Category Archives: International News
U.S. International Trade Commission votes in favor of antidumping, countervailing duties on shrimp imports
Southeast Texas fishermen are celebrating a win after the U.S. International Trade Commission voted in favor of antidumping and countervailing duties on shrimp imports from four countries. On Wednesday morning, the U.S. International Trade Commission voted in favor of antidumping and countervailing duty petitions filed by the American Shrimp Processors Association against imports of frozen warm-water shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. As a result of the commission’s vote, duties ranging from 2.84% to 221.82% will be imposed on imports of shrimp from the four countries. “We are thrilled with the outcome of today’s vote,” said Trey Pearson, president of ASPA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:19
Commercial lobster fishers want total catch cut to help save WA fishery
Commercial fishers in Western Australia’s $285 million lobster industry say warning bells are ringing for the sector’s future sustainability, despite reassurances from state government scientists that stocks are at healthy levels. The commercial lobster industry is concerned due to the number of baby lobster, known as puerulus, being found along the coast, along with falling catch rates and revised economic modelling. As a result, the industry has requested its total catch be dropped next season from the current limit of 7,300 tonnes to 6,800 tonnes. Cervantes based fisher Michael Thompson supported the catch reduction and said it could have gone lower. “Our puerulus since 2007 till today is 50 per cent lower than what we used to receive back to the coast to our collectors,” he said. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:02
‘Dumping Day’ for southwest N.S. lobster season fast approaching
Lobster fishers in southwestern Nova Scotia are ‘gearing’ up their boats. Dumping Day for fishing areas 33 and 34, which stretches from Digby around to Halifax is scheduled for Monday. Dan Fleck with the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association says weather calls with port reps and DFO begin this Friday. “Any winds greater than 26 knots in any direction within the area, DFO will implement a closure for the day. It’s also possible port reps can open or close it, depending on what is safest for all, as safety is most important,” said Fleck. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:04
Bam! Scientists study wind farm construction noise impacts on lobsters… by making big noises
Thirteen feet below the surface of Woods Hole harbor, a lobster shelters under a plastic shield in a wire cage. An experiment is happening: every seven seconds on the dock above, a pile driver pounds a long, steel post deeper into the muddy harbor bottom nearby. The experiment happening here at this dock is designed to replicate, at small scale, the pile driving necessary to construct an offshore wind farm. The goal is to understand how a variety of marine creatures, not only lobsters, but other fish-market-friendly species like scallops, flounder, black sea bass, and squid respond to the noisy, intensive work of building an offshore wind farm. It’s something fishers and regulators are especially interested in. Already, the WHOI team’s earlier studies have shown that squid, which detect sound through vibration, responded dramatically to pile-driving noise — at least, at first. But it’s a different story for scallops, one of the highest value fisheries in the U.S. As soon as scallops were exposed to pile driving noise, they clammed up. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:59
Suggested areas for offshore wind around N.S. swell in size
Offshore areas around Nova Scotia recommended for wind energy projects have ballooned in size in the latest version of a report for government, troubling some in the fishing industry who are bracing for disruptions. The draft final report comes from the regional assessment committee, which was tasked by the province and Ottawa two years ago to investigate the potential impacts of offshore wind development on Nova Scotia. It describes eight potential development areas that cover a total of 31,200 square kilometres. The areas stretch from the tip of George’s Bank southwest of Nova Scotia, up the Atlantic coastline and around Cape Breton Island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:14
Expensive Offshore Wind in Jeopardy in a Trump Administration
Offshore wind is much more expensive than onshore wind with costs to build at 4.5 times the cost of natural gas generation and operational costs at 2.3 times. President-elect Trump recognizes offshore wind’s high costs and limited utility and is likely to end its massive subsidies promulgated by the Biden-Harris Administration. Immediate actions available include revoking Biden’s executive order that paved the way for higher cost, less reliable electricity. Biden-Harris officials have heaped subsidies upon offshore wind through the Inflation Reduction Act and cut corners on regulations to expedite the technology. Offshore wind has had recent catastrophic failures including broken blades that have closed beaches in a tourist town and imperiled fishermen. Biden’s Executive Order 14008 issued on February 1, 2020–only two weeks after his Inauguration– launched the offshore wind program in the United States. This is an executive order that President-Elect Trump could easily rescind on his first day in office by just issuing a counter-executive order, which would stop the onslaught of this very expensive energy being added to the U.S. grid. Another way is to remove the excessive tax credits that encourage its adoption, which would take new legislation and add time to the process. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:47
