Category Archives: International News
Rising cost of fuel adds to pressure on fishing industry
The fishing industry is facing a perfect storm of circumstances that must be addressed urgently by the Government to avoid permanent damage to the sector, according to representative groups. The rising cost of fuel is compounding the already significant strain on the industry caused by Brexit and the pandemic, fishers say. According to Aodh O’Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation, said many boats can’t run profitably in the current circumstances. “We are looking at fuel costing €1.30 per litre or more, it has effectively doubled in cost in less than a year.” Mr O’Donnell said French and Spanish fishermen were being supported by their governments and this was leaving Irish boats at a disadvantage. >click to read< 08:54
Cabo Virgenes Adds to its Fleet
One of the leading companies in the fishery for Argentine red shrimp, Cabo Vírgenes, is about to take delivery of a new trawler built at Astillero Río Paraná Sur, as the company continues to invest in capacity and innovative technology. Astillero Río Paraná Sur, located near Paraná River in the city of Lima, launched the new F/V Atón on 6th May ahead of final fitting out. This is part of the growth of Cabo Vírgenes, which has acquired seven fishing vessels since 2019, including two built for the company by Astillero Contessi. These two represented milestones, as F/V Luca Santino was the first Argentinian fishing vessel with a liquid ice system on board when it was delivered in 2019 and the 25-metreEspartano, delivered in 2020, is the first fishing vessel built in Argentina with an inverted bow. Photos, details, >click to read< 19:22
Western Flyer sails again
The Western Flyer left for Seattle after seven years of intense restoration and rebuilding in Port Townsend, but she will make a detour on the way to her final destination for one last visit to the town that returned her to the ocean. The boat, known most famously as the vessel writer John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts chartered for a research trip to the Sea of Cortez in 1940, had been in Port Townsend undergoing restoration since 2015. On Wednesday, the Western Flyer embarked on stage two of its rehab when it was towed to Snow & Company boat builders in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. There, over the course of the next four or five months, it’ll get a new engine, rigging, hydraulics and mechanical systems. >click to read< 12:14
Salvage operation for capsized fishing vessel off Cape Point
The 24m Restless Wave capsized in the early hours on Sunday, prompting the successful rescue of all 12 crew who were uninjured in the accident, which is being investigated. However, the upturned vessel is adrift close to Cape Point, raising concern about a possible pollution threat. On Tuesday Samsa said: “Earlier today salvors and port officials met to formalise the process to tow the vessel to Cape Town. A separate vessel is standing by to recover the fishing gear once the Restless Wave is connected and clear of the area.” The vessel is a purse seine fishing vessel built by local boat builder Tallie Marine for the local fishing industry. >click to read< 09:14
Young fishing crews call for urgent government help to tackle rising fuel costs
Fuel is at almost three times the price it was last year, and Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) has warned the whitefish sector is in particular danger of failing. F/V Defiant skipper Robbie Jamieson, 25, said the cost of fuel “has become crippling”. He bought the boat last year with the rest of his shareholder crew, all of whom are under the age of 30. Mr Jamieson said along with the rising cost of fuel, ongoing issues with cod quotas “adds to the problem”. F/V Comrades skipper Ben Irvine, 24, agreed – saying the cost of fuel “has become a real problem” for him and his crew. “As a young crew, we have debts to pay off from purchasing the vessel last year. >click to read< 08:19
Young skippers and crew take over two whitefish trawlers – Skipper Ben Irvine, Owen Dougan, Gordon Smith, Louis Polson, and LHD, have bought the F/V Sedulous from John Wishart. She has been renamed F/V Comrades. Meanwhile., skipper Robbie Jamieson, Richard Whelan, James Shearer, Ross Sutherland, Tom Jamieson, and Magnus Polson, have bought the F/V Defiant from Gordon Irvine. >click to read<
Hartlepool fishermen fear for future after crab deaths
Mass wash-ups were first reported in October with the government saying a natural algal bloom was to blame. Campaigners and fishermen disputed that and instead cited the dumping of dredged materials from the River Tees, which was “ruled out” by officials. Fisherman Paul Widdowfield, from Hartlepool, said he had caught “nothing at all” since October. Crab fisherman Stan Rennie said his family had fished the waters off Hartlepool for hundreds of years but he feared that would be “lost” with him. “We don’t know how the eco-system can come back,” Mr Rennie said. >click to read< 9:34
Rising diesel prices push UK’s fishing industry to the brink
Trawlers and commercial fishers are now struggling under the weight of price rises that mean in many cases tens of thousands of pounds extra in diesel for a fishing trip leading to take-home pay that is below the minimum wage. The biggest trawler in Brixham, the Julie of Ladram, returned to harbour after seven days at sea earlier this month, and came close to making a loss. The captain, Sean Beck, took home just £440 for a week’s work – the equivalent of £2.60 an hour for being responsible for the ship and crew 24 hours a day. “It’s a stressful time for my family. And it’s stressful at sea – fishing’s not always great. As a skipper it’s a big responsibility to make the boat pay and make sure everybody gets a wage.”>click to read< 09:42
