Daily Archives: May 29, 2019
Promising news on pink salmon disaster relief funds
Dear Friends and Neighbors, As the season is either underway or close at hand for many of you, I wanted to provide a short update about where we are with the 2016 pink salmon disaster relief funding. I believe we have some promising news. Thanks in part to outreach from people like yourselves, Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office has been putting a lot of pressure on the federal level to expedite the release of the grant funding. It appears to be having some effect. As I write this, it is Tuesday, May 28, according to new information, NOAA is aiming to release the grant funding to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) by this upcoming Saturday, June 1. Rep. Louise Stutes >click to read<19:37
Maine Voices: Proposal to revive Maine Aqua Ventus offshore wind project does not pass the smell test
Staff Writer Kevin Miller’s May 16 news article about the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee’s public hearing on L.D. 994 misses key issues – including the fact that L.D. 994 has been put forward as “emergency legislation” and could be considered an overreach of power by the Legislature. Regardless whether one is for or against the Maine Aqua Ventus project, citizens should be outraged by this attempt to subvert the Public Utilities Commission’s order to re-open and review the term sheet. >click to read< 18:45
Fishery observer survey seeks answers for high turnover
Many of Alaska’s (and the nation’s) commercial fisheries depend on observers having a place on board, but fewer than a fifth of them feel appreciated by the industry, according to a new survey. Fishery observers sail on vessels with fishermen in federal waters and keep track of catch and bycatch and take biological samples throughout trips. Managers use this information to evaluate stocks and manage fisheries. The job can be tough, requiring up to a month at a time on the water in rough conditions, and turnover can be high. The survey, conducted by the National Marine Fishery Service in 2016, asked 553 observers why they did the job and what their experiences have been like. >click to read<16:13
Alternate web page created for information and public comment on southern flounder management proposals
An alternate webpage has been established for the public to access information and submit public comment on Draft Amendment 2 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. The alternate Information on Southern Flounder Amendment page >click<was created due to continued technical problems with the Division of Marine Fisheries website that has caused intermittent failures. The division is continuing to work with the Department of Information Technology to correct these issues, which are affecting websites statewide. >click to read, with links<15:22
Royal Canadian Mint Honors Canadians who Landed at Juno Beach 75 years ago
The Royal Canadian Mint has launched a $2 circulation coin honoring the Canadians who, landing in Normandy, France 75 years ago, helped establish the Allied foothold that would lead to the liberation of Western Europe. This coin was unveiled on Monday at the Moncton Garrison, home to the 37 Brigade of the North Shore Regiment (New Brunswick) whose troops were among the 13 Canadian regiments landing at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944. “Like all Canadian soldiers landing at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, the North Shore men fought valiantly and suffered heavy losses in securing their landing objectives at the end of D-Day,” said North Shore Regiment Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel Renald Dufour. >click to read<14:44
New trawler hits the water – and it was made in Grimsby!
The first Grimsby-built trawler has been launched into the water from the port’s overhauled slipways. Docks-based shipbuilder Harris and Garrod’s latest creation, Margaret Mary, was carefully lowered into Port of Grimsby East on Tuesday by the centre-piece of the £1.9 million makeover, the 17m high, 200-tonne hoist. The under 10m vessel, almost as tall as it is long to maximize returns from its catching category criteria, was a four-month build by the Humber Quay South team, with a cockle vessel for a Boston operator sandwiched in between. >click to read<14:10
Del Norte honors fishermen
Following services for men and women who gave their lives for their country, a smaller gathering rang the bell and called out the names of those whose occupation was no less treacherous. Linda Tvetan who, along with her daughter-in-law Angel Tomasini, organized the Fishermen’s Memorial noted that since Crescent City is a fishing community it made sense to honor those who were lost at sea on Memorial Day. Being a fisherman is tough and back-breaking. >click to read<13:35
Harbor improvement grant lacks fishermen support: Frustration boiling over about Pillar Point Harbor control, decision-making
While seeking funds to update one of the most productive commercial fishing ports in the state, the San Mateo County Harbor District is receiving pushback from a group of fishermen who say they no longer trust the district has their best intentions at heart. On April 28, the district applied for a $3.4 million grant from the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER), to help fund road and pier improvements at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. >click to read<12:50
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Guilmond Lobster Boat, 6 Cylinder Cummins
Specifications, information and 14 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<12:11
Ice compensation? – FISH-NL says rules around ice compensation mean few harvesters will qualify
FISH-NL is calling on Ottawa to amend the $5-million program so that it’s retroactive to early April when fishing EI benefits ran out. “This program was only put in place to make DFO look good because it’s not much help to us,” says Joseph Hynes, a fisherman from Port Saunders on the Great Northern Peninsula. “It’s just for show.” ,,, “The whole idea of the ice assistance was to help out harvesters who couldn’t get out on the water to earn a living,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “It seems Fisheries and Oceans either missed that point or said the hell with it.” >click to read<09:28
Commercial shrimping season opens today in Georgia and South Carolina
Commercial shrimp trawling will open in all legal South Carolina waters at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29. Georgia state waters will open to trawling at the same time. Hopes are high that 2019 will bring a plentiful harvest after the previous year of relatively poor shrimping. In January 2018, an unusually cold period killed the vast majority of the white shrimp overwintering in South Carolina waters, delaying the 2018 opening of shrimp season until mid-June. Fortunately, according to regular trawl surveys conducted by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) biologists, white shrimp numbers appear to have returned to at least the 10-year average, hopefully heralding a better season for the state’s commercial fishery. >click to read<08:58
