Daily Archives: July 26, 2016
46 Crew members abandon sinking Fishing Vessel in Alaskan Waters
Two Good Samaritan ships were helping rescue 46 crew members who abandoned a sinking fishing vessel in Alaska’s Aleutian Island chain, Coast Guard officials said Tuesday. There were no reported injuries to the crew members, who had donned survival suits and then huddled in three large life rafts awaiting rescue after the 220-foot Alaska Juris started taking on water late Tuesday morning. The plan was to have the 46 people transfer to the Good Samaritan ships, the Spar Canis and the Vienna Express, Petty Officer Lauren Steenson said. The crew would be transported to a port, but she said it wasn’t immediately known where they would be taken. The Coast Guard also diverted the cutter Midgett and dispatched two C-130 transport planes and two helicopters from Kodiak to the site of the sinking ship, located near Kiska Island, which is about 690 miles west of Dutch Harbor, one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports. Read the story here 23:14
Four crew-members safe as Homer Seiner remains capsized off Alaska Peninsula
Four crew-members escaped safely when their fishing boat rolled over near the Alaska Peninsula on Friday. “So just before 8 p.m. this past Friday, our district watch standers received an EPIRB alert of a 41-foot fishing vessel, Carmelina, located approximately 35 nautical miles west of Kodiak Island,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Kelly Parker in Kodiak. “The vessel had capsized with four people on board. The crew of the good Samaritan vessel Spartan recovered all four people from the Carmelina, and all survivors were reported in good condition.” The Carmelina is owned by Willie Creamer of Homer, according to the state’s commercial fisheries database. Parker said the Carmelina remains capsized, with its seine net anchoring it to some rocks in Jute Bay. Read the rest here 21:53
Coast Guard rescue boat, helicopter crew rescue fisherman off Monomoy Island, Mass.
Coast Guard Station Chatham and Air Station Cape Cod crews teamed up to rescue a fisherman Tuesday four miles east of Monomoy Island. A crewmember aboard the fishing boat Godzilla III sent a radio hail for help to watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. The crewmember reported a man aboard was experiencing chest pain and in need of immediate medical attention. A 42-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Chatham, who were already underway in Lewis Bay for a law enforcement patrol, immediately diverted to meet up with Godzilla III. An MH-60 helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was also diverted from their flight to help. Once on scene, the response boat crew took the man aboard the Coast Guard boat to make for a safer hoisting platform for medevac by helicopter. The aircrew hoisted the man into the helicopter and took him to Barnstable Municipal Airport, where his care was transferred to local emergency medical service personnel. Link 19:16
Australian Southern bluefin tuna boom reaps reward for east coast fishermen
Southern bluefin tuna fishermen along the east coast are making the most of a booming Japanese market. Aquaculture quotas in South Australia are being leased to the east coast long-line fishery as it proves more efficient and profitable. Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Association chief executive Brian Jeffries said operators were cashing in on the rejuvenated fishery and South-East Asia demand. “The catch on the east coast of southern bluefin has gone from 30 tonnes about three to four years ago to almost 600 tonnes this year,” he said. “That’s a major diversification of the use of the quota from fish farming in South Australia to long lining on the east coast.” The shift from aquaculture to wild-caught tuna is driven by profitability, as well as a relaxation over the regulation around the way catch quota can be distributed. Read the rest here 18:59
Brooks Falls – Katmai National Park, Alaska – Click to watch live!
You are watching exclusive LIVE footage from Alaska’s Brooks River in Katmai National Park. Every year over a hundred Brown Bears descend on a mile long stretch of Brooks River to feast on the largest Sockeye Salmon run in the world. 14:53
Gaspereau River fishermen worried the fish may not make it up the river if turbines are in the water
Some fishermen along the Gaspereau River are concerned how tidal turbines could affect a local fishery. There are 14 active square net licences in the Gaspereau and Melanson area issued by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Those fishermen catch Gaspereau, a species of herring, when they swim up the river from the Bay of Fundy in April and May. On Monday night at the Gaspereau Community Hall, people in the area had their chance to speak to FORCE (Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy), the organization behind the tidal turbine project. “We want to have some meaningful dialogue with Cape Sharp and FORCE about this project they’re undertaking,” said Chris Gertridge, with the Gaspereau Fishermen’s Association. “We have a lot of questions as to why we’re never consulted.” Read the rest here 14:24
Why Is This Indicted Seafood Mogul Still Buying More Fishing Boats?
