Monthly Archives: September 2015
READER’S CORNER: Boycott open-pen fish farming products – Fred Giffin, Hantsport
The 
and governments are likely quite pleased that attention to this crisis has died down a bit. It’s time that it was brought back to the forefront. Here are some unanswered issues: What is being done about the Doelle-Lahey report? Two lawyers pocketed a significant amount of taxpayers’ dollars to relay what every coastal resident already knew about the disastrous pollution, disease and poisons of ocean-based fish farms, seemingly to have their findings shelved by the Liberals. Read the rest here 12:12
Tradex 3MMI – Where’s All The Norwegian Cod Going? West Coast Algae Bloom Effects on Pink Shrimp Supply
If the CIQ lifts the ban on Norwegian fish 30,000 to 40,000 tons of fish would flush into the market. A large algae bloom in the preferred West Coast fishing area for Pink Shrimp has halted some of the fleets – buyers should expect their shrimp supply to take a hit. Watch the Tradex 3-Minute Market Insight here 09:06
Unalaska opposes new ‘Super 8’ fishing vessels
Wider, deeper and able to pack more fish, they’re the “Super 8s,” a new breed of 58-foot-long fishing boats that some don’t want to leave the light on for in the Dutch Harbor subdistrict, and are calling for a limited entry system in the local Pacific cod state waters fishery. “It’s a new kind of boat,” said fisheries lobbyist Brent Paine. “It’s not a cheap little pocket seiner.” He said via teleconference that one of the proponents recently spent $4.1 million for a new 58-footer. The Unalaska/Dutch Harbor Fish and Game Advisory Committee last month voted down Read the rest here 08:40
First Nations blockade Clayoquot Sound salmon farm
Members of Ahousaht First Nations are currently blockading the attempts of Cermaq to install a new open-net salmon farm at Yaakswiis, north of Tofino BC. On Wednesday Ahousaht members took boats out to the site and prevented Cermaq from anchoring the controversial new farm, which was assembled off-site and towed to Yaakswiis. “Wild salmon are in decline everywhere salmon feedlots are in operation around the world. We will stop any future activity at this location”, said Tom Paul, an Ahousaht member. “We will stay out there until we are moved—we will be arrested if need be” he added. Read the rest here 08:19
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting – Hilton Head, South Carolina. Listen Live
The public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Read the Meeting Agenda Click here, Briefing Book – September 2015 Council Meeting Click here Webinar Registration: Listen Live, Click here 07:32
U.S. Coast Guard rescue 3 mariners from disabled fishing boat in Bristol Bay
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three mariners from a disabled vessel in Bristol Bay Sunday, officials wrote in a press release. The Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center received a distress call from a 32-foot fishing vessel, reporting engine failure and a fear that the vessel would drift onto a nearby rocky shore. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a HC-130 Hercules plane from Kodiak were dispatched 250 miles to respond and perform the rescue. The fishing boat ran aground shortly after the completion of the hoist, officials said. Watch the video here 23:14
Navitus Bay Wind Park – The Community Wins.
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, September 6, 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 19:34
The Accident That Saved Sig Hansens Life
Sig recounts the story of a minor accident that ended up saving his life and reflects on the dangers of his chosen profession. Watch the video here 13:10
N.H. commercial fishermen balk at new fees for at sea observers
New Hampshire’s commercial fishing industry could vanish soon, industry members said, as the state’s last nine active boat operators face what they call new back-breaking costs imposed by the federal government. Commercial fishermen will meet Monday at 4:30 p.m. with U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, R-N.H., at Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative in Seabrook to discuss the new costs, which pay for regulatory observers. , a Hampton-based fisherman, said New Hampshire’s congressional delegation is the industry’s last hope to get federal regulators off its back. Read the rest here 12:31
Fishermen in Cape Tormentine, Murray Corner and nearby Little Cape upset at loss of lobster buyer
They were at the wharf last year and actually, they drove the price up. We wouldn’t have got as much for our lobsters last year if it weren’t for them coming in. It’s nice to have competition,” Allen says. North Lake Fisheries 2013 Inc. is currently owned by Chinese-backed owners based in California. The company was purchased in 2013 after a former fish processing facility closed in 2012, leaving more than 100 area individuals out of work. Although it’s not known exactly why the company pulled its lobster buyers off the New Brunswick wharves, Allen speculates the recent downturn in world financial markets may have played a part in it all. Read the rest here 10:57
Coast Guard rescues fisherman off Chatham
The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 38-year-old man from a fishing boat 50 miles east of Chatham early Sunday morning, according to a Coast Guard media release. The release stated that the captain of the fishing vessel Nobska contacted the Coast Guard shortly after midnight to report that a crewmember was experiencing respiratory problems.The Coast Guard launched a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter at 1:40 a.m. to respond, and evacuated the man from the Nobska at around 2:30 a.m., according to the release. Read the rest here 10:31
Lower Columbia gillnetters want more fishing; say experimental seine fishing a failure
Commercial gillnetters Thursday, Sept. 10, called for the two-state Columbia River Compact to cease the experimental seine fishery on the Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam, saying that participation is low and will get lower as catch rates lag behind goals. They also demanded more fishing time. “It all circles back to the Kitzhaber plan,” according to Jim Wells, a lower Columbia River fishing advisor. “19,000 fish have been set aside for us for September. Last year we caught that in one opening. We just don’t have the impacts (allowable catches) anymore to function and you can blame Governor Kitzhaber for that. It’s really frustrating being the only group on the river not able to fish.” Read the rest here 09:37
