Category Archives: International News
Retired Arbroath boat builder reunited with renovated luxury ship he made almost 50 years ago
Harry Simpson, 68, former owner of MacKay Boat Builders, welcomed the Nova Spero into the town’s marina on Monday afternoon. The vessel, built in 1972, has since been turned into a luxury passenger ship, which overcame difficult conditions to berth in the marina on its way to the Forth. The crew and passengers stopped off in Angus after strong winds trapped them in Peterhead on Sunday. Harry, who waited at the harbour to welcome the ship home, was only an apprentice when he helped construct the vessel.,, “I did everything from laying the keel, the planking, the frames, the lofting, then to the fitting out. I was involved in all the bits and pieces, everything. That’s how I learned my trade.” photos, >click to read< 10:02
Fishermen prepare for the choppy waters of a no deal Brexit
“The French will always be the ones to cause the biggest amount of trouble,” says ‘Crystal Sea’ skipper David Stevens. His family have been trawling for generations and he’s prepared for any wave that hits on January 1st. So will it be a new post Brexit dawn at sea for fishing? Seemingly relaxed about the future he accepts there is trouble on the horizon but predicts a passing storm. We are five hours out of Newlyn in Cornwall, the nets are cast and conversation turns to the weeks ahead. “It was said that fishing would be the litmus test of how far we’ve come out of the EU. I think that is true,” says David. >click to read< 16:49
Senators Introduce Legislation to Establish Offshore Aquaculture Standards
Senators Wicker-R, Schatz -D and Rubio -R introduced legislation, the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act (S. 4723) in the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan AQUAA Act, which has companion legislation in the U.S. House, would support development of an offshore aquaculture industry in the U.S. to increase the production of sustainable seafood and establish new economic opportunities in federal waters. >click to read< 13:43
First Nations, commercial fishermen demands end to B.C. salmon farms – A broad coalition of First Nations leaders, wilderness tourism operators, environmental NGOs and commercial and sport fishing organizations gathered in North Vancouver Sept. 22 demanding the federal government fulfill recommendations of the Cohen Commission to immediately remove open-net salmon farms from the Discovery Islands, and abolish all others from BC waters by 2025. >click to read<
South Australia West Coast fishers reeling from priority species quota ITQ
Fishers on South Australia’s West Coast fishers who have invested hundreds of thousands in boats and licences since 2016 say they have received new quotas that only allow them to catch 87 kilograms of priority species annually. The State Government is rolling out what it calls individual transferable quotas (ITQs), part of its controversial Marine Scalefish Fishery,, for those with a catch history prior to 2016, particularly West Coast fishers where the average age was between 55 and 60, the formula was effectively a “golden handshake” to sell their quota and exit the industry. But he said it was anything but for younger fishers who bought into the industry after mid-2016,, Mr Schmucker said the industry would be “divided” as young operators scrambled to find another $150,000 to buy more quota while simultaneously competing with investors who were snapping up relinquished ITQs. >click to read< 09:10
Royal Greenland buying 4 more N.L. fish plants – FFAW raising red flag over corporate concentration and foreign ownership
A Crown corporation owned by the Greenland government is set to become the largest fish processor in Newfoundland and Labrador, dramatically changing the landscape of the province’s fish-processing industry. In a deal recommended by the Fish Processing Licensing Board and approved by Fisheries Minister Elvis Loveless, Royal Greenland is taking controlling interests in Quinlan Brothers fish plants in Old Perlican, Bay de Verde and Baie Verte. Royal Greenland subsidiary Quin-Sea Fisheries will take over valuable crab, shrimp and other processing licences owned by Quinlan Brothers. Royal Greenland is also taking a controlling interest in St. Anthony Seafoods in a partnership with Clearwater Seafoods. >click to read< 17:29
Congress gave $300 million to help fisheries. The Great Lakes got zero. Why were they left out?!
