Daily Archives: December 14, 2016
Lady Sarah captain ‘pretty gutted’ after boat runs aground near Lake Ellesmere
The captain of a fishing vessel that ran aground near Lake Ellesmere is “pretty gutted”. The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) received a distress call from aboard the Lady Sarah about 2am, Thursday, Maritime New Zealand spokesman said. It is understood the 22 metre vessel was trawling for elephant fish off the Eastern coast. “Three people were on board, they were evacuated and are now safe and well.” Captain Chris Jarman told Stuff he was “pretty gutted and shaken up”. “Myself and my two crew, no injuries and we got on land perfectly fine, that’s the main thing, everyone is safe.” Read the story here 18:55
Capsizing and loss of life – Fishing vessel Caledonian Marine Investigation Report M15P0286
On 05 September 2015, at approximately 1530 Pacific Daylight Time, the fishing vessel Caledonian capsized 20 nautical miles west of Nootka Sound, British Columbia. At the time, the vessel was trawling for hake with 4 crew members on board. Following the capsizing, the master and mate climbed onto the overturned hull and remained there for several hours. When the vessel eventually sank, the master and mate abandoned it, and the mate swam toward and boarded the life raft. The Canadian Coast Guard subsequently rescued the mate and recovered the bodies of the master and the 2 other crew members. History of the voyage – On 27 August 2015, after the Caledonian had returned to Port Hardy, British Columbia, following a groundfish fishing trip, the crew began preparing the vessel to switch fisheries from groundfish to hake. They topped up the fuel and water tanks to the predetermined levels and the regular master gave a brief handover to the engineer, who was taking over as master. The handover briefing focused on loading practices for hake. The master described the vessel’s departure condition, explaining that the 2 forward fish holds and the 2 aft fish holds were to be filled with seawater and that 2 tons of ice (no seawater) were to be stowed in each centre hold. Read the full report here 15:38
The momentum continues to build! FISH-NL reaches Crowd Funding goal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, Dec. 14th, 2016 – The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) has reached its fundraising goal of $16,000 raised over five days through a crowd funding campaign. “We asked for support and we got it,” said Ryan Cleary, president of FISH-NL. As of 3 p.m. today, 135 people had donated a total of $16,005 — money to purchase media advertising, hire staff to oversee the conclusion of the membership drive, and travel/office expenses. “Support continues to pour in from all over Newfoundland and Labrador in the form of signed FISH-NL cards and donations,” said Cleary. “The momentum continues to build, and it’s fascinating to watch it unfold.”
Lee County deputies hook 2 fishermen for ‘gillnetting’
Marine deputies arrested two men during an operation aimed at curbing an illegal fishing method known as gillnetting. On Tuesday, deputies say they stopped a commercial fishing boat in Pine Island Sound that was in the process of hauling back its nets. During the stop, deputies say they found fishing nets with oversized mesh, making them gill nets. Gill nets have been prohibited in Florida waterways since 1996 in an effort to protect inshore fish like mullet, redfish, pompano and snook. The fisherman, Wayne Henderson, 25, and Ryan Thompson, 23, were arrested. The Bokeelia men face 29 misdemeanor charges combined. Link 14:33
Maine Scallop fishermen stay close to home
Scallop divers might have been feeling optimistic, due to a steady increase in landings in recent years, when the fishery started for the winter season on Dec. 1. But the number of scallop draggers showing up in Cobscook Bay on their opening day, Dec. 5, seemed to indicate a certain pessimism. Trisha Cheney, the resource management coordinator for scallops for the Maine Department of Marine Resources told The Quoddy Tides that only 69 boats showed up for opening day. That’s about half the size of the fleet that has been in the bay at the start of the season during many years. Almost all of the boats were local Cobscook Bay boats. In the past, many draggers from ports to the west have traveled to Cobscook Bay to fish. This year, the fleet was apparently more spread out. Cheney told the paper that 76 draggers were fishing in the Jonesport area this year. Read the rest of the story here 14:03
Icelandic Fishermen’s Strike to Resume Tonight
Members of the Icelandic Fishermen’s Association have voted down a wage contract, signed by their representatives and Fisheries Iceland in mid-November, RÚV reports. No fewer than 562, or 76 percent of fishermen, voted against the contract, while 177, or 24 percent, approved it. That means a strike, postponed at the signing of the contract, resumes at 8 pm tonight. The strike is expected to last past Christmas. This is the second time this year that fishermen reject a wage contract signed by their representatives. Three smaller fishermen’s associations also rejected their contracts, according to Vísir. The CEO of Fisheries Iceland, Heiðrún Lind Marteinsdóttir, expressed her disappointment at the news of the vote. She told RÚV that the state negotiator would assess when a meeting of the negotiating parties should be held. “We have said that fishermen’s demands have been met to a large extent, and there is, in fact, no dispute about that.” She finds it unlikely that the situation will change before Christmas. Link 13:36
