Daily Archives: September 7, 2018

The Scallop War: No Deal! UK and French fishermen fail to agree

British and French fishermen have failed to finalise a deal to end the “scallop wars” over fishing in the Channel, according to the French camp, despite reaching an agreement in principle earlier this week. “The fact is that there is no agreement because British claims [for compensation] were disproportionate … We have a blockage, but the discussions have not broken down,” said Hubert Carre, the director of the French national fishing committee, adding that it would now be up to the “two ministers to call each other to arrange a possible future meeting”. >click to read<20:36

Atlantic salmon aquaculture farmers cited as ‘likely source’ of European strain spawning in Fundy waters

Tom Smith says it’s “misleading” to blame Atlantic Canadian aquaculture farmers for European farm salmon spawning in the Bay of Fundy over the past two decades. Fisheries and Oceans Canada published a report Aug. 31 confirming the presence of European farm salmon in the inner Bay of Fundy, saying the fish spawning has created a hybrid species in the Fundy. The Atlantic Salmon Federation released a report Sept. 6 and says it’s “disturbing” that DFO research has found the fish have been spawning in the bay’s inner waters since 1997, and that it identifies Atlantic open net-pen salmon aquaculture as the “likely source.”,,, “[The industry] is in violation of New Brunswick’s Aquaculture Act and the Federal Species at Risk Act and …Canada’s international obligations under the Williamsburg Resolution…, which prevents the introduction of non-native salmon in domestic waters,”,,, >click to read<17:34

Red tide and green slime: Florida faces epic statewide fight with algae

We may smell it first, warned environmentalist Rae Ann Wessel. She was right. Along a wall of mangroves, the stench last week advertised of something to be buried. It was a greeting to Fort Myers’ algae horrors. Green slime and red tide are invading the Fort Myers region’s inshore and offshore waters, slaughtering marine life and threatening a more sinister outcome: Toxins produced by a green-slime variety may link to neurodegenerative illnesses, say some scientists who are investigating. For decades, Florida’s watery environment has been sickened by pollution from septic and sewer systems, storm water and fertilizer from landscaping and agriculture. That “nutrient” pollution, with nitrogen and phosphorus flavors,,, Video, >click to read<14:24

House Bill 56: Cap raised to $400,000 on Alaska Commercial Fishing Loan Fund

New legislation boosts to $400,000 the cap on money that may be borrowed through the Alaska Commercial Fishing Loan Fund to purchase limited entry permits, individual fishing quotas and gear. House Bill 56, sponsored by Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan, was signed into law on Aug. 31 by Alaska Gov. Bill Walker in a ceremony at Fisherman’s Hall in Kodiak. Ortiz said the bill addresses the problem of too many Alaskans are priced out of commercial fishing because they can’t afford a permit, quota or gear. >click to read<13:31

Cranberry Isles Fishermen’s Co-op celebrates 40 years

In 1978, Bruce Fernald and Dave Thomas went to consult with an attorney about starting a fishermen’s cooperative and left the attorney’s office with a contract. “We had a purchase and sale agreement and away we went,” said Thomas. They were purchasing an existing lobster buying business, one that had been operated by Lee Ham for nearly two decades. Ham put the dock up for sale just as Thomas, Fernald and other fishermen from the island were contemplating creating a member-owned cooperative. The co-op began with about 25 members, Thomas said, and the first couple of years of the operation were bumpy. >click to read<11:35

Every boatbuilder is busy – Waiting list for fishing boats grows longer

Gordon Campbell says fishermen know before they step through the doors of his shop that they will have to wait a while for delivery once they place an order for a new fishing boat. Campbell owns Provincial Boat and Marine Ltd. in Kensington, a builder of fiberglass fishing vessels. “I’ll not use exact times, but several years,” he described his company’s current wait list for new boats. “The word’s out there: Every boatbuilder is busy. (Fishermen) know they’re not going to get one before the end of the year or for next spring or whatever,” Campbell comments. >click to read<

Fisheries Labour Market Information Study – Shortage in skilled labour may limit fishing industry growth

About 40 per cent of Canada’s fish harvesters will soon reach retirement age, which places a “serious limitation” on the economic growth potential in the fishing industry, a national study has found. The Canadian Council of Professional Fish Harvesters (CCPFH) announced Thursday it has completed its Fisheries Labour Market Information Study, which came to a number of important conclusions. With declining and aging populations in most coastal and rural regions, and with about 40 per cent of the current fisheries labour force — both enterprise owner-operators and crew — now reaching retirement age, there will be a serious limitation on the industry’s economic growth potential due to critical shortages in skilled labour.>click to read<10:03

South Fork Wind Farm : Plea to fund fishing survey has still not been granted

Several months after they asked East Hampton Town for $30,000 to collect data aimed at protecting fishing grounds and compensating commercial fishermen when they are unable to work, that request has still not been granted, the director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association and the liaison chosen by East Hampton Town’s fisheries advisory committee to communicate with Deepwater Wind complained to the town board on Tuesday. While the liaison, Julie Evans, and Bonnie Brady of the fishing association addressed the board, Deepwater Wind, the Rhode Island company planning to construct the 15-turbine South Fork Wind Farm approximately 30 miles off Montauk, is in the midst of a projected four-month survey at the site and along the transmission cable’s route to shore. >click to read<09:04