Panel OKs offshore fish farms

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - A federal panel approved the nation’s first offshore fishing farming industry Wednesday and will send the package to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted 11-5. The vote came after a meeting where the council heard from proponents and opponents. Under the plan, fish will be raised in offshore pens far out in the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: The Sun Herald, 01/28/09)

Offshore pens vote nears

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - Fishery officials are expected to decide next week on a proposal for a new industry that would raise fish in offshore pens far out in the Gulf of Mexico. The plan would permit as many as 20 aquaculture operations to raise fish now available only by catching them in the wild. The decision by the Tampa-based Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has sparked controversy among academics, sportsmen, scientists, fishing industry groups, and others. (Source: Sun Herald, 01/23/09)

Researchers look for manatee

MOBILE, Ala. - Dauphin Island Sea Lab researchers searched unsuccessfully Monday for a manatee seen over the weekend in a Satsuma creek. Scientsts said they'll continue searching the area this week. The Sea Lab and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2007 launched a manatee sighting network to gather scientific data on manatees in the Mobile Bay area. More than 100 sightings were reported in Alabama waters last year, Sea Lab officials said. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 01/06/09)