Cancelling legal elver fishery has not stopped poaching in N.S.

Nova Scotia RCMP have charged a Parrsboro man with multiple criminal counts after a night time altercation with fishery officers attempting to stop illegal elver fishing in Hubbards this weekend. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says its officers tried to inspect a vehicle on Saturday “as part of their normal activities to deter and disrupt unauthorized elver harvest.” “An individual obstructed fishery officers from conducting the inspection and struck the officers with their vehicle while fleeing to attempt to avoid arrest. “The fishery officers involved were not injured and alerted local RCMP to the incident,” more, >>click to read<< 19:03

Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy

Flicking heads off shrimp is one of the first jobs you learn when you’re born a Davis.  Joseph “Jody” Davis remembers filling up a bucket of beheaded shrimp for his grandmother for a quarter when he was just 4 years old. “It wasn’t bad money in the ’70s,” he said, standing on the dock of Davis Seafood, the family business in Sneads Ferry.  His 25-year-old daughter, Hannah, swiftly beheads a just-caught batch for a customer order. Muscle memory fills the bin. “We’ve been at this exact spot since 1949,” he said. “But we’ve been commercial fishermen for centuries.” The Davis Seafood office door is decorated with two stickers bearing the same mantra: “FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS EAT IMPORTED SHRIMP.” Customers notice it and laugh. “But it’s more than just comedy,” Davis said. “It’s a way of life for us. And if people just cast us aside, we’re done.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 16:12

Stock Assessments Benefit from Rockhopper Trawl Efficiency Study

A collaborative study conducted aboard a Rhode Island-based commercial trawler from 2015 to 2017 is bearing fruit. It was led by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and commercial fishermen interested in how catches of the same species varied depending on the type of trawl net used. Since 2019, stock assessment scientists have used the results from this Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel study in multiple stock assessments to ensure sustainable fisheries for several flounder species as well as monkfish and red hake. Specifically, the results help produce more accurate estimates of abundance which can increase the confidence in catch advice for some species. “Cooperative research is essential to obtain accurate assessments and catch advice in our nation’s fisheries,” said Chris Roebuck, former Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel member, commercial fisherman and participant in the experiment. “This research is an excellent example of collaboration between scientists and fishermen. It provided solid efficiency numbers for each targeted species,” he said. “The information produced was clearly the best available science and has the potential to ultimately influence catch advice for every species evaluated.” Photos, lots of links, more, >>click to read<< 12:29

What You Need to Know About Cod

As a large, naturally abundant fish, cod has been eaten by various human populations for centuries. While both of America’s Atlantic cod fisheries are overfished, American stocks of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) are not. What’s more, various other cod fisheries are located around the globe, some over-exploited, others not. The fish’s prevalence, along with its suitability for eating, means that despite dwindling numbers, cod remains a stalwart of many cuisines. However, there are many things about cod that aren’t widely known. It might surprise some people to learn that cod hunt for prey. They eat a variety of animals, ranging from worms to lobsters and even small fish. Such a diet means cod are capable of growing up to an impressive length of six feet and a weight of over 100 pounds. more, >>click to read<< 11:52

 

NCFA Weekly Update for March 18, 2024

The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC) met the first full week of March in Jekyll Island, Georgia. The main items discussed at this meeting were king and Spanish mackerel tournament sales, Black Sea bass, red snapper, for-hire reporting, and the commercial permitting structure in the snapper grouper fishery. King and Spanish mackerel tournament sales were discussed by the council but no votes were taken on this issue. It is my understanding that the council wants to wait and see what the public has to say about tournament sales and many other mackerel related issues at the upcoming mackerel port meetings before making any decisions. As always if you have any questions or comment please reach out. more, >>click to read<< 10:46

Offshore wind or tribal rights? Biden’s California dilemma.

Several offshore wind developers want to build the state’s first farms off the coast here, projects that are needed for California and the White House to reach decarbonization goals. But this summer, the administration is also likely to designate the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary in coastal waters that surround Morro Bay, a plan that the offshore wind industry says blocks their access to the grid. Equinor, Golden State Wind and Invenergy California Offshore, companies with offshore wind farms planned off the bay, hope to carve out guaranteed paths for their power lines to reach shore, when the NOAA finalizes the sanctuary in coming months. “The ocean should not be the sacrificial lamb for our unquenchable thirst for energy,” said Violet Sage Walker, chair of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, the Indigenous tibe that proposed the marinre sanctuary to NOAA. more, >>click to read<< 09:29

