Daily Archives: May 13, 2016
Were you living in Unalaska in the 70s or 80s? This guy wants to talk to you!
Were you living in Unalaska in the 70s or 80s? If so, Christian Skovly is looking for you. The Californian wants to make a book of stories of life in Unalaska at that time. Skovly came to Unalaska in 2007 and 2008 to work on Deadliest Catch. While there, he became fascinated with stories of life on the Bering Sea and around town. He grew so interested, he went looking for more tales. “And I couldn’t find any recorded history back from the 70s and 80s in Dutch harbor back when Crab was king,” Skovly said. “So I thought if there was no book about it, I would take on the challenge and write a book myself.” And he’s looking for stories, from everyone: Read the rest here! 20:49
The politics behind the northern shrimp – A quick look at two decades of decision-making
LIFO (Last In-First Out) – The cool thing about the Internet is that it offers up reams of background reports, press releases and historical data related to government policies and political decisions. Sometimes, someone who was there — who was privy to some of the goings on within the inner circle — will pick up the phone to remind a reporter of some of the history of a particular issue.So it was last week that Gerry Byrne, who is the province’s Minister of Advanced Education, gave me a call to talk about northern shrimp. Strange, you say? Wouldn’t the provincial fisheries minister, Steve Crocker, be the one to reach out to a reporter on that ongoing issue? In normal circumstances, yes. However, in this instance, Bryne has the lead on background material. Read the rest here 17:01
F/V Privateer salvage operation underway
The U.S. Coast Guard said it has concluded its portion of the response in overseeing the salvage operations of the fishing vessel Privateer off the beach at Ocean Shores in Washington, Wednesday. The Coast Guard’s response concluded when personnel from the Incident Management Division at Sector Columbia River found no recoverable fuel aboard the Privateer during their inspection of the beached vessel. The Privateer washed ashore, Saturday, April 16, after the Coast Guard rescued the three-man crew the night before 1 mile outside of Grays Harbor after the 74-foot fishing vessel started sinking. Additional photo’s, Read the rest here 13:09
Ray Hilborn Responds to the opportunistic attack of Greenpeace
I would like to thank Greenpeace for offering this opportunity to advertise our research and its results. Greenpeace is unable to attack the science I and my collaborators do; science that threatens their repeated assertions that overfishing is universal and that the oceans are being emptied. On the contrary it is clear that where effective fisheries management is applied, stocks are increasing not declining, and this is true in North American and Europe as well as a number of other places. Overfishing certainly continues to be a problem in the Mediterranean, much of Asia and Africa. The timing of Greenpeace’s attack is not random. In two weeks I will receive the International Fisheries Science Prize at the World Fisheries Congress. http://international.fisheries.org/requestfor-nominations-for-the-2016-international-fisheries-science-prize/ This prize is awarded every four years by fisheries science organizations from a number of countries including the U.S., Australia and Japan. In my plenary address I will be showing where overfishing is declining or largely eliminated, as well as where it remains a problem. This is a message Greenpeace seeks to discredit. Instead of focusing on the science, Greenpeace has alleged that I failed to disclose “large amounts of money from the fishing industry and other corporate interests.” Read the rest here 12:43
New Bedford fishing boat runs aground in Sandwich
A 47-foot fishing boat grounded on Town Neck Beach on Thursday morning after a failure of its autopilot system, according to crew members. “It zigged when it should have zagged,” said Mitch, a crew member of the Capt. RM Chase, out of New Bedford, who declined to give his last name. The boat ran aground at about 7 a.m. Thursday after an autopilot error caused the boat to head straight onto the beach instead of turning, he said. Mitch and one other crew member were on the boat, and neither was injured. The boat did not sustain serious damage, they said. Read the story here 10:25
Redistribution of Quota has P.E.I. halibut fishermen disappointed with lowered catch
P.E.I. fishermen will have less halibut to catch this year after a last-minute decision by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to redistribute the quota. The decision means the Island’s share of the allowed catch will drop down to 40 tonnnes from 46 tonnes — a 13-per-cent decrease — in a fishery that opens Sunday. “We’re still in a state of shock,” said the chair of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association’s groundfish advisory board, Tony Carter. “We’re back to ground zero, basically.” All three Maritime provinces saw their quotas drop in the DFO decision Monday, while fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec got an increase. This reverses a decision made last year by former federal fisheries minister and Island MP Gail Shea. Read the rest here 09:35
90,000 gallons of crude gushes Into Gulf of Mexico from a Shell oil facility
Almost 90,000 gallons of crude oil gushed from a Shell oil facility into the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast on Thursday, leaving a 13- by 2-mile sheen of oil on the waves, federal authorities said. The Coast Guard said that the spill had been contained and that two companies were being contracted to begin cleanup operations. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which is part of the U.S. Interior Department, said Shell Offshore Inc. reported that production from all wells that flow to its Brutus platform, about 90 miles south of Timbalier Island, Louisiana, had been shut off. Shell said Thursday night that a company helicopter spotted the sheen near its Glider subsea system at the Brutus platform. No drilling occurs at the site, which is an underwater pipe system that connects to a central hub, the company said. link 09:15
Finally! North Coast crab haul begins in long-delayed commercial opener
Hundreds of crab tumbled into large plastic loading containers on the raised docks of Pacific Choice Seafoods in Eureka early Thursday morning as the crew of the crab vessel Calypso hauled in what may have been the first local commercial catch of the long-delayed season opener. David Helliwell of Eureka, who has been crab fishing for 45 years, said he has never had to wait this long to cast out his pots. “It’s been difficult,” the 71-year-old fisherman said as he helped load some of his 350 crab pots onto his 74-year-old vessel Corregidor. “It’s been difficult for everybody. … This whole season is beyond anyone’s experience.” Read the rest here 08:20
The Arraignment: Carlos “Cod Father” Rafael pleads not guilty to all 27 counts
Indicted fishing magnate Carlos Rafael pleaded not guilty to all 27 counts against him Thursday in federal court in Worcester, where a judge added another $1 million to Rafael’s bond and placed a fishing vessel and permit as collateral. “The (U.S.) government has confirmed with the Portuguese government that Mr. Rafael is, in fact, a citizen of Portugal,” in addition to his U.S. citizenship, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said, explaining the reason for the additional bond request. Lelling said he and Rafael’s defense attorney, William H. Kettlewell of Boston, had agreed to the additional bond conditions before Rafael’s Thursday arraignment in U.S. District Court. Rafael’s bond now stands at a total of $2 million, with his North Dartmouth home on Tucker Lane and Carlos Seafood building, on South Front Street in New Bedford, also as collateral for the bond. Read the rest here 06:53
