Category Archives: Pacific
Ballard Oil closes after 85 years in Seattle, where oil and water no longer mix
Since 1937, Ballard Oil had been a fixture on the Lake Washington Ship Canal just east of the locks, providing fuel, lubricants and a few parts to Seattle’s commercial fishing boats, tugs and other vessels. Warren Aakervik Jr., 79, the second of four generations to run the company, cites a long list of reasons for the closure. Among them, costly regulations, rising taxes, a shortage of workers, a dwindling customer base and, most famously, the possibility that the city of Seattle might run the Burke-Gilman Trail though Aakervik’s industrial backyard. “It’s death by a thousand cuts,” says Aakervik as he stands with his grandson, Brandon Millard, on the company’s now-deserted fueling dock. “You keep on, keep on, keep on — and then finally, you just say, ‘Why am I beating my head against the wall?’” >click to read< 09:12
Seafood Processing Vessel’s Operator Continues to Expose Crews to a Bounty of Safety, Health Violations
Working in the Alaskan fishing industry – an occupation already regarded as one of the nation’s most dangerous – employees aboard the F/V Pacific Producer faced dangers purely of their employer’s making, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Coast Guard has found. An inspection by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration was initially opened in July 2022 in Kodiak, Alaska, but was delayed when the F/V Pacific Producer – a 472-ton seafood processing vessel – departed the port. Through coordination with USCG’s Sector Puget Sound, a joint inspection resumed when the vessel arrived in Seattle in October. Inspectors found murky, brown water in the ship’s drinking water system; crew members being served expired food; water used to process fish leaking into dry food storage and the galley’s dining area; and other unsanitary conditions throughout the vessel. >click to read< 21:27
Community determined to find missing fisherman
More than one week has lapsed since the fishing vessel Ethel May capsized near Willapa Bay and left one crew member missing on Feb. 5, but the man still hasn’t been found despite a growing effort to do so by the community and Pacific County officials. The search is for Bryson Fitch, 25, crab fisherman, husband, and father of three young children. An outpouring of support for the family of Fitch, and for the effort to find him, has swept the community since the F/V Ethel May capsized. “There is a huge community support and volunteers all over the county,” said Pacific County Sheriff Daniel Garcia on Friday in an interview. “There are some combing the beaches on foot, there are some flying drones, there are some who have their personal boats that are searching areas and coastlines.” Photos, >click to read< 14:55
Oregon’s Late Dungeness Crab Seasons Create Challenges for Crabbers, Restaurants, and Diners
The impact is felt strongest by Oregon’s 423 commercial crabbers who depend on Dungeness for a substantial portion of their annual revenue. Tim Novotny, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, said that Dungeness is easily the most profitable of Oregon’s fisheries, and while many crabbers are able to harvest shrimp or rockfish in the off-season, the uncertainty heading into the critical crab season in December is especially stressful. “They’ve got to try to find a way to keep their crew busy and fill out the payroll,” Novotny said. “It’s very harrowing during that time period. They’ve gotten used to these delays, but it’s still very uncomfortable and full of angst.” >click to read< 08:32
Amputations, broken bones among the injuries caused by winches on fishing boats
For crews working on fishing boats in Alaska, danger lurks in a helpful and possibly innocent-looking device: the winch. Winches are hauling devices on which cables are wound. On fishing vessels, they are used to lift anchors, nets and other objects. The combination of speed, force and close quarters on deck can lead to accidents involving them. In most cases, the injuries happened when body parts were caught in or compressed by winches or the cables attached to them, the study said. Hands, wrists and arms were the body parts most frequently injured, though there were also injuries to other body parts, including skull fractures. Amputated fingers were among the most commonly reported injuries,,, >click to read< 10:10
Shippers to Pay $45 Million to Settle 2021 California Oil Spill Lawsuits
