Monthly Archives: September 2016
Hollywood Elitist Leonardo DiCaprio and Hollywood Elitist Oceana spy on fishing industry with “Global Fishing Watch”
Thinking of poaching a protected reef? Big Data is watching you, with a little help from the “Wolf of Wall Street” and an ocean watchdog. And the new satellite-driven system already has snagged one commercial fishing company to the tune of $2 million. Academy award winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio is expected to announce Thursday the official launch of Oceana’s new free online interactive tool, called Global Fishing Watch, which last year helped nab a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel fishing illegally in a protected area. Now, anyone can go on www.globalfishingwatch.org to police the seas. Oceana hopes the new tool will help fishery managers to stop illegal fishing. Users can generate authorization lists to see who’s allowed to fish in certain areas. Nations can ensure only authorized vessels enter their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), generally 200 nautical miles from a country’s coastline. Read the story here 09:05
Newport lobsterman opposes plan for marine national monument
Newport lobster fisherman William Palombo is quite familiar with the territory designated for the new monument. Palombo issued his own press release Wednesday night, asserting that the inclusion of the three Atlantic Ocean canyons in the monument area will affect “100 percent” of the revenues of Palombo’s fishing vessel, the Freedom. Palombo argues that there is no immediate threat to the underwater environments. The canyon areas have been fished for more than 40 years with no damage, and lobstermen have no intention of fishing at depths deeper than 600 meters “because lobster does not reside at these … depths,” according to Palombo. “Despite the claims of proponents: the Conservation Law Foundation; the Natural Resources Defense Council; Oceana and the Pew Foundation, there are no imminent threats to the habitat and coral in these areas that require expedient action by your Administration,” says Palombo in a letter to Obama. “There are no active proposals for oil, gas, or mineral exploration, nor could there be such activity without years of environmental impact assessment and permitting review.” Read the story here 08:23
Well, he did it, but we knew he would. Obama just destroyed more fishermen and supporting businesses
President Obama will designate a section of the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Cod on Thursday as a national monument, banning commercial fishing in the area by 2023 in an effort to protect the region’s ecosystem. The move, which the president will formally announce at the Third Annual Our Ocean Conference in Washington, won praise Wednesday from environmental groups but drew condemnation from the fishing industry. White House officials emphasized the reduced size of the area of the national monument as a balance between between conservation and creating a “sustainable environment for the fishing industry going forward.” Read the story here, and here . more will be added. 07:45
Viewers react to Oregon-set ‘Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove’: ‘Two thumbs up and a raised beer’
The “Deadliest Catch” spinoff, “Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove” premiered Tuesday night on the Discovery Channel, with footage of Dungeness crab captains and crews sailing out of Newport, and gorgeous images of the Oregon Coast, the Yaquina Bay Bridge and the Newport area. What did viewers think of this Oregon-set show about crab fishermen? Reactions on Twitter last night ranged from enthusiastic to a bit skeptical. I’ve already shared my initial impressions of the first episode. On the plus side, it has the interesting real-life subject of Oregon Coast fishing life. But I’m a bit worried that the show will focus too much on hyped-up drama. But it’s early yet, so we’ll have more opportunities to see how “Dungeon Cove” develops. For now, here’s a look at what viewers were saying on Twitter last night about the first episode of “Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove”: Read the rest here, and view a bunch of images! 19:12
Eastern Canada’s Fishing Industry: An example of Perseverance and Prosperity
The commercial fishery has been part of the lifeblood of Eastern Canada for more than five centuries. Adjacency to the fishing grounds was the initial catalyst for the settling of the near countless harbors, coves and inlets throughout the five provinces that border the rich, pristine waters of the North Atlantic. And while the technology and vessels used to prosecute the fishery has changed over the generations, the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec is more valuable than it has ever been. Northern Cod Stocks
The biggest story coming out of the Eastern Canadian fishery as of late involves groundfish stocks – cod in particular. Shipbuilding Resurgence When any industry is doing well and its participants are prospering, that good fortune has a tendency to spill over to related spin-off and supply companies – and the Eastern Canadian fishing industry is no exception. Read the story here 17:09
Boston Light marks 300th anniversary
When the Boston Lighthouse was first lit 300 years ago today, sailors called on New England ports in wooden ships, pirates roamed the Atlantic Coast and the 13 colonies were under the British crown. The light, which still guides mariners around Boston Harbor’s shoals, was the first of thousands of American Aids to Navigation (ATON) that have saved lives, protected property and enabled prosperity for the last three centuries. Located on Little Brewster Island, Massachusetts, nine nautical miles from Boston, the lighthouse was first lit on Sept. 14, 1716, using tallow candles. Today, the Boston Light has two 2 million candlepower lights that can be seen from 27 nautical miles away. Read the rest here 16:45
