Daily Archives: February 23, 2021
Trident reopens Akutan processing plant after month-long Coronavirus closure
An outbreak at the plant forced the fishing giant to close the facility in late January just as the lucrative winter season was set to kick off. In the course of the outbreak, 45% of Trident’s 700-person workforce ultimately tested positive for the virus, company officials said Monday. Multiple rounds of comprehensive testing brought welcome news last week that COVID-19 cases had been isolated on site, Trident said in a statement. Surveillance testing, symptom screenings and the use of PPE and distancing protocols will remain throughout the season. >click to read< 17:40
Who are the Freshwater Five and what did they do? Two of the men will have their convictions considered
In 2011, five men were given a combined 104-year prison sentence for masterminding a £53m drug smuggling operation. On May 29, 2010, a small fishing boat, the Galwad-Y-Mor, left the Isle of Wight on what the crew claimed was a routine trip to catch lobster and crab in the Channel. That night, a large drug operation led by the Serious Organised Crime Agency was taking place,,, Two of the men, Jonathan Beere and Daniel Payne, will have their convictions considered by the Court of Appeal this week. >click to read<
Freshwater Five: Radar evidence suggests surveillance plane and a suspect vessel – The Court of Appeal hearing begins tomorrow for two of the Freshwater Five, where new information will be put before the judge. All five men protest their innocence – following the trial they were sentenced for a total of 104 years; >Click to read<15:10
‘We are rolling over’ – The inquiry into the Bering Sea sinking of the F/V Scandies Rose crab boat opened with a mayday call
Through the buzz of airwave static, a voice can be heard giving coordinates in the Gulf of Alaska. Then four chilling words: “We are rolling over.” This nighttime Dec. 31, 2019, mayday transmission from the Scandies Rose, a Washington-managed crab boat, was played Monday morning as the Coast Guard launched two weeks of public hearings to investigate the sinking that took the lives of five of the seven crew. The Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of inquiry into accidents, and the schedule includes testimony from the vessel’s co-owner, two survivors, former crew, naval architects and people involved in repairs. >click to read< 13:08
Maine Gov. Janet Mills expresses ‘grave concern’ over plans to protect North Atlantic right whales
“The survival of Maine’s iconic lobster fishery, and in fact, our heritage, through the future of Maine’s independent lobstermen and women, depend on your willingness to act,” Mills wrote in a letter filed with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration on Feb. 19. Mills called on NOAA to develop “practical solutions” that protect right whales but allow fishing to continue.,,, Two public hearings to consider amendments to NOAA’s Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. Those virtual hearings will be held Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. for southern Maine and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for northern Maine. Both will last about two hours and require pre registration https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4167147282087010060. Anyone unable to participate in the virtual hearings can submit comments to NOAA by March 1. >click to read< 09:54
Commercial fishermen seek intervenor status in First Nation’s lawsuit
A group representing commercial fishermen in Atlantic Canada wants to be part of the lawsuit the Sipekne’katik First Nation has launched against the provincial government. The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance has applied for intervenor status. In a news release announcing its intention to try to join the court action, the alliance said it supports the Indigenous right to fish and sell their catch. However, spokesperson Colin Sproule said, “We are opposed to anyone, Indigenous or non-Indigenous, selling fish caught outside federal or provincial regulations related to size, season and quota.”>click to read< 09:18
A Fundraiser for Commercial Fisherman Todd Chase – Supporting Chase Family
Please support my sister and her boys after the tragic loss of Todd Chase, beloved husband, father, and friend to so many. Todd Chase was among the four local fishermen on the Coastal Reign that capsized 2/20 in Garibaldi, OR. His body was recovered on the jetty rocks. One of the best men in this world was lost too soon yesterday evening. He is survived by his wife Angie Chase, his four boys, Zach, Cord, Bowen, and Brayden Chase. He also had so many family and friends in Oregon. He will be deeply missed. Jacque Jacobsen is organizing this fundraiser >click to read, and please donate if you can< 08:04
2 dead after fishing boat capsizes at Tillamook Bay
Two fishermen from Warrenton died after a 38-foot commercial fishing boat capsized Saturday at the Tillamook Bay bar entrance. The boat capsized at about 4:40 p.m. All four people on board entered the water and were recovered by 6 p.m. and taken to hospital. Family members said Todd Chase, a 51-year-old Warrenton man, died after he was recovered by jetty rocks. A GoFundMe page was set up to support Chase’s wife and children. The family of Zach Zappone, 41, of Warrenton, said he died after being taken to a Portland hospital in critical condition. Zappone’s family also set up a GoFundMe page. >click to read< 07:21
Cost of Coast Guard ship nears $1B as questions mount over federal shipbuilding plan
The federal government has quietly revealed that it plans to pay nearly $1 billion to build a new ocean research vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard whose original cost was supposed to be one-tenth that amount. The new cost estimate for the offshore oceanographic science vessel represents the latest blow to Ottawa’s multibillion-dollar plan to build new ships for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Coast Guard, first revealed more than a decade ago and beset by problems ever since. >click to read< 06:50
