Category Archives: International
NFFO Challenges Crown Estate: Food Security or Energy Production
This week, The Crown Estate unveiled an ambitious new vision for Britain’s seas, prioritising the development of offshore wind farms. The new Marine Delivery Routemap outlines plans for significant offshore wind capacity, with the potential for up to 140GW of wind power to be installed or planned by 2040. However, this massive shift towards industrialising the marine environment has sparked concerns within the fishing industry, which fears the impact on traditional fishing grounds and coastal communities. The proposed expansion will see tens of thousands of square kilometres of the UK’s waters leased for offshore wind development, raising concerns about the overlap with areas vital to food production through fishing. Fishermen, who have been working Britain’s seas for generations, worry that the scale of these developments could disrupt the industry on an unprecedented scale. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:07
Fishers want ‘incredibly important’ Georges Bank protected against offshore wind development
As Nova Scotia rushes to establish an offshore wind industry, some fishers are calling for explicit protection for the rich fishing ground on Georges Bank. The cabinet minister in charge of developing renewable energy projects says he will keep turbines off the bank, but not by changing a piece of legislation that is now moving through Province House. Ian McIsaac, president of the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia, brought his concerns to a legislature committee Monday as it reviews a new bill that, if passed into law, would enable offshore wind development. McIsaac said Bill 471 doesn’t update the Georges Bank moratorium that’s been in place against offshore petroleum development since the 1980s “We feel this is a technical error,” he said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:42
Oregon Tribes sue federal government to stop offshore wind auction
The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians are suing the federal government in an attempt to stop Oregon’s first-ever offshore wind energy auction scheduled to take place next month. The lawsuit, filed late on Friday, challenges the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s environmental analysis and decision to proceed with the sale of leases for two offshore wind energy areas totaling nearly 195,000 acres, one near Coos Bay and the other near Brookings. The wind energy areas are within the tribes’ ancestral territory. The tribes say they contain critical fish and marine wildlife habitat, viewsheds of significant cultural and historic significance and key tribal and commercial fishing grounds. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:27
Will Reviving the Cod Industry Doom It Yet Again?
It’s been thirty-two years since the federal government first closed the northern cod fishery. It was historically the colony’s main trade for centuries, but that changed, nearly overnight, in 1992, after a press conference at the downtown Radisson Hotel in St. John’s, when then federal fisheries and oceans minister John Crosbie announced a complete halt. Fishery workers would be compensated for ten weeks, at the rate of $225 a week, and then go on employment insurance. The meagre amounts were seen as an insult to the workers whose labour was responsible for a $700 million per year industry (almost $1.35 billion in 2024 terms)—and who recognized, in the mass layoff, the spectre of their culture on the brink of extinction. Of course, fishery workers weren’t the only people who would suffer from the shuttering. With fishing boats now idle, fuel sales dropped. Schools amalgamated across communities as young families moved elsewhere and school districts struggled to fill classrooms. Those of us who lived through it will remember how local businesses offering small luxuries—restaurants and cafeterias, hair salons, cinemas—all felt the sting of a laid-off workforce. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:48
Lobster harvesters ready to ‘take matters into their own hands’
Local lobster harvesters are prepared to patrol waters themselves and haul up illegal gear, which could spark confrontations with poachers, according to Amanda Johnson, executive director of the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association, which represents 150 lobster fishers from St. Stephen to Alma. “It could lead to a lot of violence on the water,” Johnson said at a protest held in Saint Andrews Saturday in support of local fishers and their families. Maine and New Brunswick poachers are now taking to Lobster Fishing Area 36, which runs along New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy coast from Alma to the American border, ahead of its November season, Johnson said. Deer Island fisherman Dale Mitchell claims lobster catches have dropped 30 per cent in the last seven years since the start of what he called an “illegal summer fishery” in the region. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:06
Four men charged after tonne of cocaine found on fishing boat
