S2317 Is on the Calendar!
- Thread starter george
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Congrat oh Grand Poo-bah!!!
Bassknuckles
Angler
From Newsday, great job:
"
LONG ISLANDPOLITICS
Senators expect to pass bill to benefit Long Island shoreline, ecosystem
The bill on menhaden, also known as bunker, would prevent purse seine fishing, a method in which commercial vessels, aided by spotter planes, encircle a school of fish with a net, then suck them onboard with a vacuum.
New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, center, State SEn. Todd Kaminsky, third from left, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, second from left, and Assemb. Steve Englebright gather Sunday with Long Island politicians on the Long Beach Boardwalk at National Boulevard to announce plans to pass Kaminsky-sponsored legislation that would ban offshore drilling and protect the Atlantic Ocean's ecosystem. Photo Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
By David M. Schwartz[email protected] @schwartznewsNYUpdated February 3, 2019 6:57 PM
State Senate leaders said Sunday they will pass a pair of bills this week aimed at protecting Long Island's coastline and marine life by banning permits for offshore drilling operations and protecting menhaden, the oily baitfish feasted upon by striped bass, whales and other predators.
At a news conference on the Long Beach boardwalk, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) predicted the measures would pass the Senate on Tuesday.
"We will stand up for Long Island. We will stand up for our environment," she said.
The bill on menhaden, also known as bunker, would prevent purse seining, a method in which commercial fishing vessels, aided by spotter planes, encircle a school of fish with a net before sucking them onboard with a vacuum.
The bill would ban the method in New York waters, which extend 3 miles offshore.
"This rule that will keep the industrial-scale fishery out of New York will help everything from whales, to dolphins, to striped bass, bluefish and all of our fishing business that relies on those species being abundant," Carl LoBue, The Nature Conservancy's New York oceans program director, said.
Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), recalled on Thanksgiving 2017, joining crowds in Long Beach to watch whales from the beach, a sight he didn't witness growing up. Marine experts say more whales have been spotted in shore because of the increased menhaden population.
"It's a key fish in the ecosystem that had once been overfished before, and we're not going to let it happen again," he said.
LoBue said commercial purse seining boats fished in New York waters this year in Gardiners Bay and west of Shelter Island. Further west, boats came near New York waters, but stayed in federally regulated areas.
A spokesman for Omega Protein, the largest menhaden fishing corporation, said Sunday that the proposed bill was cosmetic, because the company catches most of its fish off Maryland and Virginia.
"This bill is more a feel-good piece of legislation for environmentalists, but will have no impact on us at all," said Ben Landry, the spokesman for Omega, which uses the fish in aquaculture, pet food and fish oil supplements.
In two days last year, the company's boats were about 4 or 5 miles off New York's coast — in federally regulated waters — and caught 4 million fish out of their 500 million-fish quota for the East Coast, Landry said.
The other bill would prohibit state agencies from processing applications for pipelines or any other transportation and distribution services needed to facilitate offshore drilling. Trump, in January 2018, proposed opening nearly all U.S. coastal waters to oil and gas exploration. The proposal has been opposed by local Democrats and Republicans.
Ryan Zinke, the former U.S. secretary of the interior, appeared to throw cold water on the proposal when he said in April that opposition to the proposal has been fierce and resources are limited, particularly off the East Coast.
“There’s very little, if any, oil and gas reserves known off the coast of New York,” or the mid-Atlantic plate, Zinke said at a symposium.
Scott Reif, a spokesman for Senate Republicans, defended the caucus' record on the environment. “When it comes to protecting our cherished natural resources and delivering on major environmental initiatives, Long Islanders know that Senate Republicans have a record that is unmatched," he said.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has attacked the federal proposal to open most of the East Coast to offshore oil exploration. In a statement Sunday, he said "This legislation sends a message loud and clear: while the federal government tries to prop up dirty fossil fuels, New York will stand up for our environment and lead the way toward a cleaner, more prosperous future."
Menhaden bill sponsors said they have worked with state Department of Environmental Conservation officials to craft the bill, including allowing purse seining when there's an overabundance of menhaden that can lead to a fish kill.
By David M. Schwartz[email protected] @schwartznewsNY
David Schwartz covers Suffolk government and politics. A native Long Islander, he's worked at Newsday since 2013.
"
LONG ISLANDPOLITICS
Senators expect to pass bill to benefit Long Island shoreline, ecosystem
The bill on menhaden, also known as bunker, would prevent purse seine fishing, a method in which commercial vessels, aided by spotter planes, encircle a school of fish with a net, then suck them onboard with a vacuum.
New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, center, State SEn. Todd Kaminsky, third from left, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, second from left, and Assemb. Steve Englebright gather Sunday with Long Island politicians on the Long Beach Boardwalk at National Boulevard to announce plans to pass Kaminsky-sponsored legislation that would ban offshore drilling and protect the Atlantic Ocean's ecosystem. Photo Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
By David M. Schwartz[email protected] @schwartznewsNYUpdated February 3, 2019 6:57 PM
State Senate leaders said Sunday they will pass a pair of bills this week aimed at protecting Long Island's coastline and marine life by banning permits for offshore drilling operations and protecting menhaden, the oily baitfish feasted upon by striped bass, whales and other predators.
At a news conference on the Long Beach boardwalk, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) predicted the measures would pass the Senate on Tuesday.
"We will stand up for Long Island. We will stand up for our environment," she said.
