Monthly Archives: April 2020

DMR Bulletin: SBA to Resume Paycheck Protection Program Tomorrow, Monday, April 27 at 10:30am

The Small Business Administration will resume accepting Paycheck Protection Program applications from participating lenders on Monday, April 27, 2020 at 10:30am EDT. This loan provides small businesses, including eligible self-employed individuals, with funds to pay up to 8 weeks of payroll costs including benefits, utilities, mortgage interest and rent. These funds will likely go quickly so we urge people to talk with their bank or credit union soon about this loan. Paycheck Protection Program Loan Information >click to read< 13:20

North Atlantic Right whale trouble: Lawsuit on protections could last for months

Environmental groups sued the U.S. government with a claim that regulators’ failure to protect the North Atlantic right whale from harm was a violation of the Endangered Species Act, and U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled April 9 that they were right. The government, environmentalists and industry members who are involved in the lawsuit must still return to court to determine a remedy. Boasberg ruled that the risk posed to the whales by the lobster fishery was too great to be sustainable, and that a remedy could ultimately result in new restrictions on lobster fishing. Members of the industry, including the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, have vowed to fight to protect the fishery. >click to read< 11:27

As crab season gets closer, Labrador harvesters worry about their health amid Coronavirus pandemic

Crab fisherman Joey Angnatok has been fishing since the mid-’90s and he’s worried not only for his health but also his crew members’ health. “Let’s just say an observer was on board your boat last week, and then he comes on my boat and we find out that one of your crew members had the sickness,” said Angnatok. “There’s so much uncertainty you drive yourself crazy trying to think about all the possibilities.” Last weekend, the provincial Fish Harvesting Safety Association released 12 control measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 while fishing. >click to read< 10:02

Coronavirus: Seafood association president lauds relief funding – Snow crab fishers, processors adjust to restrictions

The president of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance is lauding a funding announcement to help Canada’s fish and seafood sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic, despite not knowing many specifics. “The devil’s in the details, which we haven’t seen yet,” he said. Saturday’s funding announcement only applies to processors, but Jordan referred to it as a “first step.” >click to read< 08:47

Northern Cape Breton snow crab fishers, processors adjust to COVID-19 restrictions – Snow crab fishers and processors in northern Cape Breton are taking steps to carry out their work safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dave Donovan is a snow crab fisherman who hails from New Haven, N.S. “The co-op would normally unload our boats. That has changed this year,” Donovan said. “They don’t want us to intermingle with the workers. We don’t want that either.” >click to read<

Port of Coos Bay Ice Plant Rebuild Project – Some businesses express frustration with officials over new layout, lack of inclusion

Mike Babcock, of Oregon Seafoods, is leading a group of local businesses and fishermen who he said feel left out of the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay’s new Ice Plant Rebuild Project. “Our company hoist is on the northwest corner of the dock and the public hoist is in the northeast corner of the dock,” said Babcock. “The new building, which shows it’s been moved over to the north side, severely limits the corner use of the dock.” The dock, which houses the ice plant, has historically been used for other reasons outside of fishermen accessing commercial grade ice, >click to read< 16:25

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 24, 2020

Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 15:18

Trudeau pledges $62.5M for fish and seafood sector amid mounting food supply concerns

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced $62.5 million for Canada’s fish and seafood sector amid mounting concerns over the state of the country’s food supply.,, Keith Sullivan, president of Fish, Food and Allied Workers, a trade union representing 15,000 workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, called the financial relief “encouraging”. “Harvesters from all of Atlantic Canada right across to B.C. have been looking for some relief since the pandemic began,” Sullivan.,, Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan said in a Saturday news conference that help for harvesters is on its way. >click to read< 14:00

Dungeness Crab Season Closed Early Due to Dubious Whale Crisis, COVID-19 Economic Impact on Coastal Communities Made Worse by Closure

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) today announced that effective May 15, 2020, the commercial Dungeness crab fishing season, which began in December, will be closed due to the perceived risk of commercial crab fishing gear harming migratory whales. Ironically, as a result of ongoing cooperative measures between the California Dungeness crab fishing fleet and CDFW, interactions between Dungeness crab fishing gear and the two subgroups of Humpback whales, or Distinct Population Segments (DPS), which are “endangered” and “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are extremely rare. “The risk of crab fishing gear harming endangered whales is statistically insignificant because of low concentrations of whale, as well as the relatively small amounts of gear being deployed along the Central California coast,” said Ben Platt, president of the California Coast Crab Association (CCCA). >click to read< 12:26

