Daily Archives: December 22, 2015

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for December 21, 2015

North Carolina Fisheries Association weekly updateMERRY CHRISTMAS from the Board of Directors, Staff and Members of the North Carolina Fisheries Association! May the joy of the season be with you and your family as you celebrate the birth of Christ! Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 17:21

Funds sought to meet commercial fishing safety training requirements

In a letter sent last week, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker and all 11 members of the state’s Washington delegation asked to include funding for the Fishing Safety Training Grants Program and Fishing Safety Research Grant Program in his fiscal 2017 budget. Congress increased the number of commercial fishing vessels whose crews are subject to new safety and survival training programs, but has not funded the grant programs put in place to help the fishing community pay for the training. Read the article here 16:35

A new immersion suit claims it can keep you alive up to 24 hours in freezing water. So we tested it.

When a ship sinks at sea and you’re thrown into the water, hypothermia sets in quickly, so every second counts. An immersion suit is designed to buy you time. Constructed like a surfer’s wetsuit, it keeps you warm for up to three to six hours, until help (hopefully) arrives.  Even a plunge into 50-degree water will induce hypothermia within 60 minutes. The Stearns I950 ThermaShield 24+ bills itself as the most advanced immersion suit made, one that can extend that crucial in-the-water survival window up to 24 hours, and keep you alive even in freezing (32°F) water. Read the article here 16:00

Lobster waiting list debate continues

The waters off Hancock and Washington County have been very productive for lobster fishermen in the last few years. And when business is good, more people want in. Here in the Maine Department of Marine Resources’ (DMR) Lobster Management Zone B, though, a strict limited entry system has resulted in a very long waiting list for new commercial lobster licenses. The current limited entry ratio in Zone B is one new license issued for every five licenses retired. Most of the people on the waiting list already are fishing for a living, but they don’t work for themselves. Read the article here 13:40

Tuna fisherman teams up with engineers to build ‘Zombait’ robotic lure

10e1f9a1c3a9b1b13c33ce6d2f75fc9eTwo years ago over Christmas dinner, Maine tuna fisherman Rink Varian aired a favorite gripe: The tuna he caught vastly preferred live bait fish, but he almost never had enough of the little critters on hand. What if someone built a device that  into effective lures? Weekend anglers and commercial fishermen prefer small live bait to the frozen bait they can buy at stores. That’s because big hunting fish like tuna are on the watch for movement, and live fish with sunlight flashing off their scales make for more convincing bait. Read the article here 13:11

Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission Northern Shrimp Research Set Aside Program explained!

maineshrimp_courtesyofC_SchmidtIn order to maintain a continuing record of biological data collected from the northern shrimp commercial fishery, the section approved a cooperative winter sampling program that will allow a handful of harvesters to land up to a total of 22 metric tons (about 48,000 pounds) of shrimp under a “research set aside quota.” The goal of the program, according to an announcement from the commission, is “to continue the wintertime series of biological data (e.g. size composition, egg hatch timing) collected” from Gulf of Maine northern shrimp fishery catches in the absence of a commercial fishery.Read the article here 11:57

Ocean Choice International complains of Clearwater Surf Clam monopoly

Ocean Choice International (OCI) says a business proposal worth 150 jobs and an estimated $12 million in new payroll is being shut down by a federal government quota decision. The increase was announced in July, under former minister Gail Shea. While keeping the quota at 38,756 tonnes, Minister of Fisheries Tootoo has also committed to not allowing new entrants into the fishery until further scientific study can be completed. Read the article here 11:32

Rolls-Royce Secures another Trawler Contract

rrtrawler1-53425Norwegian shipbuilder Kleven has announced a contract for a fishing vessel to be designed and equipped by Rolls-Royce. The vessel which is a stern trawler has been ordered by French fishing company Compagnie Des Peches Saint-Malo S.A. & SAS Comptoir Des Peches D’Europe Du Nord – Euronor. The vessel owner has decided on the Rolls-Royce NVC 374 WP design, which features an onboard factory for the production of fish filets, and has a storage capacity of 1,400 cubic meters. There’s also a 550 cubic meter fishmeal storage hold. Read the article here 09:51

Lobster fishermen enjoy tide of good prices, landings

Prices and landings remain high nearly a month into the South Shore lobster season. The average price to fishermen is $6 per pound for canners and $6.25 for larger lobsters, up about $1.50 per pound from last year. That’s despite concerns raised in American media in recent days that continuing economic woes in southern European countries would result in a decline in demand there for Christmas lobster. Read the article here 09:07

Scientists stunned! Sea snakes feared extinct found at Ningaloo Reef

Two species of sea snakes, both listed as critically endangered and previously feared to be extinct, have been discovered living off the Western Australian coast . Researchers said the discovery of the short-nosed sea snake on Ningaloo Reef and the rare leaf-scaled sea snake at Shark Bay were the first time they had been spotted alive and healthy in 15 years. Their only previous known habitat was nearly 2,000 kilometres away on Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, but they disappeared from there, a phenomenon scientists were at a loss to explain. Read the article here 08:39

Commercial crab fishing opens Jan. 4 on North Coast

debrief-1a00e9e6b5a2371fOregon and Washington’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open in coastal waters Jan. 4 after a month long delay, state shellfish managers announced Monday. Fishery managers from Washington to California approved the opening. “Along with the state agencies, the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab industry has taken a very proactive and precautionary approach to the opening of this crab season in the interest of public safety,”,,  Commercial crab boat lights will start dotting the horizon Jan. 1 as boats are allowed to set gear three days prior to the fishery opening. Read the article here 08:18

Port of Galilee rehab called boost to R.I. economy

AR-151229847.jpg&MaxW=650&MaxH=500Governor Raimondo was joined by the congressional delegation at a ceremony on Monday at the Port of Galilee to mark the completion of a $2.9-million project to revamp infrastructure at Rhode Island’s largest fishing port. The project included rehabilitating 3,200 square feet of Pier HH, the port’s primary working pier for large vessels, and reconstructing a 925-foot stretch of bulkhead from Salty Brine State Beach to State Pier 3 that’s used by waterside business and ferry and charter services. The improvements were funded by a $2.9-million federal grant. Read the article here 07:31