Daily Archives: April 6, 2015
Marshfield Lobsterman Billy Kent is a damned good man!
Marshfield lobsterman William Kent Jr. woke up Monday morning raring to work, but a federally-mandated fishing closure will keep him on land for almost another month. But instead of calling the day a wash, Kent decided to head down toward the harbor and get his hands dirty another way. Kent on Monday spent several hours picking up debris from the marsh behind the Esplanade, along Joseph Driebeek Way. Much of the trash – ranging from signs to plastic bottles, to a large, Oriental rug,,, Video, Read the rest here 22:01
To Attract Fishing Boats, Start With Infrastructure Say Fishermen at Seward Meeting
The Seward fishing community showed up in force at a mid-day work session of City Council and the Port and Commerce Advisory Board. Council and PACAB had a question: How do we attract fishing boats to Seward? The fishermen and women had an answer: build more infrastructure and develop marine service businesses. Seward fishermen have pressed for a public crane in the small boat harbor and may get one in a year or two, but they made it clear that a crane alone will not persuade fishing families to settle in Seward with their boats. Read the rest here 21:26
Amidst Speculation, Investigative Committee Detains One Over Sea of Okhotsk Trawler Tragedy
Russia Slams Reports of Trawler Sinking on Striking Submarine Click here, Survivors point to safety breaches as cause of trawler tragedy in Sea of Okhotsk Click here, Russia’s Investigative Committee has detained the deputy director of a company that owned the trawler that sank in the Sea of Okhotsk on Thursday, claiming 56 lives, the law enforcement agency said on its website Monday. Read the rest here 17:43
Calais man gets year of probation, fined $5,000 for lying about pesticide sales that killed hundreds of lobsters
Clyde Eldridge, 65, owner of local feed and pet store C&E Feeds, also was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. Eldridge waived indictment in November and admitted that he lied in 2010 when questioned by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials as part of an investigation into the illegal use of cypermethrin on the New Brunswick side of Passamaquoddy Bay in the previous year. The pesticide application killed hundreds of lobsters off Deer Island and Grand Manan in November and December 2009, according to a previously published report. Read the rest here Cooke Aquaculture admits to pesticide violations here 16:23
Statement by Captain Paul Watson: West Coast North American Commercial Herring Fishing Should be Shut Down Permanently
The herring industry must be permanently closed. The decline of the herring is giving rise to an increase of seal and sea lion populations, a decline in pelicans and other sea-birds and is starving whales and dolphins including Orcas. And of course the many species of fish that also depend upon the herring including wild salmon aready threatened by pollution and the ecological destruction of the domestic salmon farms. These other species need the herring more than humans. For every can of sardines on the shelf in a super-market and every order of Kazunoko (数の子/鯑) (herring roe) an animal in the sea, starves and dies. Read the rest here 15:40
NOAA Marine Operations Seeks Fishermen
Getting a job commercial fishing often takes months of pounding the docks, trying to convince a skipper to take a chance on a greenhorn or low-hour crewman. But one organization is actively looking for anyone with at least six months experience: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA has regular openings on its ships, not just for those with fishing experience, but also licensed and unlicensed merchant mariners and licensed engineers, which he says are in short supply through out the marine industry. Read the rest here 11:19
Fisherman bitten, pulled off boat by sea lion in San Diego’s Mission Bay
A 62-year-old man was bitten by a hungry sea lion Sunday afternoon and pulled into the water at Mission Bay. The man was aboard his boat after a day of fishing and was posing for a picture with a “trophy fish,” according to San Diego lifeguards. A sea lion leaped out of the water onto the boat railing and, while attempting to snatch the large fish, bit the man, pulling him into the water, according to the lifeguards. Read the rest here 11:07
Sea Shepherd rescues crew of sinking pirate fishing ship Thunder
The Australian crew of the Sea Shepherd have come to the rescue of an illegal fishing vessel sinking off the coast of West Africa. The Melbourne-based crew of the Bob Barker responded to a distress signal from the pirate fishing vessel the Thunder, the very ship they had been chasing for the past 110 days. At 11am local time today there were three life rafts in the water carrying all 40 of the pirate vessel’s crew members, Captain Hammarstedt said. Read the rest here 10:47
Lost at Sea memorial service a decade strong
On Easter Sunday, a small group of people gathered around a granite Lost at Sea monument overlooking the marsh in Murrells Inlet. Since 2005, a special ceremony has been held on the first Sunday in April each year to honor those killed at sea. Thirty names have been added to the Lost at Sea memorial during that time, but this year, no new names were added. Read the rest here 08:09
Mexican fishermen stealing America’s fish: Illegal, unregulated fishing a huge problem – Bill introduced
With Africa and the Middle East disintegrating into chaos, the U.S. economy tanking into a part-time job market and immigrants crossing America’s southern border unabated, caring about some foreign fishermen poaching American waters may seem like a low priority. But it’s not. These thieves have been stealing from America for decades, driving up the price of seafood, shortening harvest seasons and forcing good, honest commercial fishermen out of business, U.S. officials say. Read the rest here 07:58