Family of Robert Morley ‘bemused’ by F/V Joanna C tragedy report
Robert Morley’s stepdad and mother said the outcome of an investigation into the sinking of the F/V Joanna C had not given them the “peace of mind” they hoped for. Barry and Jackie Woolford are awaiting the inquest into Robert’s death to clear up a number of “anomalies”. The Marine 
Accident Investigation Branch report described how Robert was thrown from the boat as it capsized and he hung onto a lifebuoy before he eventually drowned. “We lost our son but we’re really none the wiser as to why. We know how but we don’t know why. “There are anomalies which we want to ask about at the inquest.” >click to read< 19:33
F/V Nicola Faith: Fisherman’s ‘harsh working conditions’ revealed in investigation
Carl McGrath, 34, Ross Ballantine, 39, and Alan Minard, 20, were on board the Nicola Faith when it left Conwy Harbour on January 27, 2021. It capsized and sank 1.9 miles north of Rhos-on-Sea. A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch found skipper Carl McGrath pushed his crew harder than most in search of greater productivity. Aged 34, Mr McGrath had been the boat’s skipper for some three years. Previously a builder and steel fabricator, he had had no fishing experience prior to skippering the Nicola Faith. Despite this, he had completed all mandatory fishing industry safety training courses. Neither had Ross Ballantine, 39, any prior experience of fishing before taking a job on the Nicola Faith, on which he had been working for about eight months. The youngest crew member was Alan Minard, 20, who had been crewing on Nicola Faith for just two weeks. >click to read< 14:00
Coroner to probe death of fisherman on Sealord vessel
A fisherman has died at sea on his first trip aboard the Sealord trawler Ocean Dawn. Nelson-based Sealord chief executive Doug Paulin said the 47-year-old man was found unresponsive outside his cabin in the early hours of Tuesday on the 64m factory trawler. Crew tried to resuscitate him but were unable to. Paulin said he could not comment on the cause of the man’s death as that would be determined by a coroner’s investigation. >click to read< 09:12
A skipper named ‘Crazy Horse’, a ‘dicky’ autopilot and a sailing trip that foundered on a beach
After hours of sailing a 14m fishing vessel on “an extremely erratic” course up the coast towards Christchurch, doubling back and then turning around again to head in the same direction closer to the shore, skipper David “Crazy Horse” Atkinson was lost. It was 9pm, he was not sure where he was, and he only had rudimentary knowledge of how to use the boat’s navigational equipment. His crew aboard the trawler, the F/V Debbie Jane, consisted of a 41-year-old woman and a 73-year-old retired school teacher who was living with him – neither of whom had any commercial fishing experience. >click to read< 08:03
F/V Johanna C: Life raft failure blamed after fishermen deaths
Two fishermen died after their trawler capsized and their life raft failed to inflate, a report has said. Investigators said the failure of the life raft “impacted” the chances of two men surviving after they were thrown into the water when the Joanna C sank in November 2020. One of the men in the water died, but the other was later rescued. A third crew member drowned after being trapped in the sinking boat, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said. MAIB chief inspector Andrew Moll said: “Unfortunately, Joanna C’s ‘float-free’ life raft arrangements did not work as expected. >click to read< 10:38
Grey seals eat into another fish population in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Grey seals are eating into another fish species in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, driving a serious decline in the abundance of yellowtail flounder, according to a new report from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Federal scientists assessed the flatfish species in the southern gulf over the past 25 years up to 2020 and projected the population to 2030. The results are stark. The number of yellowtail flounder six-years and older is believed to have declined by 95 per cent since the mid-1980s. There is a 100 per cent probability the population will remain in the critical zone where serious harm occurs whatever the level of commercial fishing, the report says. >click to read< 08:39
Trawler skipper who got lost off Christchurch admits safety breaches
Shortly before a trawler skipper lost his bearings in gathering darkness off the Christchurch coast, one of his crew had rolled him a cannabis joint. Maritime New Zealand’s summary of facts does not say whether the skipper, 67-year-old David Anderson, actually smoked the joint, but the trawler ran aground on Waimairi Beach a few hours later. The F/V Debbie Jane’s disastrous trip from Akaroa to Nelson in December 2019 was detailed in the Christchurch District Court, when Anderson admitted two charges. >click to read< 07:48
Grimsby man whose house was full of model boats sells 400 of them at auction
