Monthly Archives: February 2016
Glycol accidentally released into sea from West Aquarius rig
Glycol was discharged in the ocean from the West Aquarius drilling rig this week, authorities revealed Thursday. Hibernia Management and Development Company (HMDC) said the discharge of glycol, which is used to prevent the control fluid from freezing, came from the blowout preventer on the rig on Monday. In a news release Thursday, HMDC said it estimates that 1317 litres of glycol was released into the ocean. Read the rest here 12:00
A lobsterman’s life
With respect to The Phoenix’s focus on food this month, I (Chris Shorr) figured it’d be a good time to paint part of the real picture behind the process and effort that goes into catching lobsters in Maine. For most lobstermen, their days start well before the sun comes up. Checking the weather forecast is a must, particularly for the wind speeds and visibility, plus things like sunrise and sunset times, and when the high and low tides will be. During this time of year, the days when Mother Nature will allow lobstermen in Maine to haul their traps are few and far between. That’s because in the winter months the only place to catch lobsters is many miles offshore, and in the harsher weather most boats can’t handle such a trip in winds any faster than about 15 miles an hour. Read the rest here 10:05
The Pirates of Bodega Bay – Crab Fleet still testing crabs with Domoic Acid
A little-known fact is, Pirates in the 17th and 18th Centuries created one of the first democracies, voting for their captains and quartermasters, and voting them out if things didn’t work out. They weren’t made to walk the plank afterwards, they were merely demoted to the rank of members of the crew. Amazingly these high ideals are still held today, at least by the commercial fishing fleet in Bodega Bay. On Feb. 15, a hearty battle broke out (only verbal) among the fishermen who have recently seen their world fall apart with the dispute over tainted crab. It was somewhat like a manly square dance with captains and crew changing sides frequently but in the end, they all came to an agreement. Lots of info, Read the article here 09:20
Florida Fish And Wildlife: 44 Illegal Spiny Lobster Tails Taken By Suspect, Charged With Poaching
One could call them the “J Team” of Officers James Johnson, Jeremy Foell, Jamie Richards and Jose Lopez. Foell and Richards inspected a commercial fishing vessel they saw pulling traps while they were on patrol in the FWC Interceptor with Johnson. During the resource inspection, officers discovered 44 wrung spiny lobster tails hidden behind hydraulic equipment on the fishing boat; 24 of the illegally wrung tails were undersized. When they got to shore, Lopez interviewed a suspect who was then booked into a local jail for the numerous poaching violations. (Link) 08:53
Former Board of Fisheries nominee charged with Permanent Fund fraud
A former head of the United Cook Inlet Drift Association and Alaska Board of nominee is being charged with illegally collecting $7,422 in Alaska Permanent Fund dividends between 2009 and 2014. Roland Maw, who owns a home in Kasilof, was charged Wednesday in Juneau District Court with 17 counts of theft and unsworn falsification on his applications for six years of Permanent Fund dividends and for commercial fishing permits. Read the rest here 08:27
Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board is buying 1,038 PFDs for its members!
