Category Archives: South Atlantic
Recreational, commercial shrimp season closes in state waters
Georgia’s commercial and recreational food shrimp season closed on Thursday, Jan. 18, and will open again in May. This season saw 184 licensed shrimp trawlers in Georgia’s water, 117 of which were Georgia residents. On average, these shrimpers harvested 16.788 pounds of shrimp tails per hour spent trawling, the highest catch per unit effort on record. The closure affects Georgia’s territorial waters three nautical miles out to sea. This year’s is the highest CPUE CRD has recorded. Diesel fuel prices continue to challenge Georgia’s shrimping industry, with the national average price of No. 2 diesel fuel sitting at $4.214, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. more, >>lick to read<< 19:20
Preserving our heritage and livelihood – A shrimper’s stand against unjust regulations
I’ve been a shrimper for over 45 years. It’s more than just a job; it’s a legacy that’s been passed down through generations in my family. Since I was 15, I’ve been working in the waters of Plaquemines Parish, my workplace, my passion, and my source of livelihood. Today, as I continue to bring the finest Gulf shrimp to your tables, I find myself fighting not only for my job but for the very soul of Louisiana’s shrimping heritage. The recent rule by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) mandating the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on skimmer trawl vessels longer than 40 feet is a real threat to our community. This rule, though it may seem well-intentioned, is an example of overreach and disregard for our industry’s reality. more, >>click to read<< 13:44
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 75′ Steel Shrimp Dragger, 3412 Cat
To review specifications, information, and 21 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 08:10
Op-Ed: Engineering insights when building a trawler
Constructing a new factory trawler fishing vessel in the United States is not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Thinking back to an article written about 10 years ago, industry scholars predicted a boom in shipbuilding to replace the Alaskan fishing fleet. While naval architects, shipyards and equipment suppliers saw a boom in their immediate future, the renewal of the fishing fleet has barely begun. In fact, less than 5% of the fishing trawlers in the Alaskan fishery have been replaced. The refrigerated seawater (RSW) catcher fleet has seen one large conversion join the ranks. The Amendment 80 fleet has seen three new construction vessels, along with one sponsoning and one conversion project. The American Fisheries Act (AFA) fleet has seen one new-build project completed. Vessels in all three fleets have seen significant upgrades in this time, but the underlying hulls still date from the 1980s and 90s with some going back as far as the 1960s and 70s. more, >>click to read<< 10:16
Missing fisherman’s body found in Fort Pierce Inlet days after disappearance
The body of a commercial fisherman who vanished earlier this week was recovered from the Fort Pierce Inlet near Jetty Park on Friday afternoon, deputies said. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Coast Guard recovered the body of Brian Ronshausen, 50. Ronshausen was last seen launching a small boat from Stan Blum Boat Ramp at about 11 p.m. Monday. Photos, >>click to read<< 10:14
Coast Guard suspends search for missing 50-year-old boater in St. Lucie County
The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday morning it has suspended the search for a missing commercial fisherman in St. Lucie County. Brian Ronshausen, 50, was last seen launching a small boat from Stan Blum Boat Ramp at about 11 p.m. Monday. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said a concerned boater called 911 at approximately 3 a.m. Tuesday after finding an unoccupied 20-foot Carolina Skiff in the channel near the Riverside Marina in the Fort Pierce Inlet. “The Coast Guard has suspended its search for 50 y/o Brian Ronshausen pending the development of new information,” Video, >>click to read<< 13:27
50-year-old man presumed missing after boat found in channel in SLC
Rescue officials continue searching for a 50-year-old fisherman, who last was seen Monday night launching a small boat from Stan Blum Boat Ramp, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and a family member Tuesday. About 3 a.m. Tuesday a boater contacted 911 after finding an unoccupied Carolina Skiff in the channel near the Riverside Marina, the agency stated on social media. The marina is in the 2300 block of Old Dixie Highway north of downtown Fort Pierce. The missing man was identified as Brian Ronshausen, 50, of Fort Pierce. “He’s a commercial fisherman. He has a license. He’s been doing it his whole life, fishing,” said his mother, Trulee Snell, 68, of Okeechobee. “He fishes in the evenings because that’s the best time.” Photos, more, >>click to read<< 17:46
