Category Archives: Featured
#ShowUsTheRope – Blamed for Right Whale Entanglements, Lobstermen say Show us the rope!
Snow Cone has triggered an outcry of frustration from fishermen, who say they’re being unfairly blamed for the decline of the critically endangered species. On Wednesday, March 10, a team from Provincetown’s Center for Coastal Studies freed Snow Cone from 300 feet of rope. The center described the team’s success on its Facebook page, and used a photo from an aerial survey that shows the whale and the telltale rope from 1,000 feet in the air. “So, I remember seeing this,” said Nick Muto. The Facebook post said the retrieved rope likely came from a fishery, but there was no close-up picture. “So my hashtag, #ShowUsTheRope, is me trying to lay it right on the Center for Coastal Studies,” >click to read< 20:06
‘You can’t touch the union boat’- Former Fishery Officer alleges DFO kept 2012 Katrina Charlene conviction quiet
The Katrina Charlene and the crab quota it was built to fish have been in the news for almost 20 years for their connection to the FFAW. The story made national news in February when a Fishery Officer alleged DFO kept quiet a conviction against the trawler, so as to not embarrass the union. Today, there’s news the quota sold recently for $1 million, a fraction of its estimated value, to Conne River First Nation. The boat and quota have been sold, but questions remain. What happened to the tens of millions of dollars generated by the crab quota? Fisherman’s Road lays out the story as it’s never been told. First of a three-part series. By Ryan Cleary >click to read< 11:59
“Every crack was a stab in my heart,” – The Death of the Kaiki, Greece’s Traditional Fishing Boat
He sits sad-eyed on a bench in front of the Neos Pyrgos pier in North Evia, watching some of the few remaining kaikia go to and fro. Just a few years ago, his own kaiki was tied there next to them. Tzevelekos’ beloved boat was one of about 13,000 kaikia which have been deliberately destroyed since 1994, after a European Union directive called for the demolition of the small wooden fishing boats,, The directive aims at putting a stop to 
overfishing,,, “Every crack was a stab in my heart,” said Dimitris Livanos of Agiopyrgos, also in North Evia, describing the boat demolition that he was forced to witness. The Traditional Boat Association of Greece is a private organization which is making concerted efforts to save traditional boats from extinction. “There are about 15,000 fishing boats left, based on the number of current licenses. We don’t know how many of these are traditional,” says Nikos Kavallieros, president of the Association. >click to read< 11:53
Seven crewmen remain aboard a stranded fishing trawler off Cork coast
Several crew members of a fishing trawler that’s drifting without power off the Cork coast are to remain on board the vessel overnight, with high winds and rough seas anticipated. The fishing vessel raised the alarm this morning when it lost power off the coast of Castletownbere, and it’s understood other trawlers in the area tried to offer assistance. An update from Rescue 115 reads: “The seven crew want to remain with the vessel at this time. Numerous other vessels on route,,, >click to read< 17:41
Rescue 115 has now returned to base after making two trips to the casualty vessel – >click to read<
A “Must Read” for Media and Politicians – Seeing the bigger picture on right whales
Someone should point out to the media that the right whale population has shown dramatic growth from the 1990s up until the last few years, when birth rates leveled off. Without a doubt, 2017 to 2019 was a terrible time period for them,,, It is irresponsible for any scientist or oceanographer to take an extreme year (2017) and say that the population is headed to extinction. The bigger picture shows a much more hopeful story. By Jack Merrill, >click to read< 10:27
Fishing industry unimpressed with Biden Harris’s NOAA/NMFS climate crisis notions. (Offshore Wind Farms, either!)
