Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
‘It doesn’t feel real,’ says Lark Harbour deputy mayor following death of 2 fishermen
The Newfoundland community of Lark Harbour has been rocked by the deaths of two fishermen, who died after a boat capsized Sunday. The Canadian Coast Guard ship Cape Edensaw was dispatched from Lark Harbour on Sunday to the rugged shoreline of Newfoundland’s west coast and launched a fast rescue craft into the water. The crew soon recovered the two bodies and spotted four survivors on the shoreline. Lark Harbour Deputy Mayor Ria MacDonald said much of the town found out near lunchtime on Sunday. “‘Reeling’ is the only word to really use. Nobody expects to lose anyone, let alone on the first day of the season.… And the way it went down, from what I understand, is devastating,” MacDonald said Monday. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:45
Wind Energy off Morro Bay Faces Fisher Lawsuit and Marine Sanctuary Issues
Three new wind farms in the waters north of Santa Barbara County have run into a few obstacles in their attempts to bring offshore wind to the Central Coast. On top of discussions with government agencies and the Northern Chumash tribe, the three developers face a lawsuit from two San Luis Obispo fisheries claiming that “best practices” are not being used in the process of approving and building off the coast of Morro Bay. The lawsuit was filed by the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization (MBCFO) and the Port San Luis Commercial Fishermen’s Association, who claim that the equipment used to survey underwater land for offshore wind development could be harmful, and possibly deadly, to sea animals in the area. They added that this would infringe on the fishermen’s right to fish and be detrimental to the commercial fishing industry in all of California. Photos, charts, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:50
This injured N.L. fisherman paid a heavy price protesting for free enterprise
It takes some effort and plenty of discomfort and anxiousness for Richard Martin to lift himself off his couch, settle in behind his walker, and make his way around his house. It was just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20, and Martin was one of hundreds of frustrated seafood harvesters — many of whom had travelled long distances — who were blockading Confederation Building in St. John’s, preventing public service workers and politicians from accessing the sprawling complex. With Port de Grave fisherman John Efford Jr. leading the charge, they were there fighting for what they were calling “free enterprise,” or the right to have more say over how they catch, land and sell their seafood. Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:10
Owner, captains of crab fishing vessels charged with illegally transporting crab from Alaska
A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging the owner and captains of two crab catcher vessels with illegally transporting crab from Alaska, in violation of the Lacey Act. According to court documents, Corey Potter is the owner of the two crab catching vessels, and Corey Potter and Kyle Potter are the captains of the vessels. In February and March 2024, the vessels harvested over 7,000 pounds of Tanner and golden king crab in Southeast Alaska. Corey Potter allegedly directed Kyle Potter and Justin Welch to take the crab to Seattle, Washington, where they intended to sell it at a higher price than they would have in Alaska. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:14
Reason why RNLI declined to give stricken trawler a tow to port except as last resort
A disabled scallop trawler was forced to jettison its fishing gear as it drifted towards shipping lanes off Anglesey. An all-weather lifeboat (ALB) from Moelfre put to sea for eight hours after answering an emergency call for from the trawler. The 14-metre vessel found itself at the mercy of the currents after suffering a mechanical failure around 12 miles north of Puffin Island. Concerned about posing a risk to ships, its crew issued a Pan Pan call – a request for urgent help while not being in immediate danger. The RNLI crew discovered the vessel’s derricks (lifting gear) were stuck down and its scallop dredges were hanging some five meters beneath the surface. These are heavy-duty metal framed nets that are pulled over the seabed to harvest scallops. Photos, more, >>CLICK TP READ<< 19:18
Warming Waters Heat Summer’s Feast Well Before It Gets to the Kitchen
An ever-warming planet is playing havoc with the intricately interconnected web of marine life. Just as climate has long stressed human populations and driven migration, marine populations are stressed and in search of survivable climates too. In New England, scientists and lobstermen alike are studying and living the impacts. Tim Alley has been lobstering in Maine’s coastal waters for 40 years. “There’s been a trend in recent years related to temperatures,” he says. Alley is steeped in the traditions of his home state’s biggest industry and recently dusted off a short film from 1972 in which he starred at age 12, “Alone in My Lobster Boat,” filmed in South Bristol and New Harbor, Maine. Like most lobstermen, he would call himself an environmentalist: they live on the water, they live from the water, they thrive on the water. But they reject the notion that a species – the right whale – is failing because of them. Over 40 years, he says, he has seen exactly one right whale. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:50
