Category Archives: National
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Annapolis, MD Dec.10 thru 13, 2018
The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s meeting to be held Dec.10 thru 13, 2018 at the Westin Annapolis, 100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401, Telephone 410-972-4300, Briefing Materials & Agenda Overview Agenda >click here< Attend Meeting with Adobe Connect >click here< Listen Live18:08
Fishing industry says no to net pen finfish
A group of fish harvesters and seafood industry entities is urging Congress to oppose attempts to legitimize open net pen finfish aquaculture, as proposed in fish farming legislation introduced in late September. The target of their Dec. 4 letter to Congress is the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture Act, or AQUAA Act, introduced in September by Representatives Steven Palazzo, R-Miss, and Collin Peterson, D-MN. The House bill is a companion piece to legislation of the same name filed earlier in the year by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., to give the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regulatory authority over fish farming in federal waters. >click to read<13:53
Tomorrow’s fishery
While fisheries biologists in the north are hard at work crunching numbers in an effort to develop their best guess at how many salmon will return to Alaska next year, Atlantic Sapphire is getting ready to load it first 800,000 salmon eggs into a massive, onshore “Bluehouse” in Florida. A “successful 90-day, on site hatchery trial has validated water quality and local conditions,” the Norwegian company said in a report to shareholders in mid-November.,,, The implications for Alaska commercial salmon fisheries are significant, but those who suggest the growing competition warrants some serious discussion as to how the 49th state retains value in its salmon resources are generally vilified as commercial fishery haters. >click to read<12:27
Jack Spillane: NOAA – A rogue agency gets set to shut down another New Bedford fishery
Scott Lang has been around fisheries issues for a long time. Both when he was mayor and afterwards. In 2013, Lang helped organize the Center for Sustainable Fisheries as a grassroots lobbying group to try to make sure New Bedford fishermen were not totally forgotten by NOAA. He’s worked for the industry for a long time and seen a lot of arguments from both sides back-and-forth over the years. But until last week, he said he had never seen NOAA make a decision to close a fishery with no science behind it. Not even questionable science, as for years NOAA has used for New England groundfishing limits in the opinion of many. >click to read<09:42
Au Revoir Angenette: Parting with an old friend
Forty-eight years is a long time to own a boat so there was no sweet sorrow when Capt. Ron Borjeson parted with his beloved Angenette, watching her steam over the horizon with a new owner at the helm. “My kids were devastated,” he told me. It was back in 1970 that Ron acquired the trim forty-five footer from the original owner. Built Down East in 1946 this stout wooden boat provided his introduction to commercial fishing. In those days Ron fished for cod, haddock and flounders out of Sandwich where he lived. “But then came all the regulations and rolling closures and we no longer had access to what was in our own backyard,” he said. “I had to go chase squid and fluke.” >click to read<18:05
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for December 7, 2018
>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<16:28
Whale entanglements exceeded average in 2017, report says
The number of large whales entangled in U.S. waters was a little worse than usual in 2017, but entanglements of right whales and in the Northeast were down. In a report released Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed 76 large whales were found entangled in fishing gear or marine debris in U.S. waters in 2017. Six of the 76 entangled whales were found dead, 45 were presumed to be alive but still entangled, four had freed themselves and 21 were freed by good samaritans or members of the national Large Whale Entanglement Response Network. >click to read<14:35
When All Hell Breaks Loose: Years after Deepwater Horizon, Offshore Drilling Hazards Persist
This is part one of a three-part investigation into offshore drilling safety. >Read part two here. Read part three here.< They are known as the “last line of defense” against an offshore drilling blowout and uncontrolled spill. They are supposed to save the lives of oil workers and protect the environment. But, as the Trump Administration proposes weakening safety requirements for these critical defenses, a Project On Government Oversight investigation found that they are dangerously vulnerable to failure. In an emergency, the defenses known as “blowout preventers” are meant to choke off the flow of highly pressurized gas and oil rising through well pipes from deep beneath the ocean floor. However, far from being fail-safe, blowout preventers have failed in myriad and often unpredictable ways. So have the people responsible for maintaining and operating them. >click to read<17:42
Trump signs Coast Guard bill into law, includes Jones Act waiver for America’s Finest
When Dakota Creek Industries took America’s Finest out for its first sea trial on Tuesday 4 December, it looked like the 264-foot vessel was taking a victory lap. The Anacortes, Washington-based shipbuilder held an event that day to celebrate the Jones Act waiver elected officials were able to get for the processor-trawler. Later in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Coast Guard Authorization Act, which contained the labor provision, into law. The process itself is not quite finished. The Coast Guard will get 30 days to review information >click to read<12:56
Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Price Sheet for December 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!10:46
GLOUCESTER S-K GRANT MEETING WITH NOAA WAS CANCELED
