RE: Annual Catch Limits Now in Place for Most Federal Fisheries Dear NOAA Fisheries Constituents, Everyone – commercial and recreational fishermen, NGOs, Councils, Congress and NOAA – knew it would be a heavy lift to put accountability measures and catch Read More >>

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will meet January 30 – February 2, 2012, at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, Alabama. Agenda highlights are summarized below.  For a copy of the detailed agenda or to review Read More >>

There’s an alarming mistruth being played in Washington right now that catch shares cost American fishermen their jobs. Legislators are disguising politics as catch share knowledge, and falsely claiming catch shares create job loss. Those of us who are real Read More >>

Old regulations forced fishermen to race against the clock. Today’s catch shares have saved lives. By SCOTT CAMPBELL JR. Many people think I’m crazy for making a living by catching crabs in Alaska. Battling 20-foot waves in icy conditions and Read More >>

For NOAA media inquiries, please contact Keeley Belva at keeley.belva@noaa.gov or 301-713-3066 For response inquiries, please phone the Joint Information Center at 985-902-5231 or 985-902-5240 To report oil on land, or for general Community and Volunteer Information, please phone 866-448-5816 Read More >>

Rep. Walter Jones has proposed Amendment #548 to H.R. 1 to prohibit funding to promote, advocate, or develop Limited Access Privilege Programs (LAPPs) in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, and New England Regional Fishery Management Councils. The Jones Read More >>

Shareholders’ Alliance member and treasurer Buddy Guindon will testify at a briefing in Washington, D.C. today on “Reviving Coastal Economies through Healthy, Vibrant Fisheries and Oceans.” Buddy has been asked for his expert testimony on the cooperative efforts underway to Read More >>

Jim Zurbrick and several other Alliance members witnessed a bit of history last week at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) meeting in Apalachicola. Commissioners agreed to consider gag grouper rules in April for Gulf of Mexico state Read More >>

A new Government Accountability Office details billions in potential cuts Congress can make to the budget just by streamlining the federal government. The 345-page GAO report released Tuesday identified nearly two score areas in which federal programs duplicate one another’s Read More >>

by Bubba Cochrane; published in National Fishermen, May 2011 edition As a commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico, I – like all fishermen – face a lot of threats to my livelihood.  The BP oil spill is a perfect Read More >>

Today we learned the Jones Amendment, which we adamantly oppose, will be added to the FY 2011 budget. This amendment prevents Regional Fishery Management Councils from exploring any new catch share programs for east coast and Gulf of Mexico fisheries. Read More >>

Congress pulls cost-saving management choices for struggling fishermen in favor of special-interest policies proven to bankrupt fishermen, devastate fisheries (April 14, 2011) Commercial fishing groups are dismayed about federal budget negotiations that have resulted in what fishermen are calling the Read More >>

By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, Times-Picayune Following a move six months ago to protect the hermaphroditic fish’s population, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service on Friday announced an ease on gag grouper fishing regulations in Gulf of Mexico federal waters. Read More >>

By Ben Raines, Press-Register Despite media reports describing a rash of red snapper with lesions caught off Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico, such fish proved difficult to catch during 4 days of intensive fishing off the Alabama coast by a team of researchers from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. READ MORE

I’m fresh back from the 10th Annual Cooking for Solutions conference at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and “fresh” is just the right word to describe. I left the three-day conference with fresh insight on what folks in other regions understand Read More >>

A brief, but curious column in a small Florida daily recently flagged my attention last week. The May 27 outdoors column in The Ledger (by reporter Del Milligan) stated “Gulf red snapper are being considered for a catch-share program that Read More >>

The Secretary of Commerce recently appointed three Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council members; Dr. Pam Dana of Florida and Patrick Riley of Texas and  Dr. Bob Shipp from Alabama (reappointment). They will all be sworn in during the August Read More >>

By Talking Fish on June 2, 2011 Last week, President Obama nominated John Bryson, a former energy company CEO, to be the next Secretary of Commerce.  According to the Boston Globe, Bryson has a long history of business leadership, having Read More >>

June 20, 2011 The following letter was sent to Mr. Richard Gaines, a reporter with the Gloucester Times. It was also sent to us by the writer, who is a small commercial fisherman who holds IFQ on red snapper in Read More >>

Solid data brings sound decisions. The Alliance is continually working to assist NOAA in data and stock collection and your participation is invaluable for compiling strong data. If you are a fisherman in the Gulf of Mexico, please answer the Read More >>

Gulf Wild™, our pioneering brand of trackable seafood from the Gulf of Mexico continues to garner attention near and far. We’re really, really pleased with the recognition we’ve landed with respected media companies and their outlets, including a focused piece Read More >>

Last week marked the first formal hearing of the Congressional Committee on Natural Resources as it navigates issues being associated with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the primary statute governing fishing activities in Federal waters. Coming before Read More >>

Food and Water Watch got it wrong again. You will remember this organization from my July blog, in which I addressed their ridiculous editorial on New England’s Catch Shares approach to correcting a regional fishery in decline. Their latest misinformation Read More >>

Last night, the House and Senate finished writing the Commerce Department budget and officially “filed” it with both chambers. The ultimate hoorah for fishermen is a first-ever explicit appropriation FOR catch shares to the tune of $28 million. This is Read More >>

We are proud to announce our newest board members, elected recently for a 2-year term. Our newly (re)appointed board includes: Glen Brooks, Cortez, FL Bubba Cochran, Galveston, TX Jason DeLaCruz, Seminole, FL Buddy Guindon, Galveston, TX David Krebs, Destin, FL Read More >>

We continue to support a process that lets fishermen design, vote and approve fishery management systems that work for both the fishery and the fishermen. READ MORE

For those seeking an example of what catch shares success looks like, search no further than the cover of Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s monthly magazine. The August/September cover of Florida Restaurant & Lodging magazine features a color photograph of Read More >>