The nationwide shutdown was especially ill-timed for fishers in the Great Lakes. “We had reports of commercial fishermen in Michigan who had a catch with absolutely nowhere to sell it,” Luckily, there was a plan in place to help commercial fishers and charter boats. But when it came time to distribute that funding, most of the Great Lakes states were left out altogether. That came as a shock to many fishers. “Right up until the final hour, a lot of the Great Lakes fishery participants thought that they were going to be included,” says Gravelle. Why the Great Lakes were left out? >click to read< 14:53
Special report: Pebble, and the reality of life in the region for those without commercial fishing permits
Pebble Mine is a story of Alaskans and Native peoples being prohibited from using their natural resources. The mine is of tremendous significance to the Alaska people touched by it, but not in the ways that have been portrayed in media…incessantly. Among the thousands of articles, press releases, documentary-style videos, and advertisements written and paid for by Outside environmental activist groups and wealthy donors, none mentions the people whose lands and lives will actually be affected by the mine. While Alaskans love and care about their State, not all have had their voices heard. Many have been drowned out. Most of the general public outside these small remote communities are probably unaware that there even are other views about the mine, voices in support. It’s time they were heard. >click to read< 12:54
Fisheries officials seize 316 Canadian crab traps set in U.S. water, along with four vessels as part of annual sting
“You have people who push the envelope because it may be worth it for them to do that if they don’t get caught, because there’s money in crab — there’s good money in crab,” he said. “Sometimes getting caught and getting fines may be the price of doing business.” Demsky estimates each set of gear — including a trap, float, ropes and radio frequency ID chip — would cost about $500 to replace. DFO will seek the forfeiture of all of them, and the courts will decide whether the fishers will face fines, the loss of their fishing license or vessels. The fines are often several thousand dollars, but can to go a maximum of $500,000 for a first-time offender, according to Demsky. >click to read< 08:10
Coast Guard and Royal Bahamas Defense Force seize more than 12,000 lbs. of IUU Fishing catch off Bahamas
Watchstanders from the Coast Guard’s Operation Bahamas and Turks and Caicos operation center coordinated with RBDF crews to board two commercial fishing vessels, El Ship and Angel Gabriel, which had 83 fishermen aboard. The RBDF boarding team seized more than 12,000 pounds of illegally caught fish and lobster. The partnership between the Coast Guard and RBDF to catch these illegal fishermen came just days after the Coast Guard released a new strategy to enhance global safety, security, and stewardship of the maritime domain by combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. photos, >click to read< 21:51
Northern Fishermen in Norway Want to Go It Alone
Last week, the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association, Division North (NFA North) decided to exit from the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association. The proposal to leave was approved with only one vote against.,, members and local chapters are dissatisfied with the fact that issues they raise are not sufficiently followed up on a national level within the NFA. What kind of issues? According to Hansen, one of the problems is that larger and modern coastal vessels have built up so that they can fish efficiently out in the open seas and also fish in areas near the coast, areas with fish on which the traditional coast-based fleet depends. >click to read< 20:00
A Lobsterman Slogs On Through the Pandemic
Mike Dawson (self-employed) Location: New Harbor, Maine Employees: 1 Status: Open, essential industry. During the summer, “catch landings are probably down. But we can gain quite a lot in October, November, and December,” says Mike Dawson, a lobsterman who fishes off the coast of Maine. “August was kind of slow. Not an overabundance of lobster.” But Dawson this year is still grappling with the tepid demand and disruption caused by the pandemic. Lobster recently fetched $3.60 a pound for soft-shell, down from $4.05 a year ago. The occasional hard-shell lobster—which is rarer to catch at this point in the growing season for lobster—got $4 a pound, down about 25 cents a pound from a year ago. >click to read< 09:41
‘Ain’t no hurricane going to stop Joe Patti’s’ – Shrimp boat captains docked behind Joe Patti’s devastated
Joe Patti’s Seafood bore a beating, but the iconic Pensacola seafood market expects to survive the hit dealt by Hurricane Sally. “We got it on the chin,” However, it’s likely a different story for the fishing boat fleet that docks behind the Joe Patti’s warehouse. Seven of the nine shrimp boats — which are primarily captained by Vietnamese immigrants, many of whom lack maritime insurance — were ravaged by the hurricane. Standing on the wharf behind Joe Patti’s on Tuesday morning, it looked like a battleship had turned its guns on the small fishing fleet. Where there had been docks, scraps of driftwood bobbed in the shallow water. Shrimp boats with punctured hauls sat on the bottom of the harbor. 45 photos, >click to read< 08:44
BETA expected to stall inland over Texas – Teddy to bring heavy rain, strong winds, destructive waves to Nova Scotia
Tropical Storm Beta is forecast to weaken and gradually lose tropical characteristics while spreading flooding rains further inland across the lower Mississippi Valley… >click to read< ,, Hurricane Teddy Public Advisory – Interests in Atlantic Canada should closely monitor the progress of Teddy. >click to read<
Hurricane Teddy’s impact on Massachusetts: Coastal flooding, large breaking waves as high as 24 feet and winds as strong as 55 mph in the forecast >click to read< 09:09
Video – A fisherman is rescued after being adrift at sea for three days in an ice box
This is the incredible moment a fisherman was rescued after spending three days drifting out at sea clinging to an ice box. Udin Diman, 46, was found holding on to the orange box off the coast in North Maluku province, Indonesia, on September 17. He had left his home three days earlier to catch some seafood to sell – but he didn’t return that evening. His boat toppled and capsized over so he clung to the ice chest and had drifted in it for days. >video, photos, click to read< 08:09
How much like the eel are we?
