Category Archives: International
Is Sausage the Missing Link in the Great Bait Debate?
Imagine you’ve got a lobster in front of you, bright red and softly steaming. There’s a fish in that picture, too, though you can’t see it—the fish that was tucked into a trap to lure in the lobster that could end up on your dinner plate. There’s no fish visible in the thick sausage Wally MacPhee lifts off the top of a half pallet of cardboard boxes either, even if it smells of the sea and has a piscine give to it when squeezed. But he’s hoping lobsters won’t know that—for the fishers’ sake, and for the sake of the small silvery baitfish this partially frozen cylinder is meant to replace. >click to read< 09:14
Fears capsized trawler is spilling pollutants into Burnett River
A sunken trawler that has leaked pollutants in Bundaberg’s main river could pose a danger to people’s safety and the environment, a commercial fisherman and environmentalist says. The capsized boat was first noticed in the Burnett River last week and the boat owner has been given until December 9 to move it. Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) said it had deployed a floating boom around the trawler to prevent pollutants entering the waterway. It said it was inspecting the vessel twice a day and adjusting the boom to ensure it was effective. >click to read< 08:40
Twin-rigging yields results
Brim’s fresher trawler F/V Akurey is fishing now on the Hali grounds and according to skipper Jón Frímann Eiríksson, they were a few days into the trip before the weather improved enough to work both trawls. ‘To start with there wasn’t weather for fishing, practically blowing a storm, but it’s dropped away now. Today it’s been fine. We’ve been able to tow two trawls all day and fishing has been good,’ he said, and estimated that the catch so far is around 80 tonnes. The bulk of the catch is cod, plus some other species such as saithe. >click to read< 09:24
Fishing Vessel Review: Euroclydon – Scottish Designed Vivier Crabber Delivered to Devon Owner
Macduff Ship Design of Scotland has confirmed the recent completion and delivery of a new crab fishing vessel to owner Stuart MacDougall of Devon-based fishing company Euroclydon. The newbuild, which is also named Euroclydon, is the second Macduff-designed crab fishing vessel built for the same owner in the space of only three years. Euroclydon features many similarities to MacDougall’s first vessel, Levanter, with a similar arrangement throughout. However, with increased length, beam, and depth, the newer vessel provides noticeably more space all around to enhance crew comfort, seakeeping, and fishing activity. Photos, specifications, >click to read< 16:41
Dumfries and Galloway trawler boss who told crew to keep fishing after colleague injured fined £13,500
A callous trawler boss who told a crew to keep fishing instead of seeking medical help for an injured colleague has been fined £13,500. Thomas Nicholson insisted crewman Joel Quince, who had been knocked unconscious and was bleeding heavily from a head wound, needed only painkillers and a hot drink. As a result, there was a delay of almost 12 hours before the scallop dredger Philomena headed back to shore. Even then the injured man had to phone a seaman’s mission to arrange transport to hospital. >click to read< 08:28
Icelandic trawler caught one hundred tons of cod in just 48 hours
It was Brim’s trawler “Akurey” that sailed west along the south coast of Iceland after a successful trip to the fishing grounds east of Iceland. According to skipper Eiríkur Jónsson, the catch is around 105 tonnes after almost two days of effective fishing. “We went east from Thorlákshöfn, where we landed last time, and sailed on to the first tow on Wednesday morning. The final move was on deck at five o’clock this morning. These are all fine cod, and I’m guessing that the average weight is about three kilos each,” says the skipper, >click to read< 15:31
Boats Damaged After Trawler Incident at Dingle Marina in County Kerry
A marina pontoon and several small craft berthed at Dingle Harbour in County Kerry were damaged on Saturday, November 26th, by a trawler manoeuvring in the harbour. Local reports say the visiting trawler was reversing at the time of the incident, as captured in this video below by YouTuber Tommy B. Several small motorboats, RIBs, and the southern section of the marina infrastructure were capsized or damaged in the collision with the trawler. >click to watch< 10:19
Australian Seafood industry on ice
A great Australian tradition is seafood at Christmas time. We have some of the best fresh seafood in the world. The need for the reminder is becoming more important. Over the past few decades Australia has closed massive amounts of oceans and rivers reducing the amount of seafood available to all Australians. The result of all these fishing bans has not been to save the environment, we have instead just imported seafood from other countries with poorer environmental practices. We instead import most of our seafood from China, Thailand and Vietnam who all extract fish from their oceans much more intensively than we do. The numbers are shocking. >click to read< 08:04
A Great Wall – In the Sea
