Daily Archives: May 12, 2017

Information Update: The Make Commercial Fishing Great Again Flotilla 2017

For those who are planning on attending the Make Commercial Fishing Great Again rally and want a sign please contact Oscar from American Beauty Signworks. His phone number is 401-767-2922.  This guy is firmly behind us. He will keep the shop running all weekend to make 4X8 signs that will say anything you want! (remember to keep it positive). He told me that he will take calls all weekend. If he is not there he will call you back. Monday will be the break off point for orders so if you want him to make you a sign the sooner he knows the better. He has slashed the price of these 4X8 signs to from $140.00 to $90.00.  He is committed to helping us in any way he can. Give him a ring and if you’re from out of state I will deliver them to your boat on Wednesday. Just tell him to write the boat name on the back. It’s coming together nicely folks!  Thank you. Joel H. 20:55

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 12, 2017

Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here   19:45

Boat owners fooled by website charging high prices for vessel documentation

This is the time of year when Alaska fishermen make sure they have their paperwork in order so they’re ready to hit the water. But recently, some of those boat owners were targeted by a third-party service that charges much higher rates for Coast Guard certification. “I want to go fishing, I want to be done with all this paperwork,” said Haines commercial fisherman Norm Hughes. Earlier this month, he received a letter in the mail telling him to renew his Coast Guard documentation. It directed him to a website: uscgdocumentation.us. Hughes went to the website right away and paid $150 for a two-year renewal.,,, It’s not just Alaska fishermen and the Coast Guard here that have raised alarms about the US Vessel Documentation website. Click here to listen/read the story 18:02

$1.3-million for new safety gear coming for 600 N.S. fishermen

The Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board is buying $1.3-million worth of safety equipment for 600 fishermen, it announced Friday. The equipment purchase includes 1,200 immersion suits, 600 emergency position-indicating radio beacons and 100 additional personal flotation devices. The Fleet Planning Board will also buy an automatic electronic defibrillator for each wharf in the Gulf of Nova Scotia. “We hope we never have to use this new equipment,” the board’s managing director, said in a news release. “But if it saves just one life then it was money very well spent.”,,,   Click here to read the story  17:11

A Day at Sea: Weir Fishing on the Nancy S!

The day starts at first light…motoring out of Hyannis Harbor aboard the Nancy S, a large aluminum diesel boat owned by Kurt Martin with crewmates Mike and Keith…we are going to his fishing weir located not far off the coast of Osterville…calm seas, mild May weather-clouds and sun…The weir looks like a complicated set-up—long hickory wood poles, lots of ropes tied in different directions and of course “endless” netting…but it’s a design that works and becomes second nature after many trips…a smaller motor skiff is towed with us to help with the fishing weir…Click here to read the rest, and view 31 image gallery 16:07

200,000 Salmon survive Oroville spillway’s erosion only to suffocate this week

A quarter-million hatchery salmon survived the near-collapse of a California dam’s spillway this winter, only to suffocate after a pump failed this week, officials said Thursday. They were among about 5 million baby fall-run Chinook salmon that were rescued in February after tons of mud washed down the Feather River, said California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Andrew Hughan. The erosion came from the failing emergency spillway near the Oroville dam that caused the precautionary evacuation of nearly 200,000 residents. Click here to watch video, read the story, and view 31 images 15:46

FFAW calls for clarification from Premier on alleged interference in labour relations case

Yesterday, a press release by the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland Labrador (FISH-NL) referenced a meeting held with Premier Dwight Ball and Minister Steve Crocker. FFAW-Unifor is calling on the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to clarify FISH-NL’s allegation that a discussion surrounding FISH-NL’s application to the Labour Relations Board took place during this meeting. The Labour Relations Board is an independent, quasi-judicial body which contributes to and promotes harmonious labour relations in the province. The integrity and independent nature of the Board is compromised if the alleged discussion did in fact take place. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has no role in ongoing investigations, reviews and decisions undertaken by the Board, and any such interference would be unacceptable. Courtney Glode, Communications Officer, FFAW- UNIFOR 13:56

Japanese fishermen start morning wake-up call service to help you get your lazy butt out of bed

Need to get up with the chickens? Leave it to the men who’re already awake and hauling in fish. The just-launched Fisherman Call is billed as “The world’s first wake-up call service by fishermen.” On the service’s website, you’ll find a list of available fishermen, along with their photos, voice samples, and schedules, which have some of them getting up at 2 in the morning to make their way to the harbor and head for open water. That crack-of-dawn schedule is key, because as shown in the Fisherman Call promotional video, the wake-up messages aren’t pre-recorded. The fishermen will actually be calling and talking to you live, quite possibly from the deck of their vessels. Click here to read the story 11:23

Pacific Seafood, DOJ in fiery clash over Newport expansion

Pacific Seafood Group, the industry’s billion-dollar behemoth, has thoroughly shaken up this bustling commercial fishing town with an expansion blitz that will increase its already dominant market position. But before going ahead with a deal to buy the hulking Trident Seafood processing plant in the heart of Newport’s Bayfront, the biggest player in the West Coast seafood business made what one lawmaker called an “unprecedented request.”,,, Pacific may have overplayed its hand. In a blistering response to the company late Thursday afternoon, the Department of Justice threatened to take enforcement action against the company unless it agrees to put the Trident plant on the market for a year and, short of a sale, operate it for at least three years. Click here to read the article 09:30

It’s On!! The Make Commercial Fishing Great Again Flotilla 2017

After reaching out to multiple agencies involved with security for the upcoming presidential visit to the Coast Guard Academy’s graduation ceremony this coming Wednesday, May 17th it has been decided we should move forward. As of now we have been told there will be a 500 yard security zone around the Academy. (This is subject to change) Hopefully we will be allowed to go north of the Rt.95 bridge which is just south of the Academy. If not we are certain there will be plenty of media folks all over and we are reaching out to several outlets in CT. to make them aware of our plans. Again, we can’t emphasize enough that this is a show of support and not a protest. We in no way shape or form want to upstage the events taking place at the Academy. In fact it would be a great gesture to have some make signs congratulating the Academy’s 2017 graduating class. We realize this is short notice and have been working hard with the authorities making them aware we are not there to take away from these Cadets’ special day. We also realize that this event could cut into your fishing time. However the importance of this event cannot be over stated and hopefully the short term loss will be made up for in long term gain. This is our goal. Read the full notice here. 08:50

Report: Increase in Alaska commercial fisheries landings despite nationwide decline

A recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a slight decline overall in the United States’ commercial fishing industry, but one state – the Last Frontier – stands far ahead of the rest. The NOAA report, which include 151 pages of data on commercial fisheries landings nationwide for 2015, says there was an increase in pounds of fish landed across the United States by about 2.4 percent. However, there was a decrease in value of those fish by about 4.5 percent. But in Alaska, it’s a different story. The Last Frontier led all states in both volume and value, with a 6 percent increase in the former and a 3 percent increase in the latter.(there is also an interactive data chart that shows state by state data)  Video, click here to read the story 07:55