Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
Whale entanglements dropping but threat remains, feds say
The number of whales entangled in fishing gear has declined recently, but the entanglements remain a critical threat to rare species, the federal government said in a report released Tuesday. There were 53 confirmed cases of large whales entangled in gear in the U.S. in 2020, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. That was a 25% decline from the previous year and a lower figure than the 13-year average, the agency said. Every coastal region except Alaska saw a decrease in whale entanglements, NOAA said. >click to read< 16:06
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 44′ 11″ X 19′ Novi Dragger, Cat 3406C Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 10 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:33
Salvage operation for capsized fishing vessel off Cape Point
The 24m Restless Wave capsized in the early hours on Sunday, prompting the successful rescue of all 12 crew who were uninjured in the accident, which is being investigated. However, the upturned vessel is adrift close to Cape Point, raising concern about a possible pollution threat. On Tuesday Samsa said: “Earlier today salvors and port officials met to formalise the process to tow the vessel to Cape Town. A separate vessel is standing by to recover the fishing gear once the Restless Wave is connected and clear of the area.” The vessel is a purse seine fishing vessel built by local boat builder Tallie Marine for the local fishing industry. >click to read< 09:14
‘Like someone tore the guts out of me’: A look back in the 30 years since Crosbie shut down the cod fishery
Reg Butler, a 50-year-veteran fisherman from Bonavista, remembers those years well. The Butler family has a long history in the cod fishery in the town, a tradition being passed down from one generation to the next. Butler started going out fishing when he was nine. His father was a widow and had to take him out in the boat, along with his older brothers, because there was no one to take care of him. “When the moratorium was announced, everything was up in the air. Cod was our main source of income,” Butler said. “We had cod traps out. Who thought, when we took them in at the time, they’d never go in the water again? It was just like someone knocked the wind out of you. My father had fished up until he was in his 80s. The fish stocks were in decline, but it was still a shock to him, and us all, when it was shut down.” photos, >click to read< 08:26
Safe Fishing Starts with Practice and Prep
The fishing season is currently underway for the North Pacific Fleet based out of Fishermen’s Terminal. From mid-June to September the fleet will fish the waters off the coast of Alaska for salmon, halibut, black cod, and other species. The fishers spent most of May and early June preparing their boats, provisioning, mending nets, and brushing up on safety best practices. The Seattle-based Fishermen’s Memorial organization aims to prevent accidental fisher deaths. Each year the organization honors local fishers who lost their lives at sea by adding their names to the Fishermen’s Memorial monument at Fishermen’s Terminal. Their ultimate goal is to stop adding names. Below are some of the safety demonstrations and exercises that were available to fishers at this year’s event. photos, >click to read< 07:54
Pictou Landing reports peaceful season of moderate livelihood lobster fishery
Generations of Craig Francis’s family have fished the waters between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, so being a part of Pictou Landing First Nation’s moderate livelihood fishery is a big deal for him. “It’s nice to have our rights recognized,” he said. “We were given these inherent rights, so to go out and do that on our own and have support with DFO and local fishermen is pretty good.” Francis is one of the community members designated by the First Nation to fish lobster under the plan. It’s the community’s first moderate livelihood plan with an understanding from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. >click to read< 06:57
Panel Decision Opposite of Strong Market Indicators, Harvesters Outraged
Shrimp harvesters across the province are outraged by the result of the Standing Fish Price Setting Panel’s decision to set the minimum price for summer shrimp at just $0.90/lb. The decision to side with ASP’s final offer is entirely unsupported by market realities, which show distinct market improvements in recent months. “The Panel’s decision yesterday is incomprehensible. Taking into consideration the significant increase in operational costs, particularly for fuel, fish harvesters will not come close to breaking even at this insultingly low price,” says FFAW-Unifor Sullivan President Keith Sullivan. “The Panel has absolutely not justified themselves in selecting this price,” he says. >click to read press release< 19:06
Maryland to restrict crabbing, including first-ever limits on harvest of male blue crab
Regulations issued this week, to be in effect from July through December, will limit commercial watermen to at most 15 bushels a day of male crabs in August and September. And the regulations will tighten existing restrictions on how many female crabs watermen can catch. The changes come weeks after an annual survey of Chesapeake blue crabs,,, That state fishery managers moved to limit even the harvest of male crabs demonstrates the gravity of the situation. Limits are typically only imposed on female crabs as a means of ensuring enough of them to survive to spawn, but with a more than 60% decline in the overall estimated blue crab population since 2019, scientists and representatives from the seafood industry are signaling that more protections are needed to help boost crab reproduction. >click to read< 16:02
Retired Commercial Fisherman David A. Jincks of Newport has passed away
