Monthly Archives: December 2016
North Pacific Fishery Management Council allows sport guides to buy commercial halibut quota
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, master of the nation’s most valuable fishing region, decided on Dec. 10 to implement a new plan that in some ways reflects changing attitudes and economies in the North Pacific and in Alaska. The plan involves allowing guided recreational halibut fishermen to buy up commercial quota through a system called an RQE — a recreational quota entity. This differs from an existing program that allows sport guides to lease, but not buy, commercial quota. Commercial fishermen don’t welcome the change, and in fact see it as one more nail in the coffin of a historical Alaskan enterprise that is more expensive and more difficult to enter that it ever has been. Commercial fishermen think the RQE will usher in the absolute death of Southeast Alaska coastal village fleets in a matter of five years, all at the hands of the tourism behemoths that control more and more of the island economies. “This is the death of a small boat, owner-operator fishery. It’s over,” said Clem Tillion, a North Pacific fisheries fixture and longtime advocate for coastal quota ownership. “Holland America and Carnival (Cruise Line) will buy the quota and hired hands will fish it, and the small boat fleet out of villages is gone.” Read the article here 13:55
Wespac Still Pushing Obama To Lift Marine Monument’s Fishing Ban
With President Barack Obama set to arrive Friday for vacation on Oahu, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is making another push for his administration to ease the anticipated impacts of the newly expanded on Hawaii’s $100 million commercial fishing industry. Wespac Executive Director Kitty Simonds and Chair Ed Ebisui Jr. have asked the president to delay implementation of the commercial fishing prohibition for five years, pointing out how there’s a precedent for phasing in such bans. Using his executive authority under the Antiquities Act, Obama signed a proclamation in August to quadruple the size of Papahanaumokuakea around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The commercial fishing ban took effect immediately. Read the rest here 13:07
NMFS Seeks Public Comment-Proposed Rule to Require Turtle Excluder Device Use for Skimmer Trawls, Pusher-Head Trawls, and Wing Nets (Butterfly Trawls)
More shrimp fishermen would have to use nets equipped with turtle escape hatches, to prevent sea turtle deaths, under proposed new federal rules. The National Marine Fisheries Service wants to require more shrimp fishermen to use “turtle excluder devices.” The devices are metal grates that allow turtles to escape the boats’ nets. The fisheries service announced the proposed rules Thursday. They will be subject to a public comment process through mid-February. Thursday was the deadline for the federal government to propose regulations to protect turtles under a settlement with the conservation nonprofit Oceana. Oceana sued the government in April 2015, arguing that government estimates indicate that more than 500,000 sea turtles get caught in shrimp nets each year, and more than 53,000 of them die. Link NMFS Seeks Public Comment for Proposed Rule Click here 11:39
FISH-NL announces ad campaign featuring personal messages from harvesters
Do I want to be apart of a union that sets rules and regulations to favour a chosen few? Do I want to be apart of a union that turns its back on outside buyers when they’re prepared to pay fishermen $3.50 US a pound for cod? Do I want to be part of a union that used our own dues to fight our fellow scallop fisherman in court — and lost — then only to waste more of our money to appeal? The answer is no. I’m Boyd Lavers, a fish harvester from Port Saunders, and I’m behind FISH-NL.
Friday, Dec. 15, 2016 – The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) launched an advertising campaign this week, featuring six fish harvesters from around the province with personal messages to their current union, the FFAW. “For some unknown reason, the FFAW won’t acknowledge the fact that its membership is in full-fledged revolt,” says Ryan Cleary, president of FISH-NL. “The FFAW fiddles as its membership burns its union cards.” Leading up to Christmas Eve, dozens of 30-second radio advertisements will play on the VOCM network throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. The advertisements were recorded by harvesters over the telephone from the outports where they live. Funds for the advertising campaign were raised through a Crowd Funding campaign on the Internet. FISH-NL set a goal of $16,000, money raised through donations in five days. For more information, contact Ron Woodman 697-6026 10:37
Fishery Council Sends Letters to Obama on Impacts of Marine National Monuments
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is hopeful that when President Obama arrives in Honolulu tomorrow, he will acknowledge the $100 million commercial fishing industry in Hawai‘i and the impacts on that fishery by his expansions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (MNM) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the Pacific Remote Islands MNM, which includes nearby Johnston Atoll. The value of the Hawaii longline fishery is excess of $300 million when factoring in retail markets and support industries and their employees. “The push for the monuments was driven not by popular demand but by a Washington, DC-based environmental organization, the Pew Environment Group, which has had the ear of successive presidents,” explains Council Chair Edwin Ebisui Jr. Now there is talk about overlaying the monument status with a National Marine Sanctuary designation.” Read the WPFMC press release here 09:41
