Monthly Archives: October 2018
Lawmakers to Trump: Keep Marine Monument protections
More than a quarter of state lawmakers wrote to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, urging him not to roll back protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. None of Cape Ann’s representatives — Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, and Reps. Ann-Margaret Ferrante and Brad Hill — were among the signers. Nine of the 38 current state senators and 46 of the 153 representatives signed the letter, which said the monument “does not occur in a major fishing ground” and opening it to commercial fishing would “not help remedy the nation’s seafood deficit.” >click to read<09:23
Hurricane Michael: Alaska bound factory trawler ripped from mooring, left lying on her side
Hurricane Michael ripped an almost-finished Alaska factory trawler built for a Seattle company from a shipyard mooring in Panama City, Florida, and left it lying on its starboard side in the shallow water of Saint Andrews Bay. “The boat was nearing completion, and because of all the destruction down there we have not been able to survey the vessel,” said Jim Johnson, president of Seattle-based Glacier Fish Co., which is responsible for managing the ship. photo, courier journal>click to read<23:12
‘What Happened in Craig’: Trying to piece together one of the state’s most perplexing murder mysteries
Leland Hale, along with his late coauthor Walter Gilmour, is known for writing the book “Butcher, Baker” about Anchorage serial killer Robert Hanson in the 1970s and early-’80s, which more recently was made into a movie. And Hale went back to 1980s Alaska for the subject of his new book, “What Happened in Craig?”, out this week.,, HALE: Let’s set the scene. It’s in September. It’s the end of the fishing season in Southeast Alaska. There’s a little town called Craig. There’s about a hundred fishing boats in town. So now the population has doubled and people are out celebrating because the fishing seasons over. They’ve made their money and one of the vessels there is actually from Blaine, Washington. >click to read<20:58
Engine shortage slows pace of boatbuilding
Seated behind the desk in his office, boatbuilder Stewart Workman seemed pretty relaxed for a businessman with a big problem that seems to be growing worse.,, Over the past couple of years, as more of the lobster fishery has moved into deeper waters far from land, Workman’s customers have been looking at the biggest boats he can build, but he is finding it difficult to satisfy their needs. The reason is simple. “There are no engines available that are big enough to safely operate our (biggest) boats offshore,” Workman said recently. Fishermen are the customers who are feeling the pinch. The new emission rule exempts non-commercial vessels. >click to read<19:48
Newbuild Research arrives in Whalsay
Whalsay has been welcoming its second brand-new state-of-the-art pelagic trawler in as many months. The new 80-metre long Research (LK 62), said to have cost an estimated £34 million, sailed into Symbister on Friday morning after crossing the North Sea from Norway overnight. The vessel, built for the locally owned Research Fishing Company,,, >click to read<17:46
It’s Official! 62.3 million: Bristol Bay’s 2018 salmon season the largest ever
It is official; 2018 was the largest sockeye salmon run to Bristol Bay on record, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has records dating back to 1893. The 2018 Bristol Bay Season Summary, which ADF&G released in September, reiterates the records this year’s run broke. To start with, the total run to Bristol Bay this summer was 62.3 million sockeye. That is 21 percent above the preseason forecast of 51.3 million fish.,, The ex-vessel value also broke a record – $281 million for all salmon species. >click to read<15:02
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for October 12, 2018
>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<14:24
Five men and the sea: Huge marlin sinks Philippine fishing boat
Like a modern-day take on “The Old Man and the Sea,” five Filipino fishermen were cast adrift for days on a makeshift raft after a huge marlin sank their boat. The men were fishing in the South China Sea when a 6-foot-long (1.8-meter) marlin punctured their boat’s wooden hull with its giant bill, vessel master Jimmy Batiller said on Wednesday. Their 12-meter boat quickly dipped beneath the waves in the early evening of Oct. 3, leaving the crew with little drinking water or food until their rescue by the U.S. Navy on Monday. >click to read<13:27
Devestation – Seven drownings among Nova Scotia fishermen highlight importance of PFDs
Allan Anderson never thought his close friend, “a stellar tuna fisherman” of four decades, would be the latest drowning victim. The Aulds Cove lifelong fisherman learned of the tragic news on Saturday not long after Stevie MacInnis died while tuna fishing off the coast of Port Hood. The father of three was the seventh Nova Scotia fisherman to drown on the job this year. The 68-year-old Arisaig resident was widely regarded as a selfless community man. It’s unclear whether he was wearing a personal flotation device (PFD).,, But Anderson also admits that he and MacInnis also represent an older generation of fishermen reluctant to wear PFDs themselves. >click to read<12:18
P.E.I. lobster fishermen report up and down fall season
Traps across Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 25 came out of the water Wednesday, Oct. 10, marking the end of a mixed bag of a fall lobster season. On the Summerside waterfront, Merrill Montgomery, captain of the Salty Curls, and his crew spent the morning hauling up traps, loading them onto a truck and getting them set for winter storage. All things considered, he was pleased with how his things went. “Season was great, fantastic. Weather was great, catch was great and price was – pretty good,” he said. >click to read<11:33
