Daily Archives: September 22, 2016
Lets help this guy get to the International Seafood Expo in Quindao, China and expand the dogfish markets
My name is Doug Feeney. I have been a commercial fisherman for over 20 years. I used to catch a lot of ground fish back in the day and throw overboard all the dog fish we caught as they were considered nuisance. Times have changed: There is a shortage of ground fish and we need to maximize what we have left – dogfish and skates. About 5 years ago I decided to bring attention to these underutilized species – both domestically and internationally. I have also made a point to keep an eye on the regulatory aspect as well and keep both sustainable and prevent overfishing. In 2014 I was elected to serve on the AP committee of spiny dogfish and have attended council meetings. I found 3 serious issues: 1. Currently there are only 3 processors who can only realistically handle 80,000 lbs per day; 2. The market we rely on is almost exclusively in Europe. 3. A great number of members wanted to see an increase of the daily limit (currently 6000); So if the limit goes up to 10,000, not only fish can’t be processed, but there is currently not enough demand which will result into the price to the boat go down to $0.12/$0.16/lb. So I have made it my mission to expand the markets for these fisheries. Read the rest here, and donate if you can. Lets get rid of the dogs! 21:23
Lobster boat arsonist gets 7 years for ‘simply crazy conduct’
Jeremy James Eaton, 40, pleaded guilty in March to setting ablaze another man’s lobster boat on April 16, 2014. The vessel was destroyed, according to court documents. “To burn a lobsterman’s boat is to destroy his livelihood,” U.S. District Judge John Woodcock said in imposing the sentence recommended by the federal prosecutor. “You really struck at the heart of your community.” In addition to prison time, Woodcock sentenced Eaton to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $25,000 in restitution to the firm that insured the boat. Eaton’s conduct was described Thursday by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Moore as a “personal vendetta” against the boat owner with whom Eaton had a “long history of animosity.” A more specific motive has not been made public. Read the story here 19:26
Didn’t the train leave the station? FFAW will try to do a better job at communicating with members
As the FFAW (Fish, Food and Allied Workers) union faces an exodus of members, staff representative Jason Spingle said the union is taking the issue very seriously. FISH-NL, the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador — an effort of former MP Ryan Cleary and fishermen Jason Sullivan and Richard Gillett — held meetings in Corner Brook and Clarenville this week to gauge and drum up support for the new union. Spingle, who works out of the FFAW’s Corner Brook office representing members from the west coast, Northern Peninsula and Labrador, said he’s seen the coverage of the meetings and recognized a lot of the faces of those who are supporting FISH-NL. With around 2,000 members in the region though, Spingle said there were a lot of people who were not at the meetings. Read the story here 17:22
Bristol Bay Sockeye output blows previous seasons out of water
For the third season in a row, the world’s largest sockeye salmon run featured above-average numbers, a late run, and sub-average prices for the fishermen. Unlike last year, however, the fishermen’s pockets so far aren’t as empty in 2016, and the overall market outlook seems to have improved. In terms of output, the summer of 2016 blew previous sockeye seasons out of the water, second only to last year’s run of 59 million. “The 2016 inshore Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run of 51.4 million fish ranks 2nd out of the last 20 years (1996–2015) and was 46 percent above the 35.1 million average run for the same period,” according to a season summary from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Along with being above average run, the 2016 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest surpassed ADFG forecasts. “The 37.3 million sockeye salmon commercial harvest was 26 percent above the 29.5 million preseason forecast,” the summary reads. “All escapement goals were met or exceeded, with a total sockeye salmon escapement of 14.1 million fish. A total of 29,545 chinook salmon were harvested in Bristol Bay in 2016.” Read the story here 17:03
Obama, Clinton only impede private industry
I am writing in response to the Sept. 17 news story, “Fishermen upset over the Atlantic monument creation.” The article quotes Grant Moore, president of the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association, who says: “Basically with the stroke of a pen, President Obama put fishermen and their crews out of work and harmed all the shore-side businesses that support the fishing industry. In last past eight years, the Democrats have attempted to restrict jobs, put out of work or demonize oil and gas pipeline workers, coal miners, power plant workers, truckers, police officers, small business owners and their employees, and ranchers and farmers. If Hillary Clinton keeps her promise to be Obama’s third term, what is next — health insurance workers, pharmaceutical workers, seafood restaurant workers, bankers, or anyone who is not in a politically correct group? Who is going to be left working to pay for the ever-growing entitlements? The only sure job in the Clinton administration would be Classified Email Reviewer, with no security clearance required. Gary Sahakian, Johnston R.I. Link 16:14
Chinese fishermen net rare croaker ‘as rare as a panda’ and are selling it for 1.1 million yuan ($165,093US)
A group of Chinese fishermen are expecting to sell a huge croaker they caught for 1.1 million yuan ($165,093 USD). The men were surprised to spot the fish in the waters off Daishan near the city of Zhoushan, east China, on September 18, reported People’s Daily Online. Weighing 105 pounds and measuring 5ft 2in in length, the fish was so large it took four to five men to drag it onto the boat. The fish is reportedly a rare type of croaker, known to the local fishermen as the ‘Zhoushan big fish’. ‘The fish is as rare as panda,’ said Chen, relative of one of the trawlermen who caught the fish. Chen added: ‘I haven’t seen this fish for over 20 years. It’s so blessed to catch it. Even veteran fisherman may not have that chance.’ After being caught, the fish was put in the freezer and shipped to nearby Dinghai District. According to them, the fish’s swim bladder is especially valuable as it is believed to be a great source of protein and fat. The organ is frequently used by Chinese medicine practitioners to cure heart and lung ailments. Link 15:52
