Category Archives: Featured
In surprising move, Bering Sea snow crab fishery to reopen after 2 year closure
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Friday afternoon that Bering Sea fishermen will be allowed to harvest a total of about 4.7 million pounds of opilio, also known as snow crab, for the first time in two years. According to Fish and Game, estimates of total mature male biomass are above the threshold required to open the fishery. The announcement comes as a surprise to many fishermen, after roughly 10 billion snow crabs disappeared from the Bering Sea over a span of four years, and Fish and Game closed the fishery in 2022. Recently, scientists have learned that the disappearance was likely due to ecological shifts, and there’s been little hope within the industry that stocks would recover anytime soon. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:49
Local man helping auction relics from Western Flyer, a boat famously connected to Steinbeck
How much would you pay to own one-of-a-kind pieces of fishing, environmental, scientific and literary history? Could you be an “angel?” Those are questions inspired by a Wauna man’s quest. Michael Hemp, a vibrant, engaging and consistently curious 81-year-old whose business card lists him as “Historian, Heritage Marketing & Communications Consultant, Researcher, 
Archivist, Lecturer, Novelist,” seeks a buyer for a brass steering wheel, a hefty engine shift lever and two gimballed compasses. The items are original pieces from a 76-foot-long purse seiner fishing boat built in Tacoma 87 years ago. It is similar in design and purpose to hundreds launched there, in Gig Harbor, and in other Northwest boatyards during the 20th century. One big distinction: All four artifacts once were crucial and original parts of arguably the world’s most famous purse seiner, a title earned because a couple of friends chartered it in Monterey, California, in 1940 for a six-week cruise of research and exploration in Mexico. Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:39
Iconic Brunswick shrimp boat sinks during Helene
The Dora F, the second oldest shrimp fishing vessel operating on the East Coast, broke free from its dock in Brunswick’s East River and sank as Helene unleashed her strongest winds on the Golden Isles early Friday morning. The vessel, captained by Johnny Ray Bennett, was tied to the Lady Raven and the City Market docks off of Bay Street during the storm, Bruce Collins of City Market said. The Lady Raven took on water and began to sink, putting pressure on and eventually snapping the line that lashed the Dora F to the dock, he said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:52
Testing finds mostly foreign shrimp at Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival
Genetic testing of seafood served at the recent Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in Morgan City found four out of five vendors evaluated were serving foreign shrimp passed off as local. The testing was performed at the five-day festival over the Labor Day weekend by Sea D Consulting, a food safety tech company that recently developed a rapid seafood species identification test. Company owner Dave Williams of Houston said local shrimpers in Louisiana invited him to Morgan City to try out his technology at the festival, first held in 1936 and where attendees would expect to find local catch. Williams said he purchased plates of boiled shrimp from five of the roughly 12 seafood vendors at the event, asking each where the shrimp was caught. All five vendors assured him their shrimp came from Louisiana waters, he said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:46
Southeast US devastated by remnants of Hurricane Helene
The remnants of Hurricane Helene have caused devastation across the Southeastern United States, leaving dozens dead, many stranded, and millions without power. Helene, the strongest hurricane recorded to hit Florida’s Big Bend region, has since weakened to a post-tropical cyclone but is still bringing catastrophic flooding, powerful winds, and unthinkable damage up the east coast from Florida to Virginia. As of Sunday, at least 60 people were reported dead. Landslides and flooding as a result of the tropical storm have left entire towns, families, even hospitals cut off and stranded needing rescue. Many across five states were left unprepared for the life-changing destruction as Helene intensified quickly during the week. Hurricane researchers estimated that unusually warm ocean temperatures combined with swift changes in wind heights may be the reason for the intense development. Video, Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:04
NSW fisheries officers demand stab-proof vests and capsicum spray in order to do their job safely
Fisheries officers are calling for the right to use capsicum spray and wear stab-proof vests after run-ins with illegal poachers and criminal gangs. They are also refusing to carry out night inspections of trawlers without police assistance. Supervising fisheries officer Joe Wright knows too well the dangers of confronting a fisherman suspected of an illegal catch. Mr Wright is one of dozens of fisheries officers in New South Wales who have been threatened with assault while on the job, protecting oceans, rivers and estuaries. These officers are now demanding stab-proof vests and capsicum spray, amid fears workers are at risk of being hurt or even killed. The union representing the officers says they are unsafe and “operationally ineffective” when coming face-to-face with poachers and organised criminals. Photos, more, >>CLICK TI READ<< 17:18
