Daily Archives: April 5, 2022
Barry A. Nelson – The Sea Captain boarded his Vessel for his final Voyage after his last set.
He was born in Oakland, California to Clarence and Virginia Nelson. He was preceded in death by the love of his life, Peg (Margaret) Nelson. His career spanned yacht clubs, his and Peg’s deeply beloved sailboat, Pathfinder, his own yacht maintenance and repair business, fisheries wholesale and retail at Peg’s Fish Market, their own fishing vessels – the F/V JJ, the F/V Atlas, and the F/V Mystic. Barry and his beloved wife, Peg touched many lives and dedicated much of their lives in service to the commercial fishing industry. Although they did not have children of their own, many have felt they simply adopted the West Coast. Their regard and respect for the hard-working men and women of the West Coast ran deep, Barry served as a Director to the WFOA (Western Fishboat Owner’s Association), was an Oregon Salmon Commissioner for 25 years, as well as a Port Commissioner for Wichester Bay, >click to read< 21;32
Canada and France reach agreement with total allowable catch rollover of 3Ps cod
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, announced that an agreement has been reached with France regarding 3Ps cod for the 2022-23 fishing season. Both countries intend to roll over the current total allowable catch (TAC) of 1,346 tonnes. Canada and France (in respect of Saint Pierre and Miquelon) co-manage fish stocks, including cod, in the 3Ps zone off the south coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Under the Procès-Verbal Agreement, the two countries meet annually to negotiate management measures, including the TAC of these shared stocks in the North Atlantic. >click to read< 20:35
DMR brings news of declining young lobsters, resiliency measures to local lobstermen
“We’re not talking about whales.” Those were among the first words from Kathleen Reardon, lead biologist for the Maine DMR, to lobstermen at Stonington Town Hall on March 31. Both ongoing lawsuits and legislation aimed at protecting right whales from entanglement with lobster trap lines have delayed lobster stock assessments and analysis. But now lobster councils are meeting across the state to hear about a draft addendum to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission lobster management plan for the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, where 90 percent of U.S. landings are. The ASMFC manages near-shore fisheries for 15 states, including Maine. The draft addendum would affect Lobster Management Areas 1 and 3 and off Cape Cod as well as Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. >click to read< 16:37
Russian head of NAFO has stepped down; country must be expelled/fish quotas transferred to Ukraine
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) says it’s not enough that the Russian president and chair of the international organization that manages fish stock inside and outside Canada’s 200-mile limit has stepped down. The Russian Federation itself must be expelled from the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, with the country’s thousands of tonnes of quotas transferred to the Ukraine, another member of the 13-country organization. “Russia has violated every protocol on the face of the earth with its war on Ukraine, and its membership in NAFO should be cancelled outright, and its fish quotas transferred,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. “Russian seafood is banned around the world, so it stands to reason that its offshore dragger fleet should not be permitted to fish as a NAFO-member country.” >click to read< 11:50
Commercial Fisherman William Van Druten, Jr. of Frisco, NC has passed away
Bill was born in Passaic, NJ on March 11, 1942 to William and Trina Van Druten. His life was driven by his love for the sea. The depth of his life was immense; from playing basketball at Rider College, to pursuing his career as an educator, and ultimately moving to Frisco, NC to achieve his lifelong dream of being a commercial fisherman. It is the sea that called to him throughout his life and he instilled a love for it in so many. Realizing this dream was one of many pearls in his life. Being known as “Tall Bill” in the fishing community delighted him and brought him great contentment. >click to read< 10:40
Immediate closure of herring and mackerel fisheries a broadside into coastal fishing communities
The Coalition of Atlantic and Québec fishing organizations questions the rapidity of the government decision and the lack of transparency in the science. “How do you go from a no closure to a closure situation without consulting commercial fishers,” said Martin Mallet, MFU Executive Director. “The 2021 stock assessment showed that the 4000t quota would enable recovery of the resource. This decision had been taken in collaboration with industry, and we were to revise the situation after the next stock assessment in 2023. Without consultation or even advance notice of a potential problem, DFO has slammed the commercial fishery.” This unilateral closure of the spring herring and mackerel commercial fisheries will have a major negative impact on the fishery since these fish are a significant source of bait for the lobster and snow crab fisheries. >click to read< 09:16
Massachusetts state regulators reject plan to use ropeless lobster traps
The proposal, submitted by a group of lobstermen organized under the name “Pioneers for a Thoughtful Coexistence,” asked regulators to allow them to set as many as 200 ropeless traps in areas along the South Shore, where lobster fishing is closed three months a year. DMF Director Daniel McKiernan denied the plan and laid out three reasons for his decision, the first being that the proposal “lacks a study design that will contribute meaningfully to further understanding the efficacy of ropeless fishing.” >click to read< 08:02
