Category Archives: South Atlantic
Reallocation: coming to a dock near you?
Ever since quota transfers in “shared fisheries” have been made so easy to justify (see the Massachusetts justification for the recent reallocation of fluke, bluefish and black sea bass at https://tinyurl.com/yckkr6vm), such transfers each year are going to cost us hundreds of tons of product and tens of millions of dollars of business. And as long as one-third of the voting members of the eight regional fishery management councils and three commissions either work for or run the state agencies that are funded in very large part by Wallop-Breaux revenues (see my most recent piece on Wallop-Breaux funding at https://fisherynation.com/
Sea Hunt! Sub proposed for war on lionfish
Two marine enthusiasts are taking lionfish hunting to a whole new level, and depth as they are working on outfitting a submarine to wage war on one of Florida’s most-wanted invasive species. Scott Gonnello and Scott Cassell have begun plans to outfit a one-person Kittredge K-250 submarine into an underwater lionfish hunting machine and plan to bring the sub to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo for World Oceans Day on Wednesday, June 8. The sub was first welded together in the 1970s but was rotting away in a backyard in Cassell’s home state of California until he obtained it 1991. Cassell has since logged more than 15,000 hours under sea in it, he said. >click to read< 10:33
Avoiding ship strikes – Robotic buoys developed to keep Atlantic right whales safe
A Cape Cod science center and one of the world’s largest shipping businesses are collaborating on a project to use robotic buoys to protect a vanishing whale from lethal collisions with ships. A lab at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution developed the technology, which uses buoys and underwater gliders to record whale sounds in near real time. The robotic recorders give scientists, mariners and the public an idea of the location of rare North Atlantic right whales, said Mark Baumgartner, a marine ecologist with Woods Hole whose lab also operates the buoys. >click to read< 14:00
Georgia: For first time in 20 years, Thunderbolt revives Blessing of the Fleet
It’s been decades since the Town of Thunderbolt hosted its Blessing of the Fleet festival, a three-day affair that paid homage to the city’s shrimping history. Shrimping and fishing boats would fill the marsh-lined river, waiting to be blessed by the Catholic bishop before heading out to sea. For more than 20 years, the town, including Thomas who served as mayor in the early 2000s, had tried to bring some semblance of the ritual back, but it never quite gathered enough momentum. This year, after a two-month sprint of preparation and planning, Thunderbolt is reviving the Blessing of the Fleet. >click to read< 08:24
America’s biggest scallopers want changes to regulations preventing consolidation
“The bottom line is this proposal is about global control, from the switch to the fish to the dish,” said Alan Cass, a former New Bedford scalloper who began his career as a deckhand and retired as a boat owner. “The resource will be at the mercy of a consolidated effort by these corporations to control ocean-to-table and economically injure the small entities in this industry.” For nearly 30 years, scallopers like Cass and his son, who followed him into the industry, have gone to sea under a set of regulations that limit both the amount of scallops that can be harvested each year and the share of that harvest that belongs to the industry’s biggest players. Roy Enoksen, the president of Eastern Fisheries and a co-owner of the nation’s largest scallop fleet, said leasing would allow him to stack scallop allocations onto more efficient vessels and save on maintenance costs. >click to read< 13:10
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 23, 2022
Fisheries commission meeting set for Thursday, Friday in Beaufort – >click to read<
Fishing Boat Captain Pays $22,300 To Settle Federal Fisheries Case With NOAA
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a settlement agreement with a commercial fishing captain. Darrell York of the commercial fishing vessel, F/V Watch Out, agreed to pay $22,300 restitution for resource-related crimes dating back to 2015. During a stop in January 2021, officers discovered 13 red snapper and one gag grouper in the hidden compartment. >click to read< 13:20
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 16, 2022
NCWF…Sounds a lot like the CCA’s approach to messaging. Doesn’t it? A couple of weeks ago I had a call from a friend who is not a fisherman, recreational or commercial, but has taken an interest in fisheries management. He reached out to ask me about the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF), as he had seen them mentioned in several of our weekly newsletters but was having trouble finding their fisheries positions on the NCWF website. >click to read<. To read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 09:41
US fish landings fell 10% during first pandemic year
America’s commercial fishing industry fell 10% in catch volume and 15% in value during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal regulators said Thursday. The 2020 haul of fish was 8.4 billion pounds, while the value of that catch was $4.8 billion, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The early months of the pandemic posed numerous challenges for the U.S. fishing industry, which has remained economically viable despite the difficult year, NOAA officials said. NOAA made the announcement as it unveiled its “Status of the Stocks” report, which provides details about the health of the nation’s commercial fishing industry. >click to read< 15:22
Commercial fishermen concerned recreational fishing is leading to overfishing
