Kemi Badenoch accuses Labour leader of ‘selling out’ British fishing rights to the EU
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of ‘selling out’ British fisheries in exchange for a new trade deal with Brussels. The Prime Minister is close to agreeing a reset with the European Union which will allow British defence companies to bid for a new €150 billion defence fund but is expected to also announce significant concessions on fishing rights and freedom of movement. Brexiteers have responded with fury. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘Every time Labour negotiates, Britain loses. Keir Starmer tried repeatedly to overturn Brexit, and it beggars belief that now he’s in government he’s selling out our fishing rights. Instead of capitulating to the EU yet again, Labour should be pressing home our Brexit benefits.’ Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:30
Editor’s Log: Offshore Wind Hits The Rocks
By now, you’ve probably seen the headlines: the Trump administration has pulled the plug – at least temporarily – on the Empire Wind project off New York’s coast. For some, it came as a gut punch to the offshore wind industry. For others, it was a long-overdue reality check. But no matter where you stand on the issue, there’s no denying that this move has rekindled a national debate that’s been simmering beneath the surface for years: should massive offshore wind developments really be fast-tracked in the name of clean energy without a full accounting of their environmental and economic consequences? To the Biden-era regulators who greenlit this project, the answer was a confident “yes.” To the Trump administration now back in power, it’s a hard “not so fast.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:01
President Trump Cutting Red Tape to Strengthen Louisiana’s Seafood Industry
Louisiana’s commercial fishing families have long been the backbone of the state’s working coast. From shrimp docks in Terrebonne to oyster reefs in Plaquemines, Louisiana’s fishermen are vital to the state’s economy and the nation’s seafood supply. Now, a national push to reduce unnecessary regulations in the fishing industry offers a turning point for Louisiana’s shrimpers and other local fleets burdened by outdated, one-size-fits-all rules. This initiative could revitalize the industry by aligning federal policies with the realities of modern seafood production. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:09
1 dead after incident on fishing boat off Nahant coast; 2nd crew member hospitalized
One of two crew members seriously hurt when a rope snapped on a fishing boat off Nahant, Massachusetts, has died, officials confirmed Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard said it responded to a distress call at 3:55 p.m. reporting two injured crew members of the vessel, named “25 TO LIFE,” about 25 nautical miles east of Nahant. The call reported that a snapped rope hit both of them — one had a contusion and possible broken ribs, and the other was intermittently unresponsive with a suspected broken neck. An EMS team rushed both of them to Beverly Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The Gloucester police chief confirmed Saturday that one of the crew members has died. A family friend identified him as Jaxson Marston, a 26-year-old father of one with another child on the way. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Marston’s family.
Shrimp labeling bill could be a lifesaver for Gulf industry
If you are what you eat, you might want to put down that shrimp po’boy. That’s unless, of course, you know you’re eating Gulf shrimp. State Rep. Terri Leo Wilson partnered with six other Gulf Coast representatives on House Bill 2343, which would keep restaurants from selling imported farm-raised shrimp and implying it was caught by Texas shrimpers. The timing is crucial. The Texas shrimp industry is struggling under pressure of inferior, cheap foreign shrimp flooding the market, she said. Leo Wilson and others testifying in support of the bill Wednesday said Texas should follow the lead of Louisiana, Alabama and other Gulf Coast states that have put shrimp labeling requirements into law. Such laws have bolstered their respective shrimp industries, they said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:30
Coast Guard: Two fishermen with life-threatening injuries rescued from Maine vessel
The U.S. Coast Guard brought two fishermen with life-threatening injuries to the hospital Friday afternoon. The fishermen were aboard a vessel from Maine when they required emergency response. According to the Coast Guard, the crewmembers were scallop fishing about 25 nautical miles east of Nahant, Massachusetts, aboard the vessel 25 TO LIFE out of Corea, Maine, when a snapped rope struck both men. One crewmember reportedly suffered a concussion and possibly broken ribs. The other had a suspected broken neck and was in and out of consciousness. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:04
UFCA calls for more fishing enforcement from next government
A group representing commercial fishers wants the next government to crack down on illegal fishing. The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance says out-of-season lobster fishing and elver poaching is creating chaos. UFCA President Colin Sproul says enforcement is key. “What we’d like to see is an application of the law, a strict enforcement of the law, and a respect of the Marshall decision in all its parts,” said Sproul. Some Indigenous fishers claim it is their treaty right to fish without a federally issued licence. Sproul says the feds have given some commercial quota to First Nations without compensation. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:22
Major Offshore Wind Developer has Stopped Activities in United States
One of the world’s top offshore wind developers, Germany’s RWE, has stopped work on its U.S. projects for now in light of recent moves against the industry by the Trump administration, its CEO said in a text published ahead of the firm’s annual meeting. The comments by Markus Krebber are a heavy blow to the nascent U.S. offshore wind market, which was a key pillar of former U.S. President Joe Biden’s energy policy but which his successor Donald Trump has vowed to stop. RWE holds three offshore wind leases in U.S. waters off the coasts of New York, Louisiana and California. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:27
