Tag Archives: two crew members
‘It’s really scary’: The existential crisis of a Bay Area crabber
On a cloudy January evening, just as the sun lowered in the sky creating a sliver of orange along the horizon, John Mellor pulled his boat into the dock at Fisherman’s Wharf. Mellor’s 40-foot boat has been out at sea for more than 30 hours. There is a sense of excitement and anticipation as two crew members lift a cover, unveiling thousands of crabs in a container. Bucket by bucket, clawing crustaceans are weighed on a giant scale. The haul is a good one, and the success of each outing has become more crucial since the Dungeness crab season is half as long as it used to be. He waited through several anxious months of delays for the season to start. Mellor, 60, grew up in Oakland and began fishing as a teen. He is one of a few hundred commercial Dungeness crabbers in the state who have reluctantly adapted to shorter crabbing seasons. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 16:44
Drinking party leads to fight on fishing boat
A fight during a drinking party on a fishing boat on the night of July 31st led to two crew members being thrown in jail and the boat captain in the hospital with serious injuries. Tito Mamea is held on bail of $35,000 and is charged with one count of second degree assault, three counts of third degree assault and one count of public peace disturbance. Arona Arona faces three charges: second degree assault, third degree assault and public peace disturbance. His bail is also set at $35,000. Arona’s statement to police is that he was just dancing and having fun when the boat captain Fano Pitolau Tofio punched him on the mouth. This made his friend, the co-defendant Mamea mad and both of them started hitting the captain. >click to read< 13:39
4 charged with cutting dozens of rival lobstermen’s traps in Maine
The Maine Marine Patrol says four men face charges following an investigation of the cutting of a rival lobsterman’s traps. The agency said Wednesday that two lobstermen, 56-year-old Walter Foster, of Castine, and 22-year-old Nicholas Wood, of Penobscot, have been arraigned along with two crew members. They face multiple charges including molesting lobster gear. >click to read<08:42
Fishermen block Placentia lift bridge after waiting overnight to unload crab
A skipper who waited overnight to offload crab because the Placentia lift bridge was down blocked vehicular traffic in protest Thursday morning. Brian Barry and his two crew members stopped dozens of vehicles from crossing the $50-million Sir Ambrose Shea Lift Bridge at around 10 a.m. Barry left in his boat to go crab fishing at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday and returned with a load of crab at 9 p.m., but wasn’t allowed back into port, he said. He said he was told officials wouldn’t lift the bridge in fear that it would stick and not go back down. >click to read<12:31
