Category Archives: Pacific

Has the Precautionary Principle been blown away by wind power?

October 6, 2021   Gulf of Mexico, International News, Mid Atlantic, National, New England, Pacific, South Atlantic, Western Pacific

Clog our near shore and offshore waters with hulking (approaching 1,000 feet tall today, who knows what’s in store for tomorrow?) structures supporting huge rotors with tips moving through the air at velocities approaching 200 miles per hour? So what? Festoon our seabeds with electrical cables carrying huge amounts of electricity, the passage of which will generate electro-magnetic fields that will almost certainly have some effect on some of the species of critters that will be influenced at some level by those fields daily, monthly or annually? Who cares? Influence wave/current/tidal scouring and associated turbidity in undetermined-and very likely undeterminable-ways on the fish, marine mammals, birds, phyto- and zooplankton, and other sea life? What’s the difference? >click to read< By Nils Stolpe-FishnetUSA, more from Nils, >click here<  08:05

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Newport’s Dory Fleet hopes hopes to survive the massive oil spill

October 5, 2021   National, Pacific

The Dory Fleet is an iconic beachfront business, starting in 1891 when a fisherman started marketing to the public on the beach. These days, four families sell fish as a co-op set right on the sand. As a fourth-generation Dory Fleet fisherman operating there since 1902, Scott Breneman and his family have endured challenging times, even surviving the Great Depression. It’s a business that, like the ocean, has an ebb and flow, facing challenges like ever-changing fishing regulations, shellfish bacteria that can restrict crab and lobster catch, sewage spills and more. “A bunch of stuff out of our control,” he said. “I would be out on the boat fishing right now,” he said. “I can’t get out of the harbor.” >click to read< 19:24

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Sea of choices confronts Biden in ocean protection

October 5, 2021   Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, International News, Mid Atlantic, National, New England, North Pacific, Pacific, South Atlantic, Western Pacific

The Biden administration appears to have a head start on protecting the United States’ oceans. After all, on paper, the nation is already more than two-thirds of the way to the goal. But as the administration puts together a tracking mechanism for its pledge to conserve 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030, environmental activists warn that frequently cited statistics provide a misleading picture of ocean conservation. At the same time, advocates for the fishing industry question counter the nation is much closer to the final objective, if not already there. They argue that conservation shouldn’t always mean activities like fishing are banned and say their industry has shown itself willing to help protect vulnerable species. >click to leave< 17:04

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It’s time to stand up for king salmon in our transboundary rivers

October 5, 2021   Canada, North Pacific, Pacific

In my career as a commercial fisherman, I’ve seen a lot of changes. Historically, 80% of the king salmon that return to Southeast Alaska are born in the Stikine, Taku and Unuk transboundary rivers. As Southeast fishermen know, the king salmon stocks that are so important to our business, recreation, and subsistence are declining. The Unuk was listed as a stock of concern in 2017, and the Taku and Stikine are likely to be soon. Meanwhile, just upstream of Alaska, British Columbia is pushing through a huge number of large open-pit and acid-generating mines,,, >click to read< 13:35 By Eric Jordan

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Museum to host book signing in Gold Beach

October 4, 2021   National, Pacific

“With Barely Two Nickels to Rub Together” is a straight forward American story, both interesting and instructive, it is neither simple nor complex. The reader will recognize people in their own lives who have persevered through personal struggles, using quantity and quality of effort., creativity and common sense to strive for goals. The story begins with Ed Freeman’s birthright family trials and tribulations that began in 1833,,  In 1939, on a freezing cold night young Ed Freeman escaped a forced family arrangement,,, Thirty years later, Ed Freeman and his son Dugie embarked on an adventure that would build the largest aluminum commercial fishing boats constructed in the United States at that time. >click to read< 14:47

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Commercial Fisherman Michael “Mikie” Devlin of California has passed away

