Daily Archives: August 5, 2021

Scallop boat Captain William Francis Phaneuf, “Cape Cod Bill,” 72 has passed away

William Francis Phaneuf, “Cape Cod Bill,” 72, died Saturday, July 31st  at Tobey Hospital in Wareham while holding the hand of his number one caregiver and youngest daughter Nichole. He was the son of Mildred (Myers) Phaneuf and the late John H. Phaneuf. He was a Navy Veteran and served during the Vietnam War. In his later years, he made a home for himself in Wareham, MA. Affectionately known as “Cape Cod Bill” to the most hard-core and rugged guys in the fishing industry, Billy was a proud, seasoned fisherman who honed his craft in his early years, from quahogging and bay scalloping in Bourne, MA, and later leading the toughest of crews as a scallop boat captain out of New Bedford, MA. Through the years, Billy ventured out for every type of fishing up and down the East Coast. He was an artist, he created beautiful paintings and illustrated short stories for his children. He loved to make music and never left home without his harmonica. >click to read< 22:16

Sipekne’katik First Nation lobster boats cut loose from a wharf in Nova Scotia.

The chief of the Sipekne’katik First Nation, Mike Sack, issued a statement saying the boats were cast adrift from their berths in Weymouth North, N.S., with the “intent to cause damage and intimidate the community.” Sack says the boats were ready to take part in the band’s food, social and ceremonial lobster fishery, which is regulated by federal rules but is not limited to a particular season. >click to read< 17:53

The Bluefin Tuna Trophy angler season closed in March. Normally it would last into June.

The popular show “Wicked Tuna” put the species on a lot of people’s Bucket Lists. I fished seasonally through the 90’s until 2012. A small fish back then dressed over 300 lbs.! I’m writing now because of the effects of the BP Deep Water oil spill and poisoning. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the major spawning grounds for Bluefin Tuna. We sacrificed through Quota cuts to help the species. Commercial size limits allowed for the fish to reach sexual maturity to help propagate the species. The spill has affected the spawn since 2010 after a swipe of a pen set off the poison “COREXIT” rain!!! Dr. Jane Lubechenco signed that paper. The Gulf continually suffers from this planet changing maneuver! The effects of “COREXIT” have been known since the Exxon Valdez spill off 1989. She easily erased all of our sacrifices for the Bluefin Tuna Fishery. Regards, SBH. Click to comment! 16:25

Challenges abound, but lobstermen say they’re in it for the long haul

Around 2 a.m. each morning, a parade of trucks from around the region begins the journey down to the Stonington docks, marking the start of another day of lobstering in Maine. In short, a large part of coastal Hancock County and beyond depend on lobster. One of the locals that has made her living off lobster is Julie Eaton, a member of Stonington’s 300-plus lobster boat fleet. She’s been at it for 39 years now and to her it’s not just a job, it’s a way of life. Every fisherman has their own story, but almost all of them say they got into the business because they love working on the ocean. For the hundreds of lobstermen in the region, things are going pretty well at the moment, even with the pandemic. While things are going well, if you talk to almost any Downeast lobstermen about the future of their industry, the conversation will come to two things: right whales and wind turbines. >click to read< 13:28

Customs Crackdown: U.S. blocks Fiji fishing boat from unloading, citing forced labor and debt bondage

Customs officials have blocked a commercial fishing boat from bringing tuna and other seafood into the United States, citing what they said was the use of forced labor by its operator, a company based in Fiji. The Customs and Border Protection agency said on Wednesday that it had found that operators of Hangton No. 112,a long-liner owned by the Hangton Pacific Co. Pte Ltd., had withheld workers’ wages, kept their identity documents and subjected them to debt bondage. If the vessel tries to dock at a U.S. port, or distribute its cargo in the country, officials said, its cargo would be held until its operator could prove that the fish were not caught using what the agency has described as “modern-day slavery.” >click to read< 10:35

Investigation finds Co Wexford boat capsized due to loss of stability

The FV Alize sank on January 4th, 2020, near the end of a 36-hour trip dredging for scallops. The two men on board were Joe Sinnott from Kilmore Quay, and William Whelan from Saltmills, Co Wexford. Shortly before 11pm, Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter R117, and a Dunmore east RNLI lifeboat were tasked with responding to an emergency beacon, about 12km off Hook Head.,, Less than two hours before the boat capsized the skipper called a family member and told them they had 29 bags of scallops on board, and were on the final trawl, after which they would be returning home.  >click to read< 09:31

Cargo vessels endanger North Atlantic right whales off Port of Savannah

Cargo vessels operating off the increasingly busy Port of Savannah are the primary violators of speed limits intended to protect the critically endangered right whales,,, The report comes as North American Right Whales again experience a declining population. NOAA lastest report on conservation efforts, issued December 2020, cites two leading causes of injuries and death as: A vessel strike, meaning the whales’ bodies may be sliced or chopped by ships’ propellers; and getting tangled in fishing gear,,, Canada has joined the U.S. in issuing rules intended to protect right whales from ship collisions. >click to read< 08:41

Clayton Wyatt Smalley, in Coffman Cove, Alaska – “The man John Wayne wanted to be.”

Clayton died suddenly in his home of 45+ years in Coffman Cove, Alaska. He was born in Santa Barbara, CA, and shortly after birth moved to Alaska when his mother, Marcella Smalley “Opheim,” returned home. While not born in Alaska he was the essence of an Alaskan man, hardy, handy, possessing the inner strength and will to conquer whatever came his way. He was raised in a fishing family, spending summers at the family fish camp on Prince of Wales Island with his siblings and grandparents, Roy and Maude Opheim, while mom worked at the Waterfall cannery near Hydaburg. Each of us had our own skate and enjoyed the challenge of going alone to set and pull our gear. Camping on the beach every night, up before dawn to troll, gillnet or check our skate engrained a strong work ethic that few folk sleeping in a warm cozy bed can understand.,,, I know this is long but I hope you understand how hard it is to put the life a a man who lived like he was invincible and could do anything on one page. >click to read< 07:48