Daily Archives: September 14, 2017

Fisherman passing on enterprise to his son, but with an uncertain future

For the Dobbins, fishing is the family business, and Fintan Dobbin and his son Robert have been a team for years. While Fintan is preparing to retire from the industry and sell off his over 40-fleet to Robert, he has doubt if there is much of a business he’s leaving behind for his son. “I’m about to sign it over to him now, but I don’t know what he’ll do with it,” Fintan said. This uncertainty was not always the story. There was a time when the Dobbin’s enterprise was a successful operation, largely due to the fishing of halibut in the 4R region. “We made our living at the halibut, we put our lifetime into it,” Fintan said. “Until they took it all away from us.” click here to read the story 22:57

California crabbers use GPS to find whale-killing gear

Fisherman Jake Bunch leans over the side of the fishing boat “Sadie K,” spears his catch, and reels it aboard: an abandoned crab pot, dangling one limp lasagna noodle of kelp and dozens of feet of rope, just the kind of fishing gear that has been snaring an increasing number of whales off U.S. coasts. This year, Bunch is one of small number of commercial fishermen out of Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, and five other ports up and down California who headed to sea again after the West Coast’s Dungeness crab season ended this summer. The California fishermen are part of a new effort using their cellphones’ GPS and new software pinpointing areas where lost or abandoned crabbing gear has been spotted. They retrieve the gear for a payment — at Half Moon Bay, it’s $65 per pot —before the fishing ropes can snag a whale. click here to read the story 20:44

Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster didn’t affect fish, humans in B.C., scientist says

Radioactive contamination following a nuclear power-plant disaster in Japan never reached unsafe levels in the north Pacific Ocean for either marine life or human health, says a British Columbia scientist. Chemical oceanographer Jay Cullen of the University of Victoria has monitored levels of contamination from radioactive isotopes, used in cancer therapies and medical imaging, since the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011 following a tsunami triggered by an earthquake. click here to read the story 18:29

FISH-NL calls for reopening of Terms of Union with Canada; state of fisheries national shame and international disgrace 

The President of the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) says the province’s Terms of Union with Canada must be reopened with regards to fisheries management, given the critical state of the industry 68 years into Confederation. “The Terms must be revisited so that the principles of adjacency and historical attachment are ingrained in the Constitution,” says Ryan Cleary. “The fact that the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans can dictate who has first access to Newfoundland and Labrador’s primary resource is wrong for the province, wrong for adjacent inshore harvesters and rural communities, and wrong for our future.” click here to read the story 17:04

Rockport fishing boat captain delivering food to the elderly

One positive thing Hurricane Harvey did in the Coastal Bend is highlight the generosity of so many people. People like fishing boat Captain Billie Kocian, who despite losing her own home, decided to step up and help fill an important need in the Rockport area. Left devastated by Harvey, the community of Rockport is still trying to rebuild, some just needing a simple hug and the reassurance that everything will be okay. video, click here to read the story 13:21

N.S. lobster fishermen protesting outside DFO offices against illegal poaching

Hundreds of fishermen are expected to spend Thursday protesting outside Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) offices in southwest Nova Scotia in an effort to draw attention to problems they see with the lobster industry. “This is a peaceful protest,” said Matthew Theriault, a spokesperson for the fishermen. By 8 a.m., about 80 lobster fishermen had gathered outside the DFO office in Digby, N.S. Theriault alleges fishing is still taking place, despite the fact the lobster season for Southwest Nova closed on June 1. “There’s people…on the water and they’re fishing. The season is closed for commercial lobstermen,” said Theriault. click here to read the story 12:18

Lobster fishermen in Yarmouth County continue to draw attention to concern over illegal lobster salesclick here for photo’s, article 14:25

Shrimp boat captain stranded during Irma rescued by Carnival cruise ship

A shrimp boat captain who was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Irma is back at home after he was rescued by a cruise ship. Edward Potter arrived Wednesday at Tampa International Airport, embracing family members who feared they would never see him again. Potter and first mate Carl Sheperd were caught in the storm in a 75-foot fishing boat based out of Tarpon Springs. “They were getting water in the engine room and Edward was working on the engine room, and we talked to Carl on the phone and then we couldn’t get in touch with him anymore,” friend Rick Shalansky said. Video, click here to read the story 11:51

Save the Working Waterfront: Fishermen resist as proposals for Portland waterfront projects mount

A spurt of hotel, office and shopping developments planned for Portland’s waterfront is rekindling concerns that space for fishermen and other traditional marine businesses is disappearing as Commercial Street becomes a shopping and dining mecca. Commercial fishermen who have unloaded lobster and groundfish on Portland’s wharves for decades see the changes as the next step in a long process to change the face of the waterfront, to their disadvantage. “They just don’t get it,” said Willis Spear, who has berthed his lobster boat on Custom House Wharf for 40 years. “We said in the beginning that this would happen, we’d just get squeezed out. It is going way faster than anyone knows.” click here to read the story 10:56

Squid fishery shutdown won’t affect local calamari

The federal government is limiting squid fishing in certain areas, so what does this mean for Southern New England? As of this Friday, a short fin squid fishery, much of which sits offshore from Rhode Island, will shut down until Dec. 31. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says this is because 95 percent of the quota for that type of squid has been caught, so this is actually standard procedure. Richard Fuka of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance says it’s a sign that squid fishing has been hot this year, so it’s actually a good thing. “The Illex fishery, or the fishery in question that just closed, was a very large number and we actually had a very robust season to be able to meet the benchmark,” Fuka said. video, click here to read the story 09:06

D.E.C. Ticketed Montauk Anglers for Dumping Fish

Marine enforcement officers from the State Department of Environmental Conservation, on patrol in Montauk Harbor on Aug. 31, saw what they estimated was hundreds of pounds of fish being thrown overboard from a Montauk party boat and wound up ticketing eight people, including the boat’s captain, Keith Williams. According to a D.E.C. spokeswoman, the officers approached the 75-foot Fin Chaser, based on Star Island, and ordered the anglers to stop what they were doing. Their orders were ignored, she said. The party boat’s customers were cited for possessing too many black sea bass and porgies, undersized black sea bass and summer flounder, and for failure to stop dumping upon command. click here to read the story 08:25