How the death of a mega-turbine rattled US offshore wind
When GE Vernova confirmed that it was canceling one of the largest wind turbines ever designed, it signaled a pause in an arms race that for years had led manufacturers to go higher, longer and wider when building towers, blades and other components. Now, that decision is reverberating across U.S. efforts to build wind projects in the Atlantic. New York canceled power contracts for three offshore wind projects last week, citing GE Vernova’s decision to abandon its largest turbine model, a massive 18-megawatt machine. The timing could hardly be worse. Offshore wind is the keystone of New York’s plan to generate 70 percent of its power with renewable energy by the end of the decade.“Using the lower-capacity turbines means that each developer would need to buy 12 to 13 additional turbines to build a project of the same capacity,” Jain said. “That also means more foundations, cables, days hiring expensive installation vessels and so on, significantly raising total project cost assumptions.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:24
France and its fishermen speak out against the United Kingdom and its marine protected areas
Taking the objectives set by the Kunming-Montreal Agreement at face value, the United Kingdom has strengthened the protection of its marine protected areas. An ecological decision that French fishermen and the Government took for them. France and its fishermen speak out against the United Kingdom and its marine protected areas or “trolling” fishing activities would be prohibited. If this new diplomatic conflict between France and the United Kingdom is far from being the first in the history of these two countries, its cause, the protection of biodiversity, differs from previous ones. On March 22, after a public consultation initiated in 2022, an order (1) published on February 1 by the British government’s Maritime Management Agency (MMO) strengthened the protection of thirteen pre-existing marine protected areas (MPAs). more, links, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:27
Two people dead, four others make it to shore after vessel capsizes in Newfoundland
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says two people were found dead and four others survived after a boat capsized off the west coast of Newfoundland. The department says the Canadian Coast Guard received a report of people in the water near the fishing town of Lark Harbour at around 11 a.m. Sunday after a seven-metre fishing vessel called Miss Jenny capsized with six people aboard. The coast guard issued a mayday relay to vessels in the area and its team, equipped with a fast rescue craft, along with a Cormorant helicopter based in Gander, N.L., were dispatched to help the people. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:41
UPDATED: Four people airlifted to hospital after vessel capsized off Newfoundland’s west coast
Four people were airlifted from a beach on the west coast of Newfoundland on Sunday morning and brought to hospital after a vessel was found capsized. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jolene Garland said the incident was near the community of Lark Harbour. In a post on the Town of Lark Harbour Facebook page, it was announced the town hall would be opened Sunday evening “as a gathering spot for our residents to support each other in this time of grief.” There was also a post telling residents to avoid Park & Youden Road. Captain Trevor Ackland, a spokesperson for the Joint Task Force Atlantic in support of the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre in Halifax, said the centre responded to a call from the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in St. John’s for assistance after reports of people in the water. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:46
A vessel capsized off Newfoundland’s west coast
A rescue operation is underway Sunday near Port aux Port, between Molly Ann Cove and Rope Cove (Submitted by Sam Anderson) A vessel on the west coast of Newfoundland was found capsized on Sunday morning near Port aux Port. Fish harvester Sam Anderson was fishing in the area around Molly Ann Cove and Rope Cove around 11 o’clock Sunday morning when he spotted a cabin on fire on shore. There, he saw a couple of men on the beach, he said, with a capsized vessel nearby. “We followed the procedure, you know, contacted the Coast Guard radio and we tried to get him. We couldn’t get at him because the waters were too shallow and nothing we could do,” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:29
BP Oil Spill: Where does the coast stand 14 years later?
