Monthly Archives: May 2020

Tugboat, armed forces aircraft contributing to search for missing fisherman and F/V Sarah Anne

Several private companies and the Canadian Armed Forces have joined the search for a fishing vessel that went missing off the coast of St. Lawrence last week after the Canadian Coast Guard concluded its search Wednesday. R.J.G. Construction has partnered with marine surveying company Fugro GeoSurveys to find the Sarah Anne, as well as the lone missing crew member, Issac Kettle. For Andrew Perrot, the company’s vessel manager and a St. Lawrence native, the mission is personal. The company’s tugboat MV Keewatin is currently being outfitted with a winch and sonar and Perrot said he’s hoping to have it in the water and ready to go by Monday evening or Tuesday morning. >click to read< 18:17

‘You’re not making a whole lot of money but you’re making a little bit’ – Cheap lobster on P.E.I. is bittersweet

A P.E.I. lobster fisherman who couldn’t sell part of his catch on Saturday decided to pack his blue half-ton truck with lobster and head to the city to sell the once-lucrative crustaceans at a bargain price. At $3 for canners and $4 for markets, Tyler MacDonald had no trouble offloading the lobsters. He asked for 50 cents less than he was getting at the wharf for canners. Wayne and Janet Foy, a couple from Inkerman, drove nearly 40 kilometres to get a deal. The Foys said they’ve seen other people selling lobster out of their trucks for as much as $6.50 a pound.  “I’m here to get some live lobster, the price is really good,” said Janet. Wayne said it is sad to see fishermen being paid so little for their catch. >click to read< 13:26

Convicted killer granted new hearing

A Dulac man convicted by a split jury five years ago in the shooting death of a shrimp boat captain has been granted a new hearing. On a 10-2 verdict, Richard Verdin Jr., 36, was convicted on Oct. 15, 2015 of second-degree murder of 49-year-old shrimp boat captain Hun Vo. According to authorities, Verdin was arguing with other men over a drug transaction, but the victim was not involved in the dispute. The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call on June 24, 2012, regarding a man who was shot to death on a docked shrimp boat at Jensen’s Seafood in Dulac. The victim, identified as Vo, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, the Sheriff’s Office said. >click to read< 12:15

Icicle Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods merge salmon processing operations operations

Two of Alaska’s largest seafood companies are merging their salmon processing businesses. Icicle Seafoods and Ocean Beauty Seafoods will be combining forces to create OBI Seafoods. Talks of a potential merger have been circulating for months. There’s been speculation in the seafood industry press that the two Seattle-based companies are seeking to remain competitive against the other major industry players in Alaska. The two companies have very different ownership. Half of Ocean Beauty is owned by the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation. The other is a small group of Outside investors. Icicle on the other hand was bought by privately-held Canadian giant Cooke Seafoods in 2016. The majority of — I don’t want to say majority — but a big chunk of the Alaska salmon processing sector is now partly owned or partly controlled by a major salmon farming company,” >click to read< 09:35

Three fishermen saved after their fishing vessel overturned in seconds.

The crew were fishing off Flamborough Head when their vessel began listing to one side at around 8pm on Saturday night. It capsized before they were able to radio for help. The climbed onto the upturned hull, which was also sinking, and managed to locate the life raft, which contained distress flares which they were able to set off. The boat also automatically released and emergency locator beacon when it sank. >click to read< 07:59

Dramatic night-time rescue after fishing boat capsizes off Whitby – Richard Dowson, Station Mechanic at Whitby RNLI who attended the rescue said: “When you get a call to an EPIRB who don’t know what to expect, you know it is a serious emergency. >click to read< 08:17

Trawler docked in Bellingham testing 100-plus crew for Coronavirus after 1 hospitalized

