Monthly Archives: January 2015
DAVID G. SELLARS ON THE WATERFRONT: Too heavy to hoist
Platypus Marine, the full-service shipyard, yacht-repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer on Marine Drive in Port Angeles, attempted to haul out Sea Mac (freshly repowered), an 87-foot steel commercial fishing vessel that had developed issues with her running gear while underway from Seattle to Alaska. However, she had taken on a full load of diesel, Read the rest here 10:17
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, January 18, 2015
The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance is dedicated to its mission of continuing to help create sustainable fisheries without putting licensed fishermen out of business.” Read the update here To read all the updates, click here 10:02
Macaluso: Will new Congress take stance?
Unless and until Congress changes the Magnuson-Stevens Fish Conservation and Management Act, the federal mandate with a long name, Gulf of Mexico recreational fishermen will continue to have their pockets picked. That’s because when it comes to the management tactics and schemes, recreational fishermen have suffered far more than the commercial side. Read the rest here 09:56
For Immediate Release: Press Conference – January 19, 2015 AT 1 PM – LOCATION: THE FISHING VESSEL ‘PROVIDENCE’, COMMERCIAL DOCK
CAPTAIN REED, ONE ON THE MOST RESPECTED FISHEMEN IN SHINNECOCK, IS FACING A CRIMINAL RECORD, POSSIBLE JAIL AND THE LOSS OF THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE FOR HIS FAMILY BY THE LOSS OF VALUABLE FISHING PERMITS IF HE IS CONVICTED OF THIS CHARGE. HE INTENDS TO PLEAD NOT GUILTY ON MARCH 4, 2015 BEFORE THE HON. BARBARA WILSON, IN THE SOUTHAMPTON TOWN JUSTICE COURT AND DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE TRIAL TO PROVE HIS INNOCENCE. Read the rest here 20:00
Northbay Pelagic fish factory blaze in Peterhead brought under control
The building involved was formerly the Fresh Catch fish factory. The firm was taken over in a “joint venture” by new company Northbay Pelagic Ltd in 2013. Photos, Read the rest here 19:13
Aleut Corp., Adak finally receive access to pollock quota
Things have been rough for the western Aleutians town of Adak over the last decade, but the pollock season beginning Jan. 26 will finally make the town some money. After being passed over for Community Development Quota, suffering the closure of its Naval air base, then held under the thumb of Steller sea lion restrictions that essentially closed the Aleutian Islands subarea to pollock fishing, the Aleut Corp. and Adak will be able to harvest the 17,400 metric tons, or 38.3 million pounds, of pollock quota they were allotted 10 years ago by the late Sen. Ted Stevens. Read the rest here 17:45
Loophole allows illegal fishing harvests
A rowboat, kayak or inflatable raft should not classify as a licensed commercial fishing boat, say state fishery regulators. Current state laws on qualifying for certain commercial fishing licenses include a “loophole” that needs to be closed, according to a commercial fishing group and staff with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “Right now it’s far too easy to get a [restricted-species endorsement] falsely,” said Bill Kelly, executive director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association. Read the rest here 17:19
Nantucket: Concerns Over Small Mesh Trawling for Squid Surface at DMF Hearing
New regulations for squid, conch and striped bass fisheries were among the topics of a wide-ranging public hearing Wednesday at the Katharine Cornell Theatre. About 20 people, including commercial fishermen from on and off the Island, provided comments on eight draft and emergency regulations proposed by the Division of Marine Fisheries. Read the rest here 13:16
Lobbying for lobster: N.S. pumps up markets
Geoff Irvine had one nugget of advice for the culinary students he addressed this week. “Learn Mandarin,” the executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada told the aspiring chefs, providing a clue as to where he thinks the lobster market is heading. For now, though, Irvine’s attention is on two issues: environmental certification for the industry, and finalizing a levy on lobster catches. Read the rest here 11:49
Governor Baker should meet this fisherman, too
Here’s a guy whose brain Governor Charlie Baker should pick. And on the double. Baker’s chief of staff, Steven Kadish, should scan the gubernatorial schedule and make room for Scituate fisherman Frank Mirarchi before the month is out. Why the urgency? Because our new governor himself has demanded it. “I promise — I’m telling you point-blank — that this administration is going to directly engage this issue, and we are going to engage it early in giving it priority,” Read the rest here 10:56
Seafood marketers face challenges in 2015
are facing some strong headwinds heading into 2015, notably, for sockeye salmon and crab. Snow crab is Alaska’s largest crab fishery, underway now in the Bering Sea. The fleet has a slightly increased 61 million pound catch quota; boats also are tapping on a hefty bairdi Tanner crab catch, the larger cousin of snow crab. Read the rest here 10:39
Red’s Best Seafood owner accused of violations
Jared Auerbach faces two charges of untagged striped bass, two charges of untagged shellfish, undersize conch and a public access ramp violation, according to Massachusetts Environmental Police spokesman Peter Lorenz. Read the rest here 09:50
NOAA science attacked at forum
