Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
N.H. Lobster fisherman credited with saving 3 people, 2 dogs from burning yacht near New Castle
An investigation is underway into what caused a 70-foot yacht to burn and sink along the seacoast Saturday. Tom Hadley, of Hollis, said he was in the right place at the right time when his instincts told him to turn his little boat around and see if the yacht showing a bit of smoke needed any help. Hadley has been driving from Hollis to his 18-foot boat on the coast for 17 years. The part-time lobster fisherman now has a tale to tell after what 
started as checking out smoke from the yacht at the mouth of Little Harbor on Saturday, quickly turned into a harrowing rescue. “By the time I reached the vessel it just burst into flames and was fully engulfed,” Hadley said. “Three people and two dogs were standing on a platform in the stern.” Video, >click to watch/read< 17:59
That Was Quick!: French Navy backs down from West Cork fishermen
Simon Coveney confirms French navy will stay outside of Irish waters during their upcoming exercises having come under pressure from West Cork fishermen. The French Navy were planning a huge exercise – involving missile tests – off our southwest coast later this week and it was set to be even bigger than the one the Russians had to postpone earlier this year. However, as the Russians found out, the French Atlantic fleet had to reckon with Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, with their headquarters in Castletownbere. >click to read< 17:15
A Special Exhibition: The Legacy of the Family-Owned Fishing Vessel
In recognition of the 400th anniversary of the first English settlement in Gloucester, an event that will be marked in 2023, the Cape Ann Museum has organized a special exhibition exploring the important legacy of the family-owned commercial fishing vessel. The exhibition, which will include fine art, models, and archival materials, will be on display at the Museum’s downtown campus at 27 Pleasant Street from June 25 through September 18, 2022. At the core of the local commercial fishing industry is the family-owned boat. Large and small, eastern rig and western rig, steel-hulled and wooden-hulled, the varieties are endless. >click to read< 15:50
Proposed N.J. wind farm could have major impact on area fisheries, draft report says
A proposed wind farm off the Jersey Shore could significantly affect local fisheries and boat traffic but generally have little impact on tourism and marine life while helping to move away from oil and gas, according to the draft environmental impact statement released Friday by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The impact statement is the next step toward winning federal approval for Ocean Wind, a wind farm to be built by the Danish energy company Ørsted and PSEG. The draft statement addressed concerns by officials in some New Jersey beach towns that the turbines would spoil the ocean views and discourage tourists from returning. >click to read the foolishness< 14:18
Prawn fishers suffer ‘worst season yet’ as high fuel prices bite
Prawn trawler operator Ed Morrison believes farming comes in peaks and troughs, but this year it’s hurting more than usual. The North Queensland-based businessman runs prawn trawlers in the Torres Strait. His prawns are sold throughout Australia, but he says this year has been one of the worst seasons he has seen. However, retailers say any hike in prices would not help the situation as consumers are not prepared to pay more for non-essential produce. The eye-watering cost of fuel and a global supply crunch has forced operators like Mr Morrison to leave vessels in port instead of putting them out to fish during off-peak periods. The situation has left trawlers considering whether or not their operations are commercially viable. >click to read< 10:29
Maine business group seeks rare deal to export ‘cape shark’ to Cuba
The cape shark, more commonly known as the dogfish, typically finds its home in the frigid, salty waters of midcoast Maine. However, thanks to the efforts of a group of Maine-based agriculturalists, the fish may soon be taken by the tides of trade to the warm shores – and markets – of Cuba. The export of dogfish is part of a larger deal being brokered by a group of Maine agriculturalists who hope to create a pipeline of Maine-based agricultural and fishery products to Cuba. Among the proposed exports are seed potatoes and apples along with dogfish. The export of such products is meant to help the Cuban economy, which has suffered in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic, become more self-sufficient while also benefiting Maine’s economy. “Our fishing industry, if you do a little history on it – recent history – is suffering for a lot of reasons,” Marchant said. “The advantage of Cuba getting any food exports right now is dramatic.” >click to read< 09:19
Irish fishermen who faced down Russians now to protest against French navy’s military drills
Irish fishermen confirmed they are to mount major protests off the south-west coast in a bid to prevent the French navy staging military exercises later this month in important fishing grounds. The protests will mirror the demonstrations planned by west Cork fishermen last January to disrupt planned military exercises by the Russian navy in fishing waters off the south-west coast. French naval forces are planning an exercise for June 23-25,,, “The Albacore tuna fishery is opening for Irish vessels on June 23,,, >click to read< 07:35
Lobster prices similar to 2021 though costs up, say P.E.I. fishers
Lobster prices are about the same as they were this time last year, but expenses are on the rise, says one P.E.I. fisherman. “Prices and catches are good,” said Malpeque lobster fisher Chris Wall. At the wharf, prices for fishermen are between $7 and $8 per pound, down from $8.50 and $9 per pound earlier in the season, said Wall. The 2021 minimum shore price between June 6-12 was $6.97 per pound while average market price was $9.78 per pound,,, >click to read< 18:55
