Daily Archives: May 5, 2022
Aloncar Launches Largest Trawler in 40 Years
After two decades of inactivity, the Aloncar shipyard at Necochea in Argentina, has been resuming projects over the past five years, since engineer Hugo Obregozo became one of its owners. On 20th April, this new phase of activity resulted the launching of BP Skipper, a 28-metre fresher trawler entirely built by Aloncar. BP Skipper is entirely funded by its owner, the fishing company Ocean Fish. Its design was inspired on Norwegian and 
Icelandic vessels, with a double deck and an inverted bow, he explained. ‘Both of these features are not common in Argentina. The double deck allows the catch selection, washing and handling to be carried out under shelter. The inverted bow is especially important in rough sea conditions, as it reduces resistance and vessel movement, and makes it handle more efficiently,’ he said. photos, >click to read< 21:20
Community meeting sees scathing opposition to offshore wind farm in Coos Bay and Brookings
Between one to two hundred concerned residents and stakeholders packed the Salmon Conference room of the Mill Casino last night in the small coastal town of North Bend expressing opposition to over one million acres of wind farms slated for the offshore areas of Coos Bay and Brookings. Concerns raised came mainly from commercial fishers that live and/or fish in the area and worry about impacts to the industry. Several residents that are not involved in the industry also expressed concerns about impacts to the environment and wildlife. Last week the agency announced the Brookings and Coos Bay call areas where it plans to open leases for 1,158,400 acres of wind turbines that would be put in at least 12 nautical miles offshore. >click to read< 17:12
Atlantic Herring: New England to get $11M in disaster relief funding
Disaster-level instability in the Atlantic herring industry has prompted the federal government to give $11 million to commercial fishermen and shore-side infrastructure in four states. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said Thursday that the herring industry in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island will get the assistance. More than $7 million is slated for Maine. Raimondo said the assistance “will help affected fisheries and communities recover from disasters and make them more resilient to future challenges.” >click to read< 15:49
Last lobster season for ‘canners’ – More lobster is the goal
New Brunswick lobster fishermen along the Bay of Chaleur, Acadian Peninsula and Miramichi Bay are setting their traps for the 2022 season Tuesday and this is the last year they’ll be fishing for two different size and price classes. Members of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union in Lobster Fishing Area 23 voted 75 per cent in favour of phasing out the “canner” size, a spokesperson for the group confirmed. Indigenous organizations were also consulted about the change, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said in a news release. >click to read< 12:30
Radar Revitalized
Solid-state drive (SSD) technology has made electronics faster, from smartphones to marine electronics. SSDs boot up almost instantly and have a minimal load period because they don’t have to “find” data like on a hard drive. Now, solid-state radar is finding its way onto boats where magnetron radar has long dominated. Solid-state radar offers a much clearer picture while using less power and emitting much less harmful radiation. It offers excellent resolution at both long and very short ranges. >click to read< 10:30
King crab hatcheries could be on Alaska’s horizon
The Alaska House of Representatives agreed last week to changes made to a mariculture enhancement bill that would allow shellfish to be grown in hatcheries, moving it one step closer to becoming law. House Bill 41 would allow certain nonprofits to pursue mariculture enhancement or restoration projects for species of shellfish like abalone, razor clams, sea cucumbers and king crab. It would be the first time in Alaska’s history that people could raise animals like crab in hatcheries and release them into the wild to support commercial fisheries. >click to read< 09:46
Fishing company loses bid to avoid paying $500k to dead men’s families
The Court of Appeal has thrown out a second bid by a fishing company to avoid paying half a million dollars in total to the families of three fishermen who drowned when their trawler sank. Terry Donald Booth, 55, of Nelson; Paul Russell Bennett, 35, of Motueka and Jared Reese Husband, 47, of Timaru died when the Jubilee, a 16 metre trawler, sank off the coast of Canterbury in the early hours of 18 October 2015. It is believed the crew were asleep in the wheelhouse when the trawler’s fish room began filling with water and there was no high water level alarm to alert them. >click to read< 08:14