Companies linked to two cargo ships accused of damaging a pipeline months before it ruptured, sending crude oil gushing into the waters off Orange County, have agreed to pay $45 million to settle lawsuits brought by business owners and residents, attorneys said Feb. 9. The combined settlements, totaling nearly $100 million, will be distributed among three classes: one representing the fishing industry, another for coastal homeowners and a third for individuals and businesses whose livelihoods relied on the use of the ocean for tourism, said attorney Wylie Aitken. Amid 60 mph winds and 17-foot waves, the MSC Danit and Cosco Beijing dragged their anchors “into areas where federal law prohibits anchoring,” including across the pipeline,,, >click to read< 10:04
Have you tried the other white meat? … Swordfish
Hawaii’s commercial fishing industry is asking Hawaii families to consider (or reconsider) a fish that’s fallen out of favor over the years. While Hawaii is known for its ahi and other tuna, swordfish is actually a big part of the commercial fishing industry in the islands. So much so that the Hawaii Longline Association says its fleet provides about half the country’s demand for swordfish, caught more than 1,000 miles north of Hawaii. But while more than 80% of the fresh fish sold in Hawaii stays here, that’s not the case for swordfish. “It’s kind of reverse, most goes to the mainland instead of retain here locally,” said Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association. Video, >click to read< 08:49
County, community continues search for missing fisherman
After the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the official search for the missing fisherman from the Ethel May, a fishing vessel that capsized Sunday evening, local agencies and community members continued to scour Willapa Bay for signs of the lost man. On Facebook Tuesday morning, Pacific County Sheriff’s Office said it was searching for a man named Bryson Fitch. Fitch, 25, a longtime fisherman, husband and father of three young children, remained missing after the 46-foot crab boat Ethel May sank in heavy seas near Willapa Bay Sunday night. An extended search by the Coast Guard and state and local agencies was suspended Monday evening. “Please don’t stop searching. He is out there,” McKenzie Salas, Fitch’s wife, wrote on Facebook. “He is a fighter. Please keep looking. We need to bring him home. Anyone and everyone please.” >click to read< 12:34
A portrait of offshore wind companies
All of the prominent offshore wind companies originated in the oil and gas industry: Ørsted (Danish Oil and Natural Gas), Equinor (Norwegian Statoil), British Petroleum, Avangrid (Spanish Iberdrola gas), and Shell Oil (Dutch/UK). These past enemies of environmentalists, now dancing partners, continue to generate revenue from fossil fuels. Ørsted even profited from burning coal this past year. Given the industry’s history of misleading the public about climate change, it’s not unreasonable to question their assertions now. These companies lose money from offshore wind operations. However, backed by generous upfront government subsidies, the ongoing construction of wind farms compensates for these losses. Because federal subsidies will contribute 30% of the capital costs, taxpayers will pay these predominantly foreign-owned, for-profit companies, billions of dollars. Orsted predicts that South Fork Wind will cost $53 million per turbine. >click to read< 11:27
“Looking Back; “Fishery management; best available science, or politics?” 2009. By Jim Lovgren
I wrote this piece at the beginning of the Obama administration, concerning the politization of fishery science, over fourteen years ago. The rash of east coast marine mammal strandings and the governments response to them, eerily reminded me of this article and the reasons I wrote it. If you
change a few words, Bush to Biden, and big oil to big wind, you get pretty much the same thing, the politization of science to benefit wealthy corporations. >click to read< 17:05
If You Eat Dungeness Crab, Please Help This Family (or even if you don’t, but can help)
Sunday, February 5th was another day in the long life of the F/V Ethel May, a wooden 46-foot crabber built in 1948 in South Bend, Washington, but it was to be her last. Crews from U.S. Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor and Air Station Astoria responded to the sinking after an emergency beacon was activated and the wife of one of the men called 911 to report an emergency onboard. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from the air station was able to rescue two crewmen from a life raft at about 8:10 p.m. Unfortunately, the Ethel May had a crew of three, so one did not come home, and the official search was called off at 5:30pm Monday after almost a day of looking methodically. The name of the missing fisherman is Bryson Fitch, and he leaves behind a wife and three young children (aged 6, 4 and 4 months). >click to read< 10:03
