Tag Archives: Fishing community

Sonoma County’s fishing community facing uncertain future with potential salmon season closure

In 2024, California’s ocean salmon fishing industry stands at a critical juncture. The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), cognizant of the challenges salmon populations face due to years of drought and environmental pressures, has laid out three potential paths for the salmon fishing season off California’s coast. Dick Ogg, president of the Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Marketing Association, explains. “They need to come up with three options, each impacting us differently. Some options might leave a little room for commercial activity, but it’s all quite uncertain,” underscoring the dire straits faced by those who rely on the sea for their livelihood. The potential for another season of deep cuts or complete shutdowns looms large, posing not just an economic challenge but a threat to a way of life cherished by many generations. “This cuts to the heart of Bodega Bay,” Ogg said. “We’re a real working fishing community.”  more, >>click to read<< 18:17

BOEM Announces Gulf of Maine Draft Wind Energy Area Meetings for Fishing Community

This notice is being sent as a courtesy to help raise awareness of a comment opportunity and public meetings being held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regarding a Draft Wind Energy Area (WEA) in the Gulf of Maine. It is critically important that members of the fishing industry comment on this proposal.nDMR also encourages fishing industry members to click on this link to read the statement from Governor Mills and Maine’s Congressional Delegation, expressing opposition to inclusion of draft WEAs in LMA1. On October 19, 2023, BOEM announced a Draft Wind Energy Area (Draft WEA) in the Gulf of Maine and an accompanying 30-day public comment period. The Draft WEA covers around 3.5 million acres offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, ranging from 23-120 miles off the coast.  BOEM invites you to attend virtual public meetings where BOEM will outline the data and the information used to inform the Draft WEA and provide opportunity for feedback from the fishing community and public-at-large. Lots of links and info, >>click te read<< 15:31

Three in one week.

They say a week is a long time in politics, or if you wait ages for a bus, three come along at once – in just one week Newlyn has just seen the loss of three members of its fishing community. First to make his way to the deck of the big fishing boat in the sky was Mr PCCM himself, son of a coastguard, Dick Harvey. Dick epitomised ‘old school’. Talking of HMRC and tax, fish buyer Geoff Davies, seen here with early-days mobile phone hitched to is belt, was a tax inspector in a previous life – that was before he came to fish from Newlyn and then, subsequently went ashore and worked for leading fish merchant Nick Howell when his premises were behind Waghorns. Fishing runs deep in the Stevens family, generations have fished from the port of St Ives. Ernest Stevens, David Stevens father had the second and much larger Rose of Sharon built in 1969 by Forbes of Sandhaven, the first built them back in 1964. Lots of photos, >click to read< 09:45

Grand Isle, Louisiana: Extensive damage to many boats in the fishing community, photos.

Damage from Hurricane Ida is still being assessed after it made landfall on Sunday. The storm caused at least four deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi, while thousands more were left without power and continued flooding. One area that saw extensive damage was Grand Isle, a fishing community in southeastern Louisiana, also known as the Cajun Riviera. Boats were flipped over and left sideways in the water and along roads. Roofs of many lake houses were swept away by the storm’s strong winds and rain. 55 Photos, >click to read< 16:55

Disaster in Sri Lanka: Fishing community affected by MV X-Press Pearl shipwreck to receive Rs. 5000 allowance

Gampaha District Secretary Sunil Jayalath stated that an allowance of Rs. 5000 will be given to 9883 fishing families who lost their livelihood due to the incident of the MV X-Press Pearl from June 15 onward. As a consequence of the shipwreck, 7753 fishing families have directly lost their income and 2130 families who were engaged in occupations such as drying fish and fish netting have lost their income. The numbers of people affected, are staggering. >click to read< 08:29

Fishing community, others respond to tragedy of lost Portland vessel

Two weeks since the sinking of a Portland fishing boat with all four crew seem to have little eased the loss for members of the maritime community and others. But businesses, fishermen and hundreds of individual donors are trying to help family members of the four men, three of whom were from Maine.,,, “The crew on the F/V Emmy Rose were honorable men. All were extremely passionate about the fishing industry, but most importantly, they loved and cared for their families more than anything in the world,” Rosalee Varian wrote. “These four men were the best out there. They will be deeply missed, but they will never be forgotten.” >click to read< 10:23

Bad lobster season affects everyone in Cape Breton

At this time of year, the local fishing wharfs are feeling the effect of the coronavirus on their bottom line. Lobster fishers are facing the reality of an overseas market that has dried up causing prices to plummet to an all-time low.,, When lobster fishermen have a bad year, everyone suffers. Car dealerships can’t count on the fishermen up-dating their trucks at the end of the season. Those new trucks will remain on the lot. The local fishermen are a generous group who give readily to local causes. You can’t give what you don’t have. A bad season affects us all. What can we do to help out? Start by eating more lobster. When lobster is cheaper than ground beef, now is the time to get a good feed. Treat yourself to lobster every week until the season is over. Order a few extra dozen and freeze for the Christmas season. By Yvonne Kennedy, >click to read< 16:08

Coronavirus: San Diego’s Fishing Community Pivots to Stay Afloat

The COVID-19 shutdown of many of the city’s restaurants has left much of San Diego’s commercial fishing fleet reeling, and right now they’re doing everything they can to stay afloat including shifting the way they’re selling fish at the weekly Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, which has remained open as an essential business. “The commercial fishing fleet has always provided food for people and we’re still here,” says commercial fisherman Kelly Fukushima. “We want them to know they can rely on us to put food on people’s tables.” The crisis has been hard on local fishers. Commercial fishermen David Haworth and his son, Nick, had to scramble when wholesalers started calling them to say they could no longer sell their catch amid widespread restaurant closures. Home deliveries helped move the load of fish,,, >click to read< 15:31

Coronavirus: Fishing community takes precautions as it readies for salmon season

“We know the fish are coming regardless of COVID-19 or not and we can’t ask them to stay home.” Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink made the comment during a March 30 press briefing, adding that the state has a specific fisheries work group trying to figure out ways small communities can handle an influx of fishermen and processing workers while also adhering to important health guidelines that run counter to the realities of a traditional fishing season. While Alaska’s diverse fisheries continue year-round, the famed Copper River sockeye and king fishery that unofficially kicks off the salmon harvest in mid-May each year will be one of the first testing grounds for trying to find that balance. >click to read< 16:51