Category Archives: Pacific
Beached fishing boat recovered
The fishing vessel Judy is floating again after a salvage attempt caused it to crash into the south Jetty and flip onto its side twice. The Judy was reported aground in the sand south of the South Jetty on Sept. 18. Since then, owners made several attempts to refloat the vessel at high tide but were unsuccessful. At the salvage site, one could see two US Coast Guard motor lifeboats at the end of the bar, and the 102-foot tugboat Noelani about 1/3 of a mile out with a long, buoyed line connecting it to the Judy. O as the Judy began to inch forward, eventually floating upright as floated away from the shore. However, as it was being pulled, the Judy began to move precariously nearer to the south Jetty. The tug could be seen moving south to counter the move but when tension was applied to the tow line, the Judy veered right and hit the rocks. 3 photos, >>click to read<< 15:00
The Western Flyer Returns Home to Monterey!
She’s coming home at last! After being away for 75 years, the historic Western Flyer—the sardine fishing boat immortalized by John Steinbeck’s 1951 classic The Log from the Sea of Cortez—will return to her home port of Monterey on Saturday, November 4th. “The Western Flyer was built for Monterey’s sardine fishery in 1937, and while it gained notoriety from its 1940 research trip with John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts, it’s had a long and storied past as a fishing boat,” said marine geologist John Gregg, founder and board member of the Western Flyer Foundation. “Now restored with a hybrid diesel-electric engine and state-of-the-art marine lab, the Flyer symbolizes a bridge, linking Monterey’s commercial fishing heritage with its leadership in marine science and education.” When Gregg purchased the Western Flyer in 2015, the neglected 77-foot fishing vessel had sunk several times and was almost beyond repair. >>click to read<< 07:50
First permits issued for swordfish captains in California
The first commercial fishing permits for the use of deep-set buoy gear in the swordfish fishery in the US state of California were issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service on September 15, marking a significant transition from the large nets that drifted off the West Coast. Gillnets will finally disappear by 2027, replaced mostly by deep-set buoy gear — vertical lines about 150 fathoms long, with a flagpole with a light or radar reflector on top and a bug- and sinker to keep the line anchored vertically. Main lines usually have one to three round hooks with a light attached to shine below the thermocline in 20 to 70 meters (65 to 230 feet) of California water. The gear is designed to be actively maintained, with strike indicators on the surface to alert anglers when a fish is present. >>click to read << 16:23
October 2nd is National Fried Scallops Day 2023: History, Activities and FAQs
National Fried Scallops Day 2023: October is a month filled with opportunities to celebrate seafood, and what better way to kick off the feast than with National Fried Scallops Day on October 2? When properly prepared, scallops become the ideal melt-in-your-mouth delicacy, transporting you on a culinary journey of oceanic excellence. Scallops are members of the mollusk family Pectinidae. They are able to swim by rapidly closing and opening their shells with a muscle that is typically the most palatable portion to humans. Scallops are relished in a variety of ways (e.g., in soups, pasta, and sushi), but the ones fried in butter and a blend of herbs and spices are among the most popular and beloved. >>click to read<< 21:52
Judge declaws key part of Massachusetts lobstermen’s libel lawsuit against California aquarium
A federal judge in Louisiana ruled this week there’s no rational reason for Massachusetts lobstermen to sue a California aquarium for libel in Louisiana, which has a law against disparaging seafood, and so ordered the case moved to California, where you’re free to say what you want about harvested sea creatures. Aa group of lobstermen from Gloucester, Marion, North Truro and Plymouth had sued the Monterey Bay Aquarium earlier this year for a press release in which the aquarium said the way lobsters are caught off New England endangers the increasingly rare Atlantic right whale and urged companies and consumers to consider other briny alternatives. >>click to read<< 09:28
Bryson Fitch Fishermen Protection Act: Bill introduced to keep fishermen safe honors missing Washington man
“Fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world,” said Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democratic congresswoman for Washington’s 3rd district. “This bill will help ensure more fishermen are equipped with the personal safety equipment they need to be located during an emergency,” she said. She introduced legislation in Washington D.C. on Thursday that is centered around a wearable product called personal locator beacons. The devices can send location signals to emergency responders if a mariner falls overboard. >>Video, click to read<< 08:03
