Tag Archives: Alabama
Alabama eyes source-disclosure requirements for seafood, whether it was wild-caught or farmed
Restaurants in Alabama would be required to reveal the origin of most seafoods on their menu under a bill heading for consideration by the state House of Representatives. The measure would also require all foodservice establishments to indicate whether the fin or shellfish was farm-raised or wild-caught. The country where the fish originated would have to be disclosed via either menus or placards on the wall. The same channels would be used for differentiating between farm-raised and wild-caught proteins. The bill is intended to protect the state’s vibrant seafood industry from foreign competition. Consumers would know when they were supporting local fishermen and when their money was going toward suppliers from outside the United States. more, >>click to read<< 17:06
David Rainer: Plash has ‘Gotta Go’ shrimping despite low prices
Doug Plash really can’t help himself, but you can blame it all on his roots. When he’s sitting at home on Plash Island on the banks of the Bon Secour River, the urge to head out in his boat and harvest the tasty crustaceans that are plentiful along Alabama’s Gulf Coast is overwhelming. “There’s a boat across the river named ‘I Gotta Go,’” Plash said in the wheelhouse of his shrimp boat named after his daughters, Melissa, Jennifer and Kristi. “I probably should have named my boat that.” Plash Island came into existence when the Intracoastal Canal was dug in the 1940s, separating the land that is surrounded by the Bon Secour River on the other sides. He is the fifth generation of Plashes to live on the island with his grandfathers buried on the island. One grandfather owned a freight company that used five schooners to haul beer from the Jax Brewery in New Orleans and hauled freight to Mobile. The semi-truck eventually left the schooners at the dock. photos, more, >>click to read<< 13:15
Hard-hit Bayou La Batre shrimpers say they need all the help they can get
Shrimpers say this is the best time of the year to harvest the crustaceans, but most of the shrimp boats in this seafood capital are tied up on the docks these days. James Mason, who has fished his entire life, said it simply isn’t profitable to go hunting for shrimp. “Haven’t been out in a year,” he said. The Wilmer resident said that to make ends meet, he has been working at a shipyard not far from where the Capt. Mason sits idle. He said he even tried working for a month on an oyster boat in New Jersey. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) last month offered legislation that would create a task force to monitor foreign subsidies of shrimp and other agricultural products. He said he hopes that would greatly speed up enforcement. “We need some help, and I’m talking about urgent help,” he said. “If we don’t get some help, I don’t’ know if we’ll survive.” Added Mason: “Everybody in this bayou is hurting. Everybody. It doesn’t matter who it is.” Video, >>click to read<< 11:46
Beaufort’s shrimping industry on the brink. Local boats sit while imported catch floods market
Thursday at Village Creek on St. Helena Island was another picture postcard-worthy morning with an American flag lilting in a slight southeast breeze near the shrimper Gracie Bell — idly tied to the dock. At Sea Eagle Market, a catch of shrimp swept up in the nets of trawlers in recent days are being processed by small group of dockside workers. They clean the valuable seafood crop harvested from waters as far away as North Carolina to the northeast coast of Florida before being sold locally and up and down the Palmetto State’s coast. After this recent harvest was completed, the boats returned, as they always do — to Village Creek, home base for shrimping on Fripp and Hunting Islands in Beaufort County and beyond. Against this serene backdrop, a storm is brewing that threatens destruction. It is not the threat of foul weather, these shrimpers have seen generations of bad weather days. The storm brewing is economic for the community of shrimpers and related businesses. >click to read< 10:10
Shrimp Alliance request fisheries disaster declaration
There’s no other way to put it if you ask Aaron Wallace. Despite a decent catch by the eight shrimp boats that supply Anchored Shrimp Co. in Brunswick, the prices fishermen are getting for their hauls aren’t what they should be. “It’s been one of our toughest years,” Wallace said. He and his father, John Wallace, own Anchored Shrimp and operate the Gale Force, one of the boats that serve the company’s retail and wholesale business. The Southern Shrimp Alliance, for which John Wallace serves as a member of the board of directors, is calling the flood of imported shrimp a crisis. The alliance asked the governors of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas in a letter on Aug. 25 to collectively request a fisheries disaster determination by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for the U.S. shrimp fishery. >>click to read<< 11:06
Federal Fisheries disaster declared for Louisiana over 2020 hurricanes – Mississippi also sees disaster declaration