Four men have been charged with drug offences after officers from the National Crime Agency discovered a tonne of class A drugs on board a fishing vessel off the Cornish coast The boat, named Lily Lola, was stopped at sea by Border Force officers on Friday afternoon (September 13). On it, they found approximately a tonne of cocaine which was being brought into the country. A Jon Paul William spokesperson for the NCA said Michael Kelly, aged 45, of Portway, Manchester; Jon Paul Williams, aged 46 of St Thomas, Swansea; Patrick Godfrey, aged 30, of Danygraig Road in Port Tennant, Swansea and Jake Marchant, aged 26 and of no fixed address, were all charged with importation of a controlled Class A drug. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Ready for the future
Den Helder fisherman and industry activist Dirk Kraak remains optimistic for optimistic. The family business recently had one of its vessels, HD-66, completely refitted to meet the latest demands. ‘We can now go forward for at least another ten years,’ he said. Both his grandfathers fished for shrimp and herring, his father for flatfish. So for third-generation fisherman Dirk, a future in fishing was the obvious choice. At sixteen he joined Jac Bakker en zonen, fishing on Ennie en Appie HD-24, as he wanted to gain experience outside the family business. ‘We fished with a beam trawler for sole and plaice in the German Bight. I learned a lot there. I still use that knowledge today.’ Photos, 2 parts, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:55
Tributes to heroic ex-Grimsby skipper James ‘Jim’ Gamble following his death aged 97
Tributes have been paid to a heroic ex-Grimsby trawler skipper and tugmaster following his death at the age of 97. During his long career at sea, James “Jim” Gamble was awarded for outstanding seamanship demonstrated in the rescue of 14 trawlermen from a stricken Grimsby vessel off the coast of Iceland in 1955. Jim was the then 28-year-old skipper of another Grimsby vessel, the Viviana, when he fought a force 10 storm and mountainous seas to bring her alongside the drifting 380-ton Barry Castle so that crew members could jump aboard. The 455-ton Viviana rescued ten crew within seven minutes. Four men who fell between the two trawlers were picked up by other vessels and four other men who were down below, tragically perished as the Barry Castle sank on November 1, 1955. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:41
Broken blades, angry fishermen, and rising costs slow offshore wind
The collapse of a giant wind turbine blade off the Massachusetts coast confirmed Peter Kaizer’s worst fears about the dangers a new clean energy business could pose to fishermen like him. Jagged pieces of fiberglass and other materials from the shattered blade drifted with the tide, forcing officials to close beaches on Nantucket and leaving Kaizer worried about the threat the fragments might pose to his vessel and other fishing boats, especially at night when the debris would be harder to avoid. “All these small boats could be subject to damage,” Kaizer said. “Everyone wants this green legacy, but at the cost of what?” Full article. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:58
Fishing Vessel Eternal Promise – Scotland’s Whitelink Seafoods welcomes new scalloper to coastal fleet
Macduff Shipyards of Scotland recently handed over a new scallop fishing vessel ordered by local owner Whitelink Seafoods for year-round operation around the coastal waters of the UK. Designed by Macduff Ship Design, Eternal Promise measures 19.98 by 7.4 metres (65.66 by 24 feet) and has space for seven crewmembers. It is the second vessel built by Macduff Shipyards for Whitelink after an earlier vessel handed over in 2019. The newbuild was originally intended to be a sister ship to the previous vessel, but a decision was taken by the yard and the owner to build a new design that would offer increased deck/fishing gear space, improved crew welfare, a more efficient hull form, and a new stern gear package with an aim to improve overall fuel efficiency. photos, specifications and more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:50
Lebouthillier Ignored Scientific Advice on Reopening Cod Fishery
Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier faced criticism for disregarding advice from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) when she reopened the commercial cod fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador earlier this year, a decision largely influenced by political considerations. Patrick Butler of Radio Canada reports that a DFO briefing note from 09 May 2024 uncovered by reveals that the department recommended maintaining the longstanding moratorium on northern cod, citing scientific evidence of the stock’s vulnerability. However, political advisors within the minister’s office advocated for reopening the fishery and increasing cod quotas, viewing it as a “political victory.” Senior policy advisor Paul Carrigan expressed concerns from DFO staff about the risk of stock decline due to higher quotas and the return of offshore vessels. The department had recommended keeping the total allowable catch at 13,000 tonnes, the same level as in 2022 and 2023, while maintaining a limited stewardship fishery solely for inshore harvesters. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:05
U.S. Offshore Wind: Election 2024 May Redefine the Sector
