A bipartisan coalition of eight Northeast U.S. senators Thursday appealed to President Barack Obama for a package of economic relief for the New England fishing industry. They have asked President Obama to support a voluntary $100 million buyback program for groundfishing permits and $50 million in direct economic aid to the fishing industry and communities. More here

TAGS: New England, fishing industry, Senators, finanancial industry, licence buyback, license buyback, buyback program

Alexandra Morton, well-known anti-aquaculture activist, is continuing her crusade against ocean salmon farms in B.C. Fresh from the victory she and others secured in court against DFO's abdication of its aquaculture management/licensing responsibility, Morton, in a letter published in the Courier-Islander, takes strong issue with the regulations recently published by DFO.  In her open letter to Ed Porter of DFO, Morton states: "When BC Supreme Court ruled that the federal government must take over regulation of salmon feedlots, the intent was to bring the industry into compliance with the Constitution of Canada. But what Stephen Harper's Conservatives are trying to do instead is remove safeguards established by previous governments and open the door to privatizing the ocean, which is prohibited by the Canadian Constitution. With his document Harper not only licences massive ecological damage, he depreciates the market value of BC feedlot salmon. No reputable retailer can afford to be seen with a seafood product raised under a licence to "harm, alter, disrupt and destroy" the ocean." The federal Conservatives are proposing salmon feedlot licences be granted and amended without environmental assessment. Morehere

TAGS: Alexandra Morton, British Columbia, salmon farms, DFO aquaculture regulations, aquaculture licensing, environmental assessment

Since 1950 there has been a phytoplankton decline of about 40% across the world's oceans. The decline is seen in most parts of the world, one marked exception being the Indian Ocean. The scientists who did the research say the decline appears to be linked to rising water temperatures. Others have suggested there could be other factors involved - notably the huge expansion in open-ocean fishing that has taken place over the century leading to a zooplankton increase and reduced phytoplankton as a consequence. More here

TAGS: phytoplankton decline, 40% decline, global warming, increased temperatures, climate change, overfishing

Iceland held its very first round of European Union membership talks on Tuesday. Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009 after the world financial crisis brought its banking sector to its knees. The EU is keen to see the island nation join, but public opinion in Iceland is sceptical about the benefits of membership. Iceland kicked off the negotiations by saying it will not tolerate competition from rival fishing fleets in its waters. Iceland's foreign minister said his country must keep control of its vast, exclusive economic zone in the Arctic. Apart from difficult financial issues relating to the banking collapse in Iceland, there is also the unresolved issue of Iceland's self declared 130,000 ton mackerel quota. More here and here 

TAGS: Iceland, EU, accession negotiations, Icelandic fisheries claim, mackerel quota