Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
Maine fishermen look to rebuild higher after harbors took ‘a real beating’
Working waterfront property owners along the entire Maine coast witnessed destruction as extreme winds and storm surge flooded buildings, set some adrift and tore docks apart. Some already are planning to rebuild — with sturdier and maybe higher piers in mind as they consider the future — but it’s too early to tell how long it will take and how much it might cost. Commercial lobster docks where fishermen offload and sell their catch were damaged in Milbridge, Corea, Southwest Harbor, Stonington and New Harbor, to name a few places. photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:07
Kyle & Mallaig lifeboats launched to trawler hard aground at Kylerhea narrows
Kyle lifeboat Spirit of Fred. Olsen launched into a snowstorm at 5:48pm, and made best speed towards the vessel, arriving on scene at 6:00pm. On arrival the vessel was on the rocks and was listing slightly to port, however the 7 crew on board were all accounted for and uninjured. The UK Coastguard helicopter from Inverness arrived on scene, however at this point there was no danger to the crew so the helicopter was stood down and returned to base. The fishing vessel’s crew readied their life raft and got prepared to abandon the vessel should the boat capsize. The lifeboat could not get alongside the trawler but stood by to rescue any fishermen who entered the water. 2 photos, more >>click to read<< 19:00
Fall of the kings
The Seattle-area-based Wild Fish Conservancy has dropped a bomb on the Alaska commercial fishing industry with a petition to the federal government demanding it list the state’s Chinook salmon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Such a listing would almost certainly to lead to yet more restrictions on Chinook-directed fisheries, such as the troll fishery in Southeast Alaska and the drift gillnet fishery off the mouth of the Copper River, which has been found to intercept some Chinook bound for rivers in Southeast, British Columbia and the Lower 48. The number of those fish now caught in the Copper’s Chinook fishery is not large but appears to increase in years when ocean waters are warm which could present issues going forward. more, >>click to read<< 17:17
Major winter storm hits Juneau, sinking 3 docked boats
A prolonged winter storm is piling multiple feet of snow in some areas of Southeast Alaska, leading the National Weather Service to issue a winter prolonged winter storm and Petersburg. NWS described the storm as a “long duration snow event.”The snow is also contributing to dangerous conditions for harbored boats for Juneau and Petersburg. Docks & Harbors would like to remind all boat owners to make sure their vessels and structures are cleared of snow and all pumps are operating correctly, their boats are not taking on any water, and all mooring lines are secure,” Thatcher wrote. According to Juneau Harbormaster Matthew Creswell, heavy snow accumulation contributed to the sinking of three boats. Video, more, >>click to read<< 13:12
Contorting The Approval Process’: Biden Waived Taxpayer Safeguards To Get Wind Farm Built
A Massachusetts wind project, which recently became the first utility-scale offshore wind project to deliver electricity to the grid, wouldn’t have been financially viable if the Biden administration hadn’t intervened, according to internal documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. Federal officials with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) acknowledged in the unearthed communications shared with Fox News Digital that granting a waiver on development fees designed to safeguard taxpayers was “critical” for the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project. [emphasis, links added] BOEM ultimately waived the financial assurance for the decommissioning costs fee for the project in June 2021. “The more we dig into the details of the Vineyard Wind project the more concerning it becomes. more, >>click to read<< 11:48
Op-Ed: Engineering insights when building a trawler