“The Book of Eels” is as much about origins and meaning as it is about eels. Once people comprehend the eel’s astonishing life journey, it’s difficult not to identify, seek metaphors of association and anthropomorphize. The eels’ mysteries are ours as well. After millennia of study and conjecture, we now know that American and European eels get their start in the Sargasso Sea northeast of Cuba. We also know that the nascent eels – tiny, transparent, flat larvae that are shaped like willow leaves – float off on currents either to America or Europe. Upon arriving at a predestined coast, their transformed little bodies smoothly transition from salt to freshwater. They choose a brook or stream and eventually settle down at some spot – random or not is unknown >click to read< 15:22
Tied-up fishing boats signal overseas worker crisis for industry
One fishing company is effectively out of business while others are bracing for large financial hits as the deepwater New Zealand industry, unable to get skilled foreign workers into the country, have begun tying up vessels. At least three New Zealand-flagged big autonomous trawler reefer (BATM) deepwater vessels associated with Canterbury based Independent fisheries have been tied up at Lyttleton as it repatriated its Russian and Ukranian crew following the end of their visa periods. Sealord now urgently needed 160 skilled fishers to crew the two vessels >click to read< 18:49
Weymouth Lifeboat crew pay emotional tribute to their friend and colleague
A spokesman for the lifeboat station said: It is with deep sadness that Weymouth RNLI lifeboat station and the family of the station’s Deputy Second Coxswain Trevor Brooker pay tribute to Trevor who passed away suddenly on Sunday, September 13, in tragic circumstances for the crews at the lifeboat station. “Trevor was a professional local fisherman who owned and skippered a Weymouth fishing trawler. “He was a quiet man whose calming influence under the most challenging of conditions at sea could always be relied on. >click to read< 08:57
Application deadline extended for fish harvester benefits program – will have until Oct. 5th
Fishers financially impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic have two extra weeks to apply for the federal government’s Fish Harvester Benefit and Grant Program. The original Sept. 21 deadline is now extended to 3 p.m. on Oct. 5 for self employed harvesters to submit their applications online. In a press release Sept. 18, Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan encouraged anyone who thinks they may be eligible to visit the DFO website and learn how to apply. >click to read< 17:44
Nova Scotia: Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan asking sides to meet to de-escalate lobster fishing tensions
And late Friday afternoon the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs declared a state of emergency for mainland Nova Scotia because of what it calls political unrest and violence. Early Friday evening Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan issued a statement,, “Our Government’s first priority is to ensure everyone involved remains safe. In Canada, anyone can participate in peaceful protests and that process is fundamental to our democracy,” she said. “At this time, it is imperative that all parties, and the public work together to lower tensions on the water and in our communities, to foster understanding between one another,,, “To that end, I’m extending an invitation for Indigenous leadership and industry leadership to meet with me as soon as possible. >click to read< 15:13
Two fishermen rescued from Westray creel boat
Kirkwall RNLI came to the aid of a stricken fishing vessel aground on rocks off Westray on Friday. Two people were onboard the Kirkwall-registered creel boat Kingfisher. Kirkwall’s volunteer lifeboat crew arrived on the scene at 10.50am to find the vessel hard aground on a shelf of rock. They were assisted by two other vessels along with the Westray Coastguard team on the cliff top. >click to read< 10:31
Seafood Trade Relief Program: Funding available for Maine lobster fishermen affected by China’s tariffs
Lobster fishermen have started applying for a portion of a $527 million relief program recently unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help offset losses incurred due to China’s new tariff policies. The Seafood Trade Relief Program (STRP) is paying 50 cents for every pound of lobster; in 2019, Maine landed roughly 100 million pounds. The Notice of Funds Availability notes President Donald Trump’s June 24 memorandum, “Protecting the United States Lobster Industry,” directs the USDA to consider appropriate action to provide assistance to eligible U.S. commercial fishermen whose business has been impacted by foreign government trade actions that have led to the loss of exports. >click to read< 08:11
Magwood death a blow to Mount Pleasant. A Letter by Jimmy Bagwell
When I think of my hometown, my thoughts always go to Shem Creek and the shrimp fleet that has been the most recognizable image of our town for 70 to 80 years. On Sept. 11, one of the icons of that creek was killed in an accident on Coleman Boulevard. Wayne Magwood’s death was met with great sadness by all who knew and loved him. Wayne’s family began the shrimping industry on Shem Creek in 1930 when Capt. C. Magwood became the first fisherman to bring ocean shrimp into the creek. >click to read< 17:23
