Monthly Archives: October 2014
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 55′ Longline/Dragger,1979, Longliner Wood, Detroit / Federal Permit(s)
Specifications, information and 7 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:01
Trident Seafoods charged for late fish tickets
Alaska state law requires commercial fish processors to record each catch on an AFG-approved fish ticket, which must be submitted to a local representative within seven days after landing. Charging documents indicate Trident’s fish tickets were between five and 12 days late. Read the rest here 09:51
Fishermen Anticipate Good Stone Crab Claw Season
Gary Graves is vice president of Keys Fisheries, one of the state’s largest processors of the tasty claws. He projected season-opening, per-pound state retail prices should exceed $13 for medium, $20 for large and $25 for jumbo. Read the rest here 09:03
On the Job: Coastal Bait Co. in Portland
The company moves approximately 400 barrels of bait a day, six days a week, for lobstermen along the Maine coast. Coastal Bait Co. employee Ralph Kent has worked for the company, on Custom House Wharf in Portland, for eight years. “I never work nine to five,,, Photo series here 08:52
First federally permitted offshore mussel aquaculture project on east coast soon to get underway
The first shellfish aquaculture project permitted in federal waters off the U.S. east coast is expected to begin operating next spring. Scientists and fishermen are partnering on this project to grow blue mussels within a 30-acre area in Nantucket Sound. . Read the rest here From Mussel beds planned near wind farm 08:38
Commercial fishermen see glut of pinks, pricier reds
If measured in sheer volume of fish, the Upper Cook Inlet commercial harvest of salmon was low: preliminary Fish and Game estimates show it at about 20 percent less than the 10-year average harvest. But, when 20 percent less than the 10-year average, the exvessel value of the 2014 harvest was high at $35 million — making it the second year in a row that Cook Inlet commercial harvesters have seen lower-than-average harvests with higher-than-average values. Read the rest here 07:47
Lobstering lures multiple generations of women
Everyone has heard of the “glass ceiling” impeding the progress of some women in corporate America. Some maintain there is a “glass gangway” for women on the water. But three generations of women lobster fishing in Corea Harbor in Gouldsboro say the challenges they face have nothing to do with men. And each said they turn out to haul every morning for the same reason many of the men do — a love of being out on the water. The money doesn’t hurt either. Read the rest here 21:50
Dock prices by AK region/species, 2011-2013
Fishermen talk prices more than just about any other topic, but prices can often be tough to come by. Most of Alaska’s seafood catches are sold long after a fishery closes and final settlements aren’t known for several months. There is one place to find out how fish prices are tracking. Read the rest here 16:25
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals defamed a 90-year-old woman to raise money for itself
VISTA, Calif. (CN) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals defamed a 90-year-old woman who raises chinchillas as pets, in videos “laced with photos and video of other chinchilla farms,” to raise money for itself, the woman claims in court. Lurlie Adams dba Valley View Chinchilla Ranch sued PETA, Lisa Lange, Sam Simon, and the SamSimon Foundation, in Superior Court. Lange is a senior vice president of PETA. Read the rest here 15:22
Board of Fisheries readies for annual work session in Juneau Oct. 15 and 16
The board is meeting for its annual work session, where it hears preliminary reports on escapement goals for each of the regions it will discuss as part of its regular meeting cycle for 2014-15. The Board of Fisheries sets the management plans for fisheries throughout the state,,, Read the rest here 14:57
Live Streaming NEFMC EBFM Committee’s Plan Development Team meeting Oct. 15, 09:00
The notice announcing the EBFM Committee’s Plan Development Team meeting, Oct. 15 EBFM Plan Development Team Meeting, has been revised to accommodate the details about live-streaming for anyone interested. Please note, this is a listen-in only opportunity. The agenda is here, and posted on the NEFMC’s website here . Online access, click here 14:35
Biblical facts about fishermen, fishing and fish
When the Son of God initiated his ministry, his first act was to travel to the Sea of Galilee and select four fishermen to be his apprentices (Matt. 4:18). Biblical scholars believe that at least seven of the 12 disciples were fishermen. Incidentally, the Greek word translated fishermen in English language Bibles is a broader term that actually means seamen, referring to any group of men,,, Read more here 13:33
Lake Winnipeg Commercial Fishermen say quota system forces them to waste fish
Some of the nearly 1,000 people who rely on Lake Winnipeg’s commercial fishery for their livelihoods say the current quota system hurts their pocket books and results in thousands of kilograms of wasted fish. But he frequently finds other fish in his net as well, including whitefish, which counts against his seasonal quotas. But there could be another solution. Read the rest here 13:13
Government cuts and poor public attitude to commercial fishing depressing New South Wales fishermen
“Generations of fishers, their fathers before them and their fathers before them, have been fishing and then suddenly…someone comes along and says ‘you can’t fish there any more’,” she said. “They can’t deal with it because they’re so powerless and the smaller…the industry gets, the harder it is to be able to defend.” “It breaks down families, it brings divorce, it brings suicide, so it’s the responsibility of our minister to understand the stress that’s being brought to bear.” City developments affect water quality and fish stocks Read the rest 11:03
American Seafoods settles inaccurate scales spat with NOAA for $1.75M
NOAA had charged that that the flow scales were sometimes inaccurate during specific seasons on three of American Seafoods’ vessels. The resolution means a hearing scheduled for later this month on the charges of scales won’t be held. Read the rest here 10:06
I like this! Alma sending off lobster fleet with all-night party – They love their lobstermen!
