Category Archives: International
Charity calls on government to help Teesside fishermen
Just over 18 months ago, waves of dead and dying shellfish began washing up on mile after mile of shoreline in the north-east of England. No-one knew why they were dying or what had killed them and, despite a series of investigations, there is still no definitive answer. The sun is shining on Hartlepool harbour. A couple of fishermen are working on their nets and another is looking out at sea. It’s calm, but he’s asking himself, “Is it worth going out today?” It’s a question more and more local fishermen are contemplating. The industry they were born into was hit hard in 2021 when thousands of dead crabs and lobsters were washed up on the north-east coast. They say wash ups continue today and something new is happening – prawn catches have plummeted by up to 90%. >click to read< 15:12
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 38’6″x14’6″ David MacDonald Lobster Boat, 300HP, Cummins C Series Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 17 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 12:25
Fishing industry reels over government’s HPMA plans
A statement on behalf of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Seafood Scotland, Salmon Scotland, Scottish Association of Fish Producers Organisation and Community Fisheries Inshore Alliance was released after politicians debated the issue in Holyrood on Tuesday. The motion, put forward by Beatrice Wishart MSP, was highly emotive with politicians and industry leaders calling the government’s proposal baseless. The statement said: “We call on the Government to listen to those whose livelihoods depend on putting Scottish seafood on people’s plates; those who would be most impacted. >click to read< 11:23
Fishers crabby over Japan’s Russian imports, but Tokyo says Canada exports negligible
Atlantic fishers are feeling the pinch as Japan brings in cheap Russian product rather than Canadian snow crabs, with federal ministers and provincial premiers saying they are raising the issue with Japanese officials. Snow crab prices have dropped in Newfoundland and Labrador from $7.60 per pound at the start of last year’s season to an opening price of $2.20 this year. Fishers in the province have refused to start harvesting this year as they scramble to sell off last year’s surplus, although the price could still rise. Meanwhile, Moscow has flooded other parts of the international market with cheap product. >click to read< 07:58
Locally built addition to fishing fleet launched at Careys Bay
A Dunedin commercial fisher has launched his newest vessel, F/V Elodie, amid fanfare at Careys Bay. Damon Cooper has been fishing commercially for 30 years and added a third boat to his fleet on Saturday, with the boat launch. Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association executive officer Chanel Gardner said her husband, Mr Cooper, was committed to and very passionate about the fishing industry in Otago. The boat was built in Dunedin to contribute to the local fishing industry, she said. The boat will mainly fish rock lobster and blue cod and its more efficient systems would enable Mr Cooper to get the rock lobster to market in excellent shape. >click to read< 15:36
Fisherman prepares to take to the stage with HPMA protest song
Vatersay fisherman Donald Francis MacNeil talks to Jacqueline Wake Young about The Clearances Again, the protest song he co-wrote with Celtic band Skipinnish, as they prepare to perform it live at Aberdeen Music Hall concert on May 12. DF, as he is known to family and friends, followed in his father’s footsteps and became a fisherman as soon as he left school. “Many young men did the same. You could leave school on Friday and start on a fishing boat on Monday. It was very much a natural option and I enjoyed it.” Now the 64-year-old is about to face another challenge – singing on stage with Skipinnish after their protest song reached number five in the iTunes downloads chart. >click to read< 11:50
NOAA proposes hammering 208% of vanishing Right Whales
Okay it is a trick headline because they can only hammer 100% of the severely endangered North Atlantic Right Whale population. The point is that NOAA is proposing, for offshore wind development, to authorize a horrific 706 cases of physical harassment of Right Whales, whose dwindling population is down to just 340 magnificent critters. The average whale will get hammered roughly twice. The Right Whales migrate along the coast twice a year. Migration requires repeatedly running a gauntlet of dangerous offshore wind projects. Most likely some whales will be hit many times. The harassment numbers for each proposed project are listed below. Read the take numbers and weep for the whales. >click to read< by David Wojick, Ph.D., 09:30
‘Deadliest Catch’ Captains Earn Good Money From the Show, Says Jake Anderson
