Daily Archives: December 12, 2016

Proposed Atlantic wind energy lease auction to proceed

new-york-wind-energy-area-boem-webThe federal government’s plan to auction the development rights to a huge offshore windfarm in the Atlantic Ocean between New York and New Jersey will proceed Thursday. Groups representing the fishing industry in four states sought to delay the auction. But an agreement between the groups and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will allow it to proceed. A lawyer for the fishing groups says they still will be able to seek a halt to the final sale during a federal court proceeding now scheduled for Feb. 8, 2017. Andrew Minkiewicz says the delay gives both sides more time to submit documents. A judge in Washington, D.C., agreed to the plan Monday. The groups, including scallop fishermen, claim the 127-square-mile project would harm their business. link 20:20

‘Deadliest Catch’ cast connection aims to assist fan Patty Valentines fundraiser raffle

patty-and-dad-739x840Like the beach glass she finds and turns into works of art, Portland resident Patty Valentine met the fishermen and sea captains of the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” and turned them into friends — and, with her father Meredith “Zeke” Valentine battling cancer, she can use all the friends she can get. Of course, it helps when friends are also television stars. The story of Patty, her friendship with these sea-faring folks, and how they came to help her and her father started five years ago, when Patty reached out to Josh Harris, captain of the vessel the Cornelia Marie. “His father, Phil Harris, passed away after suffering from a pulmonary embolism, which he then had complications from,” Patty said. “(Those complications) caused a massive stroke, leading to his death.” Read the story here 14:31

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council not listening to fishermen

csf-logoDo you think fishery managers listen to fishermen? After last week’s South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting you have to wonder. A proposal to limit the number of charter and head boats that could fish in the South Atlantic was met with overwhelming opposition by fishermen. There were 169 written comments against the proposal and just 3 for it. Click here to see the comments. Yet, the SAFMC didn’t listen to fishermen and kill the proposal. Instead it voted 9 to 3 to develop a “white paper” to continue to explore charter and head boat limited entry options for the snapper-grouper fishery. Read the rest here 14:07

The History of the Downeasters at Wesmac Custom Boats

Downeasters, aka lobsterboats, are renowned for their seakeeping ability and classic, thrifty, Yankee good looks. Bred in Maine a century ago, they serve as cruisers, sport-fishers and workboats of all types around the world. Like any good idea, though, lobsterboats haven’t remained static. They have evolved into subsets of successful local hull forms as developments in propulsion and the needs of boaters have changed. Right now, we are on the cusp of a new evolution of Downeasters. Just what is the history of the Downeaster? What characteristics have made it so enduring? And how has it changed? To find out, we headed to Wesmac Custom Boats, a premier Downeast boatbuilder in Surry, Maine, that is creating a new “hybrid” design that takes what might be the most venerable and recognized boat type in the world to the next level. Read the rest of the story here 13:28

Border force agents check EU Fishing Quota’s instead of stopping ‘illegal migrants’

uk-border-force-agency-eu-fishing-migrant-742622Fishermen have hit out at “absolutely shocking” Border Force agents who are using their migrant patrol boats to instead check they are sticking to EU fishing quotas. The Home Office has been told to get its priorities straight as fishermen in Ramsgate are regularly being targeted by security agencies. John Nichols, chairman of the Thanet Fishermen’s Association, said: “There’s more border agency and security boats around than in the past because of migrants coming across the Channel, but out of boredom they have a look at our fishing boats.  “We’ve seen more boardings of fishing vessels recently than at any stage in the past.” Video, read the story here 13:05

Foreign trawlers continue to pillage Grand Banks of Newfoundland

Five foreign trawlers have been issued a total of six citations in recent months for illegal fishing on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, outside Canada’s 200-mile limit. Sept. 14: American trawler Alex Marie; cited in port at Trepassey for directed fishing for white hake on the tail of the Grand Banks. The fish was only to be taken as a by catch. July 21st: American trawler Titan, cited in Louisbourg, N.S. for inaccurate storage plans. July 7th: Spanish trawler Ana Gandon, boarded at sea on the Flemish Cap and cited for improper storage of redfish. June 15th: Portuguese trawler Calvao, boarded on the tail of the Grand Banks and cited for misreporting redfish catches.  May 22nd: Spanish trawler Puente Sabaris, boarded on the Flemish Cap, and issued two citations for misreporting redfish catches. Read the rest here 11:00

Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association President Arthur “Sooky” Sawyer added to state Fisheries Advisory Commission

gov-charlie-bakerGloucester will be doubling its representation on the state’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission when local lobsterman Arthur “Sooky” Sawyer joins the board this week. Sawyer, president of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, will join Gloucester’s Gus Sanfilippo on the board that advises the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker on fishing and marine issues. A longtime Gloucester groundfisherman-turned-lobsterman, Sawyer replaces Bill Adler on the commission. Adler, also a former MLA president, was not re-appointed by Baker following the expiration of his term in October. “I’m excited and looking forward to it,” Sawyer, 61, said Tuesday. “I have a lot of reading to do before my first meeting next week and I’m going to be doing a lot of listening to get up to speed on all the issues before the commission.” Sawyer’s appointment was strongly supported by local lobstermen and the MLA because of his grasp of issues related to lobstering and other Bay State fisheries. Read the rest of the story here 10:26

Atlantic Halibut under Council scrutiny as Maine’s catch increases

atlantic-halibut-1Federal fishing regulators say they are looking to change the way they manage Atlantic halibut in the wake of a surge in catch of the fish. The government lists Atlantic halibut as “overfished” and conservationists want to protect it. But many fishermen say the catch is up because the stock has been rebuilt over recent years. East Coast fishermen caught more than 215,000 pounds of Atlantic halibut in 2015 in the most productive year of fishing for the flatfish since 1972. Catch of the fish in nearshore Maine waters is helping drive the increase, regulators say. The regulatory New England Fishery Management Council decided last month to review management of halibut, which is popular with diners and chefs for its thick, meaty steaks. Exactly what form regulation changes could take isn’t yet known. We’ve identified that this is an issue, and this will be a priority for 2017,” Janice Plante, a spokeswoman for the council, said. Read the story here 08:35

Video-Coast Guard medevacs ill fisherman from 115 miles off Provincetown

A Coast Guard aircrew from Air Station Cape Cod medevaced a 24-year-old-man Sunday afternoon from the fishing vessel Athena, which was located approximately 115 miles east of Provincetown. The Coast Guard was notified of the sick fisherman at around 1:45 p.m. via satellite phone by the captain of the 88-foot Athena, which is homeported out of New Bedford. An MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew launched at 2:45 p.m. and arrived on scene at 4:15 p.m. Once on scene the crew coordinated to lift the patient onto the helicopter. At the time of the rescue the winds were out of the northwest at 10-15 knots and the waves were reaching 5 feet in height. After being hoisted, the patient was flown to Hyannis Airport where an ambulance was waiting to transport him to Cape Cod Hospital. The patient was reported to have been stable at the time of the transfer. Click here for video 07:40