Maine lobstermen are not a threat to right whales

The voices of Maine’s lobster fishermen are being drowned in a sea of injustice. I’m determined to speak for them. U.S. District Court Judge James Boasburg’s recent ruling is the latest blow to Maine’s billion-dollar industry. Boasburg’s decision that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration violated the Endangered Species Act by authorizing the American lobster fishery despite its potential to harm the North Atlantic right whale population comes on the heels of new regulations imposed on fishermen last year. With many fishermen just starting to mark their fishing gear according to the new regulations, Boasburg’s ruling has left them in a state of uncertainty. Will this be the end of the industry as they know it? by Carol Smith, >click to read< 09:15

Coronavirus: Some P.E.I. fishermen dismayed by delay to season, others relieved with May 15 start date

At a time when Ottawa is spending billions to help people make ends meet, some Island fishermen are taking a different tack. They want permission to fend for themselves and go fishing. “We just want to try to make enough money to get by. That’s all we want to do,” said Tignish fisherman Kenneth LeClair.,, Other fishermen, though, are relieved by the two-week delay. “The majority of people are relatively pleased,” said Gerard Holland, who fishes at North Lake. “Some is not pleased at all and in fairness to them, they need to be heard too, but the biggest concern most of us had was to make sure that everyone had a buyer, so the later we went, the better the chances of the market improving.” >click to read< 08:27

Anchors aweigh for community seafood pilot program

“Although state and local regulations and federal guidelines have designated fishing operations as essential businesses, many large fish buyers have shut down or are offering prices too low for fishermen to recoup operating expenses and pay crews and other employees,” an MVFPT press release states. “Additionally, with restaurants and wholesale markets closed, many fishermen have [fewer] options to offload product. As a result, many commercial fishing boats have been unable to leave the dock. At the same time, widespread unemployment from lockdown orders have left many communities in greater need of food than in a generation. This project aims to help both the fishing businesses and the community food organizations who are assisting people experiencing food insecurity.” The initial participants in the program are Capt. Sam Hopkins of the FV Endurance and Capt. Wes Brighton of the FV Martha Rose. >click to read< 07:37

North Coast fishermen worry about pricing when California salmon season opens May 1

All eyes are on whether the retail business will be good enough to sustain the losses in the wholesale market with the restaurants closed amid the coronavirus pandemic. When the season opens, it’s unclear how much fishermen will earn, but some estimates are as low as $3 per pound. While the shelter-in-place closure or limitations has dried up the wholesale market, the retail market has been keeping the industry afloat.,,  Whatever is bought, Bodega Bay fisherman Dick Ogg stands prepared to launch his 54-foot boat named Karen Jeanne. “It’s a challenge to say the least. The closure of the restaurants is significant. I don’t think anybody has seen anything like this in history,” he said. “I’m trying to figure out how it’s going to work out. I don’t know how much money we’ll get and how it will get transported.” >click to read< 16:36

Coronavirus: New Bedford fishermen navigate waves of uncertainty

Danny Eilertsen owns Nordic Inc., a fleet of six scallop boats docked at Fish Island in New Bedford. He said they fish for scallops all year, but the scallop season really begins April 1. Ironically, he said, right now is great at sea — a healthy catch and cold waters. Yet when they come back with tens of thousands of pounds of scallops, they’re selling to a completely different market in the age of coronavirus. “Scallops on the menu at restaurants now are a staple, they’ve been a staple for quite a few years. Pretty much every restaurant you go to has scallops, and that’s just stopped. So the fresh market for us is gone and that’s probably where the value has lost so much this last month, couple of months here,” Eilertsen said. >click to read< 11:49

‘Planet Of The Humans’ May Splinter The Green-Energy ‘Delusion’

The newly released Planet of the Humans film is an as damning documentary as you’ll ever see – produced by Michael Moore. It’s a huge load of inconvenient truth all at once. Will the film be too much to take and be shut down by the social media giants and others? Directed by environmentalist Jeff Gibbs, the film examines the crony capitalism, corruption, and outright deceit and fraud being perpetrated by green-energy billionaires, politicians, and their spokespeople, like Bill McKibben who is prominently featured. The film is certainly going to be a harsh wake-up call for a good portion of the Fridays for Future movement.  >click to read< 09:43

  #EarthDay at 50: None Of The Eco-Doomsday Predictions Have Come True – From predicting ecological collapse and the end of civilization to warnings that the world is running out of oil, all environmental doomsday predictions of the first Earth Day in 1970 have turned out to be flat out wrong. >click to read<

Dunleavy mandates strict guidelines for Bristol Bay commercial fishermen

The mandate targets independent fishing boats, many of which are operated by captains and crew who travel to Bristol Bay from outside Alaska. Specifically, it applies to those that have not “agreed to operate under a fleet-wide plan submitted by a company, association or entity” representing them. The new mandate also requires crewmembers to undergo verbal and physical screenings upon arrival — and they can’t have respiratory problems or fever. Crew members are allowed to quarantine onboard, though they’re still allowed to fish as long as they restrict contact with other boats and people on shore as much as possible. To protect communities, the mandate stipulates that crew can only leave the vessel for essential purposes. >click to read< 08:45

