Monthly Archives: September 2016
Red snapper dispute continued at Wednesday meeting
The war of words continued Wednesday during an all-day meeting in Baton Rouge designed to educate members of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on red snapper management. A surrogate of Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, presented a letter declaring states would not be responsible for research funding under HR 3094, a bill authored by Graves and Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, that would transfer management authority to Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. That directly contradicted charges made by Charlie Melancon, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, that the bill became an unfunded mandate when Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, tacked an amendment to it. “Amending things to death is how you kill a bill,” Melancon told the crowd of industry leaders and interested anglers Wednesday. “What was done to (HR 3094) was an attempt to kill the bill.” But Paul Sawyer, Graves’ chief of staff, presented a letter, signed by Bishop, stating that his amendment merely banned the transfer of funds to the states for fisheries research because that research would continue to be conducted by NOAA Fisheries. Read the story here 12:31
Lobster price depends on whose plate
Last week the news was filled with stories about the price of Maine lobster reaching its highest point in 10 years or more. Some trade publications were talking about 1¼-pound hardshells selling for as much as $8.50 over Labor Day weekend. That may be true, but its news to most dealers and fishermen in Downeast Maine when it comes to discussing the boat price. “I’m getting $4.35 plus whatever bonus at the end of the year,” a lobsterman from Blue Hill said on Sunday. That price was for shedders — or what the industry-funded Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative prefers to call “new shell” lobsters. The fisherman hasn’t caught any hardshell lobsters all summer. Read the story here 12:06
Four B.C. chinook and coho fisheries on “avoid” red list with ten others having “some concerns,”
In the latest update to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, four B.C. chinook and coho fisheries were listed as “avoid.” Ten others were identified as having “some concerns,” but remain listed as “good alternatives.” The four fisheries newly labelled as “avoid” are all in southern B.C. — chinook caught off the south coast using purse seine (a net that is drawn into the shape of a purse to catch large schools of fish) or drift gillnets (vertical sheets of net with certain sizes of netting to capture specific types of fish), and coho salmon in the same region using the same two methods. According to Jeffery Young, a science and policy adviser with the David Suzuki Foundation, the rating is not necessarily a criticism of a fisheries’ practices, but reflects that the salmon targeted by these fisheries are in serious decline. Read the story here 10:15
Nanaimo fisherman sentenced to another 45 days in jail for repeat fishing violations
A man previously convicted for selling up to $100,000 in illegally-acquired crab and halibut has been given another jail term. Scott Steer, a fisherman based out of Nanaimo, was found guilty last month on eight charges of breaching his Fisheries Act prohibition order. As a result, he has been sentenced to an additional 45 days in jail, along with forfeiting his crab fishing gear and a vessel, the HOLLY V. In May, Steer was sentenced to 21 days after his arrest in April for “failing to comply with a court order banning him from being on any vessel other than BC Ferries.” Steer is now prohibited from applying for a new fishing lease, being onboard any fishing vessel, or having any fishing gear for 12 years. Link 09:25
Fish On!: On Board the Wacky Jacky
From the article: All this excitement is confined to the stern. Up in the wheelhouse sits Wacky Jacky herself, piloting us through the fog west of the Golden Gate. She’s two months shy of her 88th birthday, making her the oldest captain in San Francisco’s fishing fleet, as well as its only woman. I’d met her at about six that morning, sipping weak coffee and debating whether I should eat anything before learning how choppy the water is, while she greeted the regulars and processed credit card payments and the mates got the boat ready. She’s a small woman with a lot of personality, more of a grinner than a smiler, and wearing head-to-toe red and a black hat. She’s ebullient, but I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, nor would I want to be a doctor who condescendingly calls her “dear.” Read the story here 08:30
Two bumbling hired thugs arrested for allegedly sinking a lobster boat in trap turf war
Two people are in jail and a third man is expected to be charged for the intentional sinking of a lobster boat last week. This is the second sinking of a lobster boat in the town in the past few weeks. Vincent Hilt, 22, of Vinalhaven, and Devlin Meklin, 20, of Warren were arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief and felony theft. Hilt was arrested Friday afternoon and Meklin on Monday morning. Both remain at the Knox County Jail in Rockland. According to an affidavit filed in Knox County Unified Court by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the 36-foot lobster boat owned by Joshua Hupper sank during the early morning of Sept. 1 where it was moored off Tenants Harbor. Damage to the lobster boat was estimated at $50,000 because of water in the engine and the electronic equipment. Read the story here 07:41
New South Wales catch shares – Talk of revolt as fishers drown in bureaucracy
