Daily Archives: May 7, 2016
Video: Coast Guard medevacs scallop fisherman 35 miles east of Chincoteague, Va.
The Coast Guard medevaced a man Saturday from a fishing boat about 35 miles east of Chincoteague. Watchstanders at the Sector Hampton Roads Command Center in Portsmouth received notification at approximately 10:45 a.m. a 58-year-old crewman aboard the commercial fishing boat Good News II out of Hampton was having trouble breathing and requested assistance. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, diverted from another mission at about 10:50 a.m. The aircrew arrived on scene at about 11:25 a.m., hoisted the man and transported him to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk at about 12:20 p.m. in stable condition. Link Watch video here 18:24
Coast Guard investigating the cause of the collision and sinking of Scallop F/V Last Stand
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of an accident that sunk a scallop boat April 28 six miles off Cape May. The 42-foot scallop boat, Last Stand, homeported in Cape May, collided with a 78-foot tug, Dean Reinauer, from New York, that was pushing a 500-foot barge southeast of this city about 1 p.m. April 28. The scallop boat issued an electronic distress signal before being rescued by the Coast Guard. It sank within minutes of the collision. The investigation into the accident is “standard” according to the Coast Guard, however, those on scene credit preparedness of the crew for their safe rescue. “We are looking into the cause of the accident by conducting interviews of the crew of all vessels involved, gathering witness statements, obtaining track lines and speed of vessels, recorded radio transmissions, looking at fatigue factors, and also using the guidance set forth in COLREGS, navigational ‘rules of the road’,” Two video’s Read the story here 17:42
West Point Scallop fishermen worried about Barnacle covered scallops
In 44 years of fishing scallops, Tony Sharpe says he’s never seen anything like it. Many of the scallops his drags bring up from beds off West Point are covered with barnacles. What’s worse is the meat, even in many of the large shells, is quite small. He wonders if there is a connection between the barnacles and the poor meat count some fishermen have been encountering since the season opened May 2. Sharpe wonders if the weight of the barnacles is making it difficult for the scallops to feed properly, thus impacting meat growth. The situation has some fishermen wondering whether steps need to be taken to protect the fishery. Miminegash fisherman Mark MacRae is among them. Read the rest here 13:31:11
Starving fishermen blame government restrictions for loss of income
Phang Nga Thailand-More than 300 anchovy fishermen, claiming loss of income following the introduction of new regulations established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, gathered in protest at Laem Mai pier at Koh Yao Noi on Thursday. Led by spokesperson Tiwakorn Thongkert, the fishermen demand changes to regulations which prevent vessels weighing 10 tons or more from fishing within three miles of the shore. “About 30 boats are affected by the regulations. Anchovy are usually found close to the shore. The fish can be found outside the three-mile exclusion zone but those catches are so small it is not worth the fishermen’s time and expense,” said Mr Tiwakorn. The fishermen have been losing out since the three-mile zone was introduced about a month ago, so we want the boundary to be reduced from three miles to 1.5 miles,” he added. Read the rest here 12:46
Comox C.G. Base closure supported by Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans – UNIFOR responds
A review by Members of Parliament has failed to save a Canadian Coast Guard base on Vancouver Island. Critics hoped the review by the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans would lead to a reversal of the decision to close the Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) centre in Comox. Instead, the committee found the closure would not impact the emergency marine response on the West Coast. “I’m very pleased that the standing committee on Fisheries and Oceans has recognized that marine safety remains a top priority, even with the consolidation of Comox,” said Fisheries and Oceans Minister Hunter Tootoo. However, the committee did find there are problems with coast guard radio communications in B.C. Read the rest here UNIFOR Response – Liberals on fisheries committee turn their backs on BC coastal communities Read the press release 11:43
P.E.I. Lobster fishermen still waiting for prices
Lobster fishermen have been selling their catch on the wharves all week — but they still don’t know what they’re getting paid for them. P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association president Craig Avery told CBC News they would usually know by now, but it looks like fishermen will be waiting another week. “It is frustrating for sure, but we will just have to be patient and wait. I mean, fishermen have been asking, you know, calling the PEIFA office. We have no way of knowing,” said Avery. “They have been calling their buyers but, you know, the price doesn’t seem to be established yet. So until next Friday when we start to get our first statement, we won’t know what we’re getting.” Link 09:32
Just for the Halibut – Quota in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
While most attention these days is focused on who should should get how much of a share of northern shrimp, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is trying to decide how the Atlantic halibut quota in the Gulf should be shared between fishermen in the five Atlantic provinces. These days, fishermen who ply the waters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, fetch anywhere from $6 to $7 a pound for halibut they catch on hook and line. The quota in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is limited — just over 800 tonnes for the past two fishing seasons — and is shared up between five provinces. Read the rest here 08:58
Video: Coast Guard medevacs injured fisherman 60 miles off Cape May, NJ
The Coast Guard medevaced a 27-year-old fisherman Friday after the man suffered a leg injury 62 miles east of Cape May. A crew member from the fishing vessel Stacy Lee called watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia at approximately 12:45 a.m. to request assistance. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City arrived on scene and hoisted the man at approximately 2:40 a.m. The helicopter crew transferred the man to EMS personnel at the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. “The crew of the fishing boat did a good job administrating first aid to the survivor,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Joe Foss, the rescue swimmer on the case. “The boat was rocking forward and aft in the large seas, so we had to be careful not to hit the antennas as we performed the hoists. All of our training definitely made this a successful rescue.” Link – Video 08:26
California’s Shellfish Industry Fight to Restore Otter-Free Zone
California’s shellfish industry fought the federal government’s termination of a “no-otter zone” along the Southern California coast at a Ninth Circuit hearing on Friday. Four fishing industry groups sued the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2013, claiming its decision to end a long-disputed sea otter translocation program would “severely compromise if not destroy” shellfish and other marine fisheries on the southern coast. Nixing the program would lead more than 300 sea otters to occupy a previously “otter-free zone” within 10 years and prey on the shellfish which fishermen depend on for their livelihood, the plaintiffs claimed in their 2013 complaint. But environmental groups had long pushed for the government to end the program, claiming it was a disaster from the start and that it bowed to the interests of the oil and fishing industries. Read the rest here 07:58
