Monthly Archives: June 2013
rescueME Introduced to Commercial Market – the world’s smallest personal locator beacon
Marine communication and safety specialist Ocean Signal presents what they call the world’s smallest personal locator beacon at this year’s Seawork International, through U.K. distributors International Safety Products. Following receipt of certifications for use throughout Europe and the U.S. in April, the rescueME PLB1 is now available from Ocean Signal’s worldwide network of distributors. [email protected]
Drift fishermen ease into season
The Kenai Dock is busy this time of year as drift gillnetters put the last touches on their boats, launch them into the mouth of the Kenai River and prepare to snag a portion of the Cook Inlet’s sockeye salmon run. While the first opening to fish was Thursday and fishermen had a chance to go in again Monday, Anne Poso, longline logistics manager at Snug Harbor Seafoods, said there were not many boats in the water yet. continued@peninsulaclarion
Clearwater Seafoods Inc to add $45-million vessel to clam fleet
Clearwater Seafoods Inc. closed $350 million in new debt facilities Wednesday that will be used to add a $45-million vessel to its clam harvesting fleet. When it’s fully operational, the company’s third clam harvester will increase Clearwater clam sales to about $100 million by 2017 from $60 million, Clear-water treasurer Tyrone Cotie said in an interview. continued@chronicleherald
Is Phillip Boudreau really a victim? by Phonse Jessome
Phillip Boudreau is a murder victim and they rarely need defending but maybe he does. It might be easy to blame him for what happened but it seems to me that is like blaming the bullet, not the finger on the trigger. continued@cbcnews
savingseafood.org: Inaccuracies Abound in Joint Press Release from the Conservation Law Foundation & Earthjustice
The press release misstates important facts about groundfish, starting with a quote from CLF’s Senior Counsel, Peter Shelley: “cod are in the worst condition ever in the history of New England fishing and probably getting worse.” But, while both Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine cod stocks are certainly in the middle of a rebuilding process, neither faces historic low’s. continued@savingseafood
Our mutual reliance on the ocean
Whether their primary purpose in your life is recreational or commercial, the Gulf fisheries more than likely play some role. You might enjoy fishing with your children and grandchildren or your parents and grandparents. You might be in the business of hauling nature’s blessings from the Gulf and selling them to seafood processors. Or you might just enjoy cooking up a fresh gumbo or shrimp stew with the fruits of others’ labor. continued@houmatoday
Vancouver: Area A Crab Association upset as fishery suddenly closed
Crab fishermen were told on Friday afternoon that the fishery would be halted, and Area A Crab Association executive director Dan Edwards is at a loss as to why. continued@northernview
New yellowtail flounder survey on tap – Long awaited commercial fleet collaborative research inclusion is finally realized
NEW BEDFORD — Five fisheries scientists based in Woods Hole came to the city Wednesday and spelled out the details of a new yellowtail flounder survey to be performed from commercial fishing vessels in August. The effort is d
esigned to bring commercial fishermen into the process of conducting surveys, and to give the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s survey ship Bigelow something to compare to. The NOAA is looking for two boats big enough to berth five scientists and five crew members, who will work 24-hour days in shifts for 12 days. continued@southcoasttoday
Terrible lobster season focus of new plan – P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association wants revamp of loan program
With the value of lobster at the wharf under the cost of production, association executive director Ian MacPherson said the season has left fishermen in financial difficulties at the end of the season. continued@cbcnews
Paralytic shellfish poison prompts harvesting closure – Affected areas include Mahone Bay, St. Margarets Bay, Terence Bay and Cole Harbour
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has closed part of Nova Scotia’s southern coast to shellfish harvesting after measuring high counts of Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP).continued@cbcnews
Shad’s Resurgence In Connecticut River Continues
Connecticut River shad stocks continue to rebound, with state biologists reporting another banner year for the fish that returns from the ocean each spring to spawn in the river. continued@The Courant
C&C Diving and Salvage takes business deep
Some businesses struggle to stay afloat. Not Zech Bennett. His focus is on staying beneath the surface. As the owner and operator of C&C Diving and Salvage, Bennett and his crew — Jim Parker, Seth Sanford, and, occasionally Cecil Cheatwood, former owner of the business — offer everything from the simple retrieval of lost items to more complicated projects beneath the surface of Alaska waters. Last week’s work list included everything from righting the capsized skiff being towed behind a commercial fishing boat to salvaging, with Cheatwood’s help, a floatplane off Nanwalek. continued@homernews Address: 2163 ASPEN LN,Homer, AK, 99603
State closing Juneau’s waters to shrimp fishing July 1
The state will close commercial and sport shrimp fishing in Juneau on July 1. The commercial shrimp fishery will be closed for three years. Sport and personal use shrimp fishing will be closed until further notice. continued@juneauempire
From Dick Grachek: CLF and The Right to the Judicial System
Companies’ venture brings deep sea red crab to Va. F/V Hannah Boden will relocate to Hampton, Va.