Fishermen Who Fled Slavery in San Francisco Sue Boat Owner
Two Indonesian fishermen who escaped slavery aboard a Honolulu-based tuna and swordfish vessel when it docked at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf are suing the boat’s owner for tricking them into accepting dangerous jobs they say they weren’t allowed to leave. Attorneys for Abdul Fatah and Sorihin, who uses one name, say in a lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday that they were recruited in Indonesia seven years ago to work in Hawaii’s commercial fishing fleet without realizing they would never be allowed onshore. They have since been issued visas for victims of human trafficking and are living in the San Francisco area. The lawsuit alleges that San Jose, California, resident Thoai Nguyen, owner and captain of the Sea Queen II, forced Sorihin and Fatah to work up to 20-hour shifts, denied them medical treatment and demanded thousands of dollars if they wanted to leave before their contracts expired. Nguyen did not return calls seeking comment. Read the story here 15:05
Mass. lobstermen press pols to ease access to restricted area protecting endangered whales
Bay State lobstermen want federal fishing regulators to work with them to ease restrictions on lobstering in Massachusetts Bay and two areas east of the South Shore, proposing new safety measures that would allow boats to continue to operate while also protecting endangered whales. Local lobstermen and leaders of the South Shore Lobster Fisherman’s Association met Wednesday at the State House with legislators and representatives for members of the state’s Congressional delegation to discuss their pitch for preventing whale entanglements without having to remove all traps from February through April. John Haviland, president of the association who lobsters out of Green Harbor, said lobstermen are proposing to open three sections – representing a fraction of the larger 2,965 square nautical mile restricted area – for parts of the three-month ban as long as traps are retrofitted with sleeves for their vertical lines that would break every 40 feet under 1,575 pounds of pressure. Haviland said the line-safety improvement proposal is based on research done by the New England Aquarium and Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institute showing that right whales would be as much as 85 percent less likely to become entangled in lines engineered to break at those specifications. Read the story here 11:24
Extremist Anti Canadian seal hunt doc to be seen by Discovery’s millions of viewers
The feature documentary Huntwatch, narrated by actor Ryan Reynolds and produced by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), will be airing on Thursday, September 22 in the United States on Discovery Impact at 10 pm, and in Canada on Animal Planet at 11 pm ET. The film follows the history of IFAW’s campaign against Canada’s East Coast commercial harp seal hunt, highlighting the unwavering courage and determination of our founder, Brian Davies. Blending never-before-seen archival footage with more recent interviews, the documentary reveals not only the cruelty and controversy that is commonly associated with the seal hunt, but also shows the beauty and majesty of harp seals in their natural environment, the historical importance of the hunt in eastern Canada, and the political machinations that allow it to continue today. Well. Cumbia! Read the rest here 10:27
Nova Scotia fishermen are concerned about proposed Marine Protected Areas (they should be!)
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans wants to double the number of marine protected areas around Nova Scotia next year. DFO is holding a series of consultation meetings with the public to get feedback to the idea. It identified 52 special areas within the 475,000-square-kilometre region along Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast and in the Bay of Fundy that are in the running for the designation including the Sambro Ledges, Port Joli and Eastern Shore islands. Marty King, an oceans biologist with DFO, said the government will choose at least two areas to protect by next spring. But the proposed protections have fishermen worried. “They feel like they’re under siege sometimes,” said Peter Connors, president of the Eastern Shore Fishermen Protective Association. “I’m quite concerned.” “There’s fear of exclusion from the fish,” said Connors. “I think there’s a certain amount of evidence that that will take place.” Read the rest here 09:21
Ninth Circuit Sides With Cook Inlet Fishermen
The Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday that the federal government must manage fisheries in federal waters that require conservation, unless a fishery-management plan cedes control to a state. Reversing a decision from the Alaska Federal Court, the Ninth Circuit panel held that the National Marine Fisheries Service is required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to include the Cook Inlet in its fishery-management plan. It may not hand over control of the inlet to the state of Alaska without first drawing up a plan, according to the 20-page ruling. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has jurisdiction over Cook Inlet. In 2011, the Council voted and passed Amendment 12 to remove the net-fishing areas from its plan, arguing that the plan was vague on management goals and that the state was the most appropriate management authority. However, the amendment was opposed by the United Cook Inlet Drift Association and the Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund, two groups of commercial fishermen. However, the amendment was opposed by the United Cook Inlet Drift Association and the Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund, two groups of commercial fishermen. They argued that the state’s failure to deal with carnivorous northern pike and its improper escapement management have contributed to a 51 percent reduction in the sockeye salmon catch since 1981. Read the story here 08:14
