Category Archives: National
A lobster season Q&A: Supply and demand, price volatility and challenges in markets
It’s never smooth sailing for the Atlantic Canada lobster industry. Each year there are issues and challenges to contend with. The weather and catches are beyond anyone’s control. But the one constant is how important this industry is economically to the region, and to the communities that rely on it. Tasked with such things as marketing and advocacy of the industry is the Lobster Council of Canada. In this Q&A, the council’s executive director, Geoff Irvine, talks about the industry, the upcoming lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia, and the challenges that continue to stack up on the menu. Q: How does the fall opening of the LFA 33 and 34 districts look in comparison to previous seasons? more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:28
‘A lot of anxiety’: N.L. seafood industry will see big hit if Trump follows through with tariffs
President-elect Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threat is worrying people in Newfoundland and Labrador’s seafood industry. More than 60 per cent of the province’s seafood is sold in the United States. “There’s certainly a lot of anxiety right now in the seafood industry, and I’m no exception,” said Labrador Gem Seafoods’ president Danny Dumaresque in an interview with The Telegram on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Trump said in a social media post Monday night that on his first day in office, he would impose the tariffs until Canada and Mexico stop illegal border crossings and prevent drugs such as fentanyl from entering the U.S. “Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
South Carolina shrimpers applaud decision to impose duties on shrimp imported from four countries
South Carolina shrimpers are celebrating the U.S. International Trade Commission’s recent decision to crack down on frozen shrimp imports from four countries. The ITC voted in favor of issuing countervailing duties on frozen, warm-water shrimp imports from Ecuador, India, and Vietnam after the U.S. Department of Commerce determined those governments were illegally subsidizing the industry. “We’re grateful because it’s an acknowledgment of what we feel and we experience in the industry and we see on a daily basis,” said Bryan Jones, a first-generation shrimper who lives in McClellanville. Jones serves as vice president of the South Carolina Shrimpers Association and was among a group of commercial fishermen who testified before the ITC in Washington, D.C. in October. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:20
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ H&H Lobster Boat, 550HP John Deere Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 27 photos’, >click here<. To see all the boats in this series >click here< 06:02
New England labor unions call for faster offshore wind buildout
“We looked at the way this industry was starting to develop and thought to ourselves: How can we work as a labor movement to make sure we’re making this an industry that is not only going to benefit the climate but benefit our members?” (read the report) said Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), which represents roughly 900,000 union members across the three states. Crowley and the AFL-CIO partnered with the Climate Jobs National Resource Center and unions in Massachusetts and Connecticut to put together the new report, which outlines how the industry can expand with organized labor at the forefront. To begin with, the union report suggests that the states aim higher for their offshore wind goals in order to boost the region’s economy and take full advantage of their unique access to wind. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:25
Port of Galilee and Marine Facilities to Undergo Major Upgrades with $15M FEMA Grant
In a landmark step toward mitigating the impacts of climate change, Rhode Island has secured a $15.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the largest award of its kind in the state’s history. The funds will support a $17.2 million initiative to elevate critical infrastructure at the Port of Galilee in Narragansett and Wickford Dock, along with the replacement of eight docks across three state-managed marine facilities. The grant, matched with state funding, was announced by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA), and the state’s Congressional Delegation. It aims to bolster resilience against rising sea levels, coastal flooding, and extreme weather events. The Port of Galilee, a vital economic engine for Rhode Island and the 13th highest value fishing port in the nation, is at the heart of the initiative. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:39
“Everything helps”: Local shrimpers happy for foreign shrimp tariffs
The U.S. International Trade Commission has found that the U.S. Seafood industry has been suffering due to foreign frozen warmwater shrimp. “It’s going to take time it’s not going to be a quick fix,” Miss Caylee Seafood Co-Owner, David Bryan said. Bryan has been shrimping for nearly his entire life but says the shrimping industry in South Mobile County is getting dangerously scarce. “Some days you break even and some days you make a little money and some days you have exceptional days,” Bryan said. The battle of cost between foreign shrimp and domestic shrimp has made it harder for shrimpers to pay their bills to keep business going. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:10
Solar energy and more: Seeking to improve energy efficiency, sustainability in the fishing fleet
