Monthly Archives: February 2016
Fisherman on P.E.I. fined for having too much halibut
A Kings County fisherman who said he failed to make the correct conversion in fish weight was fined over $1,400 in a rare case of exceeding an allowable limit of halibut. The charge was laid July 24 when was landing his boat Sandra’s Choice in Graham’s Pond harbor. A fisheries officer found a gutted halibut covered on board and checked the fishermen’s take of halibut from days earlier with a dockside monitor. It was discovered that Creed was in possession of more halibut than allowed as his limit. Read the rest here 08:41
Wear that PFD! Lifejackets key for rescued fishermen
TWO fishermen saved after hours floating in waters off Ulverstone on Monday afternoon survived due to “everything going in their favour”, says a key lifesaving official. State lifesaving officer Chris Jacobson said that onshore currents, life jackets, easterly winds and the location of training crew members in an inflatable rubber boat (IRB) were among the factors that ensured the men survived the ordeal.”Realistically if they hadn’t had those jackets on their chance of survival wouldn’t have been good for that period of time,” Mr Jacobson said. Read the story here 08:05
Nils Stolpe – Are you getting the idea that if you’re a fisherman Daniel Pauly isn’t on your side?
FishNet-USA/February 22, 2016 – “… The crisis in the world’s fisheries is less about scientific proof than about attitude and political will. And the world’s fish need a dynamic, high-profile political champion like a Bono or Mandela to give finned creatures the public profile of cute and furry ones.” (Daniel Pauly in “Hooked on fishing, and we’re heading for the bottom, says scientist”,,, This quote by the Pew Charitable Trusts’ premier fisheries researcher says just about all that needs to be said about the ongoing anti-fishing campaign that they have been financing, along with a handful of other mega-foundations, to convince anyone who is willing to listen that, in spite of a dearth of compelling scientific evidence supporting this strum und drang , the world’s oceans are – and have been – facing a crisis brought about because of the depredations of commercial fishermen. Where are the Kardashian’s when Pauly really needs them? Read the rest here 19:23
Species groups follow patterns reacting to climate change on US northeast shelf
Researchers studying marine fishery species grouped by similar depth and temperature distribution have found that those groups have similar responses to the effects of climate change. Interactions between individual species in those groups, however, may be affected by the amount of available habitat, predator-prey relationships, and competition for food resulting from shifts in range and distribution, the study says. Gets interesting. The study was conducted through a joint partnership between NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and The Nature Conservancy, and was funded by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation! Read it here 17:12
‘Captured’! EPA Let Green Lobbyists Write Its Global Warming Regs.
The Obama Administration basically let lobbyists tied to left-wing environmental groups write the government’s massive global warming regulatory scheme, according to documents obtained by a free market legal group. Attorneys with the Energy & Environment Legal Foundation (E&E) released a report Monday calling the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a “captured” agency “allowing green pressure groups improper influence.” Michael Goo. “Mr. Goo shared his draft options secretly, using his private email rather than his official EPA email, with lobbyists and high-level staffers at the Sierra Club, Clean Air Task Force and the Natural Resource Defense Council; also using Goo’s non-official account, these lobbyists in turn told Goo how to draft or alter the policy that was ultimately implemented in the rules,” the report reads. Read the rest here 14:16
Trolling for king salmon in Sitka
The winter troll line in Sitka extends from Point Woodhouse on Biorka Island to Cape Edgecumbe, just off the volcano. The season continues from Oct. 11 to April 30 — or until the quota is filled, whichever comes first. According to Fish and Game, there are about 9,000 left to catch in 2016. I’ve been out a few days this winter, short days, town and the surrounding mountains appearing coated in a layer of ash. It’s quieter on the docks, where I live on a World War II tugboat with my wife and 8-month-old daughter. No shouts of seiners, or the hip-hop beat from deck speakers. Slight lift of the chin as you pass another. All that will start to change in the coming weeks, as seiners for the sac roe fishery begin arriving. Read the story here 12:53
Japanese Fishermen want workers’ comp for diseases allegedly linked to 1954 U.S. H-bomb tests
Former fishing boat crew members who developed cancer or heart diseases after being exposed to fallout from U.S. nuclear tests in the Pacific will apply for mariners insurance benefits more than 60 years after their exposure. If their illnesses are found to be related to doses of radiation, the benefits will be effectively treated as workmen’s compensation. The planned claims involve five former crew members in their 80s and two relatives of the deceased fishing boat workers in Kochi Prefecture, according to the center for supporting victims of nuclear tests in the Pacific, a citizens’ group based in Sukumo, Kochi Prefecture. Read the article here 11:07
