Daily Archives: April 9, 2020
“I just thought Tignish looked so docile,,,Tignish lobster-trap tree to be lit for Easter in recognition of essential workers, local fishermen
In 2018, the town made the tree using lobster traps as a way to honour the Island’s fishermen, but particularly Moe Getson and Glen DesRoches, two local fishermen who died when their boat capsized the same year. Tina Richard, the town’s recreation director who came up with the idea, said she was inspired while delivering groceries to her father who has been self-isolating. “I just thought Tignish looked so docile. Everything was dark, gloomy, nothing’s open … it just looked like a ghost town,” Richard said.,, As the town continues to try to navigate the pandemic, Richard said people have “really come together” to help each other out. Richard also noted that fishermen in the community are currently getting ready for setting day while not knowing if it will actually take place. >click to read< 22:48
With Coronavirus pandemic ravaging our country, temporary relaxation of fishery regulations is urged to help fishing industry
Thanks to our Senators and Congressmen who worked to get specific aid to the fishing industry, that has been hit particularly hard by the closure of restaurants, where 70 per cent of seafood in this country is consumed. Fishermen and wholesalers have had to adapt on the fly and find other ways to market their product to various degrees of success. The closure of so many vital aspects of our domestic economy will have effects that will still be felt a long time after the Virus is tamed.,, I am requesting that NMFS immediately contact the various management councils and commissions to request that special meetings [webinars] of fishery advisory panels be held to discuss the pro’s and cons of this idea, and what fisheries could benefit.,,, By Jim Lovgren. >click to read< 20:48
Wartsila to provide latest engine and power generation technology for new Scottish fishing trawler
The technology group Wärtsilä will supply a propulsion and power package for a new 75 metres long fishing trawler. The ship is being built at the Karstensen shipyard in Denmark for Scottish owners and operators Wiseman Fishing Co and Northbay Fishing Co. Both the yard and Wiseman Fishing are longstanding customers of Wärtsilä. This latest order with Wärtsilä was placed in March.The vessel will feature a Wärtsilä 31 main engine, two Wärtsilä 14 power generating sets, a gearbox and a controllable pitch propeller (CPP), the combination of which represents the latest engine and power generation technology. In designing the trawler, the aim has been to achieve the best power density, the most efficient performance, and the lowest possible emission levels in order to achieve minimal environmental impact. >click to read< 18:45
Commercial fishing industry in free fall as restaurants close, consumers hunker down and vessels tie up
The novel coronavirus pandemic has destroyed demand for seafood across a complicated U.S. supply chain, from luxury items such as lobster and crab, generally consumed at restaurants, to grocery staples sourced from the world’s fish farms. Now, with restaurants closed, many of the nation’s fisheries — across geography, species, gear types and management — have reported sales slumps as high as 95 percent. Boats from Honolulu to Buzzards Bay, Mass., are tied up dockside, with fisheries in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska affected, throwing thousands of fishermen out of work and devastating coastal communities. >click to read< 16:52
Coronavirus: San Diego’s Fishing Community Pivots to Stay Afloat
The COVID-19 shutdown of many of the city’s restaurants has left much of San Diego’s commercial fishing fleet reeling, and right now they’re doing everything they can to stay afloat including shifting the way they’re selling fish at the weekly Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, which has remained open as an essential business. “The commercial fishing fleet has always provided food for people and we’re still here,” says commercial fisherman Kelly Fukushima. “We want them to know they can rely on us to put food on people’s tables.” The crisis has been hard on local fishers. Commercial fishermen David Haworth and his son, Nick, had to scramble when wholesalers started calling them to say they could no longer sell their catch amid widespread restaurant closures. Home deliveries helped move the load of fish,,, >click to read< 15:31
Nova Scotia: Cermaq abandons controversial fish farm expansion, could not find 15-20 sites needed
