Daily Archives: January 2, 2019

Lifelong Shelburne boatbuilder retires: ‘I knew how to build a boat when I was 15 years old’

He was only a kid when he knew boatbuilding was what he wanted to do for his life’s work, getting his early learning in the trade from the pages of boatbuilding books read while skipping school in the late 1940s. For close to 70 years, Roland DesChamp Sr., Shelburne, has been building boats, including the last 55 years running his family business, DesChamp and Jackson Boatbuilders Ltd. At 85, he has decided it’s time to give it up and has sold the business, but not the name, which will surely go down in the local history books as one of Shelburne’s most celebrated builders. >click to read<20:25

FISH-NL’S TOP 25 QUOTES OF 2018

There are twenty five good ones, but this one by John Gillett is one of my favorites. NUMBER 9 “It’s time to manage the predators of our fish stocks rather than keep regulating our fish harvesters out of existence.” — Twillingate fisherman John Gillett, June 18, 2018, in a letter to the editor of the St. John’s Telegram. >click to read<18:49

UPDATE: Coast Guard suspends search for missing fishermen near Block Island, RI

Coast Guard crews suspended their search for two missing fishermen near Block Island, Rhode Island Wednesday at approximately 5:13 p.m. The two fishermen have been missing since their boat Mistress capsized and sank Tuesday morning. The fishing boat Captain Bligh initially responded to the scene and rescued one fisherman from a lifeboat. Crews searched for approximately 72 hours covering 2,152 square nautical miles. -USCG-

Coast Guard suspends search off Block Island for missing fishermen | Video – >click to read<18:06

President Trump Signs Bipartisan Modern Fish Act Into Law

The Modern Fish Act was signed into law on December 31st, 2018, by President Donald Trump. Over 11 million Americans partake in recreational saltwater fishing—with the activity being heavily concentrated in the southeastern U.S. In what is being celebrated as a victory for recreational fishing and boating, this law will be bring much-needed clarification and reforms to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. While the bill is not entirely perfect, various stakeholders agree this new law will clarify any confusion previously inset in the law and bring recreational fishing management into the 21st century. The Modern Fish Act was passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate on December 17th, and by overwhelming approval in the House (350-11) on December 19th, 2018. >click to read<15:51

Coast Guard treats search for fishermen as rescue mission

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that crews were continuing to search on the water and in the air for two fishermen reported missing. The Coast Guard said it considers the effort a rescue mission and that it assumes the fishermen put on survival suits. Capt. Oscar Diaz and his nephew, John Ansay, were aboard the F/V Mistress, which the Coast Guard said capsized and sank about 2.5 miles southeast of Block Island.  The Coast Guard said the crew of the fishing boat Captain Bligh responded to the call and found Diaz’s son in a life raft. >click to read<12:48