Category Archives: National
Fight of Seacoast fishermen depicted in ‘Last Man Fishing’ documentary
A year-round jig fisherman, catching with rods and reels up to 60 miles offshore, Tim Rider is now a documentary film star.,, He’s described by film producers as a “renegade,” whose “dream of supporting his family as a fisherman is met with numerous challenges.” The filmmakers say Last Man Fishing calls “to question the ethics of the seafood industry and its impact on small scale fishing across the United States.,, The documentary, by filmmaker/director JD Schuyler, goes deep into the politics of fishing, in Rider’s case, his opposition to so-called catch shares mandate. Photo’s >click to read< 22:26
The failed ban
The coming year marks the 30th anniversary of the state of Alaska’s attempt to control world salmon markets by banning fish farming in the 49th state. It would seem an appropriate time to review what has happened since then: Farmed salmon production, a meager 271,000 tonnes per year at the time of the 1990 ban, has grown to more than 2.2 million tonnes per year – a more than eight-fold increase. Bristol Bay sockeye salmon that spent the late 1980s trading near an average, annual price of $2 per pound ($4.24 per pound in 2019 dollars, according to the federal inflation calculator) is now worth $1.35 per pound or about 32 percent of its pre-ban value , according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game figures. >click to read< 13:00
Why aren’t they there? Cod still overfished, feds say
The federal government last week released data showing that cod stocks in the area remain overfished. “Overfishing is occurring”, says NOAA, “Abundance is very low, says Mass DMF Director David Pierce, “It just doesn’t make sense right now that the cod hasn’t rebuilt,” Fisherman Ed Barrett added. Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, called cod a “bycatch,” citing an abundance of haddock over the past 18 months, and said fishing fleets operate under strict regulation. >click to read<
Opinion: Fishermen, like farmers, deserve support
While I agree with the Editorial Board’s view that small family farms are not getting appropriate consideration and are finding it difficult to do business (Our View, Oct. 4), I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the duplicity of some of the points that were made, such as “… as Maine farmers know, smaller farming operations are generally good stewards of the land just as a matter of course.” This confidence and understanding are rarely extended to fishermen, even Maine fishermen. by Monique Coombs, >click to read< 08:46
Booming wind industry’s big worry
Land-based turbines are rising by the thousands across America, from the remote Texas plains to farm towns of Iowa. And the U.S. wind boom now is expanding offshore, with big corporations planning $70 billion in investment for the country’s first utility-scale offshore wind farms.,,, The Interior Department cited the surge in corporate interest for offshore wind projects in saying it wanted more study before moving forward. It directed Vineyard Wind to research the overall impact of the East Coast’s planned wind boom.,, Federal fisheries officials have been among the main bloc calling for more study, saying they need to know more about the impacts on ocean life. >click to read< 14:23
Massachusetts: Environmental Police Update on Carlton Hendricks III Contaminated Shellfish Case
Carlton Hendricks III of Mashpee was accused of the harvesting shellfish from an area closed to commercial harvest due to contamination, attempting to sell those contaminated shellfish into commerce and attempting to conceal that the shellfish came from contaminated waters by misrepresenting the harvest area on his shellfish tags. Dr. David E. Pierce, Director of the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries concludes that Mr. Hendricks did commit the violations of which his was accused. >click to read< 11:30
Growing tradition: Alma lobster fleet launch brings out the community
Lobster fishermen will be feeling the love early Monday in Alma, N.B., when about 10 boats leave the harbour for the start of lobster season. The village of Alma is hosting its lobster festival over the weekend to coincide with the start of the season. The festival started on Friday with crafts and karaoke. There is a barbecue and music on Saturday. The pancake breakfast kicks off Sunday’s activities.,, The evening ends with people gathering to prepare for the launch, which is scheduled for just after midnight. Photo’s >click to read< 18:50
U.S., China Reach Substantial ‘Phase One’ Trade Deal
The U.S. and China agreed on the outlines of a partial trade accord Friday that President Donald Trump said he and China’s Xi Jinping could sign as soon as next month. As part of the deal, China would significantly step up purchases of U.S. agricultural commodities, agree to certain intellectual-property measures and concessions related to financial services and currency, The agreement marks the largest breakthrough in the 18-month trade war that has hurt the economies of both nations. Importantly, Trump said the deal was the first phase of a broader agreement. >click to read< 16:34
Collision Course: Offshore Wind Turbines Destroying Scotland’s Fishing Industry
Britain’s trawlermen are tough, but not invincible. Giant industrial wind turbines and their associated infrastructure have wrecked once productive fishing grounds, including the scallop beds of the Moray Firth. Dodging turbines in rough seas is bad enough: Collision Course: Offshore Wind Turbines Present New (Unnecessary) Mortal Danger for Trawlermen, But having nets and fishing gear snagged on and destroyed by the turbines’ transmission cables is a bridge too far. >click to read< 11:26
Huffman Gets Bleak Input on Fisheries
On Oct. 5, North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman held a public meeting in Arcata to discuss updating the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the federal legislation that governs ocean fishing. Huffman brought together a roundtable of regional and local officials, a Humboldt State University professor and a few representatives of the local fishing industry to offer feedback on the failings — and successes — of the MSA. >click to read< 10:22