“There are plenty of fish out here to be caught,” said Captain Matt Sexton for the Small Shellfishing vessel. “Everyone should have equal chance to catch fish out here, but there are a lot of rules and regulations that are going on that are not fair to the commercial fishermen.” Those same concerns were repeated by boat captains readying their boats for their next trip. Fishing captain Casey Streeter also owns Island Seafood Market in Matlacha. He says a big part of the problem isn’t coming from commercial or charter fishing, but rather recreational fishing; and a lack of knowledge about how much fish is actually being removed from the ecosystem. Video, >click to read< 08:42
Offshore wind farm plans collide with fishing industry concerns off Carolina coast
The Biden administration’s plans to develop wind power off the East Coast are drawing concerns from the fishing industry, in the latest example of climate policy colliding with the livelihood of coastal businesses. Interior officials say they are aware of the concerns and are working on regulatory guidance that would lay out how wind farm developers can minimize harm to commercial and recreational fishing, while compensating businesses for losses. Wednesday’s auction is moving forward before officials finish that work. More lease sales are planned in the next two years for regions off the coast of California, the central Atlantic region and in the Gulf of Mexico. Without federal guidance, offshore wind developers have carved out their own settlements with local fishing groups. “Saddling project proponents with the costs of fisheries compensation would almost certainly have an adverse impact on ratepayers and/or project finance,” association officials said in a January letter to U.S. officials. >click to read< 14:50
Faulty Autopilot, Empty Wheelhouse Led to Grounding off Georgia
A captain’s decision to turn on a recently-repaired autopilot and then leave the wheelhouse led to the grounding and sinking of a fishing vessel off Cumberland Island, Georgia, according to the NTSB. On June 7, two days before the casualty, the captain of the shrimp trawler F/V Sage Catherine Lane found that he couldn’t turn off the autopilot, and he had to unplug it to get back manual control. He tried to troubleshoot the issue,,, On June 9, 2021, the vessel was transiting outbound on the St. Marys River, making nine knots. The captain, who had 30 years of experience in commercial fishing. set the vessel’s autopilot, then answered a phone call and went below to his stateroom. >click to read< 18:25
Happy National Shrimp Day! Here’s what to know about South Carolina shrimp
Every year on May 10, National Shrimp Day recognizes America’s favorite bite-sized seafood. If you’re a fan, today’s the day to make your favorite shrimp dish and learn more about how these little crustaceans are involved in South Carolina’s history and ecosystems. Commercial fishing in South Carolina is dominated by shrimpers whose trawlers can reach up to 85 feet in length or more. These boats can be multipurpose and can be used locally for both shrimping and crabbing as well as for line-fishing and trawling. Shrimping can be a tedious and at times, dangerous business. Yet, it remains to be a fundamental part of South Carolina life. >click to read< 08:08
Fernandina’s Shrimping Industry: Storied Past, Uncertain Future – A Look Back
Here we are in the birthplace of American shrimping industry. We greet visitors with a waterfront Shrimping Museum. Pink and blue larger-than-life statues of shrimp adorn our parks and street corners. Our major civic celebration is the annual Shrimp Fest, complete with a parade and people dressed like crustaceans. But is it all just nostalgia? Is our historic shrimping industry just a museum piece, or is it a vibrant business that will survive and thrive? At Dave Cook’s dock at the south end of Front Street, Roy Mc Henry, who was working on his 39-foot shrimper, Queen B, while his aging Golden Retriever, Sweetie, lounged in the cockpit. Capt. McKendree was not optimistic about the state of the local shrimp industry. >click to read< 09:22
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 02, 2022
The “Rule of Law” is the political philosophy that all citizens are accountable for the same laws. This philosophy helped fuel the American revolution and was a key principle considered, by our founding fathers, when drafting the U.S Constitution. The Rule of Law ensures, that in a true democracy, the powerful, wealthy, or majority can’t use the law to oppress or control the minority. When it comes to regulating our coastal fisheries both the government and our state seem to struggle with this relatively simple concept. Simply put, it doesn’t matter whether you fish for food, profit, or pleasure, your impacts are similar and therefore you must be treated similarly under the law! Perhaps it’s time for another revolution! >click to read< to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 18:43
House Passes Sullivan’s American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, welcomed House passage this week of S. 497, the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act, bipartisan legislation he introduced to create an industry-led committee to assist in the administration of fisheries marketing, research, and development grants. The Saltonstall-Kennedy (SK) Act provides funding for fisheries marketing, research, and development. These funds are derived from a portion of fishery import duties. To inform how these funds are allocated, Congress authorized a group of experts from different segments of the fishing industry to advise on commercial fishing problems and needs. Following a 1972 law, the original American Fisheries Advisory Committee was disbanded. In the committee’s absence, the National Marine Fisheries Service decides, by its own criteria, who receives grants. >click to read< 12:36
