Daily Archives: October 18, 2017

After 32 summers fishing with his dad, Cambria songwriter says goodbye to Alaska

Songwriter-singer Van William, a Cambria native son, says his recently released music video and the new songs he performs are deeply, profoundly personal.,, He says the music is a reflection of who and where he’s been, and his life’s successes, upheavals and heartbreaks, which — as is the case for most folks — helped to shape the person he is now. He said his summers spent in Alaska have “always been a huge part of who I am,” but “I’ve never been able to share much of it with anyone other than my immediate family. This video highlights how life feels up there and how heartbreaking it is to say goodbye to my years as a commercial fisherman.” Excellent video, photos, click here 20:53

Live Cam May Show True Status of Atlantic Cod Fishery

Atlantic cod, New England’s most iconic fish, has been reported at historic lows for years, but fishermen hope a new video monitoring technique will prove there are more of the fish than federal surveyors believe. Ronnie Borjeson, who has been fishing for more than 40 years, says the federal surveys don’t match up with what fishermen are seeing. “I don’t care if you’re a gillnetter, a hook and line guy, a trawl guy,” he said, “there’s codfish everywhere up there. Everywhere. You can’t get away from them.” Borjeson helped test a video rig designed by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth that allows them to record fish underwater and count them on the video later. With this rig, scientists can sample a larger area in the same amount of time and hopefully improve federal estimates of how many cod are left. click here to read the story 16:26

Counting Fish – A film by Don Cuddy click here to watch 

Fortune Fish hopes to haul in e-commerce sales with Lobster Gram

In its first foray into the world of e-commerce, Fortune Fish & Gourmet, one of the largest seafood distributors in the country, acquired Chicago-based Lobster Gram in April. The live lobster is still sourced from Maine — and some frozen lobster tails from Brazil, New Zealand and other locales — but all orders are now packaged at Fortune’s facility near O’Hare International Airport and shipped all over the country.  It was the fourth acquisition in five years for the fast-growing Fortune Fish, which expects to bring in more than $240 million in revenue this year, according to Sean O’Scannlain, president and CEO of parent company Fortune International. “We’ve always thought, What can we do to sell direct to people all over the country via FedEx? click here to read the story  16:06

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 65′ Fiberglass Longliner with Permits, Cummins 855TA, 40 KW Genset

Specifications, information and 35 photo’s click here Swordfish Directed, Shark Directed, Atlantic Tuna Longline permits. Price Reduced.  To see all the boats in this series, Click here12:17

Mi’kmaq woman to challenge lobster fishing rules

Cheryl Maloney is gearing up to go lobster fishing. She doesn’t have a commercial licence and she won’t be using one of the food and ceremonial purposes tags she is eligible for as a member of the Sipekne’katik First Nation. What the longtime organizer for indigenous and women’s rights has is a 1999 Supreme Court decision stating that she has the treaty right to make a “moderate livelihood” off the resources the Mi’kmaq traditionally exploited. When she lands her lobster on a South Shore wharf, Maloney plans to invite Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the RCMP to come and watch her sell them. click here to read the story 11:15

PFAS contamination: Fishermen still not consulted after being forced to cease work in Victorian wetland

A Victorian commercial fishing family says it has still yet to be consulted by the Department of Defence about PFAS contamination in a Gippsland wetland which has led to a fishing ban. The Heart Morass wetland has been found to have high levels of perfluorotoalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination from firefighting foam once used at the nearby East Sale RAAF base. The Victorian Environment Protection Authority issued a warning last month advising fishers and game hunters not to eat fish, eels and ducks from the wetland. Fisherman Peter Ingram had been fishing eels and carp in the wetland for the past three years and said neither he nor his family was consulted until well after the warning was issued and EPA Victoria requested he stop fishing there. click here to read the story 10:39

Inshore harvesters, including a member of FFAW’s inshore council dispute snow crab science

The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) questions why the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans would report poor scientific signs of snow crab when it’s not the full picture of the state of the resource. The results of crab surveys carried out by inshore harvesters won’t be available until December. “The science is only half of the story — inshore harvesters have the other half,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “This shows the same old disconnect exists between DFO science and what harvesters are reporting on the water. Why does DFO report doom and gloom when all the information is not on the table?” click here to read the press release 09:19

Families of missing six cling to hope as wild weather hampers search

Hope is fading of finding six men alive after their trawler capsized, with police saying the likelihood of finding them alive is “not looking real promising”. On Wednesday afternoon, police released the identities of all six men who were on board the trawler, named Dianne, adding 34-year-old Chris Sammut and 28-year-old Zach Feeney to the list of known missing men. Skipper Ben Leahy (45) and Cairns men Adam Bidner (33), Adam Hoffman (30) and Eli Tonks (39) had already been named as being on board. The trawler capsized off the central Queensland coast near Middle Island, about 7.30pm Monday.The trawler had been fishing for sea cucumber when it got into trouble off the town of 1770 and sank about five hours later. click here to read the story 08:54

Coast Guard assists fishing vessel taking on water near Ocracoke Island, NC

The Coast Guard came to the aid of a boat taking on water off Ocracoke Island Tuesday. Watchstanders in the Sector North Carolina Command Center in Wilmington received notification that the 72-foot fishing vessel Capt. Jimmy was taking on water in Pamlico Sound near Bluff Shoal Light at about 3:30 a.m.Two 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crews from Station Hatteras Inlet arrived on scene and passed dewatering pumps and personnel to the fishing boat to assist. The dewatering pumps helped keep up with the flooding while one of the Hatteras Inlet crews escorted the Capt. Jimmy south to the Neuse River entrance, where a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Station Fort Macon took over the escort. -USCG-08:25