Bay Weld’s Ambitious Seiner: A New Boat for a New Season

April 30, 2025 Featured, North Pacific

In late April, the Bay Welding Services boatyard in Homer celebrated the launch of F/V Freeberd, its most ambitious build yet. The 58-foot seiner represents a new level in design, capability, and craftsmanship for the company, marking its transition from a small welding shop to a major builder of commercial and recreational vessels. The design was made in close collaboration with the new owner, Routli Meadow LLC, operated by the Girdwood-based commercial fishing Durtschi family. Reiker Durtschi says he is very happy with the results after a shakedown cruise. “Oh, it’s awesome,” says Durtschi. “We’re super pleased with the finished product. It checked all the boxes we wanted.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:21

58-foot seiner, Alaska, Bay Weld General Manager Eric Engebretsen, Bay Welding Services, commercial fishing vessel, Homer, launch of F/V Freeberd, new build, Reiker Durtschi, Routli Meadow LLC, wo 750-horsepower John Deere engines

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ocean Resource Privatization

Articles Posted by Date
May 2025

M T W T F S S

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

« Apr

May 2025
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

The New England groundfish debacle (Part III): who or what is at fault? Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet

It took me a while to decide how to most accurately describe the situation that has been visited upon the New England fishing communities that are and since colonial times have been dependent on the groundfish fisheries.

NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?

While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here

Recent Posts
- Blue crabs lead banner North Carolina fish catch
  
  Blue crabs were the stars in a banner year for North Carolina commercial fishing. Fishermen sold 61.7 million pounds of finfish and shellfish in 2014, a Read More »
- Turning an invasive problem into a bait solution
  
  With concerns growing over a likely bait shortage in the lobster industry in Maine and Canada due to a drastic cut in the upcoming season’s herring Read More »
- “Fish Dealer X” Pleads Guilty in Connection with Fluke Research Set-Aside Violations
  
  Alan Dresner pled guilty in federal district court on April 23, 2014, to one count of wire fraud for his participation in concealing the illegal harvest Read More »
- Scientists find Bluefin tuna quick to swim away after catch and release
  
  Early results of a new study show catch and release has little impact on tuna. Gary Melvin, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and a Read More »
- Animal Planet’s Top Hooker: Now Casting!
  
  We are looking for COMPETITIVE, OUTGOING and SKILLED anglers, spear fishermen, game fishermen, fly fishermen, trawlers and trappers from all walks of life. It doesn’t matter Read More »
- 4 lawsuits threaten Vineyard Wind
  
  The lawsuits against America’s first major offshore wind project are coming to a head. Four cases are challenging the federal environmental permit issued to Vineyard Wind, Read More »
- Furious over threats to the (Chesapeake) bay [Letter]
  
  I speak on behalf of all those who are passionate about the health of the Chesapeake Bay when I say I am furious (“Farm pollution rule Read More »
- Vinalhaven fisherman accused of stealing lobsters, boat
  
  A 48-year-old Vinalhaven fisherman was arrested Saturday, April 1, after state officials say he stole lobsters and a boat. Jason L. Marriner was arrested by the Read More »
- The Sheldon Jackson Museum’s Artifact of the Month: halibut hook
  
  The Sheldon Jackson Museum’s July Artifact of the Month is a halibut hook (SJ.I.A.645). Despite serving the same purpose and having the same basic principal design Read More »
- R/V Albatross Commisioned November 11, 1881
  
  Congress authorized an appropriation totaling $148,000 for the construction of the vessel. Plans were drawn by Charles W. Copeland of New York and a contract for Read More »
- Where’s the proof behind NOAA cod update?
  
  To the editor: Recently, the Gloucester Times, as well as most major news outlets across the country, reported extensively on a NOAA Fisheries press release bemoaning Read More »
- Turning a Profit During Tough Times
  
  Despite very high fuel prices, it’s possible to trawl for shrimp and make a profit, according to Agnar Langtveit. 2022 has been an exceptionally tough year, Read More »
- Alaska’s wild salmon are getting smaller
  
  For years, people in Alaska have been noticing that wild salmon were getting smaller, but the reasons have been unclear. In the new study, published August 19 in Nature Read More »
- Bluefin tuna industry needs more oversight, Pictou County fisherman says
  
  A fisherman in Pictou County wants the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to increase oversight of the bluefin tuna fishing industry in Nova Scotia. Harold Bowen has fished out of Caribou Read More »
- Medical student hopes to start mobile medical clinic for fishermen
  
  Miranda Rogers has seen firsthand the ailments affecting people who work in Maine’s fishing industries: infections from handling bait, skin cancer from heavy sun exposure and Read More »
- 710-lbs. Atlantic Bluefin tuna caught in Conception Bay with rod and reel
  
  Greer Hunt Jr., 23, landed his first Atlantic bluefin tuna Tuesday, using just a rod and reel to haul in the massive fish. He shares the only licence Read More »
- Stone crab season in SWFL
  
  Stone Crab season is in its fifth week, and crabbers say the beginning was a bit rough. Frank Rogues is a master crab catcher for Pinchers Read More »
- Environmental Defense Fund – New Bedford fish fraud case underscores need for greater NOAA monitoring
  
  From the article: The Environmental Defense Fund in a statement on Friday said the arrest points to the need for greater monitoring by the National Oceanic Read More »
- Alaska Editorial: Fishery research a crucial investment
  