With great risk comes great reward. That certainly can be the case when it comes to commercial fishing. Captains featured on Discovery Channel’s long-running show Deadliest Catch can earn six figures in a single season, depending on their haul. And that’s not counting what they make for appearing on the reality series, which can be substantial, cast member and captain Jake Anderson has said. Anderson has spent more than 15 years as a Deadliest Catchcast member, rising from greenhorn to captain of his own boat, the F/V Saga. Now a seasoned veteran of the Alaskan fishing industry, he’s said he can make millions of dollars in just a few weeks, if everything goes well. 2 Video’s, >click to read< 22:07
The New Green Activists Would Rather Save The Windmills Than Save The Whales
Save the whales. Once upon a time, that used to be the favorite mantra of environmental activists. Today, not so much. These days, it’s more chic to be into giant offshore wind turbines. And if dozens upon dozens of whales must be killed to make way for turbines along with their new mantra, “save the planet,” well, that’s just the price we must pay. Or so goes the current thinking among the green set. Scores of whale and dolphin carcasses have washed up along the East Coast in recent months, and particularly on New Jersey and New York-area beaches where no fewer than nine whales have washed ashore just since December. The evidence is not yet incontrovertible, but the deaths coincide with sonic testing in conjunction with massive wind turbine projects. >click to read< 08:28
F/V L’Ecume II: Sections of sunken trawler to be taken to La Collette
The land-based operation to transport recovered sections of the L’Ecume II fishing trawler to a secure site at La Collette is due to begin. And further tributes to one of Jersey’s ‘most-respected’ fishermen, Michael ‘Mick’ Michieli, have poured in after a body was recovered from the wreck on Wednesday. The trawler sank on Thursday 8 December following a collision with the Commodore Goodwill freight ship off Jersey’s west coast, triggering an immediate search-and-rescue operation spanning 36 hours. On Wednesday evening, the States police said that a body had been brought ashore and that the family of Mr Michieli had been informed. A formal identification process is due to take place. >click to read< 08:11
One Dead, Two Injured in Trawler Fire in Iceland
A fire aboard a trawler in the harbor at Njardvik, Iceland claimed the life of one crewmember and left two others injured, according to first responders. At about 0200 hours on Tuesday, a fire broke out aboard the trawler Grímsnes at the port of Njardvik. The vessel was at the pier and was due to depart later in the day, according to local media. Four crewmembers escaped safely, but two were injured, including one with serious burns on his back. The seventh member of the crew did not survive. >click to read< 21:52
Anti-wind farm petition hits 500,000 signatures
An online petition drive in opposition to offshore wind farms following the deaths of dozens of whales along the East Coast has now hit a milestone of 500,000 signatures. Suzanne Hornick, an Ocean City resident and a founder of Protect Our Coast NJ, the independent grassroots organization that started the petition drive, said the goal is to collect a million signatures as a push continues to halt the wind farm projects. “Protect Our Coast NJ is absolutely thrilled that we have well over half a million signatures on our petition that was only started mid-January. Many of the signers are from states other than New Jersey up and down the East Coast,” Hornick said. “This is a wake-up call to every single politician. If a half a million people can come together against a single issue so quickly, imagine what we will be able to do going forward.” >click to read< 13:11
Fewer turbines but more conflict for Revolution Wind farm
The fishing industry and offshore wind developers are again at odds over how a mammoth array of 80-story-high wind turbines will affect ocean species, and the fishermen whose livelihoods depend on them. And without consensus on the potential damage, the two sides also can’t agree on what measures – including money – are enough to offset the harm caused by the Revolution Wind project. Even a 33% cut to the number of wind turbines – from 100 to 65 – negotiated by state coastal regulators hasn’t done much to reduce conflict. Developers Orsted A/S and Eversource Energy LLC have agreed to pay $12.9 million, to commercial and charter boat fishermen to offset potential revenue losses caused by the noise, electromagnetic field waves, boulder moving and other disturbances that the towers and undersea cables cause to the delicate underwater ecosystem. >click to read< 08:46
Body recovered from wreckage of sunken Jersey fishing vessel, L’Ecume II