Fishermen are being excluded from the debate relating to windfarm development in the North Sea, according to Job Schot of Eurocutter Job Senior Z-201, who has been prominent in questioning the rapid changes taking place. ‘I’m opposed to windfarms,‘ he said. ‘I’m a fisherman and this has a huge effect on how we make our living. But we have to accept that this isn’t going away.’ Since the first wind turbines appeared in the North Sea a couple of decades back, the rate of change has increased, and today fishing grounds are disappearing at breakneck speed, with little attention paid to those who question this. Photos, >click to read< 18:20
Monkfish win for Scottish fleet after UK-Norway talks
A deal struck between the UK and Norway will help to offset “over-precautionary” catch advice affecting monkfish catches in the North Sea. The bilateral talks between the two countries have delivered fishing opportunities for the Scottish fleet in 2023. Agreements on access and quota exchanges of fish stocks were signed. Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Elspeth Macdonald said: “Reaching this deal provides certainty and clarity between the parties for the year ahead. “Due to over-precautionary catch advice from Ices… that industry considers to be unjustified, the inward transfer of monkfish from Norway is to be welcomed. >click to read< 18:02
New Zealand fines Southland fishing company $40,000 – Boat and nets forfeited
Cando Fishing Limited and Campbell David McManaway, 59, were sentenced in the Invercargill District Court today on multiple charges under the Fisheries Act they earlier pleaded guilty to following a successful prosecution by Ministry for Primary Industries. “We believe this aspect of the sentence sends a strong message to all commercial fishers. For the Quota management system to be effective in managing sustainability, all fishing activity needs to be captured correctly or the system won’t account for that activity creating a real threat to the resource through overfishing or incorrect reporting,” says MPI regional manager fisheries compliance, Garreth Jay. As a result of the fisheries convictions the fishing vessel, F/V San Nicholas was forfeited to the Crown along with 32 set nets. >click to read< 07:59
Maritime Safety Queensland launches new dredging plan at Mooloolaba Harbour
Maritime Safety Queensland will trial a new dredging technique in response to community anger over treacherous sandbanks building up at the entrance to Mooloolaba Harbour. Video footage of waves crashing over the back of the prawn trawler Canipa earlier this year demonstrated a dangerous problem that repeatedly plagues the busy seaport. Sand shoaling has limited access, endangered lives and vessels and restricted commercial trade, forcing some vessels to unload in other ports. Protests were held and more than 1,200 people signed a petition. The entrance was dredged but the search for long-term solutions continued. Video, >click to read< 14:52
Hull’s Arctic Corsair trawler wins flagship award for teaching about life at sea
The Arctic Corsair has been recognised for its role in educating people about the historic trawler trade, winning a prestigious award. National Historic Ships UK bestowed the award to Hull Maritime Museum – the team behind the restoration of both the Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship – at a ceremony in Chatham’s Historic Dockyard, Kent, on Tuesday. There were three categories in the Flagship of the Year 2022 award. “As the restoration of the Arctic Corsair progresses, it is important that we continue to raise awareness of her career and significance within the fishing industry in different and creative ways.” Video, Photos, >click to read< 11:09
‘Cable corridors’ to stop boats cutting off island’s phone and internet
The archipelago in the North Sea lost phone, broadband and mobile services last month after a subsea cable was damaged. Faroese Telecom, the cable operator, said they believed it had been cut by fishing vessels. It was later confirmed by the Scottish Government that a fishing trawler hit the primary cable. There are now proposals for a designated corridor for undersea infrastructure cables to run along. It is hoped that these would give greater certainty to fishermen, as well as reducing the risk of telecommunications outages in future. >click to read< 10:45
Remembering the F/V Joanna C fishing boat tragedy on second anniversary
Today we remember the second anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Joanna C fishing boat off the Sussex coast near the port of Newhaven in which two fishermen lost their lives. On the morning of 21st of November 2020 6am HM Coastguard received a EPIRB alert located around three nautical miles at Seaford near Newhaven from the vessel Joanna C. Three fishermen were on board at the time of sinking, one of them was pulled out of the water and brought to shore by the Newhaven RNLI. Unfortunately, 2 other crew were lost at sea. Adam Harper, 26, from Brixham and Robert Morley, 38, from Pembrokeshire. 2 videos, >click to read< 09:57
Fishermen’s ‘terrifying’ ordeal on sinking boat off Lizard point – crewman and skipper are now unable to work
