Monthly Archives: April 2015
Communities to kick off boat blessing ceremonies
As temperatures warm up, the bayou communities of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes are preparing to send their shrimpers, trawlers and fishermen out onto the Gulf waters. Before venturing out, these marine wayfarers will be asking for the Lord’s blessing in an age-old tradition to ensure a bountiful harvest and their safety at sea. Chauvin, Dulac and Montegut will be the first three towns to kick off the Blessing of the Fleet ceremonies on Sunday. Golden Meadow and Pointe-aux-Chenes will follow over the next few weekends. Read the rest here 11:22
Apalachicola – economy hit hard by oyster shortage
Five generations of Philip Vinson’s family have labored using tongs to pull oysters from 
Bay’s shallow waters. He fears there won’t be a sixth. The local oyster industry is under threat from water-flow issues, environmental concerns, health and safety regulations and economic realities. Restaurants from New Orleans to Tampa and beyond tout Apalachicola oysters as the tastiest oysters around, but the annual harvest has been in decline. Read the rest here 10:55
Coast Guard cuts ribbon on new Menemsha boathouse
While faithful to the look of the iconic 1939 structure destroyed in a devastating fire, the new $10 million boathouse serves a modern purpose. Local and state officials, townspeople, up-Island police chiefs, former Coasties, and the crew of Station Menemsha crowded into the boathouse for a ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the completion of the new $10 million facility that replaces the 71-year-old building destroyed in the Menemsha fire on July 12, 2010. Read the rest here 10:24
OLD LYME, Conn. DEEP dogs now trained to track something fishy
With fishing season starting Saturday, EnCon police now have a new tool to catch folks who try to break the rules. Ruger is one of four search and rescue dogs on DEEP’s Environmental Conservation Police force. He and two others have undergone special training to sniff out fish, which may be hidden by those trying catch more than they’re allowed. Read the rest here 10:06
Obama accuses the China of ‘using its size and muscle’ to push other nations out of the South China Sea
China’s leadership has hit back at U.S. President Barack Obama who condemned the country for constructing an artificial island in the disputed South China Sea. Only yesterday, Obama claimed Beijing was ‘using its sheer size and muscle to force countries into subordinate positions’ amid reports of controversial land reclamation efforts. Read the rest here 08:57
Two plead guilty to Unalaska bunkmate killing
“Petty bunkhouse things” that led to a man’s death in Unalaska three years ago won’t lead to a new trial. Two men have pled guilty to killing their co-worker in an alcohol-fueled late-night conflict at a seafood workers’ dormitory in Unalaska, avoiding a second trial. Read the rest here 08:16
Gillnetters fall short of harvest target in Tuesday fishery; heavy sea lion presence cited
Based on previous landing information, 1,000 upriver spring Chinook salmon remained in the commercial quota, but fishing fell short of the mark, with 111 boats netting just 757 adult spring Chinook salmon that averaged 12.5 pounds. The poorer than expected catch could be due to the presence of sea lions in the Lower Columbia River,,, Rick Olson, gillnetter, suggested saving the commercial quota until “a month from now to see if the sea lions move out of the river, instead of feeding the sea lions,” referring to sea lions eating fish out of his net. Read the rest here 20:14Pacific sardine industry shutdown looms as species collapses – Council Action Expected Sunday
Pacific coast sardines are facing a population collapse so severe that Oregon’s multimillion-dollar sardine industry almost certainly will be shut down this summer. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, which regulates the fishing industry off the coast of Oregon, California and Washington, is expected to vote Sunday to close the West Coast sardine fishery in response to new population estimates that indicate the species’ still hasn’t emerged from an eight-year plummet. Read the rest here, and read the comments. Amazing 19:21
Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting in Rohnert Park, California April 10 – 16, 2015
The Council and its advisory bodies will meet April 10-16, 2015 in Rohnert Park, California to address issues related to salmon, Pacific halibut, groundfish, coastal pelagic species, and essential fish habitat matters. The action starts Saturday! April 10-16, 2015 Meeting Agenda , Council Meeting Internet Live Audio Stream Click here to register 18:03
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 10, 2015
Click here–>>Weekly Update for April 10, 2015 as a PDF 17:27
107 lobster traps set in closed area seized, DFO investigation continuing
There will be charges laid, but what the charges will be hasn’t been determined yet. On Monday, April 6, DFO seized 54 traps off of southwestern Nova Scotia. On Thursday, April 9, another 53 traps were seized. Both seizures took place in Lobster Fishing Area 41, which is an off-shore area where lobster fishing is not authorized by fishermen licensed to fish in Lobster Fishing Area 34 where the lobster fishery is underway. Read the rest here 15:49
Minke whale hunt starts off north-eastern Japan coast
A fleet of four whaling ships left a port in north-eastern Japan today (April 10) to hunt a maximum 51 minke whales,,, The Association for Community-Based Whaling, a nonprofit organisation set up for coastal research whaling, plans to hunt in a 90km radius area from Ayukawa port in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, to examine the animal’s impact on marine resources by checking the stomach contents and other facets of the game. Read the rest here 13:12
Being Pushed Off Traditional Fishing Ground’s – Tidal safety zone plan worries lobster fishermen
The four undersea power cables connecting the in-stream tidal test site to the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy in Parrsboro cost about $15 million. Mark Taylor has been setting lobster traps in the Minas Passage for three decades. The Halls Harbour fisherman doesn’t want to damage any undersea power cables but he also doesn’t want to get pushed off his lobster grounds. Read the rest here 11:32
US Fishermen Seek Federal Action against Illegal Fishing
