Daily Archives: February 23, 2013
Tragically, No bodies found in capsized N.S. fishing boat F/V Miss Ally – Slave Driver skipper says wheelhouse and quarters gone.
Updated Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:56 p.m. AT
WOODS HARBOUR, N.S. – Hours after police confirmed the military spotted the hull of the Miss Ally intact, the community of Woods Harbour, N.S. is devastated to learn five young fishermen were not found inside the capsized vessel.
Divers aboard a private fishing boat that went to search for the overturned boat and its crew members, surveyed the vessel and found it was extensively damaged.
Global’s Erin Trafford went to a local community hall, where people are said to be in tears after hearing the new information.
RCMP confirmed the latest development, saying the captain of the Slave Driver contacted the Canadian Coast Guard vessel in the area, the Sir William Alexander, to say the Miss Ally’s wheelhouse and sleeping quarters were not attached to the overturned hull. Read it on Global News
February 23, 2013, Halifax, Nova Scotia…
Local dive teams found no bodies inside the hull of the Miss Ally, the boat that capsized off the coast of Nova Scotia last Sunday in rough weather with five fishermen on board, CBC News has learned. Local fisherman Sandy Stoddard said the dive crew searched the hull, but came up empty handed. He said the vessel is badly damaged. Police are sending HMCS Glace Bay with the Fleet Diving Unit and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to help search the site. Read here
Coast Guard at scene of capsized N.S. fishing boat cnbcnews
The Coast Guard has reached the Miss Ally, the boat that capsized off the coast of Nova Scotia last Sunday in rough weather with five fishermen on board and those at the scene are now trying to determine the safest way to examine it, according to police. cnbcnews here
Big risks for divers on capsized boat –expert
An open ocean dive underneath the capsized Miss Ally would be risky, but could be accomplished with the right equipment, says a commercial diving expert. Shawn MacPhail, the operations manager of Dominion Diving, Canada’s largest diving company, said divers would be in extreme danger underneath or inside the vessel until it was stabilized. Read more
Update: RCMP confirm Miss Ally found – divers readying for mission
RCMP in Woods Harbour confirmed the overturned hull of Miss Ally was sighted by one of the planes patrolling the area around 10 a.m Saturday morning. All the information we have right now is coming from aerial surveillance,” said the source. It’s anticipated the coast guard ship Sir Williams Alexander is now on the site and the condition of the Miss Ally will be assessed The overturned fishing boat was rediscovered after two days of finding nothing but debris and open ocean. Read more Updated Read more
BREAKING – Nova Scotia boat F/V Miss Ally spotted capsized, but still afloat – Last Updated: Feb 23, 2013 11:38 AM
A plane has located the hull of the Miss Ally, the boat that capsized off the coast of Nova Scotia last Sunday in rough weather with five fishermen on board, according to police. 
The Coast Guard and fishing boats are expected to reach the debris soon. Read more
Liz Warren declines to accept Barney Frank’s proposal to press President Obama for relief for the fishing industry
“Senator Warren appreciated the opportunity to meet with fishermen, family members, local small business owners, and advocates earlier this week in Gloucester and New Bedford to talk about the future of the New England fishing industry,” said Bruno Freitas, a senior advisor to Warren who, for many years, served as Frank’s fisheries advisor. “It’s clear that the rules that are in place are not working for fishermen or their families. ”Senator Warren will use the tools she has available to provide them the help they need,” Freitas’ statement continued. “She has worked closely with Congressman Frank on this and other issues, and she will continue developing a strategy to most effectively assist Massachusetts fishermen.” Read more
Video of Richard Burgess, “the entire fishery between the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, whether it’s big boats or small boats, will be entirely put out of business.” Burgess concluded the segment with a renewed call for fishery disater relief for the region. “We’d like to see President Obama step in and help this Northeast region with disaster relief immediately, because we’ve got mennow that have not had paychecks in months,” he said. Watch video
Environmental review of proposed Ambre Energy coal terminal should go deeper, The National Marine Fisheries Service says
The National Marine Fisheries Service , which plays a consulting role in granting permits for the proposed Boardman terminal, has asked the Army Corps of Engineers bypass a speedier environmental assessment process. Instead, it wants the corps to prepare a full environmental impact statement, a more thorough process that would take years of additional study. A spokeswoman for Ambre Energy said Friday the company disagreed with the National Marine Fisheries Service’ findings. “We’re not pleased with and we don’t agree with the letter, but we’re following the corps’ process,” said Ambre spokeswoman Liz Fuller. “We think we should be going through an environmental assessment. Other projects of similar scope and size have gone through a similar environmental assessment. But we’re following directions at this point.” Read more
Alaska – Most Southeast salmon still from wild stocks
How many salmon come out of the Tongass National Forest? Someone asked Tongass Fisheries Program Manager Ron Medel that question, and the result was a slide show presentation that he’s given throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. It’s fairly simple to find out how many salmon are caught in Alaska each year, but the question that Medel set out to answer was a little more specific. He was looking for the percentage of wild, non-hatchery salmon that are caught in Tongass National Forest waters each year. Not British Columbia fish. Not South central fish. Tongass fish. Read more Audio
Gloucester Fishermen Albert Cottone, Joe Orlando – NOAA Northeast Regional Administrator John Bullard owes fishermen apology
We’re writing to you today in response to the story headlined “Fishermen look to White House” (the Times, Page 1, Thursday, Feb. 22). This is an extremely challenging time for the commercial groundfish industry, in particular the groundfish-dependent port of Gloucester. All segments of the fleet are faced with radical reductions in catch limits on critical stocks set to begin on May 1. These cuts will undoubtedly bring our industry to its knees. In turn, this hurt will trickle down and affect fishing communities, shore-side businesses that depend on our landings, and American seafood consumers. Read more
State of Maine shuts down more scallop fishing areas – go into effect on Monday, Feb. 25
In the latest round of closures in Maine’s scallop fishery this winter, state officials have decided to shut down three more areas to scallop harvesting. All three of the most recent closures go into effect on Monday, Feb. 25, according to DMR officials. Read more
Feds Back Off Drastic Rule Change For Sharks
OCEAN CITY — The local fishing community breathed a collective sigh of relief this week when federal fisheries officials decided to drop a rather drastic rule change for sharks that could have effectively 
shut down a significant component of Ocean City’s multi-million dollar fishing industry. “After reviewing all of the comments received, we are not planning to proceed at this time with the dusky shark measures as proposed,” the NMFS statement reads. “We will address the dusky shark overfishing and rebuilding plan in a proposed separate action.” Read more
