Daily Archives: January 23, 2022

Wing and a prayer for future of Waterford Coast Guard rescue base

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan admitted in recent days that the potential loss of the Waterford search and rescue base is a “life or death” situation. The fear is that the base will be lost under a new contract worth hundreds of millions of euro for the renewal of aviation services for the Irish Coast Guard.,,  this has prompted fears that Waterford could lose its helicopter base, which would have ramifications for the south and south-east region. The R117 helicopter operates out of Waterford, and its crews had a busy year in 2021; typically it responds to around 700 calls a year but that increased to more than 900 last year. >click to read< 21:12

Commercial fishing boat catches fire in Wanchese Harbor

No injuries were reported following a fire early Sunday morning aboard an (unidentified) commercial fishing vessel docked in Wanchese. Crews from Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department were called to a dock across the harbor from Wanchese Marine Industrial Park in the 4300 block of N.C. 345/Mill Landing Road just after midnight. When crews first arrived from Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department, heavy smoke was showing from the boat. photos, >click to read< 19:37

Interview: William Thomson says exporting fish into Europe has ‘become very burdensome’

How and why did you start in business? After leaving school I started my career as a fish salesman in Kinlochbervie, where I grew up. I continued as a fish salesman in Aberdeen when completing an MBA at Aberdeen University. The fishing industry is in my blood, and in 1996 I moved to Scrabster to run a local fish-selling company. I was always ambitious, with a desire to be my own boss, so in 1999 I set up my own business in Scrabster, Thomson International, focusing on buying and selling fish on the local market. >click to read the interview< 16:28

Retired Commercial Fisherman Joseph Correia of South Dartmouth has passed away

Joseph Correia, Jr., 85, of South Dartmouth, gently passed after a long illness on January 9 at 12:26 a.m. at St. Luke’s Hospital surrounded by his wife, Margaret, and children. He initially worked on tug boats in Fall River and Boston and later became highly regarded as a commercial fisherman and Captain on the New Bedford Waterfront. Joe worked closely with Sea Rover Fishing, Inc. for more than 30 years and was Captain and Chief Engineer of their vessel, the AA Ferrante. In addition, he owned two of his own boats: a swordfishing vessel, “Defiance”, and the beautiful “JoAnna”, a wooden Stonington dragger. >click to read< 12:18

A Winning Combination

A change a few years ago in Norwegian regulations governing which fishing methods can be combined in a single vessel has opened the way for longline and seine net combinations – and the latest newbuild to bring these methods together has been delivered. F/V Østerfjord sailed from its builder in Turkey at the end of last year and at the beginning of January headed out from Ålesund for its first trials trip to test the 76,000-hook Mustad system before starting fishing on cod for real in the Barents Sea. A relative newcomer to the longline business but with a long background in pelagic fisheries, the Østervold family last year sold their previous F/V Østerfjord to the Faroes ahead of the new vessel’s completion. photos, >click to read< 11:07

Firth of Clyde: Fishermen hit out at new measures aimed at protecting cod stocks

Exemptions allowing langoustine trawlers, creels and scallop dredgers to use the area during spawning season will be ended. The Clyde Fishermen’s Association says the move will have “a horrific impact”, but the government says it needs to act now to protect cod stocks. For 20 years, measures to protect spawning cod in the Firth of Clyde have been in place through an annual 11-week closure between February 14 and April 30. >click to read< 10:20

Dead crabs probe: Tees marine expert ‘99.9% sure dredging unearthing historical toxins to blame

A Teesside marine expert who has been following the probe into why piles of dead crustaceans washed up on Teesside’s beaches remains ‘99.9% sure’ dredging is to blame. David McCreadie, a retired senior lecturer in marine biology and oceanography, says he spotted a vessel dredging off Teesmouth at the end of September and then started to find dead lobsters and crabs on the South Gare near Redcar. The investigating authorities have already ruled out dredging,,, >click to read< 08:19