A body has been recovered from the wreckage of the L’Ecume II, a fishing boat which sank after a collision with a freight ship off Jersey’s west coast in December 2022. Three fishermen were on board when the vessel collided with Condor Ferries’ freight ship, the Commodore Goodwill. The bodies of crew members Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat were found, while the L’Ecume II’s skipper, Michael ‘Mick’ Michieli, remained missing. Officials have confirmed that the crew working to raise the sunken trawler recovered a body on Wednesday evening (26 April). The body was brought to shore in a coffin and is yet to be formally identified. >click to read< 15:03
Shining the Light on Baby Crabs
The light trap at Whaler Bay is one in a network of 20 traps placed throughout the Canadian side of the Salish Sea, from Read Island in the north to James Island near Sidney in the south, as part of the Hakai Institute’s multiyear Sentinels of Change program. Launched in 2022 to mark the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, this community-centered initiative involves understanding how marine invertebrates are adapting to the changing environment. The light trap project, which focuses on the native Dungeness crab—a much-loved treat on the coast that can grow to the size of an adult’s outstretched hand—is a part of this program. Photos, >click to read< 10:17
The windmill energy fantasy of net-zero carbon emissions is a dangerous ideology jeopardizing national and economic security.
Where is Don Quixote when we need him? His fantasy was to slay giants (in reality, windmills) in his quest to fight injustice through chivalry. Green energy proponents have a carbon dioxide “net zero emissions” fantasy of powering civilization through green energy windmills and solar panels. Green energy advocates are for building windmills with trillions of taxpayer dollars and displacing existing energy and transportation industries. The result is weakening America and aiding the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) quest for world domination. Don Quixote’s quest was a fantasy. Green energy advocates’ quest for “net zero” power emissions is also a fantasy — a dangerous fantasy for America. >click to read< 10:38
“The market has collapsed.” With crab season on the line, seafood producers’ association digs in its heels on price
Jeff Loder, executive director of the Association of Seafood Producers said Monday the crab market has softened in the past few weeks, and the group will not negotiate a new price with fishermen. “The market has collapsed. Prices need to reflect that,” he said. Loder said each day the industry is delayed, with fishermen in the Maritimes and Quebec already out on the water, the worse it is for everyone. “Snow crab is not selling. There’s a glut in inventory,” said Loder, speaking for the first time since the provincial price-setting panel set a minimum price of $2.20 Cdn per pound for harvesters, who responded with protests and say they can’t afford to fish for that price. “We need raw material to get those plants going, and to have any chance to compete with our competitors in Atlantic Canada, who are all fishing in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. at $2.25 a pound,” Video, >click to read< 16:00
In the Race for Clean Energy, Is Offshore Wind Harming the Nation’s Fisheries?
Tom Hafer remembers the first time the fish stopped biting. It was a little over 20 years ago when fiber optic cables were being installed in waters off the coast of central California, where he fishes commercially for spot prawns and rockfish. The fishing was disrupted for “miles and miles,” says Hafer, who has been fishing since the 1970s. Now, he and many other fishermen are bracing themselves for what could be a much larger threat looming in the water. Offshore wind farms, which are ramping up in the United States, could come at a tremendous cost to fishermen as they are being sited in prime fishing areas. And the process of erecting wind farms and their long-term presence in the water could alter aquatic ecosystems, potentially driving away fish and marine mammals. >click to read< 10:27
SNP minister says fishing ban ‘will not be imposed’ on communities
Scotland’s Net Zero Secretary has defended her government’s controversial plans to expand protected marine areas – insisting that no sites have been identified and proposals will not be “imposed” on coastal communities. Fishing bosses have reacted angrily to plans by the Scottish Government to consider introducing highly protected marine areas (HMPAs). Under the plans, designated areas would be under rules to “strictly protect and leave undisturbed, all natural processes of the marine ecosystem”, including “the seabed, water column habitats and everything that lives in the protected area”. >click to read< 09:12
Who is Captain Sewall Maddocks?
