Daily Archives: April 28, 2022
F/V Nobska: Back-to-Back Hydraulic Hose Failures Caused Destructive Blaze
On April 30, 2021, while fishing for haddock at Georges Bank, the crew of the F/V Nobska spotted a fire on the lagging of the main engine’s exhaust pipe. After putting it out, they determined that the source of the fuel was a broken hydraulic hose located in a pipe tunnel, which ran between the wheelhouse and the engine room. The crew replaced the hydraulic hose and removed the oil-soaked lagging from the exhaust pipe, leaving the pipe bare. With the situation apparently resolved, they went back to fishing. About four hours later, the captain of the Nobska noticed that there was black smoke coming out from underneath the wheelhouse winch-control console,,, >click to read< – SEARCH RESULTS FOR: F/V NOBSKA 19: 40
P.E.I. – Lennox Island First Nation to launch unauthorized treaty lobster fishery
The Lennox Island First Nation says it will be launching a treaty lobster fishery off P.E.I.’s North Shore next week with or without the federal government’s support. The First Nation has a clear treaty right to harvest lobster for a moderate livelihood without the federal government’s approval, a right affirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada in the 1999 Marshall ruling. The First Nation intends to launch the treaty fishery on Saturday, May 7, weather permitting. On Thursday afternoon, the provincial fishermen’s association issued a written release, calling it “unfortunate” that discussions between the federal government, non-Indigenous fishing associations and First Nations have not taken place to discuss the requirements further. >click to read< 17:09
NPFMC asks industry for recommendations on Bristol Bay red king crab
The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery is historically one of the most valuable in the state, but for the last decade, the stock has been declining. Last fall, surveys showed that the female biomass of the stock had fallen below acceptable levels for harvest, and managers closed it. At the April NPFMC meeting, the council members approved a motion to ask the industry to come back with a list of voluntary actions harvesters and other industry stakeholders can take to help reduce bycatch of Bristol Bay red king crab and reduce discard mortality in the directed fishery. Industry stakeholders include not just the directed harvesters in the red king crab fishery, but also reach to the Pacific cod sector, pollock, and Amendment 80 fleets, which impact red king crab stocks based on area and bycatch rates. >click to read< 15:10
Sites off Coos Bay, Brookings targeted for offshore wind farms by Biden Administration
Two areas off the Oregon Coast are being targeted to host offshore wind farms as the Biden administration seeks to ramp up renewable energy production. The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Wednesday that the locations being identified to potentially host wind farms are about 12 nautical miles offshore Coos Bay and Brookings. The areas comprise about 1.16 million acres (468,787 hectares) in total. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland described the upcoming steps taken toward possible leasing off the coast of Oregon as “another opportunity to strengthen the clean energy industry while creating good-paying union jobs.” Bullshit, Lady. >click to read< 12:39
ADFG expect huge Togiak herring return but low harvest this season
The Togiak herring fishery opened to the purse seine fleet today, kicking off the 2022 season. The state department of Fish and Game anticipates a herring biomass of over 357,000 tons, the largest forecast since the state started using its current assessment model three decades ago. When department staff flew a survey on Tuesday, they saw lots of herring, but no fishermen yet. “We flew, we only saw two tenders over there,” Sands said. “There weren’t any fishing vessels yet. I know they’re on their way. Sometimes it can take several days: Just because the herring are there doesn’t mean the roe is mature enough for the companies to want to harvest them.” >click to read< 11:14
Right whale defenders question energy industry donations
A group opposing wind projects off the coast of Massachusetts released a report Tuesday that documents contributions from wind energy developers to environmental groups in the state, donations that the authors of the report say cast questions on the ability of groups to analyze the impacts that wind projects have on the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. The report, released by the Save Right Whales Coalition, catalogs $4.2 million between wind developers like Vineyard Wind, Bay State Wind, and Orsted to environmental groups in Massachusetts such as the Environmental League of Massachusetts, New England Aquarium, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. >click to read< 09:35
P.E.I. Lobster season delayed by weather, need for dredging
No date has yet been set for opening P.E.I.’s spring lobster fishery in LFAs 24 and 26A. The season was originally set to open on Saturday. “If the tide is reasonable and the weather conditions are favourable, I’m sure we can squeak out over it,” said Chris Wall, who has fished out of Malpeque for more than 30 years. “Weather is something that we always watch and talk about on P.E.I. anyway, but you do have to pay more attention to it, especially when you’re going with a fully laden boat … For some people, it’s the first time out of the harbour for the year because it hasn’t been fit to leave otherwise.” >click to read< 08:41