Saturday marks 14 years since the Mississippi Gulf Coast was changed forever. On April 20, 2010, the Gulf of Mexico saw the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. The catastrophe killed 11 workers, sent over 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and washed onto the shores of the Gulf Coast. The spill continued for the next four weeks and two days, causing lasting environmental and economic impacts. “A lot of the grasslands and the marsh and all had a lot of devastation there because the oil get in and it would kill the grasses and also kill what was in the grasses,” explained Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Executive Director Joe Spraggins. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:17
In the Shadow of the Volcano
It hasn’t been an easy few months for the inhabitants of Grindavík, the fishing port on the south coast of Iceland that first found itself in the shadow of a volcanic eruption at the end of last year. Today Grindavík is not considered inhabitable, and the town’s inhabitants have been dispersed mainly to neighbouring communities, the majority of them thrown into Iceland’s difficult rental market as they have scrambled to find places to live. There has been a level of uncertainty as to whether or not it might be possible to return home at some point. Fishing gear company Veiðarfæraþjónustan was fortunate enough to be provided with a temporary refuge at Hampiðjan’s net loft in Reykjavík, before finding a new home in Hafnarfjörður. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:47
From tiny river eggs to ocean prey, filmmaker aims to capture life of salmon
As a child fly fishing on New Brunswick’s renowned Miramichi River, Nick Hawkins used to daydream about being able to peer under the tea-coloured water and see where the salmon were. Hawkins is one of nine winners of 2024 grants from the Trebek Initiative, named for the late quiz show host Alex Trebek. He’s getting $97,674 from two organizations that Trebek supported, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and National Geographic Society, to film the migration of Atlantic salmon — “from their home rivers in Canada to their feeding grounds in the icy fjords of Greenland” — and to document “the passionate efforts of those trying to reverse the species’ precipitous decline.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:17
The Evolution of Auctions: Peterhead Fish Market Considers Electronic System
In the heart of Aberdeenshire lies Peterhead, the UK’s largest fishing port, where age-old traditions meet the winds of change. At its bustling fish market, buyers have long engaged in the lively ritual of the “shout auction,” where bids for boxes of fish echo through the air. However, the familiar cadence of voices may soon give way to the quiet hum of technology, as the Peterhead Port Authority finds the possibility of introducing an electronic auction system. This potential transition seeks to adapt to modern realities and enhance efficiency in fish trading. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Commercial Fisherman Carl D. Schwab, of Port Clyde, Maine, has passed away
Carl D. Schwab, 89, died peacefully, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at the Sussman Hospice House following a brief period of declining health and a lengthy fight with Alzheimer’s disease. He spent his last days surrounded by the love of his family. Born in New York City, November 10, 1934, Carl was the son of Irving and Bessie Schechter Schwab. A few mentors and friends in particular helped set him on his path as a man of the sea, not the city: Levi Hupper, Bertie Simmons, Stanley Stone, and Alfred Stanley. He spent most of his working life as a commercial fisherman on many boats, of many types, including dragging, seining, and lobstering. Carl is one of the founding members of the Port Clyde Fisherman’s Co-op, where he has served as president, vice president, and as a member of the board of directors for many years. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:36
Alaska Senate proposes $7.5M aid package for struggling fish processors
The Alaska Senate has proposed a new aid package for the state’s fish processing companies — some of which have been teetering among a crash in prices that’s caused an industry-wide crisis. The Senate, in its capital budget passed last week, included the $7.5 million grant to a nonprofit organization called SeaShare. Most of the cash would go toward buying out what SeaShare calls an “oversupply” of seafood from last year’s harvest, which it says is costing processing companies money to store in freezers. The program would add to more than $100 million in salmon and Alaska pollock purchases, more than 1,500 truck loads announced earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:46
The last Cornish fishing lugger of its kind sets sail for repairs around the British Isles
An historic Cornish lugger has sailed out of Newlyn for the start of a 1,000-mile journey to the Scottish Highlands. Barnabas is the only surviving fishing vessel of her kind in the world and is on a six week round trip to fit out new masts at Ullapool. 30 volunteer sailors from the Cornwall Maritime Trust are taking it in turns to crew Barnabas during different legs of the journey across the Celtic nations of the British Isles. Toby Floyer the Chair of the Trustee is the first to be the ship’s skipper. He says sailors will get to experience what it would have been like for generations of people who “got their living from the sea”. Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:43