As expected, Friday’s public hearing on the state of the region’s commercial fishing industry wasn’t exactly laden with magic solutions for reversing the fortunes of the beleaguered industry. Bullard largely defended NOAA’s ability to assemble the best available science,,,But when Fisheries Commission member Al Cottone, asked him if he felt confident that he was receiving the best available science to serve as the basis for his policy decisions, Bullard conceded that it’s not perfect. “There’s always uncertainty with the science,” Bullard said. “But the science coming out of Woods Hole is really good science.” Read the rest here 09:02
They put a 1,005-pound bluefin tuna in the Fish Bucket! – That’s a very big fish!
It’s a big fish story to tell the grandkids. Anglers are reveling in a 1,005-pound blue fin tuna that was brought in Tuesday by the Morehead City boat Fish Bucket, skippered by Capt. Herb Sheades with mate Jonathan Anderson. The fish was 116 inches long and one of the longest ever to be brought back to the docks in Carteret County. The Fish Bucket is one of several commercial fishing boats that are part of the fleet trying to hook the giant tuna as a supplement to their winter income. Read the rest here 19:22
Could BP, Feds settle in massive 2010 oil spill civil case? Experts weigh in
BP faces a top fine of $13.7 billion for its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, down from a possible $18 billion after a federal judge ruled Thursday that the spill was smaller than the federal government had estimated. Legal experts count the ruling as a victory for BP,, The Justice Department and BP have spent months preparing for the three-week trial, which will determine how much BP owes in pollution fines under the Clean Water Act. Read the rest here 17:52
Swordfish Facts – The Fishery, and the Fish
Swordfish are pursued worldwide by the fleets of more than 20 nations. In the U.S., swordfish are landed from Maine to Louisiana, as they migrate up and down the East Coast. U.S. swordfish catches peaked in 1993 at just over 10,000 metric tons. In recent years, following the introduction of a variety of conservation measures, U.S. catches have fluctuated between 3,500 and 4,000 metric tons. Read more here 16:19
Haida Nation threatens legal challenge if federal authorities open herring roe fishery
The Haida Nation says the 
is considering opening a large commercial fishery this year in the community on the north coast. Haida Nation president Peter Lantin says herring stocks have not rebuilt enough to support the opening, saying department’s management process flawed. Read the rest here 15:49
There’s a better solution to the problem of too few fish than privatizing the ocean. -The Right Catch of the Day
Then an approach called “Individual Transferable Quotas” was implemented. Under this approach, each fisherman was awarded the right to catch a certain percentage of the total annual allowable catch, which was set each year. The idea was that if each fisherman owned a percentage share of the total, they would have a strong incentive not to overfish and destroy the fishery, since that would of course destroy the value of what they owned. This was supposed to protect the fishing ground, and also protect the economic security of individual fishing operators. Read the rest here 15:28
Climate, pollution and overfishing – Menakhem Ben-Yami
It seems that at least every five years I have to return to the dispute of overfishing versus other factors responsible for depleted fish populations. I wrote about it on this page in 2002, 2007 and 2012. Now, with a feeling of déjà vu, I’m back at it. The trigger was a letter sent to me by a friend, in which a British fishing skipper was complaining of the lack of judgment with which the general press distributed misinformation “by conservationists who are self proclaimed ‘experts’…very good at manipulating the media who love them, and publish every dubious, or in some cases, completely false, stories given to the press”. Read the rest here 12:44
Sitka processor sells ownership stake to Starkist
Sitka-based Silver Bay Seafoods has sold a twelve percent stake to Dongwon, the Korean owners of Starkist Tuna. The news of the sale has been public since November, but Silver Bay CEO Rich Riggs added details during a presentation to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce. The fisherman-owned processor is only 8 years old, but has grown rapidly in Alaska and on the West Coast. . Read the rest here 11:04
Hands off the Aleutian Islands
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility submitted a nomination to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a marine sanctuary around the islands in December. It is supported by environmental groups, including some in Alaska, according to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. While that could take a long while, the environmental groups are hoping to draw this proposal to President Obama’s attention — undoubtedly hoping for a national monument designation. Read the rest here 10:53
Herring festival hangs in balance – Lack of set price keeps fishermen out of water
As locals prepare to celebrate the humble herring, a dispute over prices of the omega-3 rich silvery fish has organizers of the Sausalito Herring Festival wondering if the guests of honor will even show up. Mel Wickliffee of Pier 45 Seafood said the price disagreement is keeping out-of-state fishermen on the sideline. He said the fish company unloads the herring for another company and has nothing to do with the price. Read the rest here 10:21
More Menhaden-Scientists have found new data that may prove there’s more of the fish than once thought.
