Monthly Archives: December 2015
Woman found dead on a fishing boat in Westport
Digby RCMP are currently investigating the death of a woman in Westport. RCMP received a 911 call about 5 p.m. Dec. 22, which led police to a fishing vessel at a public wharf in Westport. RCMP found a 20-year-old female deceased on the boat. Digby RCMP Cpl. Sean Boulger said the death is unexplained. “We are trying to figure out how she came to be on that boat,” he said. “The community is cooperating and obviously this is very upsetting for the family.” The family of the deceased woman has been notified. Read the article here 10:53
Does fishing have a future in New England?
Cod have been disappearing from the waters between Massachusetts and Maine, and shrimp populations are so depleted that the commercial shrimp season in the Gulf of Maine has been cancelled for the last three years.,, It’s hard to predict where all this is headed, whether for individual species or local fishing communities. But it needn’t be a story of doom and gloom. These undersea changes may well dampen the prospects of the cod industry, but they will also bring new opportunities. Read the article here 09:43
Great December weather is no gift for Maine lobster dealers
Whether you blame it on climate change, a misalignment of the stars or Donald Trump, the weather so far in December has been unusually fair and that has some Maine lobster dealers sweating. Usually by the week before Christmas, most of Maine’s lobster fishermen have hauled their gear onto the bank and cold, stormy weather has kept those who are still fishing mostly in the harbor. Not this year. Read the article here 09:02
Ontario farm converts from pigs to shrimp in hopes of jumbo profits
In rural Ontario, 800 kilometres from the nearest ocean, you will find the unexpected — a successful inland shrimp farm. With pork prices low, Paul and Tracy Cocchio were struggling to make a profit with their hog farm in Campbellford, Ont., so they started looking for alternative uses for their empty barns. While searching the internet they stumbled upon farmers in the U.S. who had switched to inland shrimp farming. They decided to give it a shot themselves. Read the article here 08:24
Your Government’s Gold King Whitewash
When a private citizen or company violates rules, misrepresents facts or pollutes a river, government penalties are swift and severe. It’s different when the government screws up. Two weeks ago, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell testified before Congress on a toxic spill that federal and state agencies unleashed into western state rivers last August. Supervised by officials from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS), an Environmental Restoration (ER) company crew excavated tons of rock and debris that had blocked the portal (entrance or adit) to the Gold King Mine above Silverton, Colorado. Read the article here 07:35
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for December 21, 2015
MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Board of Directors, Staff and Members of the North Carolina Fisheries Association! May the joy of the season be with you and your family as you celebrate the birth of Christ! Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 17:21
Funds sought to meet commercial fishing safety training requirements
In a letter sent last week, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker and all 11 members of the state’s Washington delegation asked 
to include funding for the Fishing Safety Training Grants Program and Fishing Safety Research Grant Program in his fiscal 2017 budget. Congress increased the number of commercial fishing vessels whose crews are subject to new safety and survival training programs, but has not funded the grant programs put in place to help the fishing community pay for the training. Read the article here 16:35
A new immersion suit claims it can keep you alive up to 24 hours in freezing water. So we tested it.
When a ship sinks at sea and you’re thrown into the water, hypothermia sets in quickly, so every second counts. An immersion suit is designed to buy you time. Constructed like a surfer’s wetsuit, it keeps you warm for up to three to six hours, until help (hopefully) arrives. Even a plunge into 50-degree water will induce hypothermia within 60 minutes. The Stearns I950 ThermaShield 24+ bills itself as the most advanced immersion suit made, one that can extend that crucial in-the-water survival window up to 24 hours, and keep you alive even in freezing (32°F) water. Read the article here 16:00
Lobster waiting list debate continues
The waters off Hancock and Washington County have been very productive for lobster fishermen in the last few years. And when business is good, more people want in. Here in the Maine Department of Marine Resources’ (DMR) Lobster Management Zone B, though, a strict limited entry system has resulted in a very long waiting list for new commercial lobster licenses. The current limited entry ratio in Zone B is one new license issued for every five licenses retired. Most of the people on the waiting list already are fishing for a living, but they don’t work for themselves. Read the article here 13:40
Tuna fisherman teams up with engineers to build ‘Zombait’ robotic lure
Two years ago over Christmas dinner, Maine tuna fisherman Rink Varian aired a favorite gripe: The tuna he caught vastly preferred live bait fish, but he almost never had enough of the little critters on hand. What if someone built a device that into effective lures? Weekend anglers and commercial fishermen prefer small live bait to the frozen bait they can buy at stores. That’s because big hunting fish like tuna are on the watch for movement, and live fish with sunlight flashing off their scales make for more convincing bait. Read the article here 13:11
Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission Northern Shrimp Research Set Aside Program explained!
