Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

Many fishermen switched to lobster as winter flounder, a cold-water fish once abundant in fishing boat holds, declined. But lobster stocks are stressed in some areas now. Biologists on a multi-state Fisheries Commission committee have found that warmer waters, disease and fishing have depleted lobster stocks, and they recently recommended a five-year ban on lobstering from Cape Cod to Virginia.

"One of the grim realities of global warming is that it is bringing change to fisheries. There are going to be regime changes in the oceans and management is going to have to adapt to that,"

Greg Walinski believes he has seen first-hand the workings of warmer waters on fish stock. The 53-year-old Cape Cod fisherman used to hunt for large bluefin tuna. "In the '80s and '90s we would get 60 to 80 giant bluefin in a season," he said. "But we started to see less and less. It got to a point where it wasn't even worth going out. Most of the big fish are up in Canada," he said. "We get the little bluefin that used to be further south."

He switched to cod, but in what seems to be a repeat of the pattern, Walinski said he finds himself chasing the fish further and further out. He now travels 120 miles in a 35-foot boat - an arduous and somewhat dangerous commute - to reach Georges Bank for codfish.

regulators say they have seen little evidence of a similar rebound in cod on the George's Bank, and some other cold-water species, like winter flounder and pollock, remain low.

The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC) reported yesterday: "Low winter snowpack in north-central Alaska, warm spring temperatures, and a lack of precipitation has driven fuel conditions to historical maximum levels in Tok and Fairbanks. Current conditions create the potential for rapid fire spread rates, crown fires, and higher intensity fires. A high pressure weather system centered over Alaska exacerbates the existing conditions." The National Weather Service this morning (30 May 2010) has issued "red flag" warnings for much of Alaska's interior, along with portions of the North Slope of the Alaska Range.  The warnings, which extend to late in the evening on 30 May, mean that "conditions are occurring or will occur which could lead to the development of large and dangerous fires."  See NOAA's Alaska Fire Weather for the latest watches and warnings. The AICC also said yesterday that  the current fire behavior and activity "is uncharacteristic for this time of year and is requiring a significant response statewide from Alaskan, Canadian and Lower-48 resources."  By late evening on 29 May, the last 5 available smokejumpers in Alaska were en route to a fire, emptying the smokejumper base in Fairbanks and bringing the total number of jumpers committed to fires to seventy.  The jumper base reported that none of the committed jumpers could be quickly demobilized from current fires to attack new fires.  With such "initial attack" firefighting resources constrained, fires will have more time to grow in size before firefighters arrive. According to today's Situation Report from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC), there are 85 fires burning in the state.  A total of 193 fires have burned 98,163.3 acres so far this year.  The AICC Morning Highlights today said:  "Alaska is experiencing unprecedented fire activity for May that is more characteristic of extreme July conditions."  It added: "On a scale of 1-5, Alaska has now reached Preparedness Level 4. It means that multiple units are experiencing fire starts and there are several large, staffed fires. The probability of ignition is high, and conditions/ resistance to control are high to extreme, and weather conditions exist that promote fire growth. It also reflects the number of instate and out of state resources committed/required."