Daily Archives: October 28, 2015
Trawlers may convert to pot gear for cod catches
One of the tools being talked about to help trawlers reduce salmon and halibut bycatch is the opportunity to voluntarily convert to pot gear to catch Pacific cod. It’s an option being discussed by fishery managers as they craft a trawl bycatch reduction plan for the Gulf of Alaska. Sam Cunningham, “The reason someone might be interested in using pot gear, and the reason is that it would have lower bycatch of prohibited species of Chinook salmon and halibut, and when those species are caught incidentally they would be less likely to die because they are caught in pot gear.” Listen, and read the rest here 17:51
The former High Liner Foods fish plant in Burin has avoided the wrecking ball.
After roughly two years of negotiations with the Nova Scotia-based company, the town has acquired the facility. The acquisition means the building won’t meet the same fate as Ocean Choice International’s fish plant in Marystown, which closed just a few months prior to High Liner in early 2012 and was demolished this year. The fish plant was essentially turned over to the town for free, according to Mayor Kevin Lundrigan, although $10 was required to change hands to make the deal official. Read the rest here 16:49
Seafood Giant’s Tactics Fishy, Rival Claims
NEWPORT, Ore. (CN) – Seafood giant Pacific Seafood is trying to ruin a small company that buys its crabs from independent fishermen in an attempt to maintain its stranglehold on West Coast fisheries, the small fry claims in court.The small company says Pacific Seafood is not the greatest neighbor. Seawater leases a spot on the Yaquina Bay dock right next to Pacific Seafood, and it says Pacific is trying to force it out of business. Seawater demands $930,000 and an injunction ordering Pacific Seafood to abandon “illegal tactics designed only to destroy plaintiff ,,, Read the rest here 15:05
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 160′ Catcher/Freezer/RSW Trawler – (2) 3512TA CAT’s
Specifications, information and 30 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 13:21
American lobster in high demand in China
EXPORTS of US lobster to China have rocketed in the past few years, largely to satisfy the appetites of the communist country’s growing middle class, to whom a steamed, whole crustacean – flown in live from the United States – is not just a festive delicacy and a good-luck symbol but also a mark of prosperity. And that’s good news for Maine, far and away the US’ No 1 lobster state, where the boom has put more money in the pockets of lobstermen and kept shippers and processors busy, especially during the usually slack northern midwinter months. Read the rest here 11:52
Arniston fishermen destitute after selfless sea rescue
Durban – They have no boat and no income after a rescue mission went awry, but they will always have hope. And this hope is the thing that will carry them through, even though their fishing boat Mrs H is now at the bottom of the ocean, owner Gerald Swart, 59, from Arniston, said on Tuesday. The sinking of the fishing boat, which was claimed by the ocean when it tried to rescue another stricken craft, has robbed a group of Southern Cape fishermen – breadwinners in their homes – of their livelihood. Read the rest here 11:17
Industry-led sea urchin restoration project gets DMR boost
An industry-led effort to determine whether sea urchins can be encouraged to grow in once fertile habitat got a boost last week. The Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council unanimously approved a regulation closing a part of the Sheepscot River to urchin fishing for nearly three years. According to DMR, the industry-led plan was developed through the Sea Urchin Zone Council. Commercial harvesters will do the majority of the work on the project with support from the department and scientists on the panel. Read the rest here 10:47
Tofino boat rescue triggered by single flare that almost wasn’t seen
Since he pulled 13 survivors out of the water near Tofino, B.C., on Sunday, Ken Brown has thought a lot about what would have happened, if he hadn’t seen the flare from a whale-watching boat in trouble. Brown and his partner, Clarence Smith, were fishing grounds they had never fished, facing Vargas Island off Tofino. As they were pulling in their halibut longline, Brown happened to turn around, and saw in the sky a single flare — the only signal anyone could see from the capsized wreckage of the MV Leviathan II, which flipped so quickly there was no time to send a mayday call. Read the rest here 09:40
Seals Not Competing with Irish Fishing Stocks, According to New Research
Seals are not threatening commercial fishing stocks in Irish waters, with the possible exception of wild Atlantic salmon, according to new research led by Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. “This is not to say that seals do not compete with fishermen in other ways. In other recent work we showed that fishermen who use set nets round the coast of Ireland can lose fish straight out of their nets to seals. But as with this study, we needed to go into the detail, and get our hands dirty to prove that.” Read the rest here 08:49
