Category Archives: International News
Trident Seafoods to close Alaska plant for three weeks after COVID-19 outbreak
Seattle based Trident Seafoods is shutting down its largest Alaska seafood plant for three weeks after a COVID-19 outbreak, a difficult decision that points to a renewed assault by the coronavirus on the ranks of workers in a key part of the nation’s food-processing industry. Trident is suspending operation at its Akutan facility just at the start of major winter harvests for pollock, North America’s biggest single-species seafood harvest, as well as cod and crab. At Akutan, some 700 employees have stopped working amid a new round of testing, and a fleet of boats that would normally be delivering their catch is now tied to docks. >click to read< 16:39
Massachusetts Launches ‘Ropeless’ Fishing Feasibility Study
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has launched a comprehensive scoping project to assess ‘ropeless’ fishing gear in the New England lobster fishery. A first of its kind on an accelerated timeline, the project will interview dozens of fishermen, technologists, policy experts, and scientists to fully evaluate the challenges and opportunities of the new gear type. The twelve-month project will evaluate fishing, legal, regulatory, technological challenges and opportunities of alternative lobster gear, which could reduce whale entanglements. >click to read< 12:47
Biden signs executive orders on first day as president
Several executive actions will make changes to the U.S. response to COVID-19 and try to ease some of the financial strain on Americans resulting from the pandemic. Other executive actions directly target and undo Mr. Trump’s actions on the environment, immigration, the U.S. census, and regulatory changes. Mr. Biden signed three executive orders in the presence of reporters, implementing a mask mandate on federal property, increasing support for underserved communities and rejoining the Paris climate accord. Mr. Biden also will reverse the 2020 decision by the Trump administration to allow land development at the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah and at the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine national monuments in New England,,, >click to read< 07:00
Son of a lost fisherman nominated for a 2021 Young Scot Award after his incredible fundraising efforts
It might have claimed his father’s life but Keiran Reid has a special affinity with the sea, remembering the days his dad would take him dolphin watching on the Moray Firth. The schoolboy was just six when fisherman Craig, 25, was washed overboard from the trawler Apollo in a gale-force storm off Orkney. A frantic search – involving helicopters, the Kessock Lifeboat and French and American aircraft diverted from a Nato exercise – was stood down after nine hours. Three months later, another fishing boat found Craig’s body. But only weeks after his father’s death, Keiran, now 11, from Avoch on the Black Isle, started raising money for the local rescue team who had searched so tirelessly for his dad. >click to read< 20:00
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 72′ Steel Offshore Lobster Boat, Caterpillar D343
To review specifications, and information, and 51 photos, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:22
6 Ocean Priorities for the Biden Administration from the Environmentalist
Since President-elect Biden was voted into office last November, he and his team have been sharing what they want to accomplish in their first 100 days in office.,, In the midst of any political transition, it is easy for environmental issues to be pushed aside in the name of more “urgent” issues. Fortunately, the new administration has given us promising signals that environmental action is high on their to-do list. Here are six things that must be prioritized in the coming weeks and months,,, >click to read< 09:48
Commercial southern bluefin tuna fleet battles turbulent La Niña weather and global market
More than 40 vessels and six spotter planes are involved in the search for large schools of bluefin tuna off the picturesque tourist town of Robe. About 10,000 fish at a time will be captured and towed in cages to farms at Port Lincoln — the home of the state’s tuna industry — to be grown out for key markets in Japan and China. Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association chief executive Brian Jeffriess said the La Niña weather event was causing problems for the sector. He said the cooler weather conditions were fuelling “unpredictable” fishing trends and lower catch rates. >click to read< 13:50
New York State more than doubles the number of foreign wind turbines planned off the coast of Long Island
