Monthly Archives: July 2016
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Guimond Tuna/Lobster/Charter, Twin Cummins Diesels
Specifications, information and 15 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:19
Floating turbine system to be tested in Bay of Fundy, The Holy Grail
A Dutch firm that calls the Bay of Fundy “the holy grail” aims to exploit the bay’s powerful tidal currents by testing a floating turbine system starting next year. Halifax-based Minas Energy announced Tuesday it was partnering with Dutch firm Tocardo International BV and Ontario-based International Marine Energy Inc. to form the Minas Tidal Limited Partnership. The new partnership plans to test the Dutch company’s technology in the Minas Passage by late 2017, the third distinct approach announced recently to harnessing the bay’s powerful forces. “We feel brave enough to go to the Bay of Fundy,” said Van Breugel. “The Bay of Fundy is the holy grail.” Read the rest here 11:49
California Fishermen’s Fight for Otter-Free Zone Advances
Fishing industry groups fighting for a “no-otter” zone along the southern coast of California can advance their claims, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday, reversing a district court decision to dismiss the case. The Ninth Circuit’s ruling found that four fishing industry groups’ 2013 challenge to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s authority to end a sea otter translocation program was not barred by the statute of limitations. The Ninth Circuit did not rule on the merits of the case, instead asserting that the case should not have been dismissed from federal court on the timeliness issue. “The operative agency action challenged is the 2012 program termination, and thus that plaintiffs’ challenge is timely,” U.S. Circuit Judge Ronald Gould wrote for the three-judge panel. “We express no opinion on the merits of plaintiffs’ underlying claims.” The underlying dispute stems from a long and fractious battle between environmentalists advocating on behalf of sea otters and fishing industry groups claiming that allowing the mammals unfettered access to coastal areas would compromise or even destroy shellfish fisheries along California’s southern coast. Read the rest here 10:36
Coast Guard completes F/V Orin C investigation – Draft report of rescue under review
The U.S. Coast Guard is getting closer to finalizing its casualty investigation into December’s sinking of the Orin C and the drowning death of owner and Captain David “Heavy D” Sutherland during the rescue attempt that saved two crew members. A draft of the Coast Guard’s internal investigation has been completed at the Coast Guard’s District 1 Headquarters in Boston and now is under review at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington D.C., according to Lt. Karen Kutkiewicz, a public affairs officer for the service. “I have no definite timeline on when (the Coast Guard) will publish the final findings, nor where they are in the review process,” Kutkiewicz said in an email response to the Gloucester Daily Times. “The findings will be made public once finalized by Coast Guard headquarters.” The National Transportation Safety Board also is investigating the sinking of the Orin C on Dec. 3, 2015, about 12 miles off Thacher Island. The incapacitated 51-foot slime-eel fishing boat was being towed back to Gloucester Harbor through worsening seas, first by a Good Samaritan fisherman and later by the Coast Guard. Read the rest here 09:46
Vancouver Island Skipper fined $10,000 for unknowingly violating fishery laws
A north Island fishing boat captain was fined $10,000 last week for Fisheries Act infractions that may have actually cost him money, and the judge accepts he had no idea he made. Following court hearings before Judge Catherine Crockett in Campbell River and Courtenay Provincial Court, Ian Jeffrey Garnier, 45, was fined July 8 for fishing in a closed area, failing to properly record his catch, and releasing fish contrary to regulations, among other Fisheries Act charges. “Given the extensive monitoring by on-board observers or electronic means, it is difficult to conceive of why a person would deliberately violate any of the conditions that form the bases of these charges,” Crockett wrote in her decision. “It was only a matter of time before the violations were discovered.” In the first instance, video cameras in place to ensure license compliance recorded members of Garnier’s crew tossing about 2,000 pounds of fish overboard without his knowledge — fish they could have kept. Neither he, nor the crew could provide any reason for the action, which the court described as throwing money away. In the second instance, Read the rest here 09:00
WWF Australia buys $100,000 shark net licence to stop it ending up in hands of fishers
Conservation group WWF Australia has bought a commercial shark fishing licence in an unusual move to protect the predators in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and beyond. Conservation director Gilly Llewellyn said the licence cost $100,000, which includes a 1.2 kilometre net. “We’re going to take it out of the water and make sure it doesn’t go fishing,” she said. “This is a shot across the bow to the management authorities and to the Australian Government that we believe they should be protected,” she said. The WWF’s fishing licence has not been used since 2004, prompting questions about whether the move will make a difference. However, Ms Llewellyn said it was a worthwhile purchase. WWF Australia is hoping donations will pay for the net fishing licence. Read the story here 08:06