NORTH Coast fishers say imported muck will be the only seafood on the menu once statewide commercial fishing reforms reduce the state’s already pathetic domestic fish intake. Wild Caught Fishers Coalition released a statement saying less than 1000 active fishers remain in New South Wales, with that number threatening to take a sharp dive. Already 85% of seafood eaten in NSW is imported. With the NSW Government holding a “preview” share trading (catch shares) period after failing to tell fishers how to buy back their jobs and what it would cost, the industry is starting to talk of mutiny. “Mentally the majority of commercial fishers and their families are now demoralised,” the WCFC statement said. “Now they are asked to participate in a mock auction as government tries to learn how fishers will vie to regain their present stolen history. “Academics teaching fisheries economics indicate this would create a revolt in other countries.” Read the story here 22:18
Newfoundland fishing tragedy claims members from three generations of St. John’s family
Former NHLer Terry Ryan laughed through tears Wednesday, recalling how playing ball hockey with fishermen now lost off Newfoundland made him feel like the superstar he might have been. “I remember the first game, I got player of the game and they handed me a lobster,” said the 1995 first-round draft pick for the Montreal Canadiens. “They just loved the water. They loved fishing. They loved everything about it.” Ryan, who grew up in Mount Pearl, N.L., played ball hockey the last three years with commercial fisherman Keith Walsh and his buddy, Billy Humby. Both men, along with Keith’s son, Keith Walsh Jr., and his father Eugene Walsh were on board an open, seven-metre boat reported overdue Tuesday night before two bodies were recovered near St. John’s. Read this sad story here 20:13
Scientist blames fishing gear for fewer right whale births
A study recently published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science says that, despite efforts by fishermen and federal fisheries management authorities, more right whales than ever are getting tangled up in fishing gear. The study also states that injuries and deaths from those incidents “may be overwhelming recovery efforts” for the endangered right whale population. In the report published in July, lead author Scott Kraus, a whale researcher at the New England Aquarium in Boston, says that while the population of whales has increased from fewer than 300 in 1992 to about 500 in 2015, births of right whales have declined by 40 percent since 2010. Read the rest here 18:34
Foreign fishermen confined to boats catch Hawaiian seafood
Hawaii’s high-quality seafood is sold with the promise that it’s caught by local, hard-working fishermen. But the people who haul in the prized catch are almost all undocumented foreign workers, confined to American boats for years at a time without basic rights or protections. About 700 men from impoverished Southeast Asian and Pacific Island nations make up the bulk of the workforce in this unique U.S. fishing fleet. A federal loophole allows them to take the dangerous jobs without proper work permits, just as long as they don’t set foot on shore. Americans buying Hawaiian seafood are almost certainly eating fish caught by one of these workers. A six-month Associated Press investigation found fishing crews living in squalor on some boats, forced to use buckets instead of toilets and suffering running sores from bed bugs. There have been instances of human trafficking, active tuberculosis and low food supplies. (I’m having a very hard time wrapping my head around this.) Read the story here 15:50
FWC nabs lobster poaching brothers in the Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary
Two commercial fishermen — brothers from Homestead — with a history of fisheries violations were nabbed by state wildlife officers Sunday afternoon poaching lobster in the Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary. And after this incident, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may keep their boat, said FWC spokesman Bobby Dube. The case began on Saturday when officers spotted the 17-foot bully net-style boat suspiciously in deep water, said FWC Capt. David Dipre. That spurred an undercover investigation, Dube said. On Sunday, officers watched the boat near Little Angelfish Creek in North Key Largo and saw Javier Morales-Molina, 39, diving in the water, Dube said. His brother, Alfredo Morales-Molina, 41, was in the boat. Those officers called for a marked patrol boat to stop the brothers, Dube said. Read the story here 14:05
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 49′ Novi Lobster/Gillnetter Split Wheelhouse – CAT 3306
Specifications, information and 26 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 13:30
Powerless spectators to the hungry tuna ranchers: the demise of artisanal fishermen
Artisanal fishermen in Malta have become ‘powerless spectators’ to the way the Bluefin tuna fishery industry has been taken over by the large purse seiners and foreign interests in tuna ranching. A long-standing tradition of small-scale fishers that existed since the 1700s, which used hook-and-line methods baited with mackerel, has now given way to the tuna giants, intensive technology and their tuna fattening ranches, commanding prices that can only force small fishers out of business. But this rapid transformation into industrialised fishing was also carried out with the direct blessing of the government in 2001, and since then, the tuna ranching industry has suffocated artisanal fishers. In a field study carried out by the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent, social scientists met with Maltese fishermen whose livelihoods were irrevocably changed by the advent of industrialised tuna fishing. Read the story here 11:43