Dear readers, I was very disappointed yesterday to find out that NOAA cancelled a meeting in Gloucester to do with SKG money. I had fishermen, and even invited my political delegation members, ready to attend and I wanted to ask NOAA these questions, only to find out that they did not have enough replicants to attend. To me something stinks. I would like a response from them with these three questions. Sam Parisi >click to read<10:30
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 65′ Fiberglass Longliner, Cummins 855TA, 40 KW Genset, Fed Permits available
Specifications, information and 35 photo’s >click here< Swordfish Directed, Shark Directed, Atlantic Tuna Longline available for an additional cost. To see all the boats in this series, >click here<12:06
‘Get the balance back’: Amid seal and sea lion boom, group calls for hunt on B.C. coast
For the first time in decades, a small-scale seal hunt is taking place on Canada’s West Coast — all in the hopes that it leads to the establishment of a commercial industry to help control booming seal and sea lion populations and protect the region’s fish stocks.,,, The hunting of seals and sea lions — which are collectively known as pinnipeds — has been banned on the West Coast for more than 40 years. It’s one reason their numbers have exploded along the entire Pacific coastline of North America.,,, Fisheries scientist Carl Walters, a professor emeritus with UBC, believes culling the regions sea lions and seals could dramatically boost salmon stocks. He points to numerous studies showing how pinniped populations have been increasing, while salmon numbers have been plummeting. >click to read<17:14
George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, dies at 94
George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, was a steadfast force on the international stage for decades, from his stint as an envoy to Beijing to his eight years as vice president and his one term as commander in chief from 1989 to 1993. The last veteran of World War II to serve as president, he was a consummate public servant and a statesman who helped guide the nation and the world out of a four-decade Cold War that had carried the threat of nuclear annihilation. His death, at 94 on Nov. 30, also marked the passing of an era.>click to read<12:00
Trump administration readies to lease Atlantic offshore for oil exploration
The Trump administration Friday authorized five companies to conduct seismic testing for oil and gas off the East Coast from Delaware to central Florida, prompting protests from environmental groups. Opponents argued sound waves from seismic blasts not only would harm ocean species, including a declining right whale population, but would represent a first step toward offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in 30 years.,, The governors of Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have taken stands against testing and drilling. In Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal has expressed concerns but hasn’t taken a formal position. >click to read<
We’ll take your lobsters, eh? Canadian imports from US soar
Trade hostility from across the ocean was supposed to take a snip out of the U.S. lobster business, but the industry is getting a lifeline from its northern neighbor. Heavy demand from Canada is buoying American lobster as both countries head into the busy holiday export season, according to federal statistics and members of the industry. It’s a positive sign for U.S. seafood dealers and fishermen, even as the industry struggles with Chinese tariffs.,, >click to read<12:05
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 79′ Master Marine Steel Stern Trawler, CAT 3508, Federal and State permits
Specifications, information and 12 photos >click here< John Deere – 65 KW Genset, Detriot 2-71 – 20 K Genset, This vessel has good towing power as the 59 1/2″ x 63″ propeller turns 400 RPM inside the 60″ nozzle. To see all the boats in this series, >click here<14:25
Letter: Fishermen need federal help
It is time to wake up. I read in Fishery Nation about protesters and fishermen opposed to a hotel on the waterfront in Portland, Maine. It seems their city fathers are having a difficult time turning those developers down due to less commercial fishing in their town. I can understand it is hard for them to turn down hotels and other businesses. We in Gloucester face the same. Our fisherman can be displaced and new developments can perhaps provide more tax dollars to the city, but at our fisherman’s expense. >click to read<09:23
ICCAT Meeting Ends After ‘Spectacular Failure’ to Protect Bigeye Tuna
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) concluded its annual plenary meeting on November 19 after a spectacular failure to arrive to a comprehensive agreement on badly needed management measures to address the present poor state of Atlantic bigeye tuna stock. Bigeye tuna is highly coveted by sashimi markets worldwide, similar to bluefin tuna. ICCAT’s eight-day meeting, held this year in Dubrovnik, Croatia, was attended by over 700 people representing 52 countries. The U.S., Canada, South Africa and a handful of other nations strongly advocated for the adoption of measures that would end overfishing immediately and rebuild the stock within 10 years. However, >click to read<20:21
Fighting ALS One Crab Leg at a Time
The Dwyer family has strong ties to Ketchikan and Alaska. Jenny Gore Dwyer was born and raised in Ketchikan. She can trace her family roots back to captain John Gore who sailed with Captain Cook as they tried to discover the “infamous” Northwest Passage. Jenny met her husband Pat on board a fishing vessel in Ketchikan in the mid 1980’s and together they started their fishing business, St. George Marine Inc. After her beloved husband passed away from ALS in June 2013, Jenny became sole owner and president of St. George Marine, working with her children Sean and Brenna to continue to run and grow the family business. Captain Sean Dwyer is currently featured in the Discovery Channel’s hit series Deadliest Catch. More importantly the Dwyer family has become relentless in their goal of eradicating ALS through the Pat Dwyer Fund. >click to read<For more information on the Pat Dwyer Fund >click here< 13:31
Falling overboard is the second biggest killer of U.S. fishermen, second only to vessel sinkings.
