Category Archives: International

New Bedford – True North Seafood to shut down city plant

One of the city’s largest seafood processors is shutting down its waterfront facility, laying off as many as 94 local workers as the company consolidates its production in Virginia. True North Seafood, a subsidiary of Canadian seafood giant Cooke, announced the sudden decision to its staff at a floor meeting Thursday morning. The company is a leading distributor of imported fish, processing more than 16 million pounds of salmon each year, according to its website. Cooke has both harvesting and processing operations spanning 15 countries and over 13,000 workers. Its revenues are north of $4 billion, according to a recent interview with CEO Glenn Cooke. more, >>click to read<< 20:16

Opinion: In memoriam of Blue Harvest — private equity giveth, and it taketh away

 You have to be careful when you swim with sharks — sometimes private equity sponsors. Sadly, for New Bedford, Blue Harvest did business with the Dutch private equity firm Bregal Partners. There’s a lot to unpack here, but one thing that sticks out is why a Dutch financial firm would have an interest in a New Bedford fishing company? Big fans of cod? Nope. Money. The answer is always money. The point here is not to blame the process — it’s to learn to avoid the greedy players involved and reflect on why we all did not see it coming. Or at the very least for being surprised it happened. more, >>click to read<< 16:59

Fishermen keep fighting against offshore turbines

It’s a fishing story that’s not being told. That is how some members of the North Carolina For-Hire Captain’s Association (NCFHCA) feel about what they see as a threat offshore wind turbines would pose to the local fishing industry, economy, wildlife and environment. “No matter how we feel or whatever, the feds are shoving this down our throat and it doesn’t matter what we say,” said Capt. Cane Faircloth, a NCFHCA board member who handles media, public relations and marketing for the association of about 300 people. The subject is dear to the heart of Dr. Nick Degennaro of Southport, who has worked in the offshore industry for 30 years and has a doctorate in commercial engineering from the University of Rhode Island. He is opposed to offshore wind energy. This issue is so important to him, “because it’s going to destroy the ocean,” he said. Degennaro said areas that have offshore wind turbines become “dead zones” for fishing. more, >>click to read<< 10:48

Lineless Lobster Launches The Gear Guardian as a Low Cost Rapidly Deployable Interim Solution to the Entanglement Crisis

Lineless Lobster proudly announces the launch of its new project aimed to help address the Right Whale entanglement issue with a product called “The Gear Guardian.” The Gear Guardian is a low cost mechanical device with no electronics that attaches to any lobster trap in minutes. It is designed to reduce the occurrence and severity of Right Whale entanglements, provide a way to rescue otherwise lost “ghost gear” and prove a consumer demand for ethically sourced lobster. “It hit me two years ago-I love whales but hate the way the entanglement issue with Right Whales is playing out. It’s painful seeing Lobstermen hit with unfair regulations and at the same time watching good science be ignored or debated,” says Chris Buchanan, Founder of Lineless Lobster. links, more, >>click to read<< 09:33

Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut receive proposals for offshore wind projects

Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut received proposals Wednesday for offshore wind projects as the three East Coast states hope to boost their reliance on the renewable energy source. The three states joined in a historic agreement that allows for potential coordinated selection of offshore wind projects. Massachusetts received bids from Avangrid Renewables, South Coast Wind Energy and Vineyard Offshore in response to the region’s largest solicitation to date for offshore wind, seeking up to 3,600 megawatts. more, >>click to read<< 08:07

A New Chapter In Newlyn’s Fishing Legacy: Formalising The Fish Auction Agreement

In a significant development for the Port of Newlyn, the Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners (NP&HC) and W Stevenson & Sons Limited (WS&S) have finalised a landmark agreement, poised to redefine the UK’s leading quality fish auction from 1st April 2024. This formalization solidifies a longstanding and productive relationship, setting the stage for a modernised partnership aimed at bolstering the facilities and services for the Cornish fleet and the wider UK fishing industry. With the agreement set to activate on the 1st of April, WS&S will assume exclusive auctioneering rights at Newlyn Fish Market for a duration of seven years. more, >>click to read<< 10:31

