Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
Barrow fisherman Jack Marklew nominated for Fishing News Award
Jack Marklew, who owns a fishing business called A&J Fresh Fish Ltd with his partner Amy Farish, is in the running for ‘Under 10 Meter Fishermen of the Year’. Jack and Amy quit their jobs during the Covid pandemic to pursue making a living on fishing. After leaving a successful career as a CNC machinist and programmer, Jack bought a little boat and the pair set up their own seafood business. They now supply Walney Island shellfish, lobster, crab and a variety of wet fish to the public as well as the surrounding businesses and restaurants. more, >>click to read<< 08:41
Commentary: Nuclear Energy Is the Only Way to Achieve Maine’s Climate Goals
In response to a rise in climate anxiety, particularly among young voters, politicians have made numerous “climate pledges” to transition entire networks to carbon-free energy sources. These goals are noble. Whether they are realistic remains to be seen, but Maine’s legislature has a chance to make these intentions a reality — without breaking the bank for consumers. Since Maine Gov. Janet Mills pledged to make the state carbon-neutral by 2045, consumers have seen a massive uptick in energy costs, with Mainers paying 23% more than the national average electric bill. State Rep. Reagan Paul has introduced LD 1549 in the legislature to examine whether small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) have a role to play in the state’s energy mix. more, >>click to read<< 07:10
Rock lobster counting continues a 55-year project that reliably predicts its $240 million per year future
A program recording baby lobster numbers along the WA coast has been running since 1968, creating an invaluable data set. It allows scientists to reliably predict the health of the $240 million per year rock lobster industry into the future. Researchers continue to haul puerulus counters out of the water at nine sites along the coast every month. Fishing is a game of risk and reward the world over, but off the Western Australian coast the odds of a good catch are stacked in crayfishers’ favour. The $240 million per year western rock lobster industry, WA’s most valuable fishery, which was worth as much as $400m pre-COVID — has the unique ability to predict its catch four years into the future, all thanks to the work of a curious scientist more than 55 years ago. photos, more, >>click to read<< 19:34
Seal oil is the best source of omega-3 and other facts about Canada’s misunderstood seal harvest
Contrary to narratives spun by anti-sealing groups for decades, this practice is a testament to resilience and a crucial pillar of sustainability and economic survival. Despite numerous fear factors, some substantiated and others frivolous, coastal communities still rely on and support the responsible harvest of seals. For coastal Canadians, the ocean has been and continues to be a source of food, economic activity, recreation, and livelihood. Let’s follow the facts trail: The seal harvest uses techniques designed by a panel of international expert veterinarians. Seals eat 53 times more fish yearly than the entire Eastern Canadian fishing fleet catches. Government scientists have stated that seal predation is preventing the rebuilding of five fish species listed under the Species at Risk Act. >> click to read <<14:52
Maine Lobstermen’s Association Releases Statement on Final Wind Energy Area
“The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) appreciates that BOEM’s Final Wind Energy Area (WEA) removes Lobster Management Area 1. “MLA worked tirelessly with Maine’s fishing industry, our congressional delegation, and Governor Mills to ensure prime lobster fishing grounds are spared from industrial development. We are proud that so many lobstermen have constructively engaged in this process and grateful that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has listened to their concerns. “But there is still much work to do. Secondary Area C, an area where many endangered North Atlantic right whales are sighted, is included in the Final Wind Energy Area. MLA remains steadfast in its position that no area of the Gulf of Maine should be industrialized with offshore wind. There are still too many unanswered questions about the impacts of offshore wind on the marine environment, commercial fishermen and our fishing heritage.” https://www.mainelobstermen.org/ 12:57
High-Tech Trawler offers New Opportunities
‘It looks good,’ said Sigurður Óli Kristjánsson, skipper of new factory trawler Berlin as he was preparing to head back to Norway for a shakedown trip to fine-tune the sophisticated processing deck. Berlin is the latest Vard design trawlers over the last few years, delivered to Nergård, Luntos and other fishing companies, and is practically identical to Akraberg, which was built for Faroese company Framherji in 2022. ‘It’s a very fine trawler, very high-tech. I like the look of the winches. These are very sophisticated and precise, with Scantrol management systems, and with energy-saving functionality. These trawlers have more power, with a nine-cylinder engine, and everything is a size up from the old Berlin. The thinking is that it’s more economic to have a more powerful engine that can run at a more econonic speed instead of being at full revs,’ he said and added that this is a departure from running the main engine at a set speed and then adjusting the propeller pitch as required. Photos, video, more, >>click to read<< 11:14