Through two provincially funded programs, Nova Scotia’s fishing fleet is becoming more energy efficient and sustainable. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Energy Efficiency Innovation Fund (FAEEIF) offers $6.5 million over three years in incentives to help prepare the commercial fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Nova Scotia to reduce their energy use and mitigate climate change impacts. The Nova Scotia Seafood Innovation and Technology Adoption Program (NS-ITAP) provides non-repayable financial assistance to Nova Scotia commercial entities in the fishing, aquaculture, marine plant harvesting, and seafood buying and processing sector to increase productivity, competitiveness, quality and sustainability. The Brazil Rock 33 34 Lobster Association has been busy helping its members fill out applications for the two programs. “We’re going for a second run,” says Dan Fleck, executive director of the association. The off-grid energy systems keep the vessel’s batteries charged, the bilge pumps working, and a heater running when it is berthed at its home port without running the main engine or connecting to shore power. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:37
Struggling Valley shrimpers receive good news on new import measures
In an industry where bad news is the norm, shrimpers in Texas and elsewhere in the United States finally have a sliver of good news. The U.S. International Trade Commission, or ITC, on Tuesday determined that the U.S. shrimp industry is being “materially injured” by imports of frozen warm-water shrimp from Indonesia that the U.S. Department of Commerce says are being sold in this country at less than fair value, and also by shrimp imports from Ecuador, India and Vietnam that the Commerce Department says are being subsidized by the governments of those countries. As a result of the ITC’s determinations, the Commerce Department will issue “countervailing duty orders on imports of this product from Ecuador, India and Vietnam and an anti-dumping duty order on imports of this product from Indonesia,” the ITC announced Tuesday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:57
Exploring the impact of offshore wind on whale deaths
In the winter of 2022–2023, nearly a dozen whales died off the coast of New Jersey, near the sites of several proposed wind farms. Their deaths prompted concern that related survey work being conducted in the area somehow contributed to their deaths. The increased presence of these turbines in coastal waters, along with the noise from construction and surveys, has led to concerns of their impact on marine life. In particular, cetaceans such as whales and dolphins are likely to be sensitive to the noises and increased marine traffic brought by these turbines. However, the Marine Mammal Commission, a federal oversight agency, states there is no evidence linking the whales that died in the New Jersey region in the winter of 2022–2023 to wind energy development. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:35
Two Dominican nationals sentenced for smuggling endangered juvenile eels from Puerto Rico
On Nov. 14, U.S. District Court Judge Aida M. Delgado-Colón sentenced Simón De la Cruz Paredes, 56, to 24 months in prison and two years of supervised release. On Thursday, Saúl Enrique José De la Cruz, 39, received the same sentence in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Court documents revealed the pair spent months harvesting the juvenile eels in rivers near Levittown, Puerto Rico. The eels were kept alive using specialized oxygenation equipment while the defendants prepared a boat for the trip back to the Dominican Republic. On Feb. 21, they departed Puerto Rico with 30 kilograms of glass eels valued at $132,000, a handgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the vessel about 40 miles from Puerto Rico after the men refused to comply with an order to stop. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:27
Commercial Fisherman Chris Hamilton Captures Life on the Water
One can only imagine what kinds of things true men of the sea witness while out on the water, their livelihood dependent on making good catches – quite a different sight from the landlubbers seeing traffic lights, stop signs, strip malls and so on. But Chris Hamilton, a lifelong Greenport resident and commercial fisherman, removed the need to imagine when he found a passion for photography aboard his father’s boat one morning. “Being a commercial fisherman on a trawler gives me a very unique perspective,” he says. “It’s not something 
that is widely viewed. It’s a pretty private lifestyle. It really was just being in the moment and kind of just realizing how lucky I was to spend some of those moments on the water with my dad. Fishing is hard, man; it’s a really hard way to make a living, especially these days. You’ve got to be really dedicated. There’s a reason why we do it, and it’s because it’s a beautiful lifestyle. You get to experience nature and in a real way that’s different from other types of work, being on the water. Water is probably the biggest inspiration for me in terms of my art.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:01
After a dramatic decline, lake trout have recovered in most of Lake Superior
After decades of work, fishery managers say lake trout have fully recovered in most of Lake Superior after the invasive, fish-killing sea lamprey decimated their numbers. The Lake Superior Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, which is made up of state, tribal and Canadian natural resource managers, announced the population’s recovery Wednesday. The lake trout population in Lake Superior dropped to dramatically low levels during the mid-1900s due to overfishing and an invasion of sea lampreys, eel-like parasites that suck the blood of their hosts. The parasitic fish spread to the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean, invading Lake Superior by 1938. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:03
Long Island Sound Lost Its Lobster Fishery. Is Cape Cod Bay Next?