The Game Mac White and James Gallagher Would Play While Filming Deadliest Catch
Indeed, one of the newest (and most short-lived) cast members of the series is James Gallagher, a rookie engineer for the Lady Alaska who, thus far, has only been featured on Seasons 16 and 17. By contrast, veteran deckhand Mac White has managed to stick around within the series for nearly 11 years and is still going strong, whereas Gallagher appears to have moved on. Though the older deckhand and the excitable rookie may have seemed like two polar opposites to the audience, Gallagher actually revealed that the two used to play a game together whenever they were filming. >click to read< 11:39
State of the art fishing vessel navigation simulator launched in Greencastle
The official launch of new high tech simulator suites took place at BIM’s National Fisheries College in Greencastle on Saturday. The simulator will enable skipper students to pilot and berth a vessel and navigate it through adverse weather conditions. The simulator and radio suites – recently installed both at the college in Donegal and its sister college in Castletownbere – are designed to imitate real-life navigational conditions for helm, ship control training and practice, and for vessel routine and distress alert training. >click to read< 10:21
High fuel prices, cheap shrimp cripple Louisiana’s shrimping industry, still recovering from Ida
Nearly a year later, the residents there and other fishing villages along the coast have yet to fully recover. Record high fuel costs and low shrimp prices are making that recovery even more difficult. Darrell Domangue, 56, has been living in Cocodrie all his life and shrimping is all he has ever known. However, with shrimp going for 75 cents to $1 per pound and the cost of fuel increasing, he wonders if he will be able to pay back the $105,000 he borrowed to buy a new boat. The average price per gallon for diesel in Louisiana is now at $5.37, up from $2.91 a year ago, AAA data shows. 18 photos, >click to read< 08:50
Offshore Wind Industry Wiping Out Crucial Fish Breeding Grounds & Fishermen’s Livelihoods
Britain’s trawlermen are tough, but not invincible. Giant industrial wind turbines and their associated infrastructure have already wrecked once productive fishing grounds, with more under threat. The power cables that connect offshore wind turbines are mesmerising crabs and causing biological harm that affects their ability to migrate and breed; the same phenomenon has just been identified in lobsters. So, little wonder that fishermen are furious that their lives and livelihoods are being sold so cheap to an industry that’s built on lies and runs on subsidies. >click to read the rest< 15:18
Fishing vessel catches fire off the coast of Oregon
U.S Coast Guard crews responded to a fire on a 42-foot commercial fishing vessel off the coast of Manzanita Beach in Oregon early Saturday morning. USCG said they received a distress call at around 6:30 a.m., about 2 miles west of Manzanita Beach. One person on board was rescued from the water by a Good Samaritan, transferred to a USCG crew and brought to shore with no medical concerns. This is developing news. Videos, >click to read< 13:03
Witness describes the scene of a commercial fishing boat fire near Manzanita Beach – >click for video<– 17:55
Florida Keys fishermen arrested on animal cruelty charges
Two commercial fishermen in the Florida Keys were arrested on felony charges after PETA released a video appearing to show the abuse of two animals. The video was initially posted as part of a PETA Investigates campaign against the consumption of stone crab claws. The person who captured the video expressed interest to the crew in learning about the stone crab industry, Goodman said. The intended focus was not on bycatch, yet she was able to openly record and capture footage of the crew members’ alleged misconduct. “The crew welcomed her aboard,” he said. “It was just somebody expressing interest in learning about the industry. It really just goes to show you how this disturbing misconduct is likely so common, that people knowing they’re filmed still would not hesitate to engage in this awful mutilation and abuse.” >click to read< 11:44
Five rusty trawlers from Hull played a key role in securing victory in the Falklands War
As Hull officially commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict this weekend, attention will inevitably focus on the local military personnel who served there and the famous role played by the Hull-based passenger ferry Norland in carrying the troops who would ultimately help regain control of the islands. However, the spotlight will also shine on the other Hull vessels requisitioned by the Admiralty to join the Royal Navy Task Force. As well as the Norland, three city-based tugs and five stern trawlers also sailed to the South Atlantic. As such, Hull ended up sending more civilian vessels to the war than any other port. >click to read< 09:23
Chesapeake Bay blue crabs in trouble, tighter harvest restrictions loom
With the Chesapeake Bay’s crab population at its lowest ebb in more than 30 years, Maryland and Virginia are moving to curtail harvests in one of the region’s most valuable fisheries. Fisheries regulators in both states have proposed new catch restrictions, with plans to finalize them by the end of June. In Maryland, tighter limits for both commercial and recreational crabbing would take effect in July and for the first time would limit commercial harvests of male crabs, not just females. New commercial restrictions in Virginia would begin in October and continue until the crabbing season ends Nov. 30. >click to read< 08:17
Coast Guard aircrew medevacs fisherman from vessel near Cold Bay, Alaska
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew, forward-deployed to Cold Bay, medically evacuated a mariner from the fishing vessel F/V Golden Alaska, on Tuesday, near Cold Bay. The aircrew safely transported the 57-year-old male to Anchorage to awaiting Emergency Medical Service personnel, who then transported him to receive a higher level of care. >3 photos, click to read< 15:49