State lawsuit claims federal government owes Alaska $700 billion for quashing Pebble mine
The federal government owes Alaska more than $700 billion in compensation for the 2023 Environmental Protection Agency action that blocked development of the massive and controversial Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska, Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration claims in a lawsuit filed in a federal court. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in the District of Columbia, is part of a flurry of legal actions by the state and the mine’s would-be developer that seek to revive the massive copper and gold project. In its complaint filed Thursday with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the state cited an estimate for 100 years of production to support the $700 billion figure. And it said Alaska had been depending on Pebble development for its economic future. more, >>click to read<< 09:26
RNLI man is charged over death of fisherman in rescue after the grandfather’s boat was capsized during a rescue
A RNLI volunteer has been charged over the death of a grandfather whose fishing boat capsized during a rescue operation. William Murray McCubbin, 60, was pulled from the water after his vessel sank close to Port William harbour, Wigtownshire, in November 2022. His boat had become stranded on the rocks and efforts were already being made to recover it when it capsized. Mr McCubbin was taken to the Galloway Community Hospital, in Stranraer, but he could not be saved. Police have now arrested and charged a 48-year-old volunteer lifeboat crew member following a 16-month investigation. Yesterday, the family of Mr McCubbin – who was known to friends and relatives as Murray – paid tribute to him and spoke of their hope that the inquiry would provide them with answers. more, >>click to read<< 08:05
Press Democrat Editorial: North Coast fishers need help
The bad news keeps piling up for the North Coast’s beleaguered fishing industry. Crab season was delayed yet again this winter, and now salmon season may be canceled entirely for the second consecutive year. Even a hopeful development — the ongoing removal of four obsolete hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River — turned sour when as many as 830,000 hatchery fish died within days after being released in the Klamath, apparently because of high water pressure inside a bypass tunnel at Iron Gate Dam. Commercial and sport fishing have supported families in Bodega Bay, Fort Bragg and other North Coast towns for generations. “The identity of Bodega Bay is fishing,” Dick Ogg, a local skipper and president of the Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Marketing Association, told the editorial board. “The town itself, that is what we are, fishermen.” more, >>click to read<< 07:01
FFAW pleads with fisheries minister to open market, arguing harvest too much for local processors
The Fish, Food & Allied Workers union (FFAW) formally urged Fisheries Minister Elvis Loveless to open the fisheries to outside buyers in a letter on Friday, following a week of intensifying protests from harvesters. The letter is a response to Loveless’s own letter from Thursday evening, in which he requested a plan from the union that would guarantee the jobs of all FFAW members, harvesters, and fish plant workers if the market opens. “Any decision to allow outside buyers must consider the impacts on all partners in the seafood industry, and particularly on fish plant workers,” Loveless says in his letter, adding that if such a plan is presented by the FFAW, the government will consider opening the market to outside buyers for snow crab. more, >>click to read<< 19:38
Western Flyer Restoration: The John Steinbeck fishing seiner
Built in Tacoma, Washington, the state-of-the-art seiner was launched from Western Boat Building Company in 1937, destined for the sardine trade of Monterey, California. Builder and shipyard owner, Martin Petrich Sr, specialized in sturdy vessels. For Western Flyer, he used a single, 64ft piece of old-growth fir for the keel; ribs were white oak; fir planks steamed, fitted, and caulked with cotton. The boat’s strength was offset by a graceful sheer and jaunty wheelhouse. In early 1940, scientist Ed Ricketts and author John Steinbeck combed the Monterey waterfront for a vessel that would carry them, along with a small crew and makeshift biology lab, on a scientific research mission to Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. No one was willing until Western Flyer tied to the pier and her captain, Tony Berry, agreed. 12 Photos, more, >>click to read<< 15:37
Mass. Lobstmen Win Case Fighting Feds’ Fishing Closure