Acy Cooper: Don’t let the EPA hurt Gulf fishermen with offshore fish farming facilitys
I’ve been fishing and shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico since I was 15 years old–for over forty years now. As my father and grandfather would say, it’s in our family’s blood. For many of us here in Venice, Louisiana, fishing is not just a family tradition, it’s in the fabric of our community.,, Now the federal government could make it even harder for us. The Environmental Protection Agency is moving toward approving an offshore fish farming facility by Kampachi Farms in waters off Sarasota, Florida. This operation could hurt the ecosystem and economy in Florida and set a dangerous precedent for development across the Gulf. As the only project of its kind in federal waters, it would pave the way for more industrial-scale aquaculture. >click to read< 22:07
Bruce Tarr: Ground Fishing rules don’t match industry realities
The federal government on Wednesday released data showing that cod stocks in the area remain overfished and are not on target to be rebuilt by 2024. “Abundance is very low, not the way it used to be, so that’s obviously of great concern to us,” said Division of Marine Fisheries Director David Pierce,,, Calling the report “concerning,” Sen. Bruce Tarr, “I’m still reading through the details but I think it points to the fact that we should be doing things differently than we are today.” Tarr said there’s “too much regulatory discard” of cod “and there’s mortality that’s being caused by a set of rules that don’t recognize the practical reality of groundfishing.” >click to read< 19:32
On the Northwest’s Snake River, the Case for Dam Removal Grows
The hydropower dams have been controversial since before their completion, between 1962 and 1975, because of their disastrous impact on salmon and the other 137 species that are part of the salmon food chain. Most of the Columbia Basin’s 250-plus dams have played roles in the salmon’s decline, but the four lower Snake River dams are prime targets for removal because their economic value has diminished and their absence would inordinately benefit salmon. >click to read< 17:22
One man’s mission to save a historic ship built a digital community
At the beginning, which might otherwise have been the end, the ship was an empty shell, without mast or motor. Just a bathtub with a deck so rotten you could toe into it like mulch, the wood well on its way to being dirt again. But she had a name: Tally Ho. In May 2017, Leo Goolden climbed into the belly of the boat for the first time and sat with the fragile wooden ribs curled around him, rain dripping onto the plastic sheet stretched overhead. Inside the living wreck of the ship he had come so far to see, he conjured the photograph that drew him in,,, >click to read< 10:19
B.C. is well positioned to become a world leader in land-based salmon farming, By Eric Hobson
I am writing to applaud the Liberal party’s recent commitment to transition the open net-pen salmon farming industry to closed containment by 2025. The Liberal party platform recognizes that, around the world, open net-pen salmon farming is a sunset industry, and the time has come to support movement to closed containment in B.C. to protect our wild Pacific salmon and revitalize our aquaculture industry, ensuring we preserve jobs in both aquaculture and the wild salmon economy. >click to read< 21:35
Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Price Sheet for October 2019 Has Arrived!
“The only thing we treat our fish with, is respect” – Contact our sales team today @ 401 295 2585 or 800 732 273. To review the complete price list from Seafreeze Ltd., >Click here< – >Click here to visit our website<13:39
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 65′ Steel Longliner/Lobster Boat, 400HP Iveco, 45 KW Gen Set, Price Reduced!
Specifications, information and 6 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 11:29
New study says smaller nearshore wind farms are more cost-effective than a single large offshore facility
Coastal communities will benefit more from near shore wind farms compared with offshore facilities located over 20 km from shore, a new Danish study has found. The study has produced several scenarios based on publicly available data.,, The study highlights that the shorter distance to the coast and lower water depth make it cheaper to establish nearshore wind farms. Other savings come from reduced cabling and electrical infrastructure costs when locating wind farms close to shore and closer to the onshore power grid. >click to read< 14:10
“Long Time Champion” of offshore wind, tax credit creator, Sen. Markey receives “U.S. Wind Champion Award”
Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has been named a U.S. Wind Champion for the 116th Congress by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) at an event hosted at Ørsted North America’s office in Boston. AWEA presents U.S. Wind Champion Awards to Members of Congress with exceptional records of support for the American wind industry and have demonstrated clean energy leadership. Senator Markey has been a long-time champion of offshore wind. Since 2011, Senator Markey has introduced a tax credit for offshore wind energy. >click to read< 13:22
Was mayday call a hoax that sparked Coast Guard search off Kennebunkport?
The Coast Guard Sector Northern New England command center received a radio distress call at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, from a man reporting that his boat capsized about 10 miles off the shore of Kennebunkport while he and three children were on board. The Coast Guard launched a search that lasted 22 hours and covered 1,523 square nautical miles and suspended that search, pending new information, when it turned up nothing by 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6. >click to read< 07:44
Coast Guard seeks information on missing boaters – >click to read< If you have any information about the distress call, please contact Sector Northern New England at 207-741-5478.
