Daily Archives: November 6, 2015
Plymouth fishermen accuse German warships of destroying their crabbing pots
TWO fishermen from Plymouth say their livelihoods have been “ruined” after two German naval vessels allegedly destroyed their crabbing pots. Brothers Brian and Lee Tapper estimate more than £8,000 worth of damage has been done after pulling their broken pots up from the sea bed two weeks ago.Devastated by the discovery, the pair have accused German supply ships Die Bonn and Frankfurt Am Main of tearing through the pots and dragging them almost three miles from their location. Read the rest here 16:02
Vintage San Francisco: Dungeness crab seasons
As a cloud hangs over the upcoming Dungeness crab season, let’s take a look back at happier days on the wharf. Commercial fishing in San Francisco dates back to 1848, according to the California Department of Fish and Game, but until the 1940s most fishermen used nets for commercial crabbing. It wasn’t until the 1940s that traps took over the industry and transformed it into something closer to what we see today. Click here to see some incredible photos! 15:34
Questions, answers about toxic West Coast crabs
A poisonous substance linked to a massive algae bloom off the West Coast has prompted officials to halt recreational shellfishing from Washington to California and is blamed for sickening dozens of seabirds, seals, whales and other marine life. Below are questions and answers about the issue: Q: What is the problem? A: Domoic acid, a naturally occurring neurotoxin, has been found in high levels in a variety of shellfish, which in turn are eaten by predators up the food chain — including humans. Domoic acid poisoning can cause vomiting, seizures and, in severe cases, coma and death. Photo gallery, Read the rest here 14:00
Gov. Chris Christie’s administration adopts artificial reef plan
Gov. Chris Christie’s administration has adopted new rules as a compromise between recreational and commercial fishing interests over access to artificial reefs off the state’s coast, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced Wednesday. The rules give commercial interests continued access to portions of two reefs in state waters, and calls for construction of a new reef for recreational fishing in state waters, the department said in a news release. Read the rest here 12:56
Editorial: Drowning in regulations
President Obama is poised to designate two large areas off the New England coast as national marine “monuments,” to the delight of conservationists who seem much more interested in protecting the ocean than they are in protecting people. Gov. Charlie Baker has written to President Obama to express concern about the impact on the region’s fishermen if the federal government turns part of the New England coastline into a sort of undersea museum — one that only scientists are likely ever to lay eyes on. Baker in his letter raises reasonable concerns about the process — or lack thereof — that led to this point. Read the rest here 12:00
Confluence of factors cause disconnect in salmon pricing
Seafood producers were hoping U.S. consumers would have cheaper salmon this year, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The $8.99 per pound of the U.S. consumer pays at a minimum in Anchorage isn’t making its way back down the chain to the fishermen, whose overall pay has been slashed in half by a cyclone of every possible negative market pressure and a marketing campaign that keeps prices high and attracts fraudsters. Read the rest here 09:23
MLAs hear of capping stack limits – 10 to 30 days to successfully stop the flow of oil after a blowout
Even if companies drilling for oil along Nova Scotia’s offshore had access to a capping stack, the CEO of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board says it could still take anywhere from 10 to 30 days to successfully stop the flow of oil after a blowout. If safety measures like aand other systems fail, “it likely means there’s been damage down at the sea floor and … debris would have to be cleared away, so you have to send in equipment to clear the debris,” Stuart Pinks told the Standing Committee on Resources in Halifax on Thursday. Read the rest here 08:19
