Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
Former Skippers New Fresher Trawler
Fresquero José Luciano will operate from Mar del Plata along the Patagonian coast, targeting not only Argentine red shrimp, but also hake and other species, landing fresh catches boxed in ice The newbuild replaces an older vessel owned by Luciano Ramaci, a former skipper from Mar de Plata. The steel-hulled, 27-metre José Luciano has an 8.40-meter beam. It is powered by a Caterpillar 3508 main engine and two auxiliary Cummins engines and is expected to have a maximum speed of 9.5 knots. Its design incorporates a bulbous bow. Photos, >click to read< 19:20
Feds working on new plan for contentious Cook Inlet fishery
Federal fisheries managers say they’ve started working on a new management plan for the Cook Inlet salmon fishery, months after a court said their plan to completely close the fishery was unjust. At a meeting in Anchorage Thursday, Jon Furland with NOAA Fisheries told the North Pacific Fishery Management Council that time is of the essence to create a new plan and comply with the court. In 2020, following a lawsuit from the United Cook Inlet Drift Association over management of the drift fishery, the council voted to close a large swath of Cook Inlet to commercial salmon fishing. The closure applied to Cook Inlet’s federal waters,,, >click to read< 16:48
Lobster harvesters worry about survival of their livelihoods
The state’s lobster industry is bracing as federal regulators consider additional requirements they claim are needed to protect the endangered North American right whale, proposals many fear could spell doom for the industry and the coastal communities that it supports. Squaring off in this battle are national environmental and animal rights organizations versus Maine and its lobster harvesters. The legal war began in January 2018 when the Center for Biological Diversity, the Defenders of Wildlife, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Conservation Law Foundation filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of D.C. against the U.S. Department of Commerce and the NOAA. The environmental and animal rights groups claimed the federal agencies had not done enough to protect the North Atlantic right whale from lobster harvesting. >click to read< 12:42
“Deadliest Catch” boat Aleutian Ballad gifts a memorial pot and record-setting donations to Metlakatla in honor of those lost at sea
The crew of the former Deadliest Catch vessel-turned-tour boat Aleutian Ballad knows that time on the water is often dangerous. That’s why each year, they give a “memorial pot” to one coastal community impacted by accidents at sea. This year, the crew dedicated the memorial pot to Metlakatla. They were inspired by a recent documentary about Alaska’s only Native reserve. David Lethin is one of the Ballad’s captains. He said that each year, his crew looks for communities that have seen hardships related to fishing. Lethin said that over the summer tour season, visitors onboard the Ballad scrawled memories about their time in Alaska on fish tags. >click to read< 09:59
It takes a village: Owner of F/V Shayna Michelle stuck on beach talks about rescue efforts
The Coast Guard was called in to rescue the four-man crew after they anchored down about two miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach.”We expect it to end up on the beach, but there’s also possibilities of pumps and other things quitting, causing the boat to sink. It gets you nervous there,” Aaron Robinson, owner of the Shayna Michelle, said. The anchor line snapped during the storm, and eventually, the boat washed up on shore. Robinson said the tiring effort to get his boat back in the water was something that could only happen with dedication and lifelong friendships. The Varnam family played a big role in orchestrating the effort, along with many other locals that had the resources, manpower, and knowledge needed to make this successful. Thousands of pounds of rope and a couple of excavators made it happen. >click to read< 08:53
New measures announced to boost Scots seafood industry
The Scottish Government has published its first strategy for the seafood sector, detailing how the fishing and aquaculture sectors are being supported to remain internationally competitive and attract skills and talent to some of Scotland’s most rural and coastal areas – despite the challenges of the post-Brexit trading environment. The strategy also highlights ongoing work to monitor and manage the marine space, so that consumers can have confidence in the sustainability of Scottish seafood. >click to read< 07:49
Fishing industry vows to sue over $2 billion land-building project
Leaders of Louisiana’s commercial fishing industry say legal action may be the last and best tool they have to fight a $2 billion restoration project that will dramatically alter a large section of the coast. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is the flagship project of an ambitious state-led plan to fight coastal land loss. At a joint meeting of the state’s shrimp, crab and oyster task forces this week, several commercial fishers and business leaders predicted dire and wide-reaching consequences. The meeting, held at an auditorium in Belle Chasse, drew about 35 people. “It’s going to wipe us out,” said John Tesvich, owner of a Plaquemines oyster processing company. Once the oyster harvesters and shrimpers are gone, many other industries will suffer, Jurisic said. >click to read< 17:25
Lobster Rally in Portland Oct 12th at noon in DiMillo’s parking lot on Commercial St. The General Public are invited.