Catches in Cape Cod Bay were good for many years, and prices were good, too. But lobstermen here started worrying in the late 1990s when the fishery collapsed in Long Island Sound. And that worry hasn’t gone away, because environmental changes here resemble those that were affecting Long Island Sound back then. In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Floyd in August 1999, the lobsters in Long Island Sound started coming up dead or lethargic, not making it back to the docks alive. Fall landings for all Connecticut ports dropped between 91 and 99 percent that year, according to a joint report of the state’s dept. of environmental protection and marine fisheries office published in 2000. Fast forward 25 years: hopes for a Long Island Sound population rebound have not panned out. A December 2021 report in the Portland Press Herald introduced Michael Grimshaw this way: “Grimshaw is believed to be the last full-time commercial lobsterman in Connecticut.” His traps used to bring in up to a few thousand pounds a day, wrote reporter David Abel. A good day was now getting him 50 pounds, Grimshaw told him. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Capt. Mike Rathgeber 08:40
Bam! Scientists study wind farm construction noise impacts on lobsters… by making big noises
Thirteen feet below the surface of Woods Hole harbor, a lobster shelters under a plastic shield in a wire cage. An experiment is happening: every seven seconds on the dock above, a pile driver pounds a long, steel post deeper into the muddy harbor bottom nearby. The experiment happening here at this dock is designed to replicate, at small scale, the pile driving necessary to construct an offshore wind farm. The goal is to understand how a variety of marine creatures, not only lobsters, but other fish-market-friendly species like scallops, flounder, black sea bass, and squid respond to the noisy, intensive work of building an offshore wind farm. It’s something fishers and regulators are especially interested in. Already, the WHOI team’s earlier studies have shown that squid, which detect sound through vibration, responded dramatically to pile-driving noise — at least, at first. But it’s a different story for scallops, one of the highest value fisheries in the U.S. As soon as scallops were exposed to pile driving noise, they clammed up. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:59
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 52′ Steel Day Scalloper, Cummins NT-855 MI
To review specifications, information, with 36 photos’,>click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<. 06:28
A true story, but ever so fishy…
You may have heard of Chevron, the huge oil and gas company and probably one of the biggest oil producers in the world. But you may not have heard of the “Chevron deference” justified by congressional agencies. This became an unspoken government policy some 40 years ago. Here is the unspoken protocol. Congress would legislate a new, ambiguous bill to “fix” an issue. The enacted law was then passed to one of the agencies such as the FDA, EPA, USDA, or if there wasn’t a specific agency, a new one was formed. The purpose was to formulate government policy using the new law. An example is when President Jimmy Carter formed the Department of Energy in 1977. Reportedly it was to plan strategies to conserve energy and develop alternative energy sources. I will let readers form their own opinions in this time of shifting energy strategies. Yet 40 some years later, it almost all falls back on using fossil fuels. Let’s face it. Windmills and solar panels aren’t the long-term solution. more, >>CLICK TO EAD<< 07:03
Expensive Offshore Wind in Jeopardy in a Trump Administration
Offshore wind is much more expensive than onshore wind with costs to build at 4.5 times the cost of natural gas generation and operational costs at 2.3 times. President-elect Trump recognizes offshore wind’s high costs and limited utility and is likely to end its massive subsidies promulgated by the Biden-Harris Administration. Immediate actions available include revoking Biden’s executive order that paved the way for higher cost, less reliable electricity. Biden-Harris officials have heaped subsidies upon offshore wind through the Inflation Reduction Act and cut corners on regulations to expedite the technology. Offshore wind has had recent catastrophic failures including broken blades that have closed beaches in a tourist town and imperiled fishermen. Biden’s Executive Order 14008 issued on February 1, 2020–only two weeks after his Inauguration– launched the offshore wind program in the United States. This is an executive order that President-Elect Trump could easily rescind on his first day in office by just issuing a counter-executive order, which would stop the onslaught of this very expensive energy being added to the U.S. grid. Another way is to remove the excessive tax credits that encourage its adoption, which would take new legislation and add time to the process. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:47