Anglers seek trawler buffer zone as Atlantic herring stock declines

Recreational fishermen in New England say commercial trawlers are threatening the survival of smaller businesses relying on a healthy stock of Atlantic herring. Rich Hittinger, first vice president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, said years of overfishing depleted the population and continue to have negative effects on the ocean ecosystem. “The predator fish, like the striped bass, they’re scrounging for anything that they can eat,” Hittinger observed. “And we often see fish that are long and thin because they’re really not getting sufficient nutrition.” Hittinger noted anglers want the New England Fishery Management Council to reestablish a 12-mile offshore buffer zone to force large commercial trawlers out to sea and reduce conflicts with businesses closer to shore. The council is accepting public comments through April. more, >>click to read<< 06:27

Iceland volcano spews smoke, lava in 4th eruption since December – Nearby fishing town evacuated

A volcano in Iceland erupted for the fourth time since December on Saturday, the country’s meteorological office said, spewing smoke and bright orange lava into the air in sharp contrast against the dark night sky. The eruption began at 8:23 p.m. local time and the fissure was estimated to be about 2.9 kilometres long, roughly the same size as the last eruption in February, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in a statement. Authorities had warned for weeks that an eruption was imminent on the Reykjanes peninsula, just south of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. Lava appeared to be flowing rapidly south toward the nearby fishing town of Grindavik, where a few of the nearly 4,000 residents had returned following earlier outbreaks, the Met Office said. Video, photos, more, >>click to read<< 12:32

An appeal for seal: Supporters say it’s time to review bans on ‘sustainable’ industry

Fisheries managers allow some 400,000 harp seals to be harvested annually, but the allowable catch hasn’t been taken in the past 15 years. These days, hunters only take about 40,000 seals because of international bans that have dramatically reduced access to markets. The United States has had a ban on seal products since 1972, the European Union banned seal products in 2009, and the Chinese market also has restrictions. But while the sealing industry struggles to stay alive, it’s a way of life that continues. Eldred Woodford, president of the Canadian Sealers Association, has been eating seal his entire life. He’s frustrated that more people aren’t seeing the value of an abundant food source just off the coast. “It’s a waste of a resource. That’s what it is,” he said. more, >>click to read<< 10:03

Barrow fisherman Jack Marklew nominated for Fishing News Award

Jack Marklew, who owns a fishing business called A&J Fresh Fish Ltd with his partner Amy Farish, is in the running for ‘Under 10 Meter Fishermen of the Year’. Jack and Amy quit their jobs during the Covid pandemic to pursue making a living on fishing. After leaving a successful career as a CNC machinist and programmer, Jack bought a little boat and the pair set up their own seafood business. They now supply Walney Island shellfish, lobster, crab and a variety of wet fish to the public as well as the surrounding businesses and restaurants.  more, >>click to read<< 08:41

Commentary: Nuclear Energy Is the Only Way to Achieve Maine’s Climate Goals

In response to a rise in climate anxiety, particularly among young voters, politicians have made numerous “climate pledges” to transition entire networks to carbon-free energy sources. These goals are noble. Whether they are realistic remains to be seen, but Maine’s legislature has a chance to make these intentions a reality — without breaking the bank for consumers. Since Maine Gov. Janet Mills pledged to make the state carbon-neutral by 2045, consumers have seen a massive uptick in energy costs, with Mainers paying 23% more than the national average electric bill. State Rep. Reagan Paul has introduced LD 1549 in the legislature to examine whether small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) have a role to play in the state’s energy mix. more, >>click to read<< 07:10

Rock lobster counting continues a 55-year project that reliably predicts its $240 million per year future

A program recording baby lobster numbers along the WA coast has been running since 1968, creating an invaluable data set. It allows scientists to reliably predict the health of the $240 million per year rock lobster industry into the future. Researchers continue to haul puerulus counters out of the water at nine sites along the coast every month. Fishing is a game of risk and reward the world over, but off the Western Australian coast the odds of a good catch are stacked in crayfishers’ favour. The $240 million per year western rock lobster industry, WA’s most valuable fishery, which was worth as much as $400m pre-COVID — has the unique ability to predict its catch four years into the future, all thanks to the work of a curious scientist more than 55 years ago. photos, more, >>click to read<< 19:34

Seal oil is the best source of omega-3 and other facts about Canada’s misunderstood seal harvest

