Daily Archives: July 3, 2021

Ray Jones, well-known leader in the seafood industry, has passed away in Brunswick, Georgia

Raymond Lee Jones, 72, died on June 21, 2021, in Brunswick, Georgia, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a loving father, grandfather, a well-known leader in the seafood industry and a genuinely good soul who shall be deeply missed. In 1988, he accepted a position at Rich Products Corp., working for its SeaPak Shrimp and Seafood division on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Over the next three decades, Ray would have a huge influence on the company, and on the seafood industry at large. He was a genuine advocate for seafood and a trusted voice in meeting with members of the House, Senate and regulatory agencies. Ray served as chairman of the National Fisheries Institute’s technical committee from 1994 to 1996, and was the technical chairman of the National Shrimp Industry Association from 1998 to 2005. >click to read< 17:30

Harvesting the sea

Working out of six major fishing ports, New Jersey fishermen rank No. 1 in the nation when it comes to landing clams, scallops, squid and Atlantic mackerel. “It supports thousands of jobs.’’ Fishermen are the heart and soul of this industry, risking both life and livelihood to land the fish that feed their families, and millions of Americans. “Commercial fishermen are some of the hardest working people,’’ said Wayne Reichle, president, Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May. “They are paid on what they harvest. If they go out to sea and don’t catch anything, they don’t make anything. They take a lot of risk both financially and personally.’’ “In the winter, our guys go anywhere from 75 to 150 miles offshore,’’ said Dave Tauro, manager of Belford Seafood Co-Op in Highlands. “It takes them sometimes 18 hours. Imagine what the fuel cost is. They spend three grand before they leave the dock.’’ photos, >click to read< 13:45

California Fishermen mark a pleasant surprise after preparing for a grim summer. An abundance of fish.

Scott Edson, who fishes out of Half Moon Bay, said this season has been great for everyone, with an abundance of fish in the water not seen in years. “This year is something guys say they haven’t seen in 15 to 20 years. It’s been a pretty good season so far,” Edson said.,,, Don Marshall, who fishes out of Half Moon Bay, said the salmon season had been a lot better than expected, and he had seen more fish than in the last 10 to 15 years. He recently caught 180 salmon totaling around 2,000 pounds, a daily catch worth $13,000 at $6 a pound pricing. “I had the best day I have ever had,,, Nobody expected this many fish, and many fishermen were preparing for a grim summer and other options,” >click to read< 11:17

Perkins Cove Fisherman Richard “Rick” Smith Knight Jr. of York, Maine, has passed away

Rick was born on March 28, 1945 in York, Maine, the son of the late Richard S. Knight, Sr. and Barbara Helen Weare. He died June 27, 2021. Rick served as a marine engineer in the Merchant Marine, traveling the world nine times. This period, as well as his time at Maine Maritime Academy, provided ample material for many interesting stories, which he loved to tell to his friends and family. Fishing out of Perkins Cove in Ogunquit for over 40 years, Rick first had a dragger, the “Barbara Helen”, and later his lobster boat, the “Michelle D”. Rick loved being on the water, and deeply treasured the friendships and brotherhood that he had with the other fishermen in the cove. >click to read< 10:20

Tasmania: King Island lobster fishers fear seismic testing plans could damage the local industry

Wayne Coombe casts his mind back about 15 years when seismic testing was conducted off the island’s south west. “There was an abundance of lobster there and after that survey, it was almost like they died overnight of old age,” he said. “Lobsters just disappeared, they didn’t crawl, they were not there.” Gas giant ConocoPhillips is hoping to conduct seismic testing in mid-August at the Otway Basin to the west of King Island to assess its natural gas reservoirs. >click to read< 09:08

Time to stand with fishermen

Sinn Féin TD for Louth Imelda Munster has urged the government to stand up for Irish fishermen and end the long-running injustices in the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy. Her comments come after a protest of fishing families took place outside the Convention Cen tre in Dublin.  ‘I am calling on the government to stand up for Irish fishermen and end the injustice of the current Common Fisheries Policy. This terrible policy has devastated Ireland’s fishing communities,’ >click to read< 08:02