Daily Archives: April 8, 2015
North Rustico Harbour fishermen hoping heavy ice will not delay season
With the ice clogged North Rustico Harbour as a backdrop, longtime lobster fisherman, Norman Peters, said area fishers have not given up on the possibility of getting to the lobster grounds by April 30, but it was not looking good. The harbour is coked with thick ice, but Peters said he has been looking at the ice maps and the ice “seems to be moving east so that part is working out good.” He has been in contact with other harbours and some said they still have at least three feet of ice,,, Read the rest here 18:29
N.S. cod quota cut in half as species struggles – Surveys show fish dying before reaching age five or six
Scientists found this year’s catch brought in fewer younger fish. “If they do grow, they hit age four or five and they seem to disappear,” Leslie said. “In our surveys at age five or six, they are practically non-existent.” Scientists don’t understand what’s happening to the fish. Haddock and cod are managed in the same way, but cod remains in trouble while haddock booms. “The assumptions we had to make several years ago about what level of fishing would allow [us] to rebuild didn’t pay out. Fishing mortality remained high. The stock didn’t rebound,” Leslie said. Read the rest here 17:32
Jury: Majestic Blue Fisheries LLC liable for captain’s death
A federal jury Monday determined that the owner of a fishing vessel that sank after taking on water in calm seas and good weather, killing its captain, is responsible for the man’s death. As a result, the jury awarded the captain’s widow, Amy Hill, more than $3.2 million, according to a judgment filed in the District Court of Guam. The jury determined that the captain’s death was the result of negligence by the vessel’s owner, Majestic Blue Fisheries LLC. That company, according to court documents, is owned by the parent company of StarKist. Read the rest here 17:10
Do you have what it takes to be a Bering Sea Fisherman? The BSVS.ME Website will set you straight!
LIFE OF A WARRIOR Wonder what it is like on a fishing boat in the Bering Sea? Here you will find information on the profession of a fisherman in the Bering Sea. I will share my experience and I will advise those that are willing to step up to this challenge. ( This is a great website, and its very informative. You wanna go? This guy will get you there. Click here, and read everything. Let us know how you make out!) 16:23
North sea cod stocks bounce back, analysis shows
While the fish populations in many of the 400 problem fisheries might be healthy, no one knows the true status because of severe lack of scientific data on the stock size and how many are caught by fishermen each year. The research was commissioned by Seafish, the government-funded body which represents the seafood industry, and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which certifies fish and shellfish as sustainable. Dr Tom Pickerell,,, Read the rest here 15:50
Japanese reactor radiation detected off Vancouver Island, B.C.
University of Victoria chemical oceanographer Jay Cullen said Monday that it’s the first time radiation has been found on the shorelines of North America since the quake and tsunami ravaged the Japanese north coast and disabled the nuclear reactor. “We’re more than a thousand-fold below even the drinking water standard in the coastal waters being sampled at this point. Those levels are much, much, much lower than what’s allowable in our drinking water.” Read the rest here 15:28
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 60′ Steel Stern Trawler, W/ Federal Permits, 400HP, CAT 3408TA
Specifications, and information and 11 photos of the vessel, click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 11:40
Fisherman out $20K in forfeited crab and fines over illegal fishing
A fisherman from New World Island has to pay thousands in fines and was made to forfeit tens of thousands of dollars worth of crab for violating fishery regulations. Chesley Coish of Hillgrade was convicted on two counts of fishing in an area not listed on his crab licence — once in 2012, another in 2013. Coish was fined $4,000 for both convictions. He was also ordered to forfeit over 8,000 pounds of crab worth $16,333. Until the fines are paid, Coish will be unable to transfer his licence. Click here 10:09
Spiny lobster season ended March 31with good catch, great prices but looming challenges
While the fishery itself is in good shape, the largest threat facing the people who make their living on the water comes from the land side. Development pressure, which chased the commercial fishing industry out of Key West to Stock Island decades ago, is now reaching that island as well. The Monroe County Commission is even considering buying some commercial waterfront on Stock Island, to prevent it from being turned into a site for hotels and recreational marinas. Audio, Read the rest here 09:40
Holy Smoke! Elver prices rise to around $1,900 per pound
Expectations for the volume of elvers that will be caught in Maine this spring may be low but, based on prices that dealers are offering fishermen, the value of the fishery could be headed back up to what it was a couple of years ago. The snow and cold spring temperatures are keeping landings to a trickle so far this season, but for fishermen who are catching baby American eels, the price is back up,,, Read the rest here 09:25
BREAKING: F/V Captain Gavin runs aground of Point Pleasant Beach
The Coast Guard responded to a call for help from the 77-foot Captain Gavin about a mile south of the Manasquan Inlet at 5:15 a.m. Wednesday. Petty Officer 1st Class Nick Ameen says there were three aboard. Ameen says there is no apparent damage to the vessel and no signs of pollution. The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the situation from a boat and from the beach while officials discuss the best way to free the vessel. 08:17 Video 15:11
To tame the invasive Asian Carp, local chef pitches processing plant
Plopping a 25-pound Asian carp in all its glorious ugliness onto a table in the middle of a conference room is a sure-fire way to get an audience’s attention. For Chef Philippe Parola it is the start of a familiar pitch: find a way to facilitate the consumption of the invasive species before it wrecks freshwater ecosystems in Louisiana, much as it already has in the upper Mississippi River valley. Read the rest here 07:55
Japanese scientists breed first captive bluefin tuna
Scientists from Kinki University in Wakayama have been working on the technology for 30 years. “The first challenge was to increase survival rates from harvested eggs to hatchlings, and we got it to 5 per cent,” the university’s Professor Yoshifumi Sawada said. “The bluefin hatchlings ate each other, so we then had to introduce other types of hatchling species for them to eat.”,The scientists also faced the difficulty of replicating the best conditions for Bluefin,,, Read the rest here 07:21