New York State’s decision last week to award two “massive” offshore wind power contracts to Norwegian energy giant Equinor will more than double the size of a planned wind farm off the coast of Long Island. It also promises “substantial” upgrades to a section of the electric grid at Oceanside. The 
plan, announced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last week as part of an expansive post-COVID-19 green economy, would bring the number the number of turbines expected to be spinning off the South Shore by 2027 to around 170, encompassing some 80,000 acres from Jones Beach to Islip, the company said. >click to read< 08:50
Captain’s License Revoked Following COVID-19 Outbreak at Sea
Sveinn Geir Arnarsson, captain of freezer trawler Júlíus Geirmundsson, pleaded guilty when the Westfjords Police Chief’s case against him was heard in the Westfjords District Court last week,,, Twenty-two of the vessel’s 25 crew members contracted COVID-19 while at sea last October. The ship did not return to harbour for three weeks despite the outbreak on board. >click to read< 07:50
Coronavirus cases detected at Alaska seafood plant
Seattle-based Trident Seafoods reports that four workers at the company’s Akutan, Alaska, seafood plant have tested positive for coronavirus, including one who had difficulty breathing and had to be evacuated by air to a hospital in Anchorage. The Akutan plant in the Aleutian Islands is a processing hub for Bering Sea harvests of pollock, crab and cod, with a workforce of 700 employees that will swell in the weeks ahead to 1,400 people. >click to read< 07:29
This Fishing Life: TV cameras return to Cornwall, Tonight, as the lockdown begins to bite
The beauty of Cornwall and the fishing tales of generations of fishermen are captured in a brand new six-part BBC/OU co-produced series this month. Cornwall: This Fishing Life is back for a new series where the past 12 months have seen the impact of two hugely challenging issues for this far flung 
county: Brexit and Covid-19. >click to read< Tonight is the launch of the second series,, As the episode unfolds, restrictions are beginning to ease, and not a moment too soon for the town’s fishermen, most of whom have been tied up for months >click to read< 15:25
Government urged to set up areas off-limits to offshore wind farms
The suggestion was made against the backdrop that a foreign company is reportedly planning a possible offshore wind farm project in waters off northeastern Taiwan. The EnerVest Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the German InfraVest Group, is said to be attempting to set up a wind farm around the islets of Pengjia, Huaping and Mianhua. The proposal, however, has received objections from local fishermen and governments for fear that doing so could fishermen and governments as the area has long been a traditional fishing ground. >click to read< 12:24
Cork TD criticizes ‘shocking’ Brexit deal as value of fishing rights loss revised
A new study of the fishing rights subject to Britain’s trade deal with the European Union (EU) published by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has contradicted the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue. When the Brexit trade deal was announced on Christmas Eve, Mr McConalogue said the fishing rights going to UK fishermen would cost €35m per year. However,,, Independent TD Michael Collins has said this agreement is not fair and described the Brexit trade deal as a “shocking deal” for Irish fishermen. “[French] President Macron has come out and was one of the first to praise the deal of course for his own fishermen but sadly it was a shocking deal for Irish fishermen. >click to read< 16:02
Testing Concepts for Floating Offshore Solar Panels
A unique test is getting underway exploring the potential of floating offshore solar panels as the latest contributor in the search for new renewable energy sources. Norwegian energy company Equinor, which has already expanded into offshore wind, is collaborating with a developmental energy company, Moss Maritime, to test the solar technology including in the harsh Norwegian environment. “We have been working on this concept for the past three years, most recently through our partnership with Equinor,” >click to read< 13:01
Scots fisherman who spent almost £1m on new boat told he can’t export his catch
A fisherman who spent almost £1million on a new boat has told how he can’t export his catch due to Brexit delays. Alistair Roberts spent two years having the trawler, named Guide Them, built to add to his River Clyde fleet, which catches scallops and prawns to sell in Europe. But the 64-year-old says three weeks after the vessel went to sea, export hold-ups caused by post-Brexit regulations mean he can’t get his produce out of the UK. >click to read< 08:05