  Gov. Sean Parnell visited the Kenai Peninsula this past week, and, as is almost inevitable in this neck of the woods, the discussion turned toward salmon Read More »
- Indicted: Bay seafood distributors charged for ‘fishy’ sales
  
  A federal grand jury has indicted the owners of a local seafood distribution company on charges involving the illegal sale of red drum and spotted sea Read More »
- Illegal Cornwall clam fishermen put public health and honest fishermen’s livelihood at risk for greed
  
  A group of fishermen who illegally fished for high value razor clams by electrocuting them have put the livelihood of honest fishermen at risk, damaged the Read More »
- Sea Lions, Other Marine Mammals Discovering South Sound Anchovy Boom
  
  A large suite of marine mammals has discovered Deep South Sound’s new bounty of anchovies, schools of which are now so numerous they’re routinely observed during Read More »
- Captain Jimmy Morgan, Legendary Menemsha Draggerman, Dies at 94
  
  Capt. Jimmy Morgan, the legendary Menemsha fisherman and one of the last of a breed of commercial draggermen that included Louis Larsen, Eric Cottle, Robert Flanders Read More »
- Lawsuit claims US federal government violated regulations in approving Massachusetts offshore wind project
  
  A Texas non-profit research institute that aims to promote free enterprise in Texas and the nation is acting on behalf of fishing companies in Massachusetts, a Read More »
- Louisiana shrimpers worry high diesel fuel prices will impact profits
  
  Shrimpers are getting ready to cast their nets, but not without major concerns for the upcoming season. Rising fuel prices could also mean higher prices for Read More »

Archives
- May 2025 (61)
- April 2025 (167)
- March 2025 (176)
- February 2025 (156)
- January 2025 (172)
- December 2024 (157)
- November 2024 (161)
- October 2024 (170)
- September 2024 (180)
- August 2024 (178)
- July 2024 (171)
- June 2024 (172)
- May 2024 (191)
- April 2024 (191)
- March 2024 (209)
- February 2024 (192)
- January 2024 (211)
- December 2023 (187)
- November 2023 (201)
- October 2023 (180)
- September 2023 (101)
- August 2023 (240)
- July 2023 (237)
- June 2023 (211)
- May 2023 (231)
- April 2023 (209)
- March 2023 (215)
- February 2023 (179)
- January 2023 (187)
- December 2022 (177)
- November 2022 (187)
- October 2022 (190)
- September 2022 (175)
- August 2022 (203)
- July 2022 (186)
- June 2022 (184)
- May 2022 (186)
- April 2022 (190)
- March 2022 (216)
- February 2022 (166)
- January 2022 (191)
- December 2021 (190)
- November 2021 (182)
- October 2021 (196)
- September 2021 (197)
- August 2021 (203)
- July 2021 (220)
- June 2021 (211)
- May 2021 (220)
- April 2021 (204)
- March 2021 (201)
- February 2021 (187)
- January 2021 (194)
- December 2020 (191)
- November 2020 (181)
- October 2020 (204)
- September 2020 (194)
- August 2020 (189)
- July 2020 (204)
- June 2020 (193)
- May 2020 (224)
- April 2020 (218)
- March 2020 (215)
- February 2020 (209)
- January 2020 (232)
- December 2019 (226)
- November 2019 (240)
- October 2019 (241)
- September 2019 (240)
- August 2019 (270)
- July 2019 (287)
- June 2019 (270)
- May 2019 (263)
- April 2019 (223)
- March 2019 (210)
- February 2019 (155)
- January 2019 (117)
- December 2018 (216)
- November 2018 (167)
- October 2018 (217)
- September 2018 (247)
- August 2018 (258)
- July 2018 (258)
- June 2018 (249)
- May 2018 (251)
- April 2018 (244)
- March 2018 (266)
- February 2018 (254)
- January 2018 (278)
- December 2017 (308)
- November 2017 (280)
- October 2017 (288)
- September 2017 (274)
- August 2017 (284)
- July 2017 (287)
- June 2017 (272)
- May 2017 (275)
- April 2017 (274)
- March 2017 (299)
- February 2017 (252)
- January 2017 (288)
- December 2016 (262)
- November 2016 (267)
- October 2016 (284)
- September 2016 (284)
- August 2016 (292)
- July 2016 (285)
- June 2016 (272)
- May 2016 (244)
- April 2016 (267)
- March 2016 (260)
- February 2016 (265)
- January 2016 (267)
- December 2015 (265)
- November 2015 (279)
- October 2015 (288)
- September 2015 (286)
- August 2015 (298)
- July 2015 (294)
- June 2015 (327)
- May 2015 (315)
- April 2015 (317)
- March 2015 (323)
- February 2015 (300)
- January 2015 (332)
- December 2014 (321)
- November 2014 (330)
- October 2014 (381)
- September 2014 (340)
- August 2014 (347)
- July 2014 (375)
- June 2014 (401)
- May 2014 (344)
- April 2014 (341)
- March 2014 (375)
- February 2014 (374)
- January 2014 (360)
- December 2013 (294)
- November 2013 (372)
- October 2013 (391)
- September 2013 (461)
- August 2013 (566)
- July 2013 (526)
- June 2013 (447)
- May 2013 (475)
- April 2013 (508)
- March 2013 (459)
- February 2013 (352)
- January 2013 (265)
- December 2012 (206)
- November 2012 (168)
- October 2012 (187)
- September 2012 (126)
- August 2012 (4)

FISHERYNATION.COM

continuously updated