More than 100 crew members of the American Dynasty trawler docked in Bellingham are being tested for COVID-19, a ship spokesperson said Saturday, May 30. One crew member from the American Seafoods fishing vessel tested positive for the new coronavirus and was admitted to St. Joseph hospital Friday, May 29, for treatment, according to a Friday evening news release from Whatcom Unified Command. The ship docked in Bellingham Thursday, May 26, according to unified command, the multi-governmental agency that’s directing local new coronavirus pandemic response. >click to read< 17:18

Leaving as soon as possible – Oil supply ship to resume search for missing fishing boat off St. Lawrence

MHA Carol Anne Haley says the province has secured a vessel to continue the search for the Sarah Anne, a fishing vessel that went missing off the coast of St. Lawrence last week. Haley, the member for Burin-Grand Bank, said she and the premier have worked to engage the Paul A. Sacuta, a supply vessel for the offshore oil industry, to help continue the search for Issac Kettle. Kettle is the lone crew member of the Sarah Anne who has not been found. The Sarah Anne, along with it’s four crew members, did not return to St. Lawrence after leaving to fish crab Monday morning. >click to read< 16:34

The Creed

Years ago a visitor from Central Oregon stood on the Depoe Bay Bridge, which runs along the Pacific Coast Highway, otherwise known as State Highway 101. She looked out to see a silver boat zipping around in the ocean, and thought to herself ‘that looks fun and I want to drive that boat.’ “I had no prior knowledge of the Coast Guard, but at that time in my life I was looking for a purpose,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Kelsi Dozier, (surfman #561) from Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. “After that family vacation to Depoe Bay and a little video research on YouTube, I reached out to a Coast Guard recruiter.” The Coast Guard has certified 10 surfmen during the past 8 months. In order to earn the surfman qualification a Coast Guard coxswain requires a lot of hours at the helm while operating in the surf. Excellent photo’s, great story. >click to read< 15:34

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 29, 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< 13:06

Lobster season off to good start says P.E.I. fisherman

Lobster catches are starting strong this season, but the industry continues to adapt to an unusual market, says one P.E.I. fisherman. “The catches have been good. The weather’s kind of up and down depending on the day,” said Charlie McGeoghegan of Pinette. “The prices are, well, they’re definitely lower than we feel they should be, but there is kind of a unique situation going on, compared to other years.” Market-sized lobsters are selling for $4.25 per pound while canners go for $4. It’s the price buyers committed to at the start of the season. Last year, the same lobsters would have fetched $7 and $6.50 per pound. “That’s about $100 million that’s gone out of the economy,” said McGeoghegan. >click to read< 11:54

The Mayor of Kiniklik

Time had slipped by while studying each of the 118 Memorial Plaques attached to the railings that surround Joan Bugbee Jackson’s inspiring statute of a rain-battered fisherman steering into heavy seas. Having lived in Cordova all my life and worked on tenders or crewed on seine boats for years dating back to the early 1960s, it was hard not to be lost in memories inspired by these tributes to so many famous local fishermen. Each plaque had a story to tell, and indeed, as is often the case with those who go to the sea, each of the bygone was a master storyteller. Many of the plaques had tidbits I did not know. Yet the plaque that fascinated me the most was a tribute to The Mayor of Kiniklik. No, Cliff Alber had not been elected to this office. The term is used in this context to signify a fisherman who spends his whole season at one particular spot, learning the secret nuances of time, tide, currents and hidden underwater obstacles, as well as their impact on the flow of salmon in that area. photo ‘s, >click to read< 10:35

F/V Sarah Anne: The deadly, relentless sea reminds us of the steep cost of fishing

I’ve long wondered how many people in North America, as they peruse the offerings at their supermarkets, specialty stores and menus, ever give much thought to the unseen, human cost behind their tasty seafood. Those who live close to the ocean know too well the perils that come with fishing. Those who don’t may never know.  This week, Newfoundland and Labrador felt that chill as St. Lawrence became the focus of a story that is both sadly and terrifyingly familiar. The Sarah Anne, a fishing boat with four men aboard, did not come back as expected Monday night with a load of crab, and indeed never came home at all. By John Gushue >click to read< 08:50

‘Nothing is normal’: LFA 34 & 33 lobster fishery draws to a close in southwest N.S.

