Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
The Complete Guide to Dungeness Crab, where to source, how to break it down, and what utensils you’ll need
Dungeness are cold-water crabs, 7 to 9 inches in width, and 1 1/2 to 2 pounds in weight, found off the coasts of Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, with the San Francisco Bay Area being a singular hotbed for Dungeness lovers, writes F&W assistant food editor Andee Gosnell. They’re prized for their flaky, sweet, juicy meat. Historically, Dungeness crab season started at the beginning of November and lasted through June. In recent years, environmental stressors and the conservation policies to address them have led to a delayed start and early end to the season. The 2023 season is expected to start in mid-December. If you can’t find Dungeness crab, substitute lump crabmeat. Video, photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:44
Maine Fishermen’s Forum Awards $52,000.00 in Scholarships to Children from Maine Fishing Families
The Maine Fishermen’s Forum is pleased to announce that $52,000 in scholarships was awarded to children from Maine fishing industry families at the 49th annual Forum event held from February 29-March 2, 2024. Two scholarships were funded by an anonymous donation in the amount of $16,000, and a record breaking $36,000 was raised from a silent and live auction, along with other cash contributions. Senator Angus King drew the names of two lucky winners, Leighia Gray of Deer Isle, and Lake Lindelof of Islesboro who each received $8000.00. All other applicants received a $1500.00 award. Forum President Hank Soule said, “We’re truly grateful for the generosity of all those who contributed to our annual scholarship fund, and we’re delighted to make these awards to children from Maine fishing families”. For more information about the Maine Fishermen’s Forum and its Scholarship Fund, please visit https://mainefishermensforum.org/education/scholarships/ 08:07
Lifeboats and helicopter race to rescue mission off west Wales coast
Four lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter were involved in a mercy mission to a stricken fishing vessel off the west Wales coast yesterday (Friday, March 8). The five-hour operation coordinated by Milford Haven Coastguard, got underway shortly before midday when the Irish fishing vessel, the Shauna Leon, reported she was taking on water. The Wexford-registered boat, with five people on board, was 24 nautical miles north-west of Strumble Head, Fishguard. photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:53
Construction Worker/Commercial Fisherman David Earl Finifrock Jr. of Washington State, has passed away
Earl Finifrock Jr., born May 1,1966 in Ogden, Utah to father, David Finifrock Sr., currently of Tracyton, Washington and mother Cynthia Finifrock currently of Gig Harbor, Washington, passed away from a massive heart attack on Friday, February 16, 2024, at a construction site he was working on in Key Center, Washington. David was also a successful commercial fisherman, spending most summers for the past several years on his 50′ trawler, the “Sea Queen”, in the waters near Wrangell, Alaska, fishing for salmon. Most people who knew David would describe him as a good and honest friend, nephew, and cousin, a great craftsman, a wonderful son to his parents, and generally “one of the best guys you would ever want to know”. more, >>click to read<< 20:39
On Sunday The Fleet Will Be Blessed
St. Raphael’s will hold its regular Sunday Service at 10 AM at the Erickson and Jensen Shrimp docks (1100 Shrimpboat Lane off Main Street). The Blessing Service will take place at 11 AM. This is a short service of prayers, songs, and readings followed by the Blessing of the Fleet where Reverend Rowe will walk along the docks and personally bless each boat. After the Blessing, St. Raphael’s will be serving its famous peel and eat shrimp. Thank you to Ellie Bunting from the Estero Island Historical Society for sharing these 2 classic photos. more, >>click to read<< 17:35
Fisherman drowned after being dragged overboard by ‘chain weight’
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) concluded their fatal accident inquiry into the death of John Wilson who died almost three years ago. The inquiry found that the 64-year-old, who lived in St Abbs, was pulled overboard after his foot became entangled in a chain weight on August 28, 2021. Mr. Wilson was on board his boat the Harriet J near Meikle Poo Craig when the incident happened. Following the inquiry, the Sheriff recommended that crew members of single person operated fishing vessels should wear Personal Locator Beacons and Personal Floatation Devices at all times whilst at sea. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 14:38
Young Donegal Fisherwoman Pleads for Future of Family Business
One of Donegal’s youngest fishers has criticized the Marine Minister for not doing enough to protect the inshore industry. Arranmore islander Muireann Kavanagh, aged 14, fishes pollack with lines alongside her father and uncles. The young fisherwoman was so stunned by a zero-catch scenario recommended to rebuild pollack stock that she wrote a personal letter to Minister Charlie McConalogue. She writes: “I fish and help maintain a boat my grandfather built by himself and his friends on Arranmore Island. This boat has provided a living for my uncles, my grandfather and my grand uncle. Over the last number of years this boat has been denied her heritage. There is no way that this boat or any of the remaining boats on the Island have destroyed the fish stocks.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 11:44