October 4, 2021   National, Pacific

Michael “Mikie” Devlin was born to Joan Warde and Harry Devlin on May 26, 1959 in San Diego, California. In 1972, Michael & his family moved from San Juan Capistrano, CA to Trinidad, CA. Michael discovered that the commercial fishing community offered an economic opportunity and a chance to be on the ocean as well as a camaraderie that lasted his entire adult life. Michael fished for Dungeness crab, Salmon, Albacore tuna, black cod and shrimp. He also had a 19-year career working with geologists performing salmon stream restoration. Michael later moved to the Ft. Bragg/Mendocino area to fish salmon & black cod for the remainder of his life. >click to read< 10:16

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Everything We Know About the Southern California Oil Spill Right Now

October 4, 2021   National, Pacific

Here’s what we know so far. The Coast Guard received an initial report of an oil sheen off the coast of Newport Beach Saturday at approximately 9:10 a.m. The size of the spill was initially reported to be 13 square miles.,, Here’s where it gets a little interesting… The location of the spill, 3 miles off Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, also happens to be just south of where there were more than 82 ships anchored and awaiting to enter the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as of Friday, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California. >click to read< 08:36

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Oil spill off Southern California

October 3, 2021   National, Pacific

At least 126,000 gallons of oil spilled into the waters off Orange County, according to a statement from the city of Huntington Beach. The oil created a miles-wide sheen in the ocean and washed ashore in sticky, black globules along with dead birds and fish. Crews led by the U.S. Coast Guard deployed skimmers and floating barriers known as booms to try to stop further incursion into the wetlands and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Photos, >click to read< 13:55

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‘Deadliest Catch’ teaches us everything we need to know about life

October 3, 2021   International News, National, North Pacific, Pacific

It has existed through four presidential administrations, two American-led wars, deaths of crew members and Captain Phil Harris, overhauls to U.S. fishing regulations, and a global pandemic, which was the focus of the story line that concluded on September 21.,, After watching all 155 episodes, I found that what some call formula I call a meditation on life’s biggest challenges. Want to get in shape? Lift and throw heavy lines (strength), run in short bursts across the deck (cardio), and sort crab (calisthenics). Need to make money? Do your research, get the best team together you can, and hustle. Falling in love? Keep your eyes on the horizon and enjoy the swells. >click to read< 12:19

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AMSEA launches ‘Catch Fish. Not COVID’

October 2, 2021   National, North Pacific, Pacific

Alaska Marine Safety Education Association is making its message simple and direct: Catch Fish. Not COVID. The marine safety education entity in Sitka announced its vaccination promotion campaign on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The campaign will provide commercial fishermen with science-based information about vaccine safety and COVID-19 risks, while making the business case for commercial fishing vessel operators and their crews to get vaccinated. >click to read< 11:45

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What Happened To Andy Hillstrand From Deadliest Catch?

October 1, 2021   International News, National, North Pacific, Pacific

Discovery Channel crab fishing reality TV series “Deadliest Catch” chronicles real-life expeditions by various boating crews in the Bering Sea, based out of a port located in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Longtime series regular Andy Hillstrand, however, left “Deadliest Catch” completely, leaving some fans wondering what happened to the former series mainstay. Initially, Andy’s departure coincided with the retirement of his brother Johnathan Hillstrand, with whom he essentially shared captain’s duties on their boat, the FV Time Bandit. >click to read< 18:11

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Tastes better

September 30, 2021   International News, National, North Pacific, Pacific

Every day it seems to become just a little more obvious that the future of the commercial salmon business is on land no matter what Alaskans might think about where the tastiest fish are to be found. This week the news is from northern Spain where a company named Norcantabric,,,On its website, the company boasts that its farm will produce salmon that are “fresh, reduces transport time up to 5 days; 100 percent natural, without antibiotics, free of toxins, heavy metals and other artificial materials, without hormones, without sea lice and free of parasites. There are long term implications here for an Alaska commercial fishing industry once the economic mainstay of the territory, and for decades after Statehood, the 49th state’s largest employer. >click to read< 16:50

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Judge rejects Bering Sea seafood companies’ request to block penalties for alleged Jones Act violation

September 29, 2021   Canada, International News, National, New England, North Pacific, Pacific