Deadliest Catch star visits Pictou to promote technology combatting ghost fishing gear
Any fisherman understands that keeping the waters clean will help ensure a viable future for the industry. “If you want a future, you have to invest in that future,” said Capt. Sig Hansen from Discovery Channel’s The Deadliest Catch. “So why not try to keep our oceans clean? That’s our responsibility.” Hansen has partnered with Resqunit (pronounced “rescue unit”), lending his star power to an endeavor they hope will assist in helping to protect the environment in which fishermen and women ply their trade. The Resqunit is a lost gear retrieval unit that can be attached to a line of traps, in case a fisher loses a buoy because of storms, accidents or by other means. It includes a user-controlled timer release that is set by using on an app on your phone. If needed, the unit will deploy after a set length of time, rise to the surface and allow fishers to retrieve their traps. >>click to read<< 14:04
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 52’x16′ Millennium Tuna, Twin C15 Cat Diesels
To review specifications, information, and 15 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:53
Fisherman statue will remain, Eureka mayor says in letter to PETA
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals urged Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel to remove the iconic Fisherman Memorial statue from Woodley Island. Both PETA and Bergel shared letters addressing the issue. Here’s what the letters said. The following is a letter from PETA’s president to Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel: Dear Mayor Bergel: I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally, including many who are lucky enough to live in California—with a fintastic suggestion. >>click to read<< 10:15
Bay Area commercial fishers struggling under weight of recent catch restrictions
Bay Area commercial fishers say they are facing unprecedented financial hardships this year after dealing with a range of restrictions on several of their key catches. “I’m struggling to pay my bills. I’m definitely going to be in the red this year,” said William “Captain Smitty” Smith, who has commercially fished and run charters out of Half Moon Bay since 1985. Smith says he has been hit hard by the State’s decision to cancel salmon season off the coast for the first time in 14 years. “My overall business for the year, is down 90 percent,” said Smith. “The salmon is one of the major mainstays of this whole harbor. If you look across, every boat is here, every boat is tied up. These guys have got mortgages to pay, got bills to pay,” said Smith. Video, >>click to read<< 10:15
Retired Commercial Fisherman Mark Lee Roberts of Tillamook, Oregon, has passed away
After a long battle with cancer, we lost our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, Mark Lee Roberts. Mark was born in Portland, Oregon in 1952 to Harley and Irene Roberts. Mark grew up in SW Portland and attended St. Clare’s Catholic School and graduated from Central Catholic H.S. in 1970. He started commercial dory fishing with his father out of Pacific City in the Old Soak and Ragtag. He owned several dories including Shark Bait, Fish Assassin and Accomplice before acquiring a larger boat, the Pacific Mistress, which he commercial fished out of Depoe Bay. Mark was also part of the ODFW Marine Reserves Community Team, the Depoe Bay Near Shore Action Team, OSU Wave Energy participant, Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission member, and a longtime member of the Pacific City Dorymen’s Association. >>click to read<< 14:49
From the Gulf of Maine to a tin can: A glimpse into high-end tuna production on NH’s coast
“I left today at, like, 12 midnight,” he said, his face hidden behind mirrored sunglasses and a beard. “And then it’s about an hour and a half ride out, and it was beautiful last night because that big fat moon is waning.” Keper Connell is a one-man operation aboard his boat, The Figment. When conditions allow, he cruises into the Gulf of Maine in search of bluefin tuna, a torpedo-shaped fish that can reach more than 1,000 pounds. Rather than sell his bluefin to a wholesaler, where cuts may end up in a fishmonger’s display case, or as toro on a sushi menu, Connell is doing something that nobody else in the U.S. is apparently doing. His fish is put on ice and sent to Oregon, where it will be packed into tin cans with a high end olive oil and some salt. (There are no canneries on the East Coast where an independent fisherman can bring his catch, he says.) Photos, >>click to read<< 11:07
Eagle, Eagle, what are you going to do?