Atlantic Menhaden, the tiny fish that, two years ago, created big trouble between Chesapeake Bay environmentalists and commercial fishermen, is surfacing once more. In 2012, data indicated the fish were in trouble so regulators cut commercial harvests and fishermen lost jobs. But the data used was flawed. Read the rest here 23:08
Overreach of Obama’s National Ocean Policy Begins in NY, issues 10-year Ocean Action Plan
“This marks the first time a state member of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body for the National Ocean Policy has issued a statewide ocean action plan,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens in a statement. “This plan will help protect the more than 300 marine fish species reproducing and growing in these waters, support the valuable commercial and recreational fishing industries, as well as the 94 miles of New York State beaches that attract millions of visitors each year.” Read the rest here 22:07
Stricter West Coast fishing rules spur new technology aimed at recovering groundfish species
Sara Skamser has to do a lot less convincing these days. The owner of Newport’s Foulweather Trawl fishing net company has been a trusted business partner of West Coast trawlers for three decades, but many of them were skeptical when she began developing special nets designed to keep out unwanted species. Read the rest here 21:53
SAFETY FIRST! Southampton commercial fisherman charged with exceeding state fluke limits
A Southampton commercial fisherman charged last week with exceeding state fluke limits by 630 pounds had informed authorities of his need to return to port because of bad weather, and will fight the charges, his lawyer said Wednesday. Bill Reed, who owns two commercial fishing boats at the Shinnecock Commercial Dock in Hampton Bays, said he encountered bad weather during a Jan. 6 fluke fishing trip 50 miles from the Long Island, and made a decision to return home. Read the rest here 20:18
Fishermen’s Views of a Changing Ocean – Is it your view?
But for commercial fishermen,* 
is not a future economic problem: It is a problem right now, and it is costing fisherman both income and jobs. Is it? From the pdf version, The breakdown of those interviewed. 146 ground fishermen, 163 Mass lobstermen, = approx. 10% of Mass fishermen and lobstermen combined. 262 Me. lobstermen = approx. 5% Maine lobstermen. Read the rest here pdf version here with interesting citations, Pauly, Pappalardo, etc. 17:43
Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence – Direct link between the increase in the herd of seals and increased the mortality of cod
A study conducted by researchers from fisheries and Oceans Canada just give reason to those who believe that the grey seal is a real threat to the balance of the cod stocks. For Magdalen Islanders hunters as for Gaspé fishers, this conclusion says and just put an end to a debate that lasts for years. This article was translated from French Canadian Read the rest here 16:49
Magnuson-Stevens Act – National Standards 1, 3, 7 – Proposed Revisions
Today, a proposed rule to revise guidelines for National Standards 1, 3, and 7 was filed in the Federal Register. National Standards 1, 3, and 7 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act pertain to overfishing, rebuilding overfished stocks, and achieving optimum yield. NOAA Fisheries NMFS will accept public comments through June 30, 2015, Proposed rule (as filed version).Read the rest here 16:16