Pete Dixon, 75, who spent 40 years of his life working on trawlers as a cook, acquired an incredible 600 model boats over the years which he kept around his rented home on Heneage Road. From floor to ceiling, Pete’s home was full of the boats – he even kept some in the bath because he ran out of space. But on Sunday, the time came for him to sell the majority of these at Prestige Auctions on Orwell Street in Grimsby – and people as far away as Australia, New Zealand and America were keen to get their hands on Pete’s boats. “Pete’s house still has boats in it, but they are going to be coming to Prestige Auctions in the coming weeks. There’s still about 100 boats that are going to be going to auction. His memorabilia collection will be coming in soon – that’s his Grimsby trawlers, paintings, life rings off the old trawlers – there’s a hell of a collection, and we need to sell all of that as well. >click to read< 14:41
Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship: Memories of working and playing hard on Arctic Corsair as restoration progresses
Two of Hull’s cherished ships have had decades-old paint and rust blasted away in the latest stage of a major restoration project which will ultimately see them displayed to the public. The Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship are being power-cleaned this week by special tools used to remove old paint, corrosion, and muck clinging to the ships’ hulls. >click to read<
Waking up to find a huge cod alongside him in his bunk was an experience young Pete Forytarz never forgot. – The third generation fisherman, 70, is one of a dwindling band with memories going back to the days when hundreds of boats, big and small, operated out of Hull. He did two trips to the White Sea on board Arctic Corsair back in 1973 for cod and haddock. and now acts as a guide on board on the sidewinder trawler, which is being restored as part of the £30m Hull Maritime project. In dry dock the vessel’s elegant lines are revealed, her slim hull and raked bow. “She is going to look beautiful,” said Pete, his face lighting up. >click to read< 10:46
Hundreds of workers flown home to Pacific despite fishing firms’ pleas
Tongan, Samoan and ni-Vanuatu horticulture workers have been redeployed or flown home, to the disappointment of the country’s biggest fishing companies who had asked for help filling hundreds of jobs in their processing plants. Between 200 and 500 workers still had time left on their Recognised Seasonal Employer visas, at the end of fruit-picking season in Nelson and Marlborough. Sealord and Talley’ wrote to the immigration minister asking that workers be given the chance to transfer over to better-paid seafood jobs, to help address a big labour shortage at the start of New Zealand’s lucrative hoki season. >click to read< 09:32
American Aquafarms appeals DMR lease application decision
American Aquafarms has appealed a recent decision by the Maine Department of Marine Resources to terminate two lease applications for a proposed salmon farm in Frenchman Bay. American Aquafarms (AAF) is asking the court to vacate the DMR’s decision and send the applications back to the department for continued consideration. The DMR, in a statement, said it stands behind its decision to terminate the lease applications. The reason for termination, according to the DMR, lies in the proposed egg stock that American Aquafarms had listed in its application. >click to read< 09:41
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 76′ Seiner/RSW Carrier
To review specifications, information, and 45 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 09:55
Isle of Man’s teenage fishing apprentice’s joy at UK award win
A Manx teenager is celebrating after being crowned Trainee Fisherman of the Year at a UK national ceremony. Isla Gale said she was “so happy” to receive the accolade at the Fishing News Awards in Aberdeen last week. Currently an apprentice on local vessel the Shannon Kimberly, she aims to be the island’s first female skipper. Isla was inspired to get into the industry after watching her father, who also works in the fishing industry, from a young age. >click to read< 12:38
Into the ice: A crab boat’s quest for snow crab in a Bering Sea upended by climate change
Aboard the F/V Pinnacle in the Bering Sea. Through the wheelhouse window, Capt. Mark Casto spotted a white line on the horizon. The edge of an ice floe was illuminated by bow lights piercing the morning darkness of the Bering Sea. He throttled back the engines. Soon, the Seattle-based crab boat began to nose through closely packed pancake-like pieces and bigger craggy chunks, some the size of boulders, which bobbed about in the currents and clanged against the hull. Casto grabbed a microphone to relay a change in plans to the deck crew. Pull the pots up and stack them aboard. They would search for crab somewhere else. “Where the hell did that ice floe come from? … We’re retreating. It’s a hard word to say,” Casto declared. photos, video, charts and grafs, >click to read< 17:50
Brady hits out at Ministers for ‘passing buck’ as Arklow fisherman flounders in debt
The criticism by the Wicklow TD addresses the failure of both Ministers to take leadership with “neither prepared to do the decent thing and deal with the issue” that has seen Mr Gaffney lose his fishing boat and license and wrack up debts of more than €1million. “What we have witnessed is a case of ‘passing the buck’ between government departments, as they work to avoid taking responsibility for the matter,” said Mr Brady. Explaining his current situation, Mr Gaffney said: “I have no life anymore. Every week there is costs, and every week is like a knife cut. >click to read< 08:50
Goodbye F/V Santiego, Hello F/V Diamond Lil