Save California Salmon Responds to the Third Consecutive Year of California’s Commercial Fishing Being Shut Down
Yesterday the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (PFMC) recommended a full shutdown of all commercial fishing in California and extremely limited recreational ocean salmon fishing opportunities, through the end of 2025. This marks the third year in a row of no commercial fishing allocation in California and the state’s first recreational salmon season since 2022. Tribal subsistence fishing allocations will also be limited. This decision was made due to extremely low returns of fall, winter and spring run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento and Klamath Rivers for the third year in a row. Kasil Willie, Staff Attorney at SCS, added, “For Tribes and fishing families, the loss of salmon fishing for another year is a total crisis, not just a closure. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:40
New Bedford: Dock collapses on waterfront, the third failure in two years
For the third time in less than two years, a hunk of dock fell into New Bedford Harbor on Wednesday afternoon, again raising red flags about neglected port maintenance. The collapse injured no one but dropped a metal shed into the water. The asphalt-surface dock and the shed dropped into about 20 feet of water late Wednesday afternoon outside the Sea Watch International processing plant along Antonio Costa Avenue, said Gordon Carr, executive director of the New Bedford Port Authority. He said it happened when no one was around, at about 3:30 p.m. The sunken storage shed had stood in an area that had been blocked by Jersey barriers since a neighboring section of the dock collapsed a year ago. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:44
Can the Texas Shrimp Diva Save a Dying Industry?
Decked out in her pink accessories, Galveston’s Nikki Johnson-Kunz isn’t afraid of stingrays, wild weather, or the physically grueling work that she does side by side with her 92-year-old father-in-law. But she does worry about the future of shrimping in Texas. Since 2018, Nikki, who is 56 years old, has been building a platform as the Texas Shrimp Diva, trying to raise awareness about a Gulf Coast industry, and a way of life, that’s in rapid decline. She grew up in Virginia and lived in El Paso and Houston before settling in League City, halfway between Houston and the coast. She spent most of her career in property management and was never exposed to shrimping until she met and married Jason twenty years ago. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:16
ASP says union’s allegations of undercutting NL crab prices unfounded
While he considers it an anomaly worth inquiring about, Jeff Loder warned against reading too much into the early discrepancy in market prices between snow crab caught in the Gulf of St. Lawrence fishery versus what’s been landed in Newfoundland and Labrador. Loder is executive director of the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), the entity that represents fish processing companies in Newfoundland and Labrador and was responding to accusations that companies are deliberately undercutting the price they’re asking for snow crab in the early going of the season. That allegation was levelled by FFAW-Unifor, the union that represents fish harvesters and plant workers, in a Wednesday, April 23, news release. Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:09
NOAA Fisheries Announces Closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area
NOAA Fisheries is closing the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area to all federally permitted limited access general category scallop vessels effective 0001 hr, on April 28, 2025. As of April 28, 2025, no scallop vessel fishing under federal scallop regulations may fish for, possess, or land scallops in or from the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area. The scallop regulations require that we close this area once we project that 100 percent of the 2025 Northern Gulf of Maine Set-Aside will be taken. The closure will be in effect until the end of the fishing year (March 31, 2026).If you have declared a trip into the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area using the correct Vessel Monitoring System,,, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:28
Trump pulls plug on Maine’s offshore wind project
The Trump administration has pulled the plug on a $12.6 million federal grant for the University of Maine to build the nation’s first offshore wind turbine research project. The U.S. Department of Energy recently informed the university that it must stop work on the floating research array — which is partially completed — alleging that Maine failed to comply with the terms of the award for a quarter-scale demonstration of offshore turbines it is developing. The department said it is “suspending all activity under this award” for 90 days while it conducts a financial review of the project. The letter didn’t specify any violation by the university. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:27
Northern California rock crab fishery reopens after nearly ten year closure for domoic acid outbreak
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has reopened the commercial rock crab fishery along the northern coast from the California/Oregon border to the Humboldt Bay entrance. This comes after a nearly decade-long closure on the fishery due to a domoic acid outbreak. The fishery was originally closed in 2015 as a precautionary measure during the largest recorded domoic acid outbreak on the west coast. Testing has now confirmed that domoic acid levels in rock crabs are below federal action levels, which allows for the reopening of the fishery. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:17
Shrimpers hope tariffs bring rescue
