Daily Archives: February 17, 2021

Coast Guard completes 3 rescues during busy crab season opener

Station Cape Disappointment, along with Station Grays Harbor, launched 47-foot Motor Lifeboat [MLB] rescue crews at 7:30 a.m. for a fishing vessel taking on water near Willapa Bay. A Coast Guard helicopter eventually  hoisted three individuals and their dog off their capsized vessel. The crew was then diverted at 9:15 a.m., south in the vicinity of Gearhart, Ore., to assist another fishing vessel with an injured crewmember. Simultaneously, a separate MLB rescue crew was assisting the crew of a 66-foot fishing vessel off the coast of Long Beach, Wash. The initial distress call came in at 9:30 a.m., stating a vessel with five people aboard was disabled and drifting to shore, dragging its anchor. In 16 to 18-foot seas,,, >Video, click to read< 21:49

Community fundraiser launched to save Cadgwith Cove fishing lofts in Cornwall

The Cadgwith Cove Fishing Trust has been formed to try and purchase the winch house, gear loft and cold storage building, all of which are used crucial to Cadgwith’s fishing industry. “I don’t think they’ve ever come up for sale at the same time. We’ve got to make sure they’re are preserved for future generations. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we must take this opportunity.” said John Trewin, Skipper, Silver Queen  Tommy Phillips who fishes out of Cadgwith fears the lofts may become holiday lets or flats if funding isn’t secured to preserve them for those that fish out of the cove. Video, photos, >click to read< 17:55

Moscow orders return to motherland of fish and fishermen

Trawlers will lose quotas unless they are customs declared in Russia, catch is to be processed in domestic plants and foreign investors might be kicked out of the industry. – Russian federal authorities are ready to take strong measures to strengthen national control over the fisheries. In a decree signed late December 2020, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered all trawlers built abroad to undergo customs declaration in Russia. If not, they will lose their catch quotas,,, Russian companies today own and operate about 70 undeclared trawlers acquired abroad. They are landing their catch and shifting crews in foreign ports.,,, The Russian government is also pushing for more domestic fish processing, and several incentives are introduced to bring catch back home. >click to read< 16:21

Maine: Local legislators focused on the commercial fishing industry, float several fisheries bills

The 130th Maine Legislature has released a list of bills proposed in the House and Senate,,, The lobster fishery, in particular, is grappling with the prospect of offshore wind energy development and conservation measures, both of which could affect lobstermen and their livelihood.,, Fisherman and state Rep. William “Billy Bob” Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) is sponsoring “An Act to Prohibit Offshore Wind Energy Development” (LD 101).,, Rep. Genevieve McDonald (D-Stonington), who also is a fisherman, is sponsoring three fishing-related bills. >click to read< 13:36

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 64′ Dixon Longliner, 425HP, Mitsubishi, complete refit

To review specifications, information, and 7 photos, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here<  11:31

Herring Fishermen Sue Chevron Over California Oil Leak

A pipeline rupture that gushed hundreds of gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay spurred a class action filed Tuesday that accuses a Chevron refinery of prioritizing profits over safety and threatening the survival of herring in the area for years to come. “We have been working for years to preserve and protect the herring that spawn in the Bay,” said plaintiff John Mellor, a longtime fisherman and vice president of the San Francisco Herring Association.  On Feb. 9, a Chevron refinery in the East Bay city of Richmond, California, discovered a pipeline leak,,, >click to read< 10:45

Tugboat Rex is back in service

Ralph Criteser donated his trusty tugboat to the Port of Toledo when he closed down his moorage on the Yaquina River in early 2019. At his docks, boathouse and workshop, the World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy helped successive generations of local fishermen get their professional sea legs.  “In the early years, Ralph not only took care of us but took care of our boats. Our boats were like his family,” one fisherman said. “A lot of us came here with not a lot of money and not a lot of experience in boat work, and Ralph really kind of took us under his wing and made sure we sailed out of here safely, and he really was responsible for any success that any of us might have had in the fishing industry.” His words were met with applause and shouts of “hear, hear” from the crowd. photos, >click to read< 09:55

“The Fishmonger” Tommy Gomes to Star in TV Show and Open Point Loma Seafood Market

San Diego’s seafood culture, from its fishermen to the city’s chefs and restaurants, will be the subject of a new television show premiering Monday, March 1, on the Outdoor Channel. The Fishmonger stars local seafood expert Tommy Gomes, a native San Diegan and former commercial fisherman whose long career in the industry includes 15 years with Catalina Offshore Products, where he founded a walk-in fish market for the wholesaler and started a educational dinner series. >click to read< 08:50