Contrary to narratives spun by anti-sealing groups for decades, this practice is a testament to resilience and a crucial pillar of sustainability and economic survival. Despite numerous fear factors, some substantiated and others frivolous, coastal communities still rely on and support the responsible harvest of seals. For coastal Canadians, the ocean has been and continues to be a source of food, economic activity, recreation, and livelihood. Let’s follow the facts trail: The seal harvest uses techniques designed by a panel of international expert veterinarians. Seals eat 53 times more fish yearly than the entire Eastern Canadian fishing fleet catches. Government scientists have stated that seal predation is preventing the rebuilding of five fish species listed under the Species at Risk Act. >> click to read <<14:52

Maine Lobstermen’s Association Releases Statement on Final Wind Energy Area

“The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) appreciates that BOEM’s Final Wind Energy Area (WEA) removes Lobster Management Area 1. “MLA worked tirelessly with Maine’s fishing industry, our congressional delegation, and Governor Mills to ensure prime lobster fishing grounds are spared from industrial development. We are proud that so many lobstermen have constructively engaged in this process and grateful that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has listened to their concerns. “But there is still much work to do. Secondary Area C, an area where many endangered North Atlantic right whales are sighted, is included in the Final Wind Energy Area. MLA remains steadfast in its position that no area of the Gulf of Maine should be industrialized with offshore wind. There are still too many unanswered questions about the impacts of offshore wind on the marine environment, commercial fishermen and our fishing heritage.” https://www.mainelobstermen.org/ 12:57

High-Tech Trawler offers New Opportunities

‘It looks good,’ said Sigurður Óli Kristjánsson, skipper of new factory trawler Berlin as he was preparing to head back to Norway for a shakedown trip to fine-tune the sophisticated processing deck. Berlin is the latest Vard design trawlers over the last few years, delivered to Nergård, Luntos and other fishing companies, and is practically identical to Akraberg, which was built for Faroese company Framherji in 2022. ‘It’s a very fine trawler, very high-tech. I like the look of the winches. These are very sophisticated and precise, with Scantrol management systems, and with energy-saving functionality. These trawlers have more power, with a nine-cylinder engine, and everything is a size up from the old Berlin. The thinking is that it’s more economic to have a more powerful engine that can run at a more econonic speed instead of being at full revs,’ he said and added that this is a departure from running the main engine at a set speed and then adjusting the propeller pitch as required. Photos, video, more, >>click to read<< 11:14

State lawsuit claims federal government owes Alaska $700 billion for quashing Pebble mine

The federal government owes Alaska more than $700 billion in compensation for the 2023 Environmental Protection Agency action that blocked development of the massive and controversial Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska, Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration claims in a lawsuit filed in a federal court. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in the District of Columbia, is part of a flurry of legal actions by the state and the mine’s would-be developer that seek to revive the massive copper and gold project. In its complaint filed Thursday with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the state cited an estimate for 100 years of production to support the $700 billion figure. And it said Alaska had been depending on Pebble development for its economic future. more, >>click to read<< 09:26

RNLI man is charged over death of fisherman in rescue after the grandfather’s boat was capsized during a rescue

A RNLI volunteer has been charged over the death of a grandfather whose fishing boat capsized during a rescue operation. William Murray McCubbin, 60, was pulled from the water after his vessel sank close to Port William harbour, Wigtownshire, in November 2022. His boat had become stranded on the rocks and efforts were already being made to recover it when it capsized. Mr McCubbin was taken to the Galloway Community Hospital, in Stranraer, but he could not be saved. Police have now arrested and charged a 48-year-old volunteer lifeboat crew member following a 16-month investigation. Yesterday, the family of Mr McCubbin – who was known to friends and relatives as Murray – paid tribute to him and spoke of their hope that the inquiry would provide them with answers. more, >>click to read<< 08:05

Press Democrat Editorial: North Coast fishers need help

The bad news keeps piling up for the North Coast’s beleaguered fishing industry. Crab season was delayed yet again this winter, and now salmon season may be canceled entirely for the second consecutive year. Even a hopeful development — the ongoing removal of four obsolete hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River — turned sour when as many as 830,000 hatchery fish died within days after being released in the Klamath, apparently because of high water pressure inside a bypass tunnel at Iron Gate Dam. Commercial and sport fishing have supported families in Bodega Bay, Fort Bragg and other North Coast towns for generations. “The identity of Bodega Bay is fishing,” Dick Ogg, a local skipper and president of the Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Marketing Association, told the editorial board. “The town itself, that is what we are, fishermen.” more, >>click to read<< 07:01

FFAW pleads with fisheries minister to open market, arguing harvest too much for local processors

