Daily Archives: May 31, 2019
Huge sea search for skipper Dom
A huge search operation got under way on Friday morning after the popular skipper of a fishing vessel went missing in the water some miles off the Wexford Coast. Dom Sinnott (45) set sail from Rosslare Harbour on board the Ellie Adhamh at some time around 1.30 a.m. on Friday morning and it is believed he entered the water at some stage between then and 5.30 a.m. when his fellow crew members issued the mayday call. This is the second tragedy to have struck the vessel within the space of a week. The previous Sunday, a colleague of Mr Sinnott’s, Viktor Sokolovskij, lost his life when he fell between the trawler and the pier in Rosslare.>click to read<20:01
Gray Whales – NOAA declares ‘unusual mortality event’ after at least 70 West Coast strandings this spring
The declaration by NOAA — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — kicks in a provision of federal law that provides funding to help scientists figure out the cause of such die-offs of marine mammals, from whales and dolphins in the Pacific or Atlantic to manatees off Florida. So far this year, at least 70 gray whales have been found stranded and dead along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska — the most in nearly 20 years, scientists from NOAA said Friday. >click to read<17:06
Wind farm critics step up efforts – Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott launch website, wainscott.org
In the Town of East Hampton’s easternmost hamlet, Montauk commercial fishermen say the proposed South Fork Wind Farm may destroy their livelihood, citing potential disruptions to fish populations and migration patterns as well as the danger to navigation represented by its 15 turbines, each of them hundreds of feet tall and driven deep into the ocean floor. At the other end of the town, many Wainscott residents are upset that Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind has identified the ocean beach at the end of Beach Lane as the preferred site to land the wind farm’s export cable. A group called Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott has launched a website, wainscott.org, which lays out a mission statement, action plan, and petition opposing the site. >click to read<15:52
Epic catch brings tons of fresh fish to the Central Coast
Salmon are running in epic numbers this year off the Central Coast, and that means lots of fresh fish for commercial fishermen and hungry customers.
This year’s salmon season, which started commercially on May 1, is the best local fishermen have seen in 20 years. “It’s like Christmas for us,” DeGarimore said. “This is the biggest salmon catch we’ve had in the past two decades. We’re all really excited to see the boats coming in. Tourists are taking photos. Salmon are beautiful fish, and they make spectacular fillets. >click to read<15:14
Seal bait returns crab catch rates comparable to squid, MUN study reveals
A new study from Memorial University has found that seal bait can be used to catch snow crab. The study, first conducted as a student thesis by Tomas Araya-Schmidt at Memorial University in 2017, found that seal fat, used as bait for crab, returned catch rates comparable to squid, the traditional bait used by snow crab harvesters.,,, Five different types of bait were compared in the study, using harp seal and minke whale: seal fat, seal fat with skin, seal meat with bone, whale fat with skin and whale meat with fat. But it was only seal fat and seal fat with skin that produced catch rates similar to squid.>click to read<14:04
Fisheries panel raises concerns about proposed flounder reduction
The Carteret County Marine Fisheries Advisory Board convened for the first time since February of last year to discuss what they feel is a misguided attempt to save the southern flounder population. At the end of the Wednesday meeting at the county administration building, board members decided to send a letter to Gov. Roy Cooper and other state figures. At issue is a portion of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 2 of the plan recommends a 62% reduction in catch of southern flounder the first year, followed by a 72% reduction the following year.
The first year begins this fall. >click to read< 12:53
Information on Southern Flounder Amendment – >Click here< for info, and to submit a written comment
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 31, 2019
>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< Everyone in NC that has an interest in the Southern Flounder fishery (Restaurant, Consumer, Commercial or Recreational) is encouraged to attend the meetings that are scheduled for next week. 12:25 Information on Southern Flounder Amendment – >Click here< for info, and to submit a written comment
FISH-NL – an allegation of collusion among processing companies
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) is asking the federal Competition Bureau to investigate an allegation of collusion involving fish processing companies on the Great Northern Peninsula. “The charge is incredibly serious, and must be investigated,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. Roland Genge, a well-known and respected fisherman from Port Saunders, sold his northern shrimp in past years to QuinSea Fisheries, but recently decided to change buyers and sell to the Corner Brook-based Barry Group. >click to read<11:48
Last-ditch battle is underway to save Columbia River salmon, steelhead from determined predator
“In a lot of ways, the fight to save the Columbia River as we know it is going to be won and lost on Lake Roosevelt.” The enemy: northern pike.,,, The aggressive fish with razor-like teeth ended up in the Pend Oreille River sometime in the past decade – and kept going. This is bad news for the Columbia River’s salmon, trout, steelhead and other fish. Because the northern pike are big, determined predators. They’ll eat anything they can, including ducks. >click to read<11:00
The gear is coming ashore in Southwestern N.S. as lobster season draws to a close
Lobster fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia are landing traps, buoys, rope and anchors by the boatload this week as May 31 marks the end of the six-month lobster season. The season opened on Dec. 1 after a five-day weather delay for fishermen in Lobster Fishing Areas 33 and 34, with a record opening shore price of $7 a pound that jumped to $9 by mid-December, peaked at $11 in April, and is expected to close at $7. Bernie Berry, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association said overall if it ends up being a decent season, it’ll be mostly because of the price. The price was important as catches do appear to be down, according to what fishermen have been reporting. >Photo’s, click to read<09:55
Winter skate are dying in huge numbers, a new scientific paper points the finger at a big herd of seals
A “striking conservation success” in Atlantic Canada has turned into a “serious conservation problem” as rebounding grey seal herds threaten depleted bottom-feeding fish in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, according to a new research paper from Canadian and U.S. scientists. The focus is on the winter skate, a little-known shark relative with a flat body and a long tail. “It’s quite dire. The skate have declined by 98 per cent since the mid-80s,” said Doug Swain, a federal fisheries scientist based in Moncton, N.B. The paper concludes grey seals are the likely cause of an “unprecedented” winter skate annual adult mortality rate of between 65 and 70 per cent. >click to read<09:20
Lobster boat slams into Sustainable Marine Energy tidal platform at Grand Passage
Charles Comeau was steaming the P’tit Charles II out of Grand Passage near dawn on Wednesday for one of the last hauls of the season. “I didn’t see it before the last 10 or 20 seconds but it was too late,” Comeau said Thursday. Directly in front of him was a tidal generating platform. He hit it at nearly 10 knots, or 18 km/h, and brought up solid. Comeau was slammed against the boat’s dash and his crewman was tossed onto the deck. “We’re lucky nobody got seriously hurt,” said the captain of 35 years.,,, He’s now calling for better lighting on the Sustainable Marine Energy tidal platform. >click to read<08:36
