Category Archives: International
That Was Quick!: French Navy backs down from West Cork fishermen
Simon Coveney confirms French navy will stay outside of Irish waters during their upcoming exercises having come under pressure from West Cork fishermen. The French Navy were planning a huge exercise – involving missile tests – off our southwest coast later this week and it was set to be even bigger than the one the Russians had to postpone earlier this year. However, as the Russians found out, the French Atlantic fleet had to reckon with Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, with their headquarters in Castletownbere. >click to read< 17:15
Proposed N.J. wind farm could have major impact on area fisheries, draft report says
A proposed wind farm off the Jersey Shore could significantly affect local fisheries and boat traffic but generally have little impact on tourism and marine life while helping to move away from oil and gas, according to the draft environmental impact statement released Friday by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The impact statement is the next step toward winning federal approval for Ocean Wind, a wind farm to be built by the Danish energy company Ørsted and PSEG. The draft statement addressed concerns by officials in some New Jersey beach towns that the turbines would spoil the ocean views and discourage tourists from returning. >click to read the foolishness< 14:18
Prawn fishers suffer ‘worst season yet’ as high fuel prices bite
Prawn trawler operator Ed Morrison believes farming comes in peaks and troughs, but this year it’s hurting more than usual. The North Queensland-based businessman runs prawn trawlers in the Torres Strait. His prawns are sold throughout Australia, but he says this year has been one of the worst seasons he has seen. However, retailers say any hike in prices would not help the situation as consumers are not prepared to pay more for non-essential produce. The eye-watering cost of fuel and a global supply crunch has forced operators like Mr Morrison to leave vessels in port instead of putting them out to fish during off-peak periods. The situation has left trawlers considering whether or not their operations are commercially viable. >click to read< 10:29
Maine business group seeks rare deal to export ‘cape shark’ to Cuba
The cape shark, more commonly known as the dogfish, typically finds its home in the frigid, salty waters of midcoast Maine. However, thanks to the efforts of a group of Maine-based agriculturalists, the fish may soon be taken by the tides of trade to the warm shores – and markets – of Cuba. The export of dogfish is part of a larger deal being brokered by a group of Maine agriculturalists who hope to create a pipeline of Maine-based agricultural and fishery products to Cuba. Among the proposed exports are seed potatoes and apples along with dogfish. The export of such products is meant to help the Cuban economy, which has suffered in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic, become more self-sufficient while also benefiting Maine’s economy. “Our fishing industry, if you do a little history on it – recent history – is suffering for a lot of reasons,” Marchant said. “The advantage of Cuba getting any food exports right now is dramatic.” >click to read< 09:19
Irish fishermen who faced down Russians now to protest against French navy’s military drills
Irish fishermen confirmed they are to mount major protests off the south-west coast in a bid to prevent the French navy staging military exercises later this month in important fishing grounds. The protests will mirror the demonstrations planned by west Cork fishermen last January to disrupt planned military exercises by the Russian navy in fishing waters off the south-west coast. French naval forces are planning an exercise for June 23-25,,, “The Albacore tuna fishery is opening for Irish vessels on June 23,,, >click to read< 07:35
The Game Mac White and James Gallagher Would Play While Filming Deadliest Catch
Indeed, one of the newest (and most short-lived) cast members of the series is James Gallagher, a rookie engineer for the Lady Alaska who, thus far, has only been featured on Seasons 16 and 17. By contrast, veteran deckhand Mac White has managed to stick around within the series for nearly 11 years and is still going strong, whereas Gallagher appears to have moved on. Though the older deckhand and the excitable rookie may have seemed like two polar opposites to the audience, Gallagher actually revealed that the two used to play a game together whenever they were filming. >click to read< 11:39
State of the art fishing vessel navigation simulator launched in Greencastle
The official launch of new high tech simulator suites took place at BIM’s National Fisheries College in Greencastle on Saturday. The simulator will enable skipper students to pilot and berth a vessel and navigate it through adverse weather conditions. The simulator and radio suites – recently installed both at the college in Donegal and its sister college in Castletownbere – are designed to imitate real-life navigational conditions for helm, ship control training and practice, and for vessel routine and distress alert training. >click to read< 10:21
Offshore Wind Industry Wiping Out Crucial Fish Breeding Grounds & Fishermen’s Livelihoods
