Daily Archives: June 18, 2017

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council meeting Honolulu, HI. June 19-22, 2017

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council convenes , June 19-22, 2017 at Fuller Hall, YWCA, 1040 Richards St., Honolulu. Fishermen, other stakeholders and members of the public are invited to participate in the meeting and decision-making for federally managed fisheries in the offshore waters of Hawai’i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and US Pacific Remote Island Areas. click here for information 22:34

Death of a dairyman: In the network of Maine farm families, Richard ‘Butch’ Clark was a common thread

On a gloomy Saturday afternoon in early May, the Canaan Fire Department shut down Route 2 in Canaan for a steady procession of tractors, dump trucks and vintage farm equipment. Up front was Karen Clark in a 1979 R model Mack truck. The Mack had been sitting in a field awhile  — seven years, she figures — but she made sure it would start and had given it a good wash because her dad loved the “iron.” This particular truck, one he’d used in the 1990s, had been his pride and joy because it never broke down. Her father’s ashes were in a red urn on the front seat next to her. The tractor parade to Fairview Cemetery, nearly 30 vehicles strong, might not be what you’d expect for a dairy man of steady modesty, but Richard Arthur “Butch” Clark had been hauling milk on these roads since 1968 and a driving tribute seemed in order. “This is Dad’s life,” Karen Clark said. Her Aunt Kathy, Butch’s sister, agreed. “That’s our redneck send-off,” Kathy Quirion said. “Those are the kind of people he touched. Truck drivers and farmers and people with tractors.” click here to read the story 16:33

Blue Wave: future fishing vessel

Following a passion for the sea and going fishing at seventeen, Jean-Baptiste Goulard only in his early twenties when the owner he was working for at the time gave him the chance he needed to own his own boat.Now he can see that change is needed and has been immersed in the Blue Wave project to develop a new vessel to take the place of the traditional groundfish trawler fishing from Brittany, and the first of these new trawlers is about to start taking shape.,,, Now 34, he has been the skipper and owner of his own trawlers since he was 23, and now the three trawlers employ seventeen people directly and support another dozen jobs ashore. Coppelia, Pax Vobis and Harmonie fish from Loctudy in Brittany, and with all three having been built between 28 and 32 years ago, he feels the time has come to consolidate and renew them. click here to read the story 13:02

Rafa Ortiz celebrates International Lobster Day, runs 70-foot falls on inflatable lobster

Most people celebrate international lobster day by … well, most people probably don’t actually celebrate international lobster day. Rafa Ortiz, however, chose to mark this year’s día de la langosta by descending a 70-foot waterfall on a lobster-shaped pool toy.  Ortiz, the star of the documentary film Chasing Niagara, emphasized the importance of this latest achievement, noting that Washington State’s Outlet Falls “has never been run before in a pool toy.” Watch the video here. 12:39

State of the kings

For the first time in years, king salmon are showing signs of making a stronger return to the vast wilderness surrounding Alaska’s urban heartland. While Panhandle runs continue to struggle, kings to the north appear to be coming back in reasonable numbers. No records are being broken, but there are enough fish the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has liberalized fishing in two of the state’s most popular roadside king salmon drainages – the Kenai River south of Anchorage and tributaries to the Copper River east of the state’s largest city. A near disaster had been forecast on the latter river, a big, muddy, glacial stream draining 26,500 square miles of Alaska near the Canadian border. A return of only 29,000 fish was expected, and with the spawning goal set at 24,000, the state imposed a host of restrictions on the fishery before it even began. Sport fishing was closed. Subsistence fishermen were restricted to a seasonal limit of only two Chinook, the more common Lower 48 name for kings. And commercial fishermen faced major reductions in fishing time and closures of areas that have in the past produced the biggest king catches. click here to read the story 09:37

On this special day, take time to thank your dad

Father’s Day – which is Sunday – almost seems to be an afterthought, compared to Mother’s Day. It’s like someone said, “We ought to do Father’s Day, too. It’ll give us a chance to sell some shirts and ties.” Father’s Day began in Europe around 1500 as St. Joseph’s Day, honoring the earthly father of Jesus. Spanish and Portuguese Catholics brought the tradition to the New World. Moms are important. They did carry us around for nine months … but Dad had something to do with that, too. Some fathers aren’t very good fathers, and others aren’t around at all, but a good dad is a treasure and can influence our lives in a way that we might not realize until he is no longer around to thank him. click here to read the story, and Happy Fathers Day.