Dick and Carl Arvidson had sister ships built in Seattle. Carl named his the “Eagle,” and when they were transiting through the locks out of Lake Washington, Dick was in the lead. Evidently there was confusion for Carl, as over a loudspeaker, he heard an urgent announcement: “Eagle! Eagle! What are you going to do?” Dick and Carl were good friends and had both begun fishing in the Cordova area at a young age. Dick loved to tell the story about the maiden voyage of their matching boats. It was always good for a laugh. The Eagle still sits in the Cordova boat harbor and is used in set net operations by the Kritchens on the other side of the Sound. Seeing it reminded me of another eagle story witnessed from Renner’s Dragonfly. >>click to read<< 15:09
‘They’re not listening’: Fishermen, tribes voice concerns on two Oregon coast sites eyed for offshore wind farms
Last week, the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced two draft Wind Energy Areas off the southern Oregon coast. One of them is offshore of Brookings, near the California border, the other off the coast of Coos Bay. The areas also represent prime fishing grounds and important cultural areas to local Indigenous tribes. Heather Mann, executive director of the Newport-based Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, said it feels like a lot of stakeholders’ concerns are being left unheard. “They’re not listening to coastal communities. They’re not listening to the fishing industry. They’re not listening to congressional representatives,” said Mann, whose organization represents 32 vessels that fish in the area. “Fishermen are not just concerned about being displaced from fishing grounds, though that is a critical piece. ” Video, >click to read< 11:35
Updated: Crew member on Alaska factory trawler dies after possible ammonia exposure
A crew member on an American Seafoods factory trawler died at sea last week, likely from an ammonia leak on board. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class John Highwater said that they received a satellite call from the Northern Eagle at about 4 a.m. on Aug. 18. “One of their crew members was found unresponsive in one of their engineering spaces,” Highwater said. “They believe there was an ammonia leak somewhere in the vessel that caused the person to fall unconscious.” Jeremy Baum, the Alaska Wildlife Trooper stationed in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, identified the crew member as First Engineer David Kumah from Ghana in West Africa. >click to read< 13:09
Speakers Series: Ernie Koepf- Fish tales
Ernie Koepf was born (1951) and raised in Moss Beach and raised his own family in El Granada. He now resides in the hills of Oakland with his wife of 16 years, Jan Moestue. Early in his life he was initiated into the fishing community and was known as Little Ernie to his father’s Big Ernie, a prominent commercial fisherman in the community. Much change has come about to Princeton and the fisheries of the West Coast. The history of the Coastside is also rich with change. Ernie Koepf is here to speak on both. Sept. 7, at the Half Moon Bay Odd Fellows, Half Moon Bay, Ca. $10 admission supports our Youth Services Programs. >click to read< 12:21
Safeguarding Oregon’s Sustainable Seafood Industry: DEQ Urged to Reconsider Unachievable Permits
As proud stewards of the marine ecosystem, Oregon’s seafood industry has worked diligently for over a century to foster a sustainable environment, supporting thriving communities and vibrant coastal economies. However, our seafood industry now faces a critical challenge. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has introduced new wastewater discharge permits that threaten the future of our industry. These permits are overly complicated, technically infeasible, and they fail to consider the seafood processing industry’s unique traits and changing seasons. Even worse, they discourage recycling, hindering full utilization of our fisheries resources. This goes against our industry’s values and DEQ’s own goals of promoting recycling. >click to read< 11:09
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 95′ Steel Dragger, Detroit 12V-149 Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 28 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 13:57
Cancelation of California salmon season forces fishermen to find new way forward
Salmon fishers across the state are pivoting to stay afloat after the salmon fishing season was canceled earlier this year. At dock 47 in San Francisco, the pier looks different this time of year. More boats are tied up, an unusual sight for what would be peak salmon season. Matt Juanes is preparing to head out to sea. He readies his lines and hopes for a big catch. For now, it’s all he can do. “My goal is to catch every last one of them,” he said aboard his boat Plumeria. But this year, the salmon fisher of 8 years is exploring uncharted territory for him. He’s now looking to catch shrimp and halibut after salmon season was canceled for repopulation efforts. Video, >click to read< 09:03