Constructing a new factory trawler fishing vessel in the United States is not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Thinking back to an article written about 10 years ago, industry scholars predicted a boom in shipbuilding to replace the Alaskan fishing fleet. While naval architects, shipyards and equipment suppliers saw a boom in their immediate future, the renewal of the fishing fleet has barely begun. In fact, less than 5% of the fishing trawlers in the Alaskan fishery have been replaced. The refrigerated seawater (RSW) catcher fleet has seen one large conversion join the ranks. The Amendment 80 fleet has seen three new construction vessels, along with one sponsoning and one conversion project. The American Fisheries Act (AFA) fleet has seen one new-build project completed. Vessels in all three fleets have seen significant upgrades in this time, but the underlying hulls still date from the 1980s and 90s with some going back as far as the 1960s and 70s. more, >>click to read<< 10:16
Hundreds of jobs, industry stability at stake in pending Atlantic Canada fishery decision
The Trudeau government is poised to allocate fishing access to the massive redfish population in the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the end of the month, a highly anticipated decision generating both dread and hope throughout the industry in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Nova Scotia, which has the most to lose, is warning Ottawa that “hundreds of jobs” are at stake if it loses its long-standing share of the fishery. Now that the redfish population is estimated to weigh in at a whopping four million metric tonnes, Scotia Harvest and the other Nova Scotia operators are looking nervously at other provinces lobbying for access. Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador interests, to take one example, are lobbying for a piece of the action to compensate for a drastic reduction in shrimp quota for fleets in their province. more, >>click to read<< 09:06
Workers begin salvaging a fishing boat that wrecked in Saturday’s storm
The F/V Tara Lynn II will never float again. On Saturday, the ferocious storm battering the state’s coast drove the 50-foot fishing vessel onto the rocks at Trundy Point just after midnight. Grinding against an unmerciful ledge, the Terra Lynn II’s fiberglass belly shattered, scattering its engine, 500 gallons of diesel fuel and 5,000 pounds of fish all over the coast. Now, the cleanup is underway. Parker Poole and his company, Determination Marine, are in charge. Poole also heard the ship’s mayday call when it went out Saturday morning. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:50
Pilot describes ‘surreal’ rescue of 3 Halibut fishermen off N.S. coast
The pilot of a Canadian Armed Forces helicopter that rescued three fishermen from their burning boat in the Atlantic Ocean Sunday says the fishermen should be praised for the way they responded to the situation. “They got into a raft right away and made a radio distress call and brought the gear they needed,” said Capt. Evan Southern, who is based at 14 Wing Greenwood in the Annapolis Valley. Southern said he learned around 8:30 a.m. AT Sunday that a fishing boat around 110 kilometres off Nova Scotia’s South Shore was in flames, forcing the three halibut fishermen on board to get into a life raft. more, >>click to read<< 20:52
Fishing for Scallops When the Scallops Are Nearly All Dead
Mike Tehan pilots a fishing boat called Nibbles out of Shelter Island. An hour before sunrise on the first day of scallop season in November, as he unwound the ropes, started the outboard motor and piloted the 25-foot fiberglass boat from an island cove into the open waters of Peconic Bay, Mr. Tehan knew just what he’d find. “I didn’t come out here with big plans to get rich today,” he said. “You can’t say it’s depressing, because you already know. But you hope. “He bashed north against the waves, toward the protected bay off Orient, at the far northeast corner of Long Island. He dropped four rusty dredges into the water, just as the bay turned pink with sunrise. He let the outboard rumble the boat around for five minutes. Then he pulled the dredges back up and dumped the contents into a sorting tray. “Let’s see, we got seaweed, rocks, conch shells, lots of dead scallops and one good scallop,” he said, picking through the dreck with bright orange gloves. more, >>click to read<< 14:36
The boat belonging to a fisherman who fell overboard off the Coromandel Peninsula has been found.