Feds declare salmon fishery disasters
California’s 2016 and 2017 commercial ocean salmon seasons have been declared as federal fisheries disasters, one of many declarations for the state and the rest of the West Coast. Declared by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce late last month, the West Coast fisheries disasters include the Klamath River fall run Chinook commercial ocean salmon fisheries of both California and Oregon and the 2017 Klamath fisheries of the Yurok and Hoopa Valley tribes. Those declarations are among a dozen for the West Coast alone and at this point, only $20 million has been appropriated for federal disaster relief. >click to read<09:18
Hurricane Michael Death Toll Rises to 11 Overnight
Hurricane Michael continued its rampage through the mid-Atlantic early Friday morning after ravaging parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas, spawning deadly floods that rose so fast that there was little time to evacuate. At least 11 deaths have been blamed on the powerful storm. Michael made landfall as a high-end Category 4 storm on the Florida Panhandle Wednesday, smashing towns to rubble. >click to read<08:48
Coast Guard medevaced 62-year-old Captain off fishing vessel 82-miles north of Kahului
The Coast Guard successfully medevaced a 62-year-old mariner off a fishing vessel 82-miles north of Kahului, Wednesday. At 1:15 p.m., Sector Honolulu watchstanders received a call from the owner of the 82-foot fishing vessel Pacific Star reporting the captain was experiencing a medical emergency. A duty flight surgeon was consulted, determined the captain was displaying symptoms of a stroke and recommended a medevac to a higher level of medical care. Video, >click to read<21:12
Despite average pay of between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, commercial fishing operations have trouble luring workers
John Corbin is the manager and partner at Buck & Ann Fisheries in Warrenton, where he’s worked for 29 years. The company operates three boats that fish black and pacific cod as well as shrimp. The company employs about 13 people. We spoke with Corbin — who is also chairman of the Oregon Crab Commission — about labor challenges in the fisheries industry. In December you spoke out about the labor shortage in the fisheries industry. Has there been any relief? No, there really hasn’t. In fact, the more people I talk to, it’s becoming more and more of an issue. >click to read<17:41
Fishermen, scientists, researchers convene to address reeling coastal communities, fisheries
Commercial fishing fleets are skeletons of their former selves and their communities, once known for their abundant natural resources and food production, are suffering from increased poverty and food insecurity. In response, about 50 state and local officials, scientists, researchers, business owners and fishermen convened Friday, Oct. 5, for a ‘Fisheries Roundtable’ discussion at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco. They explored options to improving coastal fisheries and the communities they serve. >click to read<16:17
Feds review this year’s right-whale protections
It was enough. But was it too much? That’s the question Fisheries and Oceans Canada wants to answer after a season of unprecedented measures to protect North Atlantic right whales — including mandatory ship slowdowns and fisheries closures. To date, none of the critically endangered whales has died in Canadian waters in 2018, unlike in 2017, when 12 died in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, largely due to ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear.,,, On the East coast, the department (DFO) is now holding regional meetings with members of the fishing industry to gather feedback on those management measures. >click to read<15:03
Taking a risk off the shores of Cape Breton, Recent mishaps remind fishermen of the dangers
Jack Billard gazes off into the middle distance as he silently prods his memory for details of his closest brush with death. The 79-year-old retired fisherman, who spent more than six decades hauling lobsters, crabs, fish and other creatures from the sea, returns to the moment and voices what he can recall of an incident that occurred when he was a teenager just starting his career on the boats. >click to read<13:21
NOAA Scientists Admit Finding In Recent Right Whale Report Just A Hypothesis
Federal fishery regulators are taking back their claim that newer lobster fishing gear is harmful to North Atlantic right whales.,, They found a 2015 rule requiring less traps with stronger fishing line is making entanglements of right whales worse. However, the agency said that statement is actually not based on science. Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said the report is still flawed. >click to read<11:52
The Kitzhaber Plan – State compensation for gillnetters trickles down
Money local commercial salmon fishermen will soon receive as compensation after reform policies pushed them off the Columbia River is “not nothing.” But it’s not quite something, either. “It means a little bit of a paycheck,” said David Quashnick, a gillnetter who has been fishing since he was a teenager and now has two sons who run their own boats.,,, Recreational and salmon conservation groups said the changes would protect salmon. The commercial fishermen said it would destroy their way of life.,, In the past two years, a number of Oregon’s Fish and Wildlife commissioners say they now agree with the commercial fishermen. >click to read<10:57
Sealord crew member missing near Cape Palliser
A Sealord crew member is missing and a search under way in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Cape Palliser. The crew member did not report for duty on one of the company’s fishing vessels, the Otakou, on Thursday morning. A “full muster” was conducted to confirm he was missing before a search commenced and authorities were notified, a statement from Sealord said. >click to read<10:11