Two fishermen who survived a terrifying ordeal when a fishing vessel started to sink are still struggling to keep their heads above water financially due to the loss of his boat. Crewman Callum Hardwick, of Ottery St Mary, Devon, and skipper Brett Jose, of Cadgwith, Cornwall, were dramatically rescued at sea when their boat F/V Crig A Tana sunk off Lizard Point on November 12. The boat was the youngest vessel in the Cadgwith fishing fleet. The local community in Cadgwith Cove is rallying around to help the pair get back on their feet and an online Crowdfunder has been set up. The target is to raise £10,000 and half of it has already been achieved in a short space of time. >click to read< 08:18
A fisherman has died in the hospital after he was rescued from a sinking fishing boat
Emergency crews raced to Luce Bay near to Port William, Newton Stewart, yesterday afternoon. Officers also scrambled to the area after the alarm was raised at around 4.30pm. The man was rushed to Galloway Community Hospital in an ambulance. But police confirmed that he tragically passed away this morning. They have launched a probe into the incident to establish the full circumstances behind the death. Photos, >click to read< 12:19
What a transformation! Before and after photos as Ross Tiger deck works complete
Vital renovation works to the deck of historic trawler Ross Tiger are now complete. The scheme, which started on Monday 5 September, has included removing the rotten timber deck to reveal the steel deck below which was then inspected, grit blasted and painted. Some of the timber was able to be removed for conservation and will return to the museum’s collection. The visual and ultrasound inspections revealed the steelwork to be in much better condition than it could have been, with only minor repairs required. Photos, >click to read< 10:08
Did climate change really kill billions of snow crabs in Alaska? Here’s what experts say
Some fishers and crab experts have put forward a different idea: They’ve suggested that fishing, particularly the unintentional capture of crabs in fishing gear known as trawls, also contributed to the loss of the snow crab, or at the very least, impeded the species’ recovery from low population levels. The snow crab fishing season closure has amplified a chorus of concerns around Alaska’s trawling industry — mainly from within the fishery sector itself — and the knowledge gaps around its potential impact on fisheries. >click to read< 08:29
WA crayfish are about to turn in unison and head for deeper waters on ‘whites run’
Millions of crayfish are set to descend into deep waters off WA’s coast this week, in a “unique” migratory march. The annual “whites run” is a natural phenomenon in which juvenile western rock lobsters from Bunbury to Kalbarri moult their red shells, becoming pale and soft. They then turn to exactly 283 degrees north-west and move from shallow coastal reefs to deep water. “And once they get into that loop and current, they turn and walk into the current and they walk northwards.” Dr de Lestang said lobsters tapped into magnetic forces in much the same way as homing pigeons. >click to read< 15:55
Disaster requests for Bering Sea crabbers highlight difficulty of getting financial relief to fishermen
The current process of getting financial relief to fishermen is cumbersome and takes a long time, but Bering Sea crabbers are hoping the plight of the snow crab population might change the way financial relief is delivered to fishermen. Gabriel Prout is a second-generation Bering Sea crab fisherman from Kodiak; he owns the F/V Silver Spray with his dad and brothers. He said there’s one big problem with the current process for handing out fishery disaster funding. “If you’re going to have a fishery disaster request program, you should be able to make it so the money is getting into the hands of those affected very quickly,” said Prout. Right now, it takes years for money to reach skippers and their crews. >click to read< 13:44
Fishermen warn Jersey’s marine industry ‘cannot survive’ without assistance
Jersey‘s fishing industry is at risk as long-standing fishermen leave the job, saying they simply ‘cannot survive anymore’. In the last few years, the fleet has dropped from around 60 to 30 boats, and some have even moved to the UK where they can make more money. Fishermen blame ongoing tensions with France over licences and the rising cost of bait and fuel for the industry now reaching ‘crisis point’. Video, >click to read< 08:48
Conch is Big Business but Still a Mystery
On a blustery November day, in choppy waters somewhere off the western shore of the Island, Capt. Otto Osmers winched in his first conch pot of the day. It was a disappointing haul: only one conch was a keeper. “They’re such a weird animal,” said Mr. Osmers. “You’d think that, since they’re just a snail, they’d be easier to figure out.” At 22, Mr. Osmers is one of the youngest captains on Island, having saved up his teenage shellfishing earnings to purchase his uncle Tom Osmers’s old boat, A. D. Thor. When the weather is good during the active spring and fall conch season, he might spend all day on the water, pulling up conch pots, sorting out catches and refilling the mesh bait bags with chunks of horseshoe crab and herring. >click to read< 15:47