The commercial lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia and along the south shore, draws to a close May 31. Crews are bringing gear back ashore at the conclusion of a season that saw a promising start with catches and the price paid to fishermen, but then hit rough waters due to the coronavirus pandemic. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of people that are already hauled up. Some five days early or more,” said Yarmouth County fishing captain Shawn Muise, following a day of fishing on his vessel, Force Awakens, on May 29. “Nothing is normal.” “The season was going so well at the start. Finally the prices were reflecting the market. But when COVID started, and as the price started to drop, you could see it in the fishermen’s faces,” Lots of photos,  >click to read< 07:29

Third time was the charm

Light winds, fog and rain spread over Prince William Sound on the eve of a 12-hour Memorial Day fishery, then turned overcast during the holiday, as the commercial fishing crews netted some 1,467 Chinook and 33,752 sockeye salmon. The catch boosted the total harvest to date to an estimated 45,537 fish, including 4,935 kings and 39,823 red salmon, well over five times the individual catches on May 14 and May 18. The first two 12-hour openers were so slow that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game cancelled fishing for the third opener on May 21. Now the fishery appears to be picking up speed. “It’s still not good,” said veteran harvester Jerry McCune,“We’re getting further behind every day. Hopefully things will pick up in June.” >click to read< 17:15

Jonathan Robinson, commercial fishing advocate, Carteret County Commissioner and former N.C. House member

The county announced Carteret County Commissioner and former N.C. House member Jonathan Robinson, 68, of Atlantic, died late Thursday. In a brief Friday morning release, the county said it is “deeply sadden(ed)” by the commissioner’s death. Mr. Robinson, born in Morehead City into a fishing family, had represented Carteret County’s Down East District 6 on the county board since November 1998. Prior to that, he served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1995-96. He is survived by his daughter, Staci Robinson Rinehardt, son, Mathew Robinson, and a grandson. “His voice for the commercial fishing industry was always based on his own understanding of the people who make up the industry and his unwavering pride in being part of that community,” said Ms. Amspacher. >click to read< 15:53

Family will carry on Captain Ben’s legacy

Ben Nguyen, known as Captain Ben, died unexpectedly three weeks ago at the age of 49. His family was faced with the shock of his loss as the opening of shrimp season was bearing down, but they were determined to honor his legacy. “We knew we had to make him proud,” said his daughter Amanda, “So that’s why we had to pick back up and just get going.” After years of working as a deckhand, and doing other enterprises, Captain Ben had built a fleet of eight shrimp and crab boats. Two years ago, he bought a small dock in St. Martin, Miss. where he sold seafood year-round. He left behind his wife, Trina, and three children, daughters Amanda, and Taylor, and son, Ben, who were determined to continue his legacy. Video, >click to read< 14:42

Big Bar Landslide: Concern over delays, contract cost as salmon populations face possible extinction

The federal NDP critic for fisheries is calling for more oversight of the cleanup project at B.C.’s Big Bar landslide following news of tripling contract costs and worker safety concerns. Construction giant Peter Kiewit Sons’ contract to clear the slide from the Fraser River was awarded in December at $17.6 million, but has since been amended more than a dozen times and is now worth more than $52.5 million. Earlier this month, three rocks fell unexpectedly from a slope above where crews have been working. It happened overnight and no one was hurt, but WorkSafeBC is now investigating. The Big Bar landslide dumped 75,000 cubic metres of rock into the Fraser in a remote area north of Lillooet some time in late 2018, but it wasn’t reported until June 2019. The landslide completely blocked migration routes for several salmon runs,,, >click to read< 12:14

