Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
Kennedy welcomes USDA purchase of $36 million of shrimp to feed Louisiana families
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to purchase $36 million of shrimp to help alleviate food insecurity. The USDA made the purchase under the Agriculture Act of 1935, which provides for national food assistance during emergencies. “High inflation is hindering Americans’ ability to put food on the table, and many families are relying on national food assistance programs to get by. I’m thankful for the USDA’s purchase of $36 million of gulf shrimp, which will not only benefit Louisiana shrimpers, but will also help those in need during this holiday season,” said Kennedy. Link 09:43
18-month search for a Great Lakes shipwreck is the subject of the next DCMM speaker program
The mysterious disappearance of a commercial fishing boat in Lake Michigan, and the 18-month-long search that followed, is the topic of the next program in the Maritime Speaker Series offered by the Door County Maritime Museum. Brennan Christianson, the museum’s collections coordinator, will present “The Search for the Linda E.” Jan. 4 at the museum’s Sturgeon Bay location. The public can attend the program in person at the museum or see it online via Zoom. The Linda E. was a nearly 40-foot-long vessel designed to haul and set gill nets for commercial fishing, described as a typical Great Lakes commercial fishing boat by the Wisconsin Shipwrecks website. more, >>cick to read<< 07:55
Analysis of Northwest, other salmon hatcheries finds nearly all hurt wild salmon populations
For much of the last century, fish hatcheries have been built in the Northwest, across the U.S. and around the world to boost fish populations where wild numbers have gone down. But an analysis of more than 200 studies on hatcheries programs meant to boost salmonid numbers across the globe – including salmon, trout and whitefish – shows that nearly all have had negative impacts on the wild populations of those fish. Most commonly, hatchery fish reduced the genetic diversity of wild fish, leading to poor health and reproductive outcomes. The findings weigh into a sensitive topic with a big price tag. In the Northwest, hatcheries are supposed to be a solution to declining wild salmonid numbers, caused in large part by hydroelectric dams, overfishing, irrigation and climate change. In the Columbia River Basin alone, officials have spent billions of dollars on nearly 200 hatcheries as well as habitat restoration projects during the past 50 years to improve wild numbers, but research shows those programs are having an opposite effect. more, >>click to read<< 12:34
New fishery co-op partners with Dandy Dan
Organizers of a fishery co-operative being formed to represent inshore enterprise owners have agreed to a letter of intent with Dan Meade to sell fish to the Ship Harbour-based processor. Under terms of the agreement, a new fish processing company will be formed that will see the future co-op earn an equity stake in exchange for a pledge to sell at least two million pounds of snow crab a year to the business. “The letter of intent brings the inshore fleet a step closer to breaking itself free from the company cartel,” says co-op organizer/spokesman Ryan Cleary, Executive Director of SEA-NL. Meade sees the partnership as an historic opportunity to rebuild trust with inshore harvesters. “I want to be part of that rebuilding process.” more, >>click to read<< 08:49
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 44ft 11in Provincial Longliner Rod & Reel
To review specifications, information, and 30 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< o7: 55
William Deas: East Neuk fisherman who skippered Reaper dies at 98
William Coull Deas, the embodiment of the once-thriving Scottish herring fishing industry, has died aged 98. Born in Cellardyke, from the age of 13 he fished all over Britain following the herring shoals. His father was a fisherman and his mother was a herring quine. William, known as Coull or Coulli, saw service with the Royal Navy during the Second World War before becoming a shareholder of the East Neuk boat, Fruitful. In more recent years, Coull skippered Reaper, a 1902-built two-masted herring drifter which had been restored by the Scottish Fisheries Museum at Anstruther. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:04
Firefighters pull deceased male from harbor on Christmas Eve
The Gloucester Fire Department pulled a body from the Inner Harbor in the waters off Jodrey State Fish Pier on Parker Street on Christmas Eve. Fire Deputy Chief Phil Harvey confirmed firefighters removed a deceased person (a male) from the water around 12:14 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24, after a call came into the department for a person in the water. Harvey said they encountered a language barrier with the caller and the department dispatched its normal rescue response. When firefighters arrived, they found the victim and two firefighters pulled the male from the water in the vicinity of 11 Parker St., a large dockside commercial building on the State Fish Pier. more, >>click to read<< 16:20
