Category Archives: National
Trump administration replaces Obama-era ocean policy
The Trump administration has revoked an environmental and economic management program for the United States’ coastal ecosystems and replaced it with a program that the president says “streamlines federal coordination.” The National Ocean Policy (NOP), created by an executive order by President Barack Obama in July 2010, established a comprehensive program to ensure the sustainability of the country’s coastal areas and the health of oceans and the Great Lakes. According to a White House news release issued Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s repeal of the 2010 executive order was done because of “excessive bureaucracy created by the previous administration,” citing the National Ocean Council’s 27 departments and agencies. >click to read<17:17
From the White House – Executive Order Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States – >click to read<
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 48′ Aluminum Scalloper, (2) Detroit 871’s, 25 kW Genset, Federal permit available
Specifications, information and 5 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >Click here<12:30
A fisherman asks how to make disability insurance affordable
Q. I don’t have a lot of money left over after paying bills each month. I know I should buy disability insurance – I work in commercial fishing and my job gives me some short-term disability but I think I need more. How can I make the disability insurance more affordable without losing the benefits I could need? — Trying to do right. A. Good for you that you recognize the need to protect your most valuable asset – your ability to earn income. And if you think paying your bills is tough now, just imagine how much tougher it would be with no income. That’s why disability insurance is such a great investment. >click to read<18:39
Humpy invasion
While West Coast Americans – Alaskans among them – worry and fret about farmed Atlantic salmon escaping to invade the Pacific Ocean despite decades of failed stocking efforts aimed at helping them do so, the Norwegians, Scots and other Europeans are facing a real and significant problem with an invasive Pacific salmon – the ubiquitous Alaska humpy. The smallest of the Pacific salmon, the humpy – or pink salmon – is by far the most common species in the 49th state. Of the 224.6 million salmon caught in Alaska last year, 63 percent, some 114.6 million, were pinks, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. And Northern Europeans are now worried the highly adaptable and voracious humpy could become a common species in their coastal waters. Blame the Russians. >click to read<15:52
It’s wild salmon health vs. money and jobs as B.C.’s fish farm fight comes to a head
For some, salmon farms are a blight on the landscape. Not for the way they look, but because of the threat they believe these large aquaculture operations pose to wild salmon. “We’re pretty confident this place will have to be dismantled,” says Ernest Alfred, pointing at the farm from the boat. “And I’ll be here to watch it.” The government is currently reviewing the leases of 20 fish farms that expire on June 20. Alfred and other opponents are upping the pressure on the NDP leadership in hopes they will commit to ending fish farming in the ocean. But supporters of the farms say that would be a huge blow to an industry worth billions of dollars to the province. >click to read<12:01
Meanwhile, in Scotland, A bid by the Scottish Government to resolve fierce arguments over how fish farms harm wild salmon has been dismissed as a public relations stunt by campaigners. The population of wild salmon in Scotland has fallen by 50 per cent from around 1.25 million in the 1960s to 600,000 in 2016. Angling groups point out that most of the decline is on the west coast, close to where salmon farms are located. >click to read<
Norwegian fisherman speaks out about oil industry
Norwegian commercial fisherman Bjørnar Nicolaisen has spoken out about the negative impacts of the oil industry on his livelihood. The group Oil Free Seas – Australia has picked up on his appeal posting a video of Mr Nicolaisen on its Facebook page. Kangaroo Island based environmental campaigner Linda Irwin-Oak urged everyone to watch the video. “If you have any doubts at all about the company Statoil/Equinor drilling in the Great Australian Bight, then this will make your mind up 100 per cent,” Ms Irwin-Oak said. “Statoil is not to be trusted and this plea is from a man that has fought and won a battle against the oil giant on his home grounds.” >click to read<08:37
How China’s squid fishing programme is squeezing its neighbours and creating global sea change
Critics have said China keeps high-quality squid for domestic consumption, exports lower-quality products at higher prices, overwhelms vessels from other countries in major squid breeding grounds, and is in a position to influence international negotiations about conservation and distribution of global squid resources for its own interest. Fishing ships from China have accounted for 50 to 70 per cent of the squid caught in international waters in recent years, effectively controlling the supply of the popular seafood, according to an estimate by the Chinese government. A price hike for squid bought by the United States from China has been accompanied by a decline in quality, Video, >click to read<12:54
Looking for contacts in America of fishermen or fisherwomen who were affected by the Gulf of Mexico spill and it’s aftermath
G’day to my American Brothers from the land Down Under. I’m currently looking for contacts in America of fishermen or fisherwomen who were affected by the Gulf of Mexico spill and it’s aftermath. What I’m looking for is people willing to provide first hand accounts about the impact the spill had on your businesses, your fishery, The environment, Local communities and Local Economies. The reason I ask is because I am planning to lodge a stakeholder submission to our local Council here in Port Lincoln, South Australia. Norwegian based Statoil/Equinor are pressing ahead to deep water drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight,,, Fisherman Scott Jansons >click to read<11:14
Congress : National Marine Fisheries Service, Destroying Fishermen and their Communities, The fifty million dollar question.
