Category Archives: International News
Coronavirus pandemic exposes China’s venality
China makes almost all our medical personal protection equipment. Who knew? It also came to light that much of our most widely used and critically important pharmaceutical drugs are also being made almost exclusively in China.,, Meanwhile the Lunar New Year Holiday was in full swing in China. Millions of people were preparing for the upcoming celebration. In Wuhan, tens of thousands of people were attending massive shopping fairs to purchase gifts. One such event was a potluck dinner held in downtown Wuhan that brought in more than 40,000 families from all over China. These people carried the virus to the world. It was almost seven weeks from the appearance of the coronavirus before the Chinese government was forced to admit its existence. If the government had acted even three weeks earlier, the world would have been spared the horrific pandemic., by Marvin F. Dugger >click to read< 09:56
Coronavirus: Fears fuel assault on Bering Sea fishing boat, federal prosecutors charge
Federal prosecutors have charged a worker on a Bering Sea factory fishing boat with assault after he allegedly broke the eye socket of another person who criticized him for serving food without gloves during the coronavirus pandemic. Prosecutors say Maurice Young was a housekeeper and galley assistant on the 235-foot SeaFreeze America, which has about 65 crew members and is homeported in Seattle. At the time of the alleged assault, on Monday, the ship was underway about 120 miles east of the Pribilof Islands. >click to read< 16:00
Fake News claim: Coronavirus has been found in crab legs
Social media users have been sharing an image online that purports to be a screen grab of a news report claiming that the coronavirus has been found in crab legs. Examples can be seen here and here. The screen grab image appears to have been created with an application called “News Maker – Create The News.” It is available on the Apple App Store and provides different options for styles and fake news station names.,, Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control say food is not connected to coronavirus transmission,, >click to read< 13:37
Coronavirus: Nova Scotia lobster industry gets creative during pandemic to sell their catch
Lobster was Nova Scotia’s most valuable export in 2019, but this year, export markets have ground to a halt due to COVID-19. That has left the province’s lobster fisherman finding creative ways to sell their catch — with safety measures in place. “I’ve asked people to call ahead, so I can have their order ready. That way, I just take it to their vehicle and they open up their trunk and I just set it in their trunk,” said Bryce Hirtle, a fisherman on Nova Scotia’s south shore. 4 Videos, >click to read< 10:34
‘Too early to tell’ impact of Coronavirus on New Bedford fishing industry
Since the fishing industry was deemed part of the food supply chain, it is allowed to keep operating as an essential service under Gov. Charlie Baker’s stay-at-home advisory. “Immediate impacts have been minimal,” scalloper Eric Hansen said Thursday, “The market is a little bit depressed but nothing crazy. My bigger concern is the future, what’s going to happen in the next couple of months.” What worries Hansen about the future is the April 1 start of the next scalloping season, which will bring back scallopers that hadn’t been fishing because they used up their 2019 allocations. >click to read< 09:16
First Circuit Upholds Conviction of ‘Codfather’ Associate
The conviction of a former sheriff’s department captain for his role in the overseas money laundering of a notorious New England fishing magnate known as “the Codfather” was upheld,, Jamie Melo was accused of distributing envelopes containing large amounts of cash to associates in the men’s room of Boston’s Logan Airport before the group went through security. The group, including the Codfather, was traveling to Portugal for a charitable fundraiser called “Thanksgiving in the Azores” that was sponsored by the Bristol County Sheriff’s Department. Once in the Azores, the Codfather, real name Carlos Rafael, allegedly received the envelopes back and then deposited $76,000 in cash in a bank account. >click to read< 08:31
Scientists score salmon bonanza
On March 11, the chartered commercial trawler Pacific Legacy No. 1 left Victoria Harbour for a 25-day trip, carrying a large net to haul in salmon for examination. The vessel had been carrying three American scientists, along with three Russian and six Canadian researchers. U.S. scientists decided to return home when the vessel made a scheduled stop this week in Prince Rupert, said Nanaimo’s Richard Beamish, who is organizing the $1.45-million voyage with fellow scientist Brian Riddell. So far, catches have been “remarkable,” he said. “The science is going to be outstanding.” >click to read< 07:32
Trump signs $2T coronavirus relief package to help American workers and businesses
