Daily Archives: September 21, 2018

Drag Net – New Bedford shocked by NOAA’s latest move in Carlos Rafael case

Jim Kendall sees fingerprints on NOAA’s most recent allegations that go beyond Carlos Rafael and loop 22 of his captains into the agency’s non-criminal civil action. “I’ll tell you right now, you can print it or not, but I think John Bullard still has his thumb on the scale,” the former fishing captain and executive director of New Bedford Seafood Consulting said. Kendall backed up his claims by saying, “because I know John. He’s a vindictive SOB.” Bullard is the former mayor of New Bedford, but in this case more importantly acted as the regional administrator for NOAA when Rafael was criminally indicted, pled guilty and was sentenced. Bullard also imposed a groundfishing ban on Rafael-owned vessels. “A comment like that is insulting to all the people who do very important and hard work in the enforcement arena,” Bullard said. >click to read<20:12

Family finding comfort at home, says son of missing fisherman

Lucas DesRoches says his mom is home now, surrounded by family and friends. Until Thursday, she stayed as close as she could to the shore of North Cape, P.E.I., where her husband and a fellow fisherman were lost at sea when their boat capsized on Tuesday. “It’s definitely hard on the family, on my mother, it’s very difficult,” DesRoches said Friday. “She’s feeling comfort at home. My sister as well is surrounded by family and friends. Both of my brothers are here and they’re doing the best they can to help and support.” The search for the bodies of Capt. Glen DesRoches and Maurice (Moe) Getson was suspended Friday. But residents of the Tignish area continue to do all they can to help the families. >click to read<19:40

Ocean acidification may reduce sea scallop fisheries

Each year, fishermen harvest more than $500 million worth of Atlantic sea scallops from the waters off the east coast of the United States. A new model created by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), however, predicts that those fisheries may potentially be in danger. As levels of carbon dioxide increase in the Earth’s atmosphere, the upper oceans become increasingly acidic—a condition that could reduce the sea scallop population by more than 50% in the next 30 to 80 years, under a worst-case scenario. Strong fisheries management and efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, however, might slow or even stop that trend. >click to read<16:26

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for September 21, 2018 – Hurricane Florence Aftermath

Keith Bruno (Endurance Seafood) of Oriental, NC is just one example of the destruction to our seafood industry from Hurricane Florence. North Carolina Fisheries Association is trying to get an idea of the total impact that Hurricane Florence has had on our industry. If you are a commercial fisherman, dealer and/or processor, please email your estimated damages and losses to Aundrea O’Neal. ([email protected]) Please include photos if possible. We are going to attempt reaching out to our Legislators to try and get assistance for our industry, but we need figures to present to them. NCFA would like to extend our sympathies to the Bruno family for the loss of their business and livelihood, as well as others’ throughout our region. >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<13:47

Scallop wars barely over as new accusations from Cornish fishermen spark crab wars

The scallop wars are barely over but already new tensions have emerged in the English Channel in the form of crab wars. Cornish fishermen have accused French trawlers of deliberately sabotaging their crab pots, costing them hundreds of thousands of pounds. They said French trawlers had been seen in English waters towing nets “without a care in the world” within the UK’s 12-mile limit. Paul Trebilcock, chief executive of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO), said: “They are just dragging through all the gear, they break the ropes, damage the pots or just tow them away altogether.” >click to read<11:13

Hurricane Florence: Commercial, charter communities are answering call for help

The commercial fishing and charter boat communities in the north east part of the state are answering the call for help from hard-hit communities south of Dare, particularly Down East Carteret County. Tuesday, led by Hatteras Island fisherman Paul Rosell, a group made the long trek to Davis in Down East Carteret County. They delivered supplies and took along equipment to help secure homes. On Wednesday, Britton Shackleford, commercial fisherman, charter boat operator and Wicked Tuna Outer Banks personality, put out a call for others to join him to go Carteret County that day to clear trees around the homes of Capt. Sonny Davis and his family members. Davis is a member of North Carolina United Watermen. >click to read<10:28

Offshore wind energy: fishermen ask for relief

Offshore windmills may be the future of energy here, but they’re presently a source of agitation to commercial fishermen. A vocal group of them, who aren’t necessarily opposed to windmills but just the placement of them on or near fishing grounds, which if you ask them is anywhere the water is salt, gave the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management their two cents at a public meeting Thursday.  “All of these areas are prime scallop grounds. We’re not going to take any of this lying down,” said Arthur Osche, a member of the Point Pleasant Fishermen’s Dock Co-operative. Osche was referring to fishing grounds in Hudson North and Hudson South, two designated wind farm lease sites that start about 17 miles east of the coastline here. Fellow co-operative dock member Jim Lovgren said if their access to the grounds is restricted then they should be paid for the economic loss. “Mark off the area and then compensate us,” said Lovgren. >click to read<