Catch of the Night
The American eel’s lifestyle is as elusive as it gets. No one has seen one mate in the Sargasso Sea, the eel’s birthplace. However, we know that after hatching, eels begin their journey to land by following the Antilles Current and Gulf Stream toward the mouths of North American rivers. Elvers (juvenile specimens also known as glass eels) then venture inland, mature, and later return to the ocean to mate, with the entire process ranging from a few months to a few years in duration. The unfortunate truth is that eel populations worldwide are rapidly declining. They have faced overfishing since the 1970s, resulting in poaching regulations in most of the world. Today, just two US states award eel fishing licenses: South Carolina and Maine. Because South Carolina only allows traps for fully grown eels, Maine has become the heart of the elver issue. more, >>click to read<< By Phil Avilov10:31
9 North Atlantic right whale calves born so far this breeding season
One month into the breeding season for North Atlantic right whales, nine calves have been born. Amy Warren, an assistant researcher at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, said she’s crossing her fingers for more births, but that the count at this stage is pretty much on par with previous seasons. “It’s been hard to judge because the trends have shifted a little bit earlier some years, a little bit later some years,” Warren said. “Last year at this time, I believe we had 10 calves. So we’re really not far off from that.” Photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:29
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 84′ Raised Foc’sle Scalloper/ Dragger, 940HP, Cummins KT-2300
To review specifications, information, and 33 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 07: 43
Sixth Right Whale Calf is Sighted
Right whale calf number No. 6 was born off Cumberland Island on Dec. 28, 2023. Halo is a 19-year-old mother of three known calves. Her last calf was born in 2020. Halo has three siblings and five nieces/nephews, all of whom have been entangled on more than one occasion. Halo has callosities behind her blow hole which look as if she wears a halo. Halo’s sister Calamari – #3946 and her son Jagger #5046 both received their names just this year. Halo’s nephew, Kingfisher was entangled eight times in his short life. The last entanglement included a rope around his flipper which persisted until his last sighting in 2015. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Halo is known to enjoy the shoreline of Florida beaches. Halo and her calves have been spotted from shore on many occasions. more, >>click to read<< 06:56
Bad weather? Rough seas? No problem for Florida fishermen looking for their money catch
When low pressure followed by a strong cold front crossed Florida with tropical-storm-like conditions this past week, you would think boat ramps would be completely empty. No one is crazy enough to head out when seas are calling for 6 to 10 feet, are they? But for generations of local families, these conditions are what is needed to start money rolling in as they head out to fill boats with one of the most commonly seen Florida fish. “Two of my buddies had two boatloads a day during this past front,” says angler Trever Flathman, who is a full-time commercial fisherman. A boatload could be 3,000 to 6,000 pounds depending on the size of the boat. What Flathman and others are looking for this time of year are roe mullet. Usually after Thanksgiving, mullet head offshore in giant schools to spawn. more, >>click to read<<08:12
A unique partnership connects Lowcountry fishermen with people who don’t have enough to eat
Daniel LaRoche watches as his crew, who’s just returned from nearly two weeks at sea, hoists dozens of giant swordfish from the belly of a boat. Some are real whoppers, weighing more than 200 lbs. LaRoche owns Cherry Point Seafood on Wadmalaw Island, just south of Charleston, selling fresh fish and shrimp from his dock. But making a living, he says, has never been harder. He wrestles daily with the rising costs of fuel, boat repairs and lures. LaRoche says he must sell even more shrimp to compete with imports as he struggles to keep up. Now, a new program promises help, by providing monthly pre-paid orders for 160 pounds of his shrimp and swordfish. So, who’s picking up the tab? The South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston. photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:12
VIDEO RELEASE: Coast Guard rescues 2 after vessel sinks 34 miles offshore Charleston