On Thursday, the Mitsubishi Corp. subsidiary said it could not find suitable locations for the 15 to 20 farm sites it needed to justify a move into the province. “Unfortunately, we were unable to locate enough sites at this time, and have made the decision to allow all of our options to lease to expire,” David Kiemele, managing director for Cermaq Canada,,, It also said it would not proceed without community support.The company said in the coming weeks it will wrap up the feasibility work and close its Guysborough office.,, Meanwhile, Cermaq competitor Cooke Aquaculture said Thursday it is proceeding with its plans to expand in Nova Scotia. >click to read< 13:08
Fishermen concerned over Pebble employee appointed to Board of Fisheries
While communities and fishermen in Bristol Bay are facing an immediate challenge in deciding if and how to hold the $300 million salmon fishery in a few weeks, an appointment to the Board of Fisheries is adding to the stress felt by many in the region.,, Among the governor’s appointments is Abe Williams, who is an employee of the Pebble Partnership,,, Williams was born and raised in Naknek, currently lives in Anchorage, and is a fourth-generation Bristol Bay fisherman. However, his position on Pebble Mine has bothered both commercial and sport fishermen in Bristol Bay. Williams is currently the Director of Regional Affairs for the Pebble Partnership. >click to read< 12:14
Coronavirus: Shellfish industry calls for government support – Fishermen face bleak year as pandemic bites
The East Yorkshire coast is home to the UK’s largest crab and lobster fishing industry, with about 80% of the catch exported. Fishing has been suspended and exports to China and Europe have become a “zero marketplace”, according to Bridlington fisherman John White. The industry is calling for more support from the government. >click to read< 11:03
Fishermen face bleak year as pandemic bites – The UK fishing sector has been badly hit by the coronavirus crisis, with the collapse of export markets and the shutdown of the hospitality industry leading to most boats being tied up. British fishermen export about 70% of their catch, mainly to continental Europe and Asia. The sharp fall in demand has been a “severe shock”, said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations. >click to read< 11:05
Queensland: Crab pot pincher nipped with $5000 fine
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the man was caught after Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers began investigating reports of people interfering with commercial crab apparatus in March 2019. “This hard-working commercial crabber has had valuable infrastructure interfered with and lost valuable income from someone stealing his mud crabs,” he said. “People interfering with crab pots is one of the biggest complaints that we get from the public and the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol has been cracking down on it through additional patrols and the use of cameras and drones. Our state’s fisheries resources belong to all Queenslanders and it’s our job to protect fish stocks for the future.” >click to read< 10:19
Local Commercial Salmon Fishing Industry Sees Silver Lining Amid Coronavirus Crisis
California’s fishing industry is designated as essential by Governor Gavin Newsom, but their usual markets, restaurants, are all but shut down because of the coronavirus. That’s spelling trouble for local fishermen and women. Still, some believe there’s a silver lining to this crisis. David Toriumi has been commercially fishing the Monterey Bay for almost 16 years. It’s a livelihood full of challenges, from rigorous and expensive regulations to changing ocean conditions. But the coronavirus is like nothing he’s seen before. Toriumi says the impact was slow at first, less people eating out, and then boom. >click to read< 08:44
Fishermen in Eastern Quebec want season postponed to avoid Coronavirus outbreak in fishing villages
Leon Keats is set to go out to sea on April 20 to harvest crab in Zone 16A, off Anticosti Island. But the fishing captain wonders how he can do his job while respecting public health guidelines to limit the spread of the coronavirus, and without endangering residents of Kegaska, the village on the Lower North Shore, where he docks his boat during the 14-week period. “It’s unsanitary, and it’s impossible for us to live by the guidelines that Health Canada is asking us to respect right now,” said Keats. “It’s utterly impossible.” Keats and other fishermen in Eastern Quebec are asking Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to postpone the fishing season to ensure workers and residents of small fishing towns aren’t unnecessarily exposed to COVID-19. >click to read< 07:44