President Biden ordered NOAA to collect information from a wide range of groups on increasing the resilience of fisheries as part of his plan to address climate change and to protect 30% of U.S. ocean areas by the year 2030. The NOAA directive is included in the sweeping executive order Biden signed his first week in office that made “the climate crisis” a centerpiece of his presidency. “Fisheries, protected resources, habitats and ecosystem are being affected by climate change,” acting NOAA Fisheries chief Paul Doremus said at the beginning of yesterday’s conference call. >click to read< 07:55
The Intense, Lobster-Fueled Fight Over America’s First Floating Wind Farm
On Sunday, local Maine outlets reported that a slew of fishing boats gathered in a show of protest against a planned wind project in midcoast Maine. While the weekend flotilla of fishermen was peaceful, tensions continued to rise on Monday. That’s when the wind project’s owners accused three fishing boats of intentionally surrounding a research vessel that was out for an ocean floor survey, “creating an unsafe situation” that forced them to suspend operations,,, >click to read< 09:55
Pile driving for constructing offshore wind turbine supports alters feeding behaviors of longfin squid
With the offshore wind industry expanding in the United States and elsewhere, a new study raises questions about how the noise from impact pile driving to install turbine supports can affect feeding behaviors of longfin squid, a commercially and ecologically important cephalopod.,, The study addressed short-term impacts to squid feeding behavior and noted that future research should look at longer exposures to noise and field work with 
free-swimming squid. In particular, the study found that rates of anti-predator behaviors were similar when subjected to recordings of piledriving whether the squid was hunting at the start of the noise, suggesting that the noise diverted squid attention from a feeding task toward predator defense. >click to read< 14:13
‘Irreversible losses’: Wildlife expert fears for North Sea habitat – The North Sea off Suffolk could be facing “irreversible wildlife losses” because of the impact on its environment of the growing number of windfarms. >click to read<
Biden appoints former NOAA’s “Carbon Queen” Jane Lubchenco to key climate change role!
The White House has appointed Jane Lubchenco, a well-known marine scientist at Oregon State University and former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to a high-level position coordinating climate and environmental issues within its Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The announcement scheduled for Friday marks another step in the Biden administration’s all-of-government approach to tackling climate change. >click to read< 08:37 from 2008, Environmental Defense Fund Honored that Board Vice Chair Reportedly Picked as NOAA Administrator – >click to read<
Meeting produces no solution for fishermen’s Brexit related fishing issues
Environment Minister John Young said following the discussions that he and his fellow ministers would continue to work with the industry, with another meeting due to take place before Easter.,, ‘The meeting welcomed the open and constructive discussions between ministers, officials and the local fisheries industry, and while a comprehensive solution was not reached, ‘It was a complete waste of time and a tick-box exercise to allow them to say they are engaging with industry. There was mention of financial support in three phases but it was read out “this is phase one, two, three. OK – let’s move on” and that was it,’ >click to read< 08:30
New fishing vessel boosts jobs in Nelson and West Coast
A $6 million longline fishing vessel will be built in Nelson and is set to create new jobs for the West Coast fishing industry. The 26-metre vessel F/V Te Runanga will provide up to 25 new jobs on the West Coast, and more during its construction Nelson.,, With a crew of up to eight, it will in effect create around 25 full time jobs collectively with the additional fish it brought to the factory. It will also be built strong enough to go into the Southern Ocean around the Bounties. “Some might think it’ll be too small to venture there but this boat’s built like a tank,” Boote said. >click to read< 19:02
Bodies of three men recovered off the Wirral and Blackpool
The families of missing crew members from the fishing boat F/V Nicola Faith have been informed after three bodies were recovered from the coastline off the Wirral and Blackpool over the weekend. North Wales Police confirmed it has been in contact with colleagues from Merseyside and Lancashire police, and it is awaiting the outcome of the post mortem examinations. Alan Minard, 20, Ross Ballantine, 39, and the boat’s skipper Carl McGrath, 34, were declared missing after their fishing vessel the Nicola Faith failed to return to port on January 27. video, >click to read< 14:43