Carlos “the Codfather” Rafael is not letting his upcoming federal trial for mislabeling seafood slow down his massive commercial-fishing business. While fishermen across New England marvel at how Rafael is allowed to continue working while facing a 27-count indictment, public records suggest that the indicted seafood mogul might even be expanding his fleet of more than 40 vessels. Documents filed with the Massachusetts secretary of state’s office show that on May 16, Rafael’s wife, Conceicao, created a company called Nemesis LLC with the mission “to engage in fishing and shellfishing of every nature and description.” Then, on June 24, two days after Rafael’s lawyer appeared in court to schedule his January 2017 trial date, Nemesis bought a fishing vessel previously called the Jamie & Ashley. Read the story here 12:19
Minister defends LIFO decision, northern shrimp stocks under pressure linked to rebounding cod stock
The federal fisheries minister stands by his recent decision to scrap the Last In, First Out policy and reduce the northern shrimp quota, while also indicating some news is on the way concerning northern cod. Speaking with reporters in Bay de Verde Monday following an announcement about funding for small craft harbours, Dominic LeBlanc said he worked with the information he had and consulted with federal and provincial politicians before electing to scrap LIFO. The decision fell in line with the recommendation of an advisory panel that consulted with the public and presented a report to the minister. Later when asked by The Compass about the potential return of a groundfish harvest, LeBlanc acknowledged he has received some advice suggesting areas where northern shrimp stocks are under pressure can be linked to a rebounding cod stock. Read the rest here 10:41
Queensland fishers see red over fisheries management green paper
The Queensland Government has put forward its vision for the future of the state’s fisheries amid industry concerns the most significant reforms in two decades are being stymied due to a lack of funds and political will. The Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) said the release of a green paper was a ‘longtime coming’ and lacked the technical and policy detail to address the regulatory reforms promised to commercial fishers. A comprehensive fisheries management review and report was completed in 2014 by independent consultants, M-RAG Asia Pacific, after consultation meetings at 20 ports around Queensland. Fisheries minister Leanne Donaldson has defended the delay in overhauling Queensland’s ‘cumbersome and inefficient’ fisheries management regime. Two audio clips, read the rest here 10:00
Undercover sting operation off Sandwich nets alleged Striped Bass poachers
On Sunday night a small fleet of four boats motored out into Cape Cod Bay. The 50-foot 
patrol boat Thomas Paine, two smaller patrol boats and an undercover surveillance vessel joined a much larger fleet of well over 60 vessels fishing on a striped bass hot spot off Scorton Creek in Sandwich some time before midnight. Environmental Police were acting on tips from commercial and recreational striped bass fishermen that commercial fishermen were engaging in a practice called front loading, catching striped bass in advance of midnight on Mondays and Thursdays and storing them on board their vessel to sell as if they’d caught them the next day. Five commercial fishermen from the Cape and one from Belchertown were fined more than $1,000 in total, according to Moran. A total of $3,000 in fishing gear was confiscated. The fishermen were given civil citations for fishing during a commercial striped bass closure, possession of striped bass without a clipped fin and possession of an amount of fish over the daily limit for recreational fishermen. Read the story here 09:08
Shutting down ‘shark finning’: US fishermen promise a fight
American fishermen are digging in for a fight over a proposal to shut down the vestiges of the U.S. harvest of shark fins, prized for soup and traditional medicine in Asia, and send a message to the rest of the world. The traditional “finning” of sharks — in which they are pulled out of the water, have their fins sliced off and are discarded into the sea, often still alive but unable to swim — is already illegal in the U.S., but fishermen are still allowed to hunt sharks and have their fins removed during processing on land. A bill backed by Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, and others promises to ban the sale and possession of shark fins to ensure U.S. fishermen and seafood dealers no longer participate in the global fin trade. The bill would still allow fishermen to harvest sharks for their meat, though some in the industry say it wouldn’t be worth the cost of business, because much of the value is in the fins. Read the rest here 08:06