Climate change risk low to moderate for billion-dollar Nova Scotia lobster fishery, study says
According to a new climate change vulnerability assessment of the billion-dollar Nova Scotia lobster fishery, warming temperatures over the next three decades pose a low to moderate risk for lobsters. “The cumulative outcome suggests that the provincial lobster fishery is largely not at high risk,” says the Centre for Applied Marine Research (CMAR). The provincial government agency undertook the assessment as part of adaptation planning for a key industry. Seafood is Nova Scotia’s largest export with lobster accounting for nearly two thirds of landed value. Seafood landings were valued at $1.65 billion in 2021 more, >>click to read<< 10:38
Leading Alaska legislators propose task force to help rescue a seafood industry ‘in a tailspin’
Russian fish flooding global markets and other economic forces beyond the state’s border have created dire conditions for Alaska’s seafood industry. Now key legislators are seeking to establish a task force to come up with some responses to the low prices, lost market share, lost jobs and lost income being suffered by fishers, fishing companies and fishing-related communities. The measure, Senate Concurrent Resolution 10, was introduced on March 1 and is sponsored by the Senate Finance Committee. “Alaska’s seafood industry is in a tailspin from facing unprecedented challenges,” said the measure’s sponsor statement issued by the committee’s co-chairs: Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka; Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel; and Sen. Donny Olson, D-Golovin. The measure is also being promoted by Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak. more, >>click to read<< 09:55
Saint Helena seafood company recalls landing a role in ‘Forrest Gump,’ still has receipts
In the fall of 1993, a film crew in search of shrimp pulled up to a seafood market on the island’s northeastern edge. They would need about 4,000 pounds, they told Gay Seafood Co. co-owner Charles Gay. Paramount Pictures would pay the bill. “We can do that,” Gay said. The production team bought just over 6,000 pounds in total for the making of “Forrest Gump.” Thirty years later, the film is cemented as an American classic, and Gay still has the receipts that prove Gay Fish Co.’s role in its production. more, >>click to read<< 08:41
‘We cannot fish in a wind farm’: Local fishermen file lawsuit over offshore wind project
Many people in Morro Bay have mixed feelings about a planned offshore wind project. Now, a lawsuit has been filed. The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization and the Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman’s Association claim some rules and regulations related to the project have not been followed. The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization was incorporated in 1972 and has around 100 members. “We’ve been here for a while and we’ve got an incredibly good reputation in all of those years, and we are very proud of it,” said Jeremiah O’Brien, Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization Vice President. more, >>click to read<< 06:52
Sixteen Mainers Win a Chance to Enter Lucrative Elver Fishery
The Maine Department of Marine Resources has awarded the right to apply for an elver license to sixteen Mainers who were among more than 4,500 who entered a license lottery held by the department. Maine’s elver fishery continues to be one of Maine’s most lucrative, with a per pound value of $2,009 last year, which generated more than $19 million for fishermen. As was the case in 2022, each new license holder will receive four pounds of quota, which is made available from individual quota associated with licenses that were not renewed. They will each be authorized to choose either a dip net or a fyke net for harvesting. The lottery winners are,,, The Department has notified the winners, who have thirty days to apply for a license. This year’s elver season begins at noon on March 22 and goes until noon on June 7. more, >>click to read<< 15:41
Whale not seen in 200 years spotted in New England waters, scientists say
A gray whale that hasn’t been seen in 200 years has been spotted off the coast of Massachusetts, according to officials with the New England Aquarium. Aquarium scientists said the whale was seen on March 1 while they were flying over the ocean 30 miles south of Nantucket. Orla O’Brien is the associate research scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. She said seeing the whale was completely unexpected. “I didn’t want to say out loud what it was, because it seemed crazy,” she said. more, >>click to read<< 13:10
Federal trial starts for five fishermen accused of multi-year scheme
The jury trial of five people charged with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records began Thursday, March 7. The trial is expected to last nine days in the U.S. District Court in Portland. The jury was selected this week. Opening statements were scheduled to start March 7. The five defendants — who have pleaded not guilty — are Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; and Western Sea, Inc. Other defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. more, >>click to read<< 11:31
Retired Commercial Fisherman James Richard “Jim” Frederick of Anacortes, Washington, has passed away