Canadians don’t grasp the dire straits the Coast Guard Fleet is in, expert says
The majority of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet is so old that its book value is almost worthless, says an independent report presented to the Liberal government. A third-party analysis was commissioned by the agency, which has for the last 20 years fallen under the responsibility of the Fisheries Department. A heavily censored copy of the report, which was included in a briefing package for former fisheries minister Hunter Tootoo, was obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act. It pulls no punches when it comes to the state of the fleet that performs vital ice-breaking and life-saving search and rescue functions on all three coasts. “A significant amount of the fleet is fully depreciated,” says the undated report written by analysts Bill Austin and Carl Hegge. Read the story here 10:04
NOAA: Successful conservation efforts pay off for humpback whales
Endangered humpback whales in nine of 14 newly identified distinct population segments have recovered enough that they don’t warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries said today. International conservation efforts to protect and conserve whales over the past 40 years proved successful for most populations. Four of the distinct population segments are still protected as endangered, and one is now listed as threatened. “Today’s news is a true ecological success story,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries. “Whales, including the humpback, serve an important role in our marine environment. Separately managing humpback whale populations that are largely independent of each other allows us to tailor conservation approaches for each population.” Read the rest here Read the press release here with links 09:15
Held Without Bail: Drunk Skipper arrested/charged after playing “bumper boats” and slamming into a dock
At about noon on Labor Day, a man driving a 43-foot commercial fishing vessel played “bumper boats” in Aurora harbor before he slammed into a dock and was arrested. “For reasons unknown at this time he drove into the main dock, broke it several places, played bumper boats and was arrested by JPD for suspected DUI or BUI — boating under the influence,” Harbor Master Dave Borg told the Empire in a phone interview Tuesday. The Juneau Police Department arrested Darrin R. Hess, 51, for driving (a watercraft) under the influence and refusing to take a breath test, according to JPD’s Daily Bulletin. Officers took Hess to Lemon Creek Correctional Center, where he is being held without bail. According to Borg, Hess drove his boat into the harbor looking for moorage. He drove between the M and K floats, near the northern-most section of the harbor before causing “pretty significant damage” to several moored boats and the dock itself. Read the story here 08:11
Blue North Fisheries debuts state-of-the-art commercial fishing vessel
The F/V Blue North is a 191 foot freezer longliner owned by Seattle based Blue North Fisheries. The vessel was designed in Norway and built by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes. “I’m kind of pinching myself – we are finally here – we’ve got it,” said Patrick Burns who is the co-founder of Blue North. “It’s a state of the art vessel.” The $36 million fishing boat has been under construction for several years. It was delivered last week and has been receiving some final touches at Seattle’s Pier 91 as it prepares to make fishing history in Alaska’s Bering Sea. “This vessel is a game changer – it’s the greenest, most sustainable and highest tech commercial fishing vessel that’s ever been built in the United State and possibly the world,” said Kenny Down, President and CEO of Blue North Fisheries. Video, Read the story here 01:11
NOAA and Sea Grant fund $800,000 in research to understand effects of ocean changes on iconic Northeast marine life
NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) and the Northeast Sea Grant Programs joined together to prioritize and fund new research on how ocean acidification is affecting marine life including lobsters, clams, oysters, mussels and sand lance that are so important to the Northeast region. Funding includes $800,000 in federal funds from the two programs with an additional $400,000 non-federal match. NOAA and Sea Grant drew on the work of the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network to set these priorities. The Network is made up of concerned fishermen, scientists, resource managers, and representatives from federal and state agencies who work together to identify critical vulnerabilities in the northeast, including regionally important and economically significant marine resources that are vital to the many livelihoods and the culture of New England. Read the rest here 00:23
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
Netting Alaska’s spoils – Craig Medred
Fifty years ago with runs of most Cook Inlet salmon failing, every fisherman – commercial, subsistence and sport – paid the price of conservation. But once the runs were rebuilt in the 1980s, commercial fishermen working the waters at the doorstop of Alaska’s urban core reaped nearly all the benefits. And average Alaskans kept paying conservation costs imposed by restrictive fishing regulations dating back to the 1950s. This is one unavoidable conclusion stemming from weeks of research into “Alaska’s greatest gift,” a four-part series detailing the history of Cook Inlet fishing since just before Statehood on through the creation of limited entry and the state’s fisheries rehabilitation and enhancement program to the current day. Read the rest here 14:29
Read Pt.1 Fishing, a very special business. Click here Read Pt.2 the fall and rise of Alaska fisheries. Click here Read Pt.3 Carving up the pie Click here