6/14/2018 – Please read, and sign the Petition By Joel Hovanesian, Thank you. Fisheries observers work aboard commercial fishing vessels during fishing trips. They collect information on catch, both kept and discarded, as well as biological data and information on gear and fishing operations over a range of commercial fisheries. These data are used extensively by researchers and fishery managers to better understand the condition of fishery stocks, fishing businesses, and fishing operations. These are NOAA’s words. The reality of the situation is far different. While many fishing businesses have been destroyed by the policies of the National Marine Fisheries Service and many more just hanging on we need to look at the reality of what is truly going on and questions need to be asked. >click to read and sign the petition< 21:00
Hundred organisations opposes industrial ocean fish farming
More than a hundred organisations have formally announced their united opposition to industrial ocean fish farming in U.S. waters. According to Friends of the Earth, the move comes as some members of Congress are attempting to force through legislation to develop offshore fish farming nationwide. In a letter to members of Congress, the broad coalition representing a wide range of interests, including commercial and recreational fishing, indigenous populations, consumer advocacy, food, farming and conservation, called on legislators to protect oceans from development of marine finfish aquaculture off U.S. shores. >click to read<08:59
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Stanley Scalloper with permits, 6 Cylinder Iveco 8210, 8 KW Lister
Specifications, information and 28 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >Click here<14:12
AP Investigation reveals Sustainable Seafood dealer sold fishy tale
Even after winter storms left East Coast harbors thick with ice, some of the country’s top chefs and trendy restaurants were offering sushi-grade tuna supposedly pulled in fresh off the coast of New York. But it was just an illusion. No tuna was landing there. The fish had long since migrated to warmer waters. In a global industry plagued by fraud and deceit, conscientious consumers are increasingly paying top dollar for what they believe is local, sustainably caught seafood. But even in this fast-growing niche market, companies can hide behind murky supply chains that make it difficult to determine where any given fish comes from. That’s where national distributor Sea To Table stepped in, guaranteeing its products were wild and directly traceable to a U.S. dock — and sometimes the very boat that brought it in. Over the years, Sea To Table has become a darling in the sustainable seafood movement, >click to read<13:37
NOAA law enforcement researches sexual harassment, assault among fishery observers
Women are harassed and fear for their safety much more than men when they work as fishery observers. That’s according to a report that NOAA’s office of law enforcement officials presented about sexual harassment of observers to a meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Kodiak this past week. The report shared preliminary data from an ongoing survey and although the sample size is small, the survey reveals stark differences between the experiences of female and male observers. >click to read<09:07
Administration looks offshore for wind energy boom
The Trump administration is “bullish” about offshore wind, working with governors in the Northeast to transform what was once a fringe and costly investment into America’s newest energy-producing industry. “When the president said energy dominance, it was made without reference to a type of energy,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “It was making sure as a country we are American energy first and that includes offshore wind. There is enormous opportunity, especially off the East Coast, for wind. I am very bullish.” On a recent tour of coastal states, Zinke found “magnitudes” more interest in offshore wind than oil and natural gas drilling. >click to read<11:20
Groups March in Washington, DC During Oceans Week To Oppose Offshore Fish Farms
