Daily Archives: June 14, 2016
Judge requests additional briefs and memoranda concerning at-sea monitoring lawsuit
The final judgment in New Hampshire fisherman David Goethel’s federal lawsuit against NOAA Fisheries concerning at-sea monitoring will be further delayed after the judge in the case requested additional briefs and memoranda from both sides. “In consideration of the parties’ cross motions for summary judgment and conducting the attending legal research, the court has identified points, authorities and (to some extent) arguments that were unfortunately not cited or raised by the parties’ legal memoranda,” U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante wrote in his procedural order. Prior to ordering the supplemental filings, Laplante, who sits in U.S. District Court in Concord, New Hampshire, held a June 9 conference call with attorneys to discuss “whether, and the extent to which, any delay caused by additional briefing would increase, extend or intensify any claimed economic hardship” from the federal mandate shifting the costs of at-sea monitoring to the industry. Read the rest here 21:05
Connecticut lawmakers call on inspector general to investigate fishing regulations
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both D-Conn., along with U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Second District, on Tuesday called on the inspector general of the Department of Commerce to investigate what they call an inequity in regulations that puts New England fishermen at a disadvantage. “We write to raise a growing concern of our constituents in the fishing industry who are facing extreme economic hardship related to the structure of fisheries management across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic,” wrote Blumenthal, Murphy and Courtney. “On several occasions during town halls and meetings in Connecticut with many of the fishermen who operate in the state, we have repeatedly heard concerns that black sea bass, summer flounder, and scup have migrated northward, but the state-by-state allocations for these species still reflect historical numbers when they were in greater abundance in the mid-Atlantic,” the lawmakers wrote. Read the rest here 18:53
Offshore Communication: Wicked Tuna Captain Dave Carraro Relies on Globalstar
When it comes to fishing, Captain Dave Carraro of FV Tuna.com knows a thing or two, having run a successful charter business for the past 37 years, and is now a leading competitor and previous winner of the television show Wicked Tuna. Carraro keeps a busy schedule off land, even flying as a pilot for JetBlue when he isn’t fishing. “Sometimes we are out on the water for four to five days in a row, fishing around the clock, which can be very strenuous, both physically and mentally. Not to mention the weather can be unpredictable and we can be fighting fish in very, very rough seas,” Carraro said. While there may be unknowns relative to weather and fish cooperating, one thing Carraro doesn’t worry about is reliable communication, Read the rest here 16:34Fish plant workers: stop gutting West Coast fishery
Specifically, United Fishermen and Allied Workers’ Union, were lobbying the parliamentary standing committee on fisheries and oceans to break what they describe as a monopoly held by Jim Pattison and his Canadian Fishing Co. (Canfisco) on fishing fleets, quotas and licences. They also want the government to restrict the practice of sending fish caught in B.C. for secondary processing to the U.S. or China. “The processing of fish that is owned by the people of Canada should benefit the people of Canada,” Arnie Nagey, a Haida citizen who worked as a millwright in Canfisco’s Prince Rupert cannery, told the committee June 7. “The boats should be owned by the people who fish them, not the company.” North coast fish plant workers want adjacency rules, which would require fish caught in Canadian waters to be processed in Canada. But that would likely trigger challenges under the North American Free Trade Agreement, said Rob Morley, Canfisco’s vice-president of product and corporate development. Read the rest here 13:37
Yes, Copper River Seafoods just posted a preseason price. And yes, it’s encouraging.
Up to $1.25 for “Excelent Fish” caught this week, going out fresh to a market that is hungry for the product, says CRS. Company says it intends to post a price every Sunday for the week ahead. Copper River Seafoods Bristol Bay manager Vojtech Novak posted a price for this week’s sockeye catch, and says he intends to post a weekly price every Sunday. It’s an unusual step for one of Bristol Bay’s buyers to list a price before the catch comes in. “You know, the owner of our company was a fisherman, and he feels like he’s still a fisherman,” said Novak. “His dream was always to know the price before going fishing, and we’re trying to work on that and give our fishermen a price. Before they go fish, they know what they’re getting.” Read the rest here 13:10
Get ready for some awesome wake — it’s lobster boat racing season!
Spectators and lobstermen alike are getting revved up for Boothbay Harbor’s Charlie Begin Memorial Lobster Boat Races set for Saturday, June 18, at 10 a.m. You’re picking up “good vibrations” already, aren’t you? This year marks the 31st year of lobster boat races in Boothbay Harbor. The race course runs in front of Tumbler Island toward the finish line at the Maine State Aquarium. Event organizer Ashlee Lowery says she expects 60, yep, 6-0, boats this year — some from way up north and over the Maine border. “I’ve been talking with a couple of boats from Canada and they are looking forward to coming to Boothbay Harbor to show off — and create havoc just for fun,” Lowery said. “I hear these boats are really fast — 70 mph — but they are two-seaters with open hulls and big engines. Our (Maine) rules say the boats must be working lobster boats.” Read the story here 12:22
P.E.I. lobster fishermen hope higher prices make up for lower catches
With prices currently at $6.50 for canners and $7 for markets, P.E.I. lobster fishermen are hoping to ride out a spring of bad weather and lower catches. “Prices have been fairly good, catches are down quite a bit and the weather has been just terrible,” said Craig Avery, president of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association, who stayed on shore Monday for the third time this season. “It’s been a tough, tough year. The price, whatever we’re getting for them, it’s well-earned,” he added. About a thousand Island fishermen are currently on the water, including 630 along the North Shore from North Cape to East Point and 340 on the south shore from East Point to Victoria, P.E.I.. Catches are down all along P.E.I.’s North Shore, called Lobster Fishing Area 24, according to what Avery is hearing. He fishes out of Northport, near Alberton, P.E.I., and estimates his catch will be down about 25 per cent from last season. Read the rest here 09:56
Commercial Dungeness fishery opens Wednesday in Southeast Alaska
The summer commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Southeast opens Wednesday at 8 a.m. After a record season two years ago, and an average catch in last season, officials are anticipating more crabbers on the water this week. Stuart DeWitt has been commercial fishing for dungy for close to five years. He’s one of a few fishermen in Haines that drops pots before starting the commercial salmon season. According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Dungeness crab went for an average of $2.95 a pound during the 2014-2015 season. Last season, the average was $3.02 per pound, an all-time high since the mid ‘80s when the department started tracking prices. The 2014-15 season was a banner harvest, with around $14 million worth of crab garnered, or around 5 million pounds. Last season yielded about 3.2 million pounds. Audio report, read the rest here 08:56
Catch Shares New South Wales Style – Half the Small Boat Fishermen will disappear
MORE than half of the Coast’s 100 commercial fishers are expected to be cut adrift after the state government released its industry reforms last week. Dane Van Der Neut, president of the NSW Wild Caught Fishers Coalition, said the worst fears of local commercial fishers were realised in the Baird Government’s bid to overhaul the $90 million industry. “We’ll now lose over half our fleet, from Tuggerah Lake to the Hawkesbury, because the government wants to corporatise the industry, make all shares equal, and price out the smaller operators,” Patonga-based Mr Van Der Neut said. Terrigal state Liberal MP Adam Crouch hailed the changes as a “new era” for commercial fishing. Read the rest here 08:16
