Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
Cancelation of California salmon season forces fishermen to find new way forward
Salmon fishers across the state are pivoting to stay afloat after the salmon fishing season was canceled earlier this year. At dock 47 in San Francisco, the pier looks different this time of year. More boats are tied up, an unusual sight for what would be peak salmon season. Matt Juanes is preparing to head out to sea. He readies his lines and hopes for a big catch. For now, it’s all he can do. “My goal is to catch every last one of them,” he said aboard his boat Plumeria. But this year, the salmon fisher of 8 years is exploring uncharted territory for him. He’s now looking to catch shrimp and halibut after salmon season was canceled for repopulation efforts. Video, >click to read< 09:03
Lobstermen pinched as inflation, new regulations cause cost of delicacy to rise
Dwight Staples, who has worked as a lobsterman in Stonington, Maine, for 15 years, said modern-day lobster fishing can be complex, and this season is producing additional challenges. “Lobsters seem to be migrating more east, and therefore our catch is going down,” Staples said. On top of the smaller catches, he said the price of bait has risen from $30 per tray to around $100 per tray, and fuel is three times more expensive than what it used to cost. From the fisherman, then to a processor, and finally to the grocery store or restaurant, with every hand that touches a lobster, the price goes up. Video, >click to read< 07:42
Inspectors checked on just 6% of Irish trawlers in 2022
Only 6% of Irish-flagged trawlers were subjected to checks by this country’s fishery inspection officers last year compared to far higher numbers for many other countries, according to official figures supplied by the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA). Last year, the SFPA said it used a “risk-based methodology for inspection” of fishing boats to carry out checks on catches and Norwegian-registered vessels came top for inspections at 92%. The SFPA said 41% of Spanish-flagged vessels, which have for a long time had a significant presence in Irish waters, were inspected. A similar percentage of British and French-flagged vessels were inspected, while 33% of Belgium-flagged trawlers were also checked. >click to read< 17:45
CT, RI wind farm gets federal decision on environmental plan
One of Connecticut’s first two wind farms reached a major milestone on Tuesday, with the Bureau of Ocean Energy issuing a “record of decision” in the environmental review process for Revolution Wind, a prerequisite clearing the way for construction in the coming weeks. Revolution Wind will be located 15 miles off Point Judith, R.I., with partners Orsted and Eversource planning to sell the electricity generated by wind turbines to Connecticut and Rhode Island. That construction activity includes crews conducting multiple test pits near along the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown, R.I., and at the substation where power from the wind farm will be brought ashore, and then converted for use on the regional electric grid. >click to read< 16:06
Battery-Electric Fishing Vessel Marks a Sea Change for Small Commercial Fishers
On a brisk morning this fall, a 46-foot commercial fishing boat will cruise into the cold waters of Sitka, Alaska, and cut the diesel engine. In that moment of near silence, an electric motor will whir to life. This moment will mark a sea change for Sitka’s small-boat commercial fishing industry: a transition to energy-efficient commercial fishing, powered by low- and zero-emissions propulsion systems. The boat in question, a small commercial salmon troller named I Gotta, will make history as one of the first low-emissions fishing vessels ever deployed in Alaska. Using a unique parallel hybrid battery-diesel system, the boat can travel at full speed using its diesel engine, then switch to a battery-electric motor when fishing. In this way, I Gotta’s captain, Eric Jordan, will be able to cut the boat’s fuel use by 80%. >click to read<
Fishermen indicted in federal court for alleged fraud, violation of herring laws face September trial
A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 23 in U.S. District Court regarding trial scheduling and a motion to continue for the fishermen and seafood dealers who were indicted in 2022 with conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Sept. 5. The trial is anticipated for September and expected to last two weeks. According to the indictment, between June 2016 and September 2019, the owner, captains, and crew aboard the fishing vessel Western Sea sold more than 2.6 million pounds of Atlantic herring that was not reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The indictment alleges that members of the crew were paid directly by fish dealers and lobster vessel operators for the unreported herring. >click to read< 12:56
How Stellwagen Bank came to be named