‘We need help bringing him home:’ Family remains hopeful as search for missing crabber continues
After a crabbing boat with a three-man crew sank near Willapa Bay Sunday night, the U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for the one man who remains missing, but his family won’t give up hope. The Coast Guard rescued two of the three men, but did not find 24-year-old Bryson Fitch, a father of three. The Coast Guard on Twitter posted a video and said a helicopter crew from Astoria, Oregon, hoisted two people from a life raft into the helicopter during rough weather and large waves. It was then that Fitch’s family got the call no one wants to hear. >click to read< 07:43
UPDATED: Search Suspended. Coast Guard, partner agencies save 2, search for missing man near Willapa Bay entrance
The Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for a missing man who was aboard a vessel in distress Sunday off the coast of Washington near the Willapa Bay entrance. Watchstanders at the Thirteenth Coast Guard District in Seattle received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon transmission Sunday at approximately 7:30 p.m. from the 46-foot crabbing vessel Ethel May near the Willapa Bay Entrance. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Oregon, were notified that the wife of one of the men aboard the vessel called 911 to report an emergency aboard the vessel. Video, >click to read< 18:50
Updated: Search for Missing Fisherman Suspended – The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies suspended search efforts at 5:30 p.m. Monday evening for a missing man in Willapa Bay, Washington. Rescue crews completed 18 different search patterns, covering 290 sq. miles during over 15-hours of searching. >click to read< 13:51
Southeast Alaska communities set to join opposition to lawsuit that threatens king salmon fishery
Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg are set to join a growing chorus of Alaska voices highlighting the impact the suit could have on the region’s fishing fleet. The lawsuit from the Washington state-based Wild Fish Conservancy centers on an endangered Puget Sound population of orcas known as Southern Resident killer whales. Killer whales eat salmon, especially big, meaty king salmon, and the conservation group argues federal officials haven’t properly accounted for the impact the Southeast king salmon fishery has on the Puget Sound orcas. Late last year, a federal judge issued a report that threatens to close the Southeast king salmon fishery until the National Marine Fisheries Service comes up with a fix. >click to read< 11:50
Trident Seafoods marks 50th anniversary
A major seafood processing company that began with a single vessel operating out of Kodiak in 1973 marked its 50th anniversary on Jan. 31, celebrating all those who helped Trident become the largest vertically integrated seafood firm in the nation. “At our core, we are a people business, and what sets us apart is how we care for each other,” said Joe Bundrant, chief executive officer of the company, and son of the late Chuck Bundrant, who would have celebrated his 81st birthday on Jan. 31. Starting back in 1973, Trident set a new precedent for the crabbing and fishing industry by catching, processing and freezing king crab onboard the same ship. >click to read< 09:36
Seattle-based seafood giant Trident reaches half-century mark – In the summer of 1973, Trident Seafoods co-founder Chuck Bundrant went to a Tacoma shipyard to launch the Billikin, a 135-foot steel boat able to operate for more than a month offshore, catching and processing crab with a crew of 16. Back then, Trident was a new startup working out of a couple of trailers in Seattle’s Ballard waterfront. Chuck Bundrant took the Billikin north to the Bering Sea, where he was able to earn an early fortune tapping into red king crab stocks that surged through the ’70s. >click to read< 2/5/2023
New Coast Guard swimmer saves man’s life after wave rolls yacht
A newly minted Coast Guard rescue swimmer saved a man’s life Friday at the mouth of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington state just after a giant wave rolled the yacht he was piloting and threw him into the surf. The agency was able to triangulate roughly where the call was coming from, and Coast Guard crews on vessels and in a helicopter who happened to be training nearby responded. The rescue swimmer who was on his first rescue just after graduating from the Coast Guard’s rescue swimmer program, was lowered from the helicopter by a cable. As he neared the vessel, the man on board climbed onto the stern, preparing to get into the water. Video, >click to read< 08:17