In order to maintain a continuing record of biological data collected from the northern shrimp commercial fishery, the section approved a cooperative winter sampling program that will allow a handful of harvesters to land up to a total of 22 metric tons (about 48,000 pounds) of shrimp under a “research set aside quota.” The goal of the program, according to an announcement from the commission, is “to continue the wintertime series of biological data (e.g. size composition, egg hatch timing) collected” from Gulf of Maine northern shrimp fishery catches in the absence of a commercial fishery.Read the article here 11:57
Ocean Choice International complains of Clearwater Surf Clam monopoly
Ocean Choice International (OCI) says a business proposal worth 150 jobs and an estimated $12 million in new payroll is being shut down by a federal government quota decision. The increase was announced in July, under former minister Gail Shea. While keeping the quota at 38,756 tonnes, Minister of Fisheries Tootoo has also committed to not allowing new entrants into the fishery until further scientific study can be completed. Read the article here 11:32
Rolls-Royce Secures another Trawler Contract
Norwegian shipbuilder Kleven has announced a contract for a fishing vessel to be designed and equipped by Rolls-Royce. The vessel which is a stern trawler has been ordered by French fishing company Compagnie Des Peches Saint-Malo S.A. & SAS Comptoir Des Peches D’Europe Du Nord – Euronor. The vessel owner has decided on the Rolls-Royce NVC 374 WP design, which features an onboard factory for the production of fish filets, and has a storage capacity of 1,400 cubic meters. There’s also a 550 cubic meter fishmeal storage hold. Read the article here 09:51Lobster fishermen enjoy tide of good prices, landings
Prices and landings remain high nearly a month into the South Shore lobster season. The average price to fishermen is $6 per pound for canners and $6.25 for larger lobsters, up about $1.50 per pound from last year. That’s despite concerns raised in American media in recent days that continuing economic woes in southern European countries would result in a decline in demand there for Christmas lobster. Read the article here 09:07
Scientists stunned! Sea snakes feared extinct found at Ningaloo Reef
Two species of sea snakes, both listed as critically endangered and previously feared to be extinct, have been discovered living off the Western Australian coast . Researchers said the discovery of the short-nosed sea snake on Ningaloo Reef and the rare leaf-scaled sea snake at Shark Bay were the first time they had been spotted alive and healthy in 15 years. Their only previous known habitat was nearly 2,000 kilometres away on Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, but they disappeared from there, a phenomenon scientists were at a loss to explain. Read the article here 08:39
Commercial crab fishing opens Jan. 4 on North Coast
Oregon and Washington’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open in coastal waters Jan. 4 after a month long delay, state shellfish managers announced Monday. Fishery managers from Washington to California approved the opening. “Along with the state agencies, the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab industry has taken a very proactive and precautionary approach to the opening of this crab season in the interest of public safety,”,, Commercial crab boat lights will start dotting the horizon Jan. 1 as boats are allowed to set gear three days prior to the fishery opening. Read the article here 08:18
Port of Galilee rehab called boost to R.I. economy
Governor Raimondo was joined by the congressional delegation at a ceremony on Monday at the Port of Galilee to mark the completion of a $2.9-million project to revamp infrastructure at Rhode Island’s largest fishing port. The project included rehabilitating 3,200 square feet of Pier HH, the port’s primary working pier for large vessels, and reconstructing a 925-foot stretch of bulkhead from Salty Brine State Beach to State Pier 3 that’s used by waterside business and ferry and charter services. The improvements were funded by a $2.9-million federal grant. Read the article here 07:31
Oregon: Commercial Dungeness crab season opens Jan. 4
Testing of crab in recent weeks show the elevated levels of domoic acid in the southern half of the state have decreased and are all below U.S. Food and Drug Administration alert levels for three sample periods in a row. Based on these results and consultations with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Oregon commercial crab industry and Washington and California Departments of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is opening the ocean commercial Dungeness crab season along the entire Oregon coast just after the New Year, Jan 4. Read the press release here 20:57
Using Intimidation, China tries to create new fishing areas on the East Sea
VietNamNet Bridge – Colonel Le Thanh Van said China was trying to create new fishing areas in the East Sea (South China Sea). Specifically, China strengthened military activities such as training, reconnaissance patrols and maneuvers at sea to show of force, intimidate and deter the countries involved in maritime disputes with China. China increased surveillance patrols to support its marine exploitation activities, including pursuing, using water cannons, demolishing, seizing fishing equipment, and even beating Vietnamese fishermen in an attempt to prevent them from going out to sea for fishing. Read the article here 17:38
Op-Ed: The risks oil lobbyists don’t want you to know
As the Obama Administration nears a final decision about opening the Virginia coast to offshore drilling, outsider oil and gas industry representatives have ramped up their campaign to drill. But these oil lobbyists do not represent the many Virginians that stand firmly opposed to the proposal to open our coasts to offshore drilling — business owners, community members, fishermen, and families along the coast. After all, we’re the ones whose jobs would be put at risk if offshore drilling begins off our coast. Read the op-ed here 16:14
