Daily Archives: August 24, 2016
GARFO says, Meet our Enforcement Compliance Liaison!
About five years ago, NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) in the Northeast Region strengthened its compliance assistance and outreach efforts by creating a new Compliance Liaison position. This position supports OLE’s goal of ensuring that those who obey the rules reap the benefits of fair competition and an even playing field in the market. (thank you Jihad Jane!) With 23 years of experience as a commercial fisherman for scallops and groundfish, and 10 years with our Sustainable Fisheries Division, Don Frei is a perfect fit for this job. Not only is he familiar with the needs of the fishing industry, but he knows a lot about fisheries management and regulations. As Compliance Liaison, it’s Don’s job to work with the fishing industry to increase both understanding of and compliance with regional fisheries regulations. To do this, Don spends a lot of time on the road talking to people. And he also: Read the rest here 17:46
New South Wales: King Prawn prices drop as fishermen haul in record catches off Coffs Coast
Fishermen off the Coffs Coast in northern New South Wales are reporting record catches of the iconic eastern king prawn. The Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative’s seafood operations manager Shane Geary said he had never seen anything like it. “The last week or two, it’s probably been the biggest I’ve seen it in the 26 years I’ve been at the fish co-op,” he said. “Leading up to the full moon, we had some big catches; some of the boats there, not last night but the night before, had up to two tonne in the one night. “That’s some pretty big catches.”He said stocks were plentiful and the weather had been ideal. “We’re really pumping out a lot of prawns at the moment, both regionally and into Sydney,” Mr Geary said. “The prices have been fantastic. We’ve been retailing for around about $18 which we haven’t done for quite a long time. Read the rest here 17:18
Fisherman scoops up $100 million pearl — but keeps it under the bed for 10 years
A fisherman in the Philippines is happy as a clam after discovering that a mammoth pearl he stashed away for 10 years under his bed is worth a cool $100 million. The lucky angler, who has not been identified, discovered the 75-pound pearl — believed to be the biggest ever — in the sea off Palawan Island, the Mirror of the U.K. reported. Unaware of the giant pearl’s value, he kept it as a good-luck piece under his bed until a fire in his home forced him to move. The superstitious fishermen then decided to hand it over to the tourism office in remote Puerto Princesa, city officials said. “The fisherman threw the anchor down and it got stuck on a rock during a storm,” tourism officer Aileen Cynthia Amurao explained. “He noticed that it was lodged on a shell and swam down to pull up the anchor, and also brought the shell with him. Read the story here, 14:16
Downeast Boat builder Richard Stanley tinkers with a ‘hybrid’
It goes without saying that Richard Stanley has wooden boats in his blood. But at Richard Stanley Custom Boats, he is working on a new design that combines both wood and fiberglass fabrication with the goal of keeping wooden boats economically accessible to local fishermen. As a compromise between the expense of wood and the relative ease of fiberglass, Stanley recently designed a 38-foot powerboat with a wooden hull and a fiberglass top. It’s an idea he has kicked around for years, but it wasn’t until recently that he found the perfect customer for which to execute his design. The boat, commissioned by Doug Mayo of Portland, will be used as a charter fishing vessel and a recreational boat for family and friends. Using fiberglass for the boat’s top will save time and money. Read the story here 14:03
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: TYPE: 48′ Steel Trawler, Detroit 12-V-71N, Federal Permits
Specifications, information and 10 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 13:09
Fishermen are fighting windfarm company Dong Energy for their future
Fleetwood’s last remaining fishermen have staged a stirring flotilla protest as they desperately fight to save their livelihoods. Eight of the town’s remaining ten fishing boats were adorned with giant banners yesterday afternoon as they sought to highlight their struggle with windfarm company Dong Energy. One banner proclaimed “Wind farms taking over fishing grounds. Fleetwood fisherman Will Bamber says the protest is over plans to extend an already large windfarm in the Irish Sea. He says DONG Energy’s plans could force boats out of their fishing grounds for an entire year – the whole of 2017 – and kill off their livelihoods. Mr Bamber, 33, spokesman for the Fleetwood Commercial Fishermen’s Group, said: “I might be wrong, but I think this could be the first official protest at sea by Fleetwood fishermen. Read the story here 08:34
East and West Coast mayors join to oppose Obama administration’s ‘marine monuments’ plan
The Obama administration is running afoul of transparency and openness as it prepares to create offshore marine monuments off California and New England, two mayors including Jon Mitchell are telling the administration. Mitchell was joined by Monterey, California Mayor Clyde Roberson in sending the Obama White House letters expressing “serious concerns” about the potential economic harm to their ports from the use of executive action by the administration to create new federal marine monuments off the coasts. A chorus of opposition has been rising from fishermen and fishing communities across the country opposing the creation of marine monuments outside of the existing ocean management processes. Read the story here 08:00
