Daily Archives: September 11, 2016
Former shrimp boat captain helps preserve the industry’s history
In 81 years, St. Augustine resident James Edwin “Ed” Long has witnessed a lot of change in his hometown. From 1951 until the 1990s, Long worked in the shrimping and shrimp boat building industry. Today, he is a keeper of that industry’s history and has worked long and hard to make sure it has received proper attention for its financial, global and community contributions. Thanks to Long’s efforts, future generations can experience this chapter in St. Augustine history. Long saved thousands of photos, boat models, stories and other ephemera, now preserved in the collections of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum and part of an exhibit on the history of shrimping. Read the rest here with 15 images 18:33
PFDs That Work – Personal Flotation Devices Prevent Fishermen Deaths
Researchers from the NIOSH Alaska Pacific Office asked commercial fishermen from 4 gear groups (crabbers, trawlers, longliners, gillnetters) to rate the comfort and acceptability of six modern personal flotation devices (PFDs). About 200 fishermen evaluated various PFDs for one month while working on deck so that wearable PFDs could be identified.1 Fishermen evaluated inflatable PFDs and foam PFDs that were either integrated into their rain gear or were worn in addition to raingear. Since deck work and fishing season varies for each gear group, fishermen had different preferences. Each gear group identified PFDs that are comfortable and easy to wear and are currently available for sale. The key to finding the proper PFD is to try on many to make sure they will work for the specific activities related to your type of fishing. Working on crowded decks and in close proximity to gear make it vitally important that a PFD not become a snagging hazard. Fishermen who work in colder weather may prefer a PFD with more foam padding for insulation against the weather. Read the rest here 14:53
Russian President Putin, PM Medvedev Spend Weekend With Fishermen
Fishing Rod-builder Jay Johnstone adds a unique quality to fishing of all kinds
Jay Johnstone is a craftsman, an artist in a unique genre. Feathers are his medium, a fishing rod his canvas. Johnstone is a fishing-rod builder. “Everything from trout to tuna,” he said. But they’re not just any rod with fancy wrappings. His are each adorned with feathered bases where the rod enters the handle. His productions are not only aesthetic, they’re useful – and catching on as quickly and efficiently as they catch fish. Some anglers view fishing rods as simply tools, “sticks” to use as means to an end. At the other end of the boat, however, are those of us for whom a favorite rod is a friend, a close companion bonded by every fish it lands. His rods are used by several captains on the television reality series “Wicked Tuna”. One, Dave Marciano, is on his cell phone speed-dial. Read the story here 12:42
Gray seal population needs no protection – Mike Rice, South Wellfleet
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the giant panda is being taken off the endangered species list and reclassified as vulnerable. A nationwide Chinese census taken in 2014 found 1,864 giant pandas in the wild, up from 1,596 back in 2004. An estimated 40,000-plus gray seals alone call Monomoy Island off Chatham home. That leaves me wondering why the gray seal is still protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. As the gray seal population in Cape waters continues to boom, drawing more great white sharks to our area every summer, I’m left thinking the tourist industry here may soon join the fishing industry, and be classified as vulnerable, too. It’s time to de-list the gray seal from the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Link 08:49
The ‘lobster capital of the world’ faces a crucial question
When Deer Isle lobsterman Jeff Eaton peers into one of his traps, he sees a lot more than snappers and selects, hard-shells and shedders. The part-time boat builder and avid lobster boat racer sees the heart of a $126 million regional economy that supports an even larger network of trap makers, bait dealers, marine supply shopkeepers and boat builders like himself. That trickle-down shadow economy has transformed the island, which used to be known best for the granite quarries that built New York and Washington, D.C.’s most iconic buildings, into a thriving lobster economy, now best known as the home to a 300-boat lobster fleet and the town of Stonington, the self-proclaimed lobster capital of the world. “Up here, the lobster business trickles down a lot further than just us fishermen,” Eaton said. “It feeds the whole economy.” Read the story here and view 15 images 08:13