This event is an opportunity for fishermen to speak directly to the general public and those running for office, explain what is being asked of us, why it is so foolish to destroy our industry for a whale we don’t have in our fishing grounds. We need the state of Maine to stand up as Plaintiffs so we can all intervene on our own behalf, not the other way around. Fishermen are historically bad voters and this year they need to vote. I’m hoping this rally will drive them to do so. I greatly appreciate your support. Virginia Olsen 14:00
Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act – Partisan Politics Threaten to Sink Reform of Federal Fisheries Law
A divided Congress and the unexpected death of an Alaska congressman appear to have derailed federal legislation meant to improve oversight and management of U.S. fisheries, especially in the face of climate change. The House Natural Resources Committee passed a Democratic-sponsored bill last week to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act for the first time since 2006. While it’s possible the bill will receive a vote on the House floor before the end of the year, its chances of being taken up in the Senate, much less receiving the 60 votes necessary to break a filibuster, is unlikely — at least in this Congress. >click to read< 11:42
Atlantic Canada: Lobster fishery hoping for federal $$ to recover gear lost to Fiona
A plan is in the works to try to retrieve potentially thousands of lobster traps that were lost during post-tropical storm Fiona nearly two weeks ago. The storm, which battered Atlantic Canada with high winds and storm surges, resulted in tens of thousands of traps being damaged and lost in the Northumberland Strait, where fishermen in southeastern New Brunswick and northwestern Prince Edward Island are currently fishing. Luc LeBlanc, a fisheries adviser with the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, said while many traps have been recovered since the storm, “a few thousand” are still missing, and a plan is being worked out to find them and bring them ashore once the lobster season ends on Oct. 12. >click to read< 10:05
‘Big shrimping family’ in Florida left homeless by Hurricane Ian
Ricky Moran, a shrimper who worked and slept on the boat he captained out of Fort Myers Beach, lost both a secure livelihood and a safe place to live when Hurricane Ian roared into southwest Florida and smashed the trawler he calls home. “This ain’t my first rodeo but I ain’t never seen anything like this in my life. I never seen shrimp boats tossed like this,” Two companies, Erickson & Jensen Seafood and Trico Shrimp Co, own most of the boats at Fort Myers Beach, employing some 300 people, said Anna Erickson, whose family owns part of Erickson & Jensen. Only three of her company’s 11 boats are still afloat. >click to read< 09:17
DOJ Digs Into “Competition Concerns” in New England Fishing Industry
The U.S. Department of Justice has begun looking at possible antitrust issues in the New England fishing industry, amid growing concern about consolidation and market dominance by private equity investors. One such firm is Blue Harvest Fisheries, which operates out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is the largest holder of permits to catch groundfish such as pollock, haddock and ocean perch. The investigation traced the company’s ownership to a billionaire Dutch family via a private equity firm. Over the past seven years, records show, the company has purchased the rights to catch 12% of groundfish in the region, approaching the antitrust cap of 15.5%. It further boosts its market share by leasing fishing rights from other permit owners. >click to read< 07:50
Eight crew ‘safe and well’ after fishing vessel sinks following collision with another vessel
The crew of the Peterhead based F/V Guiding Star H360 declared a mayday before abandoning ship to a life-raft after a collision with another vessel – their sister boat F/V Guiding Light. HM Coastguard coordinated the response after being alerted just after 12pm today (6 October). The coastguard helicopter based at Sumburgh was a key part of the rescue effort, with rescue teams from both Sumburgh and Lerwick waiting to support if required. Other vessels nearby also responded to calls for help. All crew members were accounted for after being picked up by assisting vessels and the coastguard helicopter. >click to read< 19:37
Skipper keeps it ‘reel’ for new Trawlermen series
A Well-known Banffshire fisherman is set to feature in the latest series of BBC2’s Trawlermen: Hunting the Catch. John Clark, will take to the small screen next week when the spotlight falls on the work of his twin rig trawler Reliance III and her crew. “Last year the film company, Frank Films, approached me again and asked if they could do some filming on the boat. “I was up for it but I asked them to do the filming in winter, to get the camera guys on board the boat when it’s Force 8 or 9 gales not flat calm so people can see what fishing is really like and why it can be so dangerous. “I’ve got to take my hat off to them, though. The weather was horrendous – it was Force 10 at one point – but they were great, they held themselves really well. Photos, >click to read< 19:54
Red Listing Monterey Bay Aquarium Act – Maine politicians call for defunding of Monterey Bay Aquarium