American Tuna Boat Association – ‘Difficult year’ for purse seiners
The president of the American Tuna Boat Association is forecasting a difficult year ahead for purse seiners supplying the two canneries in American Samoa. Brian Hallman, who attended last week’s meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, says its failure to increase fishing days on the high seas is not a good outcome for the US fleet. He says with no fishing on the high seas or in Pacific Island countries’ waters, vessels will either tie up and not fish or leave the western Pacific area. Read the article here 12:19
Recreational Cod study aims to help fish crisis
With cod at historically low population levels and commercial fishermen limited to landings that are just a fraction of what they once were, the recreational catch is now believed to account for as much as one-third of total landings of Gulf of Maine cod. But recreational landings data was considerably poorer than the commercial data, which made it hard to estimate their true impact on the population or know the effectiveness of regulatory measures. Solving the cod crisis will take a lot of research, (of course!) Read the article here 12:04
Quincy legislator Ayers pushes fish farm proposal
Four granite sewage storage tanks built more than a century ago have sat unused on Moon Island
for decades, since Boston built a treatment plant on Deer Island in the 1960s. They can each hold 50 million gallons of water and open directly onto Boston Harbor. Now, state Rep. Bruce Ayers, a Quincy Democrat, wants to see the state look into using the former vats as fish and shellfish farms – a suggestion Ayers said came from Squantum residents John Coughlin and Richard Donahue. Ayers recently met with officials from the state Department of Fish & Game and the Division of Marine Fisheries to discuss legislation he sponsored that would ask the state Department of Fish & Game to study the feasibility of such a project. Read the article here 09:23
Oyster fishermen on private lease without permission lose boat, dredges, and twenty five sacks!
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents seized a boat used by two men Thursday to dredge for oysters on a private lease 
from the owner, according to the department. While on routine patrol, agents say they spotted Chance Lovell, 37, of Theriot, and Russell Callahan, 28, of Dulac, dredging oysters illegally in Terrebonne Parish. They cited the men for unlawfully taking oysters from a private lease, failure to have written permission, sanitation codebook violation, no commercial fishing license and no oyster-harvester license. Read the rest here 08:59
Study from Oxford suggests rogue waves are random
New research out of the University of Oxford in England is giving weight to a theory held by some mariners in the province: that rogue waves come with no warning, and are often preceded by much smaller waves. “If you do have a very large wave and it’s in deep water, what you’re not going to get is the waves building up until you get your really large [wave],” said Thomas Adcock, a professor with the department of engineering. Adcock said large, freak waves are unpredictable. The crew aboard the can attest to this. Read the article here An expanded article – Scientists Model Rogue Waves Read the article here 08:30
UNVEILED: The Last Trip is a ‘fitting tribute’ to lost fishermen
A new memorial to Hull’s lost fishermen has been unveiled. The Last Trip aims to commemorate the estimated 6,000 men who sailed from Hull’s St Andrew’s Dock but never returned home. The cylindrical feature includes 90 replica ship bows and the names of the job titles onboard different types of trawlers over the years. It was officially unveiled yesterday in a ceremony performed by a number of relatives from fishing families in the city. Read the article, View Video and photo gallery here 08:05
Bipartisan group opposes oil exploration off Georgia
Led by U.S. Reps Mark Sanford, R-S.C., and Bobby Scott, D-Va., a bipartisan group of 33 house members last week sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management opposing seismic testing for offshore oil. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, the Republican freshman whose district spans the Georgia Coast, did not sign on. The letter requested a halt to the permitting and review process for potential seismic testing in the Atlantic Ocean from Virginia through Georgia. Read the article here 16:45
Fishermen asked to help identify Bay of Fundy priority areas
The Fishermen and Scientists Research Society is looking for help in identifying important areas of the Fundy coast and inshore waters for priority protection in the event of an oil spill. In its newsletter last week, the society said its Area Response Planning project is relying on the knowledge of local fishermen and fisheries organization representatives to identify priority areas. Read the article here 13:53
Sunday Read: Two Fishing Industry articles written by the late Jim O’Malley show how far we have not come.
Jim O’Malley, (whom has since passed away) member of the New England Fisheries Management Council and Executive Director of the East Coast Fisheries Federation, has been involved in fisheries issues at the national and international level from the pre-Magnuson era. In this presentation ( click here, Finding a Balance Between Economy and Ecosystem) he reflects on what is becoming a growing concern among industry members, responsible scientists and managers; the misuse of information to demonize the commercial fishing industry. – It was written in 1999. What has changed? Nothing! Read From Science to Illusion: Mathematics in Fishery Management written in 1998 (click here) 12:13
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, December 20, 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 10:53