Sewall’s love for the ocean first began when he was in grade school lobstering with his uncle Earl Brewer Sr. In 1977 he made his first trip on a trawler fishing with Richard McLellan on the F/V Sea Bring. He later became captain at 19 on the 82-foot F/V Irene’s Way, which was built for Richard at Goudy and Stevens in East Boothbay. In the early 80s, Sewall started to captain for F. J. O’Hara and Son’s out of Rockland, Maine He worked on the 110-foot F/V Alliance and later on the 119-foot F/V Araho, both stern trawlers, while fishing ground fish in the Gulf of Maine and on the northern edge of George’s Bank. Sewall later fished outside the 200 mile limit from Newfoundland on the tail of the Grand Banks. These boats typically had a crew of 5-6 people and caught 30,000-100,000 pounds of fish per trip with the fish being layered in ice in the fish hold. Great story! >click to read the rest< 10:22
Cleethorpes PETA ad compares eating fish to ‘eating a cat’
Animal rights charity PETA has put up a new billboard near a Cleethorpes chippy telling locals that ‘eating fish is like eating a cat’. The new advert is located at 145 Grimsby Road in Cleethorpes. The neighbouring town of Grimsby is a key player in the UK’s seafood processing industry, and was once the fishing capital of the world. The striking billboard shows a smiling fishmonger holding a limp fish from one angle and a dead cat from another. >click to read< 14:30
4 Dead After Russian Ship Catches Fire Near South Korea
A Russian-flagged fishing vessel caught fire off the coast of South Korea, leaving four out of the 25 sailors on board dead, Russia’s state-run media reported Friday. The 769-ton boat was carrying 100 tons of fish and seafood to Russia when the fire erupted after midnight off the coast of Ulsan, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. The Ulsan coast guard said 21 people had been rescued, two of whom were receiving emergency treatment for minor burns. The remaining four were initially declared missing. >click to read< 20:49
Resqunit and Sig Hansen with a successful product demo in Norway – launching the product globally
We are very proud and satisfied to have carried out this exclusive product demo of our new product which is now being launched in several countries. The fight against ghost fishing has been going on for a long time, but with this product we can now begin to see the end. Our solution helps reduce a huge global environmental problem that costs society and the fishing industry billions every year. Now we will go full throttle globally, says CEO of Resqunit, Helge Trettø Olsen. Major shareholder and TV star Sig Hansen, known from “Deadliest Catch”, conducted the actual demo. I don’t have figures on how many traps I have lost at sea. Resqunit’s solution is something the fishing industry is clamoring for and is a big step in the right direction. We have to reduce the number of fishing equipment lost, and work for more sustainable solutions. >click to read< 13:03
Fishing Vessel L’Ecume II: Sunken trawler’s condition ‘worse than expected’
The operation to bring the vessel to shore was mobilised on Sunday, but has faced “unsafe” sea conditions. A specialist dive team and support crew with remotely operated vehicles (ROV) were deployed to the site. The first phase of the operation, a dive survey, began and found the wreck in “an unstable condition”. It said with that with high spring tides and a strong swell, depths had exceeded the dive limit of 50m (164ft). The States said the steel deck had dislodged from the vessel’s wooden structure, and although this had given divers an “access point”, it also posed a risk of trapping them. >click to read< 09:57
Cassidy Urges International Trade Commission to Keep Antidumping Orders on Shrimp from China, India, Thailand, Vietnam
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy M.D. (R-LA) expressed his support for continuing antidumping orders on imports of frozen warmwater shrimp imported from China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam in a letter to U.S. International Trade Commission Chairman David Johanson. Cassidy highlighted the importance of these antidumping orders to ensure Louisiana’s shrimp industry can compete on a level playing field. “Dumped imports from China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam surged into the U.S. market, driving down prices, depressing earnings, and making it increasingly difficult to cover the costs of production. Faced with declining revenues and market share, many small fishermen, processors, and distributors were forced to close. The orders have imposed needed discipline on imports and allowed our vital Louisiana shrimp industry to survive,” wrote Dr. Cassidy. >click to read< 14:40