President Trump on Friday signed a bipartisan $2 trillion economic relief package aimed at helping American workers and businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The bill includes $1,200 one-time payments to many Americans; sets up a $500 billion corporate liquidity fund to help struggling industries like airlines; allocated $377 billion for aid to small businesses; and boosts the maximum unemployment benefit by $600 per week for four months, among other provisions. Trump signed the legislation hours after it passed the House, thanking Republicans and Democrats “for coming together, setting aside their differences and putting America first” with the legislation. >click to read< 06:52
PEIFA, minister update industry on COVID-19 impact
“The PEIFA will continue our ongoing dialogue with seafood industry representatives, the provincial and federal governments and any other sources of timely and factual information,” association president Bobby Jenkins and executive director Ian MacPherson said Monday through a news release. They stress that no decisions have been made yet, so there is no other information available to share. “The association is monitoring the situation on a daily basis and will be informing the membership through internal channels of any concrete decisions that have been made concerning the upcoming fishing season.” >click to read< 17:41
Alaskan Pollock Production Continues As Usual Despite The Coronavirus
“Basically, current demand for Wild Alaska Pollock is very strong and we are doing everything we can at the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers to support our members in meeting the demand,” said Morris. This is in stark contrast to the situations of fishermen targeting other species across the country, many of whom have seen significant losses. Another reason the Alaskan Pollock fishery is staying afloat has to do with the processing and shipping of the fish.,, All processing of Alaskan Pollock, however, occurs on the massive fishing vessels at sea or in facilities in Alaska, which gives Pollock fishermen an advantage over some other seafood producers. >click to read< 13:20
Coronavirus: Bristol Bay fishermen urged to delay travel to the region until at least May 1
On Thursday, the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, which represents the Bristol Bay drift gillnet fleet, issued its first COVID-19 advisory to the fleet asking that non-local Bristol Bay Fishermen delay travel to the region until at least May 1 and listed the state mandated quarantine protocol for anyone who does travel to Alaska from out of state.,, Since Alaska enacted a limited entry permit system, the share of permits held locally by Bristol Bay residents has declined by more than 50 percent, according to a 2017 University of Alaska Fairbanks analysis. Many drift fishermen make the trip each summer from Washington, Oregon or California. >click to read< 07:49
Coronavirus: Fishermen See Market Dry Out
Unable to sell a 1,000-pound catch of fluke last week, Capt. Chuck Morici of the dragger Act 1 spent three days filleting the fish at Montauk commercial dock and offering it for free straight from his boat. On Saturday morning, he gave it away from the back of his pickup truck in downtown Montauk, a big handwritten sign announcing, “Free Fish.”,, In addition to the closure of most domestic restaurants, foreign markets such as Spain and Italy, which before the pandemic were historically large buyers of squid landed on the East End, for example, have stopped all imports. As a result, many fish buyers have implored fishermen to stay ashore. >click to read< 15:10
Coronavirus: Maritime lobster processors call for a minimum two-week delay opening the spring fishery
It’s the latest reaction to collapsed demand after measures to curb the spread of coronavirus shut down markets like restaurants and cruise ships around the world. The request is being taken seriously by lobster fishermen’s groups in eastern Nova Scotia, which have held conference calls since a letter from the processors, titled “Message to Canadian Lobster Harvesters,” was delivered March 23. The letter was written by Jerry Amirault, of the Lobster Processors Association of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, on behalf of “Canadian lobster processors.” >click to read< 09:46
Scotland: Fishing industry faces a storm like no other
It may be well used to dark skies and rough waters, but never has Scotland’s fishing sector seen a storm like this one. As an industry it’s worth £316 million annually to the Scottish economy, but with export markets and the domestic restaurant trade collapsing due to the coronavirus outbreak, the potential losses have been described as ‘terrifying’ by industry representatives.,, With demand from the domestic restaurant trade and export markets falling away the fishing industry is facing a crisis that few could have predicted. >click to read< 09:03
Fishing industry grapples with fallout from coronavirus response