The Fish, Food & Allied Workers union (FFAW) formally urged Fisheries Minister Elvis Loveless to open the fisheries to outside buyers in a letter on Friday, following a week of intensifying protests from harvesters. The letter is a response to Loveless’s own letter from Thursday evening, in which he requested a plan from the union that would guarantee the jobs of all FFAW members, harvesters, and fish plant workers if the market opens. “Any decision to allow outside buyers must consider the impacts on all partners in the seafood industry, and particularly on fish plant workers,” Loveless says in his letter, adding that if such a plan is presented by the FFAW, the government will consider opening the market to outside buyers for snow crab. more, >>click to read<< 19:38

Western Flyer Restoration: The John Steinbeck fishing seiner

Built in Tacoma, Washington, the state-of-the-art seiner was launched from Western Boat Building Company in 1937, destined for the sardine trade of Monterey, California. Builder and shipyard owner, Martin Petrich Sr, specialized in sturdy vessels. For Western Flyer, he used a single, 64ft piece of old-growth fir for the keel; ribs were white oak; fir planks steamed, fitted, and caulked with cotton. The boat’s strength was offset by a graceful sheer and jaunty wheelhouse. In early 1940, scientist Ed Ricketts and author John Steinbeck combed the Monterey waterfront for a vessel that would carry them, along with a small crew and makeshift biology lab, on a scientific research mission to Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. No one was willing until Western Flyer tied to the pier and her captain, Tony Berry, agreed. 12 Photos, more, >>click to read<< 15:37

Mass. Lobstmen Win Case Fighting Feds’ Fishing Closure

A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Thursday that the National Marine Fisheries Service illegally closed a 200-square-mile swath of ocean to protect the endangered North Atlantic Right Whales, backing a legal challenge by a lobster fishing industry group. In a ruling from the bench, U.S. District Judge William G. Young said the agency’s permanent seasonal closure of the so-called wedge area to lobster fishing in February 2023 to avoid whale entanglements with fishing gear was contrary to a federal budget law passed the previous December that hit pause on new regulations for the lobster industry until the end of 2028. “This court is convinced that the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 is clear on its face, and it clearly applies to bar the final wedge closure rule,” Judge Young said. more, >>click to read<< 12:35

Feds announce areas where offshore wind can go in Gulf of Maine

Federal regulators have made a final designation of roughly 2 million acres in the Gulf of Maine where offshore wind turbines can be deployed to help provide power to New England. The boundary set by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management does not include any part of the federal lobster management area 1. That fishing area extends from state waters about three miles offshore to about 40 miles. The closest the designated federal wind energy area comes to Maine’s coast is just outside the fishing zone. The Maine Lobstermen’s Association said Friday that it appreciates that the fishing zone is excluded from the wind area approved by BOEM. But it said that it remains “steadfast” in its position that industrial wind power development does not belong anywhere in the Gulf of Maine. more, >>click to read<< 12:39

Federal Council Announces California Ocean Salmon Season Alternatives for 2024

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has produced three options for ocean salmon seasons beginning May 16, 2024. Two of the three alternatives would authorize short ocean salmon season dates and establish small harvest limits for commercial and sport fishing off California in 2024. The third alternative would close the ocean fisheries off California for a second consecutive year. The alternatives were approved by the PFMC for public review Monday. Meanwhile, abundance of Klamath River Fall Chinook is forecast at 180,700 adults. At this level of abundance, the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan authorizes only low levels of fishing on these stocks, and requires management be designed to allow most of the adult population to return to the river to spawn. links, more, >>click to read<< 11:11

Ocean Choice sells Nova Scotia offshore scallop quota

Ocean Choice International has sold its offshore Nova Scotia scallop quotas to three Nova Scotia companies with a long history harvesting sea scallops off the coast of Nova Scotia – Mersey Seafoods Limited, LaHave Seafoods Limited and Comeau’s Sea Foods Limited. ‘We are committed to sustainably growing our place in the fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador; and this decision supports our investment and growth in our business and the fishing industry here at home,’ said Ocean Choice CEO Martin Sullivan. As part of the agreement, Ocean Choice is also acquiring Newfoundland and Labrador offshore quota for Greenland halibut and northern cod from Mersey, and Greenland halibut, northern cod and redfish from LaHave, further strengthening the company’s Newfoundland- and Labrador-based business. more, >>click to read<< 10:21

