Monthly Archives: February 2015
Controversial Fish Board nominee Roland Maw, withdraws
A Kenai Peninsula commercial fishing advocate that Gov. Bill Walker had hoped to see appointed to the Alaska Board of Fisheries has withdrawn his name from consideration after his nomination became increasingly controversial. Grace Jang, press secretary for Walker, said Maw sent a letter to the governor’s chief of staff, Jim Whitaker, withdrawing his name from consideration. Maw’s confirmation hearing for Friday afternoon was canceled. Read the rest here 17:21
Fish and Men – Documentary Web Trailer
As scientists struggle to count fish, and conservationists attempt to save them, America’s oldest fishing community – Gloucester, Massachusetts is dying. Fishermen are losing their livelihood and even their homes. Last year, NOAA imposed a historic cut to the cod quota — a 78% catch reduction. Then, on Nov. 10, 2014 — the U.S. government closed the Gulf of Maine. Watch, and read the rest here 16:47
Nova Scotia looks for alternatives to unpopular lobster levy
A levy on lobster catches in Nova Scotia is not the only way to raise money for promoting the industry, says the province’s fisheries and aquaculture minister The recommendation comes from the Maritime Lobster Panel report, issued in response to ballooning catches and plunging prices several years ago. Although there has been support in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and many parts of this province, fishermen and buyers on the South Shore — the most lucrative fishing area of all and one whose residents are known for their fierce independence , Read the rest here 15:20
James Landry sentenced in ‘murder for lobster’ case to appeal
A Cape Breton fisherman convicted in the so-called “murder for lobster” case is appealing his sentence. Joseph James Landry, 67, of Little Anse, was sentenced in January to 14 years in prison. His lawyer called that sentence “excessive.” Landry was one of three men on board the fishing boat Twin Maggies on June 1, 2013. Read the rest here 15:04
Florida Supreme Court Upholds Net Ban
Florida’s Supreme Court this week denied a petition by commercial fishermen to overturn the state’s Constitutional amendment banning gillnets. The ruling from the state’s highest court puts an end to the latest challenge brought by commercial fishermen who won a sympathetic circuit court ruling in 2013 allowing them to briefly reintroduce gill nets into Florida waters. Read the rest here 14:53
Not Screwing Around! Seal Fisherman Fined $1,000 for Fishing Seals with Full Metal Jacket Ammunition
Hank Clarke of Cottrell’s Cove has been convicted for fishing seals with full metal jacket ammunition. Mr. Clark was convicted in Grand Falls- Windsor Provincial Court on January 6, 2015 and fined $1,000 to be paid within six months. The offence is a violation under the Marine Mammal Regulations. Read the rest here 12:00
NOAA to reconsider emergency Gulf of Maine cod measures
The fishing sector-based proposal to remove some of the most restrictive emergency cod measures in the Gulf of Maine, initially rejected by NOAA Fisheries, is back in play. NOAA Regional Administrator John K. Bullard rejected the sector-based proposal and all other suggested modifications to the emergency cod measures at the New England Fishery Management Council’s January meeting in Portsmouth, N.H., saying the agency had not had enough time to fully study the implications and possible benefits of the sector-based proposal. Read the rest here 10:17
Maine Shrimp Sampling Project haul fetches a record price at the Portland auction.