House Panel on California Water Pits Farmers Against Fishermen
The plan to buoy historically low salmon populations imperiled by California’s historic drought made for a contentious hearing Tuesday on Capitol Hill. House Republicans accused federal agencies of depriving farmers of water while the Golden State’s reservoirs sit full. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Maine Fisheries Service teamed up for the drought proposal debated at this morning’s hearing of the House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. Though recent El Nino storms have left the state’s largest reservoirs full, the contentious plan calls for less water to be pulled from California’s largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, to preserve cold-water supplies needed to keep the Sacramento River at or below 56 degrees this fall. Read the rest here 20:33
Coast Guard medevacs fisherman after dogfish bite off Gloucester
A Coast Guard rescue crew medevaced a fisherman Tuesday morning after he was bitten on the arm by a dogfish 16 miles east of Cape Ann. At about 10 a.m. watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Boston’s command center received a VHF-16 radio call from the captain of the 26-foot fishing boat Miss Molly reporting he had been bitten by a dogfish while fishing alone. A 29-foot rescue boat crew from Station Gloucester, along with two Gloucester Fire Department emergency medical services personnel, launched to assist and arrived on scene at 10:45 a.m. After arriving on scene the crew took the patient aboard their boat where he was given medical treatment. He was then transported back to Station Gloucester and passed to an awaiting ambulance at around 11:15 a.m. The patient was reported to be in stable condition and was expected to be transported to Cape Ann Medical Center for further treatment. Two Coast Guard crewmembers brought Miss Molly safely back to the state pier in Gloucester. Link 18:04
So much for compassion – Buddhist-affiliated eatery vandalized hours after monks free lobsters
A Buddhist-affiliated restaurant in Prince Edward Island has been vandalized, hours after a group of local monks liberated 600 pounds of live lobsters. Charlottetown police responded early Sunday to property damage at the Splendid Essence restaurant, including a damaged railing, uprooted flowers and smashed mailbox. The previous day, monks from the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society in Little Sands had invited a CBC News crew to join them on a fishing boat as they released lobsters purchased on the island into the ocean off Wood Islands. Before returning the crustaceans to their natural habitat, the monks sprinkled the lobsters with purified water and performed a 20-minute ceremony involving a Buddhist chant for compassion. Read the rest here 17:34
Mon Dieu! Brexit ‘could boot French fishermen out of British waters’
French fishermen fear that Brexit could wreck their industry if they are denied crucial access to British territorial waters in the Channel. The French National Fisheries Committee complained on Tuesday that larger vessels accustomed to fishing in British territorial waters could be deprived of up to 80 per cent of their catch. French boats are currently allowed to fish up to six nautical miles from the British coast but EU laws prevent British vessels from fishing within 12 miles of the French coast. The committee has written to the French prime minister, Manuel Valls, warning that Normandy, Brittany and the ‘Hauts de France’ region around Calais could be “very badly affected” by Britain’s departure from the EU. About 80 per cent of France’s fishing boats never leave French territorial waters, but the remaining 20 per cent, which are larger vessels, bring in up to two-thirds of the national catch. Read the rest here 16:58
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for July 11, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 14:00
This kid has Guts! Deadliest Catch Deckhand forced to slurp down raw COD INTESTINES
If there’s one thing that’s going to motivate you to work hard — it’s the threat of having to slurp down raw COD INTESTINES like spaghetti if you mess up. Unfortunately for the newest crew member of the Brenna A on tonight’s Deadliest Catch, when he misses the crab pots with a throw of the hook that’s exactly what he’s faced with. Captain Sean Dwyer enforces the punishment to make sure his crew stay motivated and the newbie ‘greenhorn’ had started off well, landing every throw at the rail. But when he finally misses he has to follow through with the gut-wrenching consequences. Bring out the “Bering Sea sushi” — a gruesomely long piece of raw cod intestines. Watch the video below as he struggles to stomach the fresh intestines without gagging. Click here! 13:45
This weeks NOAA/NMFS Notices