Fishermen Feeding Mainers reaches one-million-meal milestone
Fresh Maine-caught fish for local families has filled food pantry coolers since October 2020, through Fishermen Feeding Mainers. Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) started the program late in 2020 during the COVID pandemic to support both hungry families and ground fleet fishermen whose earnings were hit when restaurants and other seafood buyers shut down. Since then, the Brunswick-based nonprofit’s arms have reached across Maine, serving more than one million meals to families through 250 food pantries and more than 30 school districts — and giving boots-on-the-ground backing to the notion that “Mainers always unite in difficult times,” in the words of Mary Hudson, director of fisheries programs at MCFA. more, >>click to read<< 12:46
Fishing foundation pushes back against electronic tracking
Three days before a federal electronic tracking requirement took effect for all lobster boats fishing in federal waters, the Sustainable Maine Fishing Foundation (SMFF), a nonprofit that shares headquarters on Bar Harbor Road with the Maine Lobstermen’s Union and Lobster 207, sent a letter through its attorneys to Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The Dec. 15 deadline to start using electronic “black box” tracking devices has come and gone, but the Foundation is busy raising funds for legal expenses, raising more than $46,000 in its first week toward a goal of $250,000. more, >>click to read<< 10:39
In St. John’s 150 years ago, a giant squid had its picture taken. That photo would ignite the world’s imagination
Before one remarkable moment in downtown St. John’s a century and a half ago, the giant squid lived only in the tall tales of sailors and fishermen. Then, thanks to a single photograph, the massive cephalopod immediately moved from the realm of fantasy to reality. And today “squid spirits” — as enthusiasts consider themselves — continue to marvel at the fact that there’s still so much mystery and awe around the creature 150 years later. “It was seminal. It pushed science’s understanding of giant squid ahead by leaps and bounds, and No. 1: it proved they were real,” says Jenny Higgins, a writer who works with the Maritime History Archive at Memorial University. This story starts in November 1873, when a group of fishermen in Logy Bay out on the water came across something much bigger than herring. Video,Images, photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:48
New Ring Netter Joins Newlyn Fleet
Built by G Smyth Boats in Kilkeel, new ring netter Inter-Nos PZ-46 made its delivery trip home to Newlyn to dock in its home port before Christmas. The Maxus Fast Cat has been designed and outfitted to fish for pilchards and is powered by a pair of Volvo Penta D8A5-A-MH main engines. The deck is laid out with a Spencer Carter 3000lb slave hauler with a MV500 motor and a Thistle Lift crane with a telescopic extension. more, >>click to read<< 08:31
Filmmaker Helgeland drew on his New Bedford fishing past for ‘Finestkind’
In a final scene of the film “Finestkind,” as the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge slowly pivots open, a father and son cross paths for what might be the last time. One is handcuffed in the back of a police van. The other is outward bound on a fishing trip. Most in New Bedford know the bridge as little more than a morning traffic jam. But for Brian Helgeland, the 62-year-old New Bedford-raised screenwriter who returned to his hometown to shoot his newest film, the bridge is a symbol of his childhood and his development as a writer. As a boy, Helgeland rode his bicycle over the bridge. As a young man working on scallop boats, he passed through the bridge as the first leg of a long voyage out to sea. And now, three decades later, the same bridge is also a set in his own film. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:45
CHRISTMAS CRACKER CREWS
Christmas was a time of conflict within Hull’s trawling industry. The clash was between love and money. Trawlermen loved to be at home over the festive season, living it up with their family and friends. The trawler owners, however, wanted their vessels at sea in order to land fish on the market for early January. The price of fish was always extremely high around 1 January, because all Scottish fishing ports were closed for the Hogmanay celebrations north of the border. The ships’ runners bore the brunt of this conflict of interests. They were employed to crew the ships (each firm had its own runner). It was a difficult job at the best of times, but especially during the run-up to Christmas. They did their job by fair means or foul. Different strategies were used to get the ships away. One was to sign men who had been on a ‘walkabout’ or were ‘blackballed’. A man who had been disciplined by the owners would be keen to ‘get shipped up’ and work his way back into the industry. Christmas was his best chance. Another devious method, when scraping the bottom of the barrel,,, photos, more, >>click to read<< 15:18