Washington tribe partners with Cooke to farm Northwest native species
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is pleased to announce a joint venture with Cooke Aquaculture Pacific. The joint venture will initially work to rear sablefish (black cod) and sterile triploid, all-female rainbow trout. The venture will require reinstatement of the farm lease at Port Angeles, in exchange for significant investment by the venture in new infrastructure and local jobs in the area. The two partners will work together to rear these Northwest native species in Port Angeles Harbor. >click to read< 13:23
Beto promises to ‘guarantee long-term survival’ of nation’s fisheries
Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, after visiting a small fishing business in New Hampshire a month ago, is releasing a plan Friday that his campaign says will “guarantee long-term survival” of the industry and the nation’s fisheries.,,, O’Rourke’s plan also promises to protect small boat fisheries by asking the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to review purchases of fisheries by large corporate hedge funds and “evaluate their impact on the market.” >click to read< 08:05
The Next Generation: Fleet Fisheries’ new scallop boat is turning heads
When you see the new fishing vessel Viking Power, you’ll know it. Due to arrive in New Bedford in early November, the unusual-looking scalloper has a hull that slopes outward at the bow. Just below the water line, it comes to a rounded point, like the nose of rocket. Fleet Fisheries owner Lars Vinjerud II commissioned the boat. He said the aerodynamic shape serves two goals: to make the boat more fuel efficient, and to make it more comfortable and safer for the crew. The boat should do less pitching in rough seas. “This boat has a lot of firsts,” Vinjerud said. “This whole boat is outside the box.” Photo’s, >click to read< 18:18
Video – Brand new scalloper F/V Viking Power maiden launch >click to watch<
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 1997 42′ Provincial High Sheer Lobster boat, 500HP John Deere
Specifications, information and 12 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 13:01
Alaska canned pink salmon purchased for food assistance programs
Millions of pounds of Alaska’s 2019 harvest of pink salmon is now earmarked for child nutrition and related domestic food assistance programs, thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture purchase of over $25 million in canned product from four processors. USDA officials announced on Sept. 20 the purchase of 442.3 million cases of one-pound tall cans of pink salmon for the federal agency’s food assistance programs,,, >click to read< 10:36
Fishing Vessel Crew Member Held For Assault On The High Seas After Allegedly Stabbing Ship’s Captain Off Pensacola Coast
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Lawrence Keefe today announced a criminal complaint against Robert Odom, a crew member on a commercial fishing vessel who allegedly attacked and wounded the vessel’s captain with a pellet gun and long-blade knife as the vessel was underway in the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola. The criminal complaint against Odom, 46, was lodged by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service. >click to read< 19:56
Gondan Shipyard launches new Freezer Trawler
Saturday (Sep28) at GONDAN Shipyard in Figueras, at high tide, the launching of a new Fishing Stern Trawler Vessel built for Prestfjord AS took place. The vessel, designed by Kongsberg Maritime has a length of 77.3 m and a beam of 17 m. Built-in steel with aluminum superstructure, the stern trawler will operate in Arctic areas, in the Barents Sea and Svalbard waters. >click to read< 18:17
Federal Liberals treat East Coast fishery as ‘second class’; move to ban at-sea fish farms off BC, but not eastern Canada?
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) accuses the Liberal Party of Canada of talking out of both sides of its mouth for promising to phase out at-sea salmon farms in British Columbia while ignoring Eastern Canada. “The impact of open-pen aquaculture is the exact same on both coasts, with the same companies reportedly operating on both ends of the country, but the Liberal policy is strictly for the West Coast,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “How does that make sense? How is that fair? Do the Liberals consider the East Coast fishery a second-class industry?” >click to read< 14:41
Wind farm developers reach agreement with Montauk dock owners
Developers Orsted and Eversource last week announced the agreement with Inlet Seafood on East Lake Drive in Montauk, an operation that’s partly owned by Dave Aripotch, one of the region’s most active commercial fishermen who has consistently criticized the offshore wind-energy projects as “wind-scams.”,,, “I’m not happy with it, but I’m not going to stop my partners from doing it,” said Aripotch, who is married to Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, who also has opposed offshore wind. >click to read< 20:29
Judah and Sons Fish Market in Sebastian closes after 70 years
A dream that lasted 70 years ended Monday, when Judah and Sons Fish Market opened its doors for the last time. Years of financial struggles, increased state regulations of commercial fishing — starting with the 1995 entanglement net ban — and mounting repairs from a deteriorating seawall took their toll on the retail fish market, which began in 1949 by Bascomb Judah and his son, James Coolidge Judah. “We knew this day was coming,” said Bascomb’s grandson, Kevin Judah, 58. “But when it gets here, it takes your breath away.” >click to read< 18:00
