Daily Archives: September 6, 2016
Clearwater to build $54m clam factory vessel, but there could be some monopoly complications!
Clearwater Seafoods has announced plans to invest roughly CAD 70 million ($54m) in a new “state-of-the-art” factory vessel for its Canadian clam fleet. This investment follows the launch of the Belle Carnell in July 2015, which successfully allowed Clearwater to increase its catch of Arctic surf clams, cockle clams and propeller clams. The combined investments complete Clearwater’s plan to sustainably harvest 100% of its Canadian surf clam quota, employing the most advanced and proprietary clam technology in the world, it said. Read the story here Surf clam fight heats up with Clearwater boat buy – Presently, Clearwater is the only harvester of Arctic surf clam in Canada, and although it holds all of the current licences, it has not had the capacity to fish the entire 38,756-tonne quota. But Clearwater may not hold onto its monopoly for long. Following two days of science consultations in June, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans is in the process of making a decision on whether or not to increase the quota and open up the fishery to new entrants. Read the story here 20:47
Pacific neighbours failed on Friday to strike a deal to protect tuna
Pacific island states and countries failed on Friday to strike a deal to protect shrinking supplies of tuna and adopt cutbacks following a regional conference, officials said, sparking condemnation from conservationists. The 10 participants “could not reach an agreement” on proposed regulation after five days of talks at the Northern Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) annual conference, Japan’s Fisheries Agency said in a statement. The partipants, which include Japan, China, the United States, Fiji, Vanuatu, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines, the Cook islands and Taiwan, agreed to the conference after sharp declines in bluefin tuna brood stock last year. Read the rest here 18:55
Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc vows fight as European Union reviews impact of American lobster
Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Canadian and American governments will “vigorously” try to convince the European Union that the American lobster does not pose a threat. LeBlanc vowed to fight after an arm of the European Union announced Tuesday that there’s enough scientific evidence to move forward with a review of Sweden’s request to declare the American lobster an invasive species. “The analysis of the scientific evidence is far from certain from our perspective. We believe we have equally compelling, if not more compelling, scientific evidence to say that it is not an invasive species whatsoever,” LeBlanc said Tuesday. Read the rest here 17:44
Japanese Director Crowdfunds to Screen Pro-Whaling Film in U.S.
A Japanese filmmaker began a crowdfunding campaign to screen a documentary in the U.S. that defends the controversial whaling and dolphin hunting in Japan in an attempt to replicate the success of the American Oscar-winning film, The Cove, which won the Oscar for best documentary film in 2009 and fixed international attention on the Japanese coastal town of Taiji for its cruel methods of hunting whales and dolphins. The crowdfunding campaign, aimed at spreading awareness about the Japanese film that was conceived as a ‘counter documentary’ to The Cove, Tuesday opened to voluntary funding through its website, said the filmmaker, Keiko Yagi. Yagi’s documentary is called, Behind The Cove – The Quiet Japanese Speak Out, and the director focuses on the other side of the debate on whaling. Read the story here 16:28
Pointing the finger at “angry Fishermen” for Sea Otter shootings, a $20K Reward has been posted
A big reward is waiting for people who can give useful information about who shot dead three sea otters off the Central Coast. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s reward of $10,000 for the whistleblowers has been raised to $20,000 after the Center for Biological Diversity announced a similar amount on top of it. Those with information on the sea otter shootings can call the CalTIP line at (888) 334-2258 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (650) 876-9078. There is apparent shock over the killing of cute and furry creatures. One report describes how they bring a smile to the face of onlookers, and animal rights advocates are enraged by the wanton killings. In the recent episode, two juvenile otter males and an adult male were killed between late July and early August. The dead bodies were washed up between Santa Cruz Harbor and Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, according to reports. – Read the story here 16:07
A place to remember – Words and songs offered as Fishermen’s Memorial is relocated
Nearly 200 fishermen and their families as well as the city’s religious and civic leaders came together on the waterfront boardwalk yesterday to mark the relocation of the Newburyport Fishermen’s Memorial, 20 years to the terrible day that Heather Lynne II capsized off Gloucester, killing the three men inside. “The site was chosen here as one of reflection, to honor the memories of those taken from us,” Mayor Donna Holaday said. “There is something special here, a closeness in this sacred place.” Originally dedicated in the year 2000, it was moved from where the new harbormaster headquarters is currently being constructed to the east end of the boardwalk. The stone memorial features three plaques. The first is dedicated to all Newburyport mariners who have lost their lives since 1655; the second to the crew of the Heather Lynn II that capsized on the morning of Sept. 5, 1996, after striking a tugboat’s towing cable 10 miles off Gloucester; and the third is dedicated to Sean Cone and Daniel Miller of the Lady Luck, which went missing off the Gulf of Maine on Jan. 31, 2007. Read the story here 13:34