N.L. MP vows he’s ‘gonna keep pushing’ forward on seal management legislation
Clifford Small may have lost a battle in his bid to convince the House of Commons of the need for legislation to manage seal populations, but the Newfoundland and Labrador Conservative MP says he’s not about to give up the fight. Small’s private members’ bill, Act for the Conservation of Fish Stocks and Management of Pinnipeds (seals), or Bill C-251, died when it came to the House for second reading on June 15. There’s more than one way to move a bill through the parliamentary process, said Small. Bills can start in the House or they can be introduced through the Senate, he said, indicating that’s the path he may pursue next. >click to read< 14:20
Troubled Waters – British Fishermen and Brexit
More than two years after Brexit, British fishermen are angry. They were promised more control over fishing rights in British waters, but what they’ve gotten is reduced income. Many of them voted Leave, but now they feel they’ve been let down. The fishing industry overwhelmingly supported Brexit. Darren Kenyon is a fisherman from Grimsby in North East England. He believed in the government’s Brexit promises – including more control over fishing rights in British waters — and voted Leave. But two and a half years after Brexit, he feels betrayed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Kenyon’s income is lower than it used to be and there’s more red tape than ever. >click to read< 12:10
The End? Dwindling catch puts future of Portland Fish Exchange in jeopardy
The auction provides space on the Portland Fish Pier for fisherman to bring their haul and for seafood buyers to bid on the fresh catch. But it has struggled in recent years as fishermen are landing fewer fish. And they often take what they do catch to Massachusetts, which has robust seafood markets. The goal has been to support and maintain Portland’s fishing fleet, but a dwindling catch has made that more difficult and the auction struggles to fill its four times weekly sales of seafood. Rob Odlin, a fisherman who is president of the Portland Fish Exchange board, said fishermen are struggling and many are opting to take their catch to Massachusetts to sell to take advantage of more lucrative lobster sales. >click to read< 10:20
All eyes on Washington over bill that could ‘halt’ offshore wind construction
US legislation whose current language threatens to slam offshore wind project construction is expected to be passed with less restrictive provisions. But how much the manning provisions of the Coast Guard Authorization Act will be watered down remains unclear. In March, the US House of Representatives passed a spending bill for the US Coast Guard that included provisions requiring crews on specialised offshore construction vessels to be citizens either of the US or their ship’s flag state. The legislation requires passage in the US Senate. >click to read< 09:14
Fisherman who vowed to dump shrimp if no buyer stepped forward has found one,,, in Nova Scotia
The La Scie inshore fisherman who vowed to dump his first load of northern shrimp for the season if he couldn’t sell the catch has found a buyer across the Gulf in Nova Scotia. “Thank God we don’t have to dump it,” says Ryan, who operates the fishing enterprise, F/V Atlantic Blue Too, with his son Josh, the skipper and license holder. “A Nova Scotia buyer has agreed to purchase the shrimp for significantly more than buyers are willing to pay here.” Most of the province’s shrimp fleets in the Gulf and off the east coast have yet to untie this season, despite the fact the spring price was set on April 24th, and the fishery opened on May 29th. >click to read< 08:04
A Big NO! Oregon Fishermen are rolling up their sleeves to stop the huge offshore windmills
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners put out a BIG NO! to a federal agency that wants to build huge electric generating windmill farms just off the shores of the Oregon Coast. Lincoln County Commissioners Kaety Jacobson and Doug Hunt decided to send off a rather straight-forward NO! to a request by the federal government that wants to install hundreds of windmills along the coast. The fishermen say trolling for seafood is hard enough without coping with hundreds or thousands of windmills, wired to electrical substations up and down the coast. >click to read< 15:32
Canadian Lobster industry sense more regulations coming for Chinese exports
In January, the Chinese Government introduced new import regulations known as Decrees 248 and 249, which require international distributors to register with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), and for products to include Chinese-language labeling. Since their implementation, there have been many issues, with lobster distributors claiming they have erroneously been told they aren’t registered with GACC, causing delays in shipping and in sometimes voiding the Chinese importer’s obligation to pay. Currently, the regulations only apply to frozen or cooked products. >click to read< Tracing measures issued in January required Chinese-language labelling on processed seafood >click to read<14:56
Hudson Canyon to Be New Marine Sanctuary
Hudson Canyon is America’s deepest canyon in the Atlantic Ocean. NOAA will seek public comment on the potential boundaries for the sanctuary and other factors related to its future management through Aug. 8. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York called for the sanctuary designation in an April letter to Richard Spinrad, NOAA’s administrator. But commercial fishermen harbor an inherent suspicion of government-imposed management. Dan Farnham Sr., who has caught tilefish in the area for more than 40 years, said on Monday. “I would say 60 to 70 percent of our catch comes from the canyon area.” Mr. Farnham said that he worries that the ultimate goal is to ban commercial fishing in the proposed sanctuary, which “would be financially devastating to us.” >click to read< 14:08
Lobster boat racing season kicks off, with race season schedule.
