Daily Archives: May 20, 2013

Coast Guard responds to fishing vessel fire off Grays Harbor, Wash. 314-foot F/V Arctic Storm reported an uncontrollable engine room fire

ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard is responding to a fire aboard a vessel approximately 32 miles west of Grays Harbor, Wash., Monday. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a call from the 314-foot fishing vessel Arctic Storm at approximately 3:20 p.m. reporting an uncontrolled engine room fire with 120 people on board. continued  Seattle Times coverage here

Mote Receives National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant Money to Bring Electronic Monitoring of Fisheries to Gulf (Way too intrusive)

Mote Marine Laboratory announced it has received a $150,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to establish the first center for electronic monitoring of commercial fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. Mote officials say it’s a first step toward gathering more scientifically sound data to inform fisheries management in the entire Gulf. continued

Do Iliamna Lake Seals Warrant an Endangered Species Listing? Video

ktuu.com – Last week, National Marine Fisheries Service officials made the decision to consider listing a harbor seal population in Lake Iliamna as endangered or threatened–yet another piece of wood on the controversial fire that is the Pebble Mine project.”It’s a small population of seals,”  Center for Biological Diversity biologist Kiersten Lippmann said. “There are only 250 to 350 individuals in the lake and small variations in their environment can push the population towards extinction.” continued

Adak Seafood Processing Equipment to Be Sold at Auction

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Hilco Industrial, a world leader in industrial machinery and equipment auctions, will conduct the sale of over 500 lots of seafood processing equipment formerly owned by a very large seafood company. The equipment is located in a recently updated 250,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art processing facility in Adak, Alaska. continued

Why We Need to Put the Fish Back Into Fisheries – (We know, but you have not included the unregulated fishing community!)

There’s something missing in this cartoon.

This is another article that is incomplete in assessing why the fish stock’s may not be what they should be. It’s obvious there is a predator issue that finds crustacean populations booming. The answer, it appears is to cut back on effort, but until they come to realize the unregulated fishing community that has exploded over forty years, with no effort controls, and fishes continuously, there will be only the regulated to be blamed. This report is typically short sighted.

The research, published today in the journal Fish and Fisheries, shows that traditional fisheries targeting large predators such as cod and haddock, have declined over the past hundred years. In their place, catches of shellfish such as prawns, scallops and lobsters have rocketed as they begin to thrive in unnaturally predator-low environments often degraded by the passage of trawls and dredges. continued

MAFMC PUBLIC MEETING – TOMORROW – May 22, 2013 – 10 am – @ Superior Trawl – 55 State St., Narragansett, RI 02882

The Council has scheduled two public meetings to talk with members of the fishing industry about options for improving management of the longfin and Illex squid fisheries. additional info here

Alberton PEI fishermen face lobster quota – processors imposed a daily quota of 500 pounds per boat

Lobster fishermen on Prince Edward Island say overwhelmed seafood processers are telling them limit their catch. Fishermen in Alberton said some processors imposed a daily quota of 500 pounds per boat over the weekend. continued

NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $20 MILLION IN GRANTS TO SANDY-IMPACTED FISHING INDUSTRY

Saugerties, NY — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today urged coastal fishing businesses harmed by Storm Sandy to apply for available funding through the State’s recently approved Coastal Fishing Industry Grant Program. continued

Watch Live – Oversight Hearing on data collection issues in relation to the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act – Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:30AM

House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs oversight hearing on data collection issues in relation to the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:30AM 1334 Hearing Room in the Longworth House Office Building http://naturalresources.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=333644   Watch Live

North Shore Crabber Sings the Pontchartrain Blues

Louisiana Seafood News – From Manchac to the Rigolets, the rows and rows of neatly stacked crab traps sitting unused on docks and piers tell a story that local crabbers hope will eventually have a happy ending. But for the time being, many are bracing and preparing for the worst. Among them is Manchac-based crabber Laramie Hill. continued

NOAA: Don’t take it out on monitors

gdt iconGloucester fisherman Joe Orlando, a 40-year veteran, said he doesn’t mind taking out observers, as long as the government pays, because he can’t afford it. He said it frustrates him that a kid who knows almost nothing about a fishing boat can climb on his and declare it unsafe. Orlando said he hasn’t heard about increasing confrontations between observers, captains or crew, but understands why they encounter resentment among fishermen facing ruin. continued

Tabusintac New Brunswick mourning three lost at sea – The tight-knit community is now “broken,”

Olive Ann Archibald of the Tabusintac Pastoral Church said the crowd at Sunday morning’s service was “sombre,” as search and rescue teams continued to comb the waters offshore for two missing fishermen. Later that day around 4 p.m., the bodies of the two men, a 35-year-old man from Tabusintac and a 32-year-old man from Brantville, were located in an area near where their boat hit a sandbar in rough seas and started taking on water Saturday morning. continued

The Blessing of the Fleet: Cape Breton fishermen pray as lobster season begins

Nova Scotia lobster fishermen and their families gathered on their boats in Main-a-Dieu on Sunday for the annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony. “Protect our fishers during this fishing season and give them a bountiful catch,” Father Savarimuthu Rajasekar prayed. The ceremony is a tradition in many fishing communities. continued

Hampden firm pokes holes in traditional boat mooring, leaving room for lobsters, crabs and other sea life

BDNMAINE – The main purpose of most moorings is to provide mariners with a secure place to tie their boats when they go ashore, but Stewart Hardison thinks they should have a dual purpose. Hardison, the primary owner of Habitat Mooring Systems in Hampden, believes moorings also should double as microcosms of Maine’s coastal marine habitat. continued  website

Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk eyes plan for fishing ‘transition’

gdt iconThe fishing industry, its advocates in Congress, notably Rep John Tierney, whose district includes Gloucester. Attorney General Martha Coakley and Gov. Deval Patrick have carried out an escalating effort to obtain federal fisheries disaster relief for the fleet — at a price tag $100 million — but have been unable to win the support of President Obama. A direct appeal by the governor to Valeria Jarrett, a senior White House advisor to the president, fell on deaf ears. continued

Enviros putting big money, strong efforts behind Markey

gdt iconHe is, in fact, the only representative with coastal interests in the Massachusetts delegation to oppose creating more flexibility and other changes in the Magnuson-Stevens Act — changes industry leadser say are essential as the groundfishing industry faces a 78 percent in cod landings this year — and he has endorsed President Obama’s so-called “ocean zoning” proposal, which is strongly backed by the “greens” but would almost certainly bring new fishing area closures. continued