Leonard LeBlanc has been a long-time champion of safety measures in the fishing industry. The retired fisherman lost his five-year-old son, Matthew, in a boating accident 26 years ago. The child was killed in an explosion on LeBlanc’s fishing boat off Chéticamp. “Since then, it’s kind of been my thing, to talk about safety, to try to help someone else from walking in my boots,” he said. LeBlanc retired from fishing last year, but remains secretary/treasurer of the Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board. This month the group is investing in safety by spending part of the proceeds from its federal shrimp allocation on personal flotation devices. Read the rest here 06:51
This Insane Mimosa Has a Lobster Tail and Muffins in It and You Will Want It Right Now
Depending on where you fall on the minimalist-maximalist scale, you’ll either love or abhor the newest drink on offer at the Nectar Wine Bar & Ale House in San Antonio, Texas. Called the Ultimate Mimosa, it’s a top-heavy brunch cocktail ($28) served with skewers of fruit, cheese, smoked salmon, a lobster tail, and, wait for it, two kinds of muffins: banana nut and blueberry. Oh, and you get Champagne and orange juice too. Read the rest here 18:03
Endangered winter-run Chinook Salmons fingerlings released into Sacramento River
For the second year in a row, federal officials on Wednesday released hundreds of thousands of endangered salmon into the Sacramento River in Redding to compensate for a massive summer fish die-off. Wednesday’s release of fingerling winter-run chinook salmon was the first of two batches — both about 200,000 fingerling-size fish — being released this week. This year’s release is about twice as many as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service typically releases into the river annually. For the past two years, the agency has released more fish to make up for young salmon that were killed by warm water in the river during the summer and fall. Read the rest here 15:58
UMass hires former head of failed Cape Cod Fish Shares business
David Henchy has had some serious misfortune in recent years. His father died a year ago, his business failed and he declared bankruptcy, and now his wife is gravely ill. Perhaps the only bright spot was securing a job at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth as an interim assistant dean in the graduate program at the Charlton College of Business this past September. But creditors who lost money when Henchy’s Cape Cod Fish Shares business collapsed in 2014, wonder how the university could hire someone who wrote off almost $574,000 of other people’s money. They are asking why he isn’t making attempts to pay them back now that his salary is $90,000 a year. Read the story here 13:02
Creelers and divers join European crew for more power
Scottish shellfish creelers and divers have joined a pan-European coalition to push for “fairer representation” for the inshore fleet. The move sees nine fishermen’s associations from across Scotland under the umbrella of the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF) bolster the clout of small-scale fisheries at European level. It also sees the membership of the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (Life) mushroom to more than 4,000 active fishers. The coalition works to promote the interests of its members by pushing for the proper implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy to grant priority access to fishers who have the least impact on the environment and add the most value to local fishing activities. Read the rest here 12:51
Commercial Dungeness crab season put off a bit longer
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has decided to push back the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season once again until public health officials determine the crustaceans in some or all of the state’s northern counties are safe to eat. “I understand that there are people suffering economic losses from this closure,” Bonham said in a statement. “However, the majority of the commercial fleet tells me they want a statewide opener or could live with an opener that adheres to traditional management areas.” Read the rest here 11:19
P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association launching crew member recruitment campaign
The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is launching a new campaign and training program to combat a growing problem in the lobster industry — fishermen are having trouble finding enough crew members. The association conducted a survey of 250 captains that showed many respondents were struggling to recruit crew members. Fishermen describe the problem as a perfect storm: they are getting older, the catches are up, and they need two crew members to help handle the load. But finding them is now harder. The survey showed: Read the article here 08:42
New fishery safety standards to affect about 20,000 Canadian boats
A cool head, safety training and a decision to keep survival suits handy kept Martin d’Entremont and his crew alive when things went terribly wrong on board the Poseidon Princess, 102 kilometres off southwest Nova Scotia in the early morning hours of Jan.31, 2015. “I never dreamed she would go so fast,” says d’Entremont, 57, a veteran skipper from West Pubnico, N.S. The exact cause of the sinking remains unknown. What is clear is that safety procedures on board the Poseidon Princess saved lives as the boat slid under the waves, its lights winking out and engines shutting off in the darkness. Read the story here 08:19
Letter: Scallop regulators threaten fishery by opening Nantucket Lightship – Eddie Welch
A recent controversial decision to open select scallop grounds off the coast of New England to certain select fishing groups undermines , and threatens the future health of one of the region’s most valuable resources. On Dec. 3, the New England Fishery Management Council allotted one component of the fishing fleet 300,000 pounds of scallops for harvest from an area of the Atlantic known as Nantucket Lightship. Proposed by council member and Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance CEO John Pappalardo, this allotment would open Nantucket Lightship too early, and goes against the principles that have made scallop management so successful. Read the letter here 07:59 (photo cred gulfseafoodnews.com)
High Liner to downsize New Bedford Plant, 200 jobs hit
(TSX:HLF) is ceasing some of its operations at an underused seafood plant in New Bedford, Mass., in a move that affects about 200 jobs. The plant’s value-added fish operation, which will end operations by September, has 35 salaried employees and 167 hourly workers. The scallop portion of that operation, which will continue to operate, has an additional 25 employees. The Nova Scotia-based company says its Lunenberg plant, and two other plants in the United States, have sufficient capacity to make up for the lost output at New Bedford, about 100 kilometres south of Boston. Read the rest here 21:42
Captain Glen Libby Needs Your Help!