Will Fransen, the owner of Betty Gee, was rescued on January 3 after spending nearly 24 hours in the water without a lifejacket. The boat was missing until today, when it was found at the Raukokore River mouth, south of Waihau Bay on East Cape. “The 12 metre long vessel was located today off East Cape. ” Fransen said he was hooked in a gimbal fishing harness with safety rails on the port and starboard side, which “enclosed” him, however he wasn’t wearing a lifejacket or Personal Locator Beacon when he was yanked off the boat while attempting to reel in a marlin. photos, more, >>click to read<< 12:54
Commercial Fishers Say Biden Admin’s ‘Ocean Justice’ Initiative Totally Ignores Their Concerns
The Biden Administration announced the “ocean justice” strategy in December 2023 during the United Nations (UN) climate summit, known as COP28, in order “to advance environmental justice for communities that rely on the ocean and Great Lakes for economic, cultural, spiritual, recreational and food security purposes.” However, several stakeholders in the commercial fishing industry who depend on the fruits of America’s waters to make a living and are therefore interested in sustainable use of the oceans, say that the administration is overlooking their concerns about how the oceans are managed, especially with regard to the administration’s extensive efforts to fast track industrial scale offshore wind. more, >>click to read<< 10:19
How the Boldt decision 50 years ago remade Pacific Northwest fishing
Louie Ungaro waited out the turn of the tide, when chum salmon — he hoped — would hit his net. Fishing here is his tradition, a practice and a way of life as old as his people, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.“Elliott Bay ain’t going nowhere, and neither are we,” said Ungaro, a member of the tribe’s council and lifelong hunter and fisher. Yet it took violent protests and a decision appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm their right to fish, explicitly stated in treaties signed by their ancestors nearly 170 years ago as settlers colonized the Pacific Northwest. The decision handed down by U.S. District Court Judge George Boldt 50 years ago next month was the result of sacrifices made by Native fishers and their families jailed and beaten while defending these rights. And yet now another threat looms over all they fought for: scarcity of the fish themselves. Photos, more, >>click to read< 08:53
Cornwall revealed as UK’s flagship for seafood economy
New figures have revealed Cornwall is home to more seafood restaurants than anywhere else in the country outside of London. According to an independent research report titled the True Value of Seafood to Cornwall, 16% of Cornwall’s table-service restaurants, not including fish and chip shops, specialise in seafood, which is the highest concentration in the UK outside the capital. Around 8,000 people in Cornwall work in seafood, according to the report, which means for every Cornish fisherman at sea there are 15 more jobs on shore, five of those are also linked to tourism. more, >>click to read<< 07:33
Houses burn as new volcanic eruption threatens Icelandic village
Houses caught fire after a new volcanic eruption sent smoke and lava spewing out near the Icelandic fishing port of Grindavik Sunday, just hours after villagers were evacuated to safety, authorities said. It was the North Atlantic nation’s fifth volcanic eruption in under three years. The most recent occurred just weeks ago on December 18 in the same region, southwest of the capital Reykjavik. “In a little village like this one, we’re like a family, we all know each other as family — it’s tragic seeing this,” local resident Sveinn Ari Gudjonsson told AFP. “It’s unreal, it’s like watching a film,” added the 55-year-old, who works in the fishing industry. 7 photos. more, >>click to read<< 15:48
No turning back: The largest dam removal in U.S. history begins
One hundred seventy-three feet high, with a 740-foot crest, Iron Gate Dam is an earth embankment dam with a skinny, many-fingered reservoir behind it. The lowering — or drawdown — of Iron Gate and two other reservoirs on the Klamath River will make way for the removal of three remaining hydroelectric dams that are part of the Lower Klamath Project in Northern California and southern Oregon. For decades, these barriers have blocked salmon, steelhead and Pacific lamprey from accessing habitat above them and contributed to poor water quality below. The Klamath River was once the third-largest salmon producer on the West Coast, but in the time since the dams were constructed, the Klamath’s coho and Chinook runs have dwindled to a fraction of their historic abundance. more, >>click to read<< 13:34
A group of herring fishermen may put a hook in the Biden Administration’s power