Southeast Texas shrimpers concerned for collapse of shrimping industry

An association that represents Port Arthur’s shrimpers is concerned that imports of farm grown shrimp could collapse the local shrimping industry. In the last 18 months, southeast Texas shrimpers have docked their boats due to the now unaffordable costs of fishing. “The prices that they’re getting at the dock are more like $0.75 as opposed to $2.50 or $3 a pound which they were getting only 18 months ago,” says Father Sinclair Oubre, the treasurer for the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association. Video, more, >>click to read<< 08:29

Garibaldi – Home of World-Class Dungeness Crab Thanks to Experienced, Professional Commercial Fishing Fleet

Did you know that Garibaldi, Oregon produces some of the best Dungeness crab? This small-town port has taken advantage of its close proximity to the ocean by employing new techniques and using smaller boats to earn the honor of having the lowest Dungeness crab dead loss of any port, anywhere. Experts from around the world have come to Garibaldi to see how they manage it. Dead loss is the almost inevitable result of fishing; some crabs tend to die on the boat before getting to port. Reducing this is good for the fishery and good for the boat. photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:43

Federal judge to rule on reduction in trawler halibut bycatch 

A U.S. District court judge is expected to issue a decision this spring on a lawsuit filed by the Groundfish Forum challenging a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) decision setting abundance-based limits on halibut bycatch in the Amendment 80 Bering Sea trawl fishery. The Groundfish Forum, based in Seattle, filed its complaint with the U.S. District Court in Anchorage on Dec. 19, challenging the new halibut bycatch rules that were first adopted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and subsequently approved by NMFS. On Feb. 29, the Halibut Defense Alliance intervened on the side of NMFS over concerns about the number of halibut taken as bycatch by Amendment 80 vessels in the Bering Sea, saying the limits on halibut bycatch would ensure more equitable access to halibut fisheries.  The alliance is a broad coalition of commercial harvesters, charter operators, processors and community organizations representing halibut-dependent communities in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. more, >>click to read<< 19:52

Crab grab nets federal conviction

A Tangier man pleaded guilty today to overharvesting Chesapeake Blue Crabs in Virginia waters and selling them in Maryland in violation of the Lacey Act. According to court documents, between March 20, 2023, to April 20, 2023, James Warren Eskridge, 45, exceeded the maximum harvest and sale of blue crabs to a seafood buyer on 16 occasions. Chesapeake Blue Crabs are the most valuable fishery in the Chesapeake Bay and, as such, those fishing blue crabs are subject to strict limits by law. At the time of Eskridge’s violations, Virginia permitted licensed commercial crabbers to harvest up to 27 bushels of blue crab per day, regardless of the number of licenses crabbers present on a single vessel. Eskridge operated the fishing vessel Rebecca Jean II with two mates out of Tangier Island, Virginia. On April 11, 2023, law enforcement observed Eskridge and his mates offload 60 bushels – more than double the Virginia limit – in Crisfield, Maryland. On April 11, 2023, Eskridge and his mates returned to Crisfield and offloaded 56 bushels. On April 13, 2023, they returned again and offloaded 58 bushels more. more, >>click to read<< 16:36

FFAW Calls for Drastic Changes to Provincial Processing Licensing Amid Harvester Protests in St. John’s

ST. JOHN’S, NL – FFAW-Unifor is calling on the provincial government to listen to protesting fish harvesters by lifting all processing caps in the province, grant new processing licenses, and remove restrictions on outside buyers. “Fish harvesters in our province have been disadvantaged long enough. The situation has gotten so severe in recent years that a very large number are now facing imminent bankruptcy due to the cartel-like environment processing companies enjoy here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” explains Greg Pretty, FFAW-Unifor. “When fish harvesters cannot find a buyer for their catch – we have a serious problem. This province cannot have a thriving fishery if fish harvesters are not succeeding, and the current wall of opposition they face makes success unattainable,” Pretty says. more, >>click to read<< 15:01

Key FFAW rep steps down amid ongoing crab price formula negotiations

A key negotiator for the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union has stepped down amid ongoing tense and highly anticipated crab price formula negotiations between the harvesters’ union and the Association of Seafood Producers. As first reported, FFAW negotiator Jake Rice has resigned. The news was flagged in a Facebook post in a fishery group by harvester Jason Sullivan. Sullivan wrote FFAW secretary treasurer Jason Spingle is likely to take the reins. For weeks they’ve stood on the steps in front of Confederation Building and flooded the public gallery of the House of Assembly to voice their concerns over the handling of the fishery, now just weeks away from the start of crab season.  Harvesters are calling for an open market — the ability to take their catch, regardless of species, to whichever buyer will take the product, whether that be within the province or outside it. more, >>click to read<< 13:30