A Woman at Sea
“I don’t really know that many women who do it,” Lauren Brady admits, looking out across the calm waters of Yaquina Bay on a rare sunny day in September. She has been commercial fishing since April, working on crabbing, shrimping, black cod fishing, and most recently tuna fishing boats. Brady agreed to meet with me to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of the few women who choose this career. >click to read<09:27
Coast Guard crew medically evacuates ill fishing vessel crewmember off Oregon Coast
The Coast Guard medically evacuated an ill crewmember off a commercial fishing vessel 10 miles west of Brookings, Wednesday afternoon. A boat crew aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Station Chetco River safely conducted the medevac of the 59-year-old chief engineer aboard the fishing vessel Alaska Ocean, and transported him to shore for further medical care. >click to read<21:51
Oregon: Coast Guard offers safety training for commercial fishermen
Dungeness crab season is approaching and soon commercial fisherman will be out on the dangerous waters, so the Coast Guard is offering marine safety and survival training for them. The agency says they have five different two-day training sessions scheduled on the Oregon Coast over the next couple of months. Training is designed for commercial fishermen and will provide them hands-on experience with safety equipment and emergency drills. >click to read<17:50
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 38′ Holland Lobster Boat, 425HP, John Deere
Specifications, information and 2 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< Owner has taken delivery of his new vessel and is motivated to sell. All reasonable serious offers will be considered. 14:23
Kentucky Awards First-Ever Fish House Contract to Fight Asian Carp
Gov. Matt Bevin today announced the award of the state’s first-ever fish house contract, in an innovative step to attack the Asian carp problem in western Kentucky and encourage job growth in the region..,, The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is pledging up to $4 million in loans and incentives for the fish house and commercial fishermen.,, “Commercial anglers currently harvest two million pounds of Asian carp from Kentucky’s waters each year,” said Ron Brooks, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s fisheries director. “We believe this program can increase that catch to 20 million pounds across the state within the next five years.” >click to read<13:13
Most Lobsters Caught In San Diego Wind Up On Chinese Plates
“Even a lot of people local don’t even really know we have this species of lobsters,” said Apex Wild Seafood owner David Schulken. “Because not that much of it gets sold here.” The price of a locally-caught spiny lobster is much higher than a Maine lobster imported from the East Coast. “Retail price for spiny’s is around $30 a pound,” Schulken said. “And retail for Maine lobster somewhere between $12 and $15 a pound.” Video>click to read<13:15
Whale protection, trawl limits entangle Zone C lobstermen
October is a peak month, according to the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, for feistiness in Maine’s population of hornets and wasps. Lobstermen too, judging by last week’s meeting of the Zone C Lobster Management Council at Deer Isle-Stonington High School.,, While the trawl rule was at the forefront of last week’s debate, lurking just below the surface was a technical memorandum issued late last month by the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center. >click to read<11:49
The labour lie: FISH-NL reacts to Labour Board decision dismissing its application for certification
After 500-plus years of fishing history, the Newfoundland and Labrador government — through its Labour Relations Board — has finally defined an inshore fisherman. The definition doesn’t involve trips to sea nor fish landed. From the Board’s perspective, that’s irrelevant. The definition also doesn’t factor in whether a person lives in Newfoundland or Labrador, has a full-time job outside the fishery, or has ever stepped aboard a boat. To be considered a fisherman/woman in the eyes of the Board, the only criteria is that a person must have paid dues to the union — the FFAW-Unifor. >click to read<10:41
Working waterfront to be preserved in Boothbay Harbor
On Aug. 12, Deanne Tibbetts, a resident of Boothbay Harbor, invited a small group of area residents to meet and discuss concerns about the potential loss of working waterfront and, along with that, an important part of their local identity and their maritime heritage. Tibbetts is a descendant of many generations of fishermen from Southport. The purpose of this meeting was not to debate progress, change, economic development, or any specific plans for the east side of Boothbay Harbor but rather to insure that working waterfront and those people that depend on it and care about it have a seat at the table. >click to read<09:04
How Did North Carolina’s Commerical Fishing Industry Fare In Hurricane Florence?
While cleanup crews are getting a good idea of how much the damage Hurricane Florence will cost, it’s not yet clear what the storm might have done to North Carolina’s fishing industry. Farmers on land lost more than $1 billion worth of crops in the floodwaters from the hurricane. Jerry Schill of the North Carolina Fisheries Association says, in a way, commercial fishermen lost crops of their own. “The fish stocks that they normally fish for in the fall, those fish stocks are displaced,” he said. Schill was speaking to a committee in the Legislature this week, one of many considering Hurricane Florence relief measures. >click to read<08:29