3 New York wind farms scrapped – Cost implications for Mass., Conn., and R.I.
New York pulled the plug Friday on three offshore wind projects that encountered pricing problems after GE canceled the development of a larger turbine that the developers had been counting on. The decision is a setback for the US offshore wind industry and may have some cost implications for Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, which are in the midst of a joint procurement for offshore wind power. The three wind farms proposed for the coast off New York were all tied to a plan by GE Vernova to start producing giant 18-megawatt turbines at a facility on the Hudson River to be subsidized by the state. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:04
New documentary reveals Scottish Government believe Rockall dispute over fishing rights could be resolved
The sovereignty of the rock has been the source of a long running dispute between Ireland and the UK. The UK authorities claim Rockall is part of its territory lying within its territorial seas – a claim not recognized by Ireland. Ireland has not claimed ownership of the rock and does not recognise the British claim of sovereignty on the basis that uninhabited rocks should not be claimed by any state. The British Navy annexed Rockall in 1955 – hoisting the Union flag and cementing a brass plaque on the summit. It later sought to incorporate it into part of UK law in 1972. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:12
Coast Guard, partners rescue 14 boaters in active week off Florida’s Suncoast
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg crews responded to multiple cases throughout the week after receiving, a combined, 17 distress and marine safety calls. Throughout the week, Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received requests for help from several disabled vessels resulting in the rescue of 14 boaters. In one case, an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon alert and mayday call were made, allowing a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater aircrew to locate the vessel. Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a mayday call, Friday, April 12, around 11 p.m., from three people reporting that their 47-foot commercial fishing vessel was sinking, 1 mile southwest of Johns Pass. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:54
Major offshore wind projects in New York canceled in latest blow to industry
New York’s signature offshore wind projects meant to boost confidence in the industry are being scrapped, a major hit to the industry in the state and the nation. The decision is another setback to New York’s aspirations to achieve 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 and be a hub for the nascent industry in the United States. It will also be another challenge for President Joe Biden’s already likely out-of-reach 30 gigawatt goal for offshore wind by 2030. NYSERDA, the state authority in charge of the deals, announced Friday that no final agreements could be reached with the three projects that received provisional awards in October 2023. Those bids were all linked to major supply chain investments by General Electric and a larger turbine it planned to build that was aimed at boosting the region’s renewable energy portfolio. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:50
Governor Mills Directs Administration to Prepare to Distribute $60 Million in Storm Relief as Soon as Funding Becomes Available
Governor Janet Mills today directed her Administration to take the steps necessary to distribute the $60 million in storm relief as soon as the money becomes statutorily available. $50 million of the funding will be distributed in grants by the Maine Department of Transportation through the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund, which was created by the Mills Administration and the Legislature in 2021. $10 million in funding, added by the Legislature to the Governor’s original proposal, will be distributed to small businesses by the Department of Economic and Community Development through the Business Resilience and Recovery Fund. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:30
At start of season, shrimpers are ‘cautiously optimistic’ despite market concerns
Fresh shrimp soon will be hitting the docks as the first stage of shrimp season gets underway the morning of April 19. This stage is limited to certain areas until the S.C. Department of Natural Resources can confirm the majority of female white shrimp have reproduced. “We want them to be able to spawn before harvest, because the current spawn will become our fall shrimp crop,” DNR spokesperson Erin Weeks said. This approach is essential to ensuring the industry remains sustainable, said Bryan Jones, South Carolina state co-director of the U.S. Shrimpers Coalition and a first-generation shrimper based in McClellanville. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:28
‘We need help’: January storms leaves Washington County businesses in dire straits