The expansion of Virginia’s seafood industry is a joint venture between two Virginia-based companies, L.D. Armory Co., Inc. and Graham & Rollins, Inc. and Massachusetts-based Atlantic Red Crab Company. The companies said the F/V Hannah Boden will relocate to Hampton in July and will deliver about 10,000 pounds of Atlantic deep sea red crabs a week. continued@sfgate
John Bullard,NE Regional Administrator,National Marine Fisheries Service,Seeking Input on Draft Working Resource Document for Groundfish Industry
F/V ‘Sea Mac’ Owner/Operator Indicted on Lacey Act Charges
In announcement made Friday, U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler reported that State of Washington resident, 54-year-old Steven Carr was indicted by a Grand Jury in Anchorage for making false records under Fish and Wildlife laws and making false material statements to a Federal government agency. The indictment states that as the owner and operator of the F/V Sea Mac out of Kodiak, Alaska, in 2008, Carr held permits allowing him to fish in the entry-level Pockfish Pilot Program. continued@alaskanativenews
Nils Stolpe: A staggering loss to U.S. fishermen and U.S. seafood consumers. And while on the subject of press releases…. CLF and Earthjusice
It was back in June of 2008 that I first became aware of Richard Gaines’ work in the Gloucester Times in a three part series exploring the interplay between fishermen, feds, ENGOs and the mega-foundations that funded them in a controversial move to close Stellwagen Bank to fishing (see http://tinyurl.com/n8m3voh for the first installment). A letter about the series I wrote to Times Editor Ray Lamont started “kudos to Richard Gaines for reporting what is going on behind the smoke and mirrors obscuring the struggle to maintain the historical fisheries that have thrived on Stellwagan Bank for generations. He couldn’t be more on-target when writing ‘Pew is associated with public information campaigns against fishing and fish consumption.’” continued@thewritingsofnilsstolpe
Australia and Japan in court battle over whaling
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Australia accused Japan of carrying out commercial whaling under the guise of scientific research on the first day of court hearings between the two nations that campaigners say could lead to an end to whaling in the Antarctic. Tokyo says it is carrying out essential scientific research – allowed by a 1946 treaty on whaling – to establish whether whale stocks are recovering from past overfishing. Earlier this week, Japanese diplomat Noriyuki Shikata said the research was sustainable. “There are about 515,000 minke whales in the Antarctic, and Japan’s research is taking only about 815 a year,” Shikata said. [email protected]
MacKay announces $488 million for coast guard vessels – The vessels include search and rescue lifeboats, research and science vessels
National Defence Minister Peter MacKay was in Halifax this morning to announce $488 million in funding
for almost two dozen new vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard. continued@chronicleherald
Hard work on the weir: Minas Basin fisherman uses ancient technique
BRAMBER — It’s a large day on the mud flats of the Minas Basin. The sky is clear, there’s a slight breeze and the famous tide has receded far off into the distance. We’re about half a kilometre from shore, and the view is spectacular. The beach is flat on all sides, 
ragged cliffs line the shore behind us and ahead is the large bluff of Cape Blomidon. continued@chronicleherald
New Brunswick: ‘Super bore’ attracts thousands to Petitcodiac River – Tidal phenomenon expected to boost tourism in Moncton area
A wave of sea water rushes up the Petitcodiac twice a day, being pushed by the tide. But Monday’s moon was 13 per cent closer than usual, meaning the gravitational forces on the tides were stronger, making for a bigger bore than usual. continued@cbcnews
BP mounts offensive in spill settlement dispute
