Daily Archives: May 26, 2022

Coast Guard Medevacs 67-year-old fishing vessel Captain from Matagorda Bay, Texas

The Coast Guard medevaced an injured man from Matagorda Bay, Texas, Thursday. Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi command center watchstanders received notification at 4:17 p.m. from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office that the 67-year-old captain of the commercial fishing vessel F/V Master Ricky had reportedly been struck in the head by rigging block while working gear and was intermittently unconscious. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. >click to read < 21:40

Mass DMF Conch Stock Assess Used by Wilcox Thesis Questioned

After a close review of three separate research papers on Channeled Conch in MA waters, conducted over two years, it has been determined by former SMAST faculty that the methods to determine conch are overfished are not reliable and could not conclusively be used to make such a scientific determination. According to the official stock assessment survey document “only 2 conch per one million were captured in the survey” using a fish net with three inch cookies in the bottom rope. >click to read< 14:18

Nova Scotia shrimp trawler returning to port after ice encounter in Labrador Sea

A Mersey Seafoods shrimp trawler headed back toward its Nova Scotia base Thursday after suffering ice damage while fishing off the coast of Labrador earlier this week. The bow of the 70-metre Mersey Phoenix struck ice. It caused a small crack that led to a small amount of water leaking into the ship. Mersey Seafoods CEO Greg Simpson said the vessel, with a crew of 30 on board, is not in any danger. >click to read< 13:21

America’s biggest scallopers want changes to regulations preventing consolidation

“The bottom line is this proposal is about global control, from the switch to the fish to the dish,” said Alan Cass, a former New Bedford scalloper who began his career as a deckhand and retired as a boat owner. “The resource will be at the mercy of a consolidated effort by these corporations to control ocean-to-table and economically injure the small entities in this industry.” For nearly 30 years, scallopers like Cass and his son, who followed him into the industry, have gone to sea under a set of regulations that limit both the amount of scallops that can be harvested each year and the share of that harvest that belongs to the industry’s biggest players. Roy Enoksen, the president of Eastern Fisheries and a co-owner of the nation’s largest scallop fleet, said leasing would allow him to stack scallop allocations onto more efficient vessels and save on maintenance costs. >click to read< 13:10

Safetytech Accelerator collaborates with FISH Safety Foundation to explore safety technology in fishing

Safetytech Accelerator has collaborated with FISH Safety Foundation to explore how technologies can improve the safety of the fishing industry. Fishing is one of the world’s most dangerous professions. New research by the FISH Safety Foundation suggests fisher mortality rates are significantly higher than the earlier estimates of 24,000 per year, on top of which we can assume a far higher rate of injuries. FISH Safety Foundation is focused on helping countries and organisations with training and advisory services, as well as assistance with the practical application of systems, legislative requirements and guidelines.  >click to read< 10:57

New Zealand: Rollout of camera monitoring on commercial fishing vessels confirmed

Up to 300 inshore fishing vessels will be fitted with the technology by the end of 2024, providing independent, accurate information about fishing activity and better evidence for decision-making,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker said. “It will be supported by cutting-edge artificial intelligence software that will help put New Zealand at the forefront of camera monitoring technology. The introduction of on-board cameras is a key component of the Government’s fisheries reforms. It follows the 2019 roll out of cameras on vessels operating in core Māui dolphin habitat, and builds on work initiated in 2017 by the then-Minister, Nathan Guy. >click to read< 10:25

Fishing Vessel Capsized off Race Point; Four Crew Members Rescued

Noah Santos and Malcolm Hunter were working on the docks at Flyer’s Boat Rentals on Tuesday, May 17 when the mayday call dropped around 10:10 a.m. A lobster boat had capsized off Race Point, and a crew of four needed help. The Coast Guard plane circled overhead, and the pair of tow boats zeroed in on the four crewmen: Capt. Glenn Rorro, Chris Gibson, Giacomo Luke, and Braden Wilson. That day, as the F/V Angela & Mary III took on water, the life raft refused to cooperate, said Rorro. It had failed to inflate automatically, and, to make matters worse, it wasn’t tied on properly. Untethered, the raft drifted away from the boat. But Luke jumped into the 49-degree water — without his survival suit. >click to read< 09:34