Buyers snatched up 1,200 pounds of Maine shrimp at the Portland Fish Exchange on Thursday, paying an average $4.02 per pound, a record price and more than twice what shrimp fetched in 2013. The record price stems from scarcity. The shrimp that sold at auction Thursday were caught by one of the three Maine fishermen involved in a sampling project to help state biologists track the timing of egg hatch, size, gender and developmental stages of the shrimp. Read the rest here 09:53
New Zealand: Dead fish ‘leakage’ not dumping, company says
One of New Zealand’s largest fishing companies has defended its loss of 
into the Tasman Sea off Auckland this week saying there was only a “leakage” of between 40 and 45 kilograms of fish. But the man who went on social media to expose what he said was a major fish dumping says there was much more than that. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says it accepts the loss was accidental and will take no further action. Coromandel based trawler Eight Bells, operating for Moana Pacific Fisheries,, Video, Read the rest here 09:05
Man accused of shooting at whales with World War II rifle
A tuna fisherman has been accused of shooting at pilot whales from his vessel with a World War II-era rifle. Daniel Archibald surrendered Thursday to face the charges and was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Archibald, who’s from Cape May, widely considered America’s oldest seaside resort, used a Mosin-Nagant rifle to shoot at pilot whales from the vessel Capt. Bob, the U.S. attorney’s office for New Jersey said. Read the rest here 08:38
AK salmon permit values slump on forecast of lower fish prices
2014 was one of the busiest years ever for brokers who help Alaskans buy, sell and trade fishing permits and quota shares. Olivia Olsen runs Alaskan Quota and Permits in Petersburg. Early March through May is when sales pick up for salmon permits. Early indicators point to lower salmon prices this year in a plentiful market, and that’s having a downward press on permit prices – notably, at Alaska’s bellwether sockeye fishery at Bristol Bay. Read the rest here 20:02
Nova Scotia lobster exports grow! A cargo flight to east Asia that can carry up to 100,000 kg has settled into a weekly schedule
Here, some call them cockroaches of the sea. There, people see them as majestic dragons. China’s appreciation of Nova Scotia lobster is good news for local fishermen who have had trouble getting the past few years’ huge catches to market. Frozen lobster exports have risen exponentially, and the new Korea Air cargo flight helps smooth the way for the higher-priced live exports, said Mike Wolthers, a self-described “cargo travel agent” at Kintetsu World Express Canada. Read the rest here 19:41
Nominee Maw faces marathon board confirmation hearing
Roland Maw may not get confirmed for the Board of Fisheries until he hears from every Alaskan who’s ever cast a line or a net, whether politician or private citizen. More than 40 people registered for public comment online and were heard only after some aggressive questioning by committee members worried about Maw’s priorities, particularly his involvement with the Cook Inlet commercial fleet, the lawsuits of his former employer, and the consistency of his science and biology championing. Read the rest here 14:33
Fisherman Anthony Coffey’s funeral Fund – Please help if you can
A shrimping trip turned tragic after a Pasco County boat sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the life of 29-year-old Anthony Coffey. His cousin, William Coffey, 17, was found hours earlier, clinging to a life vest.” Please, if you can, contribute. Anthony left behind his wife, and two small boys, his Mother, and many loved ones. A Please click here 13:43
Buyers Say No: “The lobster levy is dead in Southwest Nova Scotia, absolutely, no question about it,”
A “unanimous no” vote this week has put the future of a Maritime-wide lobster marketing levy in doubt. The levy would take one cent per pound from fishermen and another cent per pound from buyers to pay for a generic marketing campaign run by the industry.In Nova Scotia, the levy would raise $1.8 million annually from fishermen. Terry Zinck, a lobster buyer in Clarks Harbour, was at the Tuesday vote that included most South Shore buyers. Read the rest here 12:42
Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Workshop on Deep Sea Coral Zone Boundaries
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted during its meeting last week to postpone final action on its Deep Sea Corals Amendment in order to allow for further analysis of the alternatives and to provide additional opportunities for stakeholder input. In the coming months, the Council will convene a workshop with its advisory panels, coral experts, and other stakeholders to review and potentially refine the discrete protection areas being considered. Read the rest here Deep Sea Corals Amendment 11:26
High Liner sets record with $1b in sales
High Liner Foods says its annual sales surpassed the $1-billion mark for the first time ever in 2014 as two recent acquisitions offset the negative effect of a weaker Canadian dollar and higher one-time costs. The Nova Scotia-based frozen seafood company’s sales in the fourth quarter were up 6.5 per cent from the same year-earlier period at US$266.9 million, while annual sales rose 11 per cent or $104.3 million to $1.05 billion. Read the rest here 10:55
Harbour Breton plant should be operating later this year – waiting to ensure salmon anemia was no longer an issue
Last year, Barry Group decided not to renew Cooke Aquaculture’s lease to process fish at the plant in Harbour Breton, leaving about 150 plant workers in the lurch. Employees at the plant were concerned about what they said was an uncertain future after Cooke Aquaculture said it wouldn’t be continuing operations at the site. The plant was shut down because of an outbreak of salmon anemia. Then, the Barry Group decided not to renew Cooke Aquaculture’s lease. Read the rest here 10:32
Forum hosted by Vitter – Agriculture, forestry, seafood experts discuss key topics in Alexandria
Other topics Wednesday included the effect of government regulations, the slow recovery of commercial fishing following the BP oil spill, safety concerns about imported seafood and the risk to Louisiana’s timberland posed by a shrinking fire protection budget. “We spent millions of dollars on commercials convincing the rest of the country everything is ok, but it’s not really ok,” Barisich said, referring to the publicity campaign launched after the spill that was aimed at promoting Louisiana seafood. Read the rest here 08:46
Where’s the accountability from NOAA?, Sam Parisi, Gloucester, Mass
When I was growing up, my dad — a fishermen — told me that, no matter what I do in life, I have to be accountable. What I cannot understand is how, after our fishermen have done everything to comply with NOAA restrictions over the last 20 years, NOAA scientists can say that our groundfish stocks are depleted, cod biomass at 3 percent. If the head of NOAA was the CEO of Wendy’s, he or she would be replaced. So why is it, year after year, those at NOAA still get paid every week, every year, regardless if they or their policies succeed? Read the rest here 08:20
N.C. Charter Boat Captains not happy with proposed rules – Video
There weren’t very many positive words for the Marine Fisheries Commission at a public meeting Wednesday night. Charter boat captains are not happy with some proposed rules, especially with their log books. Captains would have to record what they see and catch. They say they don’t know what the commission will do with the information, and they worry they’ll be shut down because of it. Captains also said they just don’t think they’ll have time to fill out the logs. Read the rest here 07:54
Trawl fleet continuing to fish for Pacific cod, first committee hearing to advance Dr. Roland Maw, lively and contentious!