The US offshore wind industry is at a crucial turning point. After several years of growth under the Biden administration, the sector faces potential reconfiguration depending on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. On the one hand, a Donald Trump victory could redirect the country’s energy priorities towards conventional resources, such as offshore oil and gas. On the other, a Kamala Harris victory would mean a continuation of current ambitions, including the goal of 30 GW of installed capacity by 2030. Commercial fishing groups and other interested parties challenging these projects could find an ally in a Trump administration. Organizations such as the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) have already voiced concerns about the impacts of offshore wind projects on the marine environment and fisheries. more, >>CLOCK TO READ<< 10:36
Animal Protection Party of Canada calls for the resignation of Canada’s Fisheries Minister
The Animal Protection Party of Canada calls for Prime Minister Trudeau to remove Diane Lebouthillier from her role as Fisheries Minister. “Canadians deserve ministers more committed to integrity and respect for science than political expediency,” says Party Leader, Liz White. White is reacting to a September 10th report by Radio-Canada’s Patrick Butler about a briefing note clearly explaining that staff with the Department of Fisheries recommended that the Minister keep the moratorium on northern cod in order to prevent a further decline in the population of fish. They also recommended that the current quota be maintained and not increased, and that she keep in place the ‘stewardship fishery’ meaning that fishing should be prioritized for inshore and Indigenous fishers and not for offshore and international fleets. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:42
Ocean Integrity vs. Offshore Wind
“In areas where wind farms are being developed, invasive species can harm … industries by reducing fish populations, damaging habitats, and deterring tourists who seek intact and diverse marine environments.” – Kieran Kelly, Ocean Integrity (below) ‘It is hard being green, particularly when “green” means being one-dimensional against carbon dioxide (CO2) at the expense of virtually every other metric. Consider wind power, the onshore problems of which (failed past, government dependency, intermittency, site depletion, local warming, noise, avian mortality, health effects) are only magnified offshore (cost premium, wake effect, blade failure, industrialization, hurricanes, pile driving, political bribes). Kieran Kelly, CEO of Ocean Integrity, “a global organization that aims to reduce ocean plastic pollution and create positive social impact,” recently reported on social media about a particular ecological issue: invasive filter feeders. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:38
Fifty years plus: Jeniska KY 253
It was a still night after the previous day’s gale, the darkness reduced by the lights from the town, a slight smirr damping all around. The boats were in alongside Campbeltown quay, and unloading had begun. Four boats, each with boxes of prawns sitting on the deck or being hauled up to the waiting hands. The four boats – Silver Fern OB 84, Silver Lining III TT 37 (built as Emulate KY 44), Adoration II CN 78 and Jeniska CN 153 are all over 50 years old, with one, Adoration II, being almost 60. All are now working at the prawns, with a chequered history. But it was Jeniska I’d really come to see and here she was, water gently lapping at her old hull as her crew unloaded their catch. Jeniska was built by JN Miller and Sons of St Monans in 1971 and was commissioned by William H Anderson and John Fleming of Kilrenny in Fife. At 15.66m (56ft) in length, she was fitted with a Gardner 8L3B 229hp. She was one the dual- purpose seiner/trawlers for which Miller’s was renowned, all with the classic transom sterns. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:19
Tidal power junk: N.S. village wants huge, abandoned moorings moved from fishing area
An unusual scene emerges every time the bay’s record-setting tides recede to reveal the hulks, along with massive chains that were supposed to be used as moorings for Occurrent Power’s experimental tidal turbine. The company, formerly BigMoon Power, was planning to move the anchors to a testing site on the other side of the Minas Basin. But last week, news broke that the company had filed for bankruptcy. That’s left locals wondering whether the company’s $20,000 deposit with the province will be enough to pay for a proper cleanup. Meanwhile, the boxcars disappear underwater every time the tide comes in, rising 21 feet in the harbour. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:22
In cod we trust: Newfoundland’s famous fish aims at a comeback, but not everyone’s happy
By 1992, the mighty cod had been fished to near oblivion, and the federal government declared a moratorium, indefinitely closing the industry in the hopes that the cod stock could rebuild itself over time. Some 30,000 Newfoundlanders lost their jobs and 10 per cent of the population headed west to Ontario, Alberta and beyond to find work in a mass outmigration the province has never fully recovered from. But if there is one truth in this life, it is that it is hard not to root for a good comeback story. Cod, in theory, was positioned to be such a comeback kid this summer when the federal government in June announced that the moratorium on the commercial cod fishery was being lifted after 32 years. Yet instead of parades, parties and fireworks, the announcement was met with discontent, particularly among small, inshore fish harvesters. That is, the skippers and salty olde sea dogs and their crews, wresting a living from the sea in small, 15-metre boats or less, who claim the end of the moratorium and return of the massive offshore “draggers” to the cod fishery is the beginning of the end for the North Atlantic cod 2.0. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:10
