Daily Archives: January 18, 2013
North Suffolk waterman Robbie Johnson is a very smart man, warns of oyster ‘drought’
“Really what we did was cut the fresh water off when the oysters themselves were in a period when they were really stressed,” Johnson said. “The oyster industry in the state of Virginia … has been somewhat on the slide 
since then.”Many in the scientific community who once blamed the decline on over-fishing by men like Johnson are beginning to see things differently after weather events in 1999 laid the groundwork for a recent resurgence, he said.
Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd broke dams and brought a lot of fresh water back into the system, he said.“Oysters started making a comeback and are still doing OK today,” he said, adding that oyster disease MXS, first seen in Virginia in 1959, was also dealt a blow.. Read more
Carteret County trawler Lady Barbara sinks at the dock in Oriental Harbor
The Lady Barbara, a 71-foot shrimp trawler owned by Ralph Talyor of Marshallberg, sank in the harbor near Hodges Street, beside the docks of Garland Fulcher Seafood, after being docked since last summer with engine problems. Read more
Editorial: Fed lawmakers miss key point on fishery ‘disaster’
That’s the fact that, while Superstorm Sandy brought unforeseen cleanup costs, the economic disaster recognized by the aptly named Blank and her Commerce and NOAA colleagues wasn’t unforeseen at all. And despite claims to the contrary in her own disaster declaration, it is not merely a case of declining stocks and other natural factors. Read more
Bering Sea Opies and the reality of the Deadliest Catch….Chris Miller
When I started fishing at the age of seventeen, I remember hearing stories from other fishermen about two fabled Alaskan fisheries: Bristol Bay gillnetting and Bering Sea crabbing. The huge waves, back breaking work, insanely long 
hours, weeks at-sea, and the crazy characters that the fisheries attract. I heard many first-hand, second-hand, and no doubt completely made up stories of fortunes earned and lost, feats of strength, and freak storms taking all hands aboard……….. What an excellent read, and some exceptional photography! Read more, and click his link’s!