Trinity East fisherman reinvents himself as entrepreneur, restaurant owner
He’s a fisherman, restaurant owner, butcher, entrepreneur and jack of all trades. Corey Jones of Trinity East likes to keep busy — and that’s an understatement. Jones owns the the Dock Marina restaurant, art gallery and gift shop in Trinity and the Galley restaurant in neighbouring Port Rexton. When he’s not busy running his thriving businesses, Jones is out on the water, fishing for crab and shrimp. Oh yes, let’s not forget, in his few spare minutes, he also operates a butcher shop. The sea was Corey Jones’ first love. He always wanted to be on the water. It’s in his blood. Read the rest here 09:10
Environmental groups’ misguided spending on oceans
Carlos Rafael famously and accurately predicted about five years ago that using the quota system known as catch shares in the Northeast Multispecies Fishery would drive small boats out of the water and consolidate licenses into the hands of a few. His operation would be fine, he said, because of its size. Now that government regulators have determined that fishermen will bear the cost of at-sea monitors, the pescatarian prognosticator has made another prediction. In a letter to the editor last week, the Oracle of the Ocean pointed out that analysis by the regulators,,, Read the rest here 08:37
Fish wars swirl – Commercial and recreational fishermen clash over southern flounder stock
Not the prettiest nor the most elusive of fish, the flat, oval-shaped southern flounder is nonetheless a tasty staple along the North Carolina coast, whether it’s caught by fishing rod or purchased in a seafood market or restaurant.These days the southern flounder is making waves that reach all the way to the state capital, pitting recreational anglers against commercial operators, setting a regulatory commission’s members against one another and their staff, and prompting legislators to wade into a controversy that is the territory of the executive branch. Accusations of political threats and retaliation abound. Read the rest here 08:04
The flaws in quota-based fishery management – Barry Darby, St. John’s
Quota-based management plans are based on certain assumptions which are subject to numerous potential errors. Setting quotas requires substantial, accurate knowledge of the stock to be harvested before setting the appropriate level of harvest. We assume we know the size of the stock. This is difficult to determine accurately since it is done by survey sampling which has its own built-in statistical errors. We assume we know the correct percentage to catch (the optimal TAC). In lobster harvesting, we catch more than 50 per cent of the available marketable,,, Read the rest here 12:31
“The Gray Curtain: The Impact of Seals, Sharks & Commercial Fishing on the Northeast Coast,”
In the book’s first section he tells what kinds of seals are around, describing their behavior and ecology. He tracks the rise of gray seals since 1990 from a few to thousands, discussing the antipathy fishermen have to them while giving us facts about their eating habits. He is not a sentimentalist but looks at the realities of animals’ relationship to their predators and prey, as well as the complexities of human interaction with their environment. Finding a young harp seal on the outer beach bloodied by coyotes, he leaves it to become part of the food chain, only to find people attempting to save it. Read the rest here 11:02
Who seems to be fighting who? – Battle for control of North Carolina seafood is complicated
North Carolina’s fishing resources generate millions of dollars a year, and many come to the beach to enjoy what they believe is freshly caught seafood that comes from local docks to the seafood market or a restaurant table. While some state government agencies spend tax dollars urging people to consume , other departments and even elected officials are exerting efforts in the opposite direction, essentially making it increasingly difficult for commercial fishermen to harvest local seafood. Left out of the equation are the consumers of seafood, restaurants, seafood markets, grocery stores and just about anyone else who does not harvest fish by their own hand. Read the rest here 10:15
Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers announces US-Russia pact on illegal fishing
A Seattle-based crabbing industry association is announcing a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russia that targets illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. The Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers says the agreement was signed Friday as part of the 26th U.S.-Russia Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on Fisheries meeting in Portland, Oregon. The crabbing group represents 70 percent of the crap harvesters in Alaska’s Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region. The association says the agreement signed Friday targets blatant poaching,,, Read the rest here 09:43
Ordnance found in fishing gear safely removed from RCMP Harbour Grace
RCMP say the roads around the Harbour Grace detachment have been re-opened, after an explosive disposal unit safely removed a “suspected military ordnance” from the building. Police evacuated the detachment Friday afternoon, after a fisherman dropped off a “large military-type shell” he found in his fishing gear. According to a news release, RCMP say the ordnance was dropped off around 1:30 p.m. NT. Read the rest here 09:12
New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival named in North America’s 100 Best Events for 2016
The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization. The free festival, a family friendly, educational celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, maritime authors, cooking demonstrations, kid’s activities and more. It all takes place on working piers and waterfront parks in New Bedford, MA, America’s #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend in September. The 2015 Festival takes place on September 26 & 27. Read the rest here 08:53 For more information, visitwww.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.