Barry Hutchins of Steuben is just one of many lobstermen in Maine who are reeling from the January storms. He’s been fishing since 1956, but he says his days of going out on a lobster boat may be over after he and his family lost their wharf in the storm. “The wharf – that’s where we got our bait, our fuel. Everything depended on that wharf, and it’s gone,” he said. Hutchins is not alone. Amity Chipman is co-owner of Chipman’s Wharf in Milbridge. “The coastal businesses in Maine – we’re bleeding,” she said. “We’re a strong, hardworking, and independent group. We’re not looking for a handout, we’re looking for a handup.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:40
The Day Lake Superior Gave Up Her Dead
The Jones family of Cornucopia, Wisconsin, was well known as both boatbuilders and commercial fishermen on Lake Superior. Thomas Senior and his two sons, Thomas Jr. “Coonie” and Emery, made good money in the fall of 1924 when the price of herring was unusually high.The price of trout was also high at the time, and the men knew they could make even better money if only they could fish trout on the Big Lake after herring season 
closed. Overwinter fishing on the open Lake had never been done out of the small harbors of the South Shore. Another problem was, the Joneses didn’t have a proper boat capable of staying out beyond the pack ice for any length of time. Enter the Thomas Friant, a 96-by-18-foot abeam, 81-ton wooden hulled ferry built in Grand Haven, Michigan, in 1884. The passenger-hauling Friant had been converted to a massive – for that era – fishing tug. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:06
P.E.I.’s snow crab season wrapping up as right whale protection begins
An early start to the season is paying off for many P.E.I. snow crab fishers, with good catches and better prices than last year. An added bonus: for the second straight year, most will have caught their quota before endangered North Atlantic right whales move into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, prompting protective measures to prevent entanglement in fishing gear. Alden Gaudet said fishers are much better prepared this year than they were two years ago in case of closures due to right whales. “This year, we’ve lobbied to be able to immediately remove our buoys from these traps and use this ropeless, on-demand [system, without having to wait 48 hours to reset back in these areas. So it will make things a lot easier,” he said. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:42
Fishery council considering Mayor Mitchell’s plea to open Northern Edge to scallopers
On Tuesday, Mitchell delivered testimony to the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). He cited challenging years ahead for the scallop industry, which is being strained by a slump in prices and fewer days at sea for fishermen; and he stressed the importance of the scallop fishery as a foundational part of the port’s economy. “The industry would benefit greatly by adding these areas to its available fishing grounds.” The region under consideration is the northernmost portion of the broad and productive fishing grounds called Georges Bank. In 1994, the Northern Edge was closed to commercial fishing to protect habitat for spawning cod and other bottom dwelling fisheries. Thirty years later, scallop representatives told the council, groundfish populations like cod have continued to decline while the area has remained locked up to scallopers. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:14
Vehicle, boat, and building all burned in separate fires at Back Bay wharf
Firefighters raced to put out three separate fires early Thursday morning at the wharf in Back Bay, a small coastal community south of St. George. Chief Justin Johnston of the Eastern Charlotte Fire Department said a call came in around 3:30 a.m. about a vehicle on fire. When crews arrived on scene, they also discovered a large commercial fishing boat and a building at 24 Back Bay Loop Rd. were on fire too. “It was definitely a surprise when we arrived this morning,” Johnston said. The Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating. Additional crews were called to the scene, and Johnston said firefighters were able to get the fires out relatively quickly. Fishermen towed the burning boat away from other boats in the harbour to prevent further fires, he said. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:15
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries given $65.2 million to aid fishing industry
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has received $65.2 million to aid the fishing industry damaged by storms and flooding. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has given the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries two pots of money to distribute to the fishing community. It includes $38.2 million to aid the fishing industry affected by the 2019 opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway. A separate $27 million has been given to the department to aid the fishing industry impacted by hurricanes that struck Louisiana between 2021 and 2022. The Equipment Modernization Grant offers $30,000 to applicants for reimbursement and purchase of updated and modern equipment. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:53