Lawmakers from Maine have introduced a bill that would defund the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Seafood Watch following the organizations red listing of the American lobster. Congressman Jared Golden and Senator Angus King announced on Wednesday that they were introducing the Red Listing Monterey Bay Aquarium Act in the House and Senate. The bill would prohibit federal taxpayer funds from going to the aquarium, Seafood Watch and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. According to a release from Golden’s office, the aquarium has received nearly $200 million in taxpayer money since 2001. >click to read< 15:45
It’s Not Too Late to Stop Industrialization of the Ocean
In a letter to the editor (“Unrealistic Guarantee,” 9/28), a gentleman from Long Beach Township commented that the requirements in Virginia for the offshore wind project there to have a guaranteed capacity factor of 42% are unrealistic. Further, his letter states that we did have better options, nuclear, but those were rejected, and it is too late and that we have run out of time before we pass the climate change tipping point. Solar and wind, he contends, are the fastest options to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. By Jim Binder, >click to read< 10:15
Whitby fishermen – ‘We demand that future dredging operations be halted’
The investigation, commissioned by the North East Fishing Collective, was looking experimentally at the impact of pyridine on crabs, which could have been released by dredging, saying it was the most likely killer of the crustaceans. Fishing businesses and livelihoods around the Whitby coastline, from Teesside down to Scarborough, have been severely impacted, with the amount of crab on traditional fishing grounds decimated. James Cole, Chairman of Whitby Commercial Fishing Association, said: “We demand that future dredging operations be halted until proven beyond doubt that no harmful pollutants will enter our environment and fishing grounds. >click to read< 08:55
Maine lobstermen fight back – ‘You have failed us’: Maine lobstermen face federal regulators
Maine lobstermen came face to face with federal officials out to impose stricter new rules to save the 350 remaining endangered right whales Wednesday. There have only been two whale entanglements in Maine, most recently in 2004, and no right whale deaths caused by Maine lobster gear. Despite that, NOAA insists these rules are necessary to further reduce the risk of a right whale death. >click to read< ‘You have failed us’: Maine lobstermen face federal regulators – There were some tense moments during a public hearing with Maine lobstermen and federal regulators Wednesday night a the University of Southern Maine in Portland. The meeting comes after Gov. Janet Mills and members of Maine’s congressional delegation requested NOAA visit the state to discuss tougher rules on the lobster industry. >click to read< 07:51
Canada is doing its part to protect right whales
Since 2017, the Canadian lobster industry feels like it’s been trapped in a “South Park” episode. There has been a steady drumbeat eager to “Blame Canada” for the plight of North Atlantic right whales. Right whales were rarely observed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence until recently. All that changed in 2017 when a large number unexpectedly moved to the Gulf. Tragically, we lost 17 right whales: 12 in Canadian waters and five in the United States. Two of the 12 Canadian fatalities were found to be caused by crab gear entanglements. Our Maine peers have made huge strides and sacrifices in recent years to protect right whales. Canada has also been leading the way, with the most aggressive management measures in the world. >click to read< By Geoff Irvine and Nat Richard 15:55
Pelagic Partnership Takes Delivery of New Artemis
The latest pelagic vessel to join the Scottish fleet has been built for a partnership that began fishing with the 64-metre former Resolute, which became Artemis for its new owners back in 2020. The partnership of Interfish subsidiary Northbay Fishing Company and the Wiseman Fishing Company, headed by Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association (SPFA) chairman Alex Wiseman, have now taken delivery of the new Artemis, skippered 
by Adam Wiseman. The new vessel’s hull was built at the Karstensen Shipyard Poland and arrived in Skagen in February 2022 for outfitting. It sailed from the yard in Skagen in early September, headed straight for fishing grounds and started its fishing career on herring. Some fine photos, >click to read< 13:31
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 34′ Ernest Libby Lobster/Tuna Boat, 430HP Cummins
To review specifications, information, and 35 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:50
The U.S. is not harvesting as many fish as it could, driving up imports
In 2020, the global fishing industry reached an all-time record of production worth an estimated $406 billion, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Fish is a key source of protein, making it essential in feeding the growing world population. In the United States, New Bedford, Massachusetts, is the country’s most valuable fishing port, bringing in a whopping $376.6 million worth of seafood in 2020. “Fishing stocks did have a collapse in the ’90s. It changed the species that we were offering. It changed the availability. It changed the pricing,” Laura Foley Ramsden, fourth generation “fish mongress” of Foley Fish in New Bedford, 15-minute video, >click to read< 09:52
Maine Elected Officials Rebuke “Seafood Watch” But Stay Silent on Endangered Species Act’s Threat to Lobstermen
Maine lobster was recently placed on the unsustainable “red list” by the environmental group Seafood Watch, a non-profit associated with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Gov. Janet Mills, Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden all came out in defense of the Maine lobster industry, defending its sustainability bona fides. It was a nice photo op, but the truth is King, Collins, and Pingree had plenty of warnings that the environmental left was using the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to damage Maine’s economy and sovereignty. They chose to do nothing. >click to read< 09:14