Court won’t overturn decision to cut quota from N.S., N.B. elver licence holders
Three judges have delivered another blow to beleaguered commercial groups that fish for lucrative juvenile eels in the Maritimes, agreeing with a lower court ruling that upheld Ottawa’s 2022 decision to transfer a portion of their quota to First Nations without compensation. The Federal Court of Appeal heard arguments in the case last week in Halifax, and emerged with a decision that found the federal fisheries minister had “broad discretion” and had used it reasonably. Tien Nguyen, a pioneer in Canada’s fishery for young eels, also known as elvers, said he had hoped the judges would address the “absolute power” of the fisheries minister to make decisions that have enormous financial impact on licence holders. “It’s just like you build up the business, you struggle with it for a number of years, and when it’s finally successful, the government decided to take it away from you,” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:40
DFO Affirms Canada’s Control Over Northern Cod Management
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is weighing in following concerns raised about northern cod management by provincial fisheries minister Gerry Byrne. A recent EU news release suggested that North Atlantic Fishery Organization (NAFO) was making the management decisions when it came to northern cod, but DFO says there is no debate that Canada manages the stock. According to the federal department, Canada alone completes the scientific assessment of the stock and sets the annual total allowable catch. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:31
RNLI can brave the ‘fiercest’ weather with new boat
The arrival of a new lifeboat would allow crews to brave “the fiercest weather conditions”, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said. It was due to be unveiled at Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex, on Saturday afternoon after being built in Dorset. The lifeboat charity said its lifesaving capabilities across the Tendring coastline were strengthened thanks to the new vessel. Offering space for six crew members, it was built to reach a top speed of 25 knots (28mph) and has a range of 250 nautical miles (287 miles). more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:43
Donald Trump Pledges to Halt Big Wind Subsidies
Donald Trump’s election victory is quickly taking the wind out of the Biden administration’s ambitious renewables initiatives. President-elect Trump promised to end federal subsidies for offshore wind projects on his first day in office. As with many of his campaign pledges, Americans wait to see whether he will deliver. However, the market did not wait to see. Stock prices of offshore wind developers and turbine makers moved sharply downward following election day as investors query whether windmill projects are economically viable without the hefty federal subsidies Trump has promised to terminate. Environmental groups and fishermen have also raised concerns about the potential ecological trade-offs of this plastic-based technology and worries about ecotoxins created in the manufacturing of solar panels and EVs have caused consumers to pause. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:22
Lack of fishing prohibitions in ‘grey zone’ could pose risk for right whales, expert says
One marine conservation expert has questions about the efforts on the part of Fisheries and Oceans after North Atlantic right whales were detected in the Bay of Fundy in recent weeks, including in an area where both Canadian and American fishermen catch lobster. In October, Fisheries and Oceans announced several temporary prohibited fishing areas as the whales were detected in multiple fishing spots across the Maritimes, including in the bay. Some fishing prohibitions for parts of the Bay of Fundy started on Oct. 25 and included the fisheries for crab, herring, mackerel, groundfish, hagfish and lobster. The so-called “grey zone” is an area of disputed water near Grand Manan. Both Canada and the United States have claimed sovereignty over the area, so fishers from both countries harvest there. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
Fisheries Minister Taken Aback by EU Boast that NAFO Has Management of Northern Cod Fishery
