EJToday is SEJ's selection of new and outstanding stories on environmental topics in print and on the air, updated every weekday. SEJ also offers a free e-mailed digest of the day's EJToday postings, called SEJ-beat. SEJ members are subscribed automatically, but may opt out here. Non-members may subscribe here. EJToday is also available via RSS feed. Please see Editorial Guidelines for EJToday content.
"B.C. Salmon Farm: Virus Forces Cull of Half Million Fish"
Canadian Press, 05/21/2012"VANCOUVER -- Atlantic salmon farms around Vancouver Island have begun testing and formed a special outbreak management team after a virus outbreak at one farm led to a site quarantine and the cull of more than half a million fish."
"Fishing Observers 'Intimidated And Bribed By EU Crews'"
Guardian, 05/18/2012"Quota checks allegedly being compromised aboard Northwest Atlantic Fishery boats, as observers report surveillance and theft."
WTO Court Bans US 'Dolphin-Safe' Labels, Calls Them 'Unfair' to Mexico
Guardian, 05/17/2012"The international trade court has effectively outlawed the sale of dolphin-friendly canned tuna in American supermarkets, ruling such labels were unfair to Mexican fishermen."
"'Frankenfish': It's What's For Dinner"
NPR, 05/10/2012"More people on the East Coast are acquiring a taste for snakehead, an exotic fish that's moved here from Asia. But the fish are still multiplying and spreading."
"BP Wins Delay of Gulf Spill Trial Until 2013"
Reuters, 05/04/2012"A trial to assign blame and damages that could total tens of billions of dollars for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been put off until January, in a setback for the U.S. government, which wanted to try its case this summer."
Interior IG Likely To Probe Controversy Over Calif. Oyster Farm
Greenwire, 04/26/2012"The Interior Department's inspector general appears likely to join the growing scrutiny over whether the National Park Service falsified data in an environmental review of a California oyster farm."
"Shrimp Processors Object To BP Oil Spill Pact"
Reuters, 04/25/2012"Shrimp processors have asked a federal judge to delay preliminary approval of BP Plc's proposed settlement of economic damage claims from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, arguing that it is unfair to parts of the shrimp industry."
"The American Shrimp Processors Association said the accord, which calls for BP to pay $2.3 billion in seafood claims, favors shrimp harvesters and boat captains at the expense of shrimp docks, processors and others it represents.
"Some Question Whether Sustainable Seafood Delivers on Its Promise"
Wash Post, 04/23/2012"Seafood counters used to be simpler places, where a fish was labeled with its name and price. Nowadays, it carries more information than a used-car listing. Where did it swim? Was it farm-raised? Was it ever frozen? How much harm was done to the ocean by fishing it? Many retailers tout the environmental credentials of their seafood, but a growing number of scientists have begun to question whether these certification systems deliver on their promises. The labels give customers a false impression that purchasing certain products helps the ocean more than it really does, some researchers say."
"Killer Whales Facing an Airborne Threat"
Seattle Times, 04/20/2012"New research shows that killer whales are inhaling bacteria, fungi and viruses once believed to be found only on land. Some of the pathogens are highly virulent. And some are even antibiotic-resistant."
Fishermen Destroy Asian Reefs with Explosives, Cyanide
AP, 04/20/2012"KOMODO ISLAND, Indonesia — Coral gardens that were among Asia’s most spectacular, teeming with colorful sea life just a few months ago, have been transformed into desolate gray moonscapes by illegal fishermen who use explosives or cyanide to kill or stun their prey."
"Gulf Seafood Deformities Alarm Scientists"
Aljazeera, 04/18/2012Fishermen -- and LSU Prof. Jim Cowan -- say that eyeless shrimp and fish with lesions are becoming common in the Gulf of Mexico, with the 2010 BP oil pollution believed to be the likely cause.
Chesapeake Oyster Restoration Plan Unveiled By Army Corps Of Engineers
AP, 04/12/2012"BALTIMORE -- The Army Corps of Engineers unveiled its restoration plan for Chesapeake oysters on Tuesday, a bay-wide look that officials said moves past piecemeal efforts and selects targets for large-scale efforts."
Scientists Map Red Tide Algae To Prevent Shellfish Poisoning
NPR, 03/29/2012"Public health officials have their hands full keeping your clam chowder and raw oysters safe. That's due, in part, to red tides."
"Activists Sue To Stop Killing Of Pacific Northwest Sea Lions"
Reuters, 03/21/2012"Wildlife activists sued on Monday to stop the killing of sea lions that have been eating endangered Columbia River salmon, seeking a reprieve for the animals a day before three Pacific Northwest states are authorized to begin executing them."
"Federal Government Sanctions Limited Sea Lion Killings"
Reuters, 03/16/2012"The states of Oregon and Washington can kill sea lions that have feasted on endangered Columbia River salmon, under an authorization given on Thursday by the federal government.
The decision by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) marked the latest reversal in the federal government's position on sanctioned killing of California sea lions. It upset animal rights advocates, who argue the creatures are unfairly blamed for low fish stocks.

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