Coast Guard investigating death on fishing boat
The US Coast Guard is investigating the death of a 61-year-old man linked to an injury onboard a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico, and Justice of the Peace Joseph Guillory II says the crew reports the man became entangled in some fishing equipment. The Coast Guard spokesman tell KFDM/Fox 4 News Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston requested a medevac early Sunday morning from the fishing vessel “Lucky Aaron” about 85 nautical miles southeast of Sabine Pass in Louisiana waters. There was a reported injury, according to the Coast Guard. The man was unconscious, and the crew couldn’t detect a pulse. The vessel was en route to Sabine Pass at 3:30 a.m. It arrived late Sunday morning. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:29
Pacific Seafood Halts All Processing in Eureka, Laying Off an Undisclosed Number of Employees
Pacific Seafood, the processing and distribution giant based in Clackamas, Ore., has halted all processing activity at its Eureka plant, dramatically scaling back its operations there and laying off an undisclosed number of local employees. The seafood getting unloaded here in Eureka is now being shipped north for processing at Pacific Seafood plants in Oregon, Ogan said. The 83-year-old company has nearly 40 locations across the country — from Kodiak, Alaska, to Miami, Fla. — and employs somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 people nationwide. Local fisherman Mike Cunningham, who has been selling his catch to Pacific Seafood for 35 years, said the company has removed much of its processing equipment and shipped it north to plants in Oregon, where it anticipates more abundant crabbing. “They are going to continue to buy crabs here, and they have some residual processing capacity,” Cunningham said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:37
Donald Trump Pledges to Halt Big Wind Subsidies
Donald Trump’s election victory is quickly taking the wind out of the Biden administration’s ambitious renewables initiatives. President-elect Trump promised to end federal subsidies for offshore wind projects on his first day in office. As with many of his campaign pledges, Americans wait to see whether he will deliver. However, the market did not wait to see. Stock prices of offshore wind developers and turbine makers moved sharply downward following election day as investors query whether windmill projects are economically viable without the hefty federal subsidies Trump has promised to terminate. Environmental groups and fishermen have also raised concerns about the potential ecological trade-offs of this plastic-based technology and worries about ecotoxins created in the manufacturing of solar panels and EVs have caused consumers to pause. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:22
Lack of fishing prohibitions in ‘grey zone’ could pose risk for right whales, expert says
One marine conservation expert has questions about the efforts on the part of Fisheries and Oceans after North Atlantic right whales were detected in the Bay of Fundy in recent weeks, including in an area where both Canadian and American fishermen catch lobster. In October, Fisheries and Oceans announced several temporary prohibited fishing areas as the whales were detected in multiple fishing spots across the Maritimes, including in the bay. Some fishing prohibitions for parts of the Bay of Fundy started on Oct. 25 and included the fisheries for crab, herring, mackerel, groundfish, hagfish and lobster. The so-called “grey zone” is an area of disputed water near Grand Manan. Both Canada and the United States have claimed sovereignty over the area, so fishers from both countries harvest there. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
Will Trump’s win end Morro Bay offshore wind energy projects?
