Category Archives: South Atlantic
Fishermen protest chemical spraying in Lake Okeechobee
“As far as people go, it’s polluting the water. As far as animals go, it’s killing off the wildlife,” said Jim Watt, a former animal dealer. Fishermen and other lake locals say FWC chemical spraying is killing plants, animals, and their way of life. “They’re getting doused with this poison and they’re losing habitat and all the baitfish are sick, your birds, your catfish, all your other fish are eating this sick bait, living in this habitat with chemicals on it,” said Fisherman Eric Cassels. The FWC says all of the chemicals being sprayed are deemed safe, but people who spend all their time on the water disagree. photos, video, >click to read< 08:19
New Bedford Remains Top Money Port in the United States
Scallops continue to be king in the Port of New Bedford. The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday released its 2018 report on commercial fishing. For the 19th consecutive year, the Port of New Bedford was the most lucrative port in the nation, with its total catch of seafood valued at $431 million. Dutch Harbor, Alaska landed the most fish for the 22nd consecutive year, more than 763 million pounds. >click to read< 10:10
Fisheries of the U.S. Report for 2018 Shows Strong Year for Fishermen – According to the Fisheries of the United States report, which is compiled by NOAA using data and analysis not immediately available at the same end of a fishing year, U.S. highest value species groups in 2018 included lobster ($684 million), crabs ($645 million), salmon ($598 million), scallops ($541 million), and shrimp ($496 million). >click to read<
Know your ENGO History! Pew’s Conquest Of The Ocean
This is the story of how a handful of scientists set out from Oregon with an unshakable belief that they knew what was best for the rest of us. They ended up conquering the world (or at least the watery portions of it) and got rich along the way, while the fishermen and their families only worked harder and got poorer. When their scientific dogma connected with nearly unlimited resources, the earth quaked and the resulting tidal wave swept aside all the usual checks and balances. It carried along the media, the politicians, the government agencies and the non-governmental organizations with such force that seemingly no one could stand against the tide. By David Lincoln, >click to read< 15:25
Water War: Florida and Georgia battle over water, as panhandle oystermen struggle to survive
Michael Dasher lowered a long pair of tongs into the water,,, His 53-year-old calloused hands grasped not just the 12-foot-long (3.7-m-long) tool but a way of life that Florida panhandle oystermen say is dying: Last year, they hauled in 16,000 pounds (7,257 kg) of oysters worth $130,000, according to state figures, a fraction of the 2012 catch of 3 million pounds (1.4 million kg) worth $8.8 million. “It’s like dumping sacks of rocks every day, but I don’t know how to do anything else,” said Dasher, who fretted that his 32-year-old son nicknamed “Little Mike,” a fifth-generation oysterman in the family, may also be its last. Their future may be determined by the U.S. Supreme Court, >click to read< 13:08
A fowl wind blows offshore
With the increased science available, showing a variety of impacts, The BOEM (Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management) Lease schedule through 2024 within the Department of Interior should be reevaluated. Since there is no official BOEM Atlantic, director, or administrator that has ever been permanently appointed, the request for a Atlantic review has not been initiated. A reliance on the bidders financial review of the lease sites is how BOEM is determining the viability for development. ( A buyer beware mentality ). This policy is a mistake and is costing the taxpayers millions. Brick Wenzel >click to read< 21:17
F/V Jamie Lynn stuck ashore due to tides, strong winds, and a needed plan to release her
Feb. 6 when high-speed winds howled through the Lowcountry, a shrimp trawler was pushed into the mud. It remains there until a plan can be made to release it. The Jamie Lynn was anchored on the Mount Pleasant side of Crab Bank and blew onto the bank of the Old Village, just southeast of the mouth of Shem Creek between two privately-owned docks. The boat was purchased by captain Wayne Pye and his fiancé, Jamie Lynn Kennedy,,, According to Kennedy, that’s right about the same time that the shrimp stopped showing up. photos, >click to read< 16:20
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for February 14, 2020
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 17:33
Coronavirus: Florida Keys Spiny Lobster Fishing Industry Hit Hard
Spiny lobster is Florida’s most valuable seafood. But the fishermen in the Keys were already having a lousy year. Then came the coronavirus. “The price crashed $4 in a day,” said George Niles, who fishes out of Stock Island. Bill Kelly from the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association said the price went from about $10.50 a pound off the boat to $6. >click to read< 19:22
Coast Guard suspends search after radio beacon alert, debris found off NC coast
The Coast Guard suspended its search on Thursday after an unregistered emergency position indicating radio beacon alert lead responders to debris approximately 126 miles southeast off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina. There were no additional signs of distress reported or vessels known to be overdue in the area. >click to read< 14:36
Coast Guard search underway after radio beacon alert and debris found off Wilmington, North Carolina -The Coast Guard is searching for a possible missing vessel after being alerted by an unregistered emergency position indicating radio beacon and finding debris approximately 126 miles southeast of Wilmington, Tuesday morning. >click to read<
Coast Guard search underway after radio beacon alert and debris found off Wilmington, North Carolina
