ROFFS™ Fishy Times Newsletter – 34th Edition – Banner Day for Bluefin Tuna, Haliburton’s Oil Spill Agreement & Recent Tournament Winners/Catch ReportsNEWSBanner Day for Bluefin

A bright new chapter for bluefin tuna has begun. NOAA Fisheries just issued a strong final amendment Aug. 29 for protecting these giants of the ocean. With the promulgation of implementing regulations, the new amendment will help stop western Atlantic bluefin—and approximately 80 other types of marine wildlife—from unnecessarily dying on surface longlines, fishing gear that is intended primarily for yellowfin tuna and swordfish, but indiscriminately kills other species.

“NOAA Fisheries deserves great praise for significantly increasing protections for bluefin while allowing fishing for yellowfin tuna and swordfish to continue,” said Lee Crockett, director of U.S. ocean conservation for The Pew Charitable Trusts. “This historic action will help western Atlantic bluefin tuna rebuild to healthy levels.”

Bluefin tuna command respect. They’re as fast as racehorses, bring fishermen to their knees, and grow to the size of a small car. These “superfish” make transoceanic migrations, can dive deeper than 4,000 feet, and live up to 40 years. But bluefin are no match for wasteful fishing methods. The population of western Atlantic bluefin tuna is just 36 percent of its already depleted 1970 level. This decline is caused in part by surface longlining.

Please click HERE to read more on the Banner Day for Bluefin Tuna now on our website…

Halliburton’s $1.1 Billion Spill Agreement Avoids Bigger Payouts

Halliburton Co.’s agreement to pay $1.1 billion to settle most of the lawsuits over its role in the biggest U.S. offshore oil spill helps it avoid billions more in potential penalties down the road.

The oilfield services company, accused of doing defective work on BP Plc’s Macondo well before it exploded in 2010, killing 11 men and dumping millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, said today the agreement resolves “a substantial majority” of its liability in the disaster.

Halliburton’s settlement comes as the federal judge overseeing oil-spill cases weighs fault for the accident, and averts the risk of a more costly judgment against the company in favor of some spill victims. The agreement removes much of the uncertainty that has plagued Halliburton for the past four years as investors waited to see how much the company might be hurt by payouts in the case. With its biggest piece of liability resolved, Halliburton can refocus its attention on developing new oilfield technology that will help it boost profits worldwide.

“It’s actually a pretty decent settlement for them,” said Rob Desai, an analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis, who rates the shares a hold and owns none. “This eliminates an overhang.”

Please click HERE to read more about the Halliburton Spill Agreement on our website…


BP’s Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig burns in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico after its disastrous explosion in April 2010. (See Photo Above.)

Updated Catch Reports Section of ROFFS™ Website
Congratulations to ROFFS™ client Nick Zerille fishing aboard the “Mango” with his nice 1st place Yellowfin Tuna in last weekend’s Hamptons Offshore Invitational. (See Photo Above.)