Monthly Archives: April 2016
Mississippi Oyster fishermen happy to be working the waters
It’s been a tough season for Mississippi oyster fishermen. However, they had reason to smile on Wednesday when two reef areas re-opened. Red tide, heavy rains and high river levels all took a toll on oyster season for fishermen; working the waters less than 20 days. But by late Wednesday morning at Pass Harbor, oyster fishermen were taking advantage of the latest re-opening. “Everybody’s happy, we’re going back to work,” said Rum Phan. Phan says he loves the freedom that commercial fishing provides, even when times are tough. “Hopefully the weather doesn’t change, that’s all we can hope for. Oysters looking very good right now. They taste good, I know it. I can smell it in the air, trust me,” Phan said. Fishermen at Kimball’s Seafood brought in their limits of oyster sacks on opening day. Video, Read the rest here 07:50
Unusually big pink salmon may be related to smaller coho and kings
Fisheries researchers are investigating why pink salmon, a staple of Southeast Alaska’s commercial fisheries, seem to be growing bigger every year while other, longer-lived salmon species are getting smaller in size. “These pink salmon that we got in early this year are some of the largest I’ve seen in quite a long time,” said John Joyce, fisheries research biologist at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute, in an interview last summer. As Auke Creek flowed over rocks and returning salmon lingered in a nearby pool, Joyce explained how the creek’s weir provided more than 35 years of continuous data that is valuable for climate change research. Read the rest here 19:46
Fishermen make dead pal’s ashes into bait – and then catch 180lb monster
Two anglers have honoured their late fisherman friend by turning his ashes into a bait that snared a monster 180lbs catch. Ron Hopper, 64, died from cancer before he could go on a much-anticipated fishing holiday to Thailand with friends Paul Fairbrass and Cliff Dale. While Ron was on his deathbed the trio agreed Paul and Cliff, both aged 65, should take his ashes to the Far East with them and infuse them with a special bait mix to make ‘boilies’. The two fishermen named the special bait ‘Purple Ronnie’ and cast off with it on the end of their lines throughout the nine day trip. And their dedication to their late friend paid off as a whopping a 12stone Siamese carp – one of the biggest carp fish in the world – took a liking to his ashes. Read the rest here 17:53
NOAA Propaganda Machine: Media roundtable on the effects of the Magnuson-Stevens Act on U.S. fisheries after 40 years
With the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary law governing ocean fisheries management in U.S.waters, turning 40 this month, NOAA will feature speakers to discuss how the act serves as an international model for sustainable fisheries science, management, innovation, and collaboration. Media roundtable on the effects of the Magnuson-Stevens Act on U.S. fisheries after 40 years. Both U.S. and international reporters may attend. Thur., Apr. 28, 2:00 p.m. ET. On the panel: Russell Smith, deputy assistant secretary for international fisheries, U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA-Samuel Rauch, deputy NOAA assistant administrator for fisheries regulatory programs-Matt Tinning, senior campaign director, Environmental Defense Fund oceans program-Chris Brown, president, board of directors, Seafood Harvesters of America-Rick Robins, chairman, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council-Ciaran Clayton, director, NOAA Office of Communications. Interested media may call in to 1-888-810-9645, and use the passcode “MSA” Link 17:00
Louisiana shrimpers encouraged to provide input regarding potential shrimp fishery regulation changes
Louisiana commercial shrimpers are encouraged to provide their input regarding potential changes to existing shrimp fishery regulations. NOAA NMFS is considering new regulations citing new information that sea turtles are vulnerable to capture by skimmer trawls and that tow times may not be as effective in reducing bycatch-related mortality as turtle excluder devices. NOAA is currently receiving input from fishermen and other constituents on this issue. Comments can be sent electronically via email to [email protected], or physically via U.S. mail to Michael Barnette, Southeast Regional Office, Protected Resources Division, 263 13th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, Fla. 33701-5505 until April 29, 2016. The NOAA Scoping Document can be found here. Scoping document, click here 14:24
Goldfish – A lucrative Great Lakes commercial catch
Whenever Dave DeLong brings in one of his Maumee Bay seine nets, there’s almost always one or two distinctive bright orange fish swimming around the writhing mass of bullhead, catfish and carp. DeLong, a Lake Erie commercial fisherman, makes a living hauling live fish to the Luna Pier Harbor Club, where his catch is weighed and sold. He’s been fishing for 45 years on Lake Erie and goldfish have been part of that catch every year.”We used to throw them away,” he said. Not anymore. Goldfish — larger versions of the species found in household aquariums — have been a part of the Great Lakes ecosystem for a long, long time. While that’s really no secret, most would be surprised to learn just how many actually inhabit the bi-national waters. Photo gallery, Read the rest here 13:16
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 50′ Fiberglass Day Scalloper, 425HP CAT 3406 Diesel
Specifications, information and 33 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 11:30
Big Catches, Big Prices cause boat backlog for Nova Scotia fishermen
A booming lobster industry certainly has its ups, but some of the downs are becoming apparent to one fisherman from Kelly’s Cove, N.S., who says he can’t find a vessel because boat builders are being stretched by high demand. Craig Smith sold his old fishing boat to put a down payment on a new one, which was supposed to be ready last August. Since then, he’s managed to get by using boats he leases. Boatyards in Nova Scotia have been working full tilt, as fishermen get rid of older vessels in favour of new ones as they capitalize on a prosperous season of big catches and good prices in southwest Nova Scotia. Read the rest here 09:01
AIS Regulations: New Responsibilities and Opportunities
From increasing situational awareness and enhancing the safety and security of maritime transportation, to its use in accident investigation, search and rescue, Aids to Navigation and asset monitoring, the role of AIS (Automatic Identification System) as a flexible and developing technology continues to grow in significance. The month of March 2016 – has come and gone – and represents an important milestone which will increase the prevalence and general awareness of AIS. As new United States Coast Guard regulations are introduced, more commercial vessels working along U.S. coasts will need to be equipped with AIS, affecting all mariners in U.S. waters. Read the rest here 08:29
A week into a challenging Togiak herring fishery, some fishermen are ready for halibut season.