The province’s fisheries minister is encouraging Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to rally for joint management of the stocks off the province’s coast after learning that NAFO has taken control of management of the northern cod fishery. A recent European Union release following Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization meetings in Halifax indicates that based on an EU-Canada proposal on northern cod, NAFO “reopened the fishery and established a revised sharing arrangement.” It goes on to say that “it was fair and necessary to increase the EU share to reflect the current composition of the EU.” The release also indicates that NAFO is increasing fishing opportunities for 3M cod outside Canada’s 200 mile limit. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:08
Classic fishing boat: Bonnie Lass III RY 189
The Gerrard brothers were David and Andrew, who along with their father, also Andrew, had set up their boatbuilding business alongside the lifeboat station in Arbroath in the early 1950s. Their first build was the Bairn’s Pride AH 27, launched in 1955. They built at least 72 vessels up to 1990, after which they had to rely on repairs and overhauls to sustain the business. It went into receivership in 1994, largely due to the decline in the fishing fleet in the town, meaning that even maintenance work had dried up. Strathgarry SY 88 was painted green and was renowned for having a steep deck, with the distinctive Gerrard’s bow. The Caterpillar 250hp engine was forward at launch, though was moved aft later. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:12
Cuban-born net maker shares his journey from Havana to New Bedford’s working waterfront
When he had his chance, Cuban-born net maker Miguel Sanchez escaped his home country, jumping from a Cuban fishing boat aboard a ship heading to Canada. The young law student escaped to start a new life, far away from Cuba and its oppressive dictatorship, the only member of his family to escape. Sanchez left Havana abruptly on March 24, 1996, before heading to Canada, arriving in Nova Scotia on April 15, 1996. A year ago, after spending more than 20 years in Nova Scotia, he got a call to work at Reidar’s Manufacturing on the New Bedford waterfront. His skills as a net maker were in demand. Sanchez worked in Nova Scotia for more than 20 years for different fishing companies under the country’s International Mobility Program, teaching and working with wire rope, when he got the call to work at Reidar’s Trawl Gear. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:31
Canada’s largest lobster fishery set to begin amid threat of Trump tariffs
Trump’s inauguration is still a couple of months away, he officially takes office on Jan. 20, but fishermen are trying to take the threat in stride while preparing for the season to open Nov. 25. “People are concerned, but until it happens, we’ll just carry on,” Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, said. “There’s not a lot we can do to prepare and speculating on what it could mean doesn’t really get us anywhere.” As a result, the stakes are high if U.S. president-elect Donald Trump makes good on his campaign promise to impose duties of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent on all imported goods. While fishermen are worried about how this will play out, he said they have more immediate concerns on their minds. “What’s the catch going to be like?” he said. “What’s the price of lobster going to be like? What’s the weather going to be like? “more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:26
Why Canada’s decision to lift a ban on cod fishing in Newfoundland after 32 years is so controversial – Podcast
For generations, cod fishing was a way of life in Newfoundland and Labrador, the easternmost province in Canada. But in 1992, after cod stocks in the north Atlantic plummeted, the federal government imposed a moratorium on cod fishing. It was to last for 32 years until it was lifted in June 2024. Fishing has been the backbone of the economy for centuries, and so when the Canadian government imposed a cod moratorium in 1992 it had a huge impact, with an estimated 30,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador out of work overnight. Some cod fishing was permitted in inshore waters from the late 1990s in boats less than 20 metres long, but all commercial offshore trawler fishing was prohibited. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:48
Call for fishermen to join farmers’ protest
Great Yarmouth skipper Paul Lines and Lowestoft fishmarket boss and former MEP June Mummery are calling on the fishing industry to back a farmers’ protest at Westminster next Tuesday, 19 November. The protest has been called following the announcement in the recent budget that farmland would no longer be exempt from inheritance tax but has rapidly moved to encompass wider concerns about food security. Paul Lines will be wearing wet-weather gear, including his sou’wester, to highlight the concerns of the fishing industry, and is calling on other fishermen to join him, if possible, similarly dressed. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:40
Norwegian fishermen snagged U.S. nuclear-powered submarine