‘Still floating’: Florida fishermen and boaters ride out Hurricane Helene
Winds whipped over 100 mph. Waters threatened hundreds of miles of Florida coast. And Philip Tooke managed to punch out a terse but frantic message from his phone as he sat riding out Hurricane Helene – not in his house, but on his boat. “Lost power,” he wrote from St. Mark’s, 30 miles south of Tallahassee and 20 miles away from where Hurricane Helene hit the mouth of the Aucilla River. But, he adds: “Still floating.” Tooke, the 63-year-old owner of a local seafood market, and his brother are spending the hurricane aboard their fishing boats. The pair are among the Floridians who took to the water for their survival. They did so despite evacuation orders made ahead of the Category 4 hurricane and grisly warnings that foretold death for those who stayed. Video, Photo gallery, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:05
Maine lobster fisherman reveals why the crustaceans she catches taste ‘sweeter, ‘better’
The daughter of a lobster fisherman from Maine describes herself as being “born into it.” Sadie Samuels left the Pine Tree State and headed to college across the country in California, but she kept fishing during the summers to pay for her tuition. After graduation in 2013, she began fishing full-time and has never looked back. Samuels, 32, opened her restaurant, Must Be Nice Lobster – which has the same name as her boat, F/V Must Be Nice – in a permanent indoor location in 2022. “My dad kind of kicked me off his boat because you can only fish 800 traps on a boat,” she said. “So, the more I wanted to fish, the less he could fish if I still fished on his boat.” “[My father] finally was like, ‘All right, obviously you’re interested in this. Go buy a boat,'” she recalled. “So that’s pretty much how that happened.” Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:17
International Whaling Commission meets this week, will they discuss the US whale slaughter? By Jim Lovgren
The International Whaling Commission [IWC] meets this week from September 23 rd to the 27 th , in Lima Peru. The commission was established in 1946 and is a specialized regional fishery management organization created to provide for the proper conservation of various different Whale species, with the goal of supporting the orderly development of the Whaling industry. For two hundred years fishing vessels hunted down Whales bringing some species to the brink of extinction. Unlike the American slaughter of Buffalo, where they were killed solely for their hide, and the carcass left to rot, the Whaling industry utilized almost every part of these animals, with many indigenous populations being dependent on them as their main food source. This brings us to the present marine mammal slaughter being perpetrated by multi-national wind companies along the US east coast. In 2016 NOAA declared an unusual marine mammal mortality event was taking place with Humpback, Minke, and Northern Right Whales. Around that time research and construction was started on the Block Island wind project. more, >>CCLICK TO READ<< 16:11
DOCUMENTARY ON THE WAY EXPOSING THE ILLEGAL SINKING OF THE 110’ MV WILD ALASKAN AND COAST GUARD MISCONDUCT
Darren Byler of Kodiak Alaska has been fighting the local Coast Guard Station for almost a decade now for what Byler calls a “Politically Motivated Fraud Filled Phony Poopy Conviction that the United States Government has now spent approximately 1.3 million Dollars to date investigating, prosecuting and defending against Byler’s civil claims. Byler filed a 10 million 
dollar civil lawsuit against the United States Coast Guard approximately two years ago and is still fighting the government for the opportunity to have a civil trial. The Wild Alaskan Story has now caught the attention of internationally acclaimed Producer and Cinematographer Doug Stanley founding Producer and Director of Photography of Discovery Channel’s hit series “Deadliest Catch”. Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:21
Original Peter Pan Seafood investor wins auction for troubled company’s assets
One of the original investors in a troubled Alaska seafood company has narrowly outbid competitor Silver Bay Seafoods in an auction for the firm’s assets — including a major processing plant in the Alaska Peninsula village of King Cove. Rodger May, an entrepreneur and fish trader, bid $37.3 million for the assets of Peter Pan Seafood, including two other processing plants — one in the Bristol Bay hub town of Dillingham and another in a remote part of the Alaska Peninsula called Port Moller. May’s bid was $257,000 higher than the bid offered by Silver Bay Seafoods, a major Alaska seafood company that’s expanded rapidly in recent years. The sale of Peter Pan, which operates primarily in Alaska with a business headquarters in Washington, isn’t final. A confirmation hearing in Peter Pan’s receivership case — a bankruptcy-like proceeding overseen by a Seattle court — is scheduled for Oct. 3. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:36
Infrastructure funding from 2018 winter freeze will finally get to shrimpers soon