The Coast Guard is searching for a possible missing vessel after being alerted by an unregistered emergency position indicating radio beacon and finding debris approximately 126 miles southeast of Wilmington, Tuesday morning. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard District Five command center in Portsmouth, Virginia received the distress alert at approximately 11 a.m. >click to read< 17:34
Coronavirus: With China’s Borders Closed to Imported Live Seafood, Local Fishermen Feel the Pinch
As the number of the sick and the dead continue to rise alarmingly in China, the economic effects of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak were felt in the Santa Barbara Harbor.,,, “Santa Barbara brings in $4 million to $5 million a season,” said Chris Voss, president of Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara. The prized crustacean had been stockpiled for China’s late January Lunar New Year festivities, he said, from New England to Australia. When China closed its borders to live-animal foodstuffs about 10 days ago, everyone was hit. >click to read< 10:21
Dewey Hemilright: U.S.Fishermen in desperate need to level playing field in U.S. marketplace
The U.S.A is a member of ICCAT, which is the International body with 53 contracting party countries {CPC}with additional 6 countries having cooperating status that manages Highly Migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean,, ICCAT has a {SCRS}, which stands for {standing committee on research statistics},,, I attended as a member of U.S.A. delegation in November 15-25 ,2019 the 26th annual meeting of ICCAT in Mallorca, Spain. >click to read< 17:35
‘Graveyard of the Atlantic’ claims its latest victim off Outer Banks.
The infamous “Graveyard of the Atlantic” off North Carolina’s Outer Banks claimed its latest victim Friday on the shoals off Cape Lookout National Seashore. National Park Service officials posted photos Saturday of the fishing trawler Tamara Alane sitting “high and dry” on the beach after a dramatic rescue before dawn Friday. photos, >click to read< 09:11
Coast Guard hoists 4 fishermen after vessel runs aground near Shackelford Banks, North Carolina, February 7, 2020 – Video, >click to read<
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for February 7, 2020
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 16:07
Coast Guard hoists 4 fishermen after vessel runs aground near Shackelford Banks, North Carolina
The Coast Guard rescued four men after their 78-foot fishing vessel ran aground near Shackelford Banks, North Carolina, Friday morning. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina’s command center received a radio distress call at approximately 3:30 a.m from a crewmember aboard the vessel Tamara Alane, who reported that they had become disabled due to fuel issues, then ran aground and began taking on water. Video, >click to read/watch< 14:50
Last missing F/V Papa’s Girl crewmember recovered near Ocracoke
The fourth and final crewmember of the capsized Hyde County fishing vessel Papa’s Girl was recovered Tuesday, according to the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office. HCSO Sgt. Charles Herina says that the body of crewmember Sammy Douglas was recovered Tuesday after being spotted by crewmembers on an NCDOT ferry. The HCSO, Hyde County EMS and the U.S. Coast Guard all participated in the recovery effort Tuesday. The final recovery this week followed extensive searches of the Pamlico Sound in January by multiple federal, state and local agencies in the weeks after Papa’s Girl capsized on the evening of Jan. 7. >click to read< 18:28
North Carolina Researchers ask commercial fishermen to take part in economic survey
This survey is funded by the fishermen themselves through the the North Carolina Commercial Fishing Fund. “The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic impacts and benefits of North Carolina commercial fishing and the seafood industry throughout the entire state,” says Dr. Dumas. That includes businesses supplying and supporting fishermen, processing, packing, storing, shipping wholesaling and retailing seafood. >click to read< 08:29
Science Center for Marine Fisheries Releases Evaluation and Summary of Latest Atlantic Menhaden Assessments
Dr. Steve Cadrin, Professor at the School for Marine Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and past President of the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists, has completed an evaluation and summary of the latest Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) Atlantic menhaden stock assessments. >click to read< 15:58
Summer founder, sea bass and scup are on the docket for upcoming public hearings focused on allocation percentages
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) have scheduled a series of scoping hearings to gather public input on the range of issues and information to be considered in the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment. Hearings will be held February 13 – March 3. Written comments will be accepted through March 17, 2020. All comments provided at public hearings or in writing will be presented to the Council and Commission. Lots of info, >click to read< 14:03
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for January 31, 2020
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 17:49
Coast Guard Assists Disabled Fishing Vessel Triple G Near Oregon Inlet
U.S. Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet responded to a report of a vessel offshore that had been experiencing complications with its fuel system on Thursday morning, January 30, at approximately 9:30 a.m. The vessel, which was located an estimated six miles south of the sea buoy, had lost power entirely and could also not retract their outlying gear. Once the Coast Guard boat crew arrived on the scene,, photos, >click to read< 13:24
A 2017 shipwreck off Hilton Head killed 3 people. Now other boats are in danger.