Captain Glen Libby needs your help! You may recognize him from his years of fishing on the F/V Skipper out of Port Clyde. Afterwards, he joined the New England Fisheries Management Council to advocate for the small boat fishing/small business industry in Maine. In January 2016, Glen fell ill and after repeated visits to the local hospital, was transferred to Beth Israel in Boston where after lots of tests, the doctors have told him he needs a liver transplant. We wish you well Glen Libby! Click here, and please make a donation if you can.
Jensen provides engineering for fishing vessel conversion
Jensen Maritime, Crowley Maritime Corp.’s Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering company, provided engineering services including structural and mechanical work for the conversion of a 170-foot long, 40-foot wide, fishing vessel for Global Seas LLC by shipbuilder Patti Marine Enterprises Inc., Pensacola, FL. The vessel, Western Venture, now named Defender, underwent significant conversion to make her the first fish pumping vessel in the Global Seas fleet. Because the vessel was being converted from fishing work on the East Coast (herring and mackerel) to West Coast fishing (pollock), a new fish pumping system was installed on the stern and a new full forward sheltered fish distribution room was constructed for protection during the fish sorting process. Read the rest here 17:58
By executive order, Gov. Walker merges Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission with Alaska F&G
The move, suggested by cost-cutters for several years, is estimated to save the state $1.33 million per year in administrative costs, the governor said by email Tuesday. The two commissioners for the entry commission and legal staff will continue to be an independent agency despite the merger. “With a $3.5 billion budget deficit, we are leaving no stone unturned as we look for efficiencies in state government,” Walker wrote in a statement.,, Read the rest here 16:24
‘Cold Water Cowboys’ returns to Discovery TV March 8
The popular Discovery TV series is returning, with a new Newfoundland fishing captain, Rick Crane, joining Richard Gillett, Conway Caines, Morris Anstey, Paul Tiller, Michelle and Andre Jesso, and their crews for an all-new, eight-episode season. Eager to fight the unforgiving waves to reach their weekly tallies and cash them in are returning fishermen Capt. Richard Gillett aboard the Midnight Shadow; Conway and Rick Caines aboard the Seadoo; Andre and Michelle Jesso aboard the Wave on Wave; Morris Anstey aboard the Sebastian Sails; Paul Tiller aboard the Atlantic Bandit; and newcomer Rick Crane aboard his new boat, Crane’s Legacy. Read the rest here 15:29
Dear Editor: Crab fishermen continue to suffer- Patti Grant, El Granada
The most recent crab testing still shows unsafe levels of domoic acid. For fishing to resume, levels need to be lower in the next three weekly tests; only then will the California Department of Fish and Game deem this seafood safe to eat. When that happens, commercial fishermen still won’t be able to fish because sport fishermen have always been given at least one week to fish before allowing the commercial boats to go out. The proposed mid-February opening date for commercial crabbing will now most likely be early March. Read the letter here 15:04
Maine Lobstermen divided on license proposals
The legislature’s Marine Resources Committee heard six hours of testimony Feb. 10 on a bill proposing changes to the commercial lobster licensing system. Those offering testimony were split between support for and opposition to the bill, which will be taken up next in a work session of the committee. The language was drafted by Department of Marine Resources (DMR) staff, but the bill officially was sponsored by Rep. Walter Kumiega (D-Deer Isle). Sen. Brian Langley (R-Hancock County) was one of several cosponsors. Read the rest here 13:26
ENGO aligned Hawaiians Press Obama To Expand NW Islands Marine Monument
A group of seven prominent Native Hawaiians has asked President Barack Obama to expand federal protections around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. President George W. Bush established in 2006 as the largest fully protected marine reserve on the planet at the time. Its protections, which include prohibitions against commercial fishing, extend 50 miles outside the island chain. The group didn’t say in the letter how much it wants to expand the monument, but federal jurisdiction extends out to 200 miles. That would make it nine times its current size of 139,797 square miles, which is bigger than all the country’s national parks combined. Read the rest here 12:44
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Dixon Gillnetter375HP, 6 Cylinder Detroit 60 Series Diesel