Fishing industry reels over Biden’s destructive wind farm plan: It’s ‘coming at us from every direction’

Time is running out for fishermen and women in the Northeast who fear their industry is being put at risk by the Biden administration’s renewable energy agenda. “Ground fishermen, lobstermen, whatever you are, you’re under the microscope right now, and it just seems to be something coming at us from every direction,” New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) COO Dustin Delano said on “The Big Money Show” Monday. “And with this offshore wind agenda out there to attempt to fight climate change,” he continued, “it’s almost like environmentalists and different folks are willing to destroy the environment to protect the environment.” Video, photos, more, >>click to read<< 08:52

Lawmakers support new fees on Louisiana seafood dealers who import foreign catch

State lawmakers advanced separate bills Tuesday to address the dominance of cheap foreign seafood in Louisiana. One would require seafood dealers to pay higher fees for importing foreign catch into the state, and another would require wholesalers and retailers to obtain a new seafood importer license. House Bill 748, sponsored by Rep. Jessica Domangue, R-Houma, would raise the state’s imported seafood safety fee from a flat $100 per year to a 0.1% assessment on the company’s gross revenue.  The proposal marks the freshman lawmaker’s first bill, which Domangue, the daughter of a commercial fisherman, called “very special” for its ability to protect the domestic seafood industry. It cleared the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment with unanimous support and will head to the House floor for consideration. more. >>click to read<< 08:05

Graves and Peltola Urge Biden to Immediately Halt Unsafe Shrimp Imports

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) and Congresswoman Mary Sattler Peltola (Alaska) sent a letter to President Biden urging him to immediately halt shrimp imports into the United States from India, following concerning reports of severe food and safety issues and labor violations in Indian shrimp processing facilities. The reports highlight that shrimp imported from India are farmed and they regularly do not meet domestic health standards; the suppliers themselves know this to be true, evidenced by their tactics to evade detection at American ports. Graves and Peltola noted that there is already high-quality, healthy shrimp caught in America that is being pushed out of the market by foreign shrimp sold at artificially low prices and unsafe for consumption. more, >>click to read<< 12:49

Change to legal size of lobster imports proposed

Draft Addendum XXX, an amendment to American lobster regulations, will consider whether new minimum lobster size increases that take effect Jan. 1, 2025, should apply to lobsters imported into the United States. The proposed change was initiated to meet a federal Magnuson-Stevens Act requirement prohibiting imports of whole live lobster smaller than the U.S. legal minimum possession size. A public hearing will be held online on Tuesday, April 9, from 6-8 p.m. links, webinar, info, more, >>click to read<< 10:19

Southern Shrimp Alliance: The Outlaw Ocean Project Investigation Regarding Imported Shrimp Supply Chains

On the same day that Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) publicly released the results of its three-year investigation into forced labor practices in the Indian shrimp industry, Hidden Harvest: Human Rights and Environmental Abuses in India’s Shrimp Industry, and the Associated Press published an article and video news story by investigative journalists Martha Mendoza, Mahesh Kumar, and Piyush Nagpal confirming CAL’s findings, The Outlaw Ocean Project has provided a rare view into the inner workings of a major Indian shrimp exporter to the United States, Choice Trading Corporation Private Limited. more, >>click to read<< 09:25

Commercial Fishermen Remain Worried About Proposed Plans from US Wind

Proposed plans for the West Ocean City Harbor came into focus on Monday night. Offshore wind company US Wind wants to upgrade the pier in the harbor, and a public hearing on Monday gave neighbors a chance to voice their opinions. One commercial fisherman we spoke with ahead of the public hearing said he’s worried the company’s plans, which are part of a future operations and maintenance facility, could run his industry out of town. “Now US Wind is trying to purchase the other two fish houses we have, so we’ll no longer have anywhere to pack out our fish, nowhere else to get ice,” said Jimmy Hahn. more, >>click to read<< 08:26