Mexican fishing boats enter U.S. sovereign waters and illegally poach hundreds to thousands of fish at a time. Although the U.S. Coast Guard and Gulf state maritime law enforcement agencies have taken aggressive action to find and destroy these illegal Mexican vessels, the frequency of such incursions continues to escalate. “Illegal fishing is a direct threat to the livelihoods of thousands of hardworking Americans along the Gulf coast and we must do more to protect our coastal economies, our coastal businesses, and our fishermen,” said Congressman David Jolly (FL-13). Read the rest here 10:50Don’t forget the Meth! Breakdown leads to charges for Skipper and Mate
Water police responded to calls for help at 7.15am today about 15 nautical miles from North Haven where the commercial fishing boat had broken down. The vessel as towed to shore and both the operator and deckhand were drug tested. Water Operations Unit Brevet Sergeant Glen McKenzie said police encouraged people to enjoy their time on the water. “But do so in a safe and responsible manner,” he said. Read the rest here 08:27
Don Young seeks to unwind ‘Alaska Model’ for fisheries in Magnuson-Stevens Act
Our lone congressman, Don Young, recently introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to reauthorize our federal fisheries management law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The law is the foundation of sustainable fisheries management, and bears the names and legacy of legendary Sen. Ted Stevens and Sen. Warren Magnuson. Young’s proposed legislation unwinds the important work the senators did to ensure the long-term sustainability of our fisheries. Read the rest here 07:29
‘Warm blob’ in Pacific Ocean linked to weird weather across the US
Sockeye overfishing risks salmon future: critics
Conservationists say federal fishery managers allowed serious overfishing of Fraser River sockeye salmon,,, Bob McKamey, vice-president of the Area E Gillnetters Association, dismissed the objections from Watershed Watch. “It wouldn’t matter what the fishing plan is, they have a kneejerk reaction to the commercial fishing industry in general,” he said. Read the rest here 21:12
NOAA OLE Agents probe possible sea lion shootings in Astoria
The Sea Lion Defense Brigade discovered bullet casings and bleeding sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin in Astoria. We can tell you that NOAA office of law enforcement has received a complaint, and we are investigating the possible shooting of sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin,” said Sean Stanley, a special agent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Stanley wouldn’t comment further, citing the ongoing case. Read the rest here 17:13Fisherman Finds Deer Lost At Sea, Gives Him A Lift To Shore
A friendly fisherman piloting his small vessel off the coast of Italy made the catch of a lifetime over the weekend — reeling in a roe deer who had somehow gotten himself lost far out to sea. was about a half-mile out from the port village of Giulianova when he spotted what he thought was a floating tree trunk. It was only as he drew closer that he was shocked to discover it was, in fact, an exhausted animal who seemed very much in need of a helping hand. Read the rest here 13:03
Fish-stealing whales take bite out of black-cod harvest
How do you keep a whale from grabbing the fish off your lines? Do you put out decoy buoys to try to trick them? Do you blast heavy metal from the deck of your boat to annoy them, or run for hours in hopes of ditching them? The problem has grown so bad that many favor a radical move: They want to abandon their traditional hooks and lines in favor of baited steel traps — akin to crab pots — that would protect their catch from whales. NPFMC takes this up this week at its meeting. Read the rest here 12:33
Fisherman recounts rescue of Portland man who fell from Casco Bay ferry
Rick Garland had just finished a day of dragging for periwinkles outside Portland Harbor on Tuesday and turned his fishing boat, the Christina & Caelyn, back toward Hobson’s wharf when his crewman saw what he thought was a harbor seal. “I looked over and said ‘That’s not a seal,’” Garland recalled Wednesday. It was a man floating in the middle of the channel at the mouth of the harbor.,, The man wasn’t yelling and had almost no strength left. Read the rest here 12:00
Banks seek to expand portfolios in stable (rationalized) fishing industry
When the quota system was first begun in the federal fisheries off Alaska, a common fear was consolidating too much quota in too few hands. Commercial Fishing and Agricultural Bank, or CFAB, president Lea Klingert said consolidation isn’t necessarily an evil. “Regardless of whether or not it was right or wrong, it seems to have worked in the financial realm,” Klingert said. “Right now, the options for fishermen are better than they’ve ever been. For everything but permits, over the last several years the fishery has shrunk through rationalization. Read the rest here 09:42
N.L. pledges $2M to seal hunt
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador pledged $2 million Wednesday to support the seal hunt this year – a move animal welfare advocates called a “bailout.” Two processing plants, Carino Processing Ltd. in South Dildo and . in Fleur de Lys, will each receive a loan of up to $1 million toward the purchase of seal meat, pelts and fat from the 2015 harvest. “These loans will help to ensure income for sealers and processing workers throughout the province and support the long-term viability of fish stocks off our shores,” Read the rest here 07:47
Fishermen sentenced to prison following convictions in stone crab trap case
Capt. Romualdo Ricardo Salado, 44, of Stock Island and mate Christopher Joseph Payne, 54, of Miami were both found guilty in March of one count of third-degree felony molestation of another’s stone crab trap by a commercial harvester. County Judge Wayne Miller sentenced Salado to two years and four months in state prison on the trap conviction and 60 days in county jail on the stone crab violation, said Assistant State Attorney Christine Poist. Payne was sentenced to two and a half years in state prison, as well as 60 days in county jail on the stone crab violation. Read the rest here 07:22
Raising The Profile Of An Undereaten Fish
Fishermen are facing tougher quotas and declining populations for some of the most popular fish species, most notably Cod, a New England favorite. That’s one reason why environmentalists and fishermen have been working to promote more locally-caught seafood. Some, like lobster, quahogs, and other shellfish are catching on. But there are other fish that teem the waters of Narragansett Bay. There’s one effort underway to raise awareness about scup, an abundant local catch. Audio, Read the rest here 06:54
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