Taiwanese fishing trawler saves crew of 22 from sinking Panamanian ship
A Taiwanese fishing trawler rescued 22 crew members from a sinking Panamanian freighter after a fire southeast of Taiwan’s southern tip, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said Saturday (Jan. 16). The 13,880-tonne Yong Feng first issued a call for help early Wednesday (Jan. 13), telling the rescue services it was letting in water after a fire on board. >click to read< 17:15
Shipwreck in the English Channel: the bodies of the three sailors found lifeless in the wreck of the ship
At the end of the day, Thursday, January 14, 2021, the trawler “Breiz”, located off Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, is in a bad position in raging seas. During the towing by the SNSM, the fishing boat “embarks a blade and suddenly sinks” around 11:30 p.m., the maritime prefecture said in a statement. The Cross then broadcasts a Mayday Relay message.,,, The bodies of the three missing young fishermen have been found,,, >click to read< 10:50
Stocks head for weekly loss as economy’s coronavirus pain deepens – Seafood industry hit hard
A federal report says the coronavirus pandemic has taken away about a third of the commercial fishing industry’s revenue. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says revenues from catch brought to the docks by commercial fishermen fell 29% over the course of the first seven months of the year. The report says revenues declined every month from March to July, including a 45% decrease in July. The NOAA report says the seafood industry at large has been hit hard by restaurant closures, social distancing protocols and the need for safety measures. >click to read< 09:15
Chief William Saulis: Search for missing scallop dragger shifts to new areas
The RCMP says the search for five missing scallop fishermen and their boat that sank off southwest Nova Scotia has moved to new targeted areas. The Mounties say a search of areas in the Bay of Fundy identified by GPS co-ordinates and other information failed to locate the Chief William Saulis. >click to read< RCMP eliminate some potential sites of missing scallop boat – underwater recovery teams have checked several areas of the Bay of Fundy where they had indication that the missing scallop fishing boat Chief William Saulis may be located, but has determined that the targets identified were not the vessel. The recovery teams, which are from Nova Scotia and British Columbia,,, >click to read< 07:55
Made In Macduff
Adam Tait and his sons Adam and Jonathan went back to Macduff Shipyards for a new F/V Jacqueline Anne, replacing a trawler delivered by the same yard in 2013, with the new trawler built to the yard’s latest design. Built to fish around Scotland but mainly on North Sea grounds, Jacqueline Anne has been built using the same hull from as F/V Crystal Sea, which Macduff delivered in early 2020 to the Stevens family in Newlyn. The 24.50 metre LAO, 7.60 metre breadth design is an evolution of the yard’s older 24 metre design, with modifications made to reduce hull resistance and improve fuel efficiency. photos, >click to read< 15:48
In Loving Memory: Nick McGlashan, By the McGlashan Family
Bruce “Nick” McGlashan was born in Anchorage on Aug.1, 1987. He was the second child to Bruce Lanford and June McGlashan. Nick was baptized at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Ascension in Unalaska two weeks later by the late Father Ishmael Gromoff. Nick would serve with Father Ishmael as an altar boy. He grew up in Akutan, AK.,, Nick McGlashan loved his family, friends and fans. He passed away on Dec. 27, 2020. This handsome, bright, and caring young man was taken from all of us, much too soon. He was very outspoken about his struggle with addiction in recent years and became a mentor for those going through similar battles. >click to read< 08:34
A World First: Activation of Commercial Iridium Global Maritime Distress Safety System on board Norwegian Trawler
The Norwegian trawler F/V Trygvason has put to sea following installation of two Lars Thrane LT-3100S GMDSS terminals by local marine services company Brommeland Elektronikk A/S, with Iridium GMDSS service provided by remote communications solutions provider, Applied Satellite Technology (AST). The terminal manufactured by Lars Thrane A/S is the only GMDSS terminal paired with Iridium’s global network. >click to read< 12:48
The President vetoed a bill that would have decimated family fisheries and the ocean