While American consumers and businesses fret over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, one struggling group is cheering him on: Gulf coast shrimpers. These shrimpers have been hit hard in recent years by a wave of cheap imported shrimp flooding the US market and dominating restaurant menus. Prices have plummeted, profits have thinned to a razor’s edge, and many local operators are fighting to stay afloat. Tariffs, they hope, might level the playing field. “It’s been tough the last several years that we’ve tried to fight through this,” said Reed Bowers, owner of Bowers Shrimp Farm in Palacios, Texas. Tough times have forced difficult decisions – “cutting people off, laying people off, or reducing hours or wages … whatever we can do to survive,” Bowers said. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:37
New Bedford Fishing Industry Could Benefit From Trump Order
Before the environmentalists and fearmongers in the press get their oil skins, jumpers and mesh undies in a bind over President Donald Trump’s executive order concerning the fishing industry, they need to catch their collective breath and slowly exhale. First of all, read the damn thing! The Associated Press says, “The order represents a dramatic shift in federal policy on fishing in U.S. waters by prioritizing commercial fishing interests over efforts to allow the fish supply to increase.” That is fake news. The executive order calls for the Secretary of Commerce to immediately consider suspending, revising, or rescinding regulations that overburden America’s commercial fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing industries. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:34
Something fishy? Harvesters’ union raises concern over discrepancy between prices for NL and Gulf snow crab
The union representing fish harvesters and plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador is raising an alarm bell over early reports of the price of snow crab in the marketplace. In a Wednesday, April 23, press release, FFAW-Unifor drew attention to the first Urner Barry quote for the 2025 production of Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab. It has recorded five- to eight-ounce sections at $11.05 per pound — $2.07 below the quote of $13.12 for Gulf crab landed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence fishery. That, according to the union, is a far cry from the usual price spread seen in previous years. Larger-sized crab from Newfoundland and Labrador had yet to be quoted as of Wednesday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:41
Trump Fisheries Order May Be A First Step Toward Global Reforms
The American fisheries sector is the beneficiary of an April 17 Trump executive order. The order’s implementation could result in reduced regulatory burdens and a procompetitive, economically efficient expansions of U.S. fisheries output. It might also inspire U.S. consideration of additional efforts to improve global fisheries management. Overregulation is a serious problem afflicting U.S. fisheries. While federal regulations are designed to promote sustainable fishing and protect marine ecosystems, some badly designed rules impose economic harm on fishermen and communities that rely on fishing. These regulatory design flaws can generate excessive costs and job losses in the American fishing industry. In sum, the Fisheries Order may prove to be a catalyst not just for strengthening the U.S. fisheries sector, but also for market-oriented changes that improve global fisheries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:30
‘Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s’ to be honoured at ECMA gala
Newfoundland and Labrador beloved and tear-inducing folk song, “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s” will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at the 37th East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) Gala taking place in St. John’s on Thursday, May 8, 2025. An ECMA news release notes the deeply emotional ballad was written by Otto Kelland in 1947. “It’s heart-warming that this song and his works still mean something to people today,” says Kelland’s daughter Jocelyn Kelland, who will be present for the induction ceremony at the Mary Brown’s Centre. Otto Kelland was inspired to write the lyrics to the song after meeting a young fisherman on the waterfront. The desperately homesick fisherman related that he had been working off the coast of Boston, but he would rather fish in his own dory off St. Mary’s, and eat only one meal a day rather than have three meals a day in a big city. more, CLICK TO READ<< 07:26
Richard L. “Dickie” Norton Sr. of Harrington Maine has passed away
Richard L. “Dickie” Norton Sr., 84, passed away peacefully at his home on April 9, 2025. Born on Sept. 19, 1940, in Harrington, Maine, he was the son of Woodrow and Helen (Robbins) Norton. Dickie met the love of his life, RoseMarie Polk, during their school years. A hardworking lobsterman, Dickie spent most of his life on the water or close to it. His early years found him driving trucks — hauling bait in the warmer months and plowing snow in the winter. When his father handed down Norton’s Clam Shop, Dickie ran it for many years with pride and dedication. After the shop closed, he continued lobstering in The Pleasant River in front of his home, always saying, “The lobsters are plenty and taste better right here.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:35
NEYFA Launches Fourth Annual Deckhand to Captain Training Program
The New England Young Fishermen’s Alliance (NEYFA) is proud to launch its fourth annual Deckhand to Captain Training Program, beginning April 16, 2025. Each spring, NEYFA brings together a select cohort of aspiring small-boat fishermen and women from New Hampshire, southern Maine, and northern Massachusetts. This year, six young candidates have been accepted into the free program after a thorough application review by our Board earlier this month. These individuals displayed the commitment and grit needed to start their journey towards becoming an owner-operator in New England’s small-boat commercial fishing fleet. Founded in 2022 by Executive Director Andrea Tomlinson, NEYFA is a Portsmouth, NH-based nonprofit with a mission to safeguard the future of the region’s fishing heritage. Through programming like Deckhand to Captain (DTC), NEYFA supports the next generation of fishermen with tools for success, on the water and on land. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:55
P.E.I. lobster fishers prepare for opening day April 25, 2025
Alberton lobster fisherman Kyle Fraser holds his granddaughter, Ella, aboard his boat, the Northport Ladies.
