Daily Archives: October 16, 2021

Sanity! Federal judge blocks lobster fishing ban in the of Gulf of Maine

A federal judge in Maine on Saturday blocked a seasonal ban on traditional lobster fishing in a stretch of offshore waters in the Gulf of Maine that regulators say is needed to save the endangered right whale from extinction. In his 28-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Lance Walker said regulators had relied on “markedly thin” statistical modeling instead of hard evidence to show the thousand-square-mile area they had planned to close was really a hot spot for the imperiled whale. While the area targeted for closure may be a viable habitat for the right whale, there is no hard proof the whales actually gather there,,, >click to read< “This victory by the Maine Lobstering Union is a significant step in protecting one of Maine’s most precious industries – lobstering,”  21:10

Brixham fishermen recover rare ship relic off Dorset coast

A 19th Century anchor trawled up from the sea bed by a Brixham trawler could have come from a luxury liner or even one of Brunel’s magnificent steam ships. Or it could just be the anchor that tethered a hulk used by Royal Navy gunners for target practice.,, The latest one was hauled up off Bridport on the Dorset coast by skipper Dean Thomas and his crew on board Richard’s boat Rebecca.,, They were unable to lift the haul, and faced with the prospect of losing the entire net, they spent more than 12 hours slowly bringing it back to Brixham. >click to read< 16:40

Can American lobstermen survive new restrictions, ESA listing of the North Atlantic Right Whale?

For centuries, North Atlantic right whales were aggressively hunted for their meat and their oil, which was used to keep lamps lit and to make soap.,, Since 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has documented 34 dead whales (21 in Canada; 13 in the U.S.), and 16 whales with serious injuries from entanglements or vessel strikes. In an attempt to conserve and rebuild the population, NOAA announced new regulations in August 2021 on the Maine lobster and Jonah crab industries, including the closure of large parts of the Gulf of Maine to lobstering between October and January and requiring more traps per trawl to reduce the overall number of lines in the water. >click to read< By A.N. Smith 13:15

Coast Guard, good Samaritan’s rescue 3 from fishing vessel taking on water near Cape Flattery, WA

The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan vessel crew rescued three people aboard a 48-foot fishing vessel taking on water Friday one mile north of Tatoosh Island near Cape Flattery. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound command center received a report at 1:15 a.m. Friday that the 48-foot commercial fishing vessel F/V Garda Marie began taking on water within the Olympic National Marine Sanctuary with three adults aboard. >click to read< 12:17

California oil spill forces fisheries to wait at least 2-4 weeks before restrictions lift

“Nothing,” Terese Pearson, who runs the 50-year-old business with her husband, Tommy, said of the empty state of the tanks, now nearly two weeks after an oil spill off Huntington Beach earlier this month.,, On Wednesday, the response team started collecting samples that will be tested for chemicals found in crude oil. For Pearson, the testing can’t come soon enough.,, This was the first time in the shop’s 50 years it didn’t have lobster to offer on the season’s opening day, which started just as the oil spill shut down local waters. photos, >click to read< 11:37

Photo’s, Florida Stone Crab season begins for local crabbers

Stone crab season began in Florida on Friday prompting area crabbers to the Gulf of Mexico with traps loaded with fish heads and pigs blood. The goal: haul in thousands of pounds of the highly sought after crustacean claws, known for their delicate and succulent taste. Justin Ivers, left, of New Port Richey, and Josh Brokus, of New Port Richey, collect a basket of stone crab claws on Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, while offloading them from a stone crab boat at Lockhart’s Seafood Fish and Stone Crab Market at 589 Island Dr. in Tarpon Springs. Photos, >click to read< 10:55

The NLGIDC Supports the Position of an Inshore Fisheries Coalition on the New Redfish Fishery

The Newfoundland and Labrador Groundfish Industry Development Council (NLGIDC) clearly supports the position of a coalition of inshore harvester associations, Indigenous nations, and those involved in seafood processing in Newfoundland & Labrador, Quebec and New Brunswick. This coalition issued a News Release on this important issue on October 14, 2021 that called on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to immediately suspend its consultation process on the rapidly growing redfish resource in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. >click to read< 09:57

The redfish fishery is returning. So is angst about quotas for inshore harvesters

A coalition led by the union representing workers in Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishing industry is sounding the alarm about plans for an emerging commercial redfish fishery, saying there are big concerns about potential quotas for inshore harvesters.,, That process is favouring the offshore sector, according to the president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union, and forgetting the inshore harvesters when it comes to redfish. Keith Sullivan and the FFAW spoke out at Thursday on behalf of a coalition that includes inshore harvester associations, Indigenous groups and seafood processors in Atlantic Canada. >click to read< 09:17

The NLGIDC Supports the Position of an Inshore Fisheries Coalition on the New Redfish Fishery – >click to read<

Fish Galore! It’s a fine Fishy Friday in Newlyn

Cool cloud colours this morning but still autumnal temperatures pervade… Lots of fish photo’s, from Tuna to Turbot! >click to read< 08:34