2018 was a bad year for Lowcountry shrimping, a winter freeze wiped out most of the white shrimp in the Charleston harbor. Six years later, $1 million in grant money for shrimp fishery infrastructure will soon, finally be making its way to those who need it. But not everyone was able to qualify. “The funds are awarded by NOAA,” said Chris McDonough, the program coordinator for the Shrimp Disaster Relief Program. “When they’re awarded, typically we have to go through a grant approval process for us to get the money. It takes some time.” The program was put in place in 2018, but between the slow wheels of government and the pandemic, the first phase wasn’t paid out until last year. Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:28
50 years and counting: Silver Cloud II WK 80
George Carter was born and bred in the Caithness village of Lybster, by the harbour, and he fished straight out of school, getting his skipper’s ticket in 1956 at the age of 21. His father Hugh was a fish curer with small creel boat, and his grandfather had always been keen to say that he’d never earned a penny on dry land! The Carter family have gone down in history with two record catches with the seine-net. In 1964, George’s brother Jack landed a record of 240 boxes of cod in a single drag in the Freswick grounds in the north of the Moray Firth aboard the Maid of Honour WK 30, which was built in 1950 by David Howarth of Scalloway (of Shetland Bus fame). Then George, aboard the Silver Cloud, landed 378 boxes with two drags in 1966. The 47ft Silver Cloud WK 207 was George’s first boat, which he purchased in 1962. That vessel was built at Bolson’s yard in Poole as an Admiralty MFV, and by 1951 was owned by John Watt of Fraserburgh, re-registered as FR 313. In 1952 she was sold to Tom Scott Goodlad of Scalloway and re-registered as LK 217. Tom tragically died onboard in May 1958. His brother John then took the boat. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:38
Concerned residents file second lawsuit against New Jersey offshore wind project over noise pollution
Save Long Beach Island, a community group created in opposition to a massive offshore wind project off the coast of New Jersey, filed its second lawsuit to block the construction of an Atlantic Shores South project. In its lawsuit against Atlantic Shore South Offshore Wind, Save Long Beach Island requested that the court require offshore wind developers to conduct a full “airborne noise assessment and pilot project before the project can proceed.” Bob Stern, president of Save Long Beach Island, notes how the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Atlantic Shores South failed to conduct an analysis of the project’s construction and operation on generating noise pollution for residents and beachgoers. However, the Bureau of Ocean Management did find that noise from the construction of turbines would have a negative effect on marine life. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:41
Matanzas Pass Bridge hit again by the same shrimp boat
The Florida Department of Transportation has reported that the Matanzas Pass Bridge was hit again by the same passing shrimp boat that struck it a day before. FDOT released a statement on Tuesday noting that the shrimp boat had made contact with the bridge sometime that morning; however, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office marine unit, there was no visible damage to the bridge. more, >>CLICK TO READ<<, >Video here< 10:37
More calls for Canada’s Fisheries Minister to resign
There are growing calls for Canada’s fisheries minister to step aside from her role. Around 50 lobster fishers from across southern New Brunswick gathered in Saint Andrews on Saturday for a peaceful protest. The fishers said they are fed up with continued mismanagement of the industry and failure to address critical issues. The protest was organized by the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association, which represents fishers in Lobster Fishing Area 36. The association claims there is a lack of enforcement in the fishing area, which extends from Alma to St. Stephen, leading to illegal fishing and buying activities. Fishers are calling on the minister to acknowledge the mismanagement, provide a solution and step aside from her role. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:39
OPINION: Reel them in – Regional fisheries councils violate constitution and hurt accountability
That is the position in which many fishermen find themselves. They share a desire for sustainable fisheries and support some of the federal efforts at regulation. But they oppose certain federal water catch limits and allocations between commercial and recreation sectors that are set by regional fishery management councils made up of members who aren’t accountable through elections or to elected officials. Pacific Legal Foundation is representing these individuals and small businesses in courts around the country, making what we think is a simple argument based on the text and purpose of the Constitution. Specifically, that it requires that executive branch officials with significant authority be appointed by the president or a member of his cabinet. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:40
New Brunswick fishermen fill St. Andrews Wharf Saturday as they call for change on the water