Today, (6/9/18) hundreds of people join together in a March for the Oceans in Washington, DC. Preventing development of industrial ocean fish farms is a prominent issue for participants, wearing pins and carrying signs with the hashtag “#dontcageouroceans”.,,, Worldwide, ocean finfish aquaculture has caused a wide range of problems, including fish escapes; deaths of sharks, seals and other marine life; and changes in ocean ecosystems. Marianne Cufone, Executive Director for the Recirculating Farms Coalition said, “Industrial open water finfish farming is an outdated and unnecessary practice. It poses serious risks to our oceans and public health.” Now, Capitol Hill legislators are developing a new initiative for industrial aquaculture in U.S. waters. Opponents are collectively rising to protect fishing communities, public health and our oceans. >click to read<12:58
Dear Senator Warren
Dear Senator Warren , As a retired commercial fisherman, and your constituent, I am trying to help those fishermen that still exist. I want to out line our problems, as I see them. A. The science used by NOAA decides our future. Under the current law NOAA does not have to compare or look at other scientific data. They “own” the term “best available science” exclusively, excluding better data collected by non government entities, including collaborative science between industry and academia! This is wrong. This needs to be changed, and the only way is to have some wording in The Magnusson Act to that effect. By supporting HR-200, you can right this wrong. B. Saltonstall-Kennedy Act,,, >click to read<18:57
Remembering Richard M. Gaines March 20, 1944 – June 9, 2013 Gloucester, Massachusetts
It’s hard to believe its been five years since Richard Gaines passed away on June 9, 2013. I miss him everyday, and I know I’m not alone. The many kind words that were written in his obituary by so many prominent members of the fishing community, reminds us when read again, that journalistic truth is elusive. With the integrity and tenacity of Richard Gaines, the truth was always told. >click to read< A video, NMFS Fraud Fishermen Thank Richard Gaines >click to watch<08:49
Twin Disc Celebrates 100 Years
Marine power transmission and propulsion technology company Twin Disc is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a wide range of local, national and international events that kicked off in May and run throughout the year. Twin Disc began in Racine, Wisc., in 1918 with P.H. Batten’s introduction of the twin disc farm tractor clutch. In the 1930s, the company entered the marine market, manufacturing countershaft reduction gears with 100 percent reverse power. >click to read<17:53
Congress Questions US Green Group’s Ties To The Chinese Government
A House committee is asking the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the U.S.’s most prominent environmental groups, about its ties to China’s communist government. Top Republicans on the House Committee on Natural Resources sent a letter to the NRDC asking the group to clarify its two-decade relationship with the Chinese government and question whether the group should register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Lawmakers cited recent reports on China’s “vast influence machine” — through funding colleges, think tanks, advocacy groups and others — which it uses to shape its global image, including on environmental issues. >click to read<13:38
Take shrimper’s concerns seriously
Fourteen years ago Louisiana shrimpers joined those from other Gulf states and pooled their money — along with processors and dock owners — to pay millions of dollars in legal fees to bring a case for tariffs to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission. The punitive tariffs that were approved, after this costly battle, were the result of findings that China and other nations were dumping shrimp into the U.S. at a below-market price or subsidizing the industry in some nations. The tariffs did some good but not enough. There is ample proof that shrimp were routed through other countries not contending with tariffs to defeat the process. The result has been more shrimp often raised in unsanitary farms and containing chemicals banned in the European Union but allowed in certain thresholds at U.S. docks. >click to read<17:01
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Cape Dory Split Wheelhouse Lobster boat, 500HP Lugger
Specifications, information and 23 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >Click here<14:19
Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Price Sheet for June 2018 Has Arrived!
