Daily Archives: June 18, 2015
Lobster boat catches fire in Northeast Harbor
The owner was on the boat at the time but was not injured, according to the local fire chief. The extent of damage to the boat was not clear, Chief Michael Bender said Thursday, but it was still floating and there was no visible damage on the boat’s exterior when firefighters got the flames under control. The boat, Wave Guide, was towed over to the public dock by another fishing boat, Crazy Water, to make the response effort easier, Bender said. Read the rest here 21:20
Dungeness crab season opens strong in Southeastern Alaska
Dungeness crab season is now open, and fishermen are flocking to the sea earlier. This time last year, there were 151 permits registered, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Petersburg Shellfish Biologist Joe Stratman said. The 2014-15 season ended with 192 permit holders. This year, there are already 193 permits registered, he added. “We have an increase in effort this year,” Stratman said. And the results of last year’s season may be a contributor, he added. Read the rest here 20:28
9 fin whales found dead in Alaska waters near Kodiak in recent weeks
At least nine fin whales have been found dead in recent weeks in southern Alaska waters, and researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and University of Alaska Fairbanks are attempting to find out what killed them.The whales were reportedly discovered from Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska to Unimak Pass, which is located near the eastern end of the Aleutian Islands and western tip of the Alaska Peninsula. Read the rest here 19:40
Shrimp imports are one reason Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal shouldn’t be approved
The U.S. shrimp industry is voicing concerns about the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, saying if it were to be passed, it could weaken the ability of regulators to reject unsafe seafood imports. The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, opened tariff-free trade between Mexico, Canada and the United States, there were and still are many aspects of the agreement that are still being argued. NAFTA was signed into law in 1994 by President Bill Clinton. Now, we have the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, a trade deal between the U.S. and eleven Pacific-rim nations that has been negotiated under a cloak of secrecy. Read the rest here 15:56
Small sizes temporarily closes shrimp seasons in Mississippi and Louisiana
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is temporarily closing shrimping north of the Intracoastal Waterway in Mississippi waters at 6 a.m. on June 18. The closing will be in effect until MDMR sampling determines the shrimp count has reached the minimum legal size of 68 per pound. Yesterday, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries made a similar announcement. Shrimp season in most inshore waters will temporarily close on June 19. Read the rest here 15:10
State cops, NOAA nab Gloucester seafood haulers for violations
Massachusetts State Police, Environmental Police and NOAA Fisheries law enforcement, said they found 17 violations and took two trucks out of service Wednesday in a surprise Gloucester sweep of seafood-hauling vehicles. “Additionally, Environmental Police officers found untagged shellfish, fish under the legal size limit and a V-notched lobster, which is prohibited from being harvested,” Police would not release the names of either the trucking companies cited or the processors or harvesters that committed the fishing violations,,, Read the rest here 13:45
Report: $1.2 billion of output from Southcentral fishing
Seafood employs more people in Southcentral than mining in the entire state, pays out more in Anchorage than construction, and has enough management and logistics infrastructure in Anchorage to rival that of Seattle, according to a new report. According to the report, the seafood industry is a major engine for Southcentral Alaska, with 2,168 active commercial fishing permits, 35 processing plants, and three salmon hatcheries working to produce $1.2 billion of total economic output for the region. Read the rest here 13:31
By road, lake and river: Boats make way to Bristol Bay – Molly Dischner
Editor’s note: This is the first of two parts in reporter Molly Dischner’s journey with a Homer fishing family to Bristol Bay on the eve of sockeye season. PILE BAY – It’s noon, Iliamna Lake is calm, and half a dozen fishermen are sitting around in the grass outside the bathroom at Pile Bay using free Wi-Fi. A soon-to-be setnetter makes a Facebook page for another fisherman. His brother (and this reporter) pitch in with photos and suggestions for friends. The three of us are riding to Naknek with Louie Flora and his daughter Sidney onboard the F/V Eagle Claw. Read the rest here 13:07
The P.E.I Fishermen’s Association ask’s DFO for response on lobster season extension by Wednesday
The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association has sent a letter to Fisheries and Oceans Canada asking for a decision on an extension to the spring lobster season no later than next Wednesday, June 24. The season normally closes June 30. The executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association Ian MacPherson said fishermen need to know what will happen. “For a variety of reasons, certainly so people can plan what they need to do to either leave their traps in the water or take them out,” Read the rest here 12:39
‘A hard day’ following Placentia Bay tragedy, says mayor
The mayor of Southern Harbour says his community is in mourning after the bodies of three men were found by search and rescue crews in Newfoundland’s Placentia Bay Wednesday. The men were in a speedboat, which is believed to have capsized somewhere near Bar Haven. They had departed Southern Harbour Sunday on a longliner, which they then anchored at Davis Cove across Placentia Bay. According to Brewer, the men were in a smaller boat due to quota restrictions for crab. “Crab quotas that he had,,, Read the rest here 10:14
One Dragger Sinks, Another Damaged In Mishap Off Dogfish Bar
According to Menemsha harbor master Dennis Jason, the Robert C, a dragger from Fairhaven, went down in 40 to 50 feet of water. The operator was rescued by a nearby lobster boat. The Robert C is registered to Douglas Soares of Fairhaven.The other boat involved was Pedlar, a 42-foot wooden fishing vessel also out of Fairhaven and owned by Walter Dixon, according to U.S. Coast Guard records. Mr. Jason said because of extensive damage to the bow of Pedlar, it appeared to be a near head-on collision. Read the rest here 09:05
Feds find ‘substantial’ amount of pot in raid of Bay St. Louis seafood market
Agents with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office participated in a joint raid of Cowart Seafood in Bay St. Louis. DMR spokesperson Melissa Scallan said the agents executed a federal search warrant sometime between 8 and 9 a.m. Wednesday. She said Lonnie Mack Ray, 46, who is the owner of the business, of Bay St. Louis, is suspected of violating the Lacey Act, which pertains to interstate commerce involving fish, wildlife or plants. Read the rest here 08:29
Three Lower Keys brothers will serve six months in prison, prosecuted under the U.S. Lacey Act
Senior U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King approved a plea agreement between Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald and defense attorneys that called for six months imprisonment followed by a year of supervised release and a $25,000 fine. Brothers Charles, Tyson and Ryan Veach already forfeited a 32-foot Invincible center console boat, spent $24,000 to remove the casitas from Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary waters, and gave up their commercial lobster licenses prior to their arrival in court, defense attorneys said. Read the rest here 08:01