We will be posting the notices we receive, when we receive them, on a daily basis, and aggregate them in one weekly post. Here we go. Commercial Landings of Bluefin Tuna as of May 31, 2016 – Clink here NOAA Announces Lobster Trap Transfer Application Workshop – Click here Workshop Summary: Potential Protected Resources Interactions with Longline Aquaculture – Click here New Regulations for Blueline Tilefish, Black Sea Bass, and Yellowtail Snapper in Federal Waters of the South Atlantic – Click here Atlantic Sturgeon Critical Habitat Informational Meetings and Public Hearings – Click here 13:01 Fishing for Energy Request for Proposals 2016 – Click here SAFMC News Release: Federal Fishery Advisory Panel Seats Open to Applicants – Click here 19:40 NOAA Fisheries Announces Common Pool Area Closure for Georges Bank Cod – Click here Commercial Landings of Bigeye, Albacore, Yellowfin, and Skipjack Tuna from January 1 to June 30, 2016 – Click here Atlantic Swordfish Landings Update Through June 30, 2016: Commercial and Recreational – Click here 20:05
Libby’s No. 23 – Double-ender offers peek into the Bristol Bay sailboat era
The double-ender sailboat is a relic of the non-motorized Bristol Bay fishery that disappeared in the early 1950s. One of these boats is on display at Lake Clark National Park in Port Alsworth — a 30-footer built in 1914 in a West Coast shipyard, named Libby’s No. 23. Libby’s No. 23 was one of the thousands of wooden sailboats manned by two-man crews back when the Bristol Bay fleet was totally at the mercy of the wind and the tides. “Not only did you have to be a good fisherman in this era, you had to be a darn good sailor,” said John Branson, the historian for Lake Clark National Park in Port Alsworth. You had to be a skilled sailor back then, he says, because mistakes could cost you dearly. Audio report, read the rest here 10:25
Kenai, East Forelands setnets open for first period
A skiff called the Santa Maria, flying a pirate flag, skidded into the Nikiski beach, grating to a heavy halt. The crew efficiently hauled the boat further up into the sand with a tractor, and a truck with peeling paint rolled back alongside it to receive the fish piled inside. Soon, slime, water and blood were flying as the crew of four cheerfully pitched the fish into the bed of the truck. The setnetters in the Kenai and East Forelands sections wet their gear for the first time this season Monday. Their counterparts in the Kasilof section have been fishing since June 23, and the drift gillnet fleet has been fishing since June 20. The setnet fisheries in the Kasilof, Kenai and East Forelands will be open until Aug. 15 unless closed earlier by emergency order. Monday was a regular period for the setnetters, a 12-hour opening from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. An emergency order issued around 1 p.m. extended the period until midnight, giving the setnetters an additional five hours of fishing time. Read the rest here 10:06
Marlborough Sounds scallop closure divides industry
A ban of scallop fishing in the Marlborough Sounds, and parts of Tasman Bay, three days before the start of the season, has split the industry, with commercial groups looking at legal options to challenge the ruling. Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy announced on Tuesday a total ban on all scalloping by commercial and recreational fishers in the southern scallop fishery area (SCA7). The ban included all of the Marlborough Sounds, and the north eastern part of Tasman Bay, between Okuri Point and Peppin Island, from Friday until February 14 next year. Marlborough Recreational Fishers Association president Peter Watson said the closure was in the best interests of the fishery. Challenger Scallop Enhancement Company Ltd chief executive John Reid said the ban was not supported by commercial scallopers. Read the rest here 09:54 Ban aims to save Marlborough Sounds scallops – Read the rest here 10:02
‘Fishermen are tired of lies of politicians and environmental groups, plan wave of protests against Brussels
Dutch fishermen are planning a series of protests against European rules that they claim are destroying their industry. The ‘Eendracht Maakt Kracht’ (‘Unity Is Strength’) movement says it wants to inform the public about ‘the real story’ of Brussels interference. ‘Fishermen are tired of the lies of politicians and environmental organisations,’ spokesman Jan de Boer told the Volkskrant. EMK’s main grievance is with the fishing quotas imposed by Brussels and the tide of regulation that comes with them. The group, which evolved from a WhatsApp community in fishing communities such as Urk, is also critical of the existing representative groups in the industry, which it says have failed to stand up for fishermen’s interests. ‘The groups in the fisheries sector are always in talks but never strike a blow,’ said De Boer. Read the rest here 08:52
Scallop fishermen protest at Clearwater plant in Grand Bank for Access to Traditional Grounds
Wayne Meade, one of the organizers of the protest, said fishermen in the area are fed up and want answers from their union – Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW-Unifor) – and the federal government about access to nearby fishing grounds. The harvesters believe they should be able to once again fish the southern and middle scallop beds on St. Pierre Bank, Meade said. “We had a licence to fish anywhere on St. Pierre Bank for 25, 30 year. Overnight that was took from us in 2006 and give to Clearwater and the offshore boats – the companies,” Meade said. Meade said inshore fishermen were then limited to the northwest part of the bank, which had already been largely raked clean by factory trawlers. Read the rest here 07:18
Rescue at sea