Ilwaco, Washington: Crabbers pinched
“Last year we got a good price. This year we’re probably not getting a very good price,” said F/V Cutting Edge owner Brian Cutting, upon returning to port for his second load of pots on Sunday morning. “We haven’t heard numbers out of here, probably when we bring our first boatload of crab, but we’ve heard numbers out of other places. It’s going to be unknown here, we’re not sure yet,” Cutting said. Cutting, now entering his 39th season as a vessel owner, said this season would likely be a short one for him and his crew due to the price of crab combined with rising fuel and expense costs. 12 photos, >click to read< 16:59
Westport and Tokeland drop their crab pots in anticipation of today’s commercial crab opener
At 8 a.m. this past Sunday, “Dump Day” took over the ports at Westport and Tokeland. The pots have been “soaking.” Commercial crabbers were allowed to pull pots they dropped on Sunday, starting at 8 a.m. today, Wednesday, Feb. 1. Jeremy Hammond, 50, Tokeland, is a deckhand for the Southern Cross, a fishing boat moored in Tokeland. His dad was a Bering Sea captain. He spent 12 years fishing the Bering Sea, an inhospitable water full of wind and waves and severe cold. Fit as a fiddle, this past Saturday he manhandled the crab pots as he filled the hull and then the deck of the Southern Cross. Hammond has a softer side, playing guitar, writing his own songs. He has a baby grand piano in his living room. But his essence is as a fisherman. “I’m excited to go out there and make a paycheck,” he said. >click to read< 13:36
Storm clouds gather over local crabbing fleet
The morning was frozen, clear and calm, far better than many “dump days.” Sunday marked a first chance to start making some money after two months stuck in port. Most crabbers wouldn’t have been to bed overnight before placing their first pots. Some squeeze in more dump runs before Wednesday morning, Feb. 1, when a nearly nonstop frenzy of harvest and delivery will commence and last for weeks. With little or no sleep leading to exhaustion, the Dungeness fishery off Washington and Oregon is among the most dangerous jobs in the country. Winter weather and ocean conditions can be crazy. Fatalities are all too common, while crabbers barely bother mentioning all the back injuries, damaged fingers and a litany of other mishaps. Even so, there are plenty of local guys who don’t want it any other way. They see risk as the price of freedom. >click to read< 07:48
Where Does the Camera Crew Sleep on Deadliest Catch’s F/V Northwestern?
Filming a reality show can be hard going; not just on the people who star in the production, but on the crew that must capture it all. The skippers and fishermen who appear on the “Deadliest Catch” are well aware that they’re not the only people in danger while catching crabs. For instance, in 2012 the official “Deadliest Catch” YouTube page posted a video about Shane Moore, a cameraman who would go to extreme lengths to get just the right shot for the show, sometimes to the bemusement of the skippers he worked with. >click to read< 11:24
Go wild and get hooked at Ecola Seafood Restaurant and Market
Jay and Cindy first met in the summer of 1978. While Jay was attending Beaverton High School, at the age of 15 he and his friend John purchased a dory and began commercial fishing off the beach at Gearhart. They had no idea what they were doing, but followed a group of local fishermen as they launched into the surf. After living in other states, Cindy’s love of the north Oregon coast led her back to this area. They were married in 1991, with their first child Ashley born in 1994. In 1993 they were selling their catch to various businesses, including Ecola Seafood in Ecola Square Mall on Hemlock Street. The owners were tired and ready to call it quits. Jay and Cindy became the new owners of the small Ecola Seafood fish market and restaurant. >click to read< 09:47
Fishing crew catches rare, brightly colored petrale sole
A fishing crew working for a Morgan Hill-based seafood company reeled in “the catch of a lifetime” in Moss Landing Harbor when they pulled a brightly colored petrale sole with a rare skin condition onto the boat, according to the company. The crew was fishing on the F/V Noah’s Ark vessel for Lusamerica Foods,,, “I’ve never seen anything like that, ever, and neither has my captain. And we’ve been fishing for over 100 years between us,”In an industry noted for superstition, Lusamerica and the F/V Noah’s Ark are taking the catch as a “good omen.” Adame said the Jan. 24 expedition was the boat’s first time unloading in Moss Landing, >click to read< 09:47
