Daily Archives: August 28, 2013

Bunker and Ellis: How two men played pool and became boatbuilding icons

“We worked nights, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, even Christmas,” Raymond Bunker said in 1979, not long after his 32-year partnership with Ralph Ellis ended. “Often, we worked until nine o’clock or midnight, just the two of us, and we sometimes built four boats in a winter.”Bunker and Ellis were in their 30s when they teamed up in 1946 to build boats. Before that, both men had developed reputations around the waterfront as hardworking, knowledgeable men. Ellis was a fisherman who helped run a commercial wharf. Bunker was the head foreman of a large boatyard, and ran private yachts during the summer. more@bdnprofilesmaine  21:07

Judge agrees to $1 million lien against seafood dealer, co-op manager for alleged lobster theft

BDNA judge agreed last week to slap a lien for more than $1 million attachment on properties of a southern Maine seafood dealer as well as the former manager of the Spruce Head Fishermen’s Cooperative over allegations by the midcoast cooperative that those parties conspired to steal and sell huge quantities of lobster. more@bdn  20:52

Navy’s power cable plans for Cutler station concern Maine scallop fishermen

BDNMACHIAS, Maine — The Navy’s plans to run a power cable under Machias Bay to bring electricity to its communications station in Cutler has caused area scallop fishermen to be apprehensive. There is a possibility that fishermen may be restricted from dragging gear along the bottom of the bay in the vicinity of the cable in search of scallops or urchins. more@bdn 20:41

Politics catching up with Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board

BATON ROUGE – Last week saw Ewell Smith resign as executive director of the  Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board after 13 years of service. And despite the lengthy reign, it was really only the last two years  that did him in, thanks in large part to coastal lawmakers.  The board  was once a sleepy quasi-government organization, but that all changed when BP  gave it $30 million to help the seafood industry recover from the 2010 oil  spill. more@acadiaparishtoday 20:26

Puget Sound Crab Harvest – What goes down will come back up…

By Michael A. Moore – Puget Sound Dungeness crab harvests have been at record levels for the last four seasons, fluctuating between 8 and 11 million pounds total harvest. The 2011-12 season holds the record of close to 11 million pounds, with 2012-13 down to 9 million pounds. The 2013-14 season may be lower than that. “My friends who crab on Whidbey Island tell me this year’s catch is off from last year,” said David Armstrong, Director of the School of,,,,,    more@fishermensnewsonine  16:45

Gov. Rick Scott announced Wednesday that the state will spend $90 million to further hydrate the Everglades

During a stop in Fort Myers, Scott discussed a plan to construct a 2.6-mile bridge on Tamiami Trail in Miami-Dade County. A similar 1-mile bridge opened in March on that stretch. The bridges replace the existing roadway, which has blocked the flow of water to the southern Everglades from Lake Okeechobee since its construction in 1928. When the project is completed, an annual average of 210,000 acre-feet of water will be redirected. [email protected] 16:10

New Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute International Program Director Alexa Tonkovich Promoted from Within

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has a new director for its international marketing efforts. Alexa Tonkovich, who has worked the past four years as ASMI’s Asia and Emerging Markets manager, was named to the post Monday morning, and took over the job immediately. Her promotion will now add Europe to her plate. Listen Jay Barrett/KMXT 15:42

Canadian Fish Farmer Gray Aqua files for bankruptcy protection – Infectious Salmon Anemia virus causes financial indigestion

The company was recently hard hit by a series of infectious salmon anemia cases, resulting in millions of dollars worth of fish having to be destroyed. At the same time, Gray’s has been ordered by the courts to repay Corey Nutrition just under $650,000 that it owes for fish feed supplied to its farms in Newfoundland. more@cbcnews 15:26

Old School – Newly launched lobster boat echoes past

fce9cfa6233c7f59596fb41ed9009d21_XLJust days after her launching by boatbuilder Peter Buxton and lobsterman Frank Gotwals, Sea Song shows off her sweet lines at last month’s Stonington lobster boat races. Buxton used native white oak and cedar to build the hull he designed for the 38-foot lobster boat. Photo credit and story from Stephen Rappaport @fenceviewer 14:58

Fisherman William “Billy Mac” McIntire, lost at sea, remembered as local legend, had friend’s around the world

bilde bill“Billy Mac was like a rock star, everybody loved him,” said Dwight Raymond of Kennebunk’s Performance Marine and The Pilot House. “He was the real deal and always put a smile on everyone’s face. He worked hard and played hard. I feel terrible for his parents.” Debbie Kimball Goodale remembers the impact McIntire had on women especially. “I loved watching girls stand in line to dance with him at ‘Good Night Ogunquit,’” she said. more@seacoastonline  14:04