Fishing Machine – The Fifth Endeavor from Macduff
The new trawler took shape only a few miles from Peter Lovie’s home and it sails with a local crew of ten, including his sons David, Ryan and Andrew. ‘It’s particularly satisfying that Endeavour V has a young crew,’ he said. The 34 metre LOA, 10.50 metre beam Endeavour V has he distinction of being 
the largest newbuild to emerge from Macduff Shipyards, as well as being the fifth Endeavour to be built for the same owners since the first to carry the name, a 21 metre single rigged with a wooden hull, was delivered in 1989. >click to read< Fishing Machine – A single skipper’s chair in a horseshoe console faces a bank of a group of three 55-inch 4K bridge monitors, forming a video wall managed through a touchscreen control system developed and installed by Woodsons, who supplied the full package of Endeavour V’s electronics. >click to read< New Hull Form – and a bit about propulsion, >click to read< 13:07
The Voices of Gloucester Fishermen: NOAA offers virtual trip through Gloucester fishing history
The voices speak to the experience of living and fishing in America’s oldest commercial seaport, of the challenges and the joys of working on the waters of Cape Ann and beyond. They are at once a snapshot and endurable timeline collected into recorded interviews and fashioned into an 
integrated story map of the Gloucester fishing and community experience. The stories and the voices which tell them are contained in the newest online chapter of the Voices of Oral History Archives organized and produced by NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center. It’s titled “Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport” photos, video, >click to read< 11:55
Forgotten industries – Auctioning off enormous areas of precious fishing grounds to offshore wind farm developers
At a time when Scottish fishing communities are still trying to come to terms with the regulations they face after the Westminster Government’s adoption of a Brexit deal,,, The Scottish Government appear to be intent on heaping more pressure on the Scottish fishing communities, as they are presently auctioning off enormous areas of precious fishing grounds to wind farm developers and are creating massive Marine Protected Areas, that prohibits fishing activities. This will concentrate the fishing effort in other areas, putting more pressure on the available fish stocks in what fishing grounds are left. By William Polson, Whalsay, Shetland. >click to read< 18:12
A Magnitude of Evidence: Seal Processing Company Accusing DFO of ‘Hiding Evidence’ of Seal Predation
A group of sealers are accusing DFO of “hiding evidence” of seal predation on crab stocks and they intend to take the matter further if need be.,, This year’s crab stock assessment showed some improvement in certain areas, but fishing activity is still only a fraction of what it was 15 or 20 years ago and there is little information on the impact of natural predation on crab stock recovery.,,, Rideout claims they’re keeping the evidence to launch a possible court case against DFO—if necessary. >click to read and, listen to the audio< of Brad Rideout! We’re not just talking crab, and he describes it so even DFO can understand it! 13:36
“Networks”: A rare, real look at the lives of lobstermen
“That funny looking water’s moving closer, Brooke,” Wallace says, motioning off in the nearby distance with his head as his hands work on the mooring. “That’s awful funny looking.” “Networks” is Mohnkern’s first film, and it tells a tightly focused story of a group of lobstermen from the Phippsburg village of West Point who hope to catch the shiny, surface-breaking fish known as pogies, or menhaden, causing all the ruckus in the water. It’s a story for the ages, men chasing fish and the consequences of their quest. But in just a few minutes, Mohnkern also manages to tell a story of a community of fishermen coming together for their common good and spotlights the economic impact of the migratory patterns of baitfish. >click to read< 09:32
F/V Scandies Rose: Inaccurate Design Calculations May Have Put Scandies Rose in Harm’s Way
According to the Marine Safety Center, the hydrostatics model that the naval architect provided for the vessel “did not accurately represent the F/V Scandies Rose,” for multiple reasons. MSC alleged that it did not accurately model poop deck or forecastle enclosed volume, did not model the bulwarks, had significantly less superstructure windage than the actual vessel, appeared to have much different tank capacities than the vessel capacity plan, and neglected downflooding in calculations. >click to read< 07:50