Obama will leave his legacy at the expense of fishermen – Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah)
When President Obama quadrupled the size of a marine national monument off the coast of Hawaii last month, he made history. At 583,000-square-miles, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is twice the size of Texas and the largest to date. But there’s a problem. This sweeping expansion was confirmed with virtually no public input, especially not from those who will feel the economic punch the most: fishermen. According to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, who openly opposed the expansion plans, the designation increased the “no fishing zone” around the Hawaiian Islands from approximately 24 percent to 77 percent. While radical environmentalists are clapping their hands, an entire local industry risks decimation. Two more marine monuments are expected soon, one on the West Coast, off the coast of Monterey, and another on the East Coast, off the coast of Cape Cod. Much like the expansion in Hawaii, these considerations have been met with staunch opposition from locals, the industry, and elected officials. Read the rest here 14:34
Whole Foods drops Honolulu fish auction until it proves fair boat labor
Whole Foods has suspended buying fish from the Hawaii fish auction amid concerns over the labor practices of some fishing vessels. It’s an issue Always Investigating first reported on back in 2013 and is now getting national attention. Fishermen describe horrid working conditions, rock bottom pay, and even allegations of international crew captivity aboard some of the boats that dock at Honolulu Harbor. Industry watchers say the Whole Foods move could be just the first of many, and the fish auction is already working on a system to weed out vessels with unfair labor practices. Telling Always Investigating they have “zero tolerance for human rights abuses,” Whole Foods said Tuesday: “We have suspended purchases of the small amount of fish we source from the Hawaiian seafood auction until we can ensure the working conditions on these boats align with our core values.” Read the story here 12:20
Read Foreign fishermen confined to boats catch Hawaiian seafood Click here
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 48ft. 6in. Wedgeport, 8 Cylinder CAT 3208
Specifications, information and 18 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 11:51
Unalaska joins emergency petition on tanner crab
This season, the unpredictable tanner crab population isn’t looking so good for Aleutian fishermen. That’s what the state’s trawl survey indicated this summer. But the City of Unalaska has joined an emergency petition urging the Alaska Board of Fisheries to take another look. At a City Council meeting last week, Frank Kelty explained the survey showed low numbers for female tanners. That’s led the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to consider serious conservation measures. “The whole fishery could be shut down,” Kelty said. But the problem isn’t affecting the whole fishery. Kelty said data indicates the eastern tanner stock is struggling with low female biomass, but not the western stock. Read the rest here 10:47
Feds Reach Deal To Protect Sea Turtles From Shrimpers
A D.C. federal judge on Friday stayed a lawsuit filed by a conservation group accusing the U.S. Department of Commerce of not doing enough to protect endangered sea turtles from shrimp fishing operations off the southeastern U.S. coast, after the government agreed to propose a rule to help fix the problem. Judge Paul L. Friedman signed an order staying the case after the U.S. Fisheries Service and conservation group Oceana Inc. agreed to a turtle excluder device, or TED, rule that requires expanded use of the devices that feature trap doors allowing most turtles caught in trawling nets to escape unharmed. The TED rule also places greater limits on the amount of time the shrimp boats can drag their nets. Under the terms of the agreement, if the stay is lifted and litigation recommences, Oceana will move for summary judgment within 45 days and the Fisheries Service will cross-move for summary judgment no later than 45 days after Oceana has filed its motion, Judge Friedman ruled. Read the rest here 10:14
Entangled Humpback rescued from fish farm ropes by fisheries officials
A juvenile humpback whale was thrashing in the water north of Klemtu, B.C. yesterday for 12 hours, struggling to breathe as ropes from an empty aquaculture site cut into its flesh and blubber. Marine Harvest workers discovered the entangled whale Monday morning and immediately called Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the company said in a statement. Paul Cottrell, DFO’s marine mammal coordinator, caught the first plane from Vancouver to conduct the complicated rescue, with help from local fisheries officers, the company and members of the Kitasoo First Nation. The team needed to cut at least four ropes to free the young whale, but that’s not as quick and easy as it sounds. Video, read the rest here 09:52
EU approves Sweden’s American lobster assessment