Britain’s trawlermen are tough, but not invincible. Giant industrial wind turbines and their associated infrastructure have already wrecked once productive fishing grounds, with more under threat. The power cables that connect offshore wind turbines are mesmerising crabs and causing biological harm that affects their ability to migrate and breed; the same phenomenon has just been identified in lobsters. So, little wonder that fishermen are furious that their lives and livelihoods are being sold so cheap to an industry that’s built on lies and runs on subsidies. >click to read the rest< 15:18
Five rusty trawlers from Hull played a key role in securing victory in the Falklands War
As Hull officially commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict this weekend, attention will inevitably focus on the local military personnel who served there and the famous role played by the Hull-based passenger ferry Norland in carrying the troops who would ultimately help regain control of the islands. However, the spotlight will also shine on the other Hull vessels requisitioned by the Admiralty to join the Royal Navy Task Force. As well as the Norland, three city-based tugs and five stern trawlers also sailed to the South Atlantic. As such, Hull ended up sending more civilian vessels to the war than any other port. >click to read< 09:23
Troubled Waters – British Fishermen and Brexit
More than two years after Brexit, British fishermen are angry. They were promised more control over fishing rights in British waters, but what they’ve gotten is reduced income. Many of them voted Leave, but now they feel they’ve been let down. The fishing industry overwhelmingly supported Brexit. Darren Kenyon is a fisherman from Grimsby in North East England. He believed in the government’s Brexit promises – including more control over fishing rights in British waters — and voted Leave. But two and a half years after Brexit, he feels betrayed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Kenyon’s income is lower than it used to be and there’s more red tape than ever. >click to read< 12:10
All eyes on Washington over bill that could ‘halt’ offshore wind construction
US legislation whose current language threatens to slam offshore wind project construction is expected to be passed with less restrictive provisions. But how much the manning provisions of the Coast Guard Authorization Act will be watered down remains unclear. In March, the US House of Representatives passed a spending bill for the US Coast Guard that included provisions requiring crews on specialised offshore construction vessels to be citizens either of the US or their ship’s flag state. The legislation requires passage in the US Senate. >click to read< 09:14
Canadian Lobster industry sense more regulations coming for Chinese exports
In January, the Chinese Government introduced new import regulations known as Decrees 248 and 249, which require international distributors to register with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), and for products to include Chinese-language labeling. Since their implementation, there have been many issues, with lobster distributors claiming they have erroneously been told they aren’t registered with GACC, causing delays in shipping and in sometimes voiding the Chinese importer’s obligation to pay. Currently, the regulations only apply to frozen or cooked products. >click to read< Tracing measures issued in January required Chinese-language labelling on processed seafood >click to read<14:56
Fishing Fuel Costs at Tipping Point
Many fishing vessels are facing a cruel choice between tying-up or going to sea to make a loss. NFFO members are providing landings information that illustrate although reasonably healthy grossings are being made, after deductions for fuel earnings for crews are risible. In one example a vessel in the south-west made a landing worth £11,0489 but fuel costs swallowed £10,416. In another case, a landing of £44,176 and a fuel bill of £29,068 left £1516 to be shared amongst 8 crew. A third example was an inshore vessel after eight days fishing made £8706 but faced a fuel bill of £5234, leaving £927 for the crew. These examples illustrate that the current situation is unsustainable are at the point beyond which vessels will have to tie up. >click to read< 08:18
Rising diesel fuel prices see Cornish fisherman tie up their boats
A Cornish Fisherman says rocketing fuel prices are forcing some boat owners to tie up their vessels. Peter Green, who fishes out of St Mawes on Cornwall’s Roseland Peninsula, says the rising cost of red diesel is making it uneconomic to go to sea. He said: “It means the end of the road. How can we keep going? “Fishing vessels are expensive boats to run and maintain – the costs are continuous. If you are not keeping enough back at the end of the day, you’re going to end up in trouble financially.” The effects of price rises are being felt in ports around the UK. Fish Producers Association the SWFPA has called for more action on fuel prices to support the industry. Video, >click to view and read< 16:45
‘Deadliest Catch’ Bank Robber – From Catching Crabs Pots to Being Caught
Famed author Hunter S. Thompson once wrote, “The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason.” In the case of Joshua Tel Warner, he straddled the worlds of television and thievery. It hasn’t escaped our notice that a man whose job in life was catching crabs pots, couldn’t avoid being caught himself. >click to read< 13:27