F/V Saputi en route to Greenland after hitting ice, taking on water
A fishing vessel is en route to Nuuk, Greenland, after it struck ice Sunday night, tearing a hole into the hull. The F/V Saputi was fishing for turbot in the Davis Straight when it began taking on water. The Danish Coast Guard is en route to escort the ship to Nuuk. All 15 crew members on board are safe, said Harry Flaherty, president and CEO of the Qikiqtaaluk Fisheries Corporation. “Overall the pumps on the vessel was able to keep up [with] the influx of seawater,” he said. link 10:37
41st Maine Fishermen’s Forum on tap for March 3
The weather has been crazy this winter, with the temperature sometimes below zero one day and near 60 the next. A semblance of order will soon be restored as fishermen and members of a host of related industries gather at the Samoset Resort in Rockport for the 41st annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum. The full program — including more than 30 seminars on subjects related to the fishing industry, gear, regulations and the like — gets into full swing on Friday, March 4. That’s when the Maine Lobstermen’s Association will host its 62nd Annual Meeting. Read the article here 09:39 To visit the Maine Fishermen’s Forum website, Click here
We need a rigorous examination of our fishery, Phil Earle, Carbonear
An inquiry is the only thing that can save this province’s fishery. Other then the occasional comment of concern for the dwindling state of, and wrongs in, our fishery made in the media by a few truth-seekers and truth-speakers, who do not have a vested interest in the resource or who are not government or union position dependent, no one else in the province ever comments on, raises issues in, the pursuit of correcting the abuse and mismanagement of our fishery. The only thing that can save the fishery from its death spiral is the people of the province. Read the rest here 08:26
Baby eels are wriggling gold – Maine lawmakers look to ease restrictions on lucrative elver fishery
Fishermen are making money on sushi in Maine, the only state in the country with a significant baby eel fishery, and lawmakers are looking to make it possible for them to make more. A legislative committee recently approved a plan to extend the season by a week and allow weekend fishing, as opposed to the current limitation of five days per week. Elver fishermen have spoken in favor of the changes, which they said will allow them to make the most of the brief elver season, which is scheduled to begin March 22 and end May 31. Read the article here 18:58
Book Review – Rough Waters: Our North Pacific Small Fishermen’s Battle
What it’s about: A commercial fisherman looks at the threats facing West Coast small-boat fishermen, including ecological changes, weak management, and pushback from industrial fishing. As a result, some fishing families and towns — and businesses that rely on them — struggle to stay afloat. The book presents the issue in two parts. The first analyzes state-managed West Coast fisheries vs. federally managed fisheries. Mendenhall goes on to compare the industry in the United States with other parts of the world, examining the destruction she contends is wrought by the strategy of “catch-share” management. Read the story here 15:09
My Turn: Banking on Alaska’s fishing future
Many people our age have written wills. Have you? It’s a good idea, of course, because wills preserve family harmony while planning for ways our youth can prosper. Many in the fishing industry feel the same. As fishing leaders gathered in Juneau this week for the United Fishermen of Alaska board meeting, Symphony of Seafood and other events, we have to look past our industry’s near-term challenges and focus on our collective “will” to ensure Alaska’s local fishing legacy lives on. Linda Behnken of Sitka, Edward Davis of Hoonah, Duncan Fields of Kodiak and Norman Van Vactor of Dillingham are long-time leaders in the commercial fishing industry. Read the Op-ed here 13:27
Rebuilding Maine’s Scallop Fishery: Part 1 & Part 2
2014 scallop landings netted nearly 7-and-a-half million dollars, not a lot compared to the lucrative lobster industry in our state. That catch was valued at about a half billion dollars. But the scallop profits help more than 400 fishermen and their families living on the coast stay afloat. State regulators want to ensure scallops stay plentiful in Maine controlled waters. That’s why we’re constantly hearing about new rules, regulations, and closures. Before Cobscook Bay was closed for scallop fishing, we boarded a boat in Eastport to see the trade firsthand. Caitlin Burchill reports. Video’s, read the articles Click here, part 1, Click here, part 2 11:37
Another “blob” of warm ocean water discovered, this one ancient
While the Pacific “blob” seems to have died, this new research say they can find blobs lost in time. What is most interesting is that they say Greenland went through temperature shifts of 10-15 degrees C in just 50 years, all without any man-made influence. New research published in Scientific Reports in February indicates that a warm ocean surface water prevailed during the last ice age, sandwiched between two major ice sheets just south of Greenland. Read the rest here 09:51
