Daily Archives: July 20, 2016
These fishermen catch fish in the filthy bay where Olympic athletes will compete — here’s how bad it’s gotten
Behind the airport on Rio de Janeiro’s Governador Island, fishermen live an area called the “Molotov Cocktail,” so known because of the pollution found there. These fishermen catch their fish in Guanabara Bay — the place where Olympic sailors will compete that’s become something of a legend over the past year because of the high levels of sewage, viruses, and trash lurking in the water. Guanabara Bay is huge, and the fisherman don’t work near the Olympic competition area. But they still have to contend with pollution and the increasingly poor reputation of the bay. Alex Sandro Santos, the president of the Fishermen Association of Tubiacanga, is a third generation fisherman in the area. Fifty years ago, he says, Read the rest here 21:30
B.C. coast to see historic cleanup of marine debris as Japanese tsunami money runs out
A coordinated marine-debris cleanup described as the largest in Canadian history is underway all along B.C.’s west coast, from the remote wave-tossed beaches of Cape Scott and Haida Gwaii to the tourist-heavy Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. It is largely funded by the last of a $1-million package provided by the Japanese government in 2012 for tsunami debris cleanup in B.C. “We can’t burden the island’s landfills,” she said. “We brought in five tonnes of plastic ourselves last year.” This year, the groups are operating as a team, using the helicopters to lift one-tonne loads of debris onto a single barge that will work its way down the coast over about a week in late August to early September. The barge will end up in Steveston, with debris delivered to Richmond’s Westcoast Plastic Recycling, which can accept industrial debris that is not contaminated. Read the rest here 21:10
The Lady Is Still Here – Radio Caroline’s “Pirate radio” Floating Legacy Ross Revenge
The Blackwater Estuary is in the English county of Essex. Despite its closeness to Colchester, England’s oldest town, it is a remote and lonely stretch of water, just down the coast from the busy seaside resort of Clacton on Sea. The small village of Bradwell is an ideal location for a nuclear power station, forlorn and unloved. On some weekends, teams of volunteers head for Bradwell with their tool boxes; in July 2014, the nuclear power station welcomed the return of a famous and iconic neighbour, the Ross Revenge, which is now moored in the estuary adjacent to the power station. The Ross Revenge, commissioned in 1960 for the Ross fishing company, was an Icelandic trawler supplying the UK market with fish. The vessel was involved in the “Cod Wars” of 1975-6 when she regularly featured on the UK’s TV news. Then the Ross company put her up for sale. She was eventually acquired by… Radio Caroline,,, Read the story here – A little song from John Hyatt 16:34
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 48ft Crabber – Gillnetter, 230HP Detroit Diesel
Specifications, information and 22 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 15:00
Holyrood plans crackdown on recreational caught seafood black market
A crackdown on “hobby fishers” who sell lobsters, prawns, crabs, scallops and other seafood for financial gain was welcomed by an industry leader last night. Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF) chairman Alistair Sinclair said genuine commercial fishers supported efforts to end a practice which was widespread and had “been going on ever since people started to fish”. He was speaking after the Scottish Government launched a consultation on plans to introduce catch limits for hobby fishers in inshore waters. SCFF, which has 480 members around Scotland, has played a key role in discussions on the way forward for hobby and unlicensed fishermen. Mr Sinclair said: “It was widely recognised around the table that there is a black market serving people who want to procure their shellfish as cheaply as possible. “This affects bona fide fishermen who are trying to earn their living from the sea.” Read the rest here 14:41
City tells longtime Gloucester activist activist to stay away from 2 city officials
Longtime Gloucester activist Susanne Altenburger has been told by the city’s lawyer that she can no longer contact two of its officials by phone. And if she wants a face-to-face meeting with them, a city police officer must also be present. General counsel Charles “Chip” Payson notified Altenburger of the policy earlier this month in two letters sent on behalf of Economic Development Director Sal Di Stefano and Fisheries Commission Director Al Cottone. The letters came after Di Stefano and Cottone were granted harassment prevention orders against Altenburger on June 24. The court orders — which barred Altenburger from any contact with Di Stefano and Cottone for two weeks — were vacated by Judge Joseph Jennings III on July 8, after neither man showed up to press for a renewal.Both men said in sworn affidavits that Altenburger, an outspoken advocate for boat building and other issues regarding Gloucester’s harbor and working waterfront, made them fear for their safety. In his affidavit, Di Stefano said he believes Altenburger owns a gun and has a concealed-carry permit, a charge she denies. Read the story here 14:09
8 Shark Fishermen From Same Family Murdered In Mexico
Gunmen burst into a home and killed eight shark fishermen from the same family in Mexico’s Pacific beach resort of Puerto Escondido, authorities said on Tuesday. The armed group arrived in a vehicle late on Monday, stormed the house and opened fire with high-caliber weapons in the southern state Oaxaca, officials said. “Four men died at the scene and four more, also males, died in a hospital during treatment,” Joaquin Carrillo Ruiz, Oaxaca’s chief prosecutor, told AFP. The victims were all fishermen who caught sharks, but the prosecutor’s office said in a statement that investigators were looking at whether they were involved in illicit activities. It did not give more details about the investigation, but drugs are moved off the coasts of southern Mexico. Last week, the navy recovered 900 kilograms of cocaine inside 33 packages that were floating off the coast of Chiapas state, south of Oaxaca. Read the rest here 11:49
Working Waterfront: Gulf Seafood on county’s agenda today
The Monroe County Commission will take the first significant step today in purchasing the former Gulf Seafood commercial working waterfront on Stock Island. The commission will vote to accept a $2.2 million state grant that would go toward the roughly $7 million purchase of the waterfront property, which is currently home to about a dozen fishermen. The county set aside $5 million in sales tax revenue for the purchase more than a year ago. The project could accomplish the goal of protecting commercial fishing in an area that has seen a tremendous growth in waterfront hotels, resorts and upscale marinas recently, fishermen said. Lower Keys commercial fisherman Daniel Padron called the purchase “monumental” for protecting commercial fishing in the Lower Keys. Read the rest here 10:17
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for July 18, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 08:47
Zeldin amendment helps the Nation’s Fishermen, prevents abuse of the Antiquities Act of 1906
The amendment bars funding for the designation of any national marine monuments by the president in the Exclusive Economic Zone. Marine monuments are areas of ocean where fishing would be banned without consulting the local community, fishermen, or regional fisheries managers. Mr. Zeldin in a release said the Obama administration’s “overzealous interpretation of this law is causing great concern” among the fishing community because the president has sought to apply his power to vast portions of the ocean. In 2014, he said the president declared a 407,000-square-mile National Marine Monument in the Pacific Ocean where commercial fishing was banned and recreational fishing was severely limited. Now, important fishing areas in the Northwest Atlantic, where fishermen from Greenport and Montauk have long worked, are under consideration with little public input and no transparency. Bonnie Brady, the executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, “These are the critical waters that Mr. Zeldin’s amendment will protect.” Read the rest here 08:07