A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Thursday that the National Marine Fisheries Service illegally closed a 200-square-mile swath of ocean to protect the endangered North Atlantic Right Whales, backing a legal challenge by a lobster fishing industry group. In a ruling from the bench, U.S. District Judge William G. Young said the agency’s permanent seasonal closure of the so-called wedge area to lobster fishing in February 2023 to avoid whale entanglements with fishing gear was contrary to a federal budget law passed the previous December that hit pause on new regulations for the lobster industry until the end of 2028. “This court is convinced that the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 is clear on its face, and it clearly applies to bar the final wedge closure rule,” Judge Young said. more, >>click to read<< 12:35
Feds announce areas where offshore wind can go in Gulf of Maine
Federal regulators have made a final designation of roughly 2 million acres in the Gulf of Maine where offshore wind turbines can be deployed to help provide power to New England. The boundary set by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management does not include any part of the federal lobster management area 1. That fishing area extends from state waters about three miles offshore to about 40 miles. The closest the designated federal wind energy area comes to Maine’s coast is just outside the fishing zone. The Maine Lobstermen’s Association said Friday that it appreciates that the fishing zone is excluded from the wind area approved by BOEM. But it said that it remains “steadfast” in its position that industrial wind power development does not belong anywhere in the Gulf of Maine. more, >>click to read<< 12:39
Federal Council Announces California Ocean Salmon Season Alternatives for 2024
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has produced three options for ocean salmon seasons beginning May 16, 2024. Two of the three alternatives would authorize short ocean salmon season dates and establish small harvest limits for commercial and sport fishing off California in 2024. The third alternative would close the ocean fisheries off California for a second consecutive year. The alternatives were approved by the PFMC for public review Monday. Meanwhile, abundance of Klamath River Fall Chinook is forecast at 180,700 adults. At this level of abundance, the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan authorizes only low levels of fishing on these stocks, and requires management be designed to allow most of the adult population to return to the river to spawn. links, more, >>click to read<< 11:11
Ocean Choice sells Nova Scotia offshore scallop quota
Ocean Choice International has sold its offshore Nova Scotia scallop quotas to three Nova Scotia companies with a long history harvesting sea scallops off the coast of Nova Scotia – Mersey Seafoods Limited, LaHave Seafoods Limited and Comeau’s Sea Foods Limited. ‘We are committed to sustainably growing our place in the fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador; and this decision supports our investment and growth in our business and the fishing industry here at home,’ said Ocean Choice CEO Martin Sullivan. As part of the agreement, Ocean Choice is also acquiring Newfoundland and Labrador offshore quota for Greenland halibut and northern cod from Mersey, and Greenland halibut, northern cod and redfish from LaHave, further strengthening the company’s Newfoundland- and Labrador-based business. more, >>click to read<< 10:21
Southeast Texas shrimpers concerned for collapse of shrimping industry
An association that represents Port Arthur’s shrimpers is concerned that imports of farm grown shrimp could collapse the local shrimping industry. In the last 18 months, southeast Texas shrimpers have docked their boats due to the now unaffordable costs of fishing. “The prices that they’re getting at the dock are more like $0.75 as opposed to $2.50 or $3 a pound which they were getting only 18 months ago,” says Father Sinclair Oubre, the treasurer for the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association. Video, more, >>click to read<< 08:29
Garibaldi – Home of World-Class Dungeness Crab Thanks to Experienced, Professional Commercial Fishing Fleet
Did you know that Garibaldi, Oregon produces some of the best Dungeness crab? This small-town port has taken advantage of its close proximity to the ocean by employing new techniques and using smaller boats to earn the honor of having the lowest Dungeness crab dead loss of any port, anywhere. Experts from around the world have come to Garibaldi to see how they manage it. Dead loss is the almost inevitable result of fishing; some crabs tend to die on the boat before getting to port. Reducing this is good for the fishery and good for the boat. photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:43
Federal judge to rule on reduction in trawler halibut bycatch
A U.S. District court judge is expected to issue a decision this spring on a lawsuit filed by the Groundfish Forum challenging a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) decision setting abundance-based limits on halibut bycatch in the Amendment 80 Bering Sea trawl fishery. The Groundfish Forum, based in Seattle, filed its complaint with the U.S. District Court in Anchorage on Dec. 19, challenging the new halibut bycatch rules that were first adopted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and subsequently approved by NMFS. On Feb. 29, the Halibut Defense Alliance intervened on the side of NMFS over concerns about the number of halibut taken as bycatch by Amendment 80 vessels in the Bering Sea, saying the limits on halibut bycatch would ensure more equitable access to halibut fisheries. The alliance is a broad coalition of commercial harvesters, charter operators, processors and community organizations representing halibut-dependent communities in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. more, >>click to read<< 19:52
