Daily Archives: September 7, 2015
Bristol Bay 2015 season summary: 3rd-largest run ever
The Department of Fish and Game released a summary of the Bristol Bay 2015 fishing season, now noting a total inshore run of 58 million sockeye salmon. That makes 2015 a near-record-setting year, says Fish and Game area biologist Tim Sands. “It’s second out of the last 20 years – the only one that beat it was 1995 – and it’s the third-largest run of all time,” said Sands. This year’s harvest was counted at 37.6 million sockeye, which Sands say is the fourth largest ever, using records going back to the 1880s. Read the rest here 20:52
FISHY BUSINESS: Support your neighborhood fisherman – It’s So Sexy!
Last month this column bemoaned the economic challenges of the local fishing fleet and examined why we are seeing fewer and fewer commercial fishing boats in Scituate Harbor. To recap, the basic problem is that over regulation has reduced the ability of fishing businesses to harvest a reasonable amount of fish and sell it for a price that is profitable. Further, the infrastructure that supports fishing is more focused on processing foreign fish instead of the local supply. The good news for both fishermen and consumers alike is there is an alternative to the “old economy” of fishing through Scituate’s own community supported fishery, South Shore Seafood Exchange, Inc. (SOSSEXI). That’s right, it is pronounced, “So Sexy.” Read the rest here 17:31
Premier in Asia to help N.S. seafood firms promote products
Representatives of five Nova Scotia seafood companies promoted their products, with help from Premier Stephen McNeil, at an event in Guangzhou, China Monday. Asia is the third-largest market for Nova Scotia seafood exports and the companies provided chef demonstrations and company presntations. Seafood exports to the region made $132 million in 2014, according to a government media release. The companies are: Gidney Fisheries of Centreville, NovaCan Live Seafood of Arichat, United Trans of Halifax, Atlantic Canada Resources of Dartmouth and Ocean Pride Fisheries from Lower Wedgeport. Read the rest here 13:36
B.C. tragedy as 3 fisherman drown off Tofino, one survives
The fishing boat, the Caledonian, with four fishermen onboard capsized in Pacific Ocean waters off of the town of Tofino on Vancouver Island Saturday. Three of them are dead and one survivor was plucked from the waters. Navy Lt. Nicole Murillo with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said the survivor revealed that the men were hauling in a net with a large catch in it when the 33-metre boat listed over into the water; the survivor said they knew the situation was dangerous but were unable to get the ship back upright. “They tried to correct it,” Lt. Murillo said. “But unfortunately the ship capsized and subsequently sunk.” Read the rest here 09:45
Groundfish industry taking another hit with addition of at-sea monitors – Steve Urbon
So this is how it looks. The gradual collapse of the New England groundfish industry continued last week as about two dozen people jammed into a meeting room of the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries office in the former voc-tech school on Purchase Street to argue about the distribution of disaster relief money allocated by Congress. Adding insult to injury is the impending shift of costs for at-sea monitors to the fishing boats. Fishing industry advocates liken this to a shotgun wedding, in which the boats have no choice but to sign a contract with a third party with no say in the price being paid. Read the rest here 09:09