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 92′ Rodriguez Shrimper/Scalloper, 3412 Cat
To review specifications, information, and 35 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:52
More than a dozen shrimp, fishing boats blessed during Mt. Pleasant’s ‘Blessing of the Fleet’
The 35th Annual Blessing of the Fleet took place Sunday afternoon at Mt. Pleasant’s Memorial Waterfront Park. Fifteen shrimp and fishing boats took part in the blessing and parade. The event is a way to show community support for those taking to the waters this season- along with those no longer with us. Wayne Magwood’s memory continues to be honored- through his former vessel making an appearance from its new home in North Carolina, 
to one the current local boats being renamed in his honor. Magwood’s daughter Melissa said, “this festival has been a part of my life like the entire time, the 35 years, of celebrating the blessing of the fleet.” It’s a time for Melissa and her family who is deeply rooted in the shrimp catching industry to honor the local “legend” who passed away in 2020. Photos, videos, >click to read< 14:49
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 25, 2022
Is North Carolina allowing fishermen to circumvent the Endangered Species Act? On April 6, 2022, the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) of North Carolina sent out an email with so much disinformation I can’t even begin to address it all in one article. The email contained many of the same half-truths and outright lies we’ve been exposing over the last few months but one, above all, really rubbed me the wrong way. The CCA claimed that the “use of gill nets continues in North Carolina waters because the state holds two permits on behalf of commercial fishermen that allow them to circumvent the Endangered Species Act protections and kill or harm endangered sea turtles and sturgeon.” Circumvent. Really? >click to read the WeeklyUpdate<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 08:58
DMF resuming onboard observer program for estuarine gill net fishing May 1
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries announced Thursday, April 20 it will resume onboard observations of estuarine gill net fisheries beginning May 1. Onboard observations will be the primary method of observing the fisheries, with limited use of alternative platform observations primarily conducted by Marine Patrol officers. “The decision to resume onboard observations as the primary observation method is based on improved COVID-19 indicators,” Fishermen are reminded that an estuarine gill net permit is required to use anchored gill nets, both large-mesh and small-mesh, in estuarine waters for either commercial or recreational fishing. One of the conditions of the EGNP is to allow division staff to observe gill net operations. >click to read< 11:35
Be careful What you wish for … especially in fisheries management
I attended the NCMFC meeting on 2/23-2/25. The first evening was public comment. The majority of the speakers were CCA members, guides and individuals, who basically repeated the same script that was obviously authored by someone else and read over and over.,, In all my years as a recreational angler living in eastern NC. I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER, seen the hate and disgust shown by a select group of anglers pushing the rhetoric of the CCA and other groups against commercial fishing. I do not believe this is the average angler, but a group of self-centered, agenda driven, individuals, who stand to gain politically and monetarily from the closing of commercial fishing. I get asked all the time how can I champion a sector that has gill nets and trawls? I don’t think of it that way. by Easton Edwards, >click to read< 09:08
South Carolina: The 35th annual Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival returns
It’s oh-fish-ial! The 35th annual Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival is returning this weekend. The festival has one purpose: To celebrate Mount Pleasant’s local fishing and shrimping industry. Held at Memorial Waterfront Park on Sun., April 24, this free event features a boat parade, live music, a dance competition, and a shrimp eating contest. The festival also includes a ceremonial blessing of the fleet. Attendees are encouraged to come hungry,,, >click to read< 08:05
Commercial fisherman medevac’d 50 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina
The Coast Guard medevac’d a man Wednesday aboard the fishing vessel F/V Crystal C, 50 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew transferred John Gary Modin to awaiting emergency medical services at Air Facility Charleston. EMS transported him to the Medical University of South Carolina for further medical care. >click to read< 18:30
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 95′ Ocean Marine Scalloper/Shrimper, 3412 Cat
To review specifications, information, and 47 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:34
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 11, 2022
A recent study conducted by researchers at LSU shows that Southern Flounder Stocks have declined throughout their entire range from North Carolina to Texas. The study was triggered by dramatic declines in the number of Southern Flounder in Louisiana waters. In 2017, Louisiana’s recreational Southern Flounder harvest declined to a mere 124,000 pounds, down from a high of 624,000 pounds in 2013. The findings of the LSU study fly directly in the face of claims made by the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) of NC and the NC Wildlife Federation (NCWF), who suggests that decline of Southern Flounder is solely a NC issue caused by commercial fishing, specifically gillnetting. >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<
Port Royal ousting old shrimp boats from dock.
