Monthly Archives: August 2015
Former NOAA Meteorologist tells of years of censorship to hide the effect of “natural cycles”
David Dilley, NOAA Meteorologist, tells how for 15 years work on 
was pushed while work on natural cycles was actively suppressed. Grants connecting climate change to a man-made crisis were advertised, while the word went around to heads of departments that even mentioning natural cycles would threaten the flow of government funds. Speeches about natural cycles were mysteriously canceled at the last minute with bizarre excuses. But jobs are on the line, so only retired workers can really speak, and no one can name names. Read the rest here 13:56
Starkist Class Action Settlement Means Customers Get $25 In Cash Or $50 In Tuna
Two and a half years ago, a man who eats tuna filed a class action lawsuit against Starkist, a tuna company. His allegation was that the company was deliberately under-filling each can by a few tenths of an ounce. That might not make a difference to one consumer making one tuna salad, but would add up over millions of cans. While Starkist doesn’t admit fault, the case has been settled. If you’re a resident of the United States and bought at least one five-ounce can of any of these tunas from Starkist between February 19, 2009 and October 31, 2014, you’re eligible to file a claim: Read the rest here 13:28
Domestic shrimp price drops below imports
The typical $0.40 to $0.60 per pound premium on domestics — which had risen to $3 last year at this time — has not only completely collapsed but also reversed itself, price quotes from sources reveal. A price sheet form a major US shrimp distributor lists imported vannamei at $6.15/lb. for 16-20 per pound count, raw, peeled and deveined, tail-off product. Meanwhile, a US-based shrimp distributor is currently selling Gulf of Mexico shrimp with identical specifications at $5/lb, the distributor, speaking on condition of anonymity. Read the rest here 12:57
Pending Labor Day Ban On Harvesting Draws Grumbles From Long Island Sound Lobstermen
The moratorium is mean to boost a lobster population that has decreased 95 percent. Darling is one of the few. He said the Long Island Sound has never recovered from a massive 1999 fish die-off, fueled by pesticide runoff and waters that have warmed several degrees since the 1970s. Lobstermen have grumbled that the new Labor Day ban, meant to allow the lobster population to recover, comes at the height of harvesting season. At the same time, environmentalists claim there is a new threat to lobsters. Read the rest here 12:13
New Hampshire lobstermen see no shortage of lobsters
If lobsters are running scared from warmer southern New England waters, local lobstermen aren’t experiencing a similar shortage. According to Red Perkins, manager at Seabrook’s Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative, lobsters are in good supply this year, although not as abundant as a few years ago.”We’re not noticing a shortage here,” Perkins said yesterday. “Last year we had a realistic lobster harvest and this year is the same as last year. A couple of years ago it was a very good year. It’s not strange for quantities to vary over the years.” Read the rest here 11:51
Kenai River Classic approach to future of fishing — Forum brings together leaders in recreational fishing industry
Don’t let the term “recreational” mislead you, sportfishing is serious business, and panelists at the Classic Roundtable on National Recreational Fishing made the case for it to be taken more seriously in public perception and federal fisheries management. The roundtable was put on Wednesday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex by the Kenai River Sportfishing Association as part of its annual Kenai River Classic fundraising event. The panel consisted of various national leaders in the sportfishing community, representing Yamaha Marine, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Center for Coastal Conservation Board of Directors, American Sportfishing Association, Alaska Oil and Gas Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the Coastal Conservation Association. Read the rest here 10:46
Ocean blob brings tropical fish to B.C. coast
Something unusual is happening off the coast of British Columbia. Fish species normally found in the warm waters of the tropics are finding their way north — and a blob is being blamed. Ian Perry, a research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans based on Vancouver Island, says butterfish, tope sharks, ocean sunfish, even a finescale triggerfish have all been spotted further north than usual. Perry says it’s not uncommon for some of these fish to find their way northward every five to 10 years, whenever there’s an El Nino, a massive patch of warm water that appears in the Equatorial Pacific every few years. Read the rest here 09:51
Tribes, fishermen battle salmon-eating sea lions on the Columbia River