From 2000 through 2016, 204 fishermen died after falling overboard. Nearly 60 percent were not witnessed and nearly 90 percent were never found. In every case, not one fisherman was wearing a life jacket. “I think there is a social stigma against it. It doesn’t look cool, it’s a sort of macho thing. I also think there is a lack of awareness of the fact that there are really comfortable, wearable PFDs.” Jerry Dzugan is director of the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association. >audio report, click to read<16:32
Researchers work on better model for impact of fishery closures
Fisheries managers are faced with a firestorm every time they decide to close a fishery because of poor returns or low population numbers. A new economic model is trying to help them see into the future to understand the effects of a closure before it happens.,, It takes into account items like fishery participation, the amount of each vessel’s annual revenue that comes from the affected fishery, which vessels participate in other fisheries and the value of the fishery; the aim is to calculate the total impact when managers have to limit or close a fishery. >click to read<11:59
With Deepest Sorrow, We Say Farewell to Daniel “Danny” Moyer Cohen…
Daniel Myer Cohen, a pillar of the East Coast commercial fishing industry, and an eloquent spokesperson for commercial fisherman throughout America, died on November 20, 2018 in Cape May, NJ, at the age of 63, after a protracted and heroic struggle with cancer. “Danny,” as he was known, took over the small fishing-dock and several fishing boats left to him by his father, Joseph Cohen, in 1976 and built it into Atlantic Capes Fisheries, Inc., an industry leading vertically integrated seafood enterprise. ACF’s fleet of scallop, clam and other fishing vessels working out of company owned and managed facilities in Ocean City Maryland, Cape May and Point Pleasant New Jersey and additional ports in New England, supply seafood to company owned processing plants in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. >click to continue reading<18:54
Feds will keep only two of Carol Rafael’s seized vessels
More than a year after a judge ordered Carlos Rafael to forfeit four fishing vessels, the government will retain only two, according court documents obtained by The Standard-Times.,,Judge William Young filed a final forfeiture order Monday. According to the order, the Lady Patricia and all its permits as well as the Olivia & Rafaela and its permits must be forfeited to the United States. A total of $306,490 must also be paid to the United States. >click to read<18:23
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Millenium Marine Tuna/Longline
Specifications, information and 22 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< Vessel cruises at 10 – 12 knots and 18 – 20 knots WOT. New L/P mini super spool 22 mile longline reel, beeper buoys available for additional $20,000. 14:42
Fisheries bill: Changes would allow small vessels to spend more days at sea and land more catch
Fishing rights should be redrawn to give a higher quota to smaller vessels after Brexit, the Labour party is to propose in an amendment to the government’s fisheries bill. The changes would allow small boats to spend more days at sea and land more catch than they do at present, though catches would still be subject to negotiation with the EU on common fishing grounds. Under current allocations, two-thirds of the UK’s quota of fish under the EU’s common fisheries policy is controlled by three major multinational companies. >click to read<11:27
Vessel Incident Discharge Act – Commercial Fleet Gets Relief on Vessel Ballast Water Issue
US Coast Guard legislation that passed the US Senate Nov. 14, will relieve commercial fishing vessel owners and operators from federal and state regulations for ballast water and other incidental discharges.,, The provisions provides a permanent exemption on incidental vessel discharge for all commercial fishing vessels and commercial vessels under 79 feet in length. Without this exemption, small vessel operators and fishermen would be forced to obtain Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permits for even the most basic activity, including vessel deck runoff, hosing out their fish holds, and other minor discharges. >click to read<09:27
Varick Frissell: the New England Filmmaker Who Died in the Biggest Hollywood Disaster Ever
In 1930, Varick Frissell traveled north to Canada to make what would turn out to be the deadliest movie ever. Twenty-six people would die in the filming, including Varick Frissell himself. The film was a drama set aboard a fishing ship in White Bay in Newfoundland. It dealt with the friendship and rivalry of two men, one of whom is convinced he is a jinx. As the story plays out, the men must survive being marooned on the ice after their ship, the Viking, is destroyed during the Canadian seal hunt. >click to read< >click for video The Viking (1931)<
Scientists Admit ‘Mistakes’ Led To Alarming Results In Major Global Warming Study
The scientists behind a headline-grabbing global warming study did something that seems all too rare these days — they admitted to making mistakes and thanked the researcher, a global warming skeptic, who pointed them out. “When we were confronted with his insight it became immediately clear there was an issue there,” study co-author Ralph Keeling told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Tuesday. Their study, published in October, used a new method of measuring ocean heat uptake and found the oceans had absorbed 60 more heat than previously thought. >click to read<12:46