The federal government has announced its approval of a disaster declaration over damage to Louisiana fisheries due to three 2020 hurricanes, opening the door to federal aid for commercial fishers. Separately, Mississippi fisheries were issued another disaster declaration over the unprecedented 2019 Bonnet Carre Spillway openings in Louisiana. The governor noted the affected parishes were home to nearly 2,500 commercial fishers and vessels combined along with more than 100 wholesale dealers and a similar number of charter captains. The storm led to damaged docks and boating facilities, lost gear and vessels, lost housing and loss of stored seafood, Edwards said. >click to read< 13:14
Deepwater Horizon settlement projects surpass $1B
A milestone was surpassed this year when projects funded through the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement exceeded $1 billion, Blankenship said. ADCNR Deepwater Horizon Restoration Coordinator Amy Hunter and her staff oversee the projects funded by the settlement. “The big takeaway is we have $1 billion, $29 million in projects underway in Mobile and Baldwin counties that we are managing through our Deepwater Horizon Section,” Blankenship said. “That is 176 individual projects. That’s a lot of money and a lot of work going on. We have six people in that section, and they’re doing a very good job of managing projects that will make generational changes on the Gulf Coast. >click to read< 09:56
Alabama Implements Shrimp Harvesting Ban to Promote Wise Stewardship
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced in the press release (below) that all inside waters will temporarily close for commercial and recreational shrimp harvesting starting from May 1, 2023. This closure is in accordance with the state laws and regulations and is aimed at promoting wise stewardship of Alabama’s natural resources. The inside waters, which are defined as all waters north of a specific line along the Gulf of Mexico, will reopen for shrimp harvesting on June 1, 2023. >click to read< 13:04
Coast Guard, agencies rescue 4 fishermen near Dauphin Island, Alabama
NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard, along with partner agencies, rescued four boaters after their vessel began to take on water near Dauphin Island, Alabama, Sunday. Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders received a call over VHF channel 16 at 5:17 a.m. Sunday from the 90-foot commercial fishing vessel Lady Lily reporting their vessel was taking on water with four people aboard. Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew and a Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island 45-foot Response Boat- medium boatcrew to assist. Video, >click to read< 22:05
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
Alabama: Gulf Coast Shrimp Season Opens June 1st
June 1 will begin like any other day for Alabama’s shrimp, until the boats start chugging and the nets start dropping. On that day, all bets are off if you’re a shrimp. The Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced (last) Monday that all inside waters not permanently closed by law or regulation will be open for shrimp fishing beginning June 1. Shrimp swimming in Mobile Bay, Bon Secour Bay, Mississippi Sound, Perdido Bay, Arnica Bay, Wolf Bay and Little Lagoon will be up for grabs on that day through the end of the year. >click to read< 15:44
High fuel prices have Texas shrimping industry at virtual standstill
The price of diesel is so high right now that many Texas shrimpers are struggling, not making money, fearing that they’ll lose their crews if they’re docked much longer. “The majority of the vessels in the gulf, I would imagine they’re either tied up at the dock right now or they’re headed back to the dock, because they’ve run out of the cheap fuel,” said Andrea Hance, executive director of the Texas Shrimp Association. “And it [fuel prices] jumps around every day. If you do the math on that, that comes out anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 just to fill up one of these boats for maybe a 60-day trip. We will not be able to make money on that.” Video, >click to read< 09:13
Alabama OKs tax cut bill for Gulf Coast commercial fishing operations
The Alabama Senate awarded final passage to a bill by State Rep. Chip Brown, R – Hollinger’s Island, that provides historic and much-needed tax cuts and exemptions to commercial fishing businesses operating throughout Alabama’s Gulf Coast region. The measure now travels to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk for signature. “Alabama law currently provides the agricultural industry with tax exemptions and other benefits that are not currently extended to commercial fishing operations, which also harvest food,” Brown said. “Passage of this new law corrects a lingering injustice by extending the same taxation benefits to farmers and fishermen alike.” >click to read< 10:33
Alabama: Seafood bill raising questions about tax breaks pitched to lawmakers