It’s always sad when an old lady of the sea is shipped off to far away waters especially when they’ve been a permanent sight in Port Douglas for decades. Such is the case with the FV Santiego, built in Brisbane and owned by her skipper Laurie Moull. The fishing trawler has been in operation for 21 years and to see her sail off into the sunset is tinged with sadness. The old girl is now in Innisfail with her new owners and their gain is certainly our 
loss, however skipper Laurie is like a kid in a candy shop because he has a new gal in his life. He’s bought a new vessel named ‘Diamond Lil’ and she’s a ‘BIG UN’. Laurie and the crew will be proudly showing off Diamond Lil this weekend at the Port Douglas public jetty when they sell their new season prawns tomorrow and Sunday. Photos, >click to read< 08:14
Fisherman forced deckhand to swim across crocodile-inhabited Queensland river
A Far North Queensland fisherman has denied claims he forced a deckhand to swim across a river known for crocodiles, starved him and locked him in a freezer. Yarn Garrick Ward is on trial at the District Court in Cairns, accused of torturing his former worker, George Jelef, in a remote river system near Karumba in June 2019. Mr Ward has pleaded not guilty. “He said he was going to break my legs … I thought he was going to bash the shit out of me,” Mr Jelef told the court. >click to read< 11:25
Eastern Canada: Engineers say ditching length limits would mean safer, ‘greener’ fishing boats
Engineers Canada, a national organization that represents professional engineers and engineering associations in each province has declared federal regulations of fishing vessel design an issue of importance. The Fisheries and Oceans rules that were built on the logic of limiting catch capacity have had “unintended consequences”, Vessel proportions have become extreme, with some boats more than half as wide as they are long. McDonald said if Canada is sincere about the goal of fighting climate change and is interested in enabling the fishing industry to adopt fuel-reduction strategies, the vessel length rule needs to be changed. Then there’s the safety issue. photos, >click to read< 14:51
Trade war, Covid and now Ukraine invasion eat into Alaska seafood sales
First a trade war, then a battle against an infectious virus and now a real war are all affecting Alaska seafood exports. Shipments to China fell from as high as 30% of Alaska’s total seafood export value in the 2010s to 20% in 2020. “The U.S.-China trade war has displaced $500 million of Alaska seafood,” And though people bought more seafood to prepare at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, sales to restaurants and food services fell by 70%, Woodrow said. The food service market “still hasn’t fully recovered.” The Alaska product at risk in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is pink salmon roe. Eastern Europe is a major buyer of the product, he said. “It’s a regional preference.” Alaska in 2021 shipped to Ukraine about $20 million of pink salmon roe,,, >click to read< 11:37
House GOP Investigates Alleged Financial Ties Of US Green Groups To Putin
The GOP committee members wrote to three groups Thursday, the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Sierra Club, demanding more information about their financial ties to the California-based Sea Change Foundation. The Republicans cited reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has funneled money through Sea Change to the environmental groups, according to the letters sent to the groups’ leaders. The NRDC vehemently denied the allegations Thursday, saying the reports Republicans referenced were false. >click to read< 10:16
Woolly Mammoth Tooth Found by Fisherman to Be Auctioned to Aid Ukrainian Refugees
A pair of restaurant owners from Kittery, Maine, trying to find a way help the refugees in Ukraine decided to put the 12,000-year-old woolly mammoth tooth found on a fishing expedition up for auction and donate the proceeds to a charity. Kayla Cox and Captain Tim Rider, the other restaurant co-owner, wanted to help Ukrainians in need following the Russian invasion into Ukraine on February 24, which was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. One customer suggested they auction off the woolly mammoth tooth and donate the money to World Central Kitchen, an organization serving meals to Ukrainian families. >click to read< 07:05
Maine Right whale advocates say they feel sidelined by the powerful lobster industry
As Maine’s lobstermen fight national conservation groups over federal gear rules and fishery closures intended to protect endangered whales, they have found fierce allies among the state’s political leaders. That’s left some local advocates for the whales feeling sidelined by the powerful industry. A few weeks ago, lobstermen joined lawmakers to support a bill that would give nearly a million dollars directly to the industry for its legal battles over whale protection measures. None of Maine’s more well-known conservation groups weighed in, but a handful of local advocates for the planet’s estimated 340 North Atlantic right whales testified against it. >click to read< 10:38
Talley’s subsidiary found guilty of bottom trawling in conservation area
Convictions for bottom trawling in a protected area of the Tasman Sea should send a strong message to the fishing industry, says the Ministry for Primary Industries. Judge David Ruth in the Nelson District Court found Talley’s subsidiary Amaltal Fishing Co breached the conditions of its high seas fishing permit when its vessel, Amaltal Apollo, trawled in a protected area. Both Amaltal Fishing Co and the then-master of the vessel, Charles Shuttleworth, were found guilty on 14 charges. A date has not yet been set for sentencing. >click to read< 10:02