Begay idled the boat and stared downriver, waiting to see if the sea lion would resurface. “We’re seeing a lot of new animals this year,” he said. “It’s like everyone brought a friend.” This year, that task was harder than ever, as unprecedented numbers of sea lions flooded into the. The influx reignited a smoldering debate: What happens when a protected marine mammal clashes with an endangered fish? Some regard sea lions as ravenous pests; others as scapegoats for the more serious problems afflicting salmon. But almost everyone agrees that they’re,,, Read the rest here 08:52
Bad Actor Making Hoax Distress Calls Gets Vinalhaven Island Man a Year in Prison
A 23-year-old Vinalhaven man will spend a year in federal prison for making fake distress calls last year that prompted a wide-ranging Coast Guard search.Owen R. Adair, 23, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court by Judge Nancy Torresen for making the false distress calls on Sept. 30, 2014. Adair repeatedly told the Coast Guard operator that he urgently needed assistance because a crewman on his fishing vessel had sustained a serious injury and was bleeding badly, “In fact, the defendant was not aboard a vessel but was ashore on Vinalhaven Island and was using a VHS radio in his truck,” Read the rest here 22:07
Shrimp business bounces back for some, not others
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina left him with nothing but his three medium-sized refrigerator vessels, shrimper Steve Bosarge has overcome major tribulation to expand his business. Years before the catastrophe, Bosarge diversified his business because of increased shrimping competition. In the 1990s, he began providing endangered species animal relocation and site clearance services for oil companies. He had no way of knowing that this side work would save his business. He continues that service today, along with his original career. Many captains of smaller boats were not as fortunate. Read the rest here 18:50
Maine DMR – “We’re gonna nip ten days off of your scallop fishing season”!
Maine fishing regulators are proposing to trim 10 days from scallopseason along the state’s southern coast. The state Department of Marine Resources announced the proposed terms of the 2015-16 scallop season on Thursday. The southern scalloping zone would be reduced from 70 to 60 days. The Midcoast and eastern Maine zone would have 70 days, the same as last year. The far eastern zone, which includes scallop-rich Cobscook Bay, would remain at 50 days. Under the proposal, the upcoming scallop fishing season would begin in early December and end in mid-April. The state is also proposing a series of targeted closures of waterways to scallop fishing. link 17:10
Illegal red snapper catches has Corpus Christi man facing 5 years in prison
The co-owner and operator of Exclusive Fishing Texas, Christopher James Garcia, has plead guilty to not reporting the catch of red snapper and illegally selling more than 1,000 pounds of the fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico. Back in 2013, undercover agents met with Garcia in San Antonio after he drove two separate loads of red snapper from Port Aransas. He had not reported the fish against his catch quota (a violation of federal law) and did not have a wholesale truck dealer’s fish license (a violation of Texas law). Read the rest here 16:47
Not Bread Alone: Visiting Lobster Land
We’ve just come back from the Canadian Maritimes (Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick) where the lobster industry is flourishing. The Maritimes all have a long seafaring tradition including a thriving lobster fishery. Anywhere along the long and rugged coast where there is a sheltering harbour (yes they spell it with a U) to dock a boat, you’ll find lobstermen with their work-horse boats, stacks of traps, and picturesque but functional dockside shacks. Even with restrictive fishery management practices designed to insure a future harvest, they’re pulling up lobsters like crazy. Read the rest here 16:27
Evidence supports trawling depth limit
The first scientific evidence that trawling in waters deeper than 600 metres is ecologically damaging and provides poor economic return is reigniting debate about the controversial fishing practice. For years, European scientists, environmentalists, politicians and commercial fishermen have debated whether or how to limit deep-sea trawling, which critics say causes huge damage to ocean ecosystems. The latest findings, which use survey data to assess how the ratio of undesired fish to commercially valuable ones changes with depth, are published in Current Biology1. Read the rest here 15:16
‘Something fishy’ — Protesters sign their disapproval of Kenai River Sportfishing Association
The hundred or so people holding signs outside the Soldotna Sports Complex on Thursday afternoon were demonstrating their opposition to the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, which was holding a banquet inside as part of its annual Kenai River Classic fundraiser. But their message wasn’t directed at KRSA. Neither were the similar signs displayed by eight boats and a kayak in front of the riverside home of KRSA founding member Bob Penney on Wednesday evening during another Classic event. Read the rest here 14:38
Tuna Fever hits Newfoundland and Labrador! Gerry Byrne calls for equal tuna fishing access – Immediately!