Once upon a time there was a man named Henry Stellwagen. We know that time was the mid-1800s, and Henry served in the United States Navy. We invoke good old Henry Stellwagen because a swath of nearby water is named after him; Stellwagen Bank. Fishermen had long known about shallow grounds beyond the tip of Cape Cod, stretching roughly north and west toward Gloucester. Geologists will tell you that this arc from Provincetown to Cape Ann was dry land thousands of years ago, when sea level was much lower. Like many places where the bottom rapidly rises, currents and upwells create a fertile mix, attracting fish from tiny to huge which in turn attract fishermen from across New England. But this place had never been charted. >click to read< 11:39
Sadness as historic Sussex fishing boat is demolished
The RX 134 Stacey Marie, was on display opposite the Dolphin pub in Rock-a-Nore Road, in Hastings Old Town, close to the fishing beach. Dee Day White, who along with Tush Hamilton, was involved in clearing the site, said: “In case you are wondering what has happened to the fishing boat opposite the Dolphin here is the explanation. After recent inspections of her by various carpenters, tradesmen and fishermen the conclusion was the same. “She unfortunately was rotting very badly from the inside out to the extent that the deck was moving under the weight of the wheelhouse pushing down through the deck timbers making her unsafe and dangerous. 19 photos, >click to read< 10:43
Commercial fishing boat catches fire in New Bedford, one crew member injured
A boat caught on fire Monday afternoon in New Bedford, according to police. Police received calls around 1:30 p.m. for a vessel on fire new Niemiec Marine. The crew of Engine 7 reported smoke coming from a docked vessel, F/V Madi J.” Due to a lack of nearby hydrants, Marine 38 was utilized to establish a water supply for crews to complete extinguishment. 6 Photos, >click to read< 09:41
Crew member on factory trawler dies after possible ammonia exposure onboard
A crew member on an American Seafoods factory trawler died at sea last week, likely from an ammonia leak on board. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class John Highwater said they received a satellite call from the Northern Eagle at about 4:30 a.m. Friday. “One of their crew members was found unresponsive in one of their engineering spaces,” Highwater said. “They believe there was an ammonia leak somewhere in the vessel that caused the person to fall unconscious.” The nearly 350-foot vessel was already en route to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor when they made the call to the Coast Guard. >click to read< 08:49
Water release finds little support in Fukushima
Most Fukushima fishermen are tight-lipped but Haruo Ono can’t keep his thoughts to himself on Japan’s plans to release treated cooling water from the stricken nearby nuclear power plant into the Pacific from Thursday. “Nothing about the water release is beneficial to us. There is no advantage for us. None. It’s all detrimental,” Ono, who lost his brother in the 2011 tsunami that crippled the plant, told AFP. “Fishermen are 100 percent against,” the 71-year-old said at his modest home in Shinchimachi, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of the nuclear plant in northeast Japan. “The sea is where we work. We make a living off of the sea, we’re at the mercy of the sea. So if we don’t protect the sea, who would?” >click to read< 07:43
Lobsterman finds body off Down East coast
A Jonesport lobsterman on Monday found a body in the ocean near Addison. The Maine Marine Patrol has recovered the body, and it is being transported to the Maine medical examiner’s office in Augusta for identification, Maine Department of Marine Resources spokesperson Jeff Nichols said. Nichols declined to comment on whether the body may be that of Tylar Michaud, a Steuben lobsterman who went missing on July 21 after he went out to haul traps near Petit Manan Island. Charles Kelley, a Steuben lobsterman and pastor at a local church who led Sunday’s service for Michaud, said that while an official identification of the body has not been made, people close to the family and who were involved in the extensive search believe it is Michaud. >click to read< 17:41
‘Alarm bells should be going off’: P.E.I. fishers reflects on low prices, poor weather throughout 2023 spring lobster season
Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the P.E.I. lobster marketing board, wants answers as to why the price of lobster per pound was so low throughout the 2023 spring season. According to McGeoghegan, the price of lobster was $13.50 per pound up until the start of the season when it suddenly dropped by more than six dollars. As a result, fishers in the province lost more than $300 million in revenue, as the yield last year was more than 47 million pounds. “Alarm bells should be going off with the province as well, that’s a lot of revenue,” said McGeoghegan. Lobster fisher Art MacDonald of Souris said he’s had a hard time remembering a colder and wetter fishing season. >click to read< 17:07
Scientists at Work: Uncovering the Mystery of When and Where Sharks Give Birth