Coast Guard pursues civil penalty for AIS violation
The Coast Guard is pursuing a civil penalty Friday with a maximum punishment of $41,093.00 against a commercial fishing vessel for violating Automated Identification System (AIS) regulations near the mouth of the Columbia River Dec. 3, 2022. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River detected a commercial fishing vessel deactivate its AIS while underway near the mouth of the Columbia River in violation of 33 Code of Federal Regulations 164.46(d)(2). The captain declined to accept the Notice of Violation, issued for $5,000. Now the case has been referred to a Coast Guard Hearing Officer, with a maximum penalty of $41,093.00. As this remains an active investigation, the Coast Guard is not currently releasing the name of the suspected violating vessel. >click to read< 19:29
Southern portion of Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery opens
Commercial Dungeness crab fishing opens Feb. 4 on the remaining southern portion of Oregon’s coastline from Cape Arago (just south of Charleston) to the California border. The earliest a crab season may start is Dec. 1 pending meat fill and biotoxin results. This year, the season opener was delayed due to crab in some areas with low meat fill or high domoic acid levels in crab viscera (guts). It opened Jan. 15 from Cape Falcon to Cape Arago and opens Feb. 1 from Cape Falcon to the Washington border. While the announcement today opens the season Feb. 4 from Cape Arago south, the BMZ location and timing will be dependent on results of on-going biotoxin testing. >click to read< 07:41
Biden needs to help California fishermen in our dispute over dangerous fish farms
When people think of California, they think of our coasts. Our vibrant ocean sustains a robust seafood industry, as well as many hospitality, tourism and recreation businesses. But in recent years, our coastal enterprises have faced a litany of challenges; pollution, climate change and development along the coast have made it difficult for independent businesses to survive. Now in 2023, another threat is looming: The National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration is scoping out Southern California as a new site for industrial-scale finfish farms. Last spring, NOAA identified 10 Aquaculture Opportunity Areas off the coast of Southern California. These areas are deemed ideal for offshore fish farms, despite the fact that two of them are in close proximity to a Superfund site where 500,000 barrels of the banned pesticide DDT were dumped. >click to read< 10:00
Lawsuit threatens to shut down Southeast salmon troll fishery
An ongoing lawsuit by a Washington State environmental group is threatening to shut down the Southeast Alaska salmon troll fishery in the summer and winter to help endangered Puget Sound orca whales, and has prompted the trollers to ask the City of Sitka to help pony up for legal bills. The Seattle-based group Wild Fish Conservancy filed suit last year and a federal court ruled last August that the National Marine Fisheries Service had violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in approving salmon harvests in the Southeast troll fishery, which catches chinook salmon, a key food source for the Puget Sound orcas. In the meantime, lawsuits and rulings are continuing. >click to read< 08:36
Commercial Fisherman Alf Ludvig Forde of Mukilteo, Washington has passed away
Alf Ludvig Forde (80) died peacefully at home in Mukilteo, Washington in the early morning January 4th, 2023 of natural causes. Alf was born November 9th, 1942 to Alf and Odney Forde in Ketchikan, Alaska. Alf was an Alaskan commercial fisherman. He started fishing on his dad’s boat at a young-age, eventually owning 2 halibut longliners and 3 Bering Sea crab boats. Alf built his business through hard work and honesty. He was respected as an extremely fair person not only with partners, but also among crew, fish buyers and professionals throughout the industry and beyond.
Alf’s greatest personal achievement was his family. >click to read< 15:26
FUNDRAISER FOR OWNER OF BOAT DAMAGED WHEN TRYING TO HELP ANOTHER
Locals are jumping in to help Luke Sack, a local crabber, whose boat was damaged while trying to help another boat that got into trouble in Shelter Cove yesterday. The organizer, Lisa Machi Pleger wrote, “On Saturday January 21st Luke set out to retrieve his crab when he noticed a sport boat in distress, Luke did what any hero would do and came to their rescue only to end up in trouble himself. His boat washed ashore and was severely damaged. Many of his electronics are ruined, along with his motors and the vessel itself. >click to read< the rest, and please, donate if you can! 18:33