Crew member on factory trawler dies after possible ammonia exposure onboard
A crew member on an American Seafoods factory trawler died at sea last week, likely from an ammonia leak on board. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class John Highwater said they received a satellite call from the Northern Eagle at about 4:30 a.m. Friday. “One of their crew members was found unresponsive in one of their engineering spaces,” Highwater said. “They believe there was an ammonia leak somewhere in the vessel that caused the person to fall unconscious.” The nearly 350-foot vessel was already en route to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor when they made the call to the Coast Guard. >click to read< 08:49
Hurricane Hilary Poses Unusual Threat to Southern California
Hurricane Hilary is charting a rare path to Southern California. The storm is currently a Category 4 hurricane, the second-highest level. After bringing heavy rains and a dangerous storm surge to the west coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula over the weekend, Hilary is expected to weaken to a tropical storm before it reaches the U.S. Sunday evening. Nevertheless, it is forecast to bring severe weather to an area unaccustomed to tropical storms. The hurricane’s predicted path is due to an unusual convergence of warm water, a high-pressure zone to the east and a jet stream to the west, according to Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s director of forecasting operations. “You have to have the exact right atmospheric setup,” said DePodwin. “And that’s what we have.” Video, >click to read< 08:05
Fishermen come out to clean Summerland beach of old lobster traps and other random items
At the request of the Summerland Beautiful organization, Santa Barbara area fishermen rallied to help clean up a beach. The Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara responded to the call for cleanup efforts. The traps were tied up and towed out to a boat and loaded up. Other discarded fishing items were also gathered up. In addition, the group collected three bags of trash a stroller and other random items. The CFSB has been involved in other cleanup operations mainly to collect lobster traps. video, >click to read< 11:31
NOAA Recommends $106.1 Million in funding for West Coast and Alaska salmon recovery
Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced more than $106 million in recommended funding for 16 West Coast and Alaska state and tribal salmon recovery programs and projects under the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF). The funds, including $34.4 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $7.5 million under the Inflation Reduction Act, will support the recovery, conservation and resilience of Pacific salmon and steelhead in Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. This funding is part of President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda, which includes over $2 billion for fish passage investments across the country. >click to read< 18:03
Opinion: Breach the Snake River dams? Only if you want more carbon and more expensive power
Recently our local papers have been publishing opinion pieces suggesting the possibility or necessity of removing the four lower Snake River dams to protect Idaho salmon runs. And earlier this year the Idaho Press published an article reporting that the Biden administration has released two reports stating that removal of the four dams on the lower Snake River “may be needed to restore salmon runs to sustainable levels.” There are other much cheaper alternatives that may be just as effective in preserving the salmon runs — maybe more. One would be to permanently remove the sea lions that congregate at the base of Bonneville Dam, the first dam on the Columbia River. Those sea lions decimate thousands of migrating salmon that gather around the base of the dam as they try to find the fish ladder over the dam. >click to read< 11:27
Fish Factory Vessel Leaking Ammonia in Tacoma
A 77-year-old fish factory vessel with a checkered history is reportedly leaking ammonia in Tacoma, Wash. The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it is responding to the incident on board the U.S.-registered Pacific Producer, a 169-foot-long seafood processing vessel with a long string of health and safety violations. Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology crews in HAZMAT suits are currently working to locate leak. The vessel poses no immediate threat to the public, and air quality is being monitored, the Coast Guard said. Pacific Producer usually works in the Alaskan fishing industry but has been docked in Tacoma for about a year following a number of serious violations. >click to read< 17:35