North Atlantic Right Whale: Oceana Wins First Step In USMCA Complaint
The Secretariat for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), has agreed to move forward with the first step in a two-step process to investigate the USA’s failure to uphold its environmental laws to protect North Atlantic right whales, according to an Oceana announcement this week. The decision was in response to Oceana’s filing the first-ever “Submission on Enforcement Matters” against the US government under the USMCA last October. The ocean advocacy organization claimed the government has violated the USMCA by failing to enforce environmental laws to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, of which only around 330 remain. >click to read< 14:53
Cornwall ice cream man and fisherman devastated by fuel price crisis
Record-high fuel prices are deeply affecting businesses across Cornwall. Reaching almost £2 in multiple stations, various business owners have shared the impact it has taken on their businesses. Fisherman Peter, from St Mawes, said he can no longer afford to go to sea as the price of fuel has risen from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of his daily expenditure, which has reached as high as £270 a day for diesel. He said that it is not possible for his catch to cover such a rise, forcing him to give up his livelihood and security. “I have no income, full stop,” he said. “Fear is if you’re at sea for 14 hours a day, and everyone who knows boats knows they’re expensive to run. If you have a breakdown and have to replace parts on a winch then suddenly it’s a step back before you know it. >click to read< 12:01
A world first – First all-female deck crew for Fiji
A world first, history was created yesterday when eight ladies set out to sea as the first full female deck crew on board tuna long-line vessel SEAKA II for a two-week fishing expedition. The initiative was made possible via a partnership between Fijian-owned company SeaQuest Fiji and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). FFA said the all-female deck crew was one step towards addressing gender imbalance in the Pacific tuna industry. “To see an all-female crew loading ice bait and stores, to see a female first officer, a female engineer and a female bosun, to see real progress in our shared goal of increasing female employment in the tuna harvesting sector. >click to read< 18:36
UK fishing industry reports Brexit woes
As well as the issue of quotas for wild-catch fisheries, the report finds, the UK’s seafood industry has been struggling with increased paperwork for exports to the European Union and labour shortages following new restrictions on recruiting staff from the EU. In winter 2021, the APPG on Fisheries released a survey to collate experiences of Brexit as reported by members of the fishing industry. Responses revealed significant and shared concerns around financial losses and the long-term viability of individual businesses, fishing fleets, and other parts of the industry including processors and transporters. >click to continue< 15:30
Heartbroken fisherman banned from pier after 63 years at the harbour
A Fisherman has been forced to put his beloved boat on the market after harbour chiefs told him he was barred. Heartbroken John Hutchinson, 73, has been banned from the pier at Lower Largo, Fife – where he has been fishing since the age of 10. John is the third generation of his family to fish from the harbour following in the footsteps of his father, and grandfather. But this week his application to moor the 6.5m vessel was knocked back. “I want an apology and an explanation. Nobody is answering me and it’s not right. “I have worked hard all my life and giving up fishing like this would break my heart.” photos, >click to read< 21:36
Fishermen say survival training could prove vital
Five fishermen have undertaken man overboard training to help reduce incidents at sea. The free in-water courses held in Aberdeen, demonstrate how to avoid overboard incidents, and what can be done to recover and improve the chances of survival. The environment pool training facility at energy sector training provider Survivex, which simulates some of the conditions experienced at sea, including heavy swells and rain. The session was funded by the Fishing Industry Safety Group, a partnership between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, RNLI, fishermen’s associations from across the UK and public body Seafish. >click to read< 18:30
Hull tipped over for fishing boat build
An important stage in the construction of a new $6 million fishing vessel in Nelson has been reached, with the boat’s hull lowered and turned over in the water. The longline vessel Te Runanga is being built for Westfleet by Nelson-based Aimex Service Group and on Friday the hull was lowered into Nelson Harbour so the next stage of the build can begin. The hull had been built upside down at Aimex’s workshop, and because of its weight, rolling it over on the water was the easiest way to turn it up the right way for the vessel build to be finished while it was in the water, Video, photos, >click to read< 08:47
Delcambre shrimp processor overcoming old and new problems to survive
