Daily Archives: October 21, 2022
Here’s the Untold Truth of “Deadliest Catch Captain Rip Carlton
Carlton denied “Deadliest Catch” producers’ access to his boat numerous times, claiming that the show would slow down his operation. With the Red King crab season closed in the 2021 to 2022 season, Captain Rip Carlton joined the show to show us how Golden King crab fishing is done. As stated in his bio on the Patricia Lee’s website, Rip “is the captain of one of only five boats that harvest Golden King Crab,” which positions him as “one of the world’s foremost authorities on Goldens.” The F/V Patricia Lee’s “long lining” fishing style is a major factor in its dominance. On top of Carlton’s experience in Golden King crab fishing, his boat discharges up to 50 pots at one time, while most other boats only drop one at a time. When pulling up this string, the pots come up every 90 seconds. >click to read< 20:06
Why Did 11 Billion Alaskan Snow Crabs Suddenly Disappear?
Earlier this month, Alaska announced that it had canceled the entire snow crab harvest for the year. The news heralded a catastrophic population collapse for the animals, in which nine out of ten died out between 2018 to 2021. It’s a terrible development for those who make a living harvesting the crabs in a region of the world that’s warming unusually fast because of its proximity to the North Pole. (Alaska officials also canceled the fall Bristol Bay red king crab harvest for a second year in a row.) This isn’t a small industry; Alaska’s crab fishing is worth more than $200 million a year. The sudden shutdown has left the state, well, shell-shocked. >click to read< 12:04
Canadian Lobster Fishermen Move Towards Electronic Declarations
Electronic logbooks for fisheries are essential for timely processing and analysis of capture declarations and the sustainable management of Canadian fisheries. Since 2018 in Québec, fishermen using JOBEL have demonstrated that their fishing activity is compliant with national and international requirements. Also, Department of fisheries and Oceans, the fishermen and scientists now have the information needed to evaluate the durability of the Québec lobster fishery. Indeed, lobster fishermen in the Gaspe area greatly benefited from being able to provide the Marine Stewardship Council with accurate information on the impact on other species during the certification process for their spring fishery. >click to read< 11:29
Commercial fishermen accused of raiding fellow fisherman’s lobster traps in the Keys
Three commercial fishermen were arrested this week after being accused of raiding another commercial angler’s traps and stealing at least one spiny lobster. Their arrest Tuesday came five days after plainclothes Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers said they observed them from land checking the other boat’s traps off Long Key and taking one lobster. Aniel Sanfiel Vallalonga De La Fe, 51, from Miami, Ricardo Daiz De La Cruz, 32, from Boca Raton, and Yumar Gonzalez Ruiz, 49, from Homestead, each face two counts each of felony trap tampering and one count each of theft of the contents of another harvester’s traps, a second-degree misdemeanor. >click to read< 10:32
Shetland completely cut off from mainland as phones, internet and computers hit by blackout
Communications in Shetland have been completely shut down with phones, internet and computers in a total blackout after the south subsea cable between the islands and the mainland was cut. Police have declared a major incident and are patrolling to try and reassure residents, telling them they still may be able to call 999 in an emergency even without signal. ‘We don’t know the cause yet. These things have happened in the past with catastrophic effect. ‘It is not unknown and usually it is because a trawler picks up the line on the seabed and pulls it up and breaks it. >click to read< 09:19
Commercial fishermen form Point Loma Commercial Fishing Alliance
Point Loma commercial fishing businesses and tenants at Driscoll’s Wharf launched a new Point Loma Commercial Fishing Alliance at an Oct. 13 press conference at the wharf, which included wine and lobster rolls. The group formed as an effort to draw attention to the significant role commercial fishing plays as the “front door” to San Diego’s fishing industry. The alliance seeks to advocate and represent commercial fishing activities along the Point Loma working waterfront, known as America’s Cup Harbor and Shelter Island. “As most of you know, we’re trying to save Driscoll’s Wharf,” said Tom Driscoll. “I want to keep this going. But more importantly, for commercial fishermen in this area, this facility is really needed for them. So, the commercial fishing alliance was formed.” >click to read< 08:35
Alabama’s Oyster Harvest Off to Great Start
The state’s oyster season opened on October 3, and the oyster catchers are busy plucking those delicious bivalves from the reefs in coastal waters. Scott Bannon, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Director of the Marine Resources Division, said both the number of catchers and sacks of oysters harvested per day are up from last season. “To my knowledge, we had a record number of catchers for an opening day at 243,” Bannon said. “The max we had last year on any given day was 211. Last year, we averaged 180 catchers a day. This year, we’re averaging 220. “The harvest is going well. We averaged about 800 sacks a day last year, and we’re averaging about 1,200 sacks a day this year.” >click to read< 07:42
