Daily Archives: October 20, 2014
Federal Conservatives under fire after ‘blind luck’ keeps drifting ship afloat
OTTAWA – Opposition critics say B.C.’s northern coast dodged a bullet this week when a disabled cargo ship drifted dangerously close to the shores of Haida Gwaii. The Russian-flagged Simushir has been safely towed to Prince Rupert by a commercial U.S. tug but New Democrats and Liberals in Ottawa say the incident doesn’t bode well for a dramatic increase in supertankers plying the same waters. Read the rest here 21:02
Zhangzidao Group takes over Eastern Passage fish plant – “We will be sponsoring hockey teams,”
Feeding China’s booming middle-class population has led to a major investment in Nova Scotia by a large Chinese seafood company. The Zhangzidao Group says it expects to export between 2.3 to 4.5 million kilograms of Nova Scotia lobster to China in the next year and spend millions of dollars on new holding and processing facilities in the province. Read the rest here 18:07
Drive to Mine the Deep Sea Raises Concerns Over Impacts
Armed with new high-tech equipment, mining companies are targeting vast areas of the deep ocean for mineral extraction. But with few regulations in place, critics fear such development could threaten seabed ecosystems that scientists say are only now being fully understood. Read the rest here 17:50
Coast Guard medevacs injured fisherman after crab pot falls on him
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed to Cold Bay, medevaced an injured fisherman from a fishing vessel 150 miles southeast of Sand Point, Alaska, Sunday evening.,, injured after a crab pot fell on him during loading operations Read the rest here 16:35
UAF Researchers Montior Gulf of Alaska and Find Waters Warmer
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have been studying the waters in the Gulf of Alaska and found that the warmer than normal temperatures are averaging one to five degrees warmer than the September average of 55-57 degrees Fahrenheit. Read the rest here 15:07
North Devon fishing industry is facing ruin and set to collapse following a ban on ray fishing.
The North Devon fishing industry is facing ruin and set to collapse following a ban on ray fishing. Local fishermen are facing selling their boats and Appledore Fish Dock has closed down after the unexpected ban left the industry contemplating the loss of almost three quarters of its revenue. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has levied the ban, which includes the Bristol Channel, after the country as a whole went over its quota for the year. Read the rest here 14:19
No profits found in this tangled catch – Fishermen taking a beating!
Local fishermen this year have had a tough time with a species of red seaweed, an algae, that looks like matted hair. The algae began to bloom and spread in May. Nets would get fouled – often beyond recognition – and the fishermen would spend hours cleaning them, only to have their nets get “weeded up” on the very next tide. And to add insult to injury, when the weed was thickest, covering acres of the seabed, the nets would often be empty of fish. Read the rest here 13:23
From pencil to computer: Lobstermen adapting to digital data collection
Just 10% of Maine’s lobster fishermen, selected randomly each year, are required to report landings and other data to the Department of Marine Resources. They use good old pen and paper, the forms provided by the DMR. In this digital age, that seems inefficient says Susan Corbett, CEO of Axiom Technologies in Machias. In recent years, she and Axiom, a broadband provider, have worked to develop an online data collection system for lobster harvesters. Read the rest here 10:10
Green Crab found near Pool’s Cove – Could be a serious issue in Fortune Bay
According to Cynthia McKenzie, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans, the green crab has established a foothold in the Pool’s Cove area of Fortune Bay. She said DFO issued experimental licenses to the Conne River Band and a group in Pool’s Cove this past summer to catch green crab. Read the rest here 09:59
Marin voice: Prop. 1 – One more shovel of dirt on the grave of our fisheries – Zeke Grader
Proposition 1 is one more shovel of dirt on the grave of our salmon, crab and other 
. Heightening dams or building new ones takes years. Our salmon fisheries need water now, not in 10 years. Our salmon fishermen and their families need water to flow down our rivers now to sustain these great fish that provide for us. Read the rest here 09:11