Historic fishing vessel finds home in star-built pavilion

The Thelma C was built in 1965 for the original owner, Ken Cristoffersen, by Commercial Marine in Seattle, Washington, from a design by marine architect William Garden. Utilizing a Federal relief loan to build the Thelma C following the destruction of his original vessel, the Christine, during the 1964 Great Alaskan Earthquake and tsunami, Cristoffersen went on to fish off the Thelma C until his retirement. Subsequent owners continued to use the boat for fishing purposes until 2006 when its last working owner, fisherman Mark Thomas, donated it to Kodiak Maritime Museum.,, Following the ship’s donation, plans began on the construction of a long-term exhibition site. Video, >click to read< 10:54

Family business, way of life ‘under attack’ for Cundy’s Harbor wharf

Gary and Alison Hawkes finalized their purchase of Hawkes’ Lobster from Gary’s parents on May 1. His mother’s aunt and uncle bought the business in the 1950s, and his grandparents bought it from them. Then his parents, Sue and Gary, took over and his father built the wharf in 1990. Early Wednesday afternoon, Alison and “young” Gary stood on the eerily quiet dock as two of their teenagers walked by carrying fishing rods over their shoulders. They sped off in a dinghy to see what they could catch. Both also hold student lobstering licenses, Gary said. But on Wednesday, the boats remained tied up under the late spring sun—all but Gary’s father’s boat. His dad headed out that morning to haul traps, knowing he might not earn back the cost of his gas and bait. Video, >click to read< 09:59

‘Did She Die for Your Fish Filet?’

As beaches and boardwalks reopen, PETA has erected a billboard next to Phillips Seafood along the Atlantic City Boardwalk,,, PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. The group offers free vegan starter kits and encourages everyone to try healthy, humane vegan meals such as Gardein’s delicious Golden Fishless Filets. ooh! yummy! >click to read<, or laugh! 08:51

Legal battle brewing over where shrimp trawlers can fish in North Carolina

One conservation group in North Carolina is taking a stand, saying fish like Gray Trout and Croaker can’t survive if commercial shrimp trawlers are allowed to run their nets in the Pamlico Sound. “We’ve seen a decline in the past 40 years in our fin fish populations, most recently the southern flounder, which is probably the most favorite fish we have here in North Carolina,” said Joe Albea, a spokesperson for the NC Coastal Fisheries Reform Group. A representative from the Division of Marine Fisheries tells Nine on Your Side they have received the notice and are reviewing it. video, >click to read< 19:32

A Fundraiser for The Men of St. Lawrence

Right now they’re is one beautiful woman who has lost her husband, son, and nephew in this tragedy. 3 other woman won’t get to see they’re husbands walk through the door. 6 kids have to grow up with out the support of they’re dads. So as I sit here thinking of my dear friend Scott and all the others, I can’t help but want to try and support they’re families as much as I can,,, Chris Cusick. >click to read< , and please, donate if you can! Thank you

Despite mother’s pleas, search efforts are over for missing St. Lawrence fisherman

After the deaths of three fishermen at sea, the southern Newfoundland town of St. Lawrence is in shock, while the mother of a missing fourth man is pleading with officials to continue a search for her son. The search for family friend Isaac Kettle ended 8:45 p.m. Wednesday night. But Kettle’s mother, Aundriette Kettle, said Thursday she wants extra equipment to find and raise the Sarah Anne from the ocean, as she believes her son’s body is still on the vessel. “Them other bodies were found, [but] my son is on that boat. He needs to be brought up, they [need] to get cameras, things like that, on that ocean to bring him up,” Kettle said. “Isaac needs to be home to us, his family.” >click to read< 14:32

Fishing less could be a win for both lobstermen and endangered whales – they never mention ship strikes

A new study by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found that New England’s historic lobster fishery may turn a higher profit by operating with less gear in the water and a shorter season. The findings could provide a path forward for the lobster fishing industry, which is under pressure to move away from traditional pot fishing that uses long vertical lines of rope known to entangle and kill endangered North Atlantic right whales and other protected species. The study was published this week in the journal Marine Policy. “The story the data tells is optimistic,” says lead author Hannah Myers, a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a guest student at WHOI. “Entanglements often cause chronic injury, stress, and even starvation if the animal doesn’t immediately drown,” says Michael Moore, a coauthor of the paper and director of WHOI’s Marine Mammal Center. >click to read<  12:06

