Daily Archives: February 23, 2015
Coast Guard boat crew medevacs Fisherman near Wachapreague Inlet, Va
The Coast Guard medevaced a man Monday who experienced chest pains while on a fishing boat approximately 10 miles northeast of Wachapreague. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads in Portsmouth received a report at about 3:50 p.m. of a 42-year-old male crewmember experiencing chest pains aboard the 81-foot fishing boat Southern Crusader II approximately five miles northeast of Wachapreague Inlet. Read the rest here 23:19:02
Owners of Kodiak’s Wild Alaskan floating strip club charged with improper disposal of human waste
Kimberly Christina Reidel-Byler, 46, and Darren K. Byler, 54, both of Kodiak, face charges that they piped waste from bathrooms on the Wild Alaskan directly into the harbor, then lied about it to investigators with the U.S. Coast Guard. “Indeed, waste from the Wild Alaskan was being piped from the customer and employee bathrooms directly overboard and into St. Herman Harbor,” according to a Monday release from the U.S. Attorney’s office. Read the shitty details here 22:20
Poggy Lapham – This Boat Supports Five Family’s
On the water for 280 days a year, the crew of the 
earns a good wage. “It can be tough, you never wake up to the same conditions, but this boat supports five families,” points out Poggy. Generally it’s six weeks on and two weeks off for the crewmembers. “They’re family-oriented guys who are hardworking, humble and take pride in the boat,” he explains. Just as his father did, Poggy encourages his crew to share some of the catch with their families and friends. “It helps us feel good about what we do.” Read the rest here 21:49
Upping their groundfish game – ADFG opens experimental pollock fishery in Cook Inlet
Nelson’s net hangs at about 180 feet deep and fishes at about 150. It isn’t deep enough to go out in the middle of the bay, where he thinks the largest concentrations of pollock might be. If the fishery receives an allocation and becomes a regular fixture in the bay, he’ll consider investing in a new net, he said. It would have to be specially-made for catching pollock, and could cost up to $100,000, he said. It’s a large investment, but just the next step in a long fishing career for Nelson. Read the rest here 21:07
First Nations fight feds over decision to open herring-roe fisheries
The goal for all three first nations is to convince the federal government to look at the evidence and keep the herring fisheries closed in their areas — herring remain abundant in the Strait of Georgia and Prince Rupert — until there are enough fish to support commercial fishing. They would also like to work with the government to manage the fisheries, which they believe have been badly managed thus far. Read the rest here 20:43
MAFMC meeting Wednesday to consider emergency action on blueline tilefish, may include harvest reductions
Yet those involved in the fishery say no emergency exists and it’s just another instance of poor data and faulty management at work. One reason behind the emergency action was that the MAFMC became aware that a commercial long-liner out of North Carolina was planning on targeting blueline tilefish within the council’s jurisdiction and landing the fish in New Jersey. The long-liner picked New Jersey because there are no landing limits, whereas states further south have limits on blueline tilefish. Read the rest here 20:19
Influence peddling, green energy, and romance: An Oregon Love Story
When a love affair begins with shared dreams of solar panels and fantasies of switchgrass, it shouldn’t surprise us that it leads to tears, resignation and federal investigations. Such is the love story of Oregon’s former governor John Kitzhaber and his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes. “Their relationship, from its beginning in 2002,” the New York Times wrote Feb. 15 after Kitzhaber announced his resignation, “was based, friends said, on a shared passion for a low-carbon energy future.”The Department of Justice last week issued subpoenas to Oregon state agencies, as part of a federal investigation involving Kitzhaber and Hayes. Read the rest here 17:52
Brokers say “slow going” for Halibut IFQs, catch shares; lots of buyers/few sellers
Right after the yearly catch limits are announced for halibut, brokers are busy with buying and selling shares of the catch. But it’s been slow going so far this year. Less of a rush this year, but there is less available. So I think the increases in 3A and 2C and the higher prices might bring out some more sellers, and of course the buyers are sitting there waiting. Listen, Read the rest here 16:50
Louisiana Fisheries – Steam on down to the seafood summit
The third annual summit for Louisiana commercial fishermen and the seafood industry will held March 11 at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. Hundreds of commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, processors and others from across the state will participate in the Gulf South’s premier commercial fishing and seafood industry event. Participants will learn about the latest updates, techniques and programs concerning commercial fishing and seafood production. Read the rest here 15:51
On Tilghman Island, law-breaking watermen defended
On a midwinter afternoon, William “Billy” J. Lednum steered the Kristin Marie into the Knapps Narrows, This was the 42-year-old waterman’s last trip before heading to prison — and perhaps the last rockfish haul of his life. Lednum, known around Tilghman Island as “Billy,” is now Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate No. 57529-037 at Fort Dix, N.J. On insular Tilghman — a 2.7-square-mile island with fewer than 800 residents — many are outraged by Lednum’s fall. Not because of his crime: poaching rockfish in violation of state and federal law. Read the rest here 12:13
Editorial: NOAA ‘reconsideration’ finally opens door to industry input
Only time will tell whether NOAA Fisheries’ agreement to reconsider some of its most draconian Gulf of Maine cod restrictions will prove a turning point in NOAA’s dealing with the fishing industry. And one can argue that the move — coming in response to a Jan. 22 letter from Congressman Seth Moulton in support of a very viable fishing — is one that NOAA’s Northeast administrator, John Bullard, should have given more credence when he flatly rejected it last month. Read the rest here 11:18
Quinlan Brothers Ltd. suing former workers, Daley-owned firm for $1M
One of the province’s biggest fish processing companies is suing two former employees and a competing firm for $1 million, alleging they have “misappropriated, disclosed and made improper use” of “confidential information and trade secrets.” The matter revolves around a piece of crab processing technology that was developed and used by Quinlan’s at its Bay de Verde plant, an automatic crab butchering machine, otherwise referred to in court documents as the “Quinlan CBM.” Read the rest here 10:31
Loving the Puget Sound to Death
Hidden amid the pleasure boats and cargo ships that roar through the canal in northwest Seattle is one of the oldest fishing economies in North America. From midsummer to October, from early morning until after dusk, fishermen from the Suquamish Tribe zoom up and down the canal in orange waterproof overalls, tending to salmon nets that dangle across the water like strings of pearls. The story of water pollution in Puget Sound mirrors that of other urban areas in the country. In the mid-twentieth century, the damage caused by waste and industrial pollution became obvious. Read the rest here 08:08
