Daily Archives: August 11, 2015
NC seafood processor fined $100,000 for mislabeling shrimp
A Harnett County seafood processor faces a $100,000 fine and three years of probation for labeling farm-raised, imported shrimp as wild shrimp caught in the United States. According to court documents, an employee of Alphin Brothers Inc. encouraged others at the Dunn seafood processing facility to falsely label approximately 25,000 pounds of shrimp later sold to customers in Louisiana. Read the rest here 23:25
Cattle Call! Commercial fishing families sought for potential series
A Los Angeles-based production company is finalizing a list of families it plans to feature in a documentary series for a major cable network that is tentatively titled Born on the Water. The documentary series will explore the challenges and achievements of commercial fishing families from a multigenerational perspective. The documentary series will explore the challenges and achievements of commercial fishing families from a multigenerational perspective. Read the rest here 19:47
Washington and Oregon States adopt lower Columbia seine salmon fisheries
Washington and Oregon officials on Tuesday adopted commercial salmon fishing seasons in late August and September for six beach seiners and four purse seiners in selected portions of the lower Columbia River. Eight commercial fishermen applied for seine permits in June and all were awarded a permit, said Robin Ehlke, assistant Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Only six of the eight permits (four beach and two purse) were purchased. The states are accepting applications in order Read the rest here 19:16
O’Hara Corporation christens F/V Araho
The O’Hara Corporation 
the first new vessel to join Alaska’s flatfish sector in nearly three decades this summer, marking a major milestone for the aging fleet and sending waves of excitement through the industry. A video posted on the company’s Facebook page shows the vessel’s hull being launched into the water, in time for completion by the Alaska Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands flatfish fishing season’s start in late January. In a rare move, the company had it built on US soil. Eastern Shipbuilding Group constructed the 194-foot freezer trawler at its home-base in Panama City, Florida. Read the rest here 14:14
Electronic Monitoring versus At Sea Observers – Technology buoys fishermen devastated by cod’s collapse
By the end of this year, NMFS wants groundfish fishermen to pay for their own “at-sea monitors,” the independent observers who collect data on bycatch and ensure fishermen follow the rules..”It’s the people that we’re dealing with that we trust,” said . “I know that John is trying to do the best he can, and I know the people he’s got working for him are trying to do the best they can.” As for the rest of NOAA? “Would you trust someone who has screwed you nonstop your whole life?” he said. “Thirty-five years ago, I thought it was different. I don’t anymore.” Read the rest here 12:09
Simple solution could save whales from fishing nets
The number of massive whales dangerously caught up in fishing gear could be reduced by three quarters if the industry would agree to use slightly weaker ropes. The calculations and recommendations have been published in the journal Conservation Biology, following a string of whale entanglements reported over June and July; from June, one humpback whale was inadvertently caught up off the British Columbia coast every week for six weeks. Read the rest here 10:49
Overwaitea Food Group dropped by sustainable seafood program SeaChoice
SeaChoice, a national sustainable seafood program, has dropped one of its most prominent partners, the Overwaitea Food Group, due in part to ongoing problems with getting information about where the fish sold in stores was caught. “It was disappointing,” said Jay Ritchlin, a director-general for the David Suzuki Foundation which overseas SeaChoice. Where seafood comes from — and how it was caught — are both important pieces of information in deciding whether that stock can be considered sustainable. For example, SeaChoice tells consumers to avoid farmed shrimp from the U.S. and choose instead trap-caught shrimp from Nova Scotia. Read the rest here 10:00
Lobster season opens on Northumberland Strait – Processors scramble to find plant workers
The lobster fishery opening on the Northumberland Strait Tuesday as lobster processors deal with new federal regulations which limit how many temporary foreign workers can be hired. The new regulations could create problems processing this season’s catch. “Let’s face it — it’s tough work, not everybody’s cut out for it,” said Nat Richard. “And certainly a lot of our older workers are retiring and younger people today aren’t looking to work in fish plants.” Read the rest here 09:34
‘Wicked Tuna’ fisherman Paul Hebert pleads not guilty to fraud
A Gloucester fisherman featured on the reality show “Wicked Tuna” pleaded not guilty Monday in Vermont to federal fraud charges that he collected government benefits while claiming to be disabled. Prosecutors say while Hebert was seen manning big fishing rods and harpooning huge fish on the National Geographic Channel reality show, he was at the same time claiming he was unable to work, with no income, no vehicle and no assets. They say during that period he was actually living with a woman and his child, owned a vehicle, and, at one point, a home. Read the rest here 09:05
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update August 10, 2015
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 08:30
Commercial fishing industry reeling from mental health crisis
Led by Deakin University maritime anthropologist, Dr Tanya King, the report ‘A Different Kettle of Fish: Mental health strategies for Australian fishers and farmers’ reveals a community under stress and struggling under the weight of government policy around fishing licences. “This would allow the specific issues facing the fishing industry to be addressed, rather than assuming that policies good for farmers will necessarily work for fishers. “It’s not just people’s livelihoods, or even consumer access to fresh, sustainable local seafood – people’s lives are on the line,” she said. Read the rest here 08:16
