Daily Archives: June 14, 2017

Naknek’s Fishy Fabrications takes on skiff building this spring

‘Fishy Fabrications,’ a local business in Naknek, has started building skiffs from the ground up, something only a few other local businesses do in Bristol Bay. George Wilson and Robert Hill are working long hours these days to finish building skiffs before the salmon season takes off. Often 10 hours a day, seven days a week. “And that’s with two dads we both have kid duties during the week,” Wilson said. “This is just a good off-season job for both of us from commercial fishing – we do this in the winter and spring.” Wilson is the owner of ‘Fishy Fabrications’ and Hill is his right hand man. Since 2013 the business was more of a repair shop, but this March it shifted to a skiff building operation. Since then, he and Hill have built two set net skiffs. Audio, click to read the story 19:06

Department of Commerce Announces Changes to the 2017 Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Private Angler Recreational Season

For the first time in a decade, Federal authorities and the five Gulf States have agreed to align Federal and State private angler red snapper fishing seasons for the remainder of the summer, and the Department of Commerce has re-opened the 2017 private angler recreational season for 39 weekend days and holidays.  Majority Whip Scalise and other Members of Congress were instrumental in reaching this agreement. The agreement reached between the Secretary of Commerce and the five Gulf States is a significant step forward in building a new Federal-State partnership in managing the Gulf of Mexico red snapper stock.The Departments rule does not change the quota or season length for the federally permitted for-hire component of the recreational fishery or the commercial individual fishing quota program and the 2017 commercial quota.  Click here to read the press release 18:13

This is happening now. Click to listen 13-15 June 2017 | WASHINGTON, DC Capitol Hill Ocean Week Live Streaming

https://www.marinesanctuary.org/oceanslive/

 

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 50′ Steel Stern Dragger, CAT C-18, Northern Lights 20 KW, Permits Available

Specifications, information and 3 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here Vessel underwent approximately $ 100,000 in upgrades at the Derektor Shipyard in 2016 14:55

At U.N. Ocean Conference – Brett Tolley Touts Small-scale Fisheries

Fisheries activist Brett Tolley of Chatham has told many people about the plight of small-scale fishermen like his father, who left the industry because he couldn’t compete with big corporate interests. Last week, he told that story to world leaders in a special forum at the United Nations in New York.,, “We can’t buy our way out of this problem,” he said. The government rules that regulate commercial fishing tend to empower large corporations, and Tolley said that needs to change. Fisheries management that’s based on the allocation of shares (catch shares) or quotas of a particular catch tend to privatize the oceans, rather than treating them as shared public resources, he argued. Those policies tend to concentrate access to fisheries to a few big players. click here to read the story 13:47

UN Ocean Conference Aims for Paris Climate-Like Accord for Ocean Health

The first ever UN Ocean Conference came to a close on 9 June with a “Call For Action”, where over 1,300 voluntary commitments were made to support ocean health, and aspirations for a new convention to protect biodiversity in roughly half of our planet which lies beyond national jurisdictions.,, Considered to be the largest gathering for the oceans ever convened, the Ocean Conference that took place at the UN headquarters in New York was designed to boost support for Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14), which lays out ambitious targets to conserve and sustainably use marine resources. Heralded by Sir Richard Branson and Leonardo DiCaprio,,, click here to read the story  13:22

Economic Contribution of White Shrimp Commercial Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico States

The annual commercial landing values of wild American white shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico Region in 2015 reached $153.7 million, which is about 75.3% of the average annual landing values during the last five years. The total economic contribution of commercial shrimping in 2015 amounted to $291.7 million (Figure 1). Commercial shrimping created 4,114 jobs and generated labor income amounting to $104.1 million in the Gulf regional economy.  The white shrimp commercial fishing industry generates annual tax revenues for the Gulf States and the U.S. federal government. A total of $17.8 million were estimated to have been paid by households and businesses in 2015 to the federal government as social insurance tax, tax on production and imports, corporate profit tax, and personal income tax.  The Gulf States were expected to have collected taxes from households and businesses in 2015 amounting to $8.7 million as social insurance tax, tax on production and imports, corporate profits tax, and personal tax. Click here to read the story 12:16

A new lobster boat gets launched in Rockport Harbor and the town cheers

The Cummins inboard engine rumbled to life like a charm Saturday afternoon, June 10, and Rockport fisherman Kenny Dodge gave a slight smile and nod. Inside, though, you knew he was grinning big. He stood on the deck of his new 47-foot lobster boat, the Hemingway, reached through the window for the wheel, and reversed the vessel into the Goose River Channel. It was a boat launching of magnificent proportions for a town that prides itself on supporting its working waterfront.,, The day culminated five years in the making: Dodge had worked through past winters building the Hemingway in his West Rockport boat barn. Click here to read the story and see a bunch of nice images! 09:55

Updated: Husband Charged with Homicide After Reporting Wife Missing in Lake

Pennsylvania State Police have filed charges against the husband of an Albion woman who reportedly went missing in Lake Erie over the weekend. Erie News Now has learned Christopher Leclair, 48, has been charged with criminal homicide in the death of his wife Karen. Karen Leclair, 51, was reported missing Sunday afternoon. Christopher Leclair told the U.S. Coast Guard she had fallen off their commercial fishing vessel on Lake Erie Sunday afternoon. State Police tell us surveillance video catches Christopher Leclair and his wife heading onto the lake on Saturday and Christoper returning alone. Investigators say the video shows Christopher Leclair heading out on the water again Sunday. click here to read the story and related articles 0

Surveillance Video Helps Police Charge Husband in Wife’s Murder – When questioned by police, the other woman said Leclair spent the night at her house Saturday and the two discussed moving in together. click here to read the story 12:51

The “Redheaded Stepchild of Fishing” – Controversial drift-gill net fishery wins long-fought battle

Federal fishery managers denied a proposal this week to immediately shut down Southern California’s most controversial fishery in the event that wide-mesh gill nets accidentally kill a handful of certain marine mammals or sea turtle species. The swordfish and thresher shark fishery will remain open, even if it kills several whales or sea turtles, the NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries decided. The decision not to institute so-called hard caps on the fishery comes after a public review period initiated last year was extended to discuss the law proposed by the state’s Pacific Fishery Management Council in 2014. For the few dozen fishers who still catch swordfish and thresher sharks off Southern California in deep-water drift gill nets, the decision brought a big sigh of relief.  click here to read the story 08:38