A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah helicopter crew rescued two men, Tuesday, after their 30-foot fishing vessel capsized 34 miles offshore of Charleston. Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center watchstanders received a mayday call at 10:30 p.m., via VHF-FM channel 16 from a crew member aboard the fishing vessel stating their vessel was sinking. Watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Charleston boat crew and an Air Station Savannah helicopter crew to assist. Utilizing direction finding technology to triangulate the last known position, watchstanders were able to identify the vessel’s approximate location. Once on scene at the vessel’s last known position, the helicopter crew immediately located a life raft with two people aboard. Video, more, >>click to read<< 19:30
Galveston shrimpers being run out of business due to low prices, overseas imports
Captain Jerome Kunz
Texas Gulf shrimpers are going out of business during what many are calling the worst period in the history of the industry. “You’ll see numerous boats up and down this dock and most of them are just set here,” Nikki Johnson-Kunz said as she stood along Pier 19 in Galveston. Pier 19 was once a bustling hub for Galveston’s shrimping fleet — from the same spot a few years ago, one could watch dozens of shrimp boats running back and forth to the Gulf and then to the seafood markets along the docks to sell their catch. Johnson-Kunz married into a Galveston family that’s been fishing the waters for shrimp for more than a century. They said business has never been as bad as it is now. “Our prices that we get paid per pound are under a dollar,” she said. “It’s sickening.” Video, >>click to read<< 10:52
‘A perfect storm’: Beaufort, Bluffton urge Gov. McMaster to take action on shrimp dumping
The city of Beaufort and the Town of Bluffton recently became the third and fourth coastal municipalities to call for the declaration of an economic disaster due to the dumping of imported shrimp into local markets. The actions speak to a statewide concern. Fishermen warn that limited resources and an inundated market have created a “perfect storm” that without intervention could tear apart South Carolina’s shrimping industry. On Dec. 12, Beaufort and Bluffton joined Mount Pleasant and McClellanville in urging Gov. Henry McMaster to declare an economic disaster due to the dumping of imported shrimp. Van Willis, Port Royal town manager, said officials there are planning to take a similar action in January. photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:29
Hoyle’s Bill to Support Commercial Fishing in Port Infrastructure Act Passes
This week 4th District Congresswoman Val Hoyle’s “Supporting Commercial Fishing in Port Infrastructure Projects Act” passed both the House and Senate as part of the Maritime Administration Reauthorization Act. A release from Hoyle said President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law. Hoyle said H.R.4618 will ensure ports can apply for infrastructure grants that support commercial fishing, bolster jobs and drive the economies of coastal communities. Hoyle said current law does not make it explicitly clear whether ports can apply for Port Infrastructure Development Program grants that support commercial fishing, often leaving it up to interpretation that can overlook commercial fishing communities who are the backbone of coastal economies. more, >>click to read<< 14:44
Beaufort leaders ask Gov. McMaster to declare economic disaster to help shrimping industry
This all comes after local shrimper Craig Reaves sent this letter to city council explaining how shrimp dumping threatens his livelihood, and that of many others. In his letter to council, Reaves says that ‘all commercial fishing families have been decimated.’ He lists multiple reasons for said decimation but says that import dumping is the lead cause. For context, shrimp dumping is when farmed shrimp from other countries is sold to U.S. retailers and restaurants for below the market price that local shrimpers adhere to. Beaufort officials recognize the issue. “You can’t have locally owned operated seafood companies if the market price is going to be debased by this amount of flooded shrimp that’s coming in,” said Beaufort’s Acting Mayor Michael McFee. Video, more, >>click to read<< 08:40
American Shrimp Processors Association Welcomes House China Select Committee’s Bipartisan Trade Enforcement Recommendations