Contact our sales team today @ 401 295 2585 or 800 732 273 For the complete price list from Seafreeze Ltd., >Click here< – We are Direct to the Source-We are Fishermen-We are Seafreeze Ltd! >Click here< to visit our website! 13:12
Bureaucrats’ power on trial in California wildlife dispute
When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched a program in Southern California to reintroduce an otter population, imposing penalties for encroaching on the animal’s habitat, Congress passed a law to protect the fishing industry. Federal officials, however, want to penalize fisherman who accidentally encroach on the otters, and now the U.S. Supreme Court will decide how much power those bureaucrats possess. The case, California Sea Urchin Commission v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife, stems from the Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan in 1986 to widen the territory supporting the otter population. >click to read<09:45
Sinking fishing boat salvaged at Ventura Harbor
Crews salvaged a commercial fishing boat that was sinking at Ventura Harbor early Saturday. The Ventura Harbor Patrol was notified at 2:10 a.m. about a boat that had started sinking in its slip at the Ventura Harbor Village Marina, 1583 Spinnaker Drive. Patrol officers responded and requested assistance from the city of Ventura Fire Department, the Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. An oil containment boom was deployed around the vessel to minimize the spread of its 1,300 gallons of diesel fuel. >click to read<19:46
Developing Machine Vision to Collect More Timely Fisheries Data
Government scientists, academia, and fishermen are working together to develop innovative monitoring tools to identify and measure fish from digital images. This technology could revolutionize the way fisheries data are collected. Machine vision technology advances electronic monitoring systems on fishing vessels, which use cameras to collect video of commercial catches. With this technology, scientists are able to automate image analysis at sea eliminating manual data processing on land, and providing quicker access to data to make management decisions. >click to read<09:15
Social media post criticizes Trident Seafoods, Gulf of Alaska trawl fleet for halibut bycatch
A fisherman based out of Homer posted images on social media of halibut bycatch headed for the grinder at Kodiak’s Trident Seafoods processing plant. The post got a lot of attention online and sparked criticism of Trident, the Gulf of Alaska trawl fleet and a body that regulates the commercial fishing industry. Trident is the largest primary processor of seafood in the United States and is heavily invested in Alaska. “We’re a company built by fishermen for fishermen and we don’t just buy pollock or cod or crab or salmon or halibut, we buy everything that we can sustainably harvest and feed the world with. Halibut is a very important part of our business,” said Lumsden. Longtime fisherman Erik Velsko says if Trident really cares about halibut and sustainability some things need to change. >click to read<18:59
Editorial: Will wind energy deliver?
It sounds very promising as do a lot of the carefully worded highlights on the Vineyard Wind’s “Benefits” page. “Vineyard Wind’s turbines, totaling up to 800 MW, are expected to reliably produce the amount of energy used by over 450,000 Massachusetts homes. Offshore wind delivers much of its power in the winter, when Massachusetts needs the most energy for both heat and electricity generation.”,,, But there is a lot of greenwashing going on in the renewable energy world. “Greenwashing” is essentially the spreading of disinformation by an organization to present an environmentally responsible public image. It’s a good word to know. So let’s look at the questionable aspects of wind energy. >click to read<11:01
New tool improves fishing efficiency and sustainability
Called EcoCast, the experimental tool developed by researchers at Stanford and other universities combines satellite data of ocean conditions, records from fisheries observers and species tracking data to pinpoint ideal fishing areas on a daily basis. Resource managers can adjust the weighting of each species as risks change and the fishing season progresses. This helps fishers optimize their harvest of target fish, while reducing the risk of inadvertently catching and killing sensitive species. >click to read<16:47
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 35ft’ Tuna/Lobster/Charter, 450HP Cummins
Specifications, information and 37 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >Click here<14:11
Conservation deal halts commercial salmon fishing in Greenland for 12 years
A deal has been reached that will halt commercial salmon fishing in Greenland and the Faroe Islands for the next 12 years to allow adult wild Atlantic salmon to return to rivers in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The coastal waters of Greenland and the Faroe Islands are critical feeding grounds for the salmon, and many come from endangered populations in rivers like the Saint John in New Brunswick and the Penobscot in Maine. “Significantly reducing the harvest of wild Atlantic salmon on their ocean feeding grounds is meaningful and decisive,” said Bill Taylor, president of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. >click to read<