A shifting shipwreck that left three boaters dead in 2017 has caused perfect storm conditions for other ships and contributed to the demise of one just 4 miles off Hilton Head Island’s south end. As first reported by the Charleston Post and Courier, >click to read< a wooden fishing boat named “Miss Annie” was torn apart Dec. 19 when it hit wreckage,,, Turns out, the crew aboard the “Miss Annie” wasn’t the first to have troubles in the water between Hilton Head, Daufuskie and Tybee Islands. How did it happen? On May 23, 2017, a steel-hulled fishing boat named “Miss Debbie”, Photos, >click to read< 07:08
Florida Man Sentenced for Killing Endangered Sawfish
Chad Ponce, a 38-year old commercial fisherman, is facing 2 years probation, 80 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine for killing an endangered smalltooth sawfish. A judge determined this sentence on December 19, 2019, after a joint investigation by NOAA Fisheries and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed Ponce used a power saw to cut the rostrum (saw or bill) off of the live fish before discarding its body back into the ocean. >click to read< 08:35
A shifting wreck off SC has become a serious threat, sinking and damaging unaware boaters
The Miss Anne hit something in open seas off Hilton Head Island recently and began to founder. It was the second ship to be damaged in a month by a submerged, invisible hazard. The U.S. Coast Guard is warning captains to be wary of a “shifty” shipwreck.The wreck wasn’t supposed to be where the Miss Anne struck it. On the charts, it was 700 yards away. It’s a steel-hulled fishing boat that sank in 2017 in deeper water but now is just 4 feet below the surface. >click to read< 09:13
Maine DMR wants to close the pogy fishery to newcomers for 2 years while it crafts a new FMP/Enforcement plan.
“Closing fisheries is kind of a radical step and a dangerous step because it eliminates diversity,” said Commissioner Pat Keliher. “We’re not saying close it in perpetuity. Close it to see if there is a different approach here that would allow us to get both enforcement and reporting back under control.” Keliher said the 2019 menhaden season was challenging because of “a perfect storm of circumstances.” A sharp reduction in the herring quota spurred huge growth in the menhaden fleet, with 50 new boats rushing to satisfy the $485 million lobster industry’s need for substitute bait. >click to read< 07:23
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for January 17, 2020
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 21:36
F/V Sea Angels: Grounded fishing vessel near Browns Inlet, refloated and towed off the beach
The Coast Guard received a report of the fishing vessel Sea Angels being towed off the beach by the fishing vessel Lady Deborah during high tide Wednesday evening. The vessel was towed to Jarrett Bay Boatworks in Beaufort, North Carolina, where it has been dry docked for inspection and repairs. >click to read< 15:57
F/V Papa’s Girl: Body of one crewman recovered, another still missing as limited search continues
The remains have been recovered of one of the crewmembers missing from a shrimp trawler that capsized in the Pamlico Sound last week. The body of Keyron “Breezy” Davis was recovered Friday morning. The Hyde County Sheriff’s Office told WCTI-TV his body was found using sidescan sonar. Along with the Sheriff’s Office, commercial fishing vessels and volunteer boaters have continued searching off Engelhard for Sammy Douglas as weather conditions have allowed. Four men were onboard the F/V Papa’s Girl when it went down as a strong cold front crossed the sound the evening of January 7. >click to read< 13:18 All related posts, >click here<
Full Committee Markup, Legislative Hearing on Sustainable Fisheries
The Committee on Natural Resources will hold a markup on Wednesday, Jan. 15. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, our Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee will hold a legislative hearing on six bills that make our oceans and fisheries more sustainable in the face of manmade threats. The Committee’s full schedule and witness lists are available below. As with all hearings and markups, these events are open to media and the public. >click to read< 07:37
Tuesday is the deadline to comment on upcoming shrimp management plan changes
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries public scoping closes on Tuesday, Jan. 21, for comments on potential management strategies for an upcoming amendment to the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan. The amendment will examine management strategies to further reduce bycatch of nontarget species in the shrimp trawl fishery and potential changes to existing shrimp management strategies, according to DMF. Written comments can be submitted, >click to read< 20:24
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