The Swedish risk assessment of American lobster is now approved by the EU, furthering the process that could lead to American lobster being added to the list of invasive species. ‘It is of course positive that our risk assessment meets the requirements of the EU regulation,’ said Sofia Brockmark of the Swedish Agency for Maritime and Water Management (HaV). The regulation aims to prevent, minimise and mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species of animals and nature, human health or the economy. It requires Member States, inter alia, to identify how the species spread and to ensure that the spread is stopped or limited. The species on the list are also subject to various restrictions, including the ban on the import, breeding or keeping alive. Now that the risk assessment has been approved by the EU’s scientific forum for invasive alien species, it can be put forward to the EU’s executive committee. Read the story here 09:03
Vigor Introduces Freezer Longliner designed specifically for North Pacific fishing
Based on an existing design by Marco Marine, the 142’ x 33.6’ x 14’ vessel has a fish hold capacity of 14,070 cu ft and a bait hold capacity of 1,900 cu ft. “A new class of longliners is a central need for the recapitalization of the North Pacific fishing fleet, but to get these vessels built fishermen need to know they can depend on the design—and it better be affordable,” explained Keith Whittemore, Vigor Executive VP of Business Development. “That’s why we began our design process by acquiring the exclusive license of a Marco design that has successfully fished the North Pacific for more than two decades. Then we collaborated with current longliner operators. Working with the original designer, we elevated that design to take advantage of advances in technology, efficiency and safety. Read the story here 08:40
Skipper of grounded vessel near Salmon Creek tried to flee, gave authorities two different names
The captain of a fishing boat that ran aground just this weekend south of Salmon Creek on the Sonoma Coast was jailed after his rescue because of a felony no-bail warrant for his arrest issued in Mendocino County, State Parks officials said. The boat, an uninsured 54-foot fishing vessel called the “Verna A II”, remained high and dry in the sand on South Salmon Creek State Beach while State Parks and other coastal authorities determine who might be responsible for retrieving it, State Parks Officer Tim Murphy said. The vessel was spotted by a surfer about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, marooned in about 5 to 8 feet of surf about 100 yards from the river’s mouth. After rescue swimmers brought him to shore, Roy Underwood, 57, gave authorities two different names and then gave them the slip, saying he was using a restroom but didn’t return, Murphy said. 4 images, Read the rest here 06:55
Searchers find second ship from doomed expedition
The second of two British explorer ships that vanished in the Arctic nearly 170 years ago during a storied expedition to find the fabled Northwest Passage has been found. The Arctic Research Foundation said Monday that the HMS Terror has been located by a research ship. Last seen in the 1840s while under the command of Sir John Franklin, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror have long been among the most sought-after prizes in marine archaeology and the subject of songs, poems and novels. “I can confirm it has been found,” said Aleta Brooke of the Arctic Research Foundation, one of the groups involved in the search. Franklin and 128 hand-picked officers and men had set out in 1845 to find the Northwest Passage, the long-sought shortcut to Asia that supposedly ran from the Atlantic to the Pacific by way of the harsh, ice-choked Arctic. Read the story here 18:18
Ridiculous study claims: elevated ocean CO2 gives fish brain impairment
From the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Scienceand the department of “let’s put some fish in a tank and gas them” comes this sub-par science fair level experiment where the only purpose seems to be to demonize CO2 by grabbng a headline. In essence, they’ve created “Dory” from the children’s movie Finding Nemo in an artificial environment that in no way is anything like conditions on a coral reef. Plus, by just dropping the fish into this elevated CO2 environment they aren’t used to, not only are they negating generations of fish and any adaptation that might occur, they are testing fish in a stressed environment that they have no experience with. This truly is bad science. Read the post here 15:41
Will Obama fence off more of the ocean? US fishermen are fearful
American fishermen are deeply fearful that the Obama White House could cut them off as early as this week from major fishing areas of the U.S. continental shelf on both coasts, further restricting one of the most highly regulated fishing industries in the world. At stake are millions of dollars in fishing revenue and hundreds of jobs — and in some parts of the country, the survival of an embattled way of life that has persisted for centuries but is facing environmentalist pressures unlike anything before. “This totally affects us, but we don’t know what’s going on,” one fishing boat owner, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News. “We are just out of the loop. No one even wants to say what effect it will have.” “They are throwing all fishermen under the bus, along with their supporting industries”. Behind-the-scenes maneuvering to get influential Democratic legislators to support such new preservation areas publicly — a tough call, since the affected fishermen are also constituents. So far, many of the Democrats are keeping a low profile. One exception has been U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Blumenthal was backed by some 40 environmental groups — but not by many of his neighboring Democratic Senate colleagues. Read the story here 14:10
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for September 12, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 13:54