California crab fishery to close May 15th for whale protection

Commercial fishermen are protesting an order by California wildlife authorities to close the Dungeness crab fishery in mid-May to protect whales and sea turtles from becoming entangled in fishing gear. There have been no confirmed interactions between commercial Dungeness crab gear and any whales during the current crab season, which began in December, Ben Platt, president of the Crescent City-based California Coast Crab Association, said in a statement. The crab association statement characterized harm to migratory whales from commercial crab fishing gear as a “perceived risk.” The group said that cooperative measures between the fishing fleet and the state make it extremely rare for there to be interactions between Dungeness crab gear and subgroups of humpback whales that are categorized as endangered or threatened. >click to read< 18:24

Dungeness Crab Season Closed Early Due to Dubious Whale Crisis, COVID-19 Economic Impact on Coastal Communities Made Worse by Closure – “The risk of crab fishing gear harming endangered whales is statistically insignificant because of low concentrations of whale, as well as the relatively small amounts of gear being deployed along the Central California coast,” said Ben Platt, president of the California Coast Crab Association (CCCA).  >click to read<

A shrimper crashed his boat. Police said they found him with drugs and ready to fight

Ron Ray Anderson, 39, of Merritt Island, ignored officers’ commands and charged at them with a fist, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s arrest report. The officers said they had to spray him with Mace to take him into custody. FWC officers said they arrived at about 2 p.m. Wednesday to find a large shrimping vessel aground near the green channel marker No. 5 near the Safe Harbor Marina Channel. The vessel was listing to its port side about 100 yards outside the marked channel. >click to read< 14:42

Seafood industry visa fix in question after Coronavirus outbreak

With the aid of lawmakers, seafood businesses in Maryland, Virginia, Alaska and North Carolina last month won federal approval of an additional 35,000 visas for non-immigrant workers, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. Within days, the coronavirus pandemic began shutting down businesses, including restaurants and retail outlets the seafood industry supplies. Some seafood operations let employees go, while others have hired fewer people than they would in a more typical season. Jack Brooks, president of J.M. Clayton Seafood Co. in Cambridge, Maryland, explained that the seafood industry is a seasonal business and the coronavirus has hit the hardest during the industry’s prime time.  >click to read< 13:16

The Sheriff, The Chief, and The Saltwater Cowboy Smugglers from Marco

As it turned out, the Sheriff was a really well-made shrimp boat. She had been made with the classic long leaf yellow pine and she was well balanced because her bilge was filled with concrete poured into her hull before the deck and pilothouse were cobbled on top. As a result, she plied the waters between Marco and Jamaica more times than Frank, Jimmy, and Pete could remember.  The first few runs were uneventful and very profitable for the Chief in Jamaica and everyone else in the saltwater cowboy network of Marco smugglers; Frank and the boys even found themselves waving to the patrol boats as Cuban and American law enforcement cruised alongside.  >click to read< 10:21

David Provencher, longtime lobsterman out of Pine Point, dies at 62

A lifelong Scarborough resident, he began working as a stern man on his friend’s lobster boat when he was 15 years old. He graduated from Scarborough High School in 1976, and later Southern Maine Technical College. Soon after, he pursued a full-time career as a lobsterman. Mr. Provencher had a 32-foot lobster boat named “Robin’s Nest” and fished out of Pine Point for more than 40 years. He was a loving husband and devoted father of two sons, Lucas and Nathan Provencher. Robin Provencher remembered her husband of 38 years as a patient, kind and honest person, who was respected in the community. She said there wasn’t a bad bone in his body. >click to read< 09:13

Gulf of St. Lawrence Spring lobster season begins at 6 a.m. on May 15

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says this year’s spring lobster fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence will open May 15 and close on June 30. The decision released today delays the traditional April 30 start of the season by about two weeks. The new start date covers fishing areas 23, 24 and 26A and B along the northern coasts of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, as well as a section of the Northumberland Strait. The season will begin at 6 a.m. on May 15 as long as weather conditions allow. >click to read< 07:34

Coronavirus devastating commercial fishing industry

Lifelong commercial fisherman Mark Weaver had anticipated a bumper season for his family-run commercial fishery before the COVID-19 pandemic left the industry almost dead in the water. Now, he and the rest of Ontario’s commercial fishing industry are facing a bleak future that could leave them struggling just to survive. “I don’t know how we’re going to pay the bills,” Weaver said. While Lake Erie would normally be dotted with commercial fishing vessels at this time of year, their boats aren’t leaving the docks in Port Stanley, Wheatley and other Southwestern Ontario ports this spring since there’s nowhere to sell their catch. “It’s a total supply chain challenge and crisis that we’re in,” said Jane Graham, executive director of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association. April has been one of the “most productive fishing months of the year,” Graham said. And it looked like this April would have been just as productive, Weaver said. >click to read< 22:01