Common sense and disaster relief – Paul Cohan, Gloucester
NOAA and it’s ENGO “Partner’s” issues report on at-sea monitors
NOAA Fisheries this week stepped further into that maelstrom with a largely internally generated report that focuses on cost comparisons between the current manual system of at-sea monitoring and electronic monitoring. It also released an independent review of the NOAA report. The NOAA report, generated with the assistance of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and other non-governmental organizations, concedes a wide array of assumptions — it is based on hypothetical Northeast multispecies and Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries — and accepts that it is merely “a starting point for developing future [electronic monitoring] program designs.” The conclusions? Read the rest here 08:14
Fraser River pink salmon run a poor haul for U.S. fishermen
The fishery for Fraser River pink salmon has ended for local U.S. fishermen — one marked by low catches here but another record run in parts of Alaska that helped push down prices. “We’re stuck with low price and low production. It is a horrible combination,” said Pete Granger, a reefnetter who fishes in Legoe Bay. Fraser River pink runs occur in odd years, and commercial fishermen who went out this year thought they would have a good season, given the Pacific Salmon Commission of 14.4 million. That estimate was based on the abundance of fry that went into the ocean two years ago. Then during the season,,, Read the rest here 07:36
Commercial fisherman John Moore – Commercial Crabber
While others still sleep, commercial fisherman John Moore, of Magnolia, wakes up 
at 3 a.m. and heads east to Bowers Beach and his boat, the Bay Bee Lynne. “To me it’s my life, it’s what I like to do,” Moore said. “I do it because I love it. And like I told you it’s like a curse. Once a man does it he can’t do anything else like a normal job. You pretty much do what you want to do, nobody bothers you. Working normal jobs just doesn’t work for me.” For 27-years, Moore’s office has been the Delaware Bay,,, Read the rest here 07:16
VIKING’s Helpline for New US Coast Guard Coastal Safety Rules
Marine safety equipment manufacturer and servicing provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S says it’s worried that commercial vessels operating in North American coastal waters and waterways simply won’t be able to sail when new USCG safety regulations come into force on 26 February 2016. The company has released evacuation equipment packages that ensure vessel operators can reliably comply with the new regulations and it has set up a dedicated toll free 1-855 helpline number to assist them, but VIKING’s VP Americas, Al Osle, says there are still operators who haven’t realized that the time to act is now. ACT NOW! Read the rest here 18:30
Fight Back!!! Fisherman John Yates v. United States
On February 25, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that John Yates, a commercial fisherman, could not be prosecuted under a financial-fraud law [18 USC §1519] for catching undersized red grouper. 16:41
Crossing the bar – Dennis J. “Bones” Huntley, August 13, 1955 – September 9, 2015
Dennis J. Huntley “Bones”,60, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, September 9, 2015. Born in Wakefield, he was the son of the late Richard and Gertrude (Pelchat) Huntley. Dennis was a commercial fisherman for over thirty years with his brother and business partner Craig. Together they owned the F/V Catherine Louise and the F/V Miss Trudy. He also worked on tug boats before going to work at United Water in Wakefield. Read the rest here 16:16 Read Crossing the Bar
Three Men Cited For Tuna Violations in Plaquemines Parish
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) agents cited three men for alleged commercial tuna violations in Plaquemines Parish. While on a Joint Enforcement Agreement (JEA) patrol in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, LDWF agents made contact with James A. Gerakines, 41, and Charles Updegraff, 52, both of Chalmette, and Perry Menesses, 58, of St. Bernard. The men were on the commercial fishing vessel “Jasmine” in the area of Tiger Pass located in Venice. Read the rest here 16:08