David A. Jincks, age 70, passed away on May 24, 2022, after suffering 10 months with Glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast growing form of brain cancer. David was born February 12, 1952 in Eugene, Oregon to Arthur and Flora Jincks. During high school, he spent summers commercial fishing for salmon and tuna. In 1972 he lost his pollywog tail and became a shellback when he crossed the equator aboard the Research Vessel Yaquina. After returning to Newport, David commercial fished from California to the Bering Sea. In 1986 he traveled to the Soviet Union with a delegation of west coast fisherman to continue negotiations for the whiting joint venture. He twice served as a Newport port commissioner, and also served as the president of the MidWater Trawl Cooperative. >click to read< 14:44
America’s scallop harvest projected to decline again in 2022
The decline in scallops is happening as prices for the shellfish, one of the most lucrative seafoods in America, has increased amid inflation and fluctuations in catch. Seafood counters that sold scallops for $20 per pound to customers two years ago often sell them for $25 per pound or more now. U.S. scallop fishers harvested more than 60 million pounds of scallops in 2019, but the catch has declined since, and fishers were projected to harvest about 40 million pounds of scallops in the 2021 fishing year. That number is projected to fall to 34 million pounds in the 2022 fishing year, which started this spring, according to the New England Fishery Management Council. >click to read< 13:48
Casco Bay Concert to Benefit Maine Lobstermen
Third annual event off Chebeague Island will support Maine Lobstermen’s Association #SaveMaineLobstermen campaign – Local lobstermen, fishing families, and supporters will join forces off the shores of Chebeague Island this weekend for the third annual “Concert on Casco Bay.” The event, to be held Sunday, July 3rd from 12:30-4:00 PM, will feature the music of the Chebeague Island-based band, Turd Pollack, a blues-based jam band comprised of fishermen. Jamie Juenemann, of the Old Dusty’s, will also perform. The free concert will be held near the Chebeague Island Boat Yard, and the public is invited to anchor near the southeast side of the island. Donations will be accepted to benefit the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s #SaveMaineLobstermen campaign to protect the future of the state’s iconic lobster industry. >click to read the details!< 11:25
How warming ocean temperatures wiped out Maine’s shrimp industry
Since 2014 fishing for northern shrimp has been banned in the United States. The stock in our area has decreased to the point where they are not reproducing. This is not due to overfishing; it is directly due to the temperature of the water. They have simply moved north to colder Canadian waters. Back in 2007, when there was a robust northern shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Maine, scientists were looking for net modifications that would catch shrimp but not have any bycatch of finfish. Since shrimp fisheries throughout the world have some of the highest bycatch of any fishery, this was a priority worldwide. At that time the Northeast Consortium at the University of New Hampshire helped fund research by Dr. Pingguo. He and David Goethel developed a trawl net, named “The Topless Trawl,” that drastically reduced bycatch in the northern shrimp fishery. >click to read< 10:21
Young fishing crews call for urgent government help to tackle rising fuel costs
Fuel is at almost three times the price it was last year, and Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) has warned the whitefish sector is in particular danger of failing. F/V Defiant skipper Robbie Jamieson, 25, said the cost of fuel “has become crippling”. He bought the boat last year with the rest of his shareholder crew, all of whom are under the age of 30. Mr Jamieson said along with the rising cost of fuel, ongoing issues with cod quotas “adds to the problem”. F/V Comrades skipper Ben Irvine, 24, agreed – saying the cost of fuel “has become a real problem” for him and his crew. “As a young crew, we have debts to pay off from purchasing the vessel last year. >click to read< 08:19
Young skippers and crew take over two whitefish trawlers – Skipper Ben Irvine, Owen Dougan, Gordon Smith, Louis Polson, and LHD, have bought the F/V Sedulous from John Wishart. She has been renamed F/V Comrades. Meanwhile., skipper Robbie Jamieson, Richard Whelan, James Shearer, Ross Sutherland, Tom Jamieson, and Magnus Polson, have bought the F/V Defiant from Gordon Irvine. >click to read<
Port of New Bedford Applauds Appointment of Eric Hansen to New England Fishery Management Council
The Port of New Bedford applauds today’s appointment of Eric Hansen, a New Bedford scalloper and president of the Fisheries Survival Fund, to a seat on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). Hansen’s appointment will help ensure the concerns of New Bedford’s vital fishing community are represented at the Council level. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, chairman of the New Bedford Port Authority, recommended Hansen for the seat in a February letter to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. >click to read< 07:25
Wind farm, groups agree on whale protections
The developers of an offshore wind farm and three environmental organizations announced Monday that they have reached an agreement to further protect rare North Atlantic right whales during construction and operation of the energy-generating project. The agreement involving Orsted and Eversource, developers of South Fork Wind off the coast of New England and New York, was signed by the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Conservation Law Foundation, the groups said in a joint statement. >click to read< 21:08
Sunny Monday in Newlyn.