The arrival of summer brings lobster boat racing back to Maine. The season kicks off on Saturday, June 18, with races in Boothbay Harbor, followed by races in Rockland Harbor on Father’s Day. The June schedule continues with a race in Bass Harbor on Sunday, June 26, which has been held here for 14 years, and features lobster boats competing in various categories. Boats will race in categories based on the type of fuel they run on, length of boat, as well as size of engine. Boats that are under 24 feet have a category, and boats over that length are split into two categories depending on whether they run on gasoline or diesel. Includes 2022 schedule >click to read< 11:12
Aboard the Lake Erie Fishing Tug Lady Anna II (Part 5)
“The challenge to make money. If you don’t catch fish, you don’t make money. Fun’s not the word. I just enjoy it; it’s a challenging and rewarding job. There’s good days and bad days. There’s a different outcome every day.” Mike Mummery, captain of Lady Anna II, responding to the question: “What do you like best about commercial fishing?” I ask Captain Mummery what worries him most about the commercial fishing industry. Eyes glued to the horizon, he replies: “The cost of everything. Everything’s gone up. There’s no stability. Profit margins have gone down. The cost of diesel has doubled. 
Everything’s made of oil, even the nets. Hopefully, it stays good for the established guys. But it’s tough for somebody to get into the business. Just a license costs a million dollars now. That’s almost impossible for the normal guy to do. The well-established guys may stay in; you have to be well established.” >click to read< 09:20
Fishing Fuel Costs at Tipping Point
Many fishing vessels are facing a cruel choice between tying-up or going to sea to make a loss. NFFO members are providing landings information that illustrate although reasonably healthy grossings are being made, after deductions for fuel earnings for crews are risible. In one example a vessel in the south-west made a landing worth £11,0489 but fuel costs swallowed £10,416. In another case, a landing of £44,176 and a fuel bill of £29,068 left £1516 to be shared amongst 8 crew. A third example was an inshore vessel after eight days fishing made £8706 but faced a fuel bill of £5234, leaving £927 for the crew. These examples illustrate that the current situation is unsustainable are at the point beyond which vessels will have to tie up. >click to read< 08:18
Scientists point to climate as likely cause for snow crab decline
Even as scientists are still trying to figure out why the Bering Sea snow crab stock crashed in 2021, federal managers are working on a plan to help rebuild it. Data from last year’s survey at this point seems to confirm that there was a massive decline in the number of young snow crab in the Eastern Bering Sea—something like 99% fewer female snow crab showed up in the survey from 2021. Jaime Goen, Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, told the council that the crab industry is reeling from the revenue loss both in the snow crab fishery and the complete closure of the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery this year. What hurt was the suddenness — a few years ago, the crab stocks were looking hopeful and like a good investment, and many businesspeople and crew members bought in with the hopes those investments would pay off, she said. “Now those same people are facing bankruptcy,” >click to read< 22:00
Commercial Fishermen Wary Of Proposed Sanctuary For Hudson Canyon
The Biden Administration has renewed a longstanding proposal,,, Even though most of the Hudson Canyon is about as far from the South Fork as Queens and Brooklyn, commercial and recreational fishermen from East End ports frequent the waters above it, and news of the sanctuary nomination was met with some reflexive concern from commercial fishermen, in particular, who worry that if the designation is made it could lead to them eventually being blocked from fishing in an area critical to their annual harvests. “About 25 percent of what we catch is from there, squid, scup, fluke, a lot of stuff comes out of that area,” said Hank Lackner, one of the owners of Montauk’s largest commercial fishing trawlers, the 94-foot Jason & Danielle. “And for the local fleet, the mid-sized trawlers, that’s the end of their rope — that’s as far as they can go. They don’t have another option.” photos, >click to read< 17:58