Yelling, cursing, but no physical confrontation – Lobster dispute between Indigenous and commercial fishers boils over again
Another contentious chapter in a very long dispute over Indigenous fishing rights and federal laws on conservation has begun. Thursday saw a handful of Indigenous lobster boats head out of southwestern Nova Scotia to lay traps using ‘licences’ handed out by a local Mi’kmaw chief and not from the federal Fisheries and Oceans Canada department (DFO). Commercial lobstermen in the area staged protests this week saying the Mi’kmaw are fishing out of season and illegally. The fishery is closed as it’s molting season when lobsters renew their shells, and mating season. They say the law closing the fishery for several months is necessary for conservation purposes and fishing at this time is not sustainable. >click to read< 10:11
Dale Lisi launches his book “Good & Evil”, real life account of his life after losing his arm
Captain Dale Lisi recently announced the release of his breakout literary debut, Good & Evil. Lisi was inspired to write after reflecting on the incredible events of his life and his personal search to find God. He hopes that his work will inspire others to consider their pasts and embrace the possibilities of the future. Lisi is quick to point out, “If you do not take advantage of the opportunity you are given, it is no one’s fault but your own.” Good & Evil is the true account of Lisi’s life after the loss of his arm in a boating accident in 1992, which would ultimately go on to change his life completely. >click to read< 09:14
Second attempt to get Kiwi fishing crew home from Mauritius ready for take off
The crew of Sealord fishing vessel Will Watch have been unable to return to New Zealand due to Coronavirus, so the Nelson-based company has chartered private jets to finally enable a crew changeover after seven months’ fishing. After being scuppered by red tape and mechanical delays, fishing company Sealord’s second attempt to bring its crew home from Mauritius is set for take-off. >click to read< 18:53
Fishing company and skipper on trial for alleged unlawful trawling in Tasman Sea
Fishing company Amaltal and a skipper of its vessel the Apollo are on trial for allegedly trawling in an unauthorised area of the Tasman Sea. Amaltal, the deepwater division of Talley’s Group, has denied that its vessel deliberately fished in an unauthorised area during a May 2018 trip and has maintained it was a technical error based on out-of-date information given by the fisheries observer on board. Judge David Ruth is presiding over the judge-alone trial which began in the Nelson District Court on Tuesday. >click to read< 09:57
Sipekne’katik First Nation issuing own lobster licences
After a blessing of its fleet on Thursday morning, the Sipekne’katik First Nation will issue lobster fishing licences at the Saulnierville wharf. On Tuesday, the Potlotek First Nation in Cape Breton sent its plan to begin a rights-based moderate livelihood lobster fishery on Oct. 1 to federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan. They weren’t asking her permission, but rather for her to consult them on what they intend to do. “We’re tired of waiting and we’re tired of being poor,” Potlotek chief Wilbert Marshall said on Wednesday. >click to read< 08:26
Offshore Wind Will Deliver Few U.S. Jobs; Lack of Oversight Means Most Jobs Will Be Overseas
New developments have raised serious questions regarding the economic and job benefits from offshore wind energy projects in U.S. waters. Unsubstantiated claims of significant economic growth and investment have exaggerated the benefits of offshore wind energy, and diminished the economic and cultural importance of sustainable American wild-caught fisheries. A new study, conducted by Georgetown Economic Services (GES), finds that “[t]he claim that the huge investments in offshore wind would provide significant job and economic benefits in the U.S. has been grossly inflated.” The study also reaches an important conclusion: many of the jobs and benefits would actually go to the foreign-owned companies currently dominating the wind energy landscape, instead of creating local opportunities. >click to read< 15:45
Hurricane Sally Public Advisory
At 1000 AM, the center of Hurricane Sally was located near latitude 29.1 North, longitude 88.2 West. Sally is moving toward the northwest near 2 mph (4 km/h). A slow north- northwestward to northward motion is expected this afternoon, followed by a slow northward to north-northeastward motion tonight through Wednesday night. On the forecast track, the center of Sally will pass near the coast of southeastern Louisiana today, and make landfall in the hurricane warning area late tonight or Wednesday. >click to read< 12:03
Investigation underway: French vessel boarded, inspected, and brought to Plymouth Harbour
Britain’s fishing watchdog has confirmed its staff boarded a French fishing vessel a few miles off the Devon and Cornwall coast before bringing it into Plymouth’s harbour for an investigation. As tension rises over the forthcoming Fisheries Bill, the first major fisheries legislation in nearly 40 years which aims to “end current automatic rights for EU vessels to fish in British waters”, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has confirmed it confronted a French fishing vessel a few miles south of the Eddystone lighthouse. >click to read< 11:16