Euclid Fish Co. pledges to use 100 percent of Great Lakes fish caught
A Mentor-based company has made a commitment to increasing the value and usefulness of fish caught in the Great Lakes. Euclid Fish Co. has signed on to the “100 percent Great Lakes Fish Pledge,” publicly committing to using 100 percent of each commercially caught Great Lakes fish productively by 2025, according to a corporate news release. As part of the pledge, Euclid Fish will explore and implement innovative applications for fish byproducts including fertilizer, protein, marine collagen, leather and other new, high-value products. According to the release, the Great Lakes are home to a sizeable commercial fishery, but only the fillets of these fish are usually eaten while the remaining 60% of the fish is relegated to inexpensive animal feed or discarded. more, >>click to read<< 09:34
Bad weather? Rough seas? No problem for Florida fishermen looking for their money catch
When low pressure followed by a strong cold front crossed Florida with tropical-storm-like conditions this past week, you would think boat ramps would be completely empty. No one is crazy enough to head out when seas are calling for 6 to 10 feet, are they? But for generations of local families, these conditions are what is needed to start money rolling in as they head out to fill boats with one of the most commonly seen Florida fish. “Two of my buddies had two boatloads a day during this past front,” says angler Trever Flathman, who is a full-time commercial fisherman. A boatload could be 3,000 to 6,000 pounds depending on the size of the boat. What Flathman and others are looking for this time of year are roe mullet. Usually after Thanksgiving, mullet head offshore in giant schools to spawn. more, >>click to read<<08:12
Santa Claus is coming to town, and this tracking agency can tell you when!
The joint US-Canadian military monitoring agency has continued its decades-long tradition of tracking Santa’s whereabouts, helping children around the globe find out when his reindeer-powered, present-filled sleigh is coming to town. A 3-D, interactive website at www.noradsanta.org showed Santa and his reindeer on their imagined worldwide delivery route, allowing users to click and learn more about the various cities along the way. The Santa tracker presented by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) dates to 1955, when a Colorado newspaper advertisement printed a phone number to connect children with Santa but mistakenly directed them to the hotline for the military nerve center. more, >>click to read<< 13:51
Denmark pays out Brexit compensation
Compensation totaling DKK1.2 billion has been paid out to Danish fishing operators to mitigate the adverse effects of Brexit on the country’s fishing industry, including the loss of access to UK waters. The full payments have now been made within the EU deadline of 31st December 2023. Funding comes from the EU Brexit Reserve, of which the Danish share was roughly DKK2 billion. Of this, approximately DKK1272 million was allocated to the fishing sector and the local areas. The funds were distributed to different parts of the sector by political agreement between all Parliamentary parties in December 2021. more, >>click to read<< 09:38
A nostalgic memoir recounts a fishing life, from Southeast Alaska to Bristol Bay
As a teenager in 1964, the adventurous Upton lighted out from his east coast home to Iquique, “a small dusty town on the desert north coast of Chile” and signed on to work on a tuna boat for local wages. There, he met an old-timer who’d fished in Bristol Bay’s sailboat days and filled him with stories — stories he recounts in the book’s first pages. The hook was set. The young man found a boat headed to Seattle and then, like so many others at the time, walked the docks looking for a way north and “just by chance…stumbled into an epic Alaska fishing job: the shady skipper, the grumpy cook, the green deckhand, and the old Alaska salt as mate.” That mate, Mickey Hanson, to whom the book is dedicated, became his good friend and mentor. That summer Upton worked as the engineer on a salmon tender based out of Metlakatla, buying salmon all up and down the Inside Passage. more, >>click to read<< 07:42
Fishermen look to give back with warm chowder for Christmas
To give back to those without the luxury of a warm holiday season, a handful of fishermen headed to Portland to serve up some fresh-caught haddock chowder for the holiday weekend. Hosted by the New England Fishermen Stewardship Association, teamwork from about a dozen volunteers made it possible to create a mini-food drive for people living underneath the Casco Bay Bridge. “The association was created to bring all fishermen together all across New England and all different fisheries, and so we just kinda came up with the idea,” COO Dustin Delano said. Video, more, >>click to read<< 06:45
Coast Guard rescues six people from two disabled fishing vessels 70 miles east of Venice, La.