Coos County Commissioners question offshore wind farms
Coos County commissioners have a number of questions and concerns about a proposed offshore wind farm. In a letter dated Sept. 3 to Gov. Tina Kotek, Commissioners Rod Taylor, John Sweet and Robert “Bob” Main have posed several questions they would like the state to ask the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). On Aug. 29, the U.S. Department of Interior, which encompasses BOEM, announced the final sale notice for offshore wind leasing for one site offshore 10-15 miles between Reedsport and Florence and another 6-10 miles offshore between Brookings and Gold Beach. Commissioners are raising their questions as the result of the “current environmental crisis” that has occurred off Nantucket, MA, resulting from wind turbine blade failures and breakage. The commissioners also are sending their questions to other coastal county commissioners “in hope that they too will voice their concerns with BOEM’s offshore wind plan in Oregon.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:49
Flawed fisheries science ’cause for concern’
An article just published in the respected science journal Marine Policy highlights the need for objective and reliable fisheries science to ensure conservation and sustainable development. It says the publication of flawed papers, some in high-profile journals, is cause for concern, and that misleading science can misinform policy and the public. The authors, who include well-known US fisheries scientist Professor Ray Hilborn, call for the rigour of peer reviews and editorial management to be strengthened, and say journal publishers must ensure the reliability of papers they publish. “The prevalence of papers conveying unjustified messages and with the potential to influence public perceptions and policies is concerning,” they say, providing examples where flawed methodology led to the exaggeration of negative impacts on ecosystems by the fishing industry – which was often then sensationalised by campaigners. In all of the examples quoted, a rebuttal was subsequently published. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:46
Fire on a fishing boat in Newlyn Harbour last night.
A crewman collapsed and needed medical treatment after escaping a fire on a fishing boat in Newlyn Harbour last night. Emergency services, including the Penlee Lifeboat Ivan Ellen, were called to a 25m fishing boat on fire at 11.12pm last night (September 10). One crewman had escaped the boat which was well alight but there were concerns that there may be more crew inside. The Penlee Lifeboat was the first to arrive at the scene and moored alongside the fishing vessel tackling the fire coming from the galley area with two sea water hoses. photos, more, >>LICK TO READ<< 10:36
California’s trillion dollars floating wind fantasy
California has adopted a target of 25,000 MW of floating offshore wind generation capacity. Of course, the cost is never mentioned, so here is a rough estimate to get the ball rolling. The estimate begins with the huge Dominion Energy (DOM) fixed wind project currently under construction off of Virginia. Because the regulated utility DOM is its own developer, we get some public numbers, so here is a crude derivation. Big numbers are rounded for simplicity and ease of memory. A. DOM says the 2,600 MW facility will cost $10 billion to build, which is about $4 billion/GW. But financing and profit bump that to $20 billion or $8 billion/GW, which is called the “revenue requirement” or what rate payers will pay. We will use that number. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:19
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 60’x18’x9′ Astor Longliner, Cummins KT 1150
To review specifications, information, and 15 photos’, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:46
Norbert Cunningham: Coast Guard can stop poaching
Lobster is a lucrative fishery in Maine and New Brunswick, and it’s past time for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to step in an act decisively against American poachers. They can begin with sending in Coast Guard ships to drive intruders out while also initiating another attempt at a better resolution with U.S. authorities. The tensions aren’t new, nor is this the first such flare-up in our waters, but it may be one of the worst and have the most potential for lethal violence. Canadian fishers are seeing evidence and hearing the latest incursions are the work of organized crime, not just fishers straying a bit over unmarked and disputed lines on water. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:08
Federal Fisheries minister ignored DFO advice by reopening commercial cod fishery
Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier ignored the advice of staff within her department when she reopened the commercial cod fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador last June. A briefing note dated May 9 reveals that Fisheries and Oceans Canada recommended maintaining the long-time moratorium on northern cod based on scientific evidence, but that political advisors within the minister’s office argued reopening the commercial fishery and hiking quotas would be “politically a victory.” Senior policy advisor Paul Carrigan wrote that DFO staff were concerned about an increase to quotas and the return of offshore boats in the fishery, which would “increase the stocks’ risk of decline.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Fisheries enforcement ongoing in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
Recently, there has been much speculation and public discussion about the state of enforcement in Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Maritimes Region, encompassing Southwest Nova Scotia, Eastern Nova Scotia and Southwest New Brunswick, in light of an ongoing job action. For absolute clarity, fisheries enforcement activity in the Maritimes Region is active – to suggest otherwise is false. Fishery officers throughout the region continue to patrol by sea, land and air. They continue to conduct investigations and to work with other policing agencies, the provinces and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to enforce the law. They are highly trained professionals and their dedication to their work is evident now, as it is every day. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:46
My skipper husband thought he was indestructible
Fishermen are being warned they are putting themselves at risk of preventable illness and even death by delaying seeking medical advice. Amanda Nithavrianakis, whose skipper husband John died of cancer at the age of 52, believes his attitude of self-reliance and toughness contributed to the delay in his diagnosis and treatment. “There’s this mentality, especially among fishermen,” Amanda says. “They’re rufty-tufty. “They think nothing goes wrong with them. But it’s just not true.” John was the captain of a fishing boat based in the south of Scotland town of Kirkcudbright. In March 2016, he began struggling to swallow but delayed seeking medical help, prioritising his work over his health Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
No one stopping Maine fishers from poaching N.B. lobster: group
Amanda Johnson, executive director of the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association, says a border boundary dispute has long seen U.S. fishermen sneaking across from Maine to set traps inside Canadian waters. But she says it’s now not being stopped as Canadian fisheries officers aren’t conducting enforcement patrols. That has Johnson worried about overfishing ahead of the New Brunswick south shore’s November lobster fishing season, but also for the safety of New Brunswick fishers fearing the potential for looming confrontations on the water. “Right now, the main issue is that there are no fisheries officers patrolling the water in southwest New Brunswick,” Johnson said. “They are kind of on strike, same as they are in southwest Nova Scotia, and DFO isn’t really disclosing who is on strike and who isn’t. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:15
Fishermen Taking Aim At Offshore Wind Projects Across Texas
Fishermen are taking aim at offshore wind projects across Texas and the United States. On the same day that the Biden Administration pulled the plug on the second lease auction of a major proposed offshore wind project near the LA-TX border, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that it had been approached by “Hecate Energy Gulf Wind LLC (Hecate Energy) to acquire commercial wind energy lease(s) on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of Mexico.” This potential project would transform thousands of aquatic acres into a wind farm. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:04
Low export prices prompt seafood industry to push more tiger prawns into Aussie markets
Australians are being urged to eat more wild-caught tiger prawns, as fishers move away from sending their produce overseas. It’s been a slow start to the season in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Queensland; catches are down but fishers are also facing challenging international markets amid tough economic conditions. Austral Fisheries is one of the largest commercial fishing companies in Australia. Northern prawn division operations manager Bryan Van Wyck said due to an oversupply on the international market, they could not get the prices they were accustomed to. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:46
Miraculous Survival: Lost Fisherman Rescued After 2 Days Adrift, Saved by Floating Debris
In a remarkable story of survival, a fisherman who fell overboard was rescued after floating adrift at sea for two days and one night, relying on floating debris to stay alive. The incident, which took place off the coast of Satun province, has been hailed as nothing short of a miracle. On the morning of September 3, Sunthorn Khaosom, 56, a crew member aboard the fishing vessel ‘R. Chai Navi’, accidentally fell into the sea about 10 nautical miles off the coast of Satun. Despite immediate efforts by the vessel’s captain to notify authorities and begin a search, Sunthorn could not be found. It wasn’t until the evening of September 5 that the Third Naval Area Command was alerted by staff at the Koh Bulon Mai Phai National Park in Satun, who reported finding the missing fisherman on the island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:17