Book Review: American Dunkirk, The Waterborne Evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11
When the World Trade Towers collapsed, as many as a million New Yorkers found themselves trapped on the southern tip of Manhattan. Mass transit was shut down. The bridges and tunnels were closed and a significant portion of Lower Manhattan was shrouded in smoke, ash, and debris from the still burning wreckage of the collapsed towers. Many walked north. As many turned toward the water. Then, through the smoke and drifting ash, something amazing happened. Boats started to arrive along the waterfront to rescue those stranded by the attacks. There were ferries, tugs, dinner boats and fishing boats — craft of all types and sizes. No one, including the U.S. Coast Guard knew what to make of it. Then, the Coast Guard did something equally remarkable. Rather than try to take control or to manage an evacuation that was both unforeseen and far beyond the scope of what anyone could have imagined, they let was happening, happen. The boats arriving were rescuing people, but there were so many to be rescued. They needed more boats. The Coast Guard issued a call over VHF radio for “all available boats.” And the boatlift was on. Read the rest of the review here 12:32
Japan’s squid fishermen grow irate over North Korean missiles
Japanese squid fishermen are starting to feel like sitting ducks as North Korea continues to fire ballistic missiles that end up hitting their fishing grounds in the Sea of Japan. “We don’t know when and where (North Korean missiles) will drop,” said an official of a fisheries cooperative at Hachinohe Port in Aomori Prefecture, which boasts the largest squid haul in Japan. “It’s like an unpredictable accident waiting to happen, and we cannot do anything about it.” In its latest act of belligerence, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles on Sept. 5 that dropped within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) about 200 to 250 kilometers from Okushirito island of Hokkaido. The areas in the Sea of Japan where the missiles landed contain fishing grounds of Japanese flying squid, according to the Tokyo-based Japan Squid Fisheries Association (JASFA). Read the story here 10:52
EU moves one step closer to banning North American lobsters
The European Union has moved one step closer to a possible ban on live North American lobsters after its scientific advisory forum released a recommendation in favour of including the animal on its invasive species list. In a decision released Tuesday morning, the EU scientific forum said it has submitted a “positive opinion” on the validity of an earlier proposal from Sweden to ban lobsters from Canada and the United States. A final decision by the EU is expected in April of 2017. In December, 2015, Sweden proposed a ban on live North American lobsters in the EU. In its proposal, Sweden argued that North American lobsters have been found in European waters in the past, and that the species could threaten local species. Read the rest of the story here 10:23
Selling ‘Gloucester Fresh’ to middle America
More than 1,500 miles separates Gloucester from Bentonville, Arkansas. But if Barry Furuseth has his way, he’ll connect the two geographical dots with an unceasing supply of fresh seafood from America’s oldest seaport. Furuseth, the owner of Blu Fresh Fish Marketplace in Bentonville, has become one of the staunchest acolytes of fresh Gloucester seafood and the city’s rich fishing heritage, incorporating both onto his restaurant menu and into the cases of his seafood market. “I want to showcase the American fishermen and I want showcase ‘Gloucester Fresh’,” Furuseth said Friday afternoon, invoking the name of the city’s overarching seafood marketing brand. “I want to show people that this is where their seafood is coming from, from these cold, clear, fresh waters. And to do that, we will market and sell ‘Gloucester Fresh’ seafood.” Read the rest here 08:47
Clinton Outlines Policy on Coasts, Oceans in Response to Letter from 115 Ocean Leaders
Like it or not, surfers are stakeholders. A group of people with skin in the game regarding the health of our oceans. That manifests itself differently for everyone. Some just want to rest assured they can have fun in the water every once in a while without getting sick or dying. Others use it as a springboard to become a full fledged environmentalist, fighting to minimize global reliance on plastics, and otherwise reduce pollution. But regardless of where surfers fall individually along the spectrum, government policy toward oceans and coastlines matters collectively to the surfing population. U.S. presidential candidates have spoken at length about issues ranging from gun control to immigration, but a contingent of “ocean leaders” felt details about how each candidate would address oceanic and maritime issues were underrepresented. That’s why the group of 115, made up of CEOs of seafood companies and other businesses, directors of major science labs, aquariums and diver organizations, well-known ocean explorers, authors, artists, ocean conservationists, members of Congress and former heads of the EPA and NOAA, collectively addressed both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in a two-page letter. Read the story here 08:04