If you have a toddler, or if you encountered one in the last year, you’ve almost certainly experienced the “Baby Shark” song. Somehow, every kid seems to know this song, but scientists actually know very little about where and when sharks give birth. The origins of these famous baby sharks are still largely a mystery. Many of the large iconic shark species – like great whites, hammerheads, blue sharks and tiger sharks – cross hundreds or thousands of miles of ocean every year. Because they’re so wide-ranging, much of sharks’ lives, including their reproductive habits, remains a secret. Scientists have struggled to figure out precisely where and how often sharks mate, the length of their gestation, and many aspects of the birthing process. >click to read< 13:51
‘We were never alone, the Coast Guard was always there with us’ — City celebrates Station Gloucester
As Gloucester 400+ committee members and speakers honored the long service of Coast Guard Station Gloucester during an Appreciation Day at the station Friday morning, rain and wind lashed the windows of the mess deck where the ceremony took place. As the squall intensified, the wind drove water under the outside door and onto the floor as if the small boat station on Harbor Loop were taking on water. Some said this symbolized the way Coast Guard Station Gloucester has been watching over Gloucester’s fishing fleet and boaters caught in storms since 1901. and station members appreciated being a part of America’s oldest seaport. Photos, >click to read< 11:52
Shortage of workers and housing causing perfect storm of problems at Makkovik fish plant
The operator of Makkovik’s fish plant says a shortage of workers, and a shortage of places for workers to live, has left the plant unable process crab as normal this season. Keith Watts, general manager of the Torngat Fish Producers Co-op, which operates plants in Makkovik and Nain, says operations in Nain went smoothly this season but work in Makkovik has been limited due to a lack of workers. Watts said the community has an aging workforce and the plant’s remote northern location limits the number of workers it’s able to attract. He’d like to be able to attract temporary foreign workers to work at the plant, he said, but he knows there would be nowhere for them to live. Barry Andersen, Makkovik’s AngajukKak, or mayor, said he knows housing is a real concern in the region, especially when it comes to rentals and other spaces available for booking, like hotels. >click to read< 09:55
Japan PM Fumio Kishida to meet fishermen on Fukushima water release plan
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will meet fishermen as soon as Monday to seek their understanding of the government’s plan to release radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific. Getting the tacit approval of organizations representing the fisherman is considered the final hurdle for the plan to release the treated waste water, a move the government says it wants to begin this summer. The plan to release 1.3 million tons of water from the tsunami-destroyed plant as Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) runs out of storage space, has been opposed by local fishing unions, caused concern among shoppers in South Korea and sparked import bans of Fukushima food products China. >click to read< 09:00
Maine lobsterman lost at sea remembered for dedication to family and friends
A Steuben teenager and lobsterman was collectively remembered for his positive attitude, wisecracks, blue eyes and bushy eyebrows when several hundred people gathered Sunday for a memorial service in a Sullivan school gymnasium. Nearly a month after Tylar Michaud, 18, went missing at sea while hauling lobster traps, and roughly 10 weeks after he graduated from Sumner Memorial High School. Michaud’s extended family, friends and members of the community gathered for a celebration of his life at the school. Michaud’s sense of humor, dedication to his family and friends, and his love of the outdoors figured prominently in their remarks. >click to read< 07:29
Maine lobstermen credited with saving lives of boaters following yacht fire
Several lobstermen are credited with saving the lives of two boaters off the coast of Georgetown on Saturday. The 48-foot yacht Titan caught fire several miles off Seguin Island, with flames quickly spreading, prompting the boaters to jump into the water for safety. According to the U.S. Coast Guard Lt. David J. Letarte, the agency issued an Urgent Mariner Information Broadcast after the boaters called for help reporting their vessel was disabled, and fire was coming from the engine room. Letarte was able to identify one of the lobster boats involved in pulling the boaters to safety as “My Three Blondes” but added there were vessels involved in the effort. >click to read< 15:36
Hundreds gather to remember those lost at sea
More than 200 people, many family and friends of fishermen who died at sea, listened to the stories of two men who each lost their brothers aboard the trawler Starbound over two decades ago, during the 2023 Fishermen’s Memorial Service along Stacy Boulevard on Saturday afternoon. They reminisced about fishermen who never returned in recent memory and those who died at sea during Gloucester’s 400-year history. Under increasingly cloudy skies against the backdrop of the Outer Harbor, those gathered around the the Man at the Wheel statute of the Fishermen’s Memorial listened to speakers paying tribute to the thousands of men whose names are on the cenotaph. 5 photos, >click to read< 14:15
Dawn Buckingham: Can Texas Stop Biden from Building a Massive Wind Farm Off Its Coast?
