Daily Archives: May 5, 2017

Letter: Why Richard Gillett went on a hunger strike. ” In my opinion he is a brave man,,,”

April 13th, Richard Gillett went on a hunger strike because he felt that rural Newfoundland and Labrador was facing a bleak future due to the mismanagement of oceans that had sustained us for 500 years. Richard had two requests: one for a review of the science and management of all provincial fish stocks, the other a review of the relationship of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Those are two very legitimate questions.,, In my opinion he is a brave man who is concerned about this province and has done more than anyone since the moratorium to bring to the forefront the state of our oceans. Click here to read Capt. Wilfred Bartlett, retired, letter 17:41

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 5, 2017

Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 16:25

Washington discusses tangle-net chinook fishery

Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday deliberated — but took no vote — on whether a commercial tangle-net spring chinook salmon fishery would be acceptable this year in the lower Columbia River. Washington and Oregon have slightly different polices for managing the Columbia River, the result of the Columbia River reforms process that began in 2013 and go into full implementation this year. Jim Unsworth, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Curt Melcher, director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, have been delegated authority to negotiate the differences, but the talks are not concluded. click here to read the story 15:42

Attention US East Coast Fishermen.

On may 17th President Donald Trump will be giving the commencement address to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London CT. We are seeking interested commercial fishing vessels to come together in a show of solidarity to ask our President to look into the management problems that have plagued our industry for decades. We all know the issues that are destroying our industry and we need to get the word out to his administration that we, like farmers, coal miners and a whole host of American small businessmen are struggling to hang onto our businesses because of the onerous regulatory situation that has plagued our industry. What we are seeking is if there are enough interested people to put together a flotilla of vessels to sail up the Thames River as a show of support for his plan to minimize industry and job killing over regulation.  We recognize this is short notice but this is a golden opportunity to show the President who we are and the importance of our industry to the fabric of our nation and our coastal communities. If we find enough support and a commitment to show up to form a parade of vessels we will announce more details as to the time we would need to assemble and also receive other ideas to get the message to the President on our desire to “Make commercial fishing great again”. This is not a protest of our President. It is a rally in support of his pro business agenda that would benefit all Americans. If interested please call Bob Guzzo @860-608-5988 or Joel Hovanesian @401-742-3162 Thank you for your consideration to this undertaking. 14:23

FISH-NL challenges federal Fisheries Minister to meet with harvesters his government is starving out

The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) says the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans appears oblivious to the hardship facing inshore harvesters this year as the result of punishing quota cuts and severe industry downturn. Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL, challenges the Minister to visit some of the rural communities directly impacted, and meet with harvesters his government is starving out. “The Minister should go to places like Anchor Point and Twillingate and explain to harvesters how they’re expected to get by when so many of them have nothing left to fish,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “Harvesters are being starved out.” click here to read the press release 13:12

South Shore lobstermen dismayed by failed bid for longer season

Lobstermen are busy loading their boats with traps and buoys and getting their gear back in the water after a three-month closure lifted this week for most of the South Shore. But Marshfield lobsterman John Haviland said he is starting the season feeling more disenchanted than ever after federal regulators turned down a proposal to allow lobstermen to fish year-round with a new rope line designed to reduce the chance of entangling endangered whales. “I’m disappointed that we put three years worth of research and meetings into trying to do the right thing, and it was not successful,” Haviland, president of the South Shore Lobster Fishermen’s Association, said. “It makes you question if you should keep doing the one thing you’ve always done.” Since 2015, federal regulations have banned the use of lobstering equipment from Feb. 1 to April 30 off Cape Cod Bay and beyond, shutting down the local industry for the winter. The goal is to reduce the chances of whales becoming entangled in the gear. click here to read the article 12:09

DFO shark survey to focus on endangered porbeagle – Anecdotal reports suggest population is on the rise

The federal Fisheries Department is preparing to go on a shark-catching expedition this summer. “I am very, very excited,” said Heather Bowlby, the principal investigator for the shark survey, which is set to begin in late June. “I think it’ll be a great learning opportunity, and I think it’ll be really fun.”  The department has put out a tender seeking bids from fishermen with tuna and swordfish licences who have the longline equipment necessary to catch the endangered porbeagle sharks the survey is concentrating on. Bowlby estimates the survey will take 40 to 45 days at sea as sharks are caught, tagged and returned to the ocean alive. The project has a $390,000 budget.,, The survey will take place at 60 stations in Atlantic Canadian waters between the Bay of Fundy and the Grand Banks. Between two and five vessels will do the work. Each vessel will have 600 hooks on longlines, which will be in the water for about four hours at a time. click here to read the story 10:09

Louisiana’s 2017 inshore spring shrimp season set by commission

Louisiana’s inshore brown-shrimp season will have a staggered opening, beginning May 8 at 6 a.m. in Zone 2 and a week later, May 15 at 6 a.m., in Zones 1 and 3, after action taken Thursday by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. Those opening dates and times were recommended by department biologist Jeff Marx, who told the regulatory board brown shrimp have grown more quickly this year than usual due to warmer temperatures and lower-than-average rainfall. About 25 shrimpers in attendance Thursday, many of whom had addressed the commission, hailed the regulatory board’s decision to go with an earlier opening this year. Some felt the season should have been opened in April. click here to read the story 09:18

East Hampton Fisheries Advisory Committee Urge Study on Importance of Fisheries

Representatives of East Hampton Town’s Fisheries Advisory Committee this week again asked the town to help fund a comprehensive analysis of the socioeconomic importance of fisheries on the East End and reiterated fishermen’s concerns about the Deepwater Wind offshore turbine installation.  The committee would like to hire Cornell Cooperative Extension to conduct the economic analysis, and its members are seeking participation from East Hampton and other local municipalities in order to raise the $100,000 needed to pay for it. Brad Loewen, the chairman of the fisheries committee, who is a bayman and a former town councilman, said the committee has also been examining how — or if — the State Department of Environmental Conservation considers potential detrimental effects on fisheries when assessing the impact of proposed projects, such as the offshore wind farm. With unsatisfactory responses so far from the D.E.C. to requests for information, the committee, which is working with John Jilnicki, a town attorney, may ask the town board to submit a Freedom of Information Law request for the needed documents. click here to read the story 08:52

A ‘Dock to Dish’ Effort Meant to Support N.H. Fishermen

Commercial ground fishermen on the east coast are struggling–so much so that there’s concern about whether they, and not the fish they catch, are an endangered species. An organization called New Hampshire Community Seafood is launching an effort to get more Granite Staters interested in eating local seafood, with the hope that it’ll provide a boost to fishermen.  Manager Andrea Tomlinson is trying to sign up 1,000 members who want regular deliveries of fresh seafood. “You know, the real reason we’re in business is to support the remaining ground fishermen here in New Hampshire. That’s our mission.” Tomlinson says there are far fewer fishermen off New Hampshire’s coast than there were two decades ago. The reason, she says, is cod catch quotas that are meant to prevent over-fishing. “In 2015, our sector was limited to catching approximately 62,000 pounds of cod, whereas three years prior to that, our sector was able to catch 2,000,000 pounds of cod,” Tomlinson says. click here to read the story 08:06