Alaska, Washington senators team up to seek disaster declaration for closed crab harvests
Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington sent the request to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The senators asked the secretary to act “as quickly as possible” to invoke the disaster declaration provision of the primary law governing marine fisheries, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. “Many of these fishermen and businesses hail from both Alaska and Washington, and the impacts of these fishery disasters extend far beyond our states to consumers across the United States and the world,” the senators’ letter said. The State of Alaska puts the estimated loss of ex-vessel value – the amount paid directly to fishers for their catches – at $287.7 million,,, >click to read< 09:16
Hull’s once mighty deep-sea fleet down to one, as MP says Tories have ‘betrayed’ fishing industry
One of the two remaining Hull-based deep-sea trawlers will retire before the end of the year, as a city MP said the Government had “betrayed” the fishing industry over distant-water quotas in the wake of Brexit. The Farnella is owned by UK Fisheries, which also operates the supertrawler Kirkella. The company said a dozen “skilled and loyal” crew members were set to lose their jobs and it was working to find them other roles in the industry. “This is a sad day for us,” said Jane Sandell, the company’s chief executive. “The UK’s failure to negotiate adequate quotas for us in our traditional grounds in the northern external waters has led to this difficult decision.” Video, >click to read< 06:46
Sunk Trawler Brought Back to Life
Red Chamber Argentina (RCA) has just completed an important stage of its fleet renewal program and relaunched freezer trawler Promarsa I, which was entirely rebuilt after lying idle for more than ten years. That is one of seven vessels previously owned by Alpesca, once a major fishing company in Argentina that ended up going bankrupt. Since 2015, RCA has been investing in the assets of that company and presented a plan to the local authorities that included the complete renovation of such vessels, many of them partially sunk and almost beyond recovery. Photos, Video, >click to read< 13:05
Panel to investigate crab and lobster deaths on north-east coast of England
The UK government is to set up an independent expert panel to investigate the cause of the mass die-offs of crabs and lobsters on the north-east coast of England, it has announced. The panel will consider the impact of dredging around a freeport development in Teesside and the presence of pyridine, a chemical pollutant, among other potential causes, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said. Mark Spencer, the fisheries minister, said on Tuesday: “I recognise fishing communities in the north-east want as thorough an assessment as possible into the crab and lobster deaths last year. >click to read< 07:35
The Great Lakes-Iceland connection through the 100% Whitefish effort
While Great Lakes fish populations are constantly in a state of flux, one species has declined precipitously in the last decade: lake whitefish. But Great Lakes leaders and fisheries managers are looking ahead in planning to do more with less. And in the case of whitefish, a lot more. The search for a way to preserve an industry with a shrinking natural resource brought the Iceland Ocean Cluster (IOC) into focus. IOC was founded by Thor Sigfusson in 2012 with a dozen companies on-site. There are now 70. So, what is it? And could it work as a model for the Great Lakes’ new whitefish initiative? >click to read< 17:09
Louisiana fisherfolk fear Air Products’ Lake Maurepas carbon capture scheme
In October 2021, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced that Air Products, a Fortune 500 chemical company based in Pennsylvania, would develop a so-called “clean” energy complex in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, by 2026. The $4.5 billion project calls for construction of a plant to convert natural gas to hydrogen and capture the resulting carbon dioxide. I recently spent time with commercial fishermen working on Lake Maurepas, individuals with generations-deep connections to the water. To understand their concerns, I asked them this question: “What are your fears about the proposed blue hydrogen facility that would attempt to sequester carbon more than a mile below Lake Maurepas?” This is what they told me. >click to read< 09:46
Small Modular Reaction: Europe’s Wind & Solar Disaster Paves Way For New Nuclear Age
Europe’s energy disaster proves, beyond doubt, that wind and solar are an abject failure, leaving the way clear for nuclear power and any other power generation source that can dish it up, on demand. With numerous operators seeking or obtaining licences to build Small Modular Reactors, and numerous countries signing up to have them, SMRs are here to stay. Nuclear power is safe, affordable, reliable and the perfect antidote to arguments about human-generated carbon dioxide gas posing a threat to life on Earth – because it doesn’t generate any, while generating power on demand, irrespective of the weather, unlike inherently unreliable wind and solar. >click to read< 11:58