As a ninth-generation Texan, I have always loved and respected our beautiful coast, its vibrant economy, and the hard-working men and women whose livelihoods depend on the preservation of these waters. Since taking the helm of the General Land Office as the first female Land Commissioner in state history, I have also had the immense responsibility of stewarding over 13 million acres of state lands, protecting our state’s open beaches, and providing critical relief to Texans in the aftermath of hurricanes and other major storms. Texas commercial fishermen stand to lose a huge swath of navigable waters containing rich fisheries. This project could absolutely devastate this vital industry, robbing families of high-paying jobs, ending family businesses that span generations, and ultimately making the entire United States more dependent on seafood imports from places like China. >click to read< 11:57
FISH HARVESTERS UNION CLAIMS HEALTHY COD POPULATIONS
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) has received reports confirming the presence of healthy cod populations near our shores. The union has been advocating for an increase in the total allowable catch for several years, but their efforts have been largely unsuccessful. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) takes a cautious approach when determining quotas, despite the fact that the pressure on the cod stock from harvesting activities is minimal. FFAW Secretary Treasurer, Jason Spingle, is urging the Canadian government to conduct a thorough stock survey to obtain more comprehensive scientific data. >click to read< 10:22
Fire on board fishing boat in the Solent prompts emergency response
A fire aboard a small fishing boat, carrying two men and a 13-year-old boy, led to an urgent call-out for Cowes RNLI lifeboat this morning (Sunday, August 20). The outboard had caught fire when the 18-foot craft was over Gurnard Ledge. Cowes lifeboat, which launched at 9.35am, arrived to find that although the fire had been put out by the crew the boat needed to be towed. The vessel was taken to Trinity Landing, where fire crews went aboard to ensure all was safe. Also on the scene were Needles Coastguards. >click to read< 09:50
New quota system to start for trawl harvests of cod in Bering Sea and Aleutians
Commercial fishermen netting Pacific cod from the Bering Sea and Aleutians region will be working under new individual limits starting next year designed to ease pressure on harvests that regulators concluded were too rushed, too dangerous and too prone to accidentally catch untargeted fish species. The new system will require fishers who harvest cod by trawl – the net gear that scoops up fish swimming near the bottom of the ocean – to be part of designated cooperatives that will then have assigned quota shares. The fisheries service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has notified eligible participants and is asking for applications. >click to read< 08:54
Olde Bristol Days Returns with Families and Fun
Residents and visitors alike descended to the tip of the Pemaquid penisula for the 69th edition of Olde Bristol Days Aug. 9-13. The weekend’s events kicked off with the traditional parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, and concluded with the Merritt Brackett Lobster Boat Races on Sunday, Aug. 13. On Saturday, after the parade families and beach goers crowded into Pemaquid Beach Park enjoying a slate of musical entertainment, food and craft vendors, as well as a variety of children’s games including a water slide and dunk tank. The day’s events concluded with a fireworks display. On Sunday, spectators convened near Fort William Henry for the annual Merritt Bracket Lobster Boat Races. Race results and lots of photos, >click to read< 07:46
N.S. fishing industry, conservation groups at odds over new herring quota