Baltimore Bridge Hit By Ship – Major Collapse

A major commuter bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being rammed by a container ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water and threatening chaos at one of the most important ports on the US East Coast. The Maryland Transportation Authority issued an alert on X telling drivers not to use Interstate 695. Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore City Fire Department described it as “a mass casualty, multi-agency incident” in an audio interview with CNN, adding as many as 20 people could be in the water. The disaster at the Francis Scott Key Bridge happened early Tuesday. It’s likely to cause huge disruption — both for shipping at one of the busiest ports on the US East Coast and on the roads — now that a key link has been severed on the major highway encircling Baltimore. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:31

‘Give us a call’: Fisheries Protective Co-op welcomes outside buyers

The Fisheries Protective Co-operative (FPC) welcomes outside buyers interested in purchasing fish from the province’s inshore fleet and invites such companies to contact the co-op to line up supply. “Give us a call,” says Ryan Cleary, spokesman for the FPC’s interim board. “The more competition the merrier to deliver the best possible price to our enterprise owners and break the power of the cartel.” On March 15th, following demonstrations outside Confederation Building in St. John’s, the provincial government initiated an application process for outside buyers, starting with the soon-to-be opened snow crab fishery. “Government policy, which to this point has resulted in the absence of free and open competition, is being reversed as a result of last week’s agreement with the protest movement,” says Merv Wiseman, who also sits on the FPC’s interim board. more, >>click to read<< 18:33

Fishery officers make 39 arrests and seizures at rivers for unauthorized elver fishing

Unauthorized fishing is a threat to the sustainability of fish stocks and undermines the livelihoods of law-abiding fish harvesters. The elver fishery is not open for 2024 in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, therefore any harvesting is unauthorized. Should anyone choose to fish for elver they will be subject to enforcement action as per the Fisheries Act and the Maritime Provinces Fishery Regulations. Since March 6, 2024 in separate incidents across Southwest Nova Scotia, fishery officers arrested a total of 39 individuals who are under investigation for infractions of the Fisheries Act and Maritimes Provinces Fishery Regulations for the unauthorized harvest of elver. Across Nova Scotia, fishery officers also seized a total of 11 vehicles, 14 fyke nets, 78 dip nets, elver fishing equipment, eight weapons, and approximately 8.8 kg of elver, which were released live back into their river of origin. more, >>click to read<< 14:16

ENGO Sues UK Government Over International Fishing Quotas

UK’s environmental group Blue Marine Foundation has sued the British government for setting fishing quotas above sustainable levels. The charity claims that the government has set fishing quotas for more than half of UK stocks at levels exceeding what scientists recommend. The group says that this is illegal under post-Brexit fishing law, which requires that the management of UK’s fisheries is based on the best available scientific advice. The organization estimates that the sum of annual quotas for mackerel and the resulting catches have exceeded scientific advice by an average of 44 percent since 2010. This case comes days after a report by Oceana UK released last week, revealed that industrial vessels suspected of using harmful fishing methods, such as bottom-trawling, spent more than 33,000 hours in UK’s marine protected areas in 2023. >more, >>click  to read<< 11:01

You’re Young and Want to Make It Fishing? Good Luck

Duncan Cameron is a fisherman, like his dad and his dad’s dad before him. They count themselves among the scores of families who have made their livings on the water, pulling riches from the deep. But today, Cameron says young fishers like him are being priced out. Cameron is part of a group of fishers, conservationists and politicians who say independent owner-operators like himself are increasingly competing with big money to get a finite number of government licenses and quota they need to fish. Today, some of those licenses are worth hundreds of thousands or even more than a million dollars, something Cameron said has allowed major corporations to control a growing stake in a public resource. photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:27

Linda Bean, Maine business owner and L.L. Bean’s granddaughter, dies at 82

Linda Bean, the granddaughter of L.L. Bean and heir to the company who started several businesses of her own, has died. Bean died Saturday. She was 82. Her passing was confirmed Sunday by her assistant and the general manager of her Freeport restaurant, Linda Bean’s Maine Kitchen. “Linda was known for her tremendous work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit, as well as her pride and dedication to her home state of Maine and L.L. Bean, the company her grandfather founded,” read a written statement on behalf of the L.L. Bean company provided by a close assistant to Bean. more, >>click to read<< 15:00

