Daily Archives: April 25, 2016
The brutal business of crabbing in Gladstone
The mud crabs in the Gladstone region are the best in Queensland and some local crabbers aren’t afraid of fighting, stealing, threatening and ramming each others’ boats to catch them. With no full-time boating and fisheries patrol officers in Gladstone now the crabbers sometimes have to resort to intimidation to lay claim to the estuaries and waterways where the crabs are. The small commercial crabbing community is awash with rumours, finger pointing and little trust over stealing of crabs, crab pots and cutting floats. Audio, read the rest here 19:16
New video focuses on preventing falls overboard in lobster-fishing industry
In an effort to prevent falls overboard among lobster-boat crews, scientific research organization IRSST has released a video featuring Canadian fishermen and deckhands sharing “tricks of the trade” for staying safe. According to IRSST, researchers worked with fishing crews to identify 40 strategies for preventing falls overboard. The video stresses the importance of using fall prevention techniques that work well for a crew’s specific boat. Read the rest here 17:37 Watch the video here
Smithsonian expert urges caution, patience on blue crab recovery
The results are in, 2016 is going to be a good year for blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. An iconic figure embedded in the culture and cuisine of the Chesapeake Bay area, the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) sustains the most profitable fishery in Maryland and supports thousands of fishermen and seafood businesses in Maryland and Virginia. Based on the annual winter survey conducted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, there are nearly 35 percent more blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay this season than there were in 2015. That’s good news, especially on the heels of a 38 percent increase the previous year. But scientists say there is a cautionary tale in this rapid rise. (but, of course!) Read the rest here 16:29
8 killed in 1982 F/V Investor murders remembered in Blaine exhibit
Does the time ever come when a community stops remembering a murdered group of its own? In the case of Blaine, possibly not. Almost 34 years ago, a Blaine fishing family, including two children, and four young crewmen were killed aboard the Investor, a purse seiner found ablaze Sept. 7, 1982, near Craig, a fishing village in Southeast Alaska. A Bellingham resident, John Peel, was later tried twice for the slayings. His first trial ended in a hung jury; his second trial acquitted him. The Investor remains the biggest unresolved murder case in Alaska history. Read the rest here 15:05
Dairy farms taking a toll on Great Lakes, waterways
On an August weekend in 2009, campers in the Port Huron State Game Area began to realize there was something terribly wrong with the Black River. They were finding dead fish floating on the river’s surface. Eventually, the cause of the fish kill was traced to an excessive application of liquid cow manure at Noll Dairy Farm in Croswell. State officials said the discharge affected more than 20 miles of the river and killed about 218,000 fish. With blue-green algae blooms becoming a part of summer in Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair, concern is growing that nutrients — including those from cow manure and from large operations with more than 700 milk-producing animals — could be a long-term problem as farmers look for places to put cow waste. Read the rest here 10:29
Depth of Despair: Coorong fishermen on suicide watch after struggling to co-inhabit with long-nosed fur seals
Coorong fishermen express grave fears for their future cohabitation with long-nosed fur seals with “five men on suicide watch”. Southern Fishermen’s Association president Garry Hera-Singh shared his fears for the mental health of local fishermen and their families. “Two men are on high risk suicide watch and three on medium risk,” he said. “I call one man in particular every day to make sure he’s still getting by because he is in a lot of debt.” Mr Hera-Singh said if the seals return in numbers similar to last year, by “mid-year things will be chaotic”. “I’d say up to seven businesses will not survive this season,” he said. Read the rest here 08:54
Cape Girardeu, Missouri – Alaska seafood firm boasts local ties
The Cape Farmers Market in Cape Girardeu, Missouri opened Thursday, and vendors of all types showed up to sell their wares. Among them was Trevor Tripp from Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood. Though the fish, as the name suggests, is caught in Alaska, the company has local ties and a focus on sustainability one might expect from a farmers market vendor. Owner Tony Wood is from Carbondale, Illinois, and maintains a home in Southern Illinois. He spends much of his time, however, in King Salmon, Alaska, in a town with no roads in or out. “If you don’t get there by boat or plane, you’re not getting there,” Tripp said. Read the rest here 07:58