On Monday 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron was involved in a rescue mission on the west side of Vancouver Island. 442 Squadron was tasked by Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria to assist the Canadian Coast Guard in a rescue of a “man overboard,” 13 nautical miles west of Kyuquot Channel. Canadian Coast Guard Inshore Rescue Boat (IRB) 507 located and rescued the man, who had fallen overboard from a small fishing vessel about three hours earlier. The man was subsequently hoisted aboard one of 442 Squadron’s CH-149 Cormorant helicopters, flown to Comox, then transported via ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital. No further details on the victim’s conditions, or his place of residence, were available at time of printing. link 21:41
3 Fishermen rescued from sunken shrimp boat near Sabine Pass
A Coast Guard boat crew rescued three men after their 28-foot shrimp boat took on water and sank in the mouth of the Sabine River, Monday morning. At approximately 4 a.m., 911 dispatch notified Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders that the shrimp boat Captain Kevin was taking on water. Moments later Eighth Coast Guard District New Orleans watchstanders called with a report of an electronic position indicating radio beacon going off in the same area. Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders launched a Station Sabine 45-foot response boat crew to assist with dewatering the boat. The boat crew arrived on scene at about 4:30 a.m. and encountered a debris field. They discovered the Captain Kevin had sank. After a short search, two men were recovered on the jetties and a third was found hanging onto a life ring. None of them were wearing life jackets. Link 20:57
Letter: Fishermen part of S-K grant process – NMFS Regional administrator John Bullard
I need to respond to Mr. Parisi’s June 28 letter (click here) expressing concern that academics receive the majority Saltonstall-Kennedy (SK) Grant Program funding, leaving a limited amount for local fishermen. First, I would like to point out that competition for limited 2016 Saltonstall-Kennedy funds was stiff. Requests for SK funds always far exceed the resources available, and 2016 was no different. In 2016, $11 million was available for SK grants, but requests for funding exceeded $75 million. Of the 50 projects selected nationally, 22 projects were from our Greater Atlantic Region, totaling $4.6 million. While it is true that few fishermen submit applications by themselves to this highly competitive program, this does not mean that they and other fishing industry representatives are not involved. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Frequently they are partners in grant applications. Read the rest here 20:21
Amended Employment Insurance rules will make it easier for self-employed fishermen to enroll
Changes to federal rules surrounding employment insurance will soon make it easier for self-employed fishermen to enroll in the program. The amendments will scrap EI fishing regulations for new entrants and re-entrants that were originally introduced in 1978. The new changes Ottawa is looking to make would require self-employed fishermen to reach a lower insurable-earnings entrance requirement of between $2,500 and $4,200. That’s compared to the previous amount of $5,500 in the qualifying period. Read the rest here 19:39
Greased Lightning! Self-Lubricating Swordfish Secrete Oil to Swim Faster
Swordfish may look like formidable beasts, what with their namesake prong jutting out from their noses. That pointy-looking nose, however, isn’t as strong as it may look, thanks to a thin section of bone at its base that shares the space with a particularly large gland. Now, after years of puzzling over its purpose, scientists believe they finally have the answer: the gland helps swordfish swim faster by coating their heads in oil. In a recent study published this week in the Journal of Experimental Biology, scientists from University of Groningen in the Netherlands say that the mysterious gland is linked to pores on the fish’s head through a system of capillaries. These pores then secrete an oily film that could potentially reduce the drag that swordfish experience when swimming—with top speeds reaching over 62 miles per hour. Read the rest here 17:47Torrential rainfalls, record flooding across the Gulf may impact this years Brown shrimp harvest
“The unprecedented flooding in Texas forced young shrimp out of their nursery habitats needed for growth and survival and into the mouths of bays,” NOAA said in a news release. “These extreme environmental factors may impact our forecast of harvest of brown shrimp this year since it is unknown whether survival of shrimp was reduced or shrimp just moved out of our sampling area because of the reduced salinities and low oxygen levels.” Brown shrimp is an annual crop. Larval and juvenile brown shrimp enter the Louisiana and Texas estuaries each year from February through July, with peak recruitment occurring from February through early April. As the shrimp grow, they begin to move out of the shallow backwaters in late spring, and are targeted in the bays by Louisiana’s inshore shrimp fleet. This year’s season stretched from May 23 through July 3 across most of the Louisiana coast. Read the rest here 13:57
A little rain wasn’t going to stop them from racing off the coast of Stonington!