For Ernie Anderson, the legislation that passed out of the Alabama House last week will help a dwindling number of commercial fishermen save costs while purchasing equipment to do their jobs. Problem is, no one seems to know how much that is. The bill, HB10, allows the entire commercial fishing industry similar tax exemptions and reduced tax obligations like those offered to farmers, who pay 1.5% on sales taxes. Commercial fishermen, excluding commercial shrimpers, currently pay a 4% sales tax rate whenever they purchase equipment like netting and bait. >click to read< 14:01
Alabama: Fishermen land big haul of roe mullet on Fowl River
More than half a dozen boats lined up at the mouth of Fowl River Monday for a big catch of roe mullet. The roe mullet is a popular fish that can be sold for money, especially the females that hold eggs. Licensed fishermen use gill nets to capture the fish as they move from the rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. In Alabama, gill net fishing will soon be extinct. The state no longer issues gill net licenses for environmental concerns. Many gill net fishermen have been fishing for roe mullet for generations and sell the fish to support their families. Video, >click to read< 07:34
Texas to Suspend Flounder Season as stocks continue to decline throughout the Gulf and South Atlantic
One of the most sought after saltwater fish on the Texas Coast will be off limits to commercial and sport fishermen starting Nov. 1. Citing negative trends and large scale declines in flounder populations over the past several decades, The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will suspend the year round flounder season during a six-week period ending on Dec. 15.,, The fish’s native range stretches from North Carolina southward into Mexico, and nearly all of the states in this coastal region are witnessing similar population declines. >click to read< 12:30
Chip Brown pre-files bill to provide tax cuts to Alabama commercial fishermen
“Alabama law currently provides the agricultural industry with tax exemptions and other benefits that are not currently extended to commercial fishing ventures, which operate, in essence, as the farmers of the Gulf of Mexico,” Brown said. “Simple fairness demands that commercial fishing businesses should enjoy the exact same tax benefits as the rest of the agriculture industry, and my bill simply corrects an inequity that has existed for far too long.” Among the provisions of House Bill 10 include current Alabama law provides an ad valorem tax exemption only to vessels used in the commercial shrimping industry, but Brown’s bill would extend it to include all forms of commercial fishing, more, >click to read< About Brown, and his legislation, >click here< 14:22
Hurricane Ida: Moving north into the Gulf, expected to strengthen to Cat 4
Ida, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to make landfall late Sunday or early Monday. Sunday is the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Watches and warnings are in effect for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Saturday could be rainy in south Louisiana, making storm prep and evacuations more complicated, forecasters said. The rain is not from Hurricane Ida but from another disturbance moving over the state. Lots of details, >click to read<, to be updated. Life-threatening winds, storm surge, flooding and tornadoes from Hurricane Ida are expected Sunday. 11:04
Wing Slashes Shrimp Trawling Fuel Costs and By-catch Rates
Randy Skinner’s Wing Trawl System has been through a few generations of development, each tested and put through its paces on board his own shrimper, the 65′ (19.80m), twin-engine F/V Apache Rose, working across the seasons to try out the Wing Trawl under all weather conditions as well as across the range of depths the shrimp fleet operates. He set up Environmental Trawling Solutions as a company to continue to develop and produce the WTS. ‘There are no drawbacks that I’ve been able to find,’ he said. The results have been startlingly successful, as the Wing Trawl has returned lower fuel costs – plus a significant reduction in by-catch, demonstrated in a comparative trial carried out with the University of New Orleans. The drop in by-catch is a major advantage that hadn’t been anticipated at the outset, as his initial goal was to develop gear that would be more economic to run. photos, videos, >click to read< 20:42
This Wing Will Fly! Wing Trawling System Wins Ocean Exchange Neptune Award – October 21, 2017, The winner of the Ocean Exchange Neptune Award in the amount of $100,000 USD is Wing Trawling System or WTS (USA-AL). >click to read<
Coast Guard rescues 4 from fishing vessel fire near Fort Morgan, Alabama
The Coast Guard rescued four people Monday aboard a vessel on fire near Fort Morgan, Alabama. The four people were safely recovered and transported to shore in stable condition. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report around 6:45 p.m. from the commercial vessel F/V Alexandria Pearl that it was on fire and in need of assistance, about a half mile south of Fort Morgan. Short video, >click to read< 23:57
Coast Guard suspends search for person in the water in Mobile Bay, Alabama
