NOAA reverses course on winter Florida groundfish ban
In a bulletin announcing a suite of changes to federal management of South Atlantic red snapper, NOAA said it had axed the three-month ban — called a 'discard reduction season' — on dozens of species that share the same near-bottom habitat with snapper, citing heavy opposition from fishing interests.
Those species include black sea bass, red grouper, vermillion snapper, gag, scamp, greater amberjack and gray triggerfish.
Advertisement
The NOAA rule was embedded in a broader suite of management plan changes called Amendment 59 to the snapper-grouper fishery in the South Atlantic. The agency maintains that while red snapper are recovering in the ocean between Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the Florida-Georgia border, too many of the fish are discarded by fishermen, resulting in injury and death.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Video shows Coast Guard save family in helicopter rescue mission near vacation destination
Three people – including a child – were rescued by the Florida Coast Guard earlier this week after their sailing vessel became partially submerged near the Bahamas, according to authorities. A good Samaritan called the Coast Guard Seventh District watchstanders around midnight on Monday to report a "family in distress" in the waters of Plana Cays, located approximately 350 nautical miles from the southeastern coast of the Sunshine State. The two adults and an 8-year-old child were located aboard a life raft at approximately 7 a.m. by the guardsmen of the Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew. "Our aircrews train very hard for moments like this, and we are thankful to have played a role in the safe rescue of this family of three," Lt. Andrew Boyle, a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater Jayhawk aircraft commander, said in a statement. Dramatic video footage released by the guardsmen shows the crew lifting each individual family member to safety using helicopter rescue baskets seven hours after authorities received the initial call for help. The family was subsequently transported to Bahamian authorities in Great Inagua, according to the Coast Guard. No injuries were reported and the boat's owner is coordinating with commercial salvage to organize the vessel's recovery. "We urge mariners to carry a radio and an emergency distress beacon in case they find themselves in a similar situation," Boyle added. "It could help save their lives." The U.S. Coast Guard did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
‘A Miracle Times Two': Disney Cruise Ship Passenger Reflects on Dramatic Rescue of a Father and Daughter
A Disney Dream cruise ship passenger recalls watching the dramatic rescue of a father and daughter unfold moments after the girl fell overboard The incident occurred on Sunday, June 29, as the Disney Dream was traveling back to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., following a multi-day cruise in the Bahamas 'People were crying and praying and gathering with their family, you could see different groups hugging each other,' passenger Shannon Lindholm tells PEOPLEShock quickly gave way to relief over the weekend as Disney cruise ship passengers stood by while crew members rushed to rescue a father and daughter after the girl fell overboard and the man jumped in to save her. The incident occurred on Sunday, June 29, as the Disney Dream was traveling back to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., following a multi-day cruise in the Bahamas, PEOPLE previously reported. Houston-based mother Shannon Lindholm was a passenger on the Disney Dream and watched the rescue efforts play out in real-time, although she did not witness the initial fall nor the man's jump into the ocean. She was traveling with her husband and their two children when she and her daughter heard an unfamiliar message over the PA system announcing a Mr. MOB port-side. Around that time, they were near a fourth-floor deck, the same level the girl fell from, according to others in an unofficial Disney Dream Cruise Ship Facebook group. 'Staff members were moving fast, so we knew it was serious, and we'd never heard it before. So my daughter, pretty tech savvy, she just picked up an iPad and Googled it and said, 'Oh my God, Mom. That means man overboard,' ' Lindholm tells PEOPLE. 'And then, about that time, is when we looked out the window and saw them boarding the speedboat. So it all happened so fast,' she adds. In the moments ahead of the swift rescue, she says crew members blocked off the deck area. 'People were commenting that the ship had kind of turned around and gone back in a different direction. By that point though, the ship was completely stopped. It wasn't moving at all,' she says. Lindholm says a few crew members boarded a small rescue boat that launched from the fourth deck. Within about five minutes, she saw it returning with the father and daughter aboard. 'It was incredible. The dad was giving a huge thumbs up, signing to everybody that was watching from the upper decks,' Lindholm says. 'We could see the little girl was in one of the crew members' arms, and they hoisted the speedboat back to right where it came from, from the fourth deck, and they both walked off, and they swiftly took them away." Passengers cheered and applauded, Lindholm recalls, as the duo came aboard the ship. 'People were crying and praying and gathering with their family, you could see different groups hugging each other,' Lindholm says. 'And then the relief everyone felt when they got on board was really incredible.' She noted that a woman who appeared to be the child's mother was also present on the deck. 'They brought her over, and obviously she was extremely relieved and incredibly grateful, and it was just very quick from there,' she adds, calling the rescue 'a miracle times two.' 'I saw the mom's face of terror when she was waiting for them to be rescued, and I saw her face of relief when they brought them on board,' Lindholm says. 'My thoughts and prayers are just with her, that she gets what she needs to move forward too, because I can't imagine what those 10 minutes were like for her.' About five minutes later, Lindholm says the ship started moving again and things appeared to be back to normal, adding the captain explained over the PA system that two people had fallen overboard, but both were safe and back on the ship. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water," Disney Cruise Line told PEOPLE in a statement. "We commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes." This was the Lindholm family's sixth cruise overall and their fourth with Disney. She observed that the railing typically reaches her 11-year-old daughter's chest level. She also noted that the fourth-floor deck, where the incident reportedly occurred, included plexiglass between the railing. 'It's not something you could just stumble and fall over,' she says, adding, 'I've always felt extremely safe with my children walking around.' Disney has not yet released specific details about how the child fell into the water. Lindholm says the whole ordeal lasted no more than 15 minutes. 'Before most people could even realize what was happening, the situation was over. It was so fast,' Lindholm says. 'We were just right there, literally at the window where it was happening, so we were able to watch it almost from start to finish.' Read the original article on People
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
‘Sneaky' sea creature circles boaters off California coast. See the photos
A 'sneaky' sea creature held boaters 'hostage' off the coast of California, and onlookers thought the moment was one they 'can't beat.' During a sunset trip in La Jolla Canyon, a pod of 150 long-beaked common dolphins were showing their babies the skills they need to be 'agile' hunters, according to a June 29 Facebook post by the San Diego Whale Watch. Although the hunting lessons made for a 'real crowd pleaser,' the group was 'surprised by the sneakiest minke whale that popped up seemingly out of nowhere,' onlookers said. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in North American waters and can reach lengths of up to 35 feet and weigh 20,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They usually are spotted alone or in groups of two or three, and use side-lunging as a way of feeding on schools of fish, the NOAA said. The 'oh so curious' whale circled boaters and even swam parallel to the boat before offering bystanders a moment of 'belly flashing,' the group said. They got 'good looks at its full face' as it poked its head out of the ocean, the group said. The whale was up for 'antics' as it kept popping up as boaters tried to head back to the harbor making for the 'coolest' moment, the group said.