“We had just emptied the nets and put them out again and was on our way back to shore at Sommarøya when we were called by the Coast Guard on channel 16 on the VHF-radio,” says Harald Engen (22) to NRK Troms. Engen is captain on Øygutt, the 10 meters small fishing vessel. The Coast Guard could inform that a submarine had sailed into the net and dragged it two nautical miles north where it was cut off. The incident occurred outside Malangen, west of Tromsø on the coast to the Norwegian Sea. The submarine was the USS Virginia, a nuclear-powered 115 meters long attack sub. Such submarines are in recent years more frequently surfacing in the sheltered fjords outside Tromsø. Norway’s Coast Guard are assisting in bringing onboard supplies or new crew members. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:12
Lawmakers demand review of U.S. Government Accountability Office’s oversight of shrimp imports
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., and U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, are calling on the U.S. Government Accountability Office to scrutinize whether the U.S. Treasury Department is fulfilling its legal obligation to protect American industries, including the shrimping sector, from international competition. The representatives voiced concerns in a letter sent to the GAO, suggesting that the Treasury may be neglecting statutory requirements that compel the department to oppose foreign economic assistance projects that could harm U.S. industries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:17
Scottish fishing chiefs lash out over conservation group Oceana’s ‘fake news’
The Aberdeen-based Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) has accused conservation group Oceana of spreading “fake news”. Oceana is today publishing a report calling for a “legally binding deadline to end overfishing”. And it claims to have the backing of nearly eight in 10 adults in Britain for stricter limits on catches in UK waters. According to Oceana, which also wants to see a ban on supertrawlers more than 100m (328ft) long, half the UK’s key fish 
populations were “overfished or critically low” last year. SFF’s top team believe the conservation group’s latest report is designed to disrupt annual negotiations of overfishing quotas for 2025. Oceana is “wasting everyone’s time with a series of cherry-picked statements, reliance on obsolete science and creative wording to perpetuate a narrative of gloom and doom about fisheries that bears little relation to reality”, the fishing industry body explained. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:01
MAIB report into loss of Ocean Maid
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the grounding and subsequent loss of the Ocean Maid BA 55. The report – the purpose of which is not to attribute fault or blame – says that on the afternoon of 23 October 2022 the 1986-built prawn trawler left Eyemouth to make an overnight passage to a shipyard in Fraserburgh for planned maintenance and minor repairs. The vessel’s crew of four included the skipper and his father – the co-owners of the vessel – a watchkeeper and a deckhand. At around 2.40am, the watchkeeper took over the watch from the skipper. At approximately 5.35am, the watchkeeper checked the estimated time of arrival at Fraserburgh and recalled seeing an ETA of 5.56am ‘or thereabouts’ on the plotter display. The watchkeeper then left the wheelhouse and went down to the galley to make tea for the crew. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:46
Dutch Fisherman Hit Tanker After Leaving Bridge for a Head Call
The Netherlands’ disciplinary court for mariners has fined a fishing vessel’s helmsman for leaving the bridge unattended to go to the head. While he was gone, the vessel hit an anchored tanker off IJmuiden, causing damage and a small spill. On September 28, 2022, the 150-foot fishing vessel Joris Senior (registry number ARM 18) had finished up a week of fishing in the North Sea and was returning to IJmuiden. There were six crewmembers aboard, and a substitute skipper was at the helm for the transit. No additional crewmembers were on lookout duty. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:52
150-foot F V Joris Senior
Supporters, Opponents of Offshore Wind Both Look for Hopeful Signs in Trump Administration
On the day after the elections last week, and even before, the airwaves were crammed with speculation about how this, that, and the other sectors of American life and the economy would fare under a Trump administration. The chatter included the future of offshore wind, which was born in the United States in 2016 off the coast of Block Island and continues to generate heavy support and heavy opposition. President-elect Donald Trump has expressed hostility toward offshore wind and has said he would put an end to the industry “on day one” of his administration. Trump-supporting Republicans have vowed to put an end to President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, including tax credits for big projects such as offshore wind. A large share of the IRA’s $891 billion price tag is targeted toward renewable energy and related technologies. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:53
Marine Rescue NSW crew rescue two people from sinking fishing vessel near Ballina
