Tag Archives: Rising fuel prices
Philippines’ tuna industry reels from rising fuel prices
Veteran longline fisherman Miguel Mayola eased his boat gingerly into the port of General Santos City after a month at sea with his crew in deep waters off Bongao, a finger-shaped island at the southwestern tip of the Philippines. The 39-year-old captain, his leathery face weather-beaten by years of toiling in an industry that has made many buyers rich from the tuna he fishes, was now waiting to see whether his prized catch could net him enough money. He needed the cash for his family and 13-man crew, and to fund another fishing expedition. “It’s hard work but we can’t do anything. It’s really hard with prices of crude and gasoline rising, and our families have nobody to rely on but us fishermen,” Mayola said. >click to read< 07:55
Rising fuel prices hit Maine’s commercial fishermen
The high prices of fuel are also hitting boat works and marinas. When looking at the fuel costs for commercial fishers, the problem does seem to increase among that industry. “We burn 600 gallons a day. You figure six times 10. You do the math. It’s a $60,000 fuel bill,” Michael Irving, captain of F/V Patriot, in Portland, said. Irving spent the afternoon untying knots in his dragnet targeting groundfish. He said he didn’t make any money last week because of the diesel fuel increase. “We’re going to try and feed America, but we can’t not go out and catch fish. It is a living, you know. We’re just going, and we don’t get paid for it. The boats have to go either way,” Irving said. “I don’t know. It’s ludicrous. It’s stupid,” Irving said. Video, >click to read< 08:04
Fernandina’s Shrimping Industry: Storied Past, Uncertain Future – A Look Back
Here we are in the birthplace of American shrimping industry. We greet visitors with a waterfront Shrimping Museum. Pink and blue larger-than-life statues of shrimp adorn our parks and street corners. Our major civic celebration is the annual Shrimp Fest, complete with a parade and people dressed like crustaceans. But is it all just nostalgia? Is our historic shrimping industry just a museum piece, or is it a vibrant business that will survive and thrive? At Dave Cook’s dock at the south end of Front Street, Roy Mc Henry, who was working on his 39-foot shrimper, Queen B, while his aging Golden Retriever, Sweetie, lounged in the cockpit. Capt. McKendree was not optimistic about the state of the local shrimp industry. >click to read< 09:22
Rising fuel, bait prices could eat into profit margins
Lobster fishers have had to contend with the rising costs of doing business for years, but this season presents a set of circumstances perhaps without compare. Fuel prices are higher than they’ve ever been on PEI and that will have a direct impact on fishers, especially the ones who sail further out from shore. Throw in rising bait prices driven by quotas and feeding predators, and insurance costs, and it could take a sizable big bite out of profit margins. “It’s going to be different from last year for sure. The cost of everything is going up,” said Naufrage lobster fisherman Lucas Lesperance. He hopes those pressures will create a strong price throughout the season. Mr Lesperance said seals are becoming more of a nuisance than ever, chowing down on bait species like herring and mackerel. A seal hunt would certainly help, he said. >click to read< 10:07