An Alaskan fish story, with a longline to Midland, Michigan
“It started with me and my mom commercial fishing together on an adventure together up in Alaska. I needed a deckhand and I didn’t have one, and I called my mom up. … She was in her mid-60s and she was up for it.” That was over ten years ago. For the past four and a half years, Caven and his mother, LoLita Pfeiffer, who lives in Midland, have sold fresh, wild-caught Alaskan fish to Midland. Fishing is normally a tradition passed down in families, but Caven had to learn fishing on his own. He spent nearly 15 years learning how to fish as a full-time fisherman, >click to read< 21:51
DFO Path Forward Rejected – ‘We’re going to establish our own fishery’
“We’re going to establish our own fishery and our seasons outside of theirs,” Chief Mike Sack said Wednesday. “We’ll push our own season and determine what those months are going to be.” Sack was responding to a letter from Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan that said any moderate livelihood fishery must operate under the rules and regulations of DFO’s commercial fishery. Then the letter spells out the rules under which any moderate livelihood fishery would be negotiated and what Canada is “prepared” to allow,,, Sack said none of that was acceptable. >click to read< 07:17
F.V. Atlantic Destiny sank late Wednesday morning – 31 crew members rescued by Canadian and USCG helicopters
The Atlantic Destiny ran into trouble after a fire broke out around 8 p.m. Tuesday, possibly in the engine room, The fire knocked out the vessel’s power and then the ship started taking on water. The captain and three crew members remained on board initially, while the other 27 were lifted off the ship one-by-one. “This was one of the craziest rescues that I’ve been a part of, for the situation and how many hoisted we had to do and how 
challenging it was trying to calm the aircraft to go get the survivors picked up,” said Phillip Morales, USCG. >click to read< 13:43
Video, U.S., Canadian, Coast Guards, Royal Canadian Air Force, rescue 31 fishermen from sinking vessel– >click to watch <
Pink Gold – The next generation of shrimping comes into its own on San Carlos Island
They tie off and wait their turn to unload at the shrimp house owned by Erickson & Jensen, which has been on San Carlos Island since 1965. The shrimp house is a cavernous structure with plywood floors and an open ceiling. On this particular morning, an industrial fan in the corner blows hot air and a radio plays Savage Love by Jason Derulo. The cries of gulls and the clink of boat rigging can be heard from the wharf. Inside, the air smells of fresh shrimp, the scent of the sea. A small crew of day-pay workers mill around, smoking and looking at their phones. They are mostly men, their skin tanned and their faces lined from years spent near the water. At the center of the room stands Anna Erickson. >click to read< 09:19
Lobster industry changes require more evidence on North Atlantic right whale deaths
Environmentalists and the lobster industry have rarely agreed on anything related to the effort to save the North Atlantic right whale. So when they do, people should pay attention. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is now taking comment on its Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, aimed at reducing risk of rope entanglements and ship strikes to the endangered mammal by at least 60%. But members of both sides say no one has enough information to say that the sweeping changes would be effective. Our comment? Don’t pass a plan that puts the deaths of right whales on the backs of Maine lobstermen unless you can show that’s where it should be. >click to read< 08:14
A century before civil rights, Black oystermen in Suffolk forged economic independence
One by one, 6 feet apart, the many granddaughters and friends of Marie Hill climbed the three brick steps of her porch in mid-February to pay their respects. They waved through the front door of the Suffolk home where Hill had lived for more than 80 years. “Happy birthday to you. Happy 100th birthday to you,” For multiple generations, Hill’s family, including her husband, Ernest Hill, Jr., had oystered out of Chuckatuck Creek. At its peak in 1910, the village was home to nearly 500 people. With money earned working farms and once-prosperous oyster beds, Hobson residents were able to live in relative independence. photos, >click to read< 17:32