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Rodney Page said a fishing trawler reported it was taking on water and sinking approximately eight nautical miles (15kms) east of Lennox Head. “In the early hours of this morning Marine Rescue Port Macquarie, the region’s 24 hour communications hub, received a call from the skipper of a fishing trawler. “The skipper advised the vessel was taking on water and experiencing engine failure. “A volunteer crew from Marine Rescue Ballina were deployed on board Ballina 30 just after 3.00am. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:40
GOP Lawmakers, Fishermen Urge Trump to Keep Promise to Axe Offshore Wind
Trump’s return to the Oval Office may deal the problem-riddled offshore wind industry another blow if his administration follows through on his pledge to scrap federal support for offshore wind projects during his second term. Republican lawmakers, opposed to heavily subsidized green energy, and commercial fishermen, who view the industry as an existential threat to their livelihoods, are calling on the president-elect to follow through on his campaign’s promise, which could imply ending federal subsidies and lease sales for the industry. “The incoming administration has an historic opportunity to save American workers from foreign developers, reinvigorate iconic coastal towns, and improve America’s food security,” NEFSA CEO Jerry Leeman said in a press release following Trump’s election win. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:54
Arrests after ‘significant’ 400kg cocaine seizure
Four men have been arrested after a “significant” drugs haul was seized from a fishing boat off the coast of Kent. Border Force officers said they intercepted the vessel at sea on Sunday morning and discovered 400kg of cocaine. Three men on board, aged 64, 45 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of importing class A drugs and taken into police custody to be questioned by National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators. A fourth man, aged 36, was arrested in Rainham, east London, said the NCA. NCA operations manager Jules Harriman said: “This amount of cocaine will represent a significant loss for the organized crime group that attempted to import it into the UK. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:30
Rafael now a tropical storm: Any threat to Alabama?
Rafael, a Category 3 hurricane just yesterday, has weakened rapidly to a tropical storm and had 65 mph winds on Saturday morning. The National Hurricane Center thinks the storm could drift southward over the Gulf of Mexico through the middle of next week. It could also continue to weaken and become a non-tropical system during that time. As of the last advisory, at 3 a.m. CST Saturday, Tropical Storm Rafael was located about 405 miles east of the mouth of the Rio Grande River and was moving to the west-northwest at 6 mph. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:23
Skipper retires after 64 years at sea
A Whalsay fisherman has reflected on his lifetime at sea as he retires after almost six and a half decades. Davie Hutchison, 79, known locally as “Davie A Skaw”, had been skipper of the 75-metre pelagic trawler Charisma. He has now called time on his career after 64 years. Mr. Hutchison’s first job at the fishing was in 1960 on the 53-feet seine-net vessel Brighter Morn where he worked as the cook. Throughout his career, Mr. Hutchison witnessed countless changes to the industry, including the introduction of radars. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:45
Federal memo estimates more than $176M of Atlantic lobster catch unreported, untaxed
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans suspects hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of lobster is caught in Atlantic Canadian waters each year but never reported to authorities, raising both tax evasion and conservation implications in the country’s largest fishery. An internal memo in August to DFO’s deputy minister said it’s estimated that between 10 and 30 per cent of lobster landings in the region are unreported, and the department said in a statement it is working to map out criminal networks and money laundering in the sector. “It’s mind-boggling,” said Osborne Burke, the president of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, which represents about 150 lobster buyers and processors and has urged a crackdown on unreported cash sales. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
First Damen Shrimp Trawler 2607 Completes Sea Trials
Recently, the first in series Damen Shrimp Trawler 2607 successfully completed its sea trials in the Port of Hamriya, UAE. Damen has designed the new vessel for the next generation of (sub) tropical shrimp fishing. The design aims at the provision of a straightforward, no-nonsense platform, easy to operate and with minimal maintenance requirements. The Shrimp Trawler 2607 has an extremely low fuel consumption resulting in lower fuel costs and reduced emissions. Damen set about the development of the Shrimp Trawler as a solution for the growing market interest in fuel efficient vessels. Damen is specialised in the designing of high-pull vessels with limited propulsion power, and therefore, lower fuel consumption. Other examples of this include the recently delivered beam trawlers for Belgium and famous Damen Tugs. For those vessels, as with the Shrimp Trawler 2607, Damen applied CFD technology for optimisation. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:15