It’s not what you expect to see in St. Andrews but mixed in amongst the whale watching boats and small vessels, dozens of lobster fishing boats docked along the wharf Saturday. Local fishermen from Lobster Fishing Area 36, which covers waters from Alma to the American boarder including Deer Island and Campobello Island, and their families filled both the water and the wharf as they called for change out on the water. The protest is against what they believe is inaction by the government and a collective call for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Diane Lebouthillier, to resign. “We believe that she is not capable of protecting our fishery and protecting our resource,” said Fundy North Fishermen’s Association executive director, Amanda Johnson. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:26
U.S. Offshore Wind: Election 2024 May Redefine the Sector
The US offshore wind industry is at a crucial turning point. After several years of growth under the Biden administration, the sector faces potential reconfiguration depending on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. On the one hand, a Donald Trump victory could redirect the country’s energy priorities towards conventional resources, such as offshore oil and gas. On the other, a Kamala Harris victory would mean a continuation of current ambitions, including the goal of 30 GW of installed capacity by 2030. Commercial fishing groups and other interested parties challenging these projects could find an ally in a Trump administration. Organizations such as the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) have already voiced concerns about the impacts of offshore wind projects on the marine environment and fisheries. more, >>CLOCK TO READ<< 10:36
Shrimp scurry from Hurricane Francine storm surge, filling fishing nets of struggling shrimpers
Hurricane Francine closed in on Terrebonne and Lafourche with 100 mph winds Sept. 11. As the storm pushed tidal waters toward land, shrimp scurried for inland waters. Shrimpers took advantage of the migration, dropping nets and pulling in thousands of pounds in a short timeframe. The hauls were great, but the low prices meant what would have been a drop in the bucket, instead fell in an empty pail. “We did good last night and the night before,” Jonathan Guidry said. “The shrimp was jumpin’ all over. They had some land nets on side of us. They was startin’ to pick up every 10 minutes, and they had maybe 120 to 130 pounds every 10 to 30 minutes.” Guidry said with all the flood gates closed, he thinks the shrimp were funneled through the Bubba Dove lock gate as they sought safety from the storm. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:11
California’s trillion dollars floating wind fantasy
California has adopted a target of 25,000 MW of floating offshore wind generation capacity. Of course, the cost is never mentioned, so here is a rough estimate to get the ball rolling. The estimate begins with the huge Dominion Energy (DOM) fixed wind project currently under construction off of Virginia. Because the regulated utility DOM is its own developer, we get some public numbers, so here is a crude derivation. Big numbers are rounded for simplicity and ease of memory. A. DOM says the 2,600 MW facility will cost $10 billion to build, which is about $4 billion/GW. But financing and profit bump that to $20 billion or $8 billion/GW, which is called the “revenue requirement” or what rate payers will pay. We will use that number. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:19
Federal Fisheries minister ignored DFO advice by reopening commercial cod fishery
Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier ignored the advice of staff within her department when she reopened the commercial cod fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador last June. A briefing note dated May 9 reveals that Fisheries and Oceans Canada recommended maintaining the long-time moratorium on northern cod based on scientific evidence, but that political advisors within the minister’s office argued reopening the commercial fishery and hiking quotas would be “politically a victory.” Senior policy advisor Paul Carrigan wrote that DFO staff were concerned about an increase to quotas and the return of offshore boats in the fishery, which would “increase the stocks’ risk of decline.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
My skipper husband thought he was indestructible
Fishermen are being warned they are putting themselves at risk of preventable illness and even death by delaying seeking medical advice. Amanda Nithavrianakis, whose skipper husband John died of cancer at the age of 52, believes his attitude of self-reliance and toughness contributed to the delay in his diagnosis and treatment. “There’s this mentality, especially among fishermen,” Amanda says. “They’re rufty-tufty. “They think nothing goes wrong with them. But it’s just not true.” John was the captain of a fishing boat based in the south of Scotland town of Kirkcudbright. In March 2016, he began struggling to swallow but delayed seeking medical help, prioritising his work over his health Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Low export prices prompt seafood industry to push more tiger prawns into Aussie markets
Australians are being urged to eat more wild-caught tiger prawns, as fishers move away from sending their produce overseas. It’s been a slow start to the season in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Queensland; catches are down but fishers are also facing challenging international markets amid tough economic conditions. Austral Fisheries is one of the largest commercial fishing companies in Australia. Northern prawn division operations manager Bryan Van Wyck said due to an oversupply on the international market, they could not get the prices they were accustomed to. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:46
