Daily Archives: November 9, 2016
Fund compensating Newfoundland seafood industry could resolve one of the final obstacles to CETA deal
With the United States poised to adopt a more protectionist trade policy under President-Elect Donald Trump, some good news for supporters of Canada’s major trade deal with the European Union could come this week. A decision is expected soon on compensation for businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador that would lose out due to provisions in the recently-signed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) — one of the last potential causes of a hold-up on the Canadian side of the deal. A Liberal source said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been discussing a special fisheries fund with Premier Dwight Ball and an announcement could come as soon as later this week. Read the rest here 19:31
The shortest route between Maine and Japan: scallops
Last month, lobstermen Marsden Brewer and his son, Bobby, joined a delegation of Maine fishermen and aquaculturists on a visit to Aomori on the northern coast of Japan’s major island to learn about the latest techniques for cultivating scallops. Among their hosts was Hiroaki Sugiyama, an inventor and manufacturer of high-tech machinery used in Japan’s enormous scallop aquaculture industry. On Monday, the Brewers returned the favor. Sugiyama arrived in the U.S. Sunday night for a four-day visit to learn about what is happening in Maine’s nascent scallop aquaculture industry. After a stop at a newly-formed aquaculture cooperative in Spruce Head, and a boat ride to visit an experimental scallop growing operation, Sugiyama and his Maine hosts traveled to Stonington for more talk about scallop aquaculture, and a terrific lunch, hosted by Marsden and Donna Brewer at their Red Barn Farm. Read the article here 18:54
U.S. to Auction 79,000 Acres Offshore New York for Wind Energy
The United States Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that 79,350 acres offshore New York will be offered in a December 15 commercial wind lease sale. The New York Wind Energy Area starts approximately 11.5 nautical miles from Jones Beach, New York, on Long Island. From its western edge, the area extends approximately 24 miles southeast at its longest portion. The lease area consists of five full Outer Continental Shelf blocks and 143 sub-blocks. After reviewing comments received on the environmental assessment, BOEM removed about 1,780 acres from the lease area due to environmental concerns regarding a seafloor feature known as the Cholera Bank. In a comment letter, the National Marine Fisheries Service identified the Cholera Bank feature as a sensitive habitat to be avoided for the placement of structures. As a result of this removal, the revised lease area will be approximately two percent smaller than the lease area considered in the proposed sale notice. In response to concerns raised by commercial fishing interests, BOEM also has included a lease requirement for the lessee to develop a publicly available fisheries communications plan and work with a fisheries liaison to facilitate communication with the fishing industry. Read the rest here 16:09
‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 13: Sig Hansen to do cameo appearance to help ratings of the show?
Season 13 of the reality series “Deadliest Catch” will be one of the toughest seasons yet. Rumors are swirling that FV Time Bandit is also out of the show and it forces Captain Sig Hansen to make cameo appearances to help in the ratings. Suddenly the real-life adventures of fishermen from Alaska have turned into a battle for survival for the show itself. Captain Josh Harris of the FV Cornelia Marie has decided to cut ties with the show as Discovery do not see his storyline generating interest. It is not clear though if indeed Captain Jonathan Hillstrand and the Time Bandit got cut from the show. But Captain Bill Wichrowski of FV Cape Caution told A V Club that if the show does not renew Hansen and the Time Bandit, the show loses a lot in viewership. Read the story here 15:44
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 55′ Bruno Trawler-Scalloper-Gillnetter, Detroit 12-V-71 Diesel
Specifications, information and 26 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:55
Opening day: Island baymen continue an Island tradition
Monday, was opening day to take bay scallops in New York State waters, an annual and important ritual for the handful of Shelter Island baymen. Long after the once-ubiquitous Peconic Bay scallop stopped showing up, Shelter Island’s fishermen have saved the date. Baymen board boats before dawn, proceed to a carefully considered spot and throw a dredge, a metal frame with a net attached, overboard as the sun rises, hopeful they will haul it up full of bivalves. The limit for a commercial scalloper is 10 bushels, and on opening day last year it was easily reached. On Monday, however most baymen came back with two or three bushels to show for five or more hours of fighting wind, rough water and heavy dredges. Sunday night before the big day, a line of boats docked at the end of Congdon Road were loaded with dredges, neatly stowed and ready for deployment. By 6 the next morning, a few were already gone, while the operators of the others were exchanging top- secret information in the time-honored method impervious to Russian hackers. Read the story here 10:43
Sitka assembly opposes summertime Naval exercises
The Sitka assembly has gone on record opposing training exercises by the US Navy in prime fishing habitat in the Gulf of Alaska next summer. Most members agreed that the use of live explosives and powerful sonar could be harmful to fish and marine mammals — and detrimental to the state’s fishing industry. Emily Stolarcyk, with the Eyak Preservation Council in Cordova, was quick to point out that the resolution under consideration was not anti-military. The proposed training area occupies around 70,000 square miles of the Gulf of Alaska, between Kodiak and Sitka. Roughly 90-percent of the area is designated Essential Fish Habitat. “This is about finding common ground between two very different user groups who have to use the same area — mainly commercial fishermen and the US Military. So what we’re asking for is for the Navy to make adjustments to their current plans to practice in the summer. We want them to go back to what they’ve historically done, and practice in the winter.” Read the story here 10:17
Input sought for Northwest Atlantic mackerel research
Researcher working on management advice for mackerel stocks seeking participation from fishermen in survey An informal survey of Canadian Atlantic mackerel commercial, recreational and bait fishers will soon be completed. Elisabeth Van Beveren, a post-doctoral researcher from Belgium working in Canada on northwest Atlantic mackerel, says she hopes to have most answers by mid-November. If results are still being received, she may extend the deadline. She is working with scientists at the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) in order to better estimate the size of the Canadian mackerel stock. Van Beveren says she has heard from about 360 people to date. Read the story here 10:02
Coast Guard ramps up safety checks for fishermen in preparation for Dungeness Crab Season
Coast Guard personnel began conducting dockside exams and safety spot-checks Tuesday in San Francisco to identify discrepancies aboard fishing vessels prior to the Dungeness Crab season. The checks are scheduled to continue through Thursday at commercial fishing ports from Monterey to Crescent City and are part of the Coast Guard’s Operation Safe Crab, which is an outreach initiative to reduce the loss of lives and fishing vessels in the West Coast crab fleet. Since Operation Safe Crab’s inception, Coast Guard personnel have walked the docks and spot-checked crab vessels for the required primary lifesaving equipment, pot-loading practices affecting stability and vessel watertight integrity. These safety checks are conducted in an attempt to reduce the number of crab-fishing casualties. Read the rest here 08:49
Donald Trump wins presidential election in unexpected victory
In a shocking upset, Donald Trump won the presidential election held Tuesday, riding widespread discontent with political elites to become a president-elect unlike any other in American history. The victory will make the billionaire entrepreneur the first commander-in-chief never to have held a government office or served in the military, halting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s bid to become the nation’s first woman president. Trump’s victory shocked political observers who had predicted a victory for Clinton, a former secretary of state and first lady. But Clinton fell short in crucial states, including some projected to go blue such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Trump said Clinton called him and conceded the race, adding in his victory speech that the United States owed her a “major debt of gratitude” for her service to the country. Clinton has not yet given a concession speech. Read the story here 08:07