Nova Scotia’s fishing industry and conservation groups are at odds over a new herring quota set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) this season. The quota, or total allowable catch (TAC), off southwestern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is now limited to 21,000 tonnes for 2023, an 11 per cent reduction from the previous year. The commercial herring fishery is worth about $19.5 million, according to DFO. But the new quota doesn’t sit well with Oceans North and the Ecology Action Centre. Ian McIsaac, president of the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia, said the industry is disappointed that the quota was cut. >click to read< 16:31
“Miracles Do Happen” – Family Of Missing Fisherman Holding Out Hope
The family of Patrick Hoagland, the man who went overboard from the fishing vessel Gaston’s Legacy south of Nantucket last Saturday and remains missing, is still holding out hope he will be found. “I am praying his survival instinct kicks in and brings him back safely,” said his brother Howard Hoagland. “Miracles do happen. But we all know the way of the sea.” Patrick Hoagland is a resident of Bath, North Carolina. The F/V Gaston’s Legacy, after searching in vain for Hoagland for several days after he went overboard, traveled south and is now anchored in nearby Beaufort, North Carolina. >click to read< 14:47
Sinking of the Wild Alaskan – Document Dump #35
It is almost comical to think that the Kodiak Daily Mirror suppressed this story for over 4 months when my lawsuit was originally filed and now that a Federal Judge has dismissed portions of my lawsuit against Federal Agents with prejudice; the Kodiak Daily Mirror which has now proven themselves to be an ankle biting lap dog of the City and the Feds rushes to print this story in yet another front-page, one-sided news article. The Kodiak Daily Mirror also wrote in the article, “Neither Byler nor U.S. Attorney Glenn James Shidner was available for comment at press time Monday.” This statement to all of our local readers in Kodiak was 100% total B.S. I was never contacted by phone, email, text message, nor on my Facebook page that now has more readers than the Kodiak Daily Mirror. Can any of you that have been following this story possibly imagine that I would not have a comment on this issue. I am going to have to give this flat out, false statement, 4 Pinocchio’s and the Publisher Kevin Bumgarner has just earned himself another photo with his clown hat at the ‘Sinking of the Wild Alaskan’ Facebook page. >click to read< 13:48
Save LBI lays out evidence for cause of whale deaths
On August 4th, 2023, Save Long Beach Island (LBI) filed a lawsuit seeking to enjoin the ongoing offshore wind energy vessel surveys using high intensity noise equipment until a thorough investigation could be done and new protocols developed for estimating noise impacts from wind energy development activities. On August 14th Save LBI responded to defendant and defendant-intervenor motions, laying out in detail the evidence linking the vessel surveys to the recent whale deaths. Evidence of Causation of Whale Deaths by Vessel Surveys -The federal defendant concludes that the vessel surveys are not the cause of the recent whale and dolphin deaths, and that there is no evidence linking the two. In fact, there is ample evidence leading to a conclusion that the surveys were and are the only plausible cause, as summarized below: >click to read< 12:30
Arizona Is Home To America’s First Drive-Thru Lobster Chain
If you had to list places where you would expect to find inexpensive seafood, you’d probably think of areas near the sea. Cities along the Gulf Coast are notorious for shrimp and fish dishes and, of course, New England is known for clam chowder and lobster. Given this knowledge, it might shock you to learn that the first American drive-through restaurant specializing in lobster is not located anywhere along the East Coast, but rather in one of the driest parts of the country: Tempe, Arizona. According to ABC, the owners of Angie’s Lobster, Tony and Roushan Christofellis, say they keep prices down by “buying in bulk.” While the meat being served through the drive-through is in fact sourced from Maine and eastern Canada, much of it comes from lobster which is “visually unappealing,” meaning it may have cracked shells or missing claws, making it cheaper but equally tasty to the lobster available in grocery stores or restaurants. >click to read< 11:27