Like almost all industries and institutions across Alaska, the novel coronavirus pandemic is shaking up the fishing industry. With restrictions changing almost daily and cases spreading across the United States, fishermen are still fishing, but the normal seasonal progression of the industry is likely to hit some rough waters. Travel in and out of Alaska has dropped after federal and state advisories against it, and questions are hovering about how seafood processors and fishing vessels will find the employees they need for upcoming seasons.,, Adding to that, the workers in the seafood industry are often seasonal and come from outside the communities where they work, from elsewhere in Alaska, the Lower 48 or international. That’s something the processing industry is working hard to figure out. >click to read< 17:23
Believe it or not, now is your time
Greetings Shrimpers of the South, and commercial fishermen across the nation. My name is Ed Blaine, and in light of the Coronavirus mayhem we’re all experiencing, believe it or not, now is your time. I’ve been talking to Shrimpers, and the imports of shrimp from foreign sources have stopped. This is an opportunity to take advantage of, and not ignore the fact that 92% of the seafood consumed in this country is imported from overseas, and we have a chance to fix that. Prices are up for your domestic product, as the availability of that cheap, inferior, imported stuff has dried up. >click to read< 15:12
Coronavirus Slam California’s Commercial Fishermen, Including In San Diego
The true economic impact of the novel coronavirus is a long way from being determined, but it has likely already affected every industry in San Diego, including the one that helped define the region. “I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said Tim Jones, a San Diego commercial fisherman for more than 30 years who is shutting down his operation to wait out the storm.,, Coronavirus isn’t the first thing to test the fortitude of San Diego’s commercial fishermen. Environmental restrictions, foreign competition and other factors eviscerated this once-thriving sector of the local economy beginning in the mid- to late-20th century. >click to read< 14:21
Coronavirus: Humboldt Bay crab fishing season ‘devastated’
“We could use one word: it’s devastating,” said Harrison Ibach, president of the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association. “Everything has come to a screaming halt. And it’s not just the crab industry, it’s the entire seafood industry.”,, Recent crabbing seasons have ended in hardship, including a state settlement in 2019 that prematurely closed crab fisheries over a series of whale entanglements off the California coast (one of them near Eureka). Before this year’s season even started, crabbers like Scott Creps of Eureka were worried about whether it would go the distance. >click to read< 10:37
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White House, Senate reach deal on $2 trillion stimulus package
The revamped Senate proposal will inject approximately $2 trillion into the economy, providing tax rebates, four months expanded unemployment benefits and a slew of business tax-relief provisions aimed at shoring up individual, family and business finances. The deal includes $500 billion for a major corporate liquidity program through the Federal Reserve, $367 billion for a small business loan program, $100 billion for hospitals and $150 billion for state and local governments. >click to read< 09:13
A Message From XTRATUF
“During these challenging times, the team at XTRATUF wants to ensure the fishing community works together, stays safe and feels supported, whether on land or sea. “The fishing industry and fishermen need continued consumer access for purchasing fish and seafood, and many businesses are offering alternative delivery options. XTRATUF is hoping to help support the community by connecting consumers across the country to healthy, fresh protein, shipped directly to your doorstep. XTRATUF is also actively working to build consumer awareness through a new #XTRATUFTOGETHER campaign, because even during challenging times, we can stand together and keep each other healthy. >click to read< 07:40
Fishing industry slump demonstrates vulnerability of food security in Coronavirus crisis
Measures are needed to avoid a worldwide Covid-19 slump in agriculture and food production, such as already exists in the fishing industry. Fishing fleets and fish farmers were among the hardest hit by COVID-19, and not just in Ireland. Businesses in the United States and elsewhere supplying high-value food products like lobster and other crustaceans to restaurants in China have also been crippled by the pandemic.,, Demand for seafood slumped dramatically. Many Irish trawlers are now tied up at the piers, with their crews having handed out free fish,,, >click to read< 14:59
Coronavirus: Global lockdown to hit China’s supplies of steak, lobster, wines
Just over a month ago, supply chains in China were thrown into chaos as trucks and planes delivering goods to the world came to a standstill. Now, China’s economy is moving back towards capacity, while the supply shock from the coronavirus pandemic is beginning to affect many Western countries, as they look to contain the virus’ spread. But this second round of supply shock enveloping countries around the world may mean China’s growing middle classes find themselves strapped for premium overseas food such as meat and dairy products,,, Video, >click to read< 11:26
