Daily Archives: June 9, 2017

Ice Assistance Emergency Program – $5M for iced-in fish harvesters, but FFAW says plant workers left out

A Liberal member of Parliament says the federal government has allocated up to $5 million to help fish harvesters who are stuck in port because of heavy ice. Gudie Hutchings, MP for Long Range Mountains, said Friday the money will come under the Ice Assistance Emergency Program for eligible applicants in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Quebec. Some fishermen have been without income for more than two months, as ice socked in the coastline. “Plant workers have been just as impacted by severe ice delays as fish harvesters. Leaving these people out of the income bridging program is unacceptable,” said FFAW president Keith Sullivan in a news release Friday evening.  click here to read the story 20:10

DWR answers letter from those impacted by Lake Oroville Spillways incident

A letter sent to the Department of Water Resources dated April 19, 2017 which included questions and requests for information from a coalition of community groups, local governments and agencies, businesses, labor, and individuals who have been affected by the Lake Oroville spillways incident has been answered and follows. The cover letter by Chief Deputy Director of DWR Cindy Messer states “We respect the magnitude of difficulty that you and your community faced. We also understand the disproportionate impact that the evacuation had on residents who are socially or economically distressed and will continue to seek solutions that address these considerations. Given the comprehensive nature of your letter, each of the items are addressed individually.” Click here to read the story 19:36

Early reports point to decent MS shrimp season

Shrimp season in Mississippi waters opened just two days ago. Early reports from fishermen indicate we might be in for a decent season. St. Michael’s ice and fuel dock on Biloxi’s Back Bay is unloading about 10 boat loads of shrimp a day. One boat that had been out since the season started unloaded about 4,000 pounds of shrimp Friday morning. “The shrimp are larger than last year, fuel prices are down, and shrimpers are getting a fair price for their catch,” said Chris Lyons, who manages St. Michael’s. short video, read the story here 17:34

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 9, 2017

Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here  CALL TO ACTION!  The NCFA in conjunction with NC Watermen United are planning a Seafood Lobby Day on Wednesday, June 14 at the Legislative Building located at 16 W. Jones Street, Raleigh, NC. Transportation is available! click here for logistical details 16:28

Coast Guard probes ‘oily sheen’ at Port Canaveral, zeroing in on two commercial fishing vessels

The Coast Guard is in the midst of a full-scale investigation of what the agency and Port Canaveral officials are describing as an “oily sheen” that was reported over Memorial Day weekend in the channel near the Cove area of the port. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Stephen West, marine safety detachment supervisor at Port Canaveral, said the Coast Guard zeroed on two commercial fishing vessels that were in Port Canaveral at the time of the incident as the potential sources of the substance in the water. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Josh Decker, who is working on the investigation, said samples from the bilge of the two boats were sent to a special laboratory in New London, Connecticut, to see if they match a sample of the oily substance found in the port channel. Decker said each sample has its own characteristics, and no two are alike, much like a fingerprint. So getting a match would indicate proof of the boat that was the source of the substance in the water. click here to read the story 14:37

Iliamna Lake levels barely high enough for Bristol Bay boat portage

Many of the boats which fish Bristol Bay spend the winters docked in Homer. Each summer they make the trip across Cook Inlet where they are picked up and trucked across the Pile Bay road to Iliamna Lake. After a long trek across the Lake, they navigate their way down the Kvichak River down to Bristol Bay’s commercial fishing grounds. “From Cook Inlet we pick them up at Williamsport which is just south of Iniskin Bay, and then we move them over the road system and we put them in the Iliamna Lake here at Pile Bay,” said Ray Williams this week. Williams is the owner of Iliamna Transportation Company, and his family has been hauling boats over the road for 80 years. This shortcut saves Homer-based boats about 700 hundred miles, said Williams. But this year the waters between Iliamna Lake and Bristol Bay are unprecedentedly low. click here to read the story 13:55

Canada using fishery closures to count toward promised 5% marine conservation target

Canada has moved a little closer to meeting its target to protect five per cent of the country’s oceans by the end of 2017, but some are concerned about the methods the government is using to reach that goal. To coincide with World Oceans Day, Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced on Thursday that St. Anns Bank, covering 4,364 square kilometres east of Cape Breton, is officially Canada’s latest marine protected area. Altogether, Canada is now protecting 1.52 per cent of its oceans — a far cry from the five per cent target it has promised to hit in the next seven months, though LeBlanc said there’s “other good news coming” that will take the country “to five per cent and a bit beyond.” click here to read the story 11:50

Fishermen in La Scie eye return to water to catch crab, after 2 boats stuck in ice return safely

Fishermen say they are not deterred by the recent mishaps involving thick sea ice that caused one vessel to sink and several others to get stuck off the coast of Newfoundland’s Baie Verte Peninsula.
“Time is getting short for crab, right? They got the season extended now until July 15, good job they have, I say,” said Justin Giles. “I’m hoping to get out in the next couple of days again if the wind would mind to go off. So hopefully we’ll be able to do it.” Thursday marked the safe return of two fishing vessels that were stuck in ice, a day after the crew of another boat had to be airlifted to safety after the vessel started to sink. Five boats left La Scie on Tuesday to fish for crab, but ran into trouble with the thick ice pack almost immediately after leaving the harbour. click here to read the story 09:16:42

Fishing Community Tackles Trash in the Ocean

Fishing gear is not the biggest contributor to the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” or other accumulations of trash in the ocean, but derelict gear left at sea after a fishing season does create problems. In California, the fishing community itself is creating a solution that improves the health of species and the environment, and the involvement and viability of local communities. There is typically no by-catch with pot fishing, said Andy Guiliano, a Dungeness crab fisherman from Emeryville, California. In Guiliano’s perspective, this makes the Dungeness crab fishery an environmentally friendly fishery. But Guiliano’s experience has tested this outlook. “The only Achilles’ heel is, inevitably, gear gets lost during the season,” Guiliano admitted — gear amounting to hundreds of crab pots as well as nets that can affect boat propellers and large whales. click here to read the story 08:42