With an ad blitz and a tersely worded letter, BP is mounting an increasingly aggressive campaign to challenge what could be billions of dollars in settlement payouts to businesses following its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In letters that started going out Tuesday, BP warns lawyers for many Gulf Coast businesses that it may seek to recover at least some of their clients’ shares of the multibillion-dollar settlement,,,, [email protected]
Senate confirms Penny Pritzker to head Commerce Department
In a nearly unanimous vote, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed billionaire hotel and real-estate magnate Penny Pritzker Penny Pritzker to become the next commerce secretary . continued@washingtonpost
Now this, THIS is exciting!!! Former Mayor Scott Lang forming watchdog group – Dr. Brian Rothschild slated to be executive director
NEW BEDFORD — Former Mayor Scott Lang is taking aim at NOAA fisheries as he organizes a nonprofit to serve as a watchdog and a counterweight to an agency he for years has said has spun out of control. The organization has no name and Lang isn’t saying who will be part of it. But he said he wants scientists, lawyers, fishermen and other industry players who feel that they’ve been pushed aside as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration does its business. continued@southcoasttoday
Letter: Fight further takeover of our fishing grounds – Jim Tarantino Gloucester, Ma.
It’s pretty simple: The Gloucester fisherman are being moved off the fishing grounds because there are more profitable harvests from the ocean. The big corporations own everything: our farmland, our government, the media, and now they’re taking the planet’s biggest asset — the ocean. The Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) recently held a poorly advertised public forum (there wasn’t one Gloucester fisherman there!) to seek public comment on ocean planning. continued@gloucesterdailytimes
Changes in Port Canaveral charter protects fishing industry
The local commercial fishing industry will receive added protection as part of a plan approved Tuesday by port commissioners. The commission gave its unanimous support to proposed changes in the port charter recognizing the
importance of the commercial fishing industry and assuring that such operations there would not be squeezed out by other development. continued@floridatoday
Battle over natural gas port proposal resurfaces
Gov. Christie’s Office reaffirmed to the maritime administration that the state was opposed to the amended application [withdrawn in 2012], which essentially is this current project,” he said. “They are avoiding New Jersey at all costs.” In a statement, LNG officials said they incorporated previous feedback from federal and New Jersey state officials in the design of Port Ambrose, reducing the number of buoys by half, locating the port completely offshore, and avoiding impacts to adjacent shorelines, fisheries and area tourism. continued@independent
Ahead of Bluefin Tuna Meeting, Congress, Industry urge NOAA to support U.S. interests; Scientists call Pew Trust “factsheet” a distortion
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) June 25, 2013 — On June 26, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will convene in Montreal to discuss the stock assessment for Atlantic bluefin tuna. In adv
ance of the meeting, a debate has arisen among marine scientists, environmental groups, and industry stakeholders over the appropriate level of allowable bluefin harvest. This debate revolves around several unresolved scientific questions about the nature of the bluefin stock. How those questions are addressed at the Montreal meeting will impact how the international bluefin quota is set. continued@savingseafood
Bristol Bay’s Sockeye Harvest Hits 4-Million
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports that another 725.5-thousand sockeye were harvested bay-wide on Monday to push the season total to just over 4-million. continued@kdlg