NMFS – Northeast Multispeci​es Fishery Management Plan – Final Rule

Final Rule to Implement Interim Measures for Framework Adjustment 48; Framework Adjustment 50; and 2013 Sector Operations Plans, Contracts, and Allocation Annual Catch Entitlemen​ts to the Northeast Multispeci​es Fishery Management Plan –  Read more  12:43

National Marine Fisheries Service: Revisions Proposed for Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Fishery Management Plan

Today, at the recommendation of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, NOAA /NMFS is proposing a number of revisions to the Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fishery management plan to improve the catch monitoring and reduce river herring and shad bycatch through Amendment 14. read more  12:36

Endangered Species Act Marks Fortieth Anniversary

radio-microphoneyThe Endangered Species Act celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year. It has been hailed by some as the strongest environmental law we have, decried by others as an impediment to economic growth. listen@wcai 12:05

Menhaden rules to be heard Today by Md. Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review Committee

For watermen, this is a chance for their voice to be heard on regulations that some, like Bob Newberry, who is a co-organizer for the Harvesters Land and Sea Coalition, say are negatively affecting their livelihood and aren’t necessary. “We’re just asking for our day in front of the AELR Committee to explain our side of the situation,” Newberry said. “At least for once the watermen of the state of Maryland are going to be able to have their side of the story heard,” [email protected] 11:57

Cullen slams Shea over sockeye crisis – “The minister … is doing just as good as a job as she did last time, which is to say terrible.”

Nathan Cullen said Canada’s Minister for Fisheries and Oceans is as absent as this year’s sockeye salmon run causes closures around B.C. The Skeena-Bulkey Valley MP slammed Minister Gail Shea for “not being involved” during “a crisis” of record-low sockeye salmon numbers in the Skeena River this year.  “We can’t seem to get their attention at all on what we think is a significant crisis in the fishery, the absence of such an important fish,” Cullen said. more@northernview  09:22

North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission to decide on nursery status for Pamlico

A decades-long battle between user groups of North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound reaches another level Thursday, when the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission considers secondary nursery status for the sound. The Commission meeting starts at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Double Tree by Hilton in Raleigh. Public comment starts at 9:15 a.m., with a discussion and vote on the issue slated to start at 11:15 a.m. more@pilotonline 09:06

SIGN THIS PETITION! North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission: Save local seafood! No permanent secondary nursery areas in NC!

To: W. Robert Bizzell, Chairman, NC Marine Fisheries Commission

Save local seafood! Please do not designate all inland waters of North Carolina as secondary nursery areas. North Carolina would loose a considerable amount of income to foreign competition, as well as access to this bountiful resource and a historic profession among generations of coastal citizens.

Sincerely, [Your name]    Link to petition 08:46

Fukushima crisis new blow to Japanese fishermen’s hopes

Fumio Suzuki, a third-generation fisherman, sets out into the Pacific Ocean  every seven weeks. Not to catch fish that he can sell but to catch fish that can  be tested for radiation. Fishermen like 47-year-old Suzuki now wonder whether they ever will be able to  resume fishing, a mainstay for many small rural communities like Yotsukura, 45  kilometres (30 miles) south of the Fukushima plant. His son has already moved  on, looking for work in construction. more@3news 08:33

Janet Napolitano bids farewell to Department of Homeland Security

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Tuesday said farewell to the agency she has headed for more than four years, saying she leaves behind a department with greater adaptability and stronger ties to local officials. more@wapo  08:18:

The Resource War Over Pebble Mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay

alaska3The Bristol Bay region in southwest Alaska, often referred to as “America’s fish basket,” is home to the most valuable salmon fishing ground in the U.S. This pristine area supports the production of more than half of the world’s sockeye salmon, one of the most popular and prized types of salmon. Additionally, the region supports substantial catches of four other salmon species and herring. In total, the salmon fisheries of Bristol Bay support the equivalent of nearly 10,000 full-time jobs and create $1.5 billion in annual economic output. It is a prime example of a conservation economy, defined as a sustainable economy that directly depends on a healthy ecosystem. more@ecowatch

BATON ROUGE, La – 3 cited for illegal oyster activity

State wildlife and fisheries agents have cited three men for alleged oyster and boating safety violations in Bayou Stephan in Plaquemines Parish. more@houmatoday  07:20

Maryland Watermen place mistaken blame for fee hikes –

Some commercial watermen across the state of Maryland are up in arms about the dramatic new license fees, especially the new, annual $215 harvester’s registration, which does nothing but allow watermen the privilege to fish by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. more@somdnews  03:58

Insiders see changing dynamics in fisheries market

While the Bay State fishing fleet’s haul of cod has dropped precipitously, the  waters now teem with others species that had not been present in such previously  cool waters and several that are not common on American menus. more@wickedlocal 00:42