Daily Archives: January 28, 2016
Crabbers boiling about delayed payments for 2016 catch
Crab fishermen selling their catch to Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish Company say they have been given only a portion of the money owed to them for the second year in a row — leaving some more than a $100,000 short. Now a number of fishermen are reportedly leaving Jessie’s to sell their catch elsewhere. The reason for the stall in payment has been an issue with the line of credit coming to Jessie’s owner Don Alber, according to fishermen who had been in contact with Alber. Alber has not responded to multiple attempts to reach him by phone. Read the article here 20:06
UPDATED: Fishermen denied request to stop at-sea monitor costs
A judge has denied a request from East Coast fishermen to stop the federal government’s plan to hand them the cost of at-sea monitoring. Fishermen of New England food species such as cod and haddock will have to start paying the cost of at-sea monitors March 1 under new rules. Monitors collect data to help determine future fishing quotas and can cost about $800 per day. The challenge was the subject of a hearing at U.S. District Court in Concord last week. Judge Joseph Laplante denied the request Wednesday, saying it’s barred under the law. Read the rest here 16:01
Seven US seafood associations speak out against shark fin lawsuit
Seven fishing associations have filed an amici brief in support of a proposition to overturn California’s shark fin possession ban in the Chinatown Neighborhood Association, et al. v. case, savingseafood.org said in a release. The Sustainable Fisheries Association, Rhode Island Fisherman’s Alliance, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Garden State Seafood Association, North Carolina Fisheries Association, Virginia Seafood Council and America Scallop Association take the position that the ban frustrates the purpose of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). The Plaintiffs’ suit claims California’s shark fin law directly affects the fisheries of abundant, sustainably federally managed shark species. Read the rest here 15:39
Fishermen rescued from water off Port Clyde while boat burns
Two fishermen who jumped overboard from their burning boat Thursday morning about 4 miles south of Port Clyde were rescued by the crew of another boat. The U.S. Coast Guard received a distress call around 10 a.m. from the two men who had been aboard the fishing vessel Miss Lynn, reporting that the boat’s engine room was on fire, the Coast Guard announced shortly after noon. Read the rest here 14:36
International Pacific Halibut Commission tackles catch limits in Juneau meeting
The commission manages fishing and research on the valuable bottom fish from Alaska to California. IPHC scientist Ian Stewart this week presented some more optimistic news on the status of halibut. “The bottom line for this year is that we can see some positive trends both in the data and in the stock assessment models,” Stewart said. “The stock appears to be stabilizing at a coast-wide level and the more years that we’ve see this play out, the more certain we become of that.” Read the article here 12:35
Camp Lejeune officials and fishermen exchange concerns about fishing risks
Officials from 
Camp Lejeune met with dozens of commercial fishermen at the Sneads Ferry Community Center Wednesday evening to discuss and exchange concerns about possible risks in a part of the New River. At issue is a 2012 to 2014 study that turned up more than 7,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance and debris from the waters alongside Camp Lejeune’s K-2 range. For now, the base says it will put up signs warning against activities that would disturb the bottom of the river–activities like clam raking, crabbing, and anchoring. Read the article here 11:02
Lobsterman faces multiple court dates over fishing charges
Gloucester lobsterman Joseph Sanfilippo has several court dates in his future for alleged violations of Massachusetts fishing regulations. On Tuesday, Sanfilippo, 48, of 1 Thorn Hill Way, Gloucester, was in for a clerk magistrate’s hearing that was continued to March 1. The charges from that hearing — reportedly for numerous violations — would not be released until after the hearing was conducted. The magistrate would also determine if there were legal grounds to allow the charges to go forward. Read the rest here 10:43
Land-based salmon farm on Vancouver Island nears economic viability
North America’s only land-based Atlantic salmon farm battled through technical and equipment issues in 2015, but the operators are edging close to covering production and overhead costs. The Kuterra land-raised Atlantic salmon farm — a commercial pilot project located near Port McNeill on Vancouver Island — has been forced to replace several substandard pumps, install additional oxygenation and carbon dioxide stripping capacity and repair a malfunctioning feeding system that over-fed the fish by up to 75 kilograms a day. Read the article here 09:01
‘Shafted’ by FFAW, Flowers Cove fisherman tells court
A fish harvester from Flowers Cove says he feels “shafted” by his union because of the terms of a compensation fund negotiated with Nalcor, to offset the loss of scallop grounds in the Strait of Belle Isle. Edmund Moores is one of 71 people who are suing the union, in a trial that continued Wednesday in the . The Fish, Food and Allied Workers argues that the $2,590,875 should be paid out in annual installments over 30 years. The court has been told they believed the money would be paid out in a lump sum. Read the article here 08:27
Producers warn dropping dollar isn’t all good news for fishery
Amid all the doom and gloom about the economy, the price of oil and the provincial deficit, there’s a bright spot for Newfoundland and Labrador: the Canadian dollar has been tanking. The dollar dropped by more than 17 per cent from a 12-month high last May to a low of 68.69 cents last week. The exchange rate hurts any Newfoundlander going on a trip to Florida, but it helps in plenty of other ways. For one thing, the exchange rate helps soften the blow of abysmal oil prices for the provincial government, and it makes the province more attractive to American tourists who want to spend their greenbacks here. Read the article here 07:58
Don Cuddy – Fishermen fight back against government overreach
I attended the hearing with John Haran of Dartmouth, manager of Northeast Fisheries Sector XIII which includes 32 fishermen. Sector XIII is a plaintiff in the case along with New Hampshire commercial fisherman Dave Goethel. The all-day hearing concluded without a ruling. Federal District Judge Joseph Laplante will issue a decision in his own time after deliberating on a legal case with potential ramifications not only for the fishing industry but with respect to any government agency’s attempt to increase its own power. Steve Schwartz, an attorney with Cause of Action, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on government overreach, represents the fishermen. He told the court that the scope of an agency’s power is determined exclusively by Congress and that NOAA lacks the statutory authority to require fishermen to pay for monitors. Read the op-ed here by Don Cuddy 07:33