“Corrupt” goings on? Fishery council decision endangers scallop stock
Outdoor writer Bill Biswanger received a letter from Jason Colby, who is a charter-boat captain and sits on the board of directors for non-commercial fishermen here in Massachusetts about the nasty — he calls it “corrupt” — goings-on in the scallop fishery. He told me how Eddie Welch, a shellfish advisor, had written to him about the problem down on the Cape and wanted to share this with me and the readers. Here are excerpts from his letter: “A recent controversial decision to open select scallop grounds off the coast of New England to certain select fishing groups undermines sustainable scallop management, and threatens the future health of one of the region’s most valuable resources. Read the rest here 08:48
Don’t expect price jump for Alaska red salmon this year
Early signs point to continuing headwinds in world markets for Alaska salmon. Let’s count the troubling signs: • Global currencies remain in disarray • The ongoing Russian seafood embargo diverts more farmed salmon to the U.S. • Tons of product remains in freezers from back-to-back bumper sockeye runs. (Most of Alaska’s salmon goes to market frozen or headed and gutted. One plus: Aggressive market promotions have kept reds moving briskly at retail outlets at home and abroad, removing some of the backlog. Read the rest here 16:12
NOAA releases $705k in Federal Disaster Assistance to RI to help local fishermen
U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse together with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline and Governor Gina M. Raimondo and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) on Saturday announced a new wave of federal funding has been released from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide direct assistance to Rhode Island fishermen affected by the 2013 groundfish disaster. The $705,658 allocation will also support a recruitment and training program aimed at enhancing the commercial fishing industry’s workforce. Read the rest here 13:47
Fishermen, processors respond to fish tax proposal
Despite acknowledging the need for more revenue, fisheries stakeholders raised lots of questions about the governor’s plan to increase state fisheries taxes this week. To help fill the state’s budget gap, Alaska Governor Bill Walker has asked legislators to consider a variety of tax increases – including by one percent. During a House Fisheries Committee hearing on Thursday, state tax director Ken Alper explained that the increase, estimated to bring in an additional $18.4 million, essentially would make fish revenue match the cost of fisheries management. Read the rest here 13:28
California Fishermen snag Twelve foot clubhook squid – That’s a lotta Calamari!
Grant Eberle has seen his fair share of squids in his 20 years at Humboldt State University’s marine laboratory, but none have been as large as the one he got this week. Splayed out on metal tray in the Trinidad-based laboratory was a member of the world’s third largest squid species — the robust clubhook squid. Weighing in between 60 to 70 pounds and at least 12 feet in length from mantle to tentacle tip, Eberle said it was the largest squid he had ever seen. The squid was a bycatch from a local fishing vessel’s dragline net (?) that was about 400 yards underwater. The squid was caught nearly 10 miles south of Eureka and was brought into Eureka on Tuesday, Eberle said. Read the rest here 12:26
The growth of Marine Conservation Zones is killing Britain’s fishing industry
Keith Turner has sent a petition of 249 signatures to Marine Environment Minister George Eustice, calling for an end to the expansion of Marine Conservation Zones “without producing impartial scientific evidence as to why more of these zones are needed”. Mr Turner, who worked out of Brixham and Plymouth harbours, said he was fighting for the livelihood of fishermen like his grandson, Dominic Welsh, an Exmouth scallop boat skipper. In January eight new Marine Conservation Zones around the South West, from Land’s End to Foreland Point in North Devon, were announced. Read the rest here 10:14
Oregon State University study finds salmon hatcheries produce genetically different fish
New research from Oregon State University suggests hatchery-raised salmon, which are bred to help bolster wild stocks in B.C. and elsewhere, are genetically different from the populations they’re introduced into. Researcher Michael Blouin says scientists have known for some time the offspring of wild and hatchery-raised salmon are less adept at surviving in the wild, negatively affecting the health of wild populations. The question is, what is it about hatcheries that create fish believed to be inferior at surviving in the wild? Read the rest here 09:27
Scallop Fishermen haul ice age walrus skull from the Bay of Fundy
Scallop fishermen have dragged more than they bargained for out of the Bay of Fundy near Saint John, pulling up a walrus skull that dates back to the ice age. “It just came up on the dragger and I just thought it was a piece of stick at first,” said Todd Paul, a fisherman from St. Mary’s First Nation. “It’s pretty cool.” The skull was pulled from the waters about 2.5 kilometres off of Cape Spencer. “We were guessing what it was,” he said. “Once we seen a tusk coming out of it, I knew it was like a walrus of some kind.” Read the story here 09:12
