Latest news with #fishers
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Gutted': Much-loved attraction announces its sudden closure
A much-loved attraction just outside East Kilbride has announced its sudden closure. High Cleughearn Fishery (HCF) on High Cleughearn Road revealed the gutting news on Facebook on July 19. In the post, the fishing spot said they had 'unfortunately' made the 'difficult decision' to close down. READ MORE: Glasgow cafe announced shock closure after eight years READ MORE: Major retailer announces shock closure of Glasgow city centre store The fishery said: "Unfortunately, we've had to make the difficult decision to close the fishery. "We'd like to thank all of those who supported us during our time at HCF." Following the news, devastated fishers flocked to the comments of the post to share their sadness about it. One said: "So sorry to read this news. Good luck with your next chapter." A second chimed: "Gutted is an understatement. Gave it your best shot, guys, all the best for the future." A third added: "So sorry to hear this. Great fishery." Meanwhile, another person wrote: "Sorry to hear this. I loved coming up and getting chats, and a bit of fishing."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Gutted': Much-loved attraction announces its sudden closure
A much-loved attraction just outside East Kilbride has announced its sudden closure. High Cleughearn Fishery (HCF) on High Cleughearn Road revealed the gutting news on Facebook on July 19. In the post, the fishing spot said they had 'unfortunately' made the 'difficult decision' to close down. READ MORE: Glasgow cafe announced shock closure after eight years READ MORE: Major retailer announces shock closure of Glasgow city centre store The fishery said: "Unfortunately, we've had to make the difficult decision to close the fishery. "We'd like to thank all of those who supported us during our time at HCF." Following the news, devastated fishers flocked to the comments of the post to share their sadness about it. One said: "So sorry to read this news. Good luck with your next chapter." A second chimed: "Gutted is an understatement. Gave it your best shot, guys, all the best for the future." A third added: "So sorry to hear this. Great fishery." Meanwhile, another person wrote: "Sorry to hear this. I loved coming up and getting chats, and a bit of fishing."
Forbes
7 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
To Save Sharks, We Need Smarter Fishing Rules
A recent global study reviewed over 160 scientific papers covering 147 shark species, focusing on ... More what happens after their release. Sleek and powerful, a single dorsal fin slices through deep blue waves before diving into deeper waters in search of its next meal. An evolutionary machine honed for millions of years, this young shark doesn't know that hundreds of meters above, a longline bristling with baited hooks dangles in the current. An invisible wall between it and survival. For many sharks, this is how the story ends. Even if they're not the intended target of a fishing trip, they still get hooked, hauled in, and tangled in nets. In the past, that meant a death sentence. But today, in many parts of the world, rules known as 'retention bans' say these sharks must be released back into the sea. It's a hopeful idea: catch, release, and let them swim free. But here's the catch — literally and figuratively. A growing body of research shows that being released doesn't always mean being saved. Sharks are some of the most threatened marine animals on Earth, facing steep population declines due to overfishing and bycatch. While some sharks are caught intentionally, more than half are caught incidentally and then discarded. This often happens in longline and gillnet fisheries that target other species like tuna. In many places, fishers are required to release certain shark species rather than keeping them; these retention bans aim to protect vulnerable sharks by reducing the number that are landed and sold. But some die before even reaching the boat (called at-vessel mortality or AVM) while others die after being released, known as post-release mortality (PRM). These deaths are often due to stress, injury, or exhaustion. A recent study, led by PhD candidate Leonardo Feitosa at UC Santa Barbara Bren - Bren School of Environment, looked at 160 previous studies across 147 shark species to understand how often this happens and to model the effects of retention bans on shark mortality. Using this data, the team built predictive models to estimate how many sharks die after being caught and released, especially from longline and gillnet fishing. They then applied these findings to simulate what would happen under two scenarios: keeping all caught sharks or releasing them under a retention ban. The results were mixed. On average, retention bans led to a three-fold decrease in fishing mortality for most shark species. But not all species benefited equally. Sharks that live in shallow coastal areas and tend to be smaller often died at higher rates before they could be released. On the other hand, larger sharks that live in deeper waters were more likely to survive until release but still faced significant risk of dying afterward. Even with retention bans, 18% of the species studied would still experience overfishing, especially those that reproduce slowly or are already heavily fished. Species like oceanic whitetip, threshers, hammerheads, and sand tiger sharks — all considered threatened by the IUCN — are particularly vulnerable. Their populations grow slowly, so even low levels of fishing mortality can be dangerous, and the data showed that for these species, simply banning their retention won't be enough to protect them. Some will continue to decline unless more is done to prevent their capture in the first place. That includes