Herring opened April 17 this year, a record early start for the fishery. But it’s been a tough go of it – by April 25, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said 7,741 tons of herring had been harvested by the seine fleet, well below their quota of about 20,000 tons. This year, 17 seiners are selling to four companies, and two gillnetters have also participated. Daily hauls seemed to have declined already, with seiners taking 252 tons April 25, almost 450 tons of April 24 and 1,500 tons on April 23. Although the numbers have shown something off a drop-off in catches, Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Tim Sands said it’s too early to say that the fishery is definitely winding down because stormy weather has had such an impact on fishing activity. Audio, Read the rest here 08:12
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 25, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 22:45
N.C Division of Marine Fisheries plans survey of commercial fishermen
Commercial fishermen who fish in the Atlantic Ocean off of North Carolina may receive a questionnaire in the mail or by phone call in the coming weeks and months for an N.C Division of Marine Fisheries survey. The division plans to contact approximately 300 fishermen between now and August and ask them information about their fishing activity, perceptions, fishing expenses and demographics. The information gathered in the survey will be used to improve the state’s estimates of the economic impacts of commercial fishing and the effects of fishing regulations. It will also assist managers in making informed decisions on fisheries topics. Read the rest here 17:11
Things are looking up in Provincetown as fishermen see grounds for hope
When commercial fisherman Beau Gribbin walked in and handed members of the Provincetown Fishermen’s Memorial Foundation a check for $6,500 at their meeting on Wednesday, April 13 he was signaling not only support for the fund but the return of a formal alliance between local fishermen. Gribbin, captain of the fishing vessel Glutton, along with Chris King, owner of Cape Tip Seafood and captain of the scallop vessel Donna Marie, are both members and former chairs of the Provincetown Fishermen’s Association, known as ProFish. The organization is making a comeback, Gribbin and King said in recent interviews, and its current members, along with some of the original founders who are no longer members, agreed that donating to the Fishermen’s Memorial Foundation would be a good use of a portion of ProFish’s remaining funds. Read the rest here 14:58
Outer Banks Catch pulls out of Seafood Fest – the public is being misled
Citing concerns over the lack of local seafood served at the Outer Banks Seafood Festival, Outer Banks Catch (OBC) has chosen not to participate in this year’s event, scheduled for Oct. 15. A letter from OBC Executive Director Sandy Semans Ross stated that, “This action is not being taken lightly,” adding that the event’s advertising has “indicated that local seafood is the fare of the day at the event. Most of it is not; the public is being misled.” “The biggest point of contention…was the fact that the seafood festival doesn’t serve one hundred percent locally caught seafood,, Read the rest here 13:34
US Increases Lobster Processing as Prices Reach 15-Year High
Prices for U.S. lobster meat have climbed to a 15-year high in April, and are up 48% year-over-year. The main reason behind this dramatic rise in the past 12 months has been high demand for lobster products in U.S. food service and retail. So why has processed lobster meat become so popular over the last couple of years? Lobster processing involves extracting the meat from the shell, making it much more consumer-friendly. Processed lobster meat has a longer shelf life and can be stored and shipped better than a live lobster. This, combined with low prices seen in 2014, made the product popular in food service and retail, leading to heavy and successful advertising of processed lobster based products. Read the rest here 11:12
Nova Scotia man helps develop inflatable, waterproof work suits
Paul Brodie blows into a valve, inflating the shoulders and chest area in the red work suit he’s wearing. The Nova Scotia research scientist has been helping develop a waterproof, buoyant suit that he hopes could be used by anyone who works on or around the water. Three companies — 66° North, Seamaster and Hansen Protection — are now producing the gear, which was tested in Denmark and is being manufactured for all three brands in Latvia, Brodie says. “This is a work suit, it is not a survival suit, those big bulky things you put on and go jump off an oil rig,” said Brodie, a former Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientist. Read the rest here 08:59
Family feud erupts over iPhone recovered in search for Fla. teen fishermen
More than eight months after Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, both 14, went missing off the Florida coast, their boat was found near Bermuda, with an iPhone intact on March 18.Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, both 14, got lost at sea during a bout of severe weather on July 24, 2015. The US Coast Guard located the boat about 67 miles off the shore of Daytona Beach just two days after they went missing, but it drifted away. The 19-foot Seacraft boat was discovered by a passing vessel about 100 miles off the coast of Bermuda. Read the rest here Onboard were Stephanos’ phone and some fishing gear. One day after the Cohen family filed the restraining order, Blu Stephanos, Austin’s father, promised to share the phone’s data with investigators and both families. Video, Read the rest here 08:33