Sardine boat, Pelagic Marksman upon the hard for a pre-season hull check… Lots of great phots! >click to review< 16:07
Commercial Fisherman Roscoe (Rocky) C. Chase III, of Harwich has passed away
Rocky was born on June 26, 1958 in Hyannis to Roscoe and Mary Chase. Rocky grew up in Harwich, attending the Harwich schools. He graduated from Harwich High School in 1976. Rocky then enlisted in the Marine Corps with three of his buddies from high school. Rocky returned home to Harwich in 1980 and began his career as a commercial fisherman. This would include deep sea lobster fishing, cod fishing, and eventually working his own lobster boat and business. It is difficult to find someone who could outwork Rocky Chase. Rocky will be missed tremendously by all those who knew and loved him. >click to read< 12:07
Days of chopping off fishing boats over; DFO to increase maximum inshore vessel length to 49’11
“The days of chopping off boats are over. This is a massive victory for inshore harvesters in what is now the under 40’ fleet,” says Jason Sullivan, President of SEA-NL, and Bay Bulls-based inshore owner-operator. “We have fought DFO in this province and the FFAW for years to be treated the same as the rest of Atlantic Canada in terms of vessel length, and today we finally have a victory that puts the safety and lives of inshore harvesters first.” The news was announced this morning by Avalon MP Ken McDonald, chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, who, along with SEA-NL and FISH-NL before it, fought for years to change the vessel-length policy. >click to read< 10:53
Hartlepool fishermen fear for future after crab deaths
Mass wash-ups were first reported in October with the government saying a natural algal bloom was to blame. Campaigners and fishermen disputed that and instead cited the dumping of dredged materials from the River Tees, which was “ruled out” by officials. Fisherman Paul Widdowfield, from Hartlepool, said he had caught “nothing at all” since October. Crab fisherman Stan Rennie said his family had fished the waters off Hartlepool for hundreds of years but he feared that would be “lost” with him. “We don’t know how the eco-system can come back,” Mr Rennie said. >click to read< 9:34
Blessing of the Fleet an important tradition for Provincetown fishermen
Captains and crew of lobster boats and mobile gear boats, including scallopers, sea clammers and draggers were readying their boats for the procession Sunday morning. A lobster boat crew used a crane to lower lobster pots with onto the deck of their boat. Antonio Dias was squid fishing off the family boat, Berco De Jesus while waiting for his brother, Jorge. They were planning to take their 45-foot scalloper out to line up for the procession. The Dias family grew up in Provincetown, one of hundreds of Portuguese families that have made their living from the sea. Photos, >click to read< 08:01
Catch of a lifetime: Sambro, N.S., fishermen harpoon swordfish in harbour
When the fishing boat Midnight Magic set sail on Friday, fishermen in Sambro, N.S., had little idea what kind of fish tale they would soon be able to share. For the first time in 41 years, a swordfish weighing more than 200 lbs was harpooned and hauled aboard the fishing vessel from the Sambro Harbour by fisherman Grant Garrison. Records show the last swordfish caught in those waters occurred on Aug. 21, 1981, by Paddy Grey. A newspaper that covered the event says that the fish weighed in at almost 600 lbs. >Video, newsclips, photos, click here< 18:20
F/V Nicola Faith: The deadly mistakes that led to the boat capsizing and killing three men
A report into the death of three men who died in the Nicola Faith sinking tragedy has been published. The deaths sent shockwaves through the fishing industry after the boat capsized and sank. Carl McGrath, 34, Ross Ballantine, 39, and Alan Minard, 20, lost their lives on board the vessel after it left Conwy Harbour on January 27 last year. It later sunk 1.9 miles north of Rhos-on-Sea, near Colwyn Bay. The 58-page report, written by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) highlights a series of operational failings as Mr McGrath sought extra productivity in his bid to buy the boat outright. Here, below, we set out a timeline of events that led to the tragedy. It covers in detail the day of the boat’s disappearance and the subsequent search operation. >click to read< 12:40
Fishing feud at end of the world split US and Britain over Russia
It’s one of the world’s highest-fetching wild-caught fish, sold for $32 a pound at Whole Foods and served up as meaty fillets on the menus of upscale eateries across the US. But Russia’s obstruction of longstanding conservation efforts, resulting in a unilateral rejection of catch limits for the Chilean sea bass in a protected region near Antarctica, has triggered a fish fight at the bottom of the world, one dividing longtime allies, the US and UK governments. >click to read< 11:16
How many fish are in the sea? New rules intend to help with the count.
