Daily Archives: April 13, 2020
Ruling in whale case signals turmoil for lobster industry
It is too early to know exactly how the ruling in a lawsuit brought by a group of environmental organizations will affect the lobster industry. U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg asked those groups and NOAA to file briefs suggesting an appropriate “injunctive remedy” against further violations of the Endangered Species Act. Whatever that remedy may be, it is likely to come soon and have a significant impact on Maine lobstermen. During the past several months, Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher hosted a series of meetings along the coast with members of the lobster industry,, Throughout the process, Keliher warned that the pending federal lawsuit against NOAA was a “wild card” that could affect the regulatory process in undetermined ways. Last week, Keliher said that with the release of the court’s decision the wild card had been played. >click to read< 17:51
“If lobster people fish, then processors are going to process,” – Processors working on assumed May 1 season start
It is unlikely P.E.I.’s seafood processors will have all the temporary foreign workers they normally have to operate in time for a regular start to the lobster season.,, Jerry Gavin, executive director of the processors’ association, said there will be challenges for his members but they will get the job done if called upon., Gavin recognizes there will be some significant hurdles.”,, Probably one-third of the workforce is temporary foreign workers. Those workers are probably not going to come in here on time. So processors are looking at trying to expand the local labour.” To be ready to start May 1, temporary foreign workers would have to arrive on P.E.I. next week — because they will need to quarantine for 14 days before they can go to the plants. >click to read< 15:51
New England Fishery Management Council Webinar Meeting, April 14th-15th, 2020
Due to federal and state travel restrictions and updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the April Council meeting will be conducted by webinar. Please continue to monitor this webpage for additional information. >click here< The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a two-day meeting by webinar on Tuesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The public is invited to listen live and provide input during designated opportunities for public comment. IMPORTANT: This notice contains more information than usual. Please read carefully and especially take note for details, >click to read< 13:11
Fish Local: Leigh fisherman backs industry campaign
Following the closure of export markets in France and Belgium, the campaign, called Fish Local, asks residents to cook more locally caught fish and seafood. A website has been set up, called www.fishlocal.org, which states on its home page: “During normal times, 80% of a catch for fishermen in Kent and Essex goes to foreign markets. Due to the current covid-19 crisis, all major international and national markets for fish and shellfish have closed or are limited. “By connecting you, the local community with the local fish supply, we hope we can keep the Kent and Essex fishing industry afloat and the shops full. We are working hard with the local fishing community to bring you closer to quality, fresh fish in and around your area.” >click to read< 11:48
Interview: “Deadliest Catch” Captain Keith Colburn
As the phenomenally popular and enduring reality TV series, Deadliest Catch, enters its 16th season on the Discovery Channel, one of the most colorful and hard-driving skippers, Captain Keith Colburn, owner of the F/V Wizard, took some time out to share with Boating readers his thoughts on boats, safety, crew morale and more. Colburn’s Alaskan fishing career spans 35 years, and unlike many skippers, he is a first-generation fisherman, starting from scratch as a greenhorn at age 22 in 1985. By 1992 he had worked his way up to captain and purchased the 152-foot Wizard in 2005. interview, photo’s, >click to read< 09:56
Northern Pulp: Next step in possible restart expected to come today
On Thursday, Northern Pulp’s parent company, Paper Excellence, put out a news release stating that it intended to continue with the environmental assessment process with the hope of eventually restarting the mill. That will be unpopular with the broad coalition of fishermen, First Nations and concerned citizens who oppose the plan to pump treated effluent into the Northumberland Strait near Caribou. Those groups have warned repeatedly that the effluent could damage the Northumberland Strait ecosystem and harm the commercial fishery on which both aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities in the area largely rely. >click to read< 07:52
57.7 tons of Boston lobsters from Canada arrive in East China city
A total of 57.7 tons of Boston lobsters from Canada has arrived at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in East China’s Zhejiang province on a charter flight Thursday, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Saturday. This is the first lobster import cargo charter flight at the airport, one of the designated ports for imports of edible aquatic animals, since the COVID-19 outbreak this year, the GAC said. >click to read< 07:02