Crab grab nets federal conviction
A Tangier man pleaded guilty today to overharvesting Chesapeake Blue Crabs in Virginia waters and selling them in Maryland in violation of the Lacey Act. According to court documents, between March 20, 2023, to April 20, 2023, James Warren Eskridge, 45, exceeded the maximum harvest and sale of blue crabs to a seafood buyer on 16 occasions. Chesapeake Blue Crabs are the most valuable fishery in the Chesapeake Bay and, as such, those fishing blue crabs are subject to strict limits by law. At the time of Eskridge’s violations, Virginia permitted licensed commercial crabbers to harvest up to 27 bushels of blue crab per day, regardless of the number of licenses crabbers present on a single vessel. Eskridge operated the fishing vessel Rebecca Jean II with two mates out of Tangier Island, Virginia. On April 11, 2023, law enforcement observed Eskridge and his mates offload 60 bushels – more than double the Virginia limit – in Crisfield, Maryland. On April 11, 2023, Eskridge and his mates returned to Crisfield and offloaded 56 bushels. On April 13, 2023, they returned again and offloaded 58 bushels more. more, >>click to read<< 16:36
FFAW Calls for Drastic Changes to Provincial Processing Licensing Amid Harvester Protests in St. John’s
ST. JOHN’S, NL – FFAW-Unifor is calling on the provincial government to listen to protesting fish harvesters by lifting all processing caps in the province, grant new processing licenses, and remove restrictions on outside buyers. “Fish harvesters in our province have been disadvantaged long enough. The situation has gotten so severe in recent years that a very large number are now facing imminent bankruptcy due to the cartel-like environment processing companies enjoy here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” explains Greg Pretty, FFAW-Unifor. “When fish harvesters cannot find a buyer for their catch – we have a serious problem. This province cannot have a thriving fishery if fish harvesters are not succeeding, and the current wall of opposition they face makes success unattainable,” Pretty says. more, >>click to read<< 15:01
Key FFAW rep steps down amid ongoing crab price formula negotiations
A key negotiator for the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union has stepped down amid ongoing tense and highly anticipated crab price formula negotiations between the harvesters’ union and the Association of Seafood Producers. As first reported, FFAW negotiator Jake Rice has resigned. The news was flagged in a Facebook post in a fishery group by harvester Jason Sullivan. Sullivan wrote FFAW secretary treasurer Jason Spingle is likely to take the reins. For weeks they’ve stood on the steps in front of Confederation Building and flooded the public gallery of the House of Assembly to voice their concerns over the handling of the fishery, now just weeks away from the start of crab season. Harvesters are calling for an open market — the ability to take their catch, regardless of species, to whichever buyer will take the product, whether that be within the province or outside it. more, >>click to read<< 13:30
Oregon congressional members ask feds for more comment time on offshore wind energy sites
Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, all Democrats, said residents need more time according to input they’ve received. In a letter on Tuesday, they asked the agency’s director, Elizabeth Klein, to extend the comment period to give Oregonians who would be affected by the offshore sites a chance to fully engage in the process. “Tribes, the fishing community and others throughout Oregon’s coastal communities are currently working to develop comments that will 
inform the environmental assessment for the wind energy areas, including impacts to the ocean ecosystem, environment, fisheries, viewsheds and other important resources,” they said. The sites are part of the Biden administration’s plan to build up 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, with a total of 30 gigawatts deployed by 2030. more, >>click to read<< 12:01
Made in Maine: a smoked pollock dip that benefits Maine’s fishing community
A partnership between the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and Dunstan Smokehouse is putting a sustainable and under-utilized Maine-caught fish on more dinner tables. Smoked pollock is the star ingredient of a new dip available on retail shelves from Scarborough to Brunswick. “Pollock is a delicious fish, and certainly under-utilized,” Jim Hartley, the owner/operator of Dunstan Smokehouse where the dip is made. “Haddock is a little prettier.” “We came up with a really neat recipe that we thought was delicious based on a Scottish Finnan haddie recipe.” Vlideo, more, >click to read<< 10:40
The Future of Florida’s Commercial Fishing Industry Summit 2024