The boats fishing for Pacific cod with pots in the central Gulf of Alaska federal season finally wrapped up their 17.9 million pound quota Monday, a few days later than last year, but the trawl fleet is still fishing with only 30 percent of their 9,600-ton quota caught. The boats now move into state waters within three miles of shore,,, Also, As expected, the first committee hearing to advance Dr. Roland Maw to confirmation by the full Legislature to the Alaska Board of Fisheries was lively and contentious. 22:14
New England Fishery Management Council newsletter
Click here to read the actions and announcements following the last council meeting. 17:17:
North Pacific Fishery Management Council newsletter
Click here to read the actions and announcements following the last council meeting. 17:07
Illegal striped bass harvest means trouble for N.C. commercial fishermen – By Fred Bonner
Apparently, the good management practices worked because today the population of Atlantic striped bass is now considered to be “fully recovered.” This is why many North Carolinians, including many sport as well as commercial fishermen, were upset when 13 commercial fishermen in North Carolina and Georgia were charged in federal court in Raleigh for their role in the illegal harvest, sale and false reporting of approximately 90,000 pounds of Atlantic striped bass. Read the rest here 16:28
South Atlantic: When estimating fish populations, seeing is believing
Somewhere off the Atlantic coast of Florida, a fishing boat bobs in the swell, and Nate Bacheler helps swing a fish trap over the side. It’s a big metal cage shaped like a giant arrowhead, and it looks like the standard design. But this is no ordinary fish trap, and Nate Bacheler is no ordinary fisherman. Traps without cameras work great for many species. But some species, like gag grouper, have a habit of avoiding fish traps. Read he rest here 15:40
Tangier Lobster against planned changes to Fisheries Act
Lamont, whose Eastern Shore company exports more than three million pounds of live lobster annually, said large volumes of salmon congested in open-net pens in the ocean inevitably contract lice, and the best treatment for those lice is pesticides. “Unfortunately, those pesticides are also lethal or can be lethal to wild fisheries, in particular, lobster larvae. The pesticides are just as lethal to lobster larvae as they are to lice on salmon.” Read the rest here 14:46
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: Loaded 42′ Wesmac Tuna, 800HP CAT 3406E, Phasor – 8 KW Auxiliary Gen Set
Specifications, and information and 14 photos of the vessel, click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 13:00
Portland Harbor’s icy buildup creates a sea of trouble – Video
Standing in the wheelhouse of the tug Andrew McAllister as it approached Portland Harbor on Friday, Capt. Bob Rand steered around Spring Point and ran into a pack of ice. “It’s like we’re entering the Northwest Passage,” said Rand, referring to the Arctic sea route. The harbor’s fishing fleet has suffered the most. Charles Adams, captain of the groundfish dragger American Heritage, said he has only fished four days in the past five weeks. As a result, he has fallen behind in a lot of bills. “It’s been horrible,” he said. Read the rest here 10:19
New Bedford welcomes US Coast Guard Cutter Katherine Walker to ease storm impact
The 
has arrived in New Bedford to help the city break through ice forming in the harbor. Weeks of cold temperatures and snow have caused plenty of issues here in New Bedford, but ice jamming the harbor has trapped fishing boats and encased piers.”New Bedford’s the largest commercial fishing port in America,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of the busiest ports in America.” Video, Read the rest here 09:11