“What I’m reading now being proposed by NOAA will essentially put me out of business,,,”
Lobsterman John Drouin said in his 42 years of fishing around Cutler, he has never seen a right whale. Many other Maine lobstermen have said the same thing about their experience on the water. But that may not matter.,, he and Maine Marine Resources Commissioner Pat Keliher said the true threat in the NOAA documents would come in 10 years when scientists say the threat to whales should be reduced by 98 percent, effectively eliminating all lobster ropes and potentially ending the way they have fished for generations. “It’s devastating. Totally changes the face of the Maine lobster fishery,” said Keliher, “and we’d have no idea from an economic standpoint what it will mean in the long run.” >video, >click to read< 09:38
Canada: History shows a path to resolve lobster fisheries dispute
As we reflect on recent violence in Nova Scotia over the lobster fisheries, it’s important to know if there are any precedents around the core issues and if prior instances can help guide us now. The case of the Saugeen Ojibway of the Great Lakes provides some particularly useful insights to help reach a settlement to the lobster fisheries dispute. Conflict between Indigenous peoples along the Great Lakes and the state has been around since the rise of non-Indigenous commercial and sport fishing around the 1830s and 1840s. In the 1990s, things came to a head,,, >click to read< 08:29
Fishing boat capsizes near Tillamook coast – 2 of the 4 rescued were unresponsive
A 38-foot fishing boat capsized near the mouth of the Tillamook bay at around 4:40 p.m. Saturday,,, All four people aboard the vessel were rescued but two were unresponsive. They were all transported to local hospitals. The boat is still overturned on the south jetty at the Tillamook bar entrance. Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office deputies are assisting the Coast Guard with the incident. photo’s, >click to read< 4 rescued after boat capsizes 
near Tillamook bar – Four people were on board. Coast Guard crews initially only pulled three people from the water and put out an alert that a fourth was missing. Within the hour, the last crewmember was found. >click to read<,and >click here< 10:26, Four recovered after fishing boat capsizes at Tillamook Bay bar entrance – The U.S. Coast Guard recovered four people, two who were unresponsive, on Saturday after a 38-foot commercial fishing boat capsized at the Tillamook Bay bar entrance. The Coast Guard was watching the F/V Coastal Reign as the Warrenton-based vessel crossed the bar. >click to read<
U.S. Coast Guard Inquiry of F/V Scandies Rose sinking begins in Seattle on Monday
A two-week federal inquiry into the fatal sinking of the F/V Scandies Rose, lost on New Year’s Eve 2019 west of Kodiak Island, will open on Monday in Seattle. The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies will hold a virtual formal hearing to consider evidence related to the sinking of the Dutch Harbor-based fishing vessel until March 5. The 130-foot crab boat sank near Sutwik Island, Alaska around 10 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2019 with seven crew members aboard. Two fishermen were rescued wearing gumby survival suits in a life raft, but five others were never found. >click to read< 07:50 To ensure public access and participation, the hearing will be streamed live each day at click> https://livestream.com/uscginvestigations,
Southlander to restore 106-year-old boat for history
Brian Railton beams from ear-to-ear at the thought of restoring a 106-year-old fishing boat in his backyard.,,, Railton bought the hand line fishing boat just before New Zealand went into lockdown last March. It was owned in Dunedin and for various reasons the boat was unable to be transported from Careys Bay to Wyndham until last week. “It had always been in the Otago Harbour and was hand lining up till 20 years ago.” Video, >click to read< 10:26
Right whales: Public comments range from ‘save the whales’ to ‘save the fishermen’
Samuel Sautaux posted his comment from Lentigny, Switzerland, located north of the Alps. His comment is among about 171,208 received from individuals who live near and far from the right whales’ cruising grounds and posted an opinion on the latest federal effort to protect the species on the public comment page overseen by NOAA. These comments are now being processed,,, Some of the comments are quite succinct, as was Sautaux’s. Others are more elaborate – including one from an author who signs as a 69-year-old, sixth generation lobsterman from Maine who says the proposal amounts to a “death sentence” on the industry. >click to read< 07:16
Share this post