Even far out on the open water, where Bill Bright navigates his 140-foot fishing trawler in search of the Atlantic herring that school below the surface, the federal government always feels startlingly within reach. Bright and other captains alert regulators before they push off. A reporting system pings the boat’s location throughout the day. And sometimes Bright must bring a government mandated federal observer on board whose job is to collect data about the catch and ensure the rules are followed. Bright doesn’t mind those regulations. But he and his fellow fishermen are adamantly opposed to a 2020 federal rule that requires them to pay the salary of the observers they bring aboard – adding $700 a day to their costs. ”But this is not politics to me. This is about what’s right. This is about what’s right for our fishery.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 11:01
Admirers of nautical icon Anna hope to prevent her final bow
The Anna, a nautical icon beloved by its legion of fans, is on rocky ground after the owner of the 30-foot Block Island trawler expressed some interest in selling the boat, or at least parts of her.In early December, Ronald J. Trottier, owner of Anchor Marina, 583 E. Broadway St., where Anna has been “on the hard” for about two decades, tasked Marcie Travers-Barth with selling Anna. Tavers-Barth owns The Coal Docks Restaurant & Bar, across the street from the marina. The restaurant building itself is owned by Trottier, who is not involved in the establishment’s business or management. “The owner has asked that I put it up for sale and handle all offers,” 14 photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:45
Danish letter shows Charlie McConalogue was ‘hoodwinked’ in mackerel wars, say fishermen
Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue failed to take up an offer by Denmark to resolve a long-running row with Ireland over mackerel, which could have been worth almost €10m to the Irish fleet over two years. The offer, in a letter from Danish Minister for Fisheries Jacob Jensen, amounted to a transfer of 3,000 tonnes of mackerel to Ireland for two years, “without prejudice” to a long-term solution to the dispute. Instead, at December’s meeting of the Fisheries Council, Ireland appears to have been outmanoeuvred into accepting a permanent deal in Denmark’s favour, with a fraction of the share going to Ireland. more, >>click to read<< 08:14
Flooding smashes Maine’s coast, destroying historic buildings and forcing rescues
A massive Saturday storm brought record flooding and high winds to coastal Maine, destroying iconic fishing shacks along a South Portland beach and forcing rescues farther down the coast. Damage was heavy in the Portland area around the highest tide of the season around noon. Some of the biggest casualties were three fishing shacks that sat on Fisherman’s Point and had interior timbers that are more than 200 years old. They were washed away as the high tide came in around noon Saturday. Video, photos, >>click to read<< 07:22
Louisiana fishermen take their fight against coastal project to court
The $3 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion aims to mimic the river’s power to build land by channeling Mississippi River water into the bay. However, a lawsuit by fishing companies, fishermen and the Earth Island Institute argues the state’s largest coastal project would “introduce contaminants and hazardous materials” into Barataria Bay and “adversely affect human health” and other species. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, also claims the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bought into “largely unproven benefits” of pouring massive amounts of river water into the basin. The suit also names the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It argues the Corps violated federal laws in awarding a permit for the diversion, including the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act. more, >>click to read<< 17:11
Fishing vessel aground off coast of Cape Elizabeth
A fishing vessel ran aground early Saturday morning, just as a powerful storm system was arriving in Maine. A mayday call was issued shortly after midnight, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed with NEWS CENTER Maine, and the Cape Elizabeth Fire-Rescue was able to get to the scene by about 1:20 a.m. There was no information as of 11 a.m. whether any injuries were reported, and it was not clear yet why the crew was out in the storm at midnight. All four people onboard the Tera Lynn II, a 50-foot boat, were rescued by a skiff via a Water Extrication Team with the Cape Elizabeth Fire Department. more, >>click to read<< 12:52
Fishermen are gearing up for the Dungeness crab season to start next week
After months of delays, local fishermen will finally be allowed to fish for Dungeness crab off of the Central Coast. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the season will reopen on Jan. 18; however, fleets will only be allowed to use 50 percent of their traps. Meanwhile, those in the industry say the delays and restrictions are frustrating. “The last five years, we’ve been losing all our holiday markets. That means we have to go out in rougher weather,” said Chris Zajac, a Santa Cruz Dungeness crab fisherman. “We only get a month and a half to fish, whereas we used to get eight months to fish for crab,” Zajac said. Video, >>click to read<< 11:24