The Coast Guard rescued six people from two disabled fishing vessels Saturday approximately 70 miles east of Venice, Louisiana. Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders received a report from a good Samaritan Friday at approximately 6:30 p.m. of fishing vessel F/V Georgia P being disabled approximately 70 miles east of Venice, Louisiana. Fishing vessel Seahorse responded to the tow of fishing vessel Georgia P. During the tow, the Seahorse also became disabled. Due to the captain aboard the Seahorse not having enough medication to get through the night, degrading weather, and poor communications, all crew members aboard agreed to be removed from their vessels. more, >>click to read<< 20:34
David Rainer: Plash has ‘Gotta Go’ shrimping despite low prices
Doug Plash really can’t help himself, but you can blame it all on his roots. When he’s sitting at home on Plash Island on the banks of the Bon Secour River, the urge to head out in his boat and harvest the tasty crustaceans that are plentiful along Alabama’s Gulf Coast is overwhelming. “There’s a boat across the river named ‘I Gotta Go,’” Plash said in the wheelhouse of his shrimp boat named after his daughters, Melissa, Jennifer and Kristi. “I probably should have named my boat that.” Plash Island came into existence when the Intracoastal Canal was dug in the 1940s, separating the land that is surrounded by the Bon Secour River on the other sides. He is the fifth generation of Plashes to live on the island with his grandfathers buried on the island. One grandfather owned a freight company that used five schooners to haul beer from the Jax Brewery in New Orleans and hauled freight to Mobile. The semi-truck eventually left the schooners at the dock. photos, more, >>click to read<< 13:15
Executive order bars imports of Russian fish that is processed in other countries
Russian seafood will no longer be legally allowed in U.S. markets after it is processed in China, under an executive order issued Friday by President Joe Biden. The action seeks to close a loophole that the Russian seafood industry was able to use to skirt import sanctions put in place in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The ban is now extended to any seafood caught in Russian waters or by Russian-flagged vessels, “notwithstanding whether such products have been incorporated or substantially transformed into other products outside of the Russian Federation,” the executive order says. While the executive order affects other products, including alcoholic beverages and diamonds, it provides special relief to an Alaska seafood industry that has been struggling with competition from a flood of Russian fish, Alaska’s U.S. senators said. more, >>click to read<< 11:03
Fisherman’s Challenge to Windfarm Explorations Referred to EU Court
The High Court case is being brought by fisherman Ivan Toole, who says the windfarm developments will have a direct bearing on the Wicklow fishing fleet and will damage all marine life in the area. Mr Toole has asked for a preliminary ruling concerning the interpretation of an EU direction about the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. His case has been taken against the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority. Judge Humphreys said he would stay the finalisation of Mr Toole’s case, while he referred a number of questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union. more, >>click to read<< 09:33
Bering Sea trawl fleet files lawsuit over new halibut bycatch limits
A trade association representing the Bering Sea bottom-trawl fleet filed a lawsuit this week in federal court, arguing that new halibut bycatch limits are unfair and unlawful. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council in December 2021 approved a new halibut bycatch quota system based on annual surveys of the valuable flatfish. Instead of the current fixed limits, a new abundance-based system means that when halibut stocks are low, bycatch caps could be cut by up to 35%. Based in Washington state, Groundfish Forum — representing five companies and 17 bottom-trawl vessels — sued the National Marine Fisheries Service on Tuesday in response to the new limits, which are set to go into effect Jan. 1. Attorneys argue that the trawl fleet was unfairly singled out by the new rules that could result in “drastic economic consequences.” more, >>click to read<< 08:04