Trinidad crab tests to determine commercial opener
The long-awaited opener of the commercial crab season on the North Coast now hinges on six crabs collected just south of Trinidad Head. If the crabs don’t show high levels of a neurotoxin, which has delayed the state’s crab season since Dec. 1, the commercial season could start as soon as May 5, according to Department of Fish and Wildlife senior environmental scientist Pete Kalvass. “That’s holding everything up,” Kalvass said of the Trinidad crab. “… If those six crabs show up clean, we could declare the entire area clear and then open up sport fishing up in that region and commercial (fishing) a week later.” Meanwhile, state officials are gearing up to hear an update on Thursday regarding Gov. Jerry Brown’s request for federal fisheries disaster relief funds and how the state is preparing for future incidents. Read the rest here 07:46
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
Trade enforcement protects Louisiana shrimpers and other American jobs – Opinion by Barack Obama
Over the past seven years, we have helped middle-class families start to reclaim their economic security by restoring the basic values that made our country great – including the idea that everyone should play by the same rules. That principle matters in farm states and factory towns across America, but it doesn’t stop at our shores. We also have to enforce a level playing field in the global economy. Just as we’ve worked to ensure we don’t have one set of rules for Wall Street and another for Main Street, my administration has built an unprecedented record of holding trading partners accountable and fighting back when they try to rip us off. Last week marked another such victory for workers in Louisiana. Read the rest here 18:01
Harvesters want higher Gulf halibut quotas for Newfoundland and Labrador fishermen
Halibut harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are calling on the federal Liberals to address the previous government’s wrongs by establishing what the union calls “fair” quota allocations for Gulf of St. Lawrence halibut. In a press release today, the Fish Food and Allied Workers (FFAW-Unifor), the union that represents fishers in this province, said it will be making a presentation to the Gulf Groundfish Advisory Committee reviewing halibut allocation decisions made since 2007. “Previous sharing agreements have resulted in significant and disproportionate reductions in quota for Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters,” FFAW president Keith Sullivan said in a prepared statement. Read the rest here 16:34
‘Wicked Tuna’ Star Captain Delivers Beatdown … Gets Arrested
One of the captains from “Wicked Tuna” got busted in port for smashing a guy’s face. Captain Tyler McLaughlin was charged this week for misdemeanor assault … according to the Perquimans County Sheriff’s Dept. in North Carolina. Cops say McLaughlin got into it with another fisherman last month near the docks. The Nat Geo star allegedly put the guy in a choke hold and punched him in the eye multiple times. We’re told the victim suffered a broken nose and 2 black eyes. McLaughlin bounced before cops arrived. Weeks later, McLaughlin turned himself in to cops, got booked but was immediately released on a $10,000 bond. We reached out to McLaughlin and Nat Geo … no reply at all. TMZ link 16:02
Port of Bellingham – First aid course specifically for fisherman May 9
Fishermen can learn first aid for situations they encounter on water during a special course May 9. The course, approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, will cover CPR, patient assessment, hypothermia, cold water, near drowning, shock, trauma, burns, fractures, choking, immobilization and key components in first aid kits. The course is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Port of Bellingham Squalicum Harbor office, 722 Coho Way. The fee is $100, or $50 for active commercial fishermen. It’s put on by the port and the Washington Sea Grant. To register, call Sarah Fisken with the Washington Sea Grant at 206-543-1225 or email [email protected]. Link 15:18
Entertaining the Tourists, Elliott Neese Has a New Gig Aboard Former ‘Deadliest Catch’ Boat
“Deadliest Catch’s” Capt. Elliott Neese will work on another boat that was once featured on the show. Neese is letting fans know that he has a summer gig in Alaska this summer, and you can see him if you’re traveling up that direction. Elliott tweeted on Friday that he’ll be working on an Alaskan crab tour boat in Ketchikan. “Everyone check out and follow @AleutianBallad my new job for the summer I will be with my friend & crab legend Derrick Ray #superstoked,” Elliott tweeted. It’s unknown if Elliott will be on season 13 of “Deadliest Catch.” Several speculations suggest it’s unlikely. Neese was battling problems with addiction in season 11 and he was furious at camera crews for recording his actions aboard the Saga. Read the rest here 14:43
