Daily Archives: March 26, 2015
You’ll wish you’d met this Alaskan fishing captain after reading his obit
Today, I have come across the greatest obituary ever written. And Lord knows I wished I had met this guy. You’ll probably feel the same way. It begins: “Captain Donald Alexander Malcolm Jr., 60, died Feb. 28, 2015, nestled in the bosom of his family, while smoking, drinking whiskey and telling lies. He died from complications resulting from being stubborn, refusing to go to the doctor, and raising hell for six decades. Stomach cancer also played a minor role in his demise.” Then it gets better,,, Read the rest here 20:24
Sea lions inundate Oregon Coast in historic numbers wreaking havoc on fisheries, causing damage to docks and infuriating fishermen
During a Feb. 11 aerial survey, WDFW also counted more than 1,200 California sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin, along with nearly 600 Steller and California sea lions on the South Jetty. On Friday, spokeswoman Jessica Sall of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said, her agency counted 2,340 California sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin. Increasing numbers of pinnipeds, driven by starvation in California to the healthy smelt and salmon runs in the Columbia River, have put a strain,,, Read the rest here 19:59
Magnuson Stevens Act changes focused on flexibility, science, accountability, and transparency
Young’s proposed version of the MSA is titled the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.” His philosophy is to let the councils, who have more intimate understandings of their stocks and more responsiveness than the Department of Commerce, have more control of their respective operations, and to update the act to account for better scientific governance and more attention to economic effects. The revised act has several amendments regarding stock rebuilding protocols, council transparency,,, Read the rest here 14:55
Agencies weighing next steps in gillnet-replacement fisheries on the Columbia River
Purse and beach seine gear could be a part of the regular Columbia River commercial salmon fishery this year, drawing from the same pool as the rest of the fleet — even when it comes to the number of fish they can keep or handle before everyone has to stop fishing. Whether or not the new seine fishery will exist has come down to a question of numbers. Specifically, which numbers.After testing seine gear on the river following a mandate from Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber to phase out the use of commercial gillnets on the mainstem of the Columbia,,, Read the rest here 14:27
Bad weather keeping halibut boats tied to dock, and various other fish news reports
Ten days into the 2015 halibut season, prices are beginning to fall slightly, but production is nearly nonexistent, at least in the central Gulf of Alaska, Area 3A. Stormy weather and big tides have conspired to make a slow start to the season in Area 3A, with the weather continuing to keep boats in port this week. Boats in the area delivered only 146,000 pounds from 26 deliveries during the first 10 days, although deliveries in Southeast Alaska, Area 2C, topped out at 420,000 pounds from 62 deliveries. Read the rest here 13:58
Dear America, our seals are not endangered
March 25, 2015 Bruce A. Heyman Embassy of the United States to Canada 100 Wellington St, Ottawa, ON K1AOA6 Mr. Heyman, I am writing with deep concern over misinformation being spread by United States Customs and Border Protection agents that seal populations found off of Canada’s East Coast are an endangered species. A Newfoundland and Labrador woman’s seal-skin purse was confiscated recently at the seal-skin purse was confiscated in Bridgewater, Maine after agents informed her that seals are an “endangered species.” Read the rest here 13:27
Scallop Vessel Burns Up in Southwest Harbor – Video
The 50-foot boat called We’re Here, owned by local fisherman Nahum Kelley, had been moored in the harbor when Coast Guard personnel monitoring a security camera saw it was on fire, according to Chisholm. The boat had burned off its mooring before the Coast Guard notified the fire department and then sent out one of its own boats to try to douse the flames. Chisholm said he and the Coast Guard believe a kerosene heater,,, Read the rest here 12:01
Bagged on face book – Two Pasadena Men Jailed for Stealing Crabs from Watermen
A Facebook post by a poacher helped authorities win a conviction against two Pasadena men caught stealing $6,400 worth of crabs from the crab pots of commercial watermen. The men were sentenced Friday to 30 days in jail by an Anne Arundel District Court judge. Maryland Natural Resources Police say in a release that John Allen Schuman, 37, of Pasadena, was found guilty of six charges stemming from his arrest Sept. 15, 2014, off Bodkin Point at the mouth of the Patapsco River. Leslie Eugene Jenne III, 31, of Pasadena, was found guilty of two charges Read the rest here 11:38
Shrimpers, Crabbers Learn New Regulations at Louisiana Fisheries Meeting
Shrimpers and crabbers learned about the newest regulations, techniques and equipment at a Louisiana Fisheries Forward meeting on March 24, organized by the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant. Thu Bui, LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant fisheries agent, said the meetings are intended to help fishers learn about new developments before their peak seasons get underway soon. “It makes them more professional and gives them the information so they can become more profitable,” Read the rest here 09:55
North/South Carolina Views vary on drilling – Feds take comments until Monday
The Associated Press reports five congressmen representing coastal districts in the Carolinas reflect the opposing views in states where both governors are strong advocates of offshore drilling and almost 20 coastal communities oppose the idea. To date, seven coastal communities in South Carolina and 12 in North Carolina are on record against drilling. None are in Carteret County. Read the rest here 09:33
Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population rebounding
Last year was a dismal episode for Chesapeake Bay blue crabs and the watermen who harvest them. It’s not that crabs were being overfished. Instead, experts suspect a combination of environmental factors. The good news now is that preliminary evidence from the annual blue crab winter dredge survey shows the numbers are climbing again. Read the rest here 08:26