modifying fishing gear, changing where and when fishing happens, and improving how sharks are handled on board to increase their chance of survival after release. The researchers ran detailed simulations using their data, comparing two scenarios: one where all ... More sharks caught are kept, and one where they're released. They found that retention bans do help. On average, they cut shark deaths by about two-thirds. That's good news. But not all species benefit equally. There's also a big data gap. Most studies focus on industrial longline fisheries in deep ocean waters, where monitoring is more common. But in small-scale or nearshore fisheries, many vulnerable species like sawfish, guitarfish, and rays are caught and even more threatened than sharks. Yet they are rarely studied, and without better data on their survival after capture, it's hard to say whether current policies are doing much to help them. One issue is that most retention bans assume fishers will fully comply. But that's not always realistic. Retention bans only work if fishers follow them, and in places where shark meat is an important food source or source of income, fishers may be reluctant to release catch, especially if there's little oversight. In fact, some countries have less than 5% observer coverage on fishing vessels, making it difficult to monitor what's actually happening at sea. There are also challenges in enforcing bans in small-scale fisheries that supply local markets and coastal communities. In these settings, compliance may only happen for shark species with little commercial value. But even when the rules are followed to the letter, there's a problem: retention bans don't stop sharks from being caught in the first place. They don't address how or why sharks are getting caught in the first place, meaning they don't reduce how often sharks are hooked. That's why experts, like the team behind this new paper, argue that retention bans should be combined with other management tools like time-area fishing closures, shark-friendly gear modifications, and clear bycatch limits. For example, using circle hooks instead of J hooks can reduce the chances of a shark swallowing the hook and suffering internal injuries. Shorter soak times for fishing lines can also reduce both AVM and PRM. Training fishing crews to handle and release sharks safely can also make a big difference in whether the animals survive. Sharks have been swimming in Earth's oceans for over 400 million years. But in just a few decades, industrial fishing has pushed many species to the brink. Retention bans were a meaningful start, but they're not the finish line. Without additional efforts to reduce the actual capture of sharks and better monitor what happens after release, many threatened species will continue to decline. Protecting a species that plays a crucial role in our marine ecosystem will require a smarter, more coordinated approach that goes beyond just throwing them back. To make sure sharks are still swimming centuries from now, we need to rethink how we fish, where we fish, and who we're trying to protect. And that means designing fisheries with shark conservation in mind from the start.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Elusive fisher and kits captured on Westmoreland County trail cam
Two fisher kits were captured on a trail camera in Westmoreland County, confirming that the species, which was once extinct in Pennsylvania, is breeding in the area. The wildlife camera company PixCams has been keeping tabs on fishers in the Murrysville area since one was caught on footage last July. As the large weasel-like creature continued to appear, it was believed that it had taken up residence somewhere nearby the camera. PixCams on Sunday shared four new clips of the fishers, including one that appears to show two kits playing and knocking the camera over on the afternoon of July 5. Experts say it's especially exciting because it confirms there's a breeding pair in the area. Fishers are elusive and secretive creatures that were once extirpated in Pennsylvania, meaning they were extinct in the state. Fishers are mid-sized carnivores that primarily eat small mammals like squirrels, chipmunks and mice. They're also renowned for their ability to prey upon porcupines. And while there is evidence of fisher predation on white-tailed deer, the Game Commission says the effects are thought to be limited. The Pennsylvania Game Commission says fishers disappeared from the state sometime around the nineteenth century, though it's hard to pinpoint exactly when because the creatures are so secretive and records are scarce. It's believed fishers were distributed throughout most of the state before intensive deforestation during the nineteenth century. Historical accounts also suggest that populations initially began to decline in southwestern Pennsylvania due to early colonial development, the Game Commission says. Pennsylvania's current-day fisher population is the result of natural expansion from neighboring states in the 70s and reintroduction programs in the 90s. "Today, fisher populations are well established and increasing throughout southwestern, central and northern regions of the state, and fisher have become established even in some rural and suburban habitats once thought unsuitable for this adaptive forest carnivore," the Game Commission says on its website.
CBC
10-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Fishers in Lillooet, B.C., hook massive 700-pound sturgeon in Fraser River
Fishers in Lillooet, B.C., hook massive 700-pound sturgeon in Fraser River News Duration 1:12 A group of fishermen in B.C.'s Interior are still raving about what they reeled in recently. They were on the Fraser River near Lillooet on Monday, when one of their hooks caught a three-metre-long white sturgeon weighing more than 700 pounds.