Fishing industry calls for ‘tie-up’ scheme during Coronavirus crisis

Irish fishing industry representatives have called on the Government to provide a temporary fishing cessation tie-up scheme for vessels to support the industry through the turmoil created in the markets by Covid-19. 64% of Irish seafood exports are reliant on European markets. With restaurants and businesses closed throughout Ireland’s main fish export markets in Spain, France and Italy prices have tumbled for Irish fishermen.  Fishermen on the west coast would usually expect up to €20 a kilo for lobster at this time of year. Now, however, they are being offered from €6 to €10 a kilo as there is no market for the produce. >click to read< 19:05

Coronavirus brings financial and physical worry for fish harvesters

“Whatever way this goes, it’s going to be a very hard year in the fishery, I think, overall,” said Jason Sullivan, a fisherman on the Avalon Peninsula. “There’s no way to sugarcoat that.” He said DFO’s release of the snow crab management plan — which saw an average quota increase of about 10 per cent — has lifted the spirits of some fish harvesters. Still, he figures others are going to have a tough decision to make this year. “If they do open the fishery, and I says ‘well, jeez I’m not going fishing, I don’t feel safe,’ the bank is going to call me and say ‘Jason, why didn’t you make your payments,'” he said. “Do you think they’re really going to care?” >click to read< 16:34

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 48’x24′ Novi Lobster Boat

To review specifications, information and 40 photos, >click here< Vessel is in good condition. To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 15:21

Yaquina Bay: California Sea Lion breeding season is heating up!

As their breeding season approaches, the mostly male sea lions of Yaquina Bay are growing hormonal and more aggressive as they prepare to head south for courtship. The pinnipeds that crowd the docks of Newport’s harbor are California sea lions. The typical adult male is close to 8 feet long and weighs between 700 pounds and a half ton, while adult females are usually 6 feet long and weigh less than half as much. The Steller sea lion is also found in the area but tends to stay away from harbors, favoring to haul out on sea rocks and buoys offshore.,,, The Marine Mammal Protection Act makes it illegal to hunt, capture, kill or harass sea lions, with limited exceptions for the deterrent hazing of individual nuisance animals. >click to read< 12:01

Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Price Sheet for April 2020 Has Arrived!

Contact our sales team today! To review the complete price list from Seafreeze Ltd., >Click here< – “The only thing we treat our fish with, is respect” Seafreeze Ltd! >Click here< to visit our website! 10:35

Coronavirus: DFO implements Emergency Electronic Monitoring (EM) Pilot Program to replace at-sea observers

In an April 14 fishery notice, DFO announced that the Emergency Electronic Monitoring (EM) Pilot Program was being implemented in the groundfish trawl fishery “effective immediately,” on the advice of the Groundfish Trawl Advisory Committee (GTAC). The EM pilot program will last for the duration of DFO’s April 2 Fishery Management Order suspending the at-sea observer requirement for 45 days to help protect the health of observers and fishers from the spread of the novel coronavirus.  “Comprehensive, independent catch monitoring is an essential component of the groundfish trawl fishery’s management regime,” Girdler said. “In the absence of at-sea observers, EM may fulfill this need for comprehensive, independent catch monitoring on an interim basis.” >click to read< 09:13

In search of aid: Congress pushing for help to local fishing industry battered by Coronavirus

In Southwest Florida, perhaps no other industry makes its mark so directly on the culture and day-to-day life of its tourism business as the fishermen who supply the seafood to local restaurants. With most of the major restaurants that serve seafood to diners closed since last month (except for those serving takeout) in response to the coronavirus, the fishing industry has taken a major hit locally.,,  Erickson said the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown measures have “hurt our market with all of these restaurants closed down because so much seafood is eaten at restaurants.” >click to read< 08:17

UPDATED: Spring lobster season starts May 15. 2 different start dates being recommended for 2 P.E.I. lobster fishing areas

The PEIFA released results Tuesday from its member vote held over the weekend. Members were asked whether they preferred the season start on May 6 or May 13. Voting began on Friday and wrapped up at noon on Monday. A total of 841 votes were tallied out of the eligible 954 spring lobster licence holders. The PEIFA reported results in each of the two fishing areas, LFA 24 and LFA 26A. For LFA 24, 60.9 per cent voted in favour of the May 6 start. In LFA 26A, 51.2 per cent of voting members chose the May 13 start date. >click to read< 07:29

Spring lobster season starts May – After weeks of uncertainty, Ottawa has set a date. Spring lobster fishing season starts May 15 and ends June 30.
The announcement on fishing dates in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, was issued Wednesday in Moncton by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.   >click to read< 20:16