“Newfoundland and Labrador was largely left out and, despite now having more lucrative opportunities to participate the fishery, this province continues to be left out, “ said Byrne. “It’s simply not fair and must be corrected. DFO should immediately implement the ‘Gail Shea Halibut solution’ and give Newfoundland and Labradorians equal access to the resource as all other provinces regardless of recent catch history.” Byrne is calling for several hundred tuna licences to be immediately issued to Newfoundland and Labrador and that all licences should be made ‘Atlantic Wide” in order to allow fishermen to adjust to the migratory patterns of the fish. Read the rest here 13:43
B.C. mine protestors hold “Extra Tuff” rally on Capitol steps
Xtratuf boots are ubiquitous in Southeast Alaska. About a hundred pairs of the brown rubber boots, along with photos of Alaskans, were on the steps of the Capitol building Wednesday to protest mines in British Columbia. “This day and this gathering is truly about celebrating clean water and healthy fisheries and the things that make Southeast what it is,” said Edie Leghorn, speaking into a microphone. The rally participants carried signs that read “Get Extra Tuff on BC Mines“ Read the rest here 09:18
SMAST professor researches fishing nets to help save juvenile haddock
Many commercial fishermen are appalled by regulations that force them to throw undersized fish back into the sea, when they are likely to be already dead. To reduce the unwanted catch of juvenile haddock, professor Pingguo He, a researcher at the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, has undertaken a project that could adapt a Norwegian net device to the nets used by the fishing industry on Georges Bank. The Norwegian nets have reportedly proved effective in letting juvenile haddock escape the net and have a much better chance of reaching maturity. Read the rest here 07:33
Good Morning, John – An open letter to John Bullard, Dave Sullivan, Gloucester
To NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard: As a fellow MIT alumnus, I am baffled at your stubborn adherence to a fish monitoring plan that the most cursory analysis shows is not only unsustainable, but will simply not provide the data you say you need to understand New England fish populations. Unfortunately, you have painted yourself into a corner by making enemies of the most valuable source of information on New England fish — the fishermen themselves: You have branded them as biased liars whose reports cannot be trusted — hence the need for “monitors.” Read the rest here 07:11
Judge Rejects Latest Water Grab on California’s Trinity River
“This is a 
water grab, pure and simple, that would have put the entire California salmon fishing industry at risk,” said Glen Spain, NW Regional Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), which represents commercial fishing families coastwide. “It makes no sense to sacrifice thousands of fisheries jobs over 700 miles of coastline to provide just a little bit more water to a voracious California Central Valley agribusiness system that has already used far more than its share during a major drought.” Read the rest here 23:00
First Electric Commercial Fishing Vessel Launched
The world’s first electric commercial fishing vessel is ready for commissioning in Norway. A Corvus lithium polymer Energy Storage System (ESS) with 30 batteries has been integrated with a Siemens propulsion system to power the 11 meter vessel built by Selfa Arctic AS in Norway. The fishing boat, designed to operate entirely on battery power over a planned ten hour working day, can be charged overnight by plugging into the electrical grid and has an emergency 50kW auxiliary diesel-electric generator. Read the rest here 22:30
Coast Guard towed a fishing boat on Monday after it caught fire 75 miles east of Manasquan.