Lobster fishermen are a tough lot, so a little rain wasn’t going to stop them from racing off the coast of Stonington. “Oh, we’re out here to have a good time. That’s why we’re out here. We’re getting wet. We have a good time though,” says Nick Wiberg, the President of Stonington Lobster Boat Races. The pouring rain didn’t dampen the spirits of lobster boat racers and their fans in Stonington Sunday. “It’s fun, you know? It’s a Maine tradition. People go to horse races. We go to boat races,” says Douglas Wayne Dodge, a spectator. “We give out a lot of prizes, cash prizes and stuff, but more than likely it’s more for fun,” says Wiberg. In all 32 races were held off the fish pier in all different classes-from wooden boats to skiffs-gas to diesel. Video, read the rest here 11:14
The Envirocons keep pressing for Atlantic Ocean monuments
In the final months of President Barack Obama’s term, they’re hoping he’ll protect an underwater mountain and offshore ecosystem in the Gulf of Maine known as Cashes Ledge. They also want him to protect a chain of undersea formations about 150 miles off the coast of Massachusetts known as the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts. The White House Council on Environmental Quality said in March, and reiterated last week, that while the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts area is under consideration, Cashes Ledge currently is not. There are no marine national monuments in the Atlantic Ocean. The Conservation Law Foundation, which has been leading the Cashes Ledge effort, is continuing its campaign. It says that a coalition of environmental groups collected more than 250,000 signatures between August 2015 and this month in support of protecting both areas. Read the rest here 09:56
Bristol Bay fisherman lands fishery’s 2 billionth salmon
A fisherman last week landed the 2 billionth salmon to be caught in Bristol Bay’s 133-year commercial fishing history, according to harvest statistics by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Bristol Bay’s 2 billionth salmon milestone was surpassed on Wednesday July 6. The 2 billionth salmon was among hundreds of thousands of fish caught by commercial fishing vessels in Bristol Bay that day. A symbolic salmon was selected from the multitude and awarded to longtime local fisherman Howard Knutsen, 86, who has fished Bristol Bay for decades. Knutsen, captain of the Sea Hunter 2, accepted the prestigious fish on board the Lady Helen fishing tender in the Ugashik fishing district near Pilot Point, according to local commercial fisherman Lindsey Bloom. Link 07:43
Opinion: A lesson unlearned in fisheries
Canadian Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc
has followed his father’s example by allowing inshore fishermen to continue catching northern shrimp off Newfoundland and Labrador. Under pressure to ban the inshore fleet to protect dwindling stocks, the minister decided instead to trim quotas for all harvesting sectors in the shrimp fishery. Dominic’s father, the late Romeo LeBlanc, served as Canada’s minister of fisheries when Canada proclaimed the 200-mile economic zone in 1977. The elder LeBlanc was determined to manage the industry on behalf of inshore fishermen and small coastal communities adjacent to the resource. To that end, he required fishermen to operate their own vessels, forbade processors from owning vessels and fought the introduction of factory freezer trawlers. In short, father Romeo battled the “corporatization” of the fishery. Son Dominic won’t re-introduce those measures, but his decision on northern shrimp does seem Romeo-esque. On Thursday, he announced the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is abolishing the “last-in, first-out” (LIFO) policy in the northern shrimp fishery. Read the rest here 19:44
Baker administration to invest $1.1M for Gloucester’s Jodrey State Fish Pier renovations
The Jodrey State Fish Pier is the best performing and most well-run of the state’s four fish piers, emerging as a model for potential changes to Massachusetts’ other three fish piers, according to an evaluation of the state fish pier system by the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker. The evaluation, funded by the Seaport Economic Council and performed by a working group of representatives from a number of state agencies, has resulted in two positives for the 78-year-old fish pier named for Edward R. Jodrey, the Gloucester barber who championed its construction in 1930s: The Baker administration announced last week it will fund $1.1 million in renovations at the pier that covers approximately 8 acres at the head of the harbor, part of what the administration says is its continued “commitment to deepening the economic impact of state maritime facilities.” Those funds will be used to repair the deteriorating roof atop the 40,000-square-foot cold storage and freezing operation that is one of the array of businesses housed in the three buildings on the pier. Read the rest here 17:31
Federal Agencies start work on Columbia River fishing deal
Federal authorities are working on a plan aimed at deciding how much sport, commercial and tribal fishing for salmon and steelhead will be allowed in the Columbia River and its tributaries as part of a long-term agreement starting in 2018. The other main component considered in the environmental review being prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hatchery production levels. The agencies will use the document as they work to craft an agreement with Idaho, Oregon and Washington, as well as tribes in those states with harvest treaty rights. The length of the agreement has yet to be determined, but a 10-year timeframe is generally supported. Read the story here 16:20
