Bayfi eld, Antigonish County, and Evan R. McDormand of Westport, Digby County, were charged after an under- cover operation by DFO fi shery offi cers in the Ballantyne’s Cove, NS, area in October 2014.


All three men pleaded guilty to several


charges of violating catch-and-release li- cence conditions, including failing to release Bluefi n tuna, possession of tuna, fi shing with illegal gear including barbed hooks, hooking more tuna than permitted per fi shing trip and infractions related to bait fi shing. Boyle, who is named as the holder of


both licences, also pleaded guilty separately to charges of falsifying mandatory catch- and-release logbooks which document fi shing activity. As well, he pleaded guilty to violating conditions of his commercial Bluefi n license by not tagging a tuna imme- diately after catching it and not recording the commercial catch in a logbook. Boyle was fi ned a total of $30,000 by


Provincial Court Judge Richard MacKin- non. His commercial Bluefi n licence was suspended for two years during which time he is also prohibited from taking part in the fi shery in any way. Additionally, his catch- and-release license was suspended for fi ve years during which time he is prohibited from taking part in the fi shery in any way. Trenholm received fines totaling


$20,000; McDormand’s fi nes total $15,000. They were also prohibited from taking part in any way in the catch-and-release fi shery for fi ve years and in the commercial fi shery for two years.


For several years DFO has been investigat- ing concerns of illegal activity in both the catch-and-release and commercial Bluefi n tuna fi sheries in the Antigonish area, NS. As a result, in October 2014 an undercover operation was carried out which resulted in these convictions against three fi shermen for serious violations. The success of this operation by fi shery


offi cers and the penalties imposed by the court are expected to serve as major deter- rents to illegal activity in this fi shery.


HISTORY FOR YOURWALLS


From Maine’s Outstanding Photography Archive For Homes, Offices, B&Bs, Lobbies


Custom Framing


Free


*HARDWOOD LUMBER*SOFTWOOD LUMBER* *HARDWOOD PLYWOODS*MELAMINE*MDF*MARINE PLYWOODS*MDO*PARTICLE BOARD*SLATWALL*LAMINATE* *EDGE BANDING*VENEER*HARDWOOD MOLDINGS* *CUSTOM MILLING*DOVETAILED DRAWER BOXES


We Deliver ME, NH, VT, MA, RI


www.mainecoastlumber.com info@mainecoastlumber.com


Photo Search Image


Licensing


Study CD Available


YOUR CITY OR TOARM & COUNTRWAT We Ship UPS


40 E. Main St. (U.S. Rte.), Searsport  wwwenobscotMarineMuseum.org


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31