Daily Archives: October 23, 2016
Rock shrimp fishing pioneer Rodney Thompson passes away
During his long career, he founded T-Craft Boats, Thompson Trawlers, Offshore 30, Thompson Industries, Sand Point Inn, Pelican Point Inn, Ponce Seafood, Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant, Cape Canaveral Shrimp Company and Wild Ocean Seafood Market. Rock shrimp fishing was his claim to fame, with his family following in his footsteps. “Prior to our family getting involved with rock shrimp, they were considered a trash item. Because their shell was so hard, no one was interested in buying them. The conventional mechanical peelers that were used to peel white shrimp, brown shrimp, they would not work on the shell of the rock shrimp,” said Laurilee Thompson, Rodney’s daughter. She now co-owns Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant. Read the rest here 20:17
Global Cooling? Stronger-Than-Expected La Niña May Be Brewing
Many have doubted forecasts calling for the onset of the first La Niña in almost five years, believing that its failure to materialize in convincing fashion last summer – as originally predicted – means that it may be off the table for 2016-17. But in recent weeks, the oceans and atmosphere have been pulling everything into place to facilitate a potentially stronger La Niña than previously thought, so those who follow commodities markets may want to take a second look. Cooling sea surface temperatures in the key Niño 3.4 region have touched the levels of early 2012. –Karen Braun, Reuters, 20 October 2016 Read the rest here 14:39
Coast Guard rescues fisherman near Westport Marina in Grays Harbor, Wash.
Michael Carroll, 70, was rescued by a Station Grays Harbor boatcrew, aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat, and transferred to emergency medical services at the Westport Marina and was treated for symptoms related to hypothermia while being transported to Grays Harbor Community Hospital. A watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River, in Warrenton, Oregon, received a mayday call from the captain of the fishing vessel Pacific Rim at 3:51 a.m., reporting the vessel was taking on water and listing hard to starboard. The watchstander immediately directed the launch of a MLB crew. Carroll was rescued at about 4:15 a.m. The Pacific Rim is a 60-foot fishing vessel homeported in Westport. At the time of the sinking the Pacific Rim had 250 gallons of diesel fuel on board. Pollution responders from the Incident Management Division at Sector Columbia River are responding. A more thorough survey of the scene will begin at first light. Link 12:38
FFAW president hopes Canada-EU trade talks aren’t finished
The head of Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest private-sector union said he’s disappointed that Canada-EU trade talks have fallen apart. “It’s preliminary, but it doesn’t certainly look good for (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) in its current form right now,” Keith Sullivan, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union told CBC on Friday. International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland walked out of talks Friday with the regional government of Wallonia, which has been blocking the deal, due to be signed next week. Sullivan told CBC the deal as it stood was a “mixed bag” for Canadian workers, but he thought there was potential benefit for the fishing industry. “There was certainly an area where people saw some opportunities where they could get decreased tariffs on some products like shrimp and crab, and that was an opportunity for some people,” he said. “So it was certainly mixed, but it might be all for nothing now.” Read the rest here 12:09
Coast Guard Medevacs Fisherman Off Hatteras Inlet, NC
The Coast Guard medevaced a man Saturday from a fishing vessel off Hatteras Inlet. Watchstanders in the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina command center in Wilmington received a call from the 73-foot commercial fishing vessel Capt Alex at about 8:47 p.m., reporting the vessel’s captain was experiencing severe chest pains approximately six miles east of Hatteras Inlet. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched from Air Station Elizabeth City at about 9:44 p.m. The aircrew arrived on scene at approximately 10:13 p.m. and lowered a rescue swimmer to the boat. The patient was hoisted from the boat to the helicopter in a rescue basket at about 11 p.m., and flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, arriving at about 12:29 a.m. Link Video here 11:06
Norwegian whaling – based on a balanced ecosystem
Minke whales have been hunted along the coast of Norway at least since medieval times. In the 1920s, the use of harpoon gun mounted on an ordinary fishing vessel replaced aboriginal methods. The whale meat is used for consumption, primarily on the domestic market. Minke whaling today is a small scale costal activity and is carried out by vessels of between 40 and 80 feet in length with a crew of four to eight people. The home harbours of most whaling vessels are small fishing communities, and whaling in combination with fishing has contributed significantly to the economic and social development or rural, coastal communities in Norway. Norwegian whaling is based on the principle of protection and sustainable harvesting of marine resources. Management of resources is founded on scientific advice, with the objective based on the concept of an ecosystem approach. Quotas are set on the basis of procedures developed by the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). This committee has estimated that the stocks of minke whale that we harvest in the Northeast Atlantic and around Jan Mayen total 108 thousand animals For 2013, a quota is set of 1286 animals.. This is the same as the quota for 2010-2012. The stock of minke whales off Iceland and the Faeroe Islands, the central Atlantic stock, is estimated to number 71 thousand animals. Read the story here 10:02
Lost men will be remembered with a bell
ON THE edge of the water at the Bundaberg Port stands a bell. It is a memorial for Matt Roberts and David Chivers, the same bell that would have been rung on the Cassandra. On Saturday, more than 100 people gathered to remember the men. Richard Brown, general manager of Markwell Fisheries which owned the trawler, said the company donated the bell so family, friends and fellow fishermen could have a place to pay their respects. “One of the hard things in this situation, when you talk about someone lost at sea, is there is no closure,” Mr Brown said. “The idea behind it is to give the family some kind of closure, which I think we achieved – the families were very pleased.” The bell is a symbol of boats and fishing, “a passion for both the boys”. “It’s not often everyone gets to gather together, and for the fishing industry to come together; a lot of stories and memories come out. Read the story here 09:12 Massive air and sea search near Fraser Island for missing prawn trawler “Cassandra” fishermen click here 09:21