U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason issued her 25-page decision Tuesday rejecting the request by a subsidiary of Bering Sea pollock harvesting giant American Seafoods, and a related company, Kloosterboer. The seafood companies had turned to an array of lawyers to make their case,,, They said U.S. Customs and Border Protection had threatened them and other businesses in their supply chain with penalties exceeding $300 million.,, The penalties were for using a miniature Canadian railway to satisfy a provision in a federal law called the Jones Act. It allows goods to be shipped between American ports on foreign-flagged vessels only if their route includes Canadian rail lines. >click to read< 14:39

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Calamitous West Coast commercial albacore tuna season nears end

September 29, 2021   Pacific

With only weeks remaining in the commercial season, some fishermen have already declared it one of the worst in decades.  It’s simply been a ‘bad’ tuna season, according to Western Fishboat Owners Association Executive Director Wayne Heikkila, who monitors the tuna fishing season coastwide from California to Washington as part of the nonprofit group representing 400 albacore fishermen on the West Coast.,, “Effort was down this season as most fish were farther offshore. There are still some larger vessels 200 miles out catching some,,, >click to read< 10:02

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Pandemic economy brings record Southeast Dungeness crab prices

September 28, 2021   International News, National, North Pacific, Pacific

Southeast’s summer Dungeness crab season ended up being worth $13 million. That’s about double the $7.52 million average over the last decade. The summer fishery brought in just over 3.09 million pounds of Dungeness crab.,, the average price paid for Dungeness crab this summer was a record breaker at $4.21 per pound. “That’s a record high price for the fishery, said Joe Stratman,“This summer, in terms of total value and average price, it vastly exceeds the recent 10-year average,” >click to read< 12: 48

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Reducing Ship Strikes: House of Representatives Important New Protections for Whales

September 28, 2021   Gulf of Mexico, National, New England, North Pacific, Pacific, South Atlantic, Western Pacific

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted in support of a slew of new protections for whales and marine mammals. These protections include measures to reduce vessel collisions with large whales and new programs aimed at reducing chronic underwater noise from vessels. If enacted, they would amount to the most substantial new legislative measures for marine mammals in years. >click to read< 10:59

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Valuable crab populations are in a ‘very scary’ decline in warming Bering Sea

September 27, 2021   North Pacific, Pacific

The forecast for the 2022 winter snow crab season is bleak. At best, it is expected to be considerably less than 12 million pounds. That would be down from a 2021 harvest of 45 million pounds,,, The iconic Bering Sea red king crab, which can grow up to 24 pounds with a leg-span up to 5 feet, also are in trouble. In a big blow to the commercial crabbers, many of whom are based in Washington, the October harvest for these crab has been canceled, something that has only happened three times before. Overall conservation measures are expected to wipe out most of the value of the annual Bering Sea crab harvest, worth more than $160 million during the past year, according to Jamie Goen, executive director of the Seattle-based Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers.  >click to read< 13:54

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Locally sourced seafood attracting crowds to the fishing boats in Half Moon Bay

September 26, 2021   Pacific

Commercial trawlers pan for bottom-feeders at least three miles from shore. Purse-seiners use nets closer to the surface, while traditionalists fish the way the Egyptians did with hooks and lines. Nothing causes a bigger commotion than Dungeness crab in late fall, when eager customers line the docks like going to the DMV. The crustacean has joined turkeys as a Bay Area staple of the holiday dinner table. “All the crab pots are like little money banks that you just pull up and dump out the money,” Hassan said. Weekend dock sales have become integral to survival for anglers like Hassan. Smaller boats don’t catch enough to supply wholesalers, so they bypass the supply chain for direct sales. >click to read< 13:31

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Mr. Common Resources, Meet “Miss-Management”

September 26, 2021   Pacific

The contradictions in redundant multi-agency management and layers of regulation of common resources have made management paralyzed. The need for management revision stretches across the entire spectrum of resource providers from agriculture in the heartland to fishing on the coast and energy production everywhere between. This problem is compounded by an onslaught of nonprofit and NGO lobby influence/infiltration. A narrative was created to indoctrinate the public. The narrative of resource providers being the problem of ecosystem failures is a deflection of accountability to manage. Common resource management or “conservation” was reinvented. The influence of NGO’s installed a term called “precautionary management.”  The title is Marine Mammal “Protection” Act, it should be the Marine Mammal “Management” Act. By Jeff Crumley >click to read<,video, and a link to a short 10 question survey 11:39 #seaotter, #usfws, #seaurchin #ESA   #MMPA

