Daily Archives: April 2, 2015
Oregon Inlet restrictions eased, re-opening channel for commercial/charter boats
Boats with drafts of up to 5 feet can now use the Oregon Inlet channel, opening the passage to most charter fishing boats just as the Easter weekend gets under way. A temporary emergency order is still in affect for boats needing more than 5 feet of water. They are not permitted within 100 yards of the Bonner Bridge. The Oregon Inlet Guides Association said in a statement that the Coast Guard’s decision to ease restrictions came after receiving feedback from local captains and additional surveying. Read the rest here 19:55
Sadly, Cortez commercial fishing leader Thomas ‘Blue’ Fulford dies at 83
Thomas “Blue” Fulford, who proudly championed the commercial fishing industry his entire life, and served as a leader in the tight-knit Cortez community, died March 28, 2015, at home. He was 83. “He was one of the old-school gentlemen who worked really hard. They believed in what they did, they believed in their families, and in the community. A whole culture is disappearing,” said Karen Bell, owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co. and Star Fish Co. in Cortez. Read the rest here 18:44
The sinking of the Trawler Dalny Vostok – Russia vow’s to continue searching for 13 people missing, investigation begins
Russia vowed Thursday to continue searching a vast area of the frigid Sea of Okhotsk for 13 people missing after a fishing trawler sank, killing at least 56 of the 132 people onboard. Another 63 were found alive in the icy waters off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, but the likelihood of finding other survivors appeared tiny, given the harsh conditions. Russia’s Investigative Committee has begun a probe into possible charges over safety violations in the early Thursday sinking of the Dalny Vostok, which went down in only about 15 minutes. Read the rest here 16:54 More details here 16:57
Red Cove Seafood Products Inc., owner James Russell Rayner, pleads not guilty on five charges
The case of a Cape Wolfe fish processing company that allegedly failed to meet quality control standards and sold lobster that wasn’t properly stored is going to trial in July. Lawyer Jonathan Greenan, acting on behalf of Red Cove Seafood Products Inc. and its owner, James Russell Rayner, entered not guilty pleas on five charges, two under the Fish Inspection Regulations Act and three under the Food and Drugs Act. Read the rest here 16:24
Rich Figueiredo, Pembroke Mass. Fishing Captain to appear in NatGeo’s ‘The Raft’ debut
A Pembroke man will appear on the debut episode of the National Geographic Channel’s new series “The Raft,” which will air next Sunday, April 5, at 10 p.m. “The Raft” is a test of both survival skills and human nature. Two rafts, each holding a pair of strangers, are set adrift hundreds of miles apart. In the premiere episode, titled “Bump in the Night,” he is paired with a travel writer, Payge McMahon , facing dehydration and swarms of sharks. Figueiredo is now captain of the Iron Maiden, a 98-foot swordfish boat at the Boston pier. Read the rest here 13:58
Pink salmon populations augmented by hatchery programs hurt sockeye returns, study finds
Nations around the Pacific Ocean may have to cap the number of hatchery salmon they release if sockeye salmon runs are to return to sustainable levels, according to a new study. Record high numbers of pink salmon in the North Pacific coincided with the disastrously small 2009 Fraser River sockeye return, while the unexpectedly large 2010 sockeye return interacted with 40-per-cent fewer pinks, said Brendan Connors, co-author of the article published by the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Read the rest here 12:34
New York DEC extends scallop season one month to help baymen recoup after icy winter
A decision by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to extend the bay scallop season by a month is getting a local round of applause. The move, which extends the season until April 30, is seen as a boon to local baymen, many of whom struggled during the long, frigid winter and felt the impacts financially. Read the rest here 11:38
Letter: A ‘fish bill,’ like Farm Bill needed for industry
I agree with both Sens. Warren and Markey that the federal government, not fishermen, should pay for NOAA’s at-sea and dockside observers. We need, first of all, a clear interpretation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, including the acceptance of other scientific data to be compared to NOAA data. We also need a long-term solution to our fishing industry problems. Read the rest here 11:14
Fishing for scallops not a daily drag – Aboard F/V First Impression in Frenchman Bay
It was an ideal day to join for a day of scalloping aboard his dragger, First Impression.,, His 50th birthday not too long behind him, West has been a fisherman most of his life. He has gone lobstering, chased groundfish such as cod, haddock and flounder when there were any to be had, gone trawling for shrimp until the fishery closed two years ago, and has even leased a site in Frenchman Bay to try his hand at growing mussels and seaweed. What West really enjoys, though, is running a dragger. Read the rest here 09:13
Coast-wide sightings of large schools of Atlantic menhaden support 2014 stock assessment methods, findings
April 1, 2015 (Menhaden Fisheries Coalition) — A new report compiled by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition reaffirms the positive results of the 2014 Atlantic Menhaden Benchmark Stock Assessment. The report compares the latest stock assessment’s findings to numerous reported sightings of large schools of the species along the Atlantic coast. The Coalition’s conclusions reveal a compelling consensus among scientific experts, fishermen, and journalists that the species is healthy, wide-ranging, and sustainably managed. Read the rest here 08:25
Louisiana Shrimp Task Force voted 7-0 in favor of federal rules requiring the use of turtle excluder devices
A key industry panel wants Louisiana lawmakers to repeal a 1987 law that prohibits state fisheries agents from enforcing federal rules designed to protect sea turtles by outfitting shrimpers’ nets with special escape hatches for threatened and endangered turtles. Louisiana’s shrimp industry has long been criticized by environmental groups,,, Read the rest here 08:09