On December 12, 2023, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party adopted a bipartisan report with scores of policy recommendations to reset the terms of the U.S. economic relationship with China and help domestic producers compete in the face of China’s non-market practices. The American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) welcomed the recommendations focused on strengthening the enforcement of U.S. trade remedy laws as a key component of this strategy. “American shrimp processors and harvesters have been fighting China’s unfair trade practices for nearly twenty years,” said ASPA President Trey Pearson. “The domestic shrimp industry is made up of small, family-owned businesses, and we need our trade remedy laws to be strengthened and vigorously enforced for us to have a chance to compete with foreign producers and exporters supported by the Government of China.” more, >>click to read<< 09:46
Susan Collins and other lawmakers seek to expand health support for commercial fishermen
A federal program that protects the health and wellbeing of commercial fishermen should be expanded to include substance use disorder and worker fatigue, a group of lawmakers from New England and Alaska said. The lawmakers want to expand a federal commercial fishing occupational safety program that funds research and training. The program is designed to help the nation’s fishermen with the often hazardous conditions they face at sea.Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is one of the lawmakers pushing for the change, said expanding the program would help fishermen access more safety training and mental health resources., more, >>click to read<< 10:08
Where will the whales be? Ask the climate model
Fishers Richard Ogg and Dan Kammerer catch Dungeness crab in waters off Bodega Bay, Calif.
In a new study, scientists say they can now use global temperature models, commonly used in climate science, to predict up to a year in advance when hot ocean temperatures will raise the risk of whale entanglements. This lead time could allow state regulators, fishers and other businesses that depend on the fishery, as well as Californians hoping for a Dungeness crab holiday meal, to plan ahead for potential fishing restrictions. Ecological forecasts could help New England and maritime Canada, where highly endangered right whales are also getting entangled in fishing gear. “My personal opinion is that this is very, very helpful,” said Richard Ogg, a commercial fishing boat captain based in Bodega Bay. more, >>click to read<< 11:57
Markey bill would expand safety training, grant opportunitiies for fishing industry
The bipartisan Fishing Industry Safety, Health, and Wellness Improvement (FISH Wellness) Act would build upon the success of the Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research & Training Program to better address the occupational safety and health risks facing fishermen, including worker fatigue and substance use disorder, said U.S. Sens. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska. “Every day, our fishermen are faced with demanding and dangerous working conditions that take both a physical and mental toll, all while they work to bring food to the tables of families across the country,” Markey said in a prepared statement. “The FISH Wellness Act will provide much needed funding to ensure that fishermen are getting the information and resources they need to stay safe and healthy on the job.” more, >>click to read<< 07:37
Hyde-Smith, Cotton & Scott Introduce Bill to Ban Chinese Seafood Imports
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today joined U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in introducing legislation to ban U.S. imports of seafood and aquaculture products from China. The Ban China’s Forbidden Operations in the Oceanic Domain (Ban C-FOOD) Act would also sanction companies that import Chinese seafood and place tariffs on countries that facilitate the shipment of the seafood. “It’s past time we hold China accountable for its persistent violation of sovereign waters and its shameless use of slave labor to dominate the aquaculture market with unsafe, chemical-ridden products. more, >>click to read<< 09:01
A group of commercial fishermen have ended up before the Supreme Court
An unforgiving southeast wind cut across Cape May, New Jersey, on a recent Tuesday morning; the 50-mile-per-hour gusts were so strong they created white caps on a section of the bay here that is typically calm. There would be no fishing for Bill Bright and his crew. “We don’t have crop insurance. If the fish don’t show up, there’s no bailout,” the 64-year-old said, standing on the deck of the Eva Marie, an 88-foot-long fishing vessel used to catch herring. As a lifelong fisherman, Bright is used to slow days. But a recent shift in tidal fortunes here has nothing to do with fish and everything to do with the federal government. “What’s at stake for us is our future,” Bright said. For years, fishermen like Bill Bright and his colleague Wayne Reichle have been required to take federal observers on their boats when they set out into the North Atlantic in search of herring. Video , >>click to read<< 19:06