Eight crew members airlifted to safety after fishing boat sinks

Eight people have been rescued and flown to Sumburgh Airport after the local whitefish trawler Opportune sank to the east of Shetland earlier this morning (Sunday). The coastguard said the call came in at around 5am after the boat had reportedly taken in water at the stern and sank quickly. The incident happened around 36 nautical miles northeast of Bressay, in rough seas. All eight crew members from the 27-metre vessel are accounted for and are said to be safe and well. They were airlifted from their liferafts by the Sumburgh based coastguard helicopter and a Norwegian search and rescue helicopter. Other vessels in the area area also offered their assistance. Photos, video, >>click to read<< 14:52

Mystic Aquarium (the Whale People) expands offshore wind exhibit with youth in mind

In light of New London’s growing offshore wind industry, the Mystic Aquarium expanded its Renewable Ocean Energy Exhibit to educate the region on protective ocean wildlife methods this week. The expansion is in collaboration with Ørsted and Eversource, two developers of Connecticut’s first large-scale offshore wind farm. The offshore wind projects are expected to power up to 70,000 homes on Long Island when completed. The two companies gave the aquarium two grants totaling $1.25 million to study the effects of wind turbines on marine mammals and sea turtles. more, >>click to read<< 12:21

Balloon debris recovered by Alaskan fishermen was ‘in the ocean for well over a year,’ Pentagon says

Balloon debris recovered off the coast of Alaska earlier this month appears to have been in the water for “well over a year,” a Pentagon official said Friday.  The remnants of the object were discovered by commercial fishermen, who notified the FBI of their find before bringing it back to shore. “Initial inspection of the balloon debris indicates that the material has been in the ocean for well over a year,” a spokesperson for the Department of Defense told reporters. “Some material has been transferred to US government facilities for further examination and analysis,” the official added. Photos, links, more, >>click to read<< 06:57

2024 Scottish Skipper Expo: Aberdeen industry showcase set to break its own records

The 2024 Scottish Skipper Expo in Aberdeen is looking to be the biggest yet, and the decision to make this an event taking place every second year has ensured that companies don’t want to miss out on what is expected to become a unique showcase for the UK fishing sector. ‘We are delighted with the response to this year’s event, with companies from around the world eager to secure their stand space to ensure that they are part of the bi-annual event,’ said Mara Media’s Commercial Fishing Manager Sharon Boyle. more, >>click to read<< 09:20

Russians destroyed their trawler “Captain Lobanov” during exercises in the Baltic Sea

Three crew members were killed and four injured when a Russian missile hit the fishing trawler Kapitan Lobanov during a Baltic Fleet exercise on March 19. The missile that hit the trawler was fired during a Baltic Fleet exercise. Before the incident, the crew members of the Captain Lobanov were about to go to bed when a missile fell on the captain’s cabin. Local authorities say that a fire broke out on board the trawler, and the cause of the incident is still unknown. In addition, the authorities report only one death. Russian media reports that during the March 19 exercise, a Boykoi corvette fired its onboard artillery. more, >>click to read<< 06:43

Wind turbines and a shadow over Island fishers

Their boat is named Redemption. And as seventeen-year-old Tegan Gale walked onto the lobster boat docked at Tashmoo landing on a warm March Day, he was thinking about what the boat meant to him and about his future. Tegan says he loves being out on the water, and he wants to keep the family tradition alive, but he’s up against what he sees as big business and a lot of uncertainty. And now, there’s another layer of uncertainty: the new offshore wind industry. Tegan isn’t alone. Several Island fishermen say the new industry has the potential to disrupt their work for years to come. They have questions about the impacts of underwater cables extending from the turbines and dragging nets over the high-voltage wires. They also have fears about the impact to sea life during construction of the offshore wind farms. more, >>click to read<< 13:26

Scallop wallop – Japanese imports are taking a bite out of New Bedford’s lucrative seafood industry at a time when the region’s shellfish are in shorter supply.

Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, landed a deal to supply U.S. military bases in Japan with scallops and other Japanese seafood products. Japan is an ally, he said, and it is important to support one of their major industries in a challenging moment. “In America we have a saying about being a good neighbor,” Emanuel said, according to the military news service Stars and Stripes. “This is being a good neighbor.” The recent spike in Japanese scallop imports is a complex political tangle. But in the U.S. seafood trade, distributors aren’t buying Japanese scallops to be neighborly, as Emanuel put it.  “It’s business,” said Drew Minkiewicz, a D.C. attorney who represents commercial fishing and shipping interests. “Japan’s government is making a targeted effort to push as many scallops as they can into the U.S. That competes directly with our scallops here.” more, >>click to read<< 12:36

‘A lot of people are upset.’ Vineyard Wind compensation offer for fishermen stirs worries

Commercial fishers who are sharing part of their customary fishing waters with Vineyard Wind may be eligible for compensation through the developers Fisheries Compensatory Mitigation Program. Eric Hesse, chairman of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance board, said most of the fishing in the lease area is by dragging. The sandy bottom there is a habitat for fluke, or summer flounder, one of the most important commercial and recreational flatfishes, according to the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. It’s also habitat for longfin squid, skates and monkfish, as well as a fishing area for scallops, sea clams and ocean quahog. But pelagic fish, like tuna — which he fishes for — also migrate through the area. “Who knows how that fishery may be affected,” he said. “It’s a sticky thing and a lot of people are upset.” more, >>click to read<< 07:06

Closure of Eastern Seafood | The end for Matane shrimp?

A few days before the start of the fishing season, the oldest shrimp processing plant in Quebec closes its doors. The Danish company Royal Greenland announced on Monday that it was closing down the Eastern Seafood processing plant. The mayor of Matane, Eddy Métivier, speaks of “a total surprise” as the Danish company had recently invested millions to add lobster and crab processing to its activities, in addition to building 71 housing units for its temporary workers. “We are in shock, it’s really a hard blow,” he said in an interview. It is a symbol for Matane. It’s like putting an end to historical fishing traditions. In this sense, too, it is a mourning. more, >>clicck to read<< 14:29

Awards 2023: Best Prawn Trawler – Zenith – Macduff Ship Design

Macduff Ship Design fishing boats have charms and attractions all of their own. They are rugged, safe and very economical and long-lasting (as they have to be in Scotland). Built to highly refined designs, they operate in often-terrible weather. In this case, Zenith was designed to fish for prawns out of the delightful port of Fraserburgh on the grey, gloomy North Sea. She is sure to do very well commercially. more, >>click to read<< 09:45

Steaming on sunshine – fishing with solar power

Tayvallich fisherman and boatbuilder Hans Unkles has outfitted 6.40-metre potting boat Lorna Jane to run on solar power. He has owned and skippered nine potting boats, andworks the latest of these on a part-time basis, fishing for lobsters two or three days a week. It was his expertise and a deep interest in renewable energy that led to outfitting Lorna Jane with solar panels to make it the UK’s first fully electric commercial fishing vessel. ‘I worry our fishing industry is missing the boat. With our current trajectory towards Net-Zero our vessels will be worthless. The process of wind and sun creating energy is fascinating to me, so I thought I could be the right person to give it ago,’ Hans Unkles said. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:04

Cancelling legal elver fishery has not stopped poaching in N.S.

Nova Scotia RCMP have charged a Parrsboro man with multiple criminal counts after a night time altercation with fishery officers attempting to stop illegal elver fishing in Hubbards this weekend. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says its officers tried to inspect a vehicle on Saturday “as part of their normal activities to deter and disrupt unauthorized elver harvest.” “An individual obstructed fishery officers from conducting the inspection and struck the officers with their vehicle while fleeing to attempt to avoid arrest. “The fishery officers involved were not injured and alerted local RCMP to the incident,” more, >>click to read<< 19:03