On Feb 25, 2024 Jim passed away peacefully at home with his wife Dorothy and son Jim Jr. at his side. He was born in 1933 in Michigan to become a lifelong fisherman. He and Dorothy married in 1953, when he was at Fr. Bragg in the 82nd Airborne Div. After his honorable discharge, with wife and son in tow, he left for Washington in 1960 in search of bigger fish, to which he dedicated his life and almost only topic of conversation. He retired from commercial fishing at age 78 (his call sign was affectionately known as “Grumpy”) and turned his attention to sport fishing and added another layer to his preferred topic of conversation. He will be sorely missed in this household. more, >>click to read<< 09:34
Louisiana shrimpers forced to gamble their livelihood to stay in the industry
Craig Theriot looks out at the Gulf of Mexico as his boat is fueled up. It’s the waters he’s worked his entire life. If anything breaks in the next 10 days, he’ll never be able to work her waters again.”I’m leaving tomorrow. I don’t make much money, but it’s a check,” Theriot said Feb. 27. “Hopefully we don’t have a breakdown, ‘cuz if we get a breakdown, I’m done. You can put me on the shelf.” The life and work that he loves is in jeopardy, more now than any other year. Boats are being sold, and processors are closing their doors, all because of the record low prices. Imports are driving the American shrimper out of the market, and Theriot doesn’t want to give it up waiting and watching his savings dwindle. He’d rather go out working. more, >>click to read<< 08:20
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse backed laws to benefit wife’s company and their ‘financial interests’: ethics complaint
Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a crusader for new ethics guidelines at the Supreme Court, was himself hit with an ethics complaint last month after backing two dozen pieces of legislation that have benefited his wife’s environmental consulting company. Whitehouse, 68, has been dogged by ethics questions since his first years in the Senate, when he secured a $22 million federal grant for an offshore wind company, Deepwater Wind, that had hired his wife as a “permitting consultant,” the complaint states, citing contemporaneous reports from local Rhode Island outlets. Sandra Thornton Whitehouse is currently the president of Newport, RI-based, for-profit consulting firm Ocean Wonks, LLC, raking in millions of dollars for her work with non-profit clients that profited from her husband’s legislative activity. Video, photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:42
‘It’s really scary’: The existential crisis of a Bay Area crabber
On a cloudy January evening, just as the sun lowered in the sky creating a sliver of orange along the horizon, John Mellor pulled his boat into the dock at Fisherman’s Wharf. Mellor’s 40-foot boat has been out at sea for more than 30 hours. There is a sense of excitement and anticipation as two crew members lift a cover, unveiling thousands of crabs in a container. Bucket by bucket, clawing crustaceans are weighed on a giant scale. The haul is a good one, and the success of each outing has become more crucial since the Dungeness crab season is half as long as it used to be. He waited through several anxious months of delays for the season to start. Mellor, 60, grew up in Oakland and began fishing as a teen. He is one of a few hundred commercial Dungeness crabbers in the state who have reluctantly adapted to shorter crabbing seasons. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 16:44
Lobster prices at the wharf hit $18 a pound in Nova Scotia
Low catches, low inventory and strong demand are driving the price increase in lobster fishing areas from Halifax to Digby. “It’s surprising, I don’t think anyone expected $18 a pound when the season opened,” said Heather Mulock of the Coldwater Lobster Association, which represents lobster fishermen in southwest Nova Scotia. “There were not a lot of catches and that is reflected in the price.” In Halifax, Sobeys is selling live lobster for $18.99 a pound. Buyer Stewart Lamont of Tangier Lobster fears the high price could bump the crustacean off restaurant menus. more, >>click to read<< 14:32
Fisherman told to either drop DFO complaint of controlling agreement or risk losing home
An inshore fisherman from La Scie whose commercial fishing enterprise is being seized by a receiver for the bank has been given until this Thursday, March 7th, to either retract a recent declaration to DFO that he was in an illegal controlling agreement, or risk losing his home. “No fisherman should be put in that impossible position,” says inshore fisheries advocate Ryan Cleary. “It’s the latest example of how the entire system works against the inshore fleet.” Jimmy Lee Foss purchased the F/V Ocean Surfer II and a suite of commercial licences (including snow crab and shrimp) in April 2022 with a $3.8-million loan from the CIBC. According to Foss, the deal was arranged and co-signed by local fish processor Robin Quinlan of Quinlan Brothers Ltd. more, >>click to read<< 11:32Santa Barbara Commercial Lobster Fisherman Convicted for Abandoning Traps
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced the successful prosecution and conviction of a Santa Barbara commercial lobster fisherman on a multitude of commercial lobster fishing violations. Christopher Miller, 67, of Los Alamos, was recently convicted in Santa Barbara Superior Court. Miller pled guilty to falsifying commercial fishing records, harvesting lobster out of season, then abandoning at least 156 commercial lobster traps around Santa Cruz Island and the Santa Barbara Harbor. It was Miller’s third commercial lobster poaching conviction since 2014. After closure of the 2021-22 commercial lobster season, and after being ordered to remove his lobster traps by CDFW wildlife officers, Miller failed to retrieve any of his traps from state waters. more, >>click to read<< 09:48
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 57′ Fiberglass Scalloper, 350 HP Cummins