After more than five decades on the water, Eric Gavin of O’Leary will watch the lobster boats from the harbour on setting day. Gavin said his physician told him two years ago that after three heart attacks in eight years it might be time to hang up the gear – so he did. This year, setting day is April 25 for the spring season. Kyle Fraser, who fishes out of Alberton, said it is hard to predict what kind of season P.E.I. lobster fishers are going to have. “That’s the beauty of being a lobster fisherman,” Fraser said when asked about his predictions. “The price last year was around $7 (a pound). It will probably be more this year but then you have the Chinese tariffs on, where a lot of our live product goes. I don’t seem to have a definite answer on anything (right now).” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:48
Commercial Fisherman Dana Blanchard Rice., of Birch Harbor, Maine, has passed away
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dana Blanchard Rice Sr., 77, of Birch Harbor, Maine, who passed away peacefully in Bangor on April 9, 2025, surrounded by his family. Dana was born May 26, 1947, in Bar Harbor, Maine. The fisherman was raised by his grandparents in the shingled house his great-great-grandfather built in Birch Harbor. He always considered himself fortunate to have been raised by his grandparents, absorbing the values of an earlier generation. It is those values that he always credited for making him the man he was. Coming from a long line of fishermen, Dana started in the industry at age 3 or 4 by helping to tend a herring weir at Jonesport. It was there that he fell in love with the sardine boats and the fishery, one that lasted a lifetime. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:14
Fishing industry says Trump’s Pacific monument order is about fairness, economy
When President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument last week, a familiar face stood to his left in the Oval Office. The executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council was there. Kitty Simonds has served on the council for decades. She’s the first Native Hawaiian woman to lead the agency. Simonds said she attended at the invitation of American Samoa U.S. House Delegate Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, who had been writing to the administration about the plight of the territory’s fishing industry. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:02
New rules designed to give lobster boats a break, helping whales while reducing closures
Prince Edward Island lobster fishers are hoping new rules from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans will mean fewer harvesting days lost to closures when endangered right whales come into Island waters. “The first change is the addition of a 5- and 15-fathom line,” said Melanie Giffin, a marine biologist who works with the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association, talking about the distance around a whale sighting where protective measures will be imposed. “We’ve always had a 10- and 20-fathom line, but this year the DFO has included a five- and 15-fathom line as well.” “If a whale comes inside the 20-fathom line, then the grids will only close to the next fathom line, which used to be 10, but now it’s 15. So it gives a little bit more space for harvesters to move their gear if need be.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:15
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Novi Lobster Boat, 300 HP John Deere 6076 Diesel
To review specifications, information, with 17 photos, >click here<. To see all the boats in this series >click here<. 06:15
Little Lady Readies for Next Chapter
Little Lady, the last one-man, wooden western-rig dragger in New England that has been a fixture in Menemsha for three generations, is preparing for a new voyage: this time in education and historic preservation. The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust is working with Capt. Dennis Jason to buy and rebuild the iconic fishing vessel. The nonprofit trust, formed in 2011 to safeguard the Island’s fishing heritage, hopes to raise $2 million to pay for repairs amid plans to use the Little Lady for living historical and educational programs, including fishing. Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:32
Alaska’s fishing industry sounds alarm over proposed NOAA cuts
The commercial fishing industry relies on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for everything from marine weather forecasts to fisheries data. But NOAA, which lost hundreds of employees in February when the Trump administration fired probationary staff, is in the administration’s crosshairs again, according to a preliminary budget proposal from the White House Office of Management and Budget. The budget calls for slashing NOAA’s funding by more than 27% for fiscal year 2026. It also restructures the agency’s fisheries division, shifting key responsibilities to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Frank Kelty, a fisheries consultant and former Unalaska mayor, said big changes like these could have major consequences for commercial fishing in Alaska. “What are we going to do if we don’t have weather information?” he asked. “People are going to go out and get sunk.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:36
Fishing representatives brand fish-for-arms EU deal ‘absolutely ludicrous’
Fishing representatives have reacted with alarm to unconfirmed reports that the UK government is wagering access to British waters for an arms deal with the EU. After months of unease, reports first emerged over the weekend that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was closing in on access to a €150 billion EU defence fund — in return, at least in part, for a more generous, multi-year access arrangement for European fishermen. “If true, it is ludicrous that the UK government has caved in to French demands,” said Elspeth MacDonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishing Federation. “Absolutely ludicrous indeed,” said the Shetland Fishermen’s Association. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:44