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management is hosting a commercial fishing industry summit called The Future of Florida’s Commercial Fisheries on May 21–22, 2024, in St. Augustine, Florida. We are honored to bring together those individuals and companies providing the world’s finest shrimp, crabs, lobsters, and finfish throughout the globe: the men and women of Florida’s commercial fishing industry! This summit will provide fishermen, dock owners, dealers, and other related businesses an opportunity to network, gain information, and collaboratively envision what Florida’s commercial industry will look like in 5 to 10 years. 09:48
Late ‘Wicked Tuna’ captain’s family, friends request support for jetty project instead of flowers
Following the recent loss of two local fishermen around the dangerous Oregon Inlet, grassroots efforts are underway to revitalize the controversial jetty project that the federal government shut down over two decades ago. “In lieu of flowers, the family requests your support in establishing a jetty project for Oregon Inlet,” states the online obituary for Charles “Charlie” Marshall Griffin, also known as “Grif.” The 62-year-old, famed boat captain from Nags Head appeared on “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks,” a National Geographic reality TV series. Chad Dunn, 36, of Wanchese, remains missing after being onboard during the same voyage, and the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for him the evening of March 5. Both Griffin and Dunn were well-respected watermen who had crossed the inlet countless times, their peers told state legislators as they shared frustration with the lack of dredging due to permitting red tape at a meeting in Manteo last Wednesday. more, >>click to read<< 08:47
Warming waters send Gaspé’s northern shrimp stock plummeting, spelling trouble for Quebec fishermen
Every year, Fourchette Bleue, which promotes what it calls “under-exploited” marine species in the St. Lawrence for consumption, releases a list of recommended sustainable seafood products for consumers. Toad crabs, oysters and green sea urchins all made the cut this year, but for the first time, the northern shrimp did not. That’s because stocks of the shrimp have taken a major dive in recent years, causing concern in the local fishing industry as Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) floats the idea of potentially closing fisheries in the near future. more, >>click to read<< 07:28
Newfoundland capelin out of ‘critical zone,’ but not because there are more fish
Scientists say they no longer consider the capelin off Newfoundland’s east coast to be in the critical zone, but it’s not because there are more fish. Federal Fisheries Department scientists say they’ve adjusted the benchmark for the critical zone designation, which is used for fish stocks struggling to recover. The adjustment follows a similar decision last year to adjust the critical zone benchmark for the region’s cod stocks. The shimmery sardine-sized pelagic fish are an important food source for cod, and scientists say the coinciding adjustments reflect cod’s dependence on capelin. more, >>click ti read<< 18:55
Lobster prices hit record high in southwest N.S.
A record high for lobster prices in southwestern Nova Scotia. It’s going for about 19 dollars a pound on the wharf. It’s a great price for captains, but catches are reportedly down this year. Dan Fleck with the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association says the price is great, but they have to consider the market. “Will some restaurants or buyers in overseas markets take lobster off their menu because it’s being priced out of range? That’s something that’s being dealt with,” said Fleck. more, >> click to read<< 14:28
BOF declines to lower hatchery production levels
A proposal to lower hatchery production to its 2000 level went down in defeat at the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting on Monday, March 4 in a 1-6 vote, after the majority of the board concluded that hatchery raised salmon were not causing undue harm to wild stocks. The decision came after extensive testimony, mostly from fishing industry activists opposed to Proposal 43, which was offered by the Fairbanks Advisory Committee to the Board of Fisheries. The board also took testimony at its Lower Cook Inlet meeting in Homer Nov. 26 through Dec. 1, but postponed any action until its Upper Cook Inlet meeting, from Feb. 23 through March 5 in Anchorage. more, >>click to read<< 13:09
For a 2nd day, harvesters call on N.L. government to open market to outside buyers
For a second day in a row, fish and crab harvesters voiced their grievances at a Newfoundland and Labrador government building over constraints imposed on their catches. On Wednesday morning, harvesters congregated at the parking lot of the provincial government’s Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture building, also known as the Petten Building, located on Strawberry Road in St. John’s. They blocked the entrance, preventing employees from entering. John Efford, a harvester who was part of the protest, said they were gathered to reiterate their message from the previous day. He said companies have taken advantage of government policies “to create a cartel and collude to control the fishery” and that the government could change that policy and fix the situation. Photos, Video, more, >>click to read<< 11:28