At the Very Beginning of the Great Alaska Earthquake
The world and everything in it appeared to be convulsing. Genie’s eyes were seeing it, but her mind couldn’t organize all the discordant information into a coherent story. Suddenly, through the windshield, she watched the road roll away from the car. The pavement didn’t break apart; it was still solid. But it rolled, wavelike, as though some humpbacked shadow creature were surging under its surface, heading for town. Finally, Genie found a word that could fasten this chaos together in her mind. She said the word aloud: “This is an earthquake.” >click to read< 09:17
Coronavirus: Stockfish Production Company Worries About Corona Effect
For Glea, a stockfish producing company on the island of Røst in Lofoten, Norway, it is more or less business as usual during the corona crisis. The company mainly produces stockfish, cod dried on wooden racks in the winter and springtime. Stockfish has a long shelf life and the company therefore takes the chance on producing a certain volume this year too. “The fishers land fish here the way they use to do.,, “Our main market for stockfish is Italy, and some 70 to 80 percent of our sales is exported there”, he says. “Right now, sales to Italy have come to a full stop,” >click to read< 08:32
Coronavirus devastates Bowen’s fishing industry, farmers face uncertain winter
The live coral trout trade, which underpins the fishing sector in the north Queensland town of Bowen, has been shut down since January with dozens of crews out of work and boats for sale. Ben Collison, a 22-year veteran of the Bowen line-fishing industry, said it was the worst he had ever seen the market. “Ninety per cent of the boats — as soon as China stopped, they stopped,” he said. “They all relied on the Chinese market.”,, Adding to the pain for Bowen’s fishermen, prices crashed from $60 per kilogram early in the year to just $17 last week, less than half the break-even price. Retailers suffer,Uncertainty for farmers, >click to read< 11:52
Oil, Fishing, Tourism: Alaska Economy Faces Triple Hit from Coronavirus
The U.S. state of Alaska is so far distant from the worst medical ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, but its economy is in critical condition. Alaska is especially vulnerable because it depends on oil, tourism and fisheries – basic industries that are reeling from the global coronavirus pandemic – and the state government gets most of its revenue from investment earnings that have now evaporated. “Alaska is experiencing a perfect storm, a most terrible trifecta, the hat trick from hell,” said state Senator Natasha von Imhof, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, at a hearing Saturday. “We are being hit on all sides with the stock market crash, oil prices plummeting and the tourism and fishing season all but idle.” >click to read< 09:04
Castletownbere fishermen give away fish to locals in West Cork
Over the last number of days communities across the country have come together to support each other and the latest story of goodwill comes from Castletownbere. Skippers and fishermen from the town filleted and bagged 40 boxes of fish to give away to the local communities in Castletownbere and Bantry. Several boats brought the fish to shore and they were then taken to Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co Op where they were filleted under hygiene controls by fishermen and their families. Video, >click to read< 14:08
Saipem, Equinor collaborate on floating solar panel park solution for coastal applications and rough weather conditions
According to a statement by Saipem, the technology will be based on the in-house developed concept by offshore rig designer Moss Maritime, part of Saipem’s XSIGHT division dedicated to high value-added services, which is a modularized system, designed for easy fabrication, transportation, and installation at the operation site. >click to read< 12:42
Environmentalists are dragging us back to the Dark Ages
In the early 1990s, our small group of Potlatch employees in cooperation with members of the Lewiston and Clarkston chambers of commerce were researching environmental claims that the lower Snake River dams were devastating salmon runs, when we learned about East Sand Island, a man-made island in the estuary of the Columbia River. The island was formed from dredging deposits in 1983 and by 1984, Caspian terns, cormorants and gulls had colonized the island and were feasting on salmon smolts. We thought: “Wow, this is an easy fix. Tear out a man-made island and save millions of endangered fish.” The environmentalists beat us to the punch. They filed in federal court to protect the island and the birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Now we have the largest nesting colony of these non-endangered birds in the world on a man-made island. by Marvin Dugger >click to read< 09:50