Mass. and Rhode Island pick 3 new wind projects, with less power than originally sought
Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced the winners of their joint offshore wind auction on Friday. While this total is less than half of what the states originally sought to procure, it helps bring them closer to their legally binding offshore wind targets. Friday’s news comes after nearly two years of economic tumult in the industry, when developers up and down 
the East Coast canceled contracts for wind projects, saying they could not make them financially viable because of inflation, higher interest rates and supply chain problems. Still, not everyone is celebrating the news. Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, said he was “shocked” that the New England states are awarding more contracts less than two months after a blade broke off a Vineyard Wind Project turbine. In mid-July, the blade sent tons of fiberglass and foam debris into the ocean. Much of it washed up on the south side of Nantucket, and several beaches had to close while the material was cleaned up. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:20
PWS, Cook Inlet sockeye catch exceeded harvest projections
As the sockeye salmon harvest season comes to a close, only Bristol Bay, Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet surpassed their pre-season predictions, with harvests of 31.1 million, 3.1 million and 2 million reds respectively. Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound were also the only two regions to show year-over-year growth and exceeding harvest projections, says Simon Marks, a research analyst for McKinley Research Group in Juneau, who writes the weekly in-season commercial wild Alaska salmon report on behalf of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. While Bristol Bay has already surpassed the pre-season sockeye prediction by 19%, year-to-date harvest remains 23% behind 2023, Marks said on Aug. 27. Initial predictions for the 2025 season indicate an expected harvest of 32.4 million fish, a 2.8% gain if realized. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:26
Family-owned fishing company challenges unconstitutional Fishery Management Council
James and Dominick Russo are fishermen who earn their living off the Florida coast. But their livelihood is in jeopardy. James and Dominick have worked in the commercial fishing industry most of their lives. James, the older brother, has more than 30 years of experience under his belt. During the pandemic, the brothers moved to Sarasota, Florida, and opened FFC Seafood to make the most of the business-friendly climate the state offered. While the brothers catch many different types of fish, theirFFC Seafood most profitable haul is gag grouper, a fish popular with high-end restaurants for its sweet flavor. However, just when their new fishing enterprise was thriving, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council passed Amendment 56, slashing the number of gag grouper that commercial fisherman can legally catch by over 80 percent. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:06
‘More fat, more flavour’: Why PEI tuna is selling at its highest price in decades
“We’re seeing prices range from $10 or $11 on the low side to $40, $50, $60 a pound on the high side. So these are higher prices than we’ve seen, probably since the early 90s,” said Jason Tompkins, owner of TNT Tuna in North Lake, which buys and exports about three-quarters of Canada’s bluefin tuna quota. Tompkins says in a normal season, just “one or two” of the roughly 1,500 tuna caught off the northeast coast of P.E.I. will earn the boat more than $10,000, after being sold on high-end markets around North America, Europe and Japan. So far this year? photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Fishermen service ‘full of joy’ on minster return
A service to commemorate fishermen who have lost their lives at sea took place at Grimsby Minster on Sunday. The service, which has been held annually for more than 60 years, was back at the minster for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. Family members of fishermen attended the service while wreaths were also laid by the memorial in St James Square. The Fishermen’s Mission Port Officer Suesan Brown said it was a “solemn occasion” but one that was “so full of joy because it’s that remembering of those people who have gone”. Grimsby was once claimed to be the biggest fishing port in the world and the community was determined to bring the service back to the town. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:40
Fishing Boat Collides with Middle Thorofare Bridge Following Power Failure
At approximately 9:30 PM on Friday, August 30th, a distress call was placed at the Middle Thorofare Bridge, alerting authorities to a serious incident involving the 90-foot commercial fishing vessel F/V Jersey Cape. The vessel had suffered a power failure and was left adrift, eventually becoming pinned against the north side of the bridge. Strong northeast winds, clocking in at over 20 MPH, combined with an outgoing tide, pushed the vessel into the bridge’s structure, complicating rescue efforts. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:01