Most likely Carnival Cruise Lines is responsible for 18+ Right Whale deaths in the past 3 year, at which rate they would soon be extinct. – >click to read<

North Atlantic Right Whale: How to kill a species with Fake News, from National Geographic of all places! – >click to read<

Commercial Fisheries and Fishermen Can Apply for CARES Relief But Not Yet

On May 7, the Secretary of Commerce announced the allocation of $300 million in fisheries assistance funding provided to states, tribes, and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID-19. As a next step, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration will use these allocations to make awards to its partners – the interstate marine fisheries commissions, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands – to disburse funds to address direct or indirect fishery-related losses as well as subsistence, cultural or ceremonial impacts related to COVID-19. But relief may take some time. No funds have yet been made available to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission or states. The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection staff is working diligently to develop a spending plan and application process that must be approved by NOAA. >click to read< 11:07

Photo’s: Fishing in Provincetown 40 years ago

Provincetown 1979, Culling the catch–discarding the anemones and crabs and other bottom life that came up in the net-always drew a crowd of gulls. Here the crew of Pat Sea, skippered by Manuel Macara, culls near Race Point. Cape Cod Times photographer Milton Moore captured these Provincetown fishing images 40-plus years ago. 37 photo’s >click to review< 09:15

Coast Guard Ends Search for Isaac Kettle, Missing St. Lawrence Fisherman

The Coast Guard officially wound down its search for the last victim of a boating tragedy in Placentia Bay last evening. Officials said after an intensive search spanning 650 nautical miles, they believe there will no longer be any reasonable chance of survival for the fourth crew member. Three bodies were recovered from the ocean off St. Lawrence on Tuesday. The incident has now been turned over to the RCMP as a missing persons case. The Coast Guard is thanking the many volunteers who joined the search effort, and they send their condolences to the loved ones of all four crew members aboard the Sarah Anne and the entire community of St. Lawrence. >click to read< 08:18

Fishermen lost off St. Lawrence remembered as ‘the finest kind of people’

Family and friends of three fishermen whose bodies were recovered off the coast of St. Lawrence, and one still missing at sea, are remembering them as kind and hard-working people. The search for family friend Isaac Kettle, believed to be in his early 30s, will end at 8:45 p.m. NT, according to the coast guard. All four men went missing in the mouth of Placentia Bay, off the southeast coast of Newfoundland,,, When they were not back before 8   p.m. that evening, a search and rescue mission began and the Canadian Coast Guard was called.,, Eric Reeves, a fisherman of 30 years, joined in the search for his friends. Around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, he said, he found some items from the boat floating in the water. “We found a coffee mug belong to the skipper’s son and his name was wrote on it, and then we knew there was some tragedy happened,” said Reeves. “When you find something that you don’t want to find, I’ll tell ya, it’s heartbreaking.” >click to read< 18:13

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 50’x20’6″ Herring Seiner with Fed Class A Herring Permit

To review specifications, information and 31 photos, >click here< Vessel is in good condition. To see all the boats in this series, >click here<14:15

Fishermen Finding Windows Of Opportunity, Necessity Opened By Coronavirus

“Guys are getting creative,” said Edward Warner Jr., a commercial bayman from Hampton Bays. “You have some guys going on the internet and selling and going to the green markets in the city more. Different people are trying different things to make few bucks here and there.” Before the epidemic, the majority of fish landed by local boats was simply packed in waxed cardboard boxes, topped with crushed ice and trucked into New York City’s central seafood market in Hunts Point, Brooklyn.,,, In mid-March, when restaurants and thousands of other businesses were ordered to close, and people scrambled to pack into their homes and venture out as little as possible, prices for fish cratered.  >click to read< 12:25