Lobster fishermen will depart the wharf in the southeastern New Brunswick community of Alma Tuesday morning after a major send-off — an all-night party. Jane Chrysostom, one of the organizers of the Alma Fleet Launch Festival near Fundy National Park, says the event is a celebration of the fishing families and the dangerous, unpredictable work of the fishermen. Read the rest here 08:20
Someone should Boot the Boston Globe Editorial Staff – As codfish dwindle, communities need to reboot
With codfish at their lowest level in history, it is hard to give credence to fishermen and political leaders who believe New England’s iconic catch would be just fine if only nosy researchers and regulators would get out of the way. A really lousy Boston Globe editorial. Read the rest here 07:52
Scientist: Cod quotas too high in retrospect
October 14, 2014 Because of a reporting error, a story on the cod crisis on Page A1 of Sunday’s Times misrepresented a statement by National Marine Fisheries Service scientist Michael Palmer. Scientists knew only in retrospect that fishing quotas had been set too high to rebuild Gulf of Maine cod, likely because they had overestimated the current stock size, overestimated how many young fish would be produced, or . Here 07:36
2 Houma men sentenced, fined for oyster violations
Two Terrebonne Parish men have been sentenced for illegal oyster fishing violations. Read the rest here 07:22
Varnamtown: Town has deep roots with coastal history
There is a reason it’s called 
, and Courtland Varnam, who lived in Varnamtown before it was a town, knows all about it. “There are plenty of Varnams here,” he said with a grin.,, Like his cousin Courtland, Knot Varnam grew up in Varnamtown oystering and clamming. Knot never got away from a nautical way of life. He has built boats and been a licensed boat captain for 49 years. Read the rest here 18:07
Stone-crab season starts Wednesday
When it comes to claws, there could be cause for cheer: Stone-crab season opens Wednesday, with commercial fishermen seeking the legal-size claws that rank as Monroe County’s most lucrative harvest after spiny lobster. “No one ever knows for sure until the first pull of the season, but we do have some things that are looking good,” Bill Kelly, executive director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association, said Friday. Read the rest here 17:46
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. – Southeast Alaska and Kodiak Dive for Dollars
Diving for sea cucumbers, geoduck clams, and sea urchins is. Southeast holds the title for the biggest dive fisheries in Alaska. Around 70 divers have been searching the bottom of the ocean for sea cumbers since opening day on October 1st. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s dive fisheries Stock Assessment Leader Mike Donnellan in Juneau gives us the scoop. Listen, and read the rest here 16:45
Greenpeace vows to destroy planet – “But our supposedly precious home planet and its wildlife couldn’t give a shit.”
Following a brutal giant squid attack on a Greenpeace submarine, senior activists realised that Earth is a hostile place populated by creatures that exist only to kill. A spokesman said: “For years we have endangered our lives haranguing whaling ships, risked imprisonment to help obscure mammals and worn dreadful sexless knitwear so that we look the part while doing so. “But our supposedly precious home planet and its wildlife couldn’t give a shit.” Read the rest here 13:20
Guest: Wait for the facts on Pebble Mine
THE proposed Alaskan Pebble Mine, a copper-and-gold mine, has received almost as much attention in Seattle as it has in our neck of the woods in Alaska. Much of the focus has been on how the potential mine could affect large commercial fishing companies, especially in Washington state. Unfortunately, while everyone seems to be focusing on salmon and what’s best for Bristol Bay, our people and our interests seem to have been put on the back burner. In fact, we believe others’ interests are being put ahead of ours, and our voice is not being heard. We thought Seattle residents might want to know how we feel. Read the rest here 11:10
Council asks for analysis of Gulf of Alaska catch shares
After more than a day of staff reports and public testimony on a possible Gulf of Alaska trawl bycatch management program, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council unanimously agreed to a motion asking for formal analysis of a program that would allocate pollock and Pacific cod harvest privileges to trawl fishermen participating in voluntary cooperatives. Read the rest here 09:16
Study finds birth control pill has negative effects on lake ecosystems
The lead researcher of a new study is calling for improvements to some of Canada’s waste water treatment facilities after finding that introducing the birth control pill in waterways created a chain reaction in a lake ecosystem that nearly wiped out a freshwater fish. Read the rest here 22:48:07
Kiribati deal shocks fishing world – US Tuna Fleet Forced Out – Chinese and Taiwanese boats take over
A tiny South Pacific nation has shocked the fishing world by revealing without warning that it has forced most of the American tuna fleet out of its vast waters and is letting Chinese and Taiwanese boats take over. Earlier this week governments of the 17 members of the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency, which included New Zealand and Kiribati, and the United States had settled a tuna deal in Pacific waters for 2015. Read the rest here 17:48
PUTNAM: Slow government action hurts fisheries
Christian Putnam is a Scituate resident and board member of Friends of South Shore Fisheries. This is his take on administrative bureaucrats, stock assessments, cod behavior, and the Canadian cod fishery, which by some unknown to our regulators reason, is experiencing an ongoing cod renaissance for as long as Gulf of Maine cod have been missing! Read the rest here 16:59
China Gets Aggressive in the Pacific — and Gives U.S. Arms Dealers a New Customer
This past summer saw multiple incidents of 
skirmishing with Vietnamese boats in the South China Sea, battling for position around a Chinese oil rig that’s been set up within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. In one notable incident, a Chinese vessel rammed, and sank, a Vietnamese fishing boat. Read the rest here 14:07
