Daily Archives: June 28, 2015
NC State Senate Bill 160 proposes a new fee for commercial and recreational boats that are 24 foot and above.
The bill carries a price tag directly associated with the length of the boat. The bill would establish a Coastal Waterways User Identification Number for boats that are operated in state coastal fishing waters. If passed, the bill is expected to garner between $1-2 million, and the money will go to the Shallow Draft Navigation Channel Dredging and Lake Maintenance Fund for dredging inlets and weed control for lakes. Owners would have to pay an annual fee based on the length of their boat,,, Read the rest here 19:22
Delaware Man Catches Record-Size Blueline Tilefish During Tournament
A Delaware man set a new state record during a recent fishing tournament. William Fintel, of Lewes, caught a 19.7 pound blueline tilefish on June 19 during the Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament. The tilefish was 33 inches long and was caught in the Atlantic Ocean’s Baltimore Canyon, some 65 miles offshore. Relatively new to the tournament, blueline tilefish are becoming quite popular among salt water anglers. Read the rest here 18:39
Rhode Island-based Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation awarded $399,870 of S-K Grant Funding
Rhode Island fishermen are to receive up to $475,000 in federal funds to support research aimed at improving sustainability of local fisheries. The CFRF will put the funds toward its On-Deck Data Program, which allows local lobstermen to use tablet computers and electronic calipers to collect and transmit real time data about their catch and share it with researchers studying the lobster and Jonah crab populations. The Rhode Island Natural History Survey will use the funds to develop a climate change adaptation blueprint for Rhode Island commercial fisheries. Read the rest here www.cfrfoundation.org 18:05
Both sides in Scotland’s escalating seal-shooting wars could face charges after a series of dramatic confrontations
For the second year running, 
is running a summer-long campaign to defend seals in northeast Scotland. It has mobilised three boats and around 80 volunteers from 12 countries who have been monitoring and filming the shooters, sometimes putting themselves in front of seals. They say they have filmed three seals being legally shot in Gamrie Bay, and believe a fourth was also shot there. In Murkle Bay, they say they filmed two seals being legally shot, and believe a further two were shot off camera. Read the rest here 12:42
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, June 28, 2015
The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance is dedicated to its mission of continuing to help create sustainable fisheries without putting licensed fishermen out of business.” Read the update here To read all the updates, click here 11:52
BREAKING: 4 P.E.I. CF/V Cadillac Style fishermen rescued off Shippagan, New Brunswick
Four fishermen from Tignish, P.E.I. were rescued 33 nautical miles east of Shippagan, N.B. Sunday morning after their vessel took on water. JTF Atlantic says a distress signal came from the vessel’s beacon after 4 a.m. A Cormorant helicopter, a Hercules aircraft, a Coast Guard vessel and another fishing vessel in the area responded. The fishermen were airlifted to the Charlottetown Airport and arrived there by 8 a.m. They were taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown to be checked out. Read the rest here 10:34
Bellingham – Commercial Fisherman Robert Briscoe running to ensure port is economic engine
I have walked the docks since I was 4 years old and I’ve seen many changes over the 41 years I’ve been commercial fishing out of Squalicum harbor. The fortunes of our maritime businesses have ebbed and flowed over the years. With waterfront re-development on its agenda, the has a unique opportunity to once again take advantage of our strategic marine location. After years of wondering when something would happen, and complaining when nothing did happen, I am stepping up to offer my leadership to the Port of Bellingham. Read the rest here 10:17
Our History: The wild nature of B.C.’s fisheries
Sylvia Taylor’s lyrical memoir of life as a rookie deckhand captures the thrill and the perils of commercial fishing in a bygone era. The excerpt below describes an early-season stopover in the bustling village of Port Hardy and offers a glimpse of hardships that would soon beset the industry in the form of depleted fish stocks, shortened seasons and the tightening grip of government regulation. – Read the rest here 09:54
The Pope’s Environmental Message. There’s Plenty That Environmentalists Might Not Want to Hear
Pope Francis, who certainly heaps plenty of blame on humans for the mess we have made of the natural world, is having none of this absolutist environmental “It’s Us Against Nature” piety. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. When we speak of the “environment,” what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it. Nor does Pope Francis have much affection for the pragmatic market-based Ecomodernist approach of self-proclaimed “modern” environmentalists who propose that technology and human wisdom can make the future good, even great. Read the rest here 08:39
Harvesting geoduck is lucrative, but it’s also brutally hard work
Time is money in all types of commercial fishing, but that’s particularly true in the geoduck fishery. One reason is the huge market demand in China for the big bivalves. The other is how the Tulalip Tribes manage their divers, restricting harvest to just a few hours at a time as part of a strategy to keep the fishery sustainable. Last season, 90 percent of wild geoducks harvested in Washington were sent to Asia in what amounted to a $74 million export industry for the state. With prices hinging on the clams’ health, packagers race to SeaTac with their freshly caught product. Read the rest here 08:00