Federal grants will replace tunnels under roads that allow water to pass through but not fish
The Biden administration announced nearly $200 million in federal infrastructure grants on Wednesday to upgrade tunnels that route streams under roads but can kill fish that get trapped trying to get through. “We inherited a lot of structures that were built in a way that just didn’t think through the effect they had on fish,” US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You don’t have to be a fish lover or an ecologist to care about this. It is very important for livelihoods, the economy and the way of life in many parts of the country.” Some of the 169 projects included in the first batch in a $1 billion initiative to be rolled out over five years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 would upgrade or replace the culverts with bridges to make water — and fish — more free to let flow. >click to read< 11:36
Feds ask for public comment on two Oregon Coast sites slated for floating offshore wind farms
Two sites off the southern Oregon coast could soon be home to the state’s first floating offshore wind farms. But first, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will meet with residents and stakeholders in coastal towns, some of whom are concerned about impact to the fishing industry and marine ecosystems. Officials from the ocean energy bureau announced Tuesday that they had identified two ideal “wind energy areas” near Coos Bay and Brookings. The two areas are 20 or more miles from land, collectively encompass about 344 square miles of ocean and could host enough floating wind turbines to generate 2.6 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power about 195,000 homes. >click to read< 10:29
Del Norte Fishermen Are Pissed About Nearshore Groundfish Fishery Closure
Del Norte County fishermen say a California Department of Fish and Wildlife decision to close the nearshore groundfish fishery in the north part of the state starting next week could economically devastate the community. At least seven appeared before the local Fish and Game Advisory Commission on Monday, urging commissioners to send a letter to the agency as well as state representatives Mike McGuire and Jim Wood. The information CDFW scientists used to close the near-shore groundfish fishery comes from the recreational estimated catch of quillback rockfish as well as estimates from the commercial fishery within the Northern Groundfish Management Area, she said Tuesday. The Northern GMA stretches from about Cape Mendocino to the California-Oregon border. >click to read< 07:46
NOAA Is Rolling Out a Plan to Radically Expand Offshore Aquaculture. Not Everyone Is Onboard
The cardboard gravestones read “RIP Local fisherman,” “RIP Wild Fish,” and “RIP Humpback Whales.” Assembled in response to new aquaculture sites planned off the coast of California, the gravestones were brought to the offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Long Beach, California, in April by activists keen to register their discontent. The sites pave the way for possibly dozens of new open-pen fish farms as far as three miles offshore, the future home of species that range from carp to salmon. Chief among the protesters’ concerns were entanglement of marine mammals, the expansion of dead zones caused by fish excrement, and infringement on wild fishing grounds. >click to read< 09:07
Commercial Fisherman Paul Anthony Kavon of Petersburg, AK, and Ventura, California has passed away
Paul Anthony Kavon was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin on September 26, 1958, the son of Martin and Ruth Kavon. On August 1, 2023, he went to his eternal home while doing what he loved best, commercial fishing near Petersburg, Alaska. During his college years, Paul began working summers in Alaska first in the oil fields, and later in commercial fishing. In 1986, he took up residence in Petersburg, Alaska to pursue a full-time career in commercial salmon fishing. In 1989, Paul met and married Camille Despain, and the couple later had three children, Tanner, Sierra, and Hayden. In 2002, the family moved from Alaska to Oxnard, California, where Paul transitioned his fishing operation to the coastal pelagic fisheries along the state’s southern coastlines. Paul left the fishing industry a few years later to manage a fuel dock station for fishing vessels at Ventura Harbor in Ventura, California. 4 photos, >click to read< 15:43