The U.S. Coast Guard towed a fishing boat on Monday after it caught fire 75 miles east of Manasquan. The command center in Staten Island was notified the 82-foot vessel “Relentless” was in distress, according to a news release from the Coast Guard today. Six people were on board the disabled boat. Coast Guard personnel spoke with the crew via satellite phone and confirmed that a fire had engulfed the engine room. “The master requested to remain aboard his vessel with his crew,” said Lieutenant,,, Read the rest here 20:37
State police confirm sunken fishing vessel off Sandy Hook Channel is F/V El Jefe – Skipper is missing.
State Police divers have confirmed that a sunken fishing vessel in the Sandy Hook Channel is the missing boat “El Jefe”. Police say the presence of a body on board is not yet confirmed. Due to dangerous water currents, the State Police Marine Services Bureau has suspended activity for the day. The captain, identified by family members as Tom Andersen, a father, and a grand father, is believed to have been the only one on board; he has not been heard from since. The El Jefe is normally docked in Belford. Read the rest here 19:49
A ‘commotion’ at the dock – ‘We didn’t know’: DFO investigating possible tuna fishing infractions
The licence was granted to Hunt’s late father some 55 years ago, and has remained in the family. It’s been a good year for the fishery, with four large tuna being landed by Hunt’s 46-foot Viking sports-fishing boat so far this season. But witnesses say there was a “commotion” in Conception Bay late last week after Hunt’s vessel docked and DFO officers arrived. Hunt wasn’t present, and said the longtime captain of his vessel brought in a tuna. He said the officers pointed out the violations. “DFO is doing their job. I got no problem with that. We’re,,, Read the rest here 14:14
Oprah debuts new online store with Maine lobster
The lobster is fabulous!!!
Up your game Amazon. There’s a new online shopping destination that’s Oprah approved. The O store, launched by the Oprah Winfrey Network last week, provides online access to the top picks in luxury goods and services across the country. Curated by the lifestyle queen herself, the food section is sweet on Topsham’s Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company. “Her creative director is a fan,” said owner Cal Hancock on the phone Tuesday. “This is an honor.” Read the rest here 13:47
Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Preferred Price List for August 26, 2015
Contact our sales team today @ 401 295 2585 or 800 732 273 Click Here for the complete price list from Seafreeze Ltd. We are Direct to the Source-We are Fishermen-We are Seafreeze Ltd! Visit our website! 12:15
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Fiberglass Trawler/Tuna,1979, GM
Specifications, information and 12 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 11:47
Miss Berdie Gets a Makeover
When she came into the Fred Wahl shipyard in Reedsport, Oregon, the Miss Berdie was a fine looking boat with a bright red hull. When she left the yard this summer she was still a fine looking red vessel but bigger and better. After taking the 77 by 27.8 by 11.5-foot boat apart, the crew at Fred Wahl’s, working with a design by Hockema & Whalen Associates, put her back together with a 39-foot beam, a 12.7-foot molded depth and an overall registered length of 80.8 feet. In order to keep regulatory requirements regarding the overall length, they reduced the rake,,, Read the rest here 11:02
Coast Guard launches search for sunken fishing boat in Sandy Hook Channel
The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies were searching for a fishing boat that reportedly capsized off the coast of New Jersey on Tuesday evening, authorities said. A witness notified the Coast Guard Sector New York command center that a 40-foot steel fishing trawler known as F/V El Jefe had begun taking on water at around 4:30 p.m. in the Sandy Hook Channel and sunk shortly after, according to a statement issued by the Coast Guard. New Jersey State Police crews found debris in the water believed to be from the sunken vessel. Read the rest here 09:14
Cod almighty: Underwater video captures quite the scene off Battle Harbour
We saw some incredible images of cod when the recreational fishery was open earlier this summer — and we have some more to share with you now. Carter Spearing used a GoPro camera to take a look underneath the water while he undertook a recent trip by Caribou Shore, not far from Battle Harbour in southern Labrador. He joked that his “GoPro got a few teethmarks on the lens, but she still works.” Watch the video here 08:43