Dramatic moment US Coast Guard rescues fishermen from struggling boat off Cape Cod after it lost its steering capabilities during fierce East Coast storm
The US Coast Guard rescued a 65-foot lobster boat and its crew after it lost all steering and was adrift in the waters southwest of Nantucket. Crews from Station Brant Point in Nantucket and Air Station Cape Cod responded to a call by the vessel named Two Dukes around 9.30 am earlier this week. Four crew members and a dog were rescued. The captain was found with facial injuries after a window got blown out in the heavy seas and left him with lacerations. The captain and first mate remained onboard to assist in towing Two Dukes. I couldn’t be more proud of this crew. First heavy weather SAR case of the winter season. Fifteen to 20-foot seas, shoals all over. The fishermen were extremely grateful.’ photos, video, more, >>click to read<< 07:10
Fish about to be plundered off coast of UK as EU about to strike major deal with Iceland
A non-EU country may soon be allowed to fish in waters just miles away from UK shores thanks to the European Union, sparking fury among fishermen closer to home. Fishing officials in Ireland are worried that they have not been consulted on the negotiations, which could be nearing the final stages of approval. Iceland reportedly wants to strike a deal so that they can catch blue whiting which are common in Irish waters but cannot be found near the Nordic nation. Concerns are now growing that fishing will become unsustainable as Irish fishermen worry for their livelihoods. CEO of the Irish Fish Processors Organisation Aodh O’Donnell told GB News: “We fear that this give away of more foreign access to Irish waters is being agreed behind closed doors. There is a lack of clarity and Christmas is upon us, and we are very concerned. more, >>click to read<< 14:26
Darwin fisherman Daniel Schoolmeester charged after allegedly holding workers captive on his boat
A Darwin man who allegedly lured workers to his boat, forced them into labour and held them captive against their will with minimal food or water, has appeared before court. Daniel Schoolmeester, 47, appeared in the Darwin Local Court on Friday afternoon, charged with deceptive recruitment, causing a person to remain in servitude and forcing labour. It’s alleged he posted deceptive job advertisements on Gumtree and his social media account calling for deckhands and coxswains to work on his fishing boat. Workers allege once on board, Mr Schoolmeester made them work extensive hours without pay, denied them food, water and sleep, and subjected them to cruel and degrading treatment. Video, >>click to read<< 11:36
A unique partnership connects Lowcountry fishermen with people who don’t have enough to eat
Daniel LaRoche watches as his crew, who’s just returned from nearly two weeks at sea, hoists dozens of giant swordfish from the belly of a boat. Some are real whoppers, weighing more than 200 lbs. LaRoche owns Cherry Point Seafood on Wadmalaw Island, just south of Charleston, selling fresh fish and shrimp from his dock. But making a living, he says, has never been harder. He wrestles daily with the rising costs of fuel, boat repairs and lures. LaRoche says he must sell even more shrimp to compete with imports as he struggles to keep up. Now, a new program promises help, by providing monthly pre-paid orders for 160 pounds of his shrimp and swordfish. So, who’s picking up the tab? The South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston. photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:12
Scallop season is underway
In pitch-black morning, the scallop draggers start heading out Penobscot Bay to be ready one-half hour before the sun rises in Augusta to drop their drags overboard and begin a day’s work. Daylight here already broke the horizon as the scallop fishery opens for the day in the Gulf of Maine. “When the season opens, it’s like the first day of school,” said David Tarr, a scalloper off Naskeag Point and a member of the state’s scallop advisory council. Now two weeks into the season, and Tarr says, “I think it’s been a good opening. Boats are keeping local. Whether dragging or diving, the daily limit is 15 gallons of meat that sells anywhere from $12 to $23 per pound, depending on its size. 8 photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:55