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Makah Tribe takes big step toward resuming gray whale hunt

September 26, 2021   Pacific

A federal judge has moved the Makah Tribe a big step forward in its 16-year-quest to resume hunting gray whales. U.S. Coast Guard administrative law judge George Jordan largely rejected animal welfare groups’ complaints that the hunt sought by the Makahs would endanger the whales of the eastern North Pacific. He recommended that the Makah Tribe be allowed to conduct a hunt largely as the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has proposed, though he proposed new restrictions on hunting in the winter and spring to protect a small subpopulation of whales that occasionally wander from the Asian side of the Pacific Ocean into waters off Washington state. >click to read< 10:36

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Caretakers of a legacy – 1932 H.C. Hanson

September 24, 2021   Canada, North Pacific, Pacific

Alaska-based fisheries biologists David and Darcy Saiget feel it was fate that brought the U.S. Forest Service ranger boat Sea Bear to them. Today, they see themselves as caretakers of a legacy rather than as boat owners.,, Sea Bear was originally named Forester. She was built in 1932 for the U.S. Forest Service ranger boat fleet in Alaska, where she served from 1932 to 1964. Designed by the famed boatbuilder H.C. Hanson, she has purple heart stem and keel, 5.5-inch-thick oak ribs on 13-inch centers, and Douglas fir decks and planks. In 11 years, Sea Bear will be 100 years old. We hope to be around for that, and hope to continue preserving her in the spirit of H.C. Hanson, the shipwrights past and present, and dedicated caretakers like Bill Clapp. photos, >click to read< 13:12

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NTSB to Host Roundtable on Fishing Vessel Safety

September 22, 2021   Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Mid Atlantic, National, New England, North Pacific, Pacific, South Atlantic, Western Pacific

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy is set to host a virtual roundtable next month on improving fishing vessel safety. The commercial fishing industry remains largely uninspected and is a marine sector of concern.,, The roundtable will feature government officials, industry leaders, fishing vessel operators, safety experts and survivors of fishing vessel accidents to discuss what can be done to address commercial fishing safety concerns, implement NTSB safety recommendations and improve the safety of fishing operations in the U.S. >click to read< – The roundtable is set to take place October 14, 2021. More details can be found here. 13:27

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Sara Skamser remembered as trailblazer, innovator in the commercial fishing industry

September 22, 2021   Pacific

As news of Sara Skamser’s death spread across the community last week, people were mourning her passing but also celebrating the life of the woman who made such a huge impact in the fishing industry and on everyone who knew her.,, Commenting on a social media post from the Fishermen’s Wives about Skamser’s death, dozens of people shared their sadness and condolences. She was called “gutsy,” “a great teacher,” “a bright light in everything she did,” and “a tough cookie.” One commenter said Skamser was the “trawl goddess of the West Coast and one of the smartest, funniest, concerned, compassionate and generous people you would have ever met.” >click to read<  08:56

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The changing face of Moss Landing

September 21, 2021   Pacific

Weathered by age and the sea, rusted railings mark the path to Bay Fresh Seafoods, a one-room shop where fourth-generation Moss Landing fisherman Jerid Rold has just arrived with a writhing haul of hagfish – one of his few remaining profitable catches. Across the street stands the sleek and sophisticated Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute – a world-renowned center for advanced research in ocean science. Moss Landing, population 200, is rapidly switching identities. The historic town is seeing its commercial fishing roots disappear as Moss Landing secures its status as a prized destination for marine research and ecotourism. >click to read< 11:22

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“Sea Otters To End West Coast Fishing” Huh! fishermen need to suck it up and “find another job?