F/V Captain Andrew rescues two fishermen and their sunken boat from the sea
The Captain Andrew is Georgetown’s oldest wooden hull shrimp boat was built in 1968. It has combed the waters ever since and on Saturday morning, the crew caught one of its greatest catches – rescuing two fishermen from the sea and their boat from the bottom of the ocean floor. Adam Wiseman was fishing with his friend, Troy Cooper, in the Atlantic Ocean near the North Santee Bay off South Carolina on Saturday morning when an ice box caused his boat’s weight to shift. The boat flipped. And within seconds, Wiseman was in the water along with a school of hungry sharks and the 300 pounds of jellyfish they had on board their craft before it capsized. “It was less than five seconds,” Wiseman said. “We didn’t have time to make a radio call. We didn’t have time for anything.” The Captain Andrew was shrimping nearby when crew members saw Wiseman swimming for the ice box. The crew picked up its nets and set out to save the sinking vessel and its men. Read the story here 11:49
U.S. Seafood Producers to White House: Don’t Harm Fisheries for Ocean Monuments
Today, in advance of the “Our Oceans” conference being held later this week at the State Department, the National Coalition for Fishing Communities (NCFC) delivered a letter to the White House calling on the President to refrain from designating new marine monuments under the Antiquities Act. Copies of the letter were also delivered to the offices of Senators representing the states of the signers. The letter, with over 900 fishing industry signers and supported by 35 fishing organizations that represent the majority of domestic seafood harvesters, instead urges the President to conserve marine resources through the federal fisheries management process established by the bipartisan Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management Act (MSA). Read the story here 11:06
‘Dead in the Water’ – New film chronicles the spiraling decline of Gloucester’s fishing industry
It’s now been more than three years since David Wittkower, struck by the spiraling decay of the Gloucester groundfishing fleet, decided to make a film chronicling its decline from the robust fleet he remembered as a kid growing up in Rockport. The making of Wittkower’s film, “Dead in the Water,” as with nearly every film project ever devised, has been an arduous slog through an endless array of creative decisions and more earthly problems—chief among them how to raise enough money to create the film the Los Angeles-based director first envisioned. Now, with the assistance of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association and generous benefactors throughout Cape Ann, Wittkower is closing in on having enough capital to finish the film and assemble a working print, possibly by as early as Thanksgiving. Read the story here 09:47
Cuomo signs the Ex-Lax fish bill
Seriously, you read that headline correctly. Among the bills signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday is legislation that would ban the sale of escolar — a fish that causes some cases, uhhh, distressing gastrointestinal effects for diners — by any other name. Because only Casey Seiler can do such a Tale of Actual Legislation justice, from his report earlier in the year: Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee and Sen. Tony Avella are the most recent lawmakers to address the problem of the misbranding of escolar — aka walu or the snake mackerel — a fish that while reputed to be rich and delicious can have a rather, well, unpleasant impact on a certain subset of diners. Read the rest here 09:27
Fish harvesters are “ready to revolt.” Ryan Cleary to help form breakaway fish union
A former NDP MP says forming a new union for fishermen will be a big challenge, but Ryan Cleary told reporters on Monday that he thinks it is possible. Cleary held a news conference in Petty Harbour to talk about what he called a “David versus Goliath challenge.” Harvesters have been pleading with him to start a union that represents fishermen only, Cleary said. They are currently part of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW), which also represents plant workers. Cleary called that a “conflict of interest,” and said it’s hard for the union to be critical of government policies when it received “untold millions” from the federal government. He said harvesters are “ready to revolt.” Read the story here ‘Fish harvesters have lost confidence in the FFAW’ – Read this article here ‘The FFAW is a conflict of interest wrapped in a mystery inside a huge puzzle with pieces missing, the missing pieces being fish’ Read this article here 07:50
Two lobstermen accused of fishing violations following seven-month DMR investigation
A fisherman accused of trying to secretly catch lobsters and his sternman have been charged with multiple fishing violations, according to state officials. Duston Reed, a 34 year-old lobsterman from Waldoboro, was arrested Aug. 18 by the Maine Marine Patrol and taken to the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. The arrests of Reed and his sternman, Jeremy Yeaton of Friendship, came after a seven-month investigation, according to a news release from the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Reed was charged with fishing lobster traps that were not marked with a buoy, fishing untagged lobster traps, falsifying physical evidence and tampering with a witness. A total of 40 unmarked, untagged traps allegedly owned by Reed were recovered by Marine Patrol officers after an investigation determined where they were being used. Read the story here 21:55
Interview: Nick Tokman, 28, Fisherman. “Deadliest Catch.’ Motivational Speaker.