To review specifications, information, and 26 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 08:46
Large southern rock lobsters from Beachport fetch up to $500 each as SA fisher celebrates catch
In the past, giant lobsters sold for less than their smaller counterparts because their taste was considered inferior — but that has changed. South Australian fisher Craig “Slim” Reilly recently caught rock lobsters that fetched up to $500 each, including one that weighed close to five kilograms. The three-decade industry veteran said they did not come much bigger than that. “One of the biggest [I’ve caught] for sure,” Mr Reilly said. The cray, caught in January in shallow water near Beachport, weighed 4.85kg. Mr Reilly guessed it was at least 30 years old. He said bigger lobsters used to sell for less per kilogram than their smaller counterparts, but that was no longer the case. Video, more, >>click to read<< 07:51
U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater off Oregon Inlet
The Coast Guard says they have suspended the search for a missing boater off of Oregon Inlet on North Carolina’s Outer. The Coast Guard found 65-year-old Captain Charlie Griffin of Wanchese dead after a boat heading to the Outer Banks was reported as overdue on Sunday. 36-year-old Chad Dunn remained missing Tuesday night when the Coast Guard suspended the search. more, >>click to read<< 06:11
Scots fishers feeling chipper over more haddock
Scots fishers have access to more haddock, the mainstay of fish suppers north of the border, following an international deal on quotas. It remains to be seen whether it will mean cheaper fish and chips. But more haddock is undoubtedly a boost for the supply chain, including fish friers. The agreement between the UK and Faroe was today hailed as the “final piece of the jigsaw” for the Scottish catch sector in 2024. Britain secured a total of more than 2,200 tonnes of extra fish quota in the bilateral talks. Scottish fishing vessels, including many based in the north-east, now have greater access to several key stocks. According to the UK Government, it is another example of what can be achieved from “post-Brexit freedoms”. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 16:27
Gifford Cooke, co-founder of Cooke Aquaculture, dies at 85
Gifford Cooke, who founded the now global seafood company Cooke Aquaculture from its humble beginnings in southwest New Brunswick, died on Sunday at 85. Cooke founded the company with his sons, Glenn and Michael, by setting up their first salmon farm at Kelly Cove in 1985, Cooke’s website says. They purchased their first hatchery in Oak Bay in 1989, and Cooke Aquaculture was established four years later. The company’s main brand, True North Salmon, has been used since 1994. Today, the company has nearly 13,000 employees and oversees a family of 13 brands, and Cooke Aquaculture remains based in New Brunswick. Premier Blaine Higgs released a statement on Monday to express his condolences, calling the locally-based company “a global success.” Photos, more, >>click to read<< 13:33
Maine Fishermen’s Forum Honors Cape Elizebeth Fire Department Water Extrication Team
During a special presentation at the 2024 Maine Fishermen’s Forum, the Cape Elizabeth Fire Department’s Water Extrication Team (WET) was recognized for its dramatic rescue of the crew from the Maine fishing vessel Tara Lynn II. In the early hours of January 13, 2024, a May Day call was broadcast from the Tara Lynn II, a 49- foot fishing trawler that had been wrecked on the rocks of Trundy Point in Cape Elizabeth, ME. Four people were trapped on board. more, >>click to read<< 10:41
Maine Lobstermen’s Association tallies its victories, future risks at annual meeting
“Every year, there is a new issue facing the industry,” Tristan Porter, president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), said as the trade organization opened its 70th annual meeting during the Maine Fishermen’s Forum on March 1. For lobstermen and the commercial lobster fishery, there are three big issues facing the industry: protecting North Atlantic right whales, maintaining a sustainable fishery and the federal leasing in the Gulf of Maine for floating offshore wind energy — plus the myriad of federal and state regulations and public hearings and, at times, lawsuits, that go with them. 8 photos, more, >>click to read<< 08:44
Awards 2023: Best Small Trawler – Copious – Macduff Ship design
This fine little ship will work for its experienced owners in the bleak, windy and cold waters to the north of Scotland. Macduff Ship Design knows those waters well and this very imaginative new trawler will work very safely, efficiently and effectively there. Magnificent! “The entire fishing operation was reviewed and analyzed. The layout of fishing operations, the positioning of the equipment, and the mechanization of a number of areas to avoid crew contact with gear was given a high priority to ensure maximum crew safety.” more, >>click to read<< 07:42
The 2024 Maine Lobster Boat Races Schedule Is Out
Dreaming of warmer days outside? I think we all are, especially when one yearly Maine tradition returns for another year. Well, here we are at the beginning of March, and the new schedule is here! What says summer is coming more than the 2024 Lobster Boat Races schedule? People from all around the state follow The Maine Lobster Boat Race Association up and down the coast. These races always draw a crowd, and the captains prove to grow bigger and bigger raft-ups every year. The yearly circuit starts in Boothbay and ends in Portland. Video’s, more, including the schedule, >>click to read<< 06:44