Port Royal is moving ahead with a plan to demolish the town-owned dock,,, “I think we all want to see a working waterfront,” Town Manager Van Willis says of the effort. “We’re hoping with a new dock and state-of-art processing facility we’ll become a location to offload.” Owners of the old boats tied up at the dock have been given until April 15 to move. The town, however, will be responsible for moving abandoned boats or those that have sunk. Most of the boats never leave the dock. “Unfortunately, almost every single one doesn’t actually shrimp,” Willis says of the shrimp boats, some of them barely seaworthy, that are tied to an equally dilapidated dock. >click to read< 16:33
Commercial Fisherman William Van Druten, Jr. of Frisco, NC has passed away
Bill was born in Passaic, NJ on March 11, 1942 to William and Trina Van Druten. His life was driven by his love for the sea. The depth of his life was immense; from playing basketball at Rider College, to pursuing his career as an educator, and ultimately moving to Frisco, NC to achieve his lifelong dream of being a commercial fisherman. It is the sea that called to him throughout his life and he instilled a love for it in so many. Realizing this dream was one of many pearls in his life. Being known as “Tall Bill” in the fishing community delighted him and brought him great contentment. >click to read< 10:40
S.497 would establish the American Fisheries Advisory Committee within Department of Commerce
After reaching out to Senator Ed Markey and Senator Elisabeth Warren and informing them that under NOAA, the SKG Grant money was not going to our fisherman as intended. My experience of being on a panel in Saint Petersburg to evaluate the applicants for two days, I discovered that the panel was there to please the public and that NOAA has complete say of who got the money! I reported this to Bruce Schactler, and Senator Sullivan. Markey who was opposed, sent his aid to met with me. After I told her what happened Markey came on board and it will now go to the House of Representatives. I am asking all Senators to support this bill. It will set up an advisory panel as was in 1954 and give our fisherman a better chance of the funds. Please, >click to read< Best Regards, Sam Parisi
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 04, 2022
Over the last couple of months, many NC anglers have reached out to the NCFA seeking to get a better understanding of what’s really going on in the world of fisheries management here in North Carolina. That said, there have been several anglers who have questioned our assessment of the CCA’s true agenda, which in our opinion is to reduce or even eliminate harvest of wild fish stocks in both the commercial and recreational sectors. I had an angler from Pamlico County tell me that the CCA had assured him that once the nets were gone recreational bag limits for Red Drum, Southern Flounder, and Speckled Trout would increase and nothing I write could convince him otherwise. This got me thinking that maybe he and other anglers would be more receptive to the truth if someone else wrote it. >click to read the attached article< 16:40
The story of how a Black man pioneered the salmon canning industry in British Columbia in the 1870s
Located on an island on the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada, is the Deas Island Regional Park What many do not know is that the park took its name from John Sullivan Deas, a founder of the salmon canning industry in British Columbia. More than 140 years ago, the island was the site of Deas’ cannery. A tinsmith by trade, Deas is believed to have pioneered the salmon canning industry in British Columbia, becoming the leading canner on the Fraser River in the 1870s. Born in 1838 in South Carolina among some groups of Black people freed from slavery, Deas was a trained tinsmith by the time he was in his teens. Historians have described the 1870s also as the Salmon Rush as anyone with ample capital could open a cannery. Deas knew how to make cans, so salmon canning was an ideal business idea. >click to read< 15:30