Model pitchmen: Fishermen promote “Gloucester Fresh” branding campaign
A year ago? No way. But in this, the springish winter of 2015-16, a late-afternoon February photo shoot along the docks at St. Peter’s Square and around the bend of Harbor Cove near Felicia’s Oil wasn’t all that much of a challenge. So, with the sun shining Wednesday afternoon and the temperatures hovering near 50 degrees, Gloucester Economic Development Director Sal Di Stefano accompanied his merry band of fishermen to their boats tied up along the waterfront so they could make like Mrs. Brady for the camera. “Come on Mark, work it,” Di Stefano called to Mark Ring as the Gloucester lobsterman posed on his boat, the Stanley Thomas, for Sperling Interactive photographer Coco Boardman, who is part of the effort to tell the stories of local fishermen. “Where’s that intensity?” Read the story here 08:16
Fishing Vessel Skipper medevaced from Ocean Beauty Cannery in Lazy Bay
A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak medevaced a 49-year-old man from a cannery near Lazy Bay in the vicinity of Kodiak Friday. Watchstanders at the District 17 command center in Juneau received a call from the master of the fishing vessel Providence who informed them he was suffering from breathing difficulties and taking his vessel to the Ocean Beauty Cannery in Lazy Bay. The duty flight surgeon was consulted and recommended medevac by the helicopter crew from Kodiak. Read the rest here 17:18
Flounder and semantics heat up fisheries meeting, just “who” is a commercial fisherman?”
Before state officials decide how to better regulate commercial fishing licenses, they’ll have to answer an important question — “just who is a commercial fisherman?” When members of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission met in Wrightsville Beach this week — their first meeting of 2016 — updating the state’s 17-year-old criteria for commercial fishermen was a hot topic. And it’s one that’s sure to be contentious — when Commissioner Alison Willis proposed a subcommittee to study the issue, she said she was putting her head on the chopping block. By the time her motion was worded as carefully as possible, it was a paragraph long. Read the rest here 16:14
Cork fishermen to sue The Guardian over migrant workers article
Two Cork Fishermen are suing The Guardian over an article published on its website in November. Lenny Hyde and Pat O’Mahony have taken a defamation case against Guardian News & Media concerning an article that reported on the treatment of migrant workers in the fishing industry in Ireland. The article was published on theguardian.com on 2 November. Part of the report outlines claims made by a native of the Philippines about his time working on a fishing boat in Ireland. Read the article here 16:01
Illegal Filming of Illegal Fishing – Evidence Leads to Bust!
The owners and an associate of an outdoor film company, Montana Wild, were issued 38 state citations and 11 federal citations, resulting in $5, 950 in fines. The citations involved violations of bull trout fishing regulations and unlawful commercial filming activity on USFS lands without valid permits. In January 2014 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Criminal Investigator Brian Sommers and United States Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer L. Kevin Arnold began a joint investigation into Montana Wild, a Missoula, Montana based company that produces hunting and fishing videos on its website and is owned and operated by Zach and Travis Boughton. Their website states the following: “We specialize in outdoor marketing, social media, cinematography, photography, video editing and a new line of apparel.” Read the rest here 15:05
New Jersey – New reef gear rules are in effect
The state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife is reminding all commercial lobster/fish/conch pot license and recreational lobster license holders that new gear rules on the two artificial reefs in state waters are in effect. The rules went into effect on November 2 after the state formalized a compromise between recreational and commercial fishing interests over access to artificial reefs off the coast. The rules allow commercial fishermen to have continued access to portions of two reefs in state waters and calls for the construction of a new reef for recreational fishing, also in state waters. The rules are as follows: Read the rest here 14:16
Game Changing – Custom live seafood shipping containers designed to expand markets
Two Nova Scotia companies are teaming up to transport live seafood around the world using what they call a method. BioNovations offers multiple sizes of its specialized live seafood shipping containers. (BioNovations) Antigonish-based BioNovations has created a self-regulating holding crate it says will enable a smooth transition for live seafood, such as crab and lobster, and reduce the shipping mortality rate. CEO Joe Boudreau said many markets want live seafood, and he anticipates the containers will increase demand further by allowing more successful shipping to Europe, Asia and various areas of the U.S. Read the rest here 12:07