UK response to visa rule concerns branded an ‘insult’ to Scottish fishermen
New rules came into force last week affecting the visas most commonly used by non-UK fishermen. The industry heavily criticised the move, saying it could lead to businesses in the Highlands and islands closing down. Now Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, has raised these concerns directly with the Home Office and says the UK Government’s decision is “economically illiterate, politically inept and morally indefensible”. However, new rules came into force last week banning anyone on transit visas from carrying out work on fishing boats, and requiring them to get a skilled workers visa instead. >click to read< 12:25
Two more Indonesian fishing vessels feared missing off WA coast after Tropical Cyclone Ilsa
Indonesian villagers fear two more fishing boats remain unaccounted for after the dramatic rescue of 11 fishermen from a small island about 300 kilometres west of Broome, Western Australia. Ten of those fishermen had been aboard a vessel named Express, which hit trouble in waters off WA’s north-west due to the destructive force of Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa. All crew members on the Express survived for six days with no food or fresh water after their vessel washed onto Bedwell Island,,, But eight fishermen who were aboard a second fishermen vessel, the Putri Jaya, are missing, feared drowned. And villagers from Rote Island have told the ABC about two other boats that left at the same time — though travelling separately — that remain unaccounted for. They are the Cahaya Alor and Tuan Muda. >click to read< 17:04
More cracks appear in government-controlled fish-pricing system; SEA-NL demands review of lobster-pricing formula
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) demands the province review the way lobster is priced to the inshore fleet to determine whether enterprise owners are getting a fair market share. “The lobster-pricing formula pays fishermen as if their catch is being sold in the spring when the lobster may be kept in holding tanks and sold in the fall for much higher prices,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. “An independent review will tell owner-operators whether they’re getting a fair market share for their lobster catches, because indications are they are not and the lobster-pricing formula is obsolete.” >click to read the press release< 10:59
WA deckhand joins ‘Deadliest Catch’s’ 19th season
Jacob Hutchins, a 33-year-old deckhand from Olympia, joins the “Deadliest Catch” cast in its 19th season with one goal: to become the first, as far as he knows, African American crabbing captain on the Bering Sea. Premiering at 8 p.m. April 18 on Discovery Channel, “Deadliest Catch” introduces new characters on each boat with Hutchins paired with Keith Colburn, captain of the Wizard. “He’s got experience, but he’s untested on the Wizard,” Colburn said in preview of the new season that aired last week. A 2008 graduate of Bremerton High School, Hutchins found himself in Grays Harbor County where “you have logging and fishing [as options] if you want to make some money without any real requirement or anything.” >click to read< 09:08
Our fishing industry is sustainable, so why are we intent on trashing it?
Irelands decision to join the EU 50 years ago was, from a fishing industry perspective, a poisoned chalice. Half a century later, Britain’s decision to leave that very same institution, and the resultant decommissioning deal for fishers, will mean a further loss of quotas, as well as widespread job losses on land and sea, too. The latest ‘deal’, according to John Nolan, chairman of the Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co-operative, will cost more than money. ‘It could,’ he said, ‘mean the loss of our soul.’ With the approval deadline for decommissioning in its final throes, John described the latest quota cutbacks, and scrappage deal, as something that is ‘eating away at our hearts and taking away our hope.’ Photos, >click to read< 13:53