Will SAFMC open oculina coral reef to shrimp trawling? Environmentalists oppose plan
Will an area of ocean bottom offshore of Florida’s Atlantic coast soon be reopened to shrimp fishers? That’s what’s expected to be decided Thursday during a meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Habitat Protection and Ecosystem Based Management Committee. They will vote on a motion to open a 22-square-mile area of sea floor about 20 miles offshore of St. Lucie, Indian River and Brevard counties. The area is believed to be an area where rock shrimp, and several other varieties of shrimp, can be harvested for sale in Florida seafood markets and restaurants. Commercial fishers say the area, closed to shrimp trawling since 2014, is ripe for productive fishing. Conservationists disagree, saying the area needs to remain closed to protect the slow-growing deepwater oculina coral from fishing practices that could harm the coral. more, >>click to read<< 14:25
In Massachusetts, the Never-Ending Fight over Herring Marches On
On a September day in 1805, Thomas Gifford lugged a cannon onto the village green in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The 27-year-old stuffed the barrel with herring and lit the fuse. Gifford planned to spew bloody bits of fish onto the green in an act of political protest. Instead, the cannon shattered, with mangled chunks of herring and shrapnel shredding Gifford’s body. It took him days to die. Gifford’s death was the culmination of a years-long conflict. The crux of Falmouth’s so-called Herring Wars never really went away. Even after Gifford accidentally dispatched himself, the owners of commercial endeavors, from fishers to cranberry farmers, have continued to clash with herring supporters across New England. This long and tumultuous history got a new chapter in March 2022 when a federal judge overturned a decision by the New England Fishery Management Council. The agency had briefly banned midwater trawlers,,, more, >>click to read<< 13:01
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 92′ Rodriguez Scalloper/Shrimper
To review specifications, information, 35 photos’, and a video, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 10:50
What makes Dungeness Crab Unique
Named after the town of Dungeness, Washington where people first began fishing for these crustaceans in the 1800s, Dungeness crab meat is prized by chefs and seafood connoisseurs alike for its subtle sweetness, and flaky, delicate texture. It’s easy to get lost in the moment when you’re biting into a chunk of delectable Dungeness crab meat. Still, it’s worth pausing to express gratitude toward the crab fishermen (and women) who caught that meal for you. This article covers a lot about these crabs, and you’ll know about a wide variety of crab from Dungeness to King Crab. Dungeness vs. Snow Crab, vs. Stone Crab, Photos, and more, >>click to read<< 16:50
‘Catalytic.’ How a bipartisan bill could save working waterfronts from Cape Cod to Alaska
Andrew Spalt climbs the side of the new hydraulic dredge ramp he is installing aboard his boat Miss Emma.
The Working Waterfront Protection Act (S-3180) would establish a grant program that would support working waterfronts in coastal states, including the Great Lakes. The act would provide $20 million annually through fiscal 2028. Commercial fishing cooperatives, working waterfront owners and operators, nonprofit organizations and municipal and state governments would be eligible to apply. Fishing Communities Coalition Coordinator Noah Oppenheim said support is crucial because of pressures facing working waterfront owners and fishing communities nationwide. The coalition represents more than 1,000 independent small boat fishermen and business owners from Maine to Alaska, according to its website. 8 photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:38
Locals want more rules for seafood imports
Only about 10% of seafood consumed in America is domestic. That’s crippling the Louisiana seafood industry. “For the last two years it’s just about ruined the industry,” Louisiana fisherman Pete Gerica said. In his 50 years on the water, Gerica has never seen it this bad. “There’s just so much you can take,” Gerica said. “Fuel prices being $4.00 a gallon. The cost of everything you buy, it’s just you can’t stay in business if you keep on spending money and you ain’t making none.” Monday, Congressman Garret Graves and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser testified before the Louisiana Seafood Task Force in Baton Rouge. more, video, >>click to read<< 12:40