Missing fisherman’s body found in Fort Pierce Inlet days after disappearance
The body of a commercial fisherman who vanished earlier this week was recovered from the Fort Pierce Inlet near Jetty Park on Friday afternoon, deputies said. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Coast Guard recovered the body of Brian Ronshausen, 50. Ronshausen was last seen launching a small boat from Stan Blum Boat Ramp at about 11 p.m. Monday. Photos, >>click to read<< 10:14
Fishing vessel left to rot in Cornwall harbour at centre of debate
A fishing boat that has used a Cornish harbour for more than 20 years and been left to rot was at the centre of a debate around abandoned vessels. Cornwall Council said it was seeking to remove “live-aboard” vessel Karina Olsen from Penzance Harbour. It said the vessel was among a number of abandoned boats which need to be sold or demolished in Cornish ports. Maritime manager Chris Jones disputed one councillor’s claim they were “powerless” to pursue boat owners. more, >>click to read<< 09:22
Commercial Fisherman Thomas Woodrow “Tommy Derr” Johnson of North Carolina has passed away
Thomas Woodrow “Tommy Derr” Johnson, 80, crossed the sandbar on January 5th, 2023 at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville, NC after a short illness. Fishing was Tommy’s life. For nearly 70 years, he spent the majority of his time beach “seine” fishing with a truck & dory and whatever hands he could get. Of those hands, he spent many years teaching & passing along his knowledge and experience of his craft to many cousins, nieces, nephews and scallywags along the way. He also loved gillnet fishing in the Sound and crabbed & shrimped for fun with family recreationally. When not fishing for a living, he spent many a day hanging and mending nets, working on boats, gear or docks. Even well into his seventies , Tommy had dreams to go on one last fishing trip. more, >>click to read<< 08:15
Work on grounded fishing vessel continues after halting due to bad weather
Operations to remove the pollutants from the fishing vessel ‘Elke M’ that ran aground in St Francis Bay on January 6, resumed this morning, January 12, after being suspended late yesterday, January 11, due to bad weather. South African Maritime Safety Authority spokesperson, Tebogo Ramatjie said that yesterday a helicopter assisted in the transfer of equipment to the vessel, and the pumping of onboard fuel into 4 bulk IBC containers was completed. more, >>click to read<< 16:04
Cleary steps down from SEA-NL to focus on fishery Co-op
Ryan Cleary stepped down Thursday as Executive Director of SEA-NL, a non-profit association that advocates on behalf of licensed inshore enterprise owners, to focus his full attention on the formation of a new fisheries co-operative. “I remain as passionate about SEA-NL as the day Merv Wiseman and I started the organization and will continue as a tireless advocate for the inshore fleet, but my focus is drawn to the formation of a new fisheries co-operative,” said Cleary, who was hired as SEA-NL’s first Executive Director in February 2022. “The public can expect to hear as much or more from me on behalf of inshore enterprise owners.” Cleary said he hopes SEA-NL will continue its valuable advocacy role, and work hand-in-hand with the new co-operative to achieve the common goal of prosperous fisheries and rural communities. “The goals and objectives of SEA-NL and the future Co-op are the same, and I hope to work collaboratively to achieve them together,” said Cleary, who continues to work with Mr. Wiseman on development of the Co-op. “Full-steam ahead.”
Peter Pan’s King Cove plant will stay closed this winter as fishing industry turmoil spreads
In a major hit to Southwest Alaska’s fishing industry, Peter Pan Seafood Co. will keep its huge plant in the village of King Cove shuttered this winter, meaning that the company won’t be processing millions of dollars’ worth of cod, whitefish and crab. “It’s one of the most difficult days of my life,” Rodger May, one of the company’s owners and a longtime player in the seafood industry, said in a brief interview Thursday. “It’s just a devastating time for the industry.” The closure is the latest sign of the widening turmoil in Alaska seafood markets, which are contending with depressed global demand across many different species and intense competition from producers in Russia. more, >>click to read<< 13:39
Bomb found on Looe trawler moved and blown up safely
The alarm was raised in a Cornish harbour on Thursday after a suspected bomb was found on a fishing trawler, the Coastguard said. The Coastguard, police and the Royal Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal team were all called to Looe Harbour at about 12:45 GMT. It was taken out to sea to a location south of the Plymouth Breakwater. The navy said it was then made safe in a controlled underwater explosion. A team of Royal Navy divers from HMNB Devonport carried out the explosion on Friday afternoon. more, >>click to read<< 12:38