Gulf Crown Seafood’s Jeff Floyd and his son Jon agree that every year in the seafood business is unique. Each year new problems arise and are added to the same old ones continuously sticking around. Last year new problems arising from Covid and Hurricane Ida were added to the old ones; H2B visiting worker visa, labor shortages, import prices and product availability. “We weren’t affected directly by Hurricane Ida,” said the senior of the Floyds. “But without production this plant doesn’t survive. They only way we get production is with the boats. I don’t know exactly how many we lost out of the fleet from the storm, but talking to those at the docks their were a lot a fisherman whose boats won’t be able to be salvaged.” Gulf Crown Seafood in Delcambre is one of approximately seven shrimp processors left Louisiana. >click to read< 12:58
SEA-NL demands province allow inshore fleet to truck snow crab out of province
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) demands the provincial government allow owner-operators to truck snow crab out of province given some local processors have stopped buying. “If processors will not buy snow crab then fishermen who can find mainland buyers must be able to truck out their crab or the entire industry will shut down,” says Jason Sullivan, President of SEA-NL and a Bay Bulls fisherman. “There are no jobs left to protect.” At least two processing companies, Notre Dame Seafoods and Quinlan’s, reportedly stopped buying crab on Friday. >click to continue< 11:21
Colourful look back at Folkestone Trawler Race as organisers announce new date
Folkestone’s Historic Trawler Race is set to take place at the end of July with what promises to be a fun and entertaining weekend. The race is held in support of the local fishermen and to celebrate the magnitude of the towns rich fishing history. The ‘Trawler’ race is set to take place on Saturday, July 30, with a home-made raft race taking place on Sunday, July 31. The event is completely free and hopes to encourage more people to visit the quay and support their local fisherman by buying fresh fish locally. >click to read< Gallery: A look back at the historic Folkestone Trawler Race >click here< 08:12
Why Sir Ernest Shackleton isn’t the role model you thought he was
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to the Antarctic in 1914 is justifiably a famous adventure story and it made him an iconic figure of the 20th century as well as a role model for leadership in business and society. A century after his death in 1922, he remains a titan. And yet, the Endurance expedition was a disaster. Over the past century, numerous books and articles have been written and business and university courses created which have espoused Shackleton as an exemplar of successful leadership techniques but the mythology belies some less heroic truths. There were two key errors of judgment by Shackleton which have been airbrushed from history. Photos, video, >click to read< 09:45
A very concerned fisherman writes, Questions remain unanswered
I recently sent a letter to our Scottish Government requesting answers to questions on the following issues. How much of our country’s fishing grounds are to be sold off and covered with anchors and chains to hold offshore wind farms in place, thus, excluding UK fishing communities’ access to valuable fishing grounds? How many thousands of miles of expensive (plastic covered) copper cables will be required to be laid on the seabed, to transfer the generated power to where it is required? Has the carbon cost of the production of the windmills, the copper cables and the steel for the anchors and chains that will be required, running in various directions from each windmill to hold them in place; been included in the environmental and financial calculations, plus the windmill’s replacement roughly every twenty years? >click to read the rest< by William Polson, 08:07
Crew from the Grand Manan Adventure ferry sped to the rescue of fishing crew on a life raft
The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre says it got a mayday call from the Ross Pride around noon on Wednesday. The fishing boat was taking on water and listing, said the centre’s Lt.-Cmdr. Brian Owens. “They indicated that they were going to be abandoning their vessel, getting into their life raft,” he said Thursday. Owens said the centre immediately deployed a helicopter and a Hercules aircraft out of Greenwood, N.S. The centre also asked the Canadian Coast Guard station at Westport, N.S., and the United States Coast Guard in Eastport, Maine, to head to the scene. Video, >click to read< 11:25
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Duffy Tuna Boat, 675HP Cummins Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 43 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 12:01
Right whale numbers may be stabilizing after some bad years, but their future remains uncertain
All in all, it’s been so far so good this year, No dead right whales have been spotted. Fifteen calves were born, the second-largest number since 2015. Michael Moore, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, recorded a recent encounter with a right whale off Massachusetts. Regulators in Canada are responding to the whales arrival this year with large-scale closures of fishing areas to snow crab traps that depend on vertical rope. >click to read< 10:52