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for December 12, 2016
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 13:11
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 63.5′ Steel RSW Offshore Lobster/Crab Boat, 12-V-71, J D – 35 KW Genset, with Traps and Permit
Specifications, information and 38 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:28
NMFS Final Rule on Mid-Atlantic Council’s Frank R. Lautenberg Deep Sea Coral Protection Area
The Council approved the Deep Sea Corals Amendment to the Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish Fishery Management Plan in 2015 in order to protect deep sea corals from the impacts of bottom-tending fishing gear. Within the protected area, commercial fishermen are prohibited from using most types of bottom-tending fishing gear such as trawls, dredges, bottom longlines, and traps. The rule does not apply to recreational fishing, commercial gear types that do not contact the sea floor, or the American lobster trap fishery. An exemption is provided for the deep sea red crab commercial trap fishery. Vessels may transit through the area if fishing gear is stowed and not available for immediate use. Development of the deep sea coral protection area was informed by several recent scientific research efforts undertaken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, including several deep sea surveys and the development of a predictive deep sea coral habitat suitability model. Using this information, the landward boundaries for the protected area were developed cooperatively by members of the Council’s advisory panels, deep sea coral experts, fishing industry members, and other stakeholders. Read the rest here with links to Fed Register 11:35
Transportation Safety Board report on B.C. fishing boat capsizing that killed three to be released
Investigators with the Board are scheduled to release a report today about a commercial fishing boat that capsized last year near Tofino, B.C., killing three men. The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre has said the Caledonian’s crew was trying to haul in a net on Sept. 5, 2015, when the boat listed. It capsized and sank about 55 kilometres west of Estevan Point off Vancouver Island. A fourth man was rescued from a life-raft hours later. The BC Coroners Service identified Wesley Hagglund, Keith Standing and Doug White as the men who died in the accident. Link 09:55
State of Oregon opens portion of coast for commercial Dungeness crabbing
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Agriculture have announced that the opening of the commercial crab season from Cape Blanco to the Oregon/California border is set for Dec. 18.“We have consistently taken a very precautionary approach when opening our crab fisheries,” said ODFW Marine Resources Program Manager Caren Braby. “Recent test results have consistently shown low biotoxin results on the southern end of the state and decreasing levels in ports north of this area indicating they are of excellent quality, safe for consumption and ready for harvest.” In addition, the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission announced Tuesday that Oregon Dungeness crab fishermen and seafood processor representatives participating in state-supervised crab price negotiations have agreed on an opening price of $3 per pound for the 2017 Dungeness crab season partial opening this week. Read the rest of the story here 08:59
Opinion: Lawsuit against wind farm is shortsighted
Commercial fishing interests are very shortsighted in filing a NIMBY lawsuit against the wind farm area off Long Island [“Suit over wind farm auction,” News, Dec. 9]. Deepwater Wind, the developer of the new Block Island wind farm and one likely bidder to develop the Long Island site, has demonstrated that the construction of an offshore wind farm can be managed in cooperation with a variety of interest groups and done in a way to avoid harming wildlife. By suing to stop or stall the leasing of an area for urgently needed renewable energy, the fishing groups ignore the very real crisis of climate change. Climate change imperils the world’s oceans, and without building offshore wind power, the damage from climate change to the ecosystems that support commercial fishing will more likely lead to the collapse of fisheries because of warming and acidifying oceans. Elizabeth Sabbatini, Old Brookville Link 08:25
Lobstermen accused of ‘scrubbing’ female lobsters get license suspensions
The licenses of two Maine lobstermen have been suspended for six years because the Department of Marine Resources determined that the men illegally removed eggs from female lobsters. Dexter Bray Jr., 36, of Stonington and Philip Poland, 42, of Cushing will lose their licenses as the result of separate investigations, the Department of Marine Resources said Tuesday in a press release. Bray is accused of “scrubbing” female lobsters – removing eggs from the underside of a female lobster’s tail. Marine Patrol investigators said an anonymous tipster contacted them last spring and told them that Bray had tried to sell two egg-bearing lobsters at a lobster co-op in Stonington. Bray could face a fine of as much as $1,600. Investigators who received an anonymous complaint last summer said that Poland removed eggs from three female lobsters. Poland could face a fine of as much as $1,900. Read the rest of the story here 07:50