Nick Tokman hails from Massachusetts, a state whose shoreline once teemed with whaling barks — the homes of men who, seeking fortune in whale oil during the 19th century, ventured to sea for years at a time, each hoping to capture their “lay” or percentage of a catch, while risking their lives in the black squalls of the North Atlantic, the high seas of the Indian Ocean, and the farthest reaches of the remote Pacific and Arctic whaling grounds. But Tokman isn’t from New Bedford or even Nantucket, where as a teenager he caddied to help pay his way through the prestigious MacDuffie School. He is instead from Springfield, nicknamed “The City of Firsts” — an appropriate place for a man of many beginnings. After high school, the then-18-year-old headed to business school at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business in Montreal, where he learned to speak French while earning his degree and working as a suit salesman, janitor, and pizza delivery driver. It was while visiting his grandfather one summer that Tokman first saw the Emmy Award-winning “Deadliest Catch.” Read the interesting interview here 16:22
Midcoast Maine: Tensions rise with acts of vandalism within the lobster fishing community
Col. Jonathan Cornish, head of , said last week that with 30 registered complaints statewide of trap molestation this year, the number of incidents of territorial disputes are about average for the season. The statewide total, eight of which were from the Tenants Harbor area, is the same as in the past few years, he said. Cornish added, however, the agency has seen a spike in complaints statewide during the past two weeks. Complaints typically rise during the peak harvesting months of September and October, he said, when lobstermen shift their traps to where they are seeing their best catches or to move further out from shore to coincide with the migration of the lobsters as the waters close to shore cool down. The marine patrol chief said there have been complaints received in the midcoast of traps being cut since the latest boat sinking. Read the story here 15:38
Six year US Tuna Treaty, illegal fishing highlighted in Pacific Island Forum report card
Matai Seremaiah Nawalu, Chair of the Forum Fisheries Committee Ministers, told leaders that while there’s additional administrative and individual processes to complete, the Pacific negotiators have delivered against the mandate handed down by Leaders and Ministers. He said the six year agreement that has been reached is an excellent outcome and asked that the leaders join him in thanking and congratulating the region’s negotiators of the US Tuna Treaty. The treaty allows US purse seiners including those that supply the local canneries access to the exclusive economic zones of Forum member countries which cover a wide swath of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean which contains the largest and most valuable tuna fisheries in the world. Many Pacific Island parties depend on fisheries as one of their most imhportant natural resources, and the United States has for decades sought to be a valued partner in developing regional fisheries. The U.S. purse seine fleet operates according to the highest commercial standards and is subject to strict enforcement by authorities. Read the rest here 13:36
Sweden’s lobster game; stick to soccer
Legendary American soccer goalie Hope Solo was rightly suspended for calling the Swedish national team a “bunch of cowards” after the European side beat the U.S. women’s team in the Rio Olympics last month. Playing the more talented and explosive American side, Sweden played a crafty, intelligent, defensive game for 120 minutes. The result was a scoreless tie after regulation and extra time. The Swedes won the shootout that followed. Today, Nova Scotia’s lobster fishermen may be feeling some sympathy for Solo. For Sweden is clearly playing a defensive game as it attempts to get the European Union to ban imported lobsters from Canada and the United States (which for the most part means Nova Scotia and Maine). Read the Op-ed here 11:12
VMRC enforces maximum habitual offender poaching penalties
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission flexed new muscle last month when it stripped a Hampton waterman of his commercial fishing license for five years for poaching oysters and levied a $10,000 civil penalty. It marks the first time commissioners enforced maximum poaching penalties that took effect July 1, 2015. Until then, the maximum was a two-year loss of license with no civil penalty. The new law targets repeat offenders who commit egregious violations of state code, said VMRC Commissioner John Bull. And it can be applied only after convictions in criminal court. While Bull and fellow board members believe the new penalties better fit the crime, not everyone agrees. J.C. Hudgins, a Mathews County waterman and treasurer of the Virginia Watermen’s Association, “I think everybody feels like a habitual offender like that needs to have something done — needs to have some restrictions or some penalties put on him,” Hudgins said. “But, phew, that’s a rough one there. … Five years, that’s a long time.” Read the story here 09:55