Thanks to a last-minute veto by President Donald Trump on January 1, dozens of American family fishing businesses will be saved from going out of business, and the ocean ecosystem will be better protected—both of which were being threatened by a bill that was more rhetoric than science. In mid-December, Congress passed S. 906, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act. The legislation would have phased out the use of drift gillnets, the only proven commercially viable way to catch swordfish, and would have effectively closed the West Coast swordfish fishery. This comes amidst particular uncertainty for fishermen in the region, who were already facing daunting challenges. >click to read< 09:15
Post-Brexit trade: Fish prices ‘collapsing’ in Scotland as red tape hits UK exports to EU
Post-Brexit red tape is causing some UK exports to the EU to grind to a halt, industry bodies have warned, as the new rules that came into force at New Year begin to bite. One fish exporter said on Monday that prices were “collapsing” in the Scottish port of Peterhead, amid reports that seafood prices fell by as much as 80% due to “export blockages”. >click to read< 08:55
As Rockall Simmers, McConalogue’s Department Accused of “Chaotic” Response to Brexit Permits
Only a fraction of the entire Irish fleet has been given permits to continued access to British waters – albeit with a reduced quota as a result of Brexit. “Rockall is not the only issue – the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine had no plan B,” Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation chief executive Patrick Murphy has said. Mr Murphy described the past week as “chaotic”, and said he was shocked at how unprepared the department was. Mr McConalogue’s department has confirmed that only 141 vessels out of the full list of 1900 Irish vessel have been given temporary permits to date. >click to read< 09:31
New Bedford: The Codfather should get a Trump Pardon
Anyone who really knows Carlos Rafael and all the good he’s done will most likely agree with me that he’s worthy of a presidential pardon. He was convicted on federal charges that he bilked fishing regulations to increase his profits. Anyone who really knows Carlos Rafael understands the thousands of local families who depended on the capital and labor that his fleet created, sustaining generations of fishermen, workers’ salaries, the fish house jobholders, lumpers, ice-packers, fuel suppliers,,, by Phil Paleologos, >click to read< 08:22
What happened to Nicholas Fudge, also known as “Duffy” on Wicked Tuna?
Reality TV shows are known to make fans fall in love with the stars. It is common for fans to get to know the celebs as real people as they go along with them in their adventures. Therefore, when one of them dies mysteriously, the loss is felt deeply. The death of Duffy left all his fans shaken and in grief. Of course, fans wanted to know what happened to their favourite fisherman. >click to read< 15:41
Russia Sells Deep Sea Crab Quota
On the fourth attempt, the Russian government has found a fishing company willing to buy deep-sea crab quotas, but Far Eastern fishermen expect this will be a hollow victory. Deep-sea crab quotas have been a headache for the Russian authorities for the past year. The Federal Agency for Fisheries ran three auctions since October of 2019, but each time with no bidders. The idea of selling crab quotas through auctions have been consistently criticised by Russian fishermen, as wreaking havoc on the entire industry. >click to read< 12:28
Coronavirus: Covid-19 discovered in second group of Russian mariners
The 11 cases of Covid-19 were discovered in a group of 190 mariners who flew into the city from Russia on Wednesday to work on fishing boats in New Zealand waters. The group was originally scheduled to arrive in November, but was delayed after more than 30 Covid infections emerged in the first group of 137 Russian and Ukrainian mariners who arrived in October. The approximately $1.2 million isolation cost for the second group of mariners will be met by the fishing companies where they will work, which include Sealord and Independent Fisheries. >click to read< 11:16
‘We experienced a hard border’ – post Brexit fishing tensions surface
A fishing vessel from the deep south arrived to unload its catch in a port at the other end of the island this weekend. According to representatives of Northern Ireland’s fishing sector, the example of the Rachel Jay from Skibbereen, Co Cork, arriving into Lisahally, Co Derry, is an example of “where there is a will, there is a way” response to Brexit. And they are calling for the Irish Government to reciprocate the gesture. >click to read< 09:15