Bristol Bay’s sockeye runs break records, but local permit ownership has declined for decades
This summer, 79 million sockeye returned to Bristol Bay. It was the largest run on record. But over the past half-century, there has been a dramatic shift in who fishes commercially in Bristol Bay. Local permit ownership has declined sharply, and research shows that’s due in part to a regulatory change to Alaska’s fishery management from the 1970s. Propelled by years of low salmon returns and more people coming to the state to fish, Alaskans voted in 1972 to amend the state’s constitution and implement a limited entry system. This system restricted the number of commercial fishing permits in areas around the state, including Bristol Bay. >click to read< 08:14
Iconic shrimp boat removed from Myrtle Beach
Work to remove a shrimp trawler from the beach after it had washed ashore due to Hurricane Ian, spanned several hours with hundreds of beach goers watching and cheering along. The Shayna Michelle, a shrimp trawler from Holden Beach, North Carolina was beached near Williams Street and Ocean Boulevard after an engine failure caused the boat to be stranded near Myrtle Beach right before Hurricane Ian arrived. A crowd of onlookers cheered when the trawler finally got off the sand some, but the process was slow to wiggle the vessel off the beach. Video, >click to read< 16:05
TIMELAPSE: Shrimp boat beached during Ian freed from Myrtle Beach shoreline … >click to watch<
Future-Proofed Trawler for Hvide Sande
Taking delivery of a new trawler capable of alternating shrimping and targeting flatfish, Hvide Sande fisherman Torben Johansen remains optimisti, but he has few kind words for the current crop of politicians and what he sees as a long list of unfulfilled promises. The back story is that six years ago he ordered a new trawler, Mikkel Louise, to be built at Vestværft. The handover took place in 2020, just as the Covid pandemic hit and although the trawler fished well, the crash in the restaurant sector meant that sales of shrimp and whitefish ground to a standstill. The upshot was that Mikkel Louise was sold to Dutch owners, and Torben Johansen placed an order for a smaller trawler at the same yard. Photos, >click to read< 12:10
Maine Lobster Union Points the Way for Organizing Gig Economy Workers
Lobstering is an inherently individualistic pursuit. Most boats are crewed by just two or three people, and some captains go it alone. They leave harbor before dawn, spend the day hauling traps up from the seafloor, then motor back to the dock to sell the creatures for the best price they can get. It’s hard work that draws rugged, self-reliant people, in other words, not your typical union members. That’s what makes Local 207, the only lobstering union in the US so unusual. The decade-old group in Maine represents about 200 lobstermen. The union more often referred to as “Lobster 207”, got its start after a crash in prices 10 years ago. >Video, click to read< 11:05
What Happened to Tony Lara from Deadliest Catch?
The Cornelia Marie was one of the first ships featured on Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch.” According to The Gazette Review, the ship was built in Alabama in 1989 and named after the wife of the original owner, Ralph Collins. Collins and his wife eventually divorced, and Cornelia Marie herself took ownership of the ship before selling part of her share to Phil Harris, who was the captain of the ship when the series started. According to The New York Times, Harris suffered a stroke on his boat in January of 2010 and died just a few days later. Lara was introduced in Season 7 episode “Sea Change” when Josh Harris brought Lara in to replace his late father. >click to read< 09:54
Save Right Whales from Radical Environmentalists Who Exploit Them
Americans agree with protecting the endangered Northern Atlantic right whale. But true conservation efforts don’t necessitate displacing lobstermen and recreational anglers in the process. With fewer than 350 whales left, ambulance-chasing opportunists masquerading as conservationists conveniently swoop in on the whale’s behalf only to leave economic —and environmental—destruction in their paths. This endangered whale requires protection from radical environmentalists who exploit them. Preservationists purporting to care about its well-being, however, distort the threats posed to the whales. >click to read< 08:06
Blessing of the Fleet pays tribute to commercial fishing families
The sun broke through the clouds Sunday morning just in time for the start of the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony at the N.C. Port in Morehead City. Thirty commercial fishing vessels slowly made their way by the port as wreaths were thrown in the water. Each wreath represented a commercial fisherman or family member who had died. The solemn procession was a segment of the N.C. Seafood Festival that honors area commercial fishing families and those who have died while harvesting food from the sea. In addition to 200 people lining the shore to watch the procession, private boaters filled the waterway to pay tribute. “As these boats are getting ready to come by, I can’t help but think of those fellas in Florida who have lost everything,” he said. “They just don’t need prayer, they need help. – Guest speaker Zack Davis. 23 Photos, >click to read< 22:17