Regulators and fishermen hope new rules set to take effect this summer will provide a more accurate understanding of the population of some of New England’s most iconic fish, including Atlantic cod, which has seen a spectacular collapse in recent decades. The rules, adopted this spring by federal regulators, will require boats in groundfish sectors to have a human observer or a camera aboard on every groundfish trip to keep tabs on what they catch and discard. >click to read< 09:37
The Largest Bluefin Tuna Ever Recorded Was Caught Off the Coast of Nova Scotia
The Atlantic Bluefin tuna is the largest species of the Scombridae family and is known to reach speeds of 43mph in the ocean. While most of the Atlantic Bluefin tuna range between 500 to 1000 lbs, some are known to tip the scale at 1,500lbs! Per reports, the largest Bluefin tuna ever caught was in 1979 and weighed a whopping 1,496lbs: “Not only is Ken Fraser’s bluefin the biggest tuna ever recorded by the International Game Fish Association, it is also one of the most iconic records of all time. He landed the world record bluefin tuna on October 26, 1979, fishing with Capt. Eric Samson aboard Lady and Misty out of Port Hood, Nova Scotia. >click to read< 08:11
Massachusetts fishermen feeling the pinch of lower lobster prices, rising fuel costs
“What we’re seeing this year is astronomical fuel prices, very high bait prices, scarcity of bait, and we’re seeing a starting price that was actually coming off a high high this winter to something that is a little bit lower than expected,” said Nick Muto, a commercial fisherman out of Chatham. “As fishermen, we don’t get to control the price of our lobsters,” said Steve Holler, a commercial fisherman out of Boston. “We’re at the mercy of the dealers.” “I have zero confidence in our administration,” Muto said. “Given the political climate right now, I see this getting much worse before it gets better. This situation that we have in the country right now will cause a lot of fishermen to go out of business, and that’s tragic really.” Photos, >click to read< 18:30
Amid Record Gas/Fuel Prices, Biden Blows Off Oil Execs for Big Wind CEOs
The White House on Thursday faced a barrage of questions about whether President Biden is doing enough to address record gas prices after he skipped a summit with oil executives and instead met with wind-industry leaders. “When I think environment, I think jobs,” Biden told a group that included five wind-industry CEOs in the White House Roosevelt Room,,, “We’re about to build a better America,” Biden said at the wind-power meeting, which included Granholm, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and Govs. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) and John Carney (D-Del.). Biden mistakenly held up 
backward a detailed note prepared by his staff for the wind meeting. It instructed him to “say hello to participants” and then “take YOUR seat” before giving “2 minutes” of remarks. The staff note instructed the president to “ask Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO, a question” and then “thank participants” and leave. >click to read< 13:34
Ocean City continues battle against offshore wind farm – >click to read<
Ocean City seeks to divert wind power plan – >click to read<
Some Sandbridge residents vote against offshore wind project – >click to read<
Rising diesel prices push UK’s fishing industry to the brink
Trawlers and commercial fishers are now struggling under the weight of price rises that mean in many cases tens of thousands of pounds extra in diesel for a fishing trip leading to take-home pay that is below the minimum wage. The biggest trawler in Brixham, the Julie of Ladram, returned to harbour after seven days at sea earlier this month, and came close to making a loss. The captain, Sean Beck, took home just £440 for a week’s work – the equivalent of £2.60 an hour for being responsible for the ship and crew 24 hours a day. “It’s a stressful time for my family. And it’s stressful at sea – fishing’s not always great. As a skipper it’s a big responsibility to make the boat pay and make sure everybody gets a wage.”>click to read< 09:42
Gloucester: St. Peter’s Fiesta opens with procession, confetti, cheers
Just before the confetti and speech-filled opening ceremony of the 95th anniversary of St. Peter’s Fiesta at 7:30 p.m., people crowded Rogers Street waiting for the statue of St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, to appear from St. Peter’s Club. With little fanfare, he surfaced on the street and people circled around to catch a glimpse or a photo. Because of pandemic, this was the first time since 2019 the heavy, life-size statue was processed from the club up around the Capt. Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3, and back down to the altar stage in St. Peter’s Square to mark the start of Fiesta. photos, >click to read< 09:15
Fishing vessel aground in the Eastern Aleutians
Four people were on board F/V Pacific Sounder when she got stuck on the western shore of Unimak Island, between Unalaska and the Alaska Peninsula, on the morning of June 17. The Pacific Sounder hailed a MAYDAY call at 10:43 Friday morning but the crew waited three hours before they were rescued. Eventually, the Good Samaritan boat, the Polar Sea, arrived and found the crew unharmed. Littlejohn says the boat owner has hired Resolve Marine, a salvage and wreck removal company out of Dutch Harbor, to recover the boat. Resolve said the Pacific Sounder is too stuck for them to be able to tow it. Instead, they’ll have to scuttle it. >click to read< 18:47
