Daily Archives: May 16, 2019

How was the stone crab season? Good in the Keys, but rough in other parts of Florida

Florida Keys and Miami fishermen fared much better than their colleagues on the west coast of the state during this year’s stone crab season, but production varied depending on where they fished in South Florida, the head of the Keys commercial fishing trade association said. Wednesday was the last day of the eight-month season, which began in October. “Supply was good, prices were high and demand was strong,” said Bill Kelly, executive director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fisherman’s Association. But a persistent red tide algae bloom that plagued the Gulf>click to read<16:48

Brownsville captain lands foot-long giant in Gulf

The phrase “jumbo shrimp” doesn’t really do it justice. The captain and owner of a Brownsville shrimp boat is showing off the biggest Asian tiger shrimp he’s ever seen, measuring 12.5 inches, which is probably within an inch or two of the maximum size of the species. Capt. Seth Sanders was trawling for white shrimp just west of the Atchafalaya Channel off the coast of Louisiana recently when his net brought up the monster female Asian tiger. >click to read<12:49

Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong to stand down

The leader of one of Scotland’s biggest fishing industry organisations has announced he is to step down after 14 years in the job. Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), will hand over to his successor in August. He will be replaced by Elspeth Macdonald, the deputy chief executive of Food Standards Scotland. Mr Armstrong said had had “lived and breathed” the industry. >link<12:32

Wind, waves hamper efforts to salvage grounded longliner

The 70-foot longliner Masonic remains on the rocks on the Spanish Islands, and rough seas and high winds may prevent salvage crews from recovering vessel itself, or the large quantity of fuel on board. The Masonic is in a bad spot. Hard aground on the rocks of the Spanish Islands, about 80 miles south of Sitka, the 1923 vintage longliner has been pushed on its side, and is being battered by waves and wind. Salvage crews were able to board the Masonic on May 8, just one day after it went aground, and plugged fuel vents. But since then no one’s been able to return to the Masonic, and the weather has been taking a huge toll on the boat. >audio report, click to read<11:41

Oil company’s seismic testing approval creates waves in Tasmanian fishing industry

Tasmania’s fishing industry is “astounded” seismic testing has been given the green light by a national petroleum authority in Bass Strait as part of exploration plans by an oil and gas company.,, Researchers from the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and Curtin University found in 2017 that noise from seismic airguns used for marine oil and gas exploration significantly increased mortality in scallops and zooplankton.  John Hammond, a longtime fisherman and chairman of the Tasmanian Scallop Association, said seismic testing would be “very destructive” >click to read<11:16

Long Island Sound boundary at Oyster Bay Harbor decided by courts

Baymen called on Oyster Bay officials to move jurisdiction markers for shellfishing beds at the boundary of the Long Island Sound as decided recently by a state appellate court. Last month, the New York State Appellate Court, Second Department, upheld a 2016 lower court decision in a lawsuit against the town that ruled the boundary of the Sound runs along a line from Rocky Point in Oyster Bay east to Whitewood Point on Lloyd Neck. At issue was who could shellfish in those waters. The case arose after Nassau County police ticketed independent fisherman Bryan C. Murphy in 2010 for shellfishing in those waters. >click to read<

 

SOLD OUT EVENT!!! Spreading Gloucester’s story

On Monday night, Angela Sanfilippo of the Fishermen’s Wives Association, longtime fisherman Al Cottone and former Gloucester Mayor John Bell — along with J.J. Bartlett of the Fishing Partnership Support Services — were the true centerpieces in a food-and-film gala that highlighted the plight of American commercial fishermen and the bounty that is Gloucester seafood. The sold-out event, titled From Sea to Sustainable Sea: Supporting American Wild Seafood, combined the Midwest premier of the Gloucester-centric fishing documentary “Dead in the Water” by Rockport native David Wittkower sandwiched between a cocktail hour and a seafood feast featuring Gloucester-landed monkfish, redfish, crabs, lobsters and other seafood delights. >click to read <09:29

Defining a Moderate Livelihood: Part 2

Bruce Wildsmith wonders what the Marshall decision really meant to the Department of Fisheries and Ocean when it was handed down by the Supreme Court of Canada in Sept. 1999. “It seemed like it wasn’t fully accepted on the face of it; on the face of it, Mi’kmaw had the right to go fish, period,” said Wildsmith, Marshall’s former lawyer and legal advisor for the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs . “But from the DFO standpoint, ‘No, we have the right to regulate… >click to read<08:02