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end offshore wind energy projects his first day in office, a promise opponents of the proposed Morro Bay offshore wind farms hope he fulfills. Trump ran on lowering housing and energy costs. During his campaign speeches, he described offshore wind energy as “the most expensive energy there is.” He noted environmental concerns such as whale and bird deaths. In Dec. 2022, an auction for three offshore wind energy sites located off the coast near Morro Bay netted over $400 million to the federal government. The plan is to have the wind turbines float in the ocean more than 20 miles off the coast, with the electricity sent ashore via cables along the ocean floor. While the majority of San Luis Obispo County residents initially supported the “green energy” project, sentiments changed as information regarding plans to industrialize Port San Luis near Avila Beach and portions of the Morro Bay waterfront spread through the community. more, >>CLICKTO READ<< 09:55
Save LBI Stays Course Despite Trump’s Promise to Kill Offshore Wind
While President-elect Donald Trump is expected to make sweeping changes to the national energy policy, including doing away with offshore wind on Day 1 of his new term, a local grassroots organization isn’t letting that news get in its way of fighting the construction of what is poised to be the country’s largest wind farm some 9 miles off the coast of Long Beach Island. “We will be filing major lawsuits by the end of the month to invalidate at least some of those prior federal approvals,” Bob Stern, president and cofounder of Save LBI, said just days after voters returned Trump to office for a second term. “In addition, we will be seeking to have the lease area itself canceled so that new projects will not be resurrected in the future.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:05
Norwegian fishermen snagged U.S. nuclear-powered submarine
“We had just emptied the nets and put them out again and was on our way back to shore at Sommarøya when we were called by the Coast Guard on channel 16 on the VHF-radio,” says Harald Engen (22) to NRK Troms. Engen is captain on Øygutt, the 10 meters small fishing vessel. The Coast Guard could inform that a submarine had sailed into the net and dragged it two nautical miles north where it was cut off. The incident occurred outside Malangen, west of Tromsø on the coast to the Norwegian Sea. The submarine was the USS Virginia, a nuclear-powered 115 meters long attack sub. Such submarines are in recent years more frequently surfacing in the sheltered fjords outside Tromsø. Norway’s Coast Guard are assisting in bringing onboard supplies or new crew members. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:12
Study Reveals Salmon Mislabeling in Seattle Sushi Restaurants
Researchers conducted a study on salmon samples from 67 grocery stores and 52 local sushi shops, revealing that 32.3% of sushi restaurant samples contained farmed salmon instead of the wild salmon that vendors claimed. It remains unclear whether this mislabeling occurred at the restaurant level or earlier in the distribution chain. In contrast, no grocery store samples were found to have this issue, although 11.1% of the salmon sold in grocery stores was identified as the incorrect species. Additionally, 38% of the samples from restaurants were substituted with the wrong type of salmon. The financial implications for consumers are significant. When customers believe they are purchasing high-quality wild salmon, they may be willing to pay a higher price, not realizing they are receiving a less valuable product. This not only affects consumer trust but can also undermine the market for legitimate wild-caught salmon fishermen, who depend on consumers recognizing the value of their sustainably sourced fish. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:44
Lawmakers demand review of U.S. Government Accountability Office’s oversight of shrimp imports
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., and U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, are calling on the U.S. Government Accountability Office to scrutinize whether the U.S. Treasury Department is fulfilling its legal obligation to protect American industries, including the shrimping sector, from international competition. The representatives voiced concerns in a letter sent to the GAO, suggesting that the Treasury may be neglecting statutory requirements that compel the department to oppose foreign economic assistance projects that could harm U.S. industries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:17
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 57′ Fiberglass Crabber/Groundfish/ Scalloper, Caterpillar 3406
To review specifications, information, with 33 photos’,>click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<. 06:50
Supporters, Opponents of Offshore Wind Both Look for Hopeful Signs in Trump Administration
On the day after the elections last week, and even before, the airwaves were crammed with speculation about how this, that, and the other sectors of American life and the economy would fare under a Trump administration. The chatter included the future of offshore wind, which was born in the United States in 2016 off the coast of Block Island and continues to generate heavy support and heavy opposition. President-elect Donald Trump has expressed hostility toward offshore wind and has said he would put an end to the industry “on day one” of his administration. Trump-supporting Republicans have vowed to put an end to President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, including tax credits for big projects such as offshore wind. A large share of the IRA’s $891 billion price tag is targeted toward renewable energy and related technologies. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:53