Specifications, information and 9 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 10:19
Center for Food Safety lawsuit challenge’s NOAA’s push for aquaculture in offshore U.S. waters
Center for Food Safety has filed a new lawsuit challenging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) new federal regulations permitting, for the first time, industrial aquaculture offshore in U.S. federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. The plaintiff coalition CFS is representing in the case make up a broad array of significant interests in the Gulf of Mexico, including commercial, economic, recreational, and conservation groups. Read the rest here 09:09
6 things to expect at the Marine Fisheries Commission meeting in Wrightsville Beach
North Carolina’s Marine Fisheries Commission will host its first meeting of 2016 in Wrightsville Beach this week. The commission, responsible for overseeing fisheries management issues throughout the state, will meet for three days at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort. Here are a few of the topics commissioners will tackle between today and Friday: Flounder pound nets: The most contentious issue, Coastal protection, Oyster and clam rules, Eel farming, Shellfish licenses, Council appointments. Read the rest here 07:57
Cooke looking to buy Icicle Seafoods Alaska-based wild salmon processing in Alaska and whitefish operations
Acquisitive Canadian seafood entrepreneur Glenn Cooke is said to be closing in on a deal for US farming, fishing and processing firm Icicle
, which New York-based private equity Paine and Partners is desperately trying to offload. Cooke, who owns fish farming operations in Canada, the US, Chile, Scotland and Spain, has been linked to a move for the Icicle Washington State salmon farm ever since the start of the sale process, which got underway at the start of 2015. Now, Cooke is negotiating a deal for the salmon farm, as well as its Alaska-based wild salmon processing in Alaska and whitefish operations,,, Read the rest here 22:50
Coast Guard, Navy assist two stricken fishing vessel crews approximately 35 miles east of Oregon Inlet.
Coast Guard Sector North Carolina watchstanders in Wilmington received a report at about 2:40 p.m. Monday that the fishing boat Captain David, with three people aboard, was towing the disabled fishing boat Miss Kaylie, with two people aboard, when the Captain David also became disabled. Both boats began taking on water. Crews were not able to keep up with the flooding aboard Captain David but managed to keep flooding under control aboard Miss Kaylie. The Captain David is believed to have sunk. ??? Believed? Read the report here 22:12
Groundswell – Revisiting MSA Reauthorization 2006 – Who Owns the Flying Duck? by Terry Haines
Who owns the air? Who owns the ocean? Who owns a duck flying overhead, on his way to his summer house in the Arctic marshes? Does everyone? Does anyone? Legions of lobbyists are marching on Washington to join the crusade to divvy up every fish that swims within two hundred miles of the United States of America. But the government doesn’t even own the fish that it is giving away. This is the duck that hovers over the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, ready to release its payload. Who Owns the Flying Duck? Read the article here 20:38
Crab task force opts to continue waiting ‘for the good of the industry’
The 2015-2016 commercial Dungeness crab fishing season is officially a salvage operation, but beleaguered fishermen must wait at least another week before they can get to work. During a Tuesday conference call, the Dungeness Crab Task Force unanimously recommended keeping the commercial crab fishing season closed until remaining test sites along the California coast produce sample crab containing safe levels of domoic acid. The recommendation to wait, which reflects input from representatives of crab fishermen, crab processors, sport fishermen and environmental organizations, will be presented to California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham, who is expected to make a decision in the next few days. Read the rest here 18:04
NASA confirms the Pacific ‘warm blob’ has disappeared
In the winter of 2013-14, an unusually strong and persistent ridge of atmospheric high pressure emerged in weather maps of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The feature, which was so unrelenting that meteorologists took to calling it the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge, weakened winds in the area enough that the normal wind-driven churning of the sea eased. Those winds usually promote upwelling, which brings deep, cool water up toward the surface; instead, the resilient ridge shut down the ocean circulation, leaving a large lens of unusually warm surface water in the northeastern Pacific. Read the rest here 16:01