The bill on menhaden, also known as bunker, would prevent purse seining, a method in which commercial fishing vessels, aided by spotter planes, encircle a school of fish with a net before sucking them onboard with a vacuum.
The bill would ban the method in New York waters, which extend 3 miles offshore.
"This rule that will keep the industrial-scale fishery out of New York will help everything from whales, to dolphins, to striped bass, bluefish and all of our fishing business that relies on those species being abundant," Carl LoBue, The Nature Conservancy's New York oceans program director, said.
Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), recalled on Thanksgiving 2017, joining crowds in Long Beach to watch whales from the beach, a sight he didn't witness growing up. Marine experts say more whales have been spotted in shore because of the increased menhaden population.
"It's a key fish in the ecosystem that had once been overfished before, and we're not going to let it happen again," he said.
LoBue said commercial purse seining boats fished in New York waters this year in Gardiners Bay and west of Shelter Island. Further west, boats came near New York waters, but stayed in federally regulated areas.
A spokesman for Omega Protein, the largest menhaden fishing corporation, said Sunday that the proposed bill was cosmetic, because the company catches most of its fish off Maryland and Virginia.
"This bill is more a feel-good piece of legislation for environmentalists, but will have no impact on us at all," said Ben Landry, the spokesman for Omega, which uses the fish in aquaculture, pet food and fish oil supplements.
In two days last year, the company's boats were about 4 or 5 miles off New York's coast — in federally regulated waters — and caught 4 million fish out of their 500 million-fish quota for the East Coast, Landry said.
The other bill would prohibit state agencies from processing applications for pipelines or any other transportation and distribution services needed to facilitate offshore drilling. Trump, in January 2018, proposed opening nearly all U.S. coastal waters to oil and gas exploration. The proposal has been opposed by local Democrats and Republicans.
Ryan Zinke, the former U.S. secretary of the interior, appeared to throw cold water on the proposal when he said in April that opposition to the proposal has been fierce and resources are limited, particularly off the East Coast.
“There’s very little, if any, oil and gas reserves known off the coast of New York,” or the mid-Atlantic plate, Zinke said at a symposium.
Scott Reif, a spokesman for Senate Republicans, defended the caucus' record on the environment. “When it comes to protecting our cherished natural resources and delivering on major environmental initiatives, Long Islanders know that Senate Republicans have a record that is unmatched," he said.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has attacked the federal proposal to open most of the East Coast to offshore oil exploration. In a statement Sunday, he said "This legislation sends a message loud and clear: while the federal government tries to prop up dirty fossil fuels, New York will stand up for our environment and lead the way toward a cleaner, more prosperous future."
Menhaden bill sponsors said they have worked with state Department of Environmental Conservation officials to craft the bill, including allowing purse seining when there's an overabundance of menhaden that can lead to a fish kill.
By David M. Schwartz[email protected] @schwartznewsNY
David Schwartz covers Suffolk government and politics. A native Long Islander, he's worked at Newsday since 2013.
Here's the added language that scares me:
"Menhaden bill sponsors said they have worked with state Department of Environmental Conservation officials to craft the bill, including allowing purse seining when there's an overabundance of menhaden that can lead to a fish kill. "
So now DEC is supposed to predict when there will be a fish kill? How is that even possible? How could the seiners get there in time? I don't get it.
"Menhaden bill sponsors said they have worked with state Department of Environmental Conservation officials to craft the bill, including allowing purse seining when there's an overabundance of menhaden that can lead to a fish kill. "
So now DEC is supposed to predict when there will be a fish kill? How is that even possible? How could the seiners get there in time? I don't get it.
Capt13
Well-Known Angler
I don't get it either....... Fish kills can and do occur even when there isn't an over abundance. Seems to happen whenever a school gets pushed up into the back of a harbor and are held there by what ever is chasing them. Deplete the available oxygen and go belly up. Who writes these bills anyway ?
Last edited:
MakoMike
Angler
I wouldn't worry about it, if this law does get enacted there won't be a seine boat within 500 miles of NY when and if the time comes.
It passed the Senate, the Assembly is a slam dunk. This should become law.
Bassknuckles
Angler
I snag my bunker so this question doesn't apply to me but any thought on what the prediction would be in the increase cost to buy bunker from a bait/ tackle store? I will guess we will also see more frozen Bunker coming from other states s well?
Not a single bunker that Omega take ends up in a tackle shop. It will have zero effect.
Bassknuckles
Angler
Thanks, I read the article again and see that the Bunker is used for aquaculture, pet food and fish oil supplements.
Old Mud
Well-Known Angler
Glad to see this is going to happen down there. Seems all we could do up here is keep the pair trawlers out of our faces for 3 months of the season. Not stop them of course, just divert them. We have a few Seine boats up here but they never seem to bother us. The masses of Herring we have can and has supported all of us in the past. Our main problem is the technology of the pair trawlers. Nothing can take everything on the bottom for miles and miles and with speed as the pair trawlers.
Sorry for the rant. Not trying to steal your thunder. I'm Happy for you guys.
Sorry for the rant. Not trying to steal your thunder. I'm Happy for you guys.
Any increase over zero is a huge % increase. The last 2 years we've been seeing bunker, but nowhere near what LIS or the South Shore does in a "normal" year. We don't see pods of whales plodding through schools of bunker, a few seals, yeah, but still a very small biomass in comparison. It's enough that local purse seiners might set a few times a week and the lobstermen themselves will put out a gillnet now and again, especially if herring prices continue to rise.
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