September 20, 2021   ENGO, Pacific

For decades, Julie Packard has spearheaded a campaign to curtail fishing under the guise of “conservation.” As this campaign has evolved, it has become a tale of precaution. The campaign started as a need to save the sea otter. Did otters really need “saving?” That is entirely debatable, and was, extensively. The result was clearly non-scientific and summarized as a “choice” between fishing or sea otters. Friends Of The Sea Otter shill Steve Schmeck was quoted saying fishermen need to suck it up and “find another job.” The California urchin divers took issue and were represented by Pacific Legal Foundation in litigation. USFWS cited inability to manage the otter population. The result was USFWS having zero oversight and getting away with lying and breaking the law.,,, Fast forward to today: The Monterey Bay Aquarium & Julie Packard have infiltrated the government and the economic chain. The money, influence and placement of persons in nonprofits, universities and government positions has created an oligarchy and a serious ethics problem. This is a big read with links and information from California Sea Urchin Diver Jeff Crumley. > Click to read< 22:01

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The Gig Harbor fishing fleet had a bonanza season in Alaska this year

September 20, 2021   North Pacific, Pacific

“This has been our best season in six years,” said Matt Munkres, who skippers the Gig Harbor-based Julien, a 54-foot purse seiner. “And we got good prices, so all in all, it was pretty good.” Fishermen were glad to see it, because the previous two years had been disappointing. Gregg Lovrovich, president of the Gig Harbor Commercial Fishermen’s Club, says fishing “is like farming, you take the good and the not so good, and over the years, it kind of balances out.” Lovrovich, who runs the 58-foot Sea Fury, says he was late leaving for Alaska because of a daughter’s wedding, so he was only able to fish for a month and a half. “Still, it was one of the best months I’ve ever had,” he said. >click to read< 09:52

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Ironwood Ridge grad’s ‘Deadliest Catch’ work may earn him an Emmy

September 18, 2021   International News, National, North Pacific, Pacific

When storms in the Bering Sea bruise and batter the crab fishing boats from the popular Discovery series, “Deadliest Catch,” it’s Ironwood Ridge High School grad Nico Natale who makes sure the footage is broadcast ready. Natale has been on the production crew of the series since 2011. Today, he is an editor on the show, which celebrated its 17th season earlier this year. His work turning weather worn crews on boats with monikers like the Cornelia Marie and Northwestern into household names for viewers around the world has not gone unnoticed. On Sunday, Sept. 19, Natale and members of the team with which he edits are up for Primetime Emmy Awards in the category, “outstanding picture editing for an unstructured reality program.” >click to read< 09:53

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He was the best of us. Kenneth Dale Burns,1954-2021 has passed away

September 16, 2021   Pacific

On September 6, four days after his 67th birthday, Kenneth Dale Burns passed in the night. He was the best of us. Whether donned in neoprene in the crashing waves, or atop of his fishing boat off Humboldt Bay, he was the best of us. He loved his wife with a sincerity and devotion that only a man with his capacity for love could achieve. He was the best of us. He had a quiet soul and a stoic presence that made us all feel safe. He was the best of us. His boys adored him and his grandchildren loved him because he was the best of us. He was a captain, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. >click to read<  14:09

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NOAA Ok’s plan to cut West Coast nontribal salmon fishing when fish are needed to feed orca

September 16, 2021   Canada, National, Pacific

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries adopted the plan Tuesday as recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. It calls for restricting commercial and recreational salmon fishing when chinook salmon numbers are especially low. It’s one of the the first times a federal agency has restricted hunting or fishing one species to benefit a predator that relies on it. The fishing restrictions would extend from Puget Sound in Washington to Monterey Bay in central California, and they would be triggered when fewer than 966,000 chinook are forecast to return to Northwest rivers. >click to read< 08:57

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EPIRB Alert triggers rescue of 3 and a dog adrift in a life raft from a sunken fishing vessel

September 14, 2021   Pacific

The Coast Guard rescued 2 men, a woman and a dog found adrift in a life raft after their fishing vessel sank Sunday afternoon approximately 45 miles off Lincoln City. At 2 p.m., watchstanders at Sector North Bend received a distress signal from an electronic position indicating radio beacon [EPIRB]. The beacon was registered to the 44-foot gray and blue commercial fishing vessel F/V Royal.’ Video, >click to read<  08:06

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