The Coast Guard suspended its search, Saturday, for a person in the water in Mobile Bay, Alabama. The Coast Guard and local agencies began searching Friday after watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report of a capsized boat in Mobile Bay. Coast Guard crews searched an area of 1,152 square nautical miles over the course of 29 hours but were unable to locate the missing crewmember. (USCG) >click to read< 12:54
The shrimp boat that capsized near Fort Morgan Friday morning does regular business with Billy’s Seafood in Bon Secour, according to Billy Parks, the owner of the seafood market. The ship, named “The Chief” capsized around 4 a.m., according to ALEA Marine Patrol. (WKRG)>Video, click to read<
I Rescued as Coast Guard, local agencies searching for persons in the water in Mobile Bay, Alabama
The Coast Guard and local agencies are searching for two people in the water in Mobile Bay, Alabama, Friday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report at approximately 5:00 a.m. of a capsized fishing vessel approximately five miles south of the entrance to Mobile Bay. A nearby Good Samaritan vessel rescued one passenger from the water in fair condition. Two passengers are still missing. >click to read< 12:33
The Next Generation: Fleet Fisheries’ new scallop boat is turning heads
When you see the new fishing vessel Viking Power, you’ll know it. Due to arrive in New Bedford in early November, the unusual-looking scalloper has a hull that slopes outward at the bow. Just below the water line, it comes to a rounded point, like the nose of rocket. Fleet Fisheries owner Lars Vinjerud II commissioned the boat. He said the aerodynamic shape serves two goals: to make the boat more fuel efficient, and to make it more comfortable and safer for the crew. The boat should do less pitching in rough seas. “This boat has a lot of firsts,” Vinjerud said. “This whole boat is outside the box.” Photo’s, >click to read< 18:18
Video – Brand new scalloper F/V Viking Power maiden launch >click to watch<
Fisheries disaster declared in multiple fisheries, multiple states
Wednesday,, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced his determination that commercial fishery failures occurred for multiple fisheries between 2017 and 2019 in Alaska, California, Georgia, and South Carolina, while further finding that a catastrophic regional fishery disaster occurred for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama due to extreme flooding events in the Gulf of Mexico. >click to read< 17:41
Gulf Coast seafood industry slammed by freshwater from floods, states requesting federal fishery disaster funding
The governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama asked months ago for U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to declare a fisheries disaster, a designation needed to secure federal grants for those whose livelihoods were affected in the Gulf region’s vital seafood industry. Alabama canceled its oyster season. It will be months before all the figures are in and the analysis completed to tell which Louisiana fisheries qualify, said Patrick Banks, assistant secretary for fisheries in the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. >click to read< 12:47
Floodwaters Diverted from New Orleans Killed Off Marine Life
The federal government’s effort to avoid a flood disaster in New Orleans had catastrophic consequences of its own, causing massive fish kills and habitat destruction along the Gulf Coast, according to the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The governors say the Army Corps of Engineers’ diversion of trillions of gallons of water from the swollen Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico killed fish, shrimp, oysters and crab and forced the extended closure of beaches. Dolphins have suffered high death and infection rates, researchers say. >click to read< 15:44
Bayou La Batre – Coastal Alabama Citizens Rise Up And Defeat Job-Killing Eco-Tourism Ordinance
Fearing the loss of both their livelihood and their way of life, residents of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, banded together earlier this summer and scuttled a city ordinance crafted to promote eco-tourism. Located along the Gulf Coast, a few miles southwest of Mobile, Bayou La Batre is a fishing village with a vibrant seafood-processing industry. The city of 2,500 souls has survived Hurricane Katrina and other unpleasant visitors from the tropics. But a 200-page zoning proposal developed by the city’s planning commission with assistance from the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning Commission (SARPC) and environmental groups triggered a storm of protest that sent the city’s mayor and his supporters running for cover. >click to read<12:04
Lawmakers urge more FDA inspections of imported seafood, win approval
An effort to increase the amount of imported seafood the U.S. inspects for health issues has crossed a hurdle in the Senate. Louisiana’s two Republican senators, John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, won approval of a measure that would add $3.1 million the FDA’s budget for such testing. Shrimpers in Terrebonne and Lafourche, joined by their peers in other states, have pushed for the measure,, The group represents shrimp fishermen and processors in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. Video >click to read<17:48