Research reveals black gill kills shrimp
A disease that’s crippling the shrimp industry may be doing more damage than originally thought. Researchers in our region have made new findings about black gill disease, this as the industry is still rebounding from the worst shrimp harvest in Georgia history. The latest findings from scientists with the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is unsettling. It reveals black gill may continue to push the shrimp industry into the red. “We’ve observed in controlled laboratory situations, mortality events, death of shrimp, that could only be caused by them having black gill. We’ve removed all other predators, uh, we have control groups where they don’t die, so it’s not something else in the water, but the ones with the black gill are dying.” said Dr. Marc Frischer with the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. Video, read the story here 08:58
New Bedford fishing boat finds body near Provincetown
New Bedford fishermen found a human body as they pulled in their nets early Thursday off Provincetown. The gender of the body found in the fishing gear was not confirmed, and the state medical examiner has accepted jurisdiction of the case, Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Tara Miltimore said. Fishermen on the Hera reported at 4:35 a.m. that they had pulled up what they believed was a human body in their nets, state police said Thursday morning. At that time, state police could not confirm if it was a body, state police spokesman David Procopio said. The Hera went to Provincetown Harbor and a state police detective from the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office went to the town pier to meet the boat, Procopio said. Read the story here 20:14
Commercial fishermen fear for future under NSW Government industry (catch share) reforms
Allan Reed left school at The Entrance at the age of 16, he has overcome many snags in a 37-year career as a commercial fisherman on the Central Coast. But now the 53-year-old and his 79-year-old father, Allan Sr, along with dozens of other commercial fishers in the region, face the “soul-destroying” prospect of it all coming to an abrupt end. Mr Reed and his father will have to pay $370,000 to keep their prawning, mud-crab and meshing business operating in local waters under the State Government’s reforms to the $90 million industry. “We’ll have to buy all these extra shares to keep operating just as we are now. How does that make sense?” In a week when an upper house inquiry into commercial fishing in NSW is hearing submissions from various stakeholders, Mr Reed said the industry overhaul was “all about benefiting a handful of people and driving out the rest of us”. NSW Wild Caught Fishers Coalition president Dane Van Der Neut estimates half of the 100 commercial fishers on the Coast, from Tuggerah Lake to the Hawkesbury, will be “squeezed out” when the reforms kick in from July next year. Read the story here 15:34
Coast Guard hoists injured fisherman from vessel 20 miles off Florence, Ore.
A Coast Guard aircrew hoisted an injured crew member from a 75-foot fishing vessel more than 20 miles off Florence, Thursday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Coos Bay received the initial notification in a series of incomplete VHF-radio transmissions shortly after midnight. They made contact over phone with the master of the fishing vessel Leann, who confirmed that the crew member was unconscious after he fell and suffered a head injury. While the aircrew readied to launched, the master reported that the crew member was awake but combative, and at the request of the helicopter pilot a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew, from Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River in Florence, responded as well to act as a safety boat. Once on scene, the rescue swimmer was lowered to the vessel to prepare for the hoist while the remaining helicopter crew left to take on fuel. The MLB crew remained on scene until the hoist was safely completed, at which time they returned to station. An from Coast Guard Sector North Bend safely transported the 50-year-old man to medical personnel at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay. link 14:34
Controlling Agreements – Future of N.S. fishery hinges on federal court appeal
The president of a Nova Scotia fishermen’s union is hopeful a federal court appeal in early 2017 will fail in its challenge of a ministerial decision to enforce policies insulating Atlantic Canada’s inshore fishery from corporate interests. “It’s also our hope that the policy, as well as the minister’s power to regulate the industry for social, cultural and economic considerations, gets strengthened under the Fisheries Act,” , president of the Maritime Fisherman’s Union Local 9 in Meteghan, told the Chronicle Herald in an interview. Enacted in 2007, the aim of Preserving the Independence of the Inshore Fleet in Canada’s Atlantic Fisheries is to enforce the owner-operator and fleet separation policies established in 1979 by Roméo LeBlanc — father of current fisheries minister Dominic LeBlanc — so that inshore fish harvesters remain independent, allowing the profit of fishing licences to flow to fishers and Atlantic coastal communities. Read the article here 13:19
Transportation Safety Board wants life-vests mandatory for commercial fishermen
The federal government should look at the success of seatbelt laws when it considers a recommendation that would require commercial fishermen to wear a life-jacket at all times while on deck, the head of the Transportation Safety Board says. The recommendation to make life-jackets mandatory was part of a report released Wednesday into the deadly capsizing of a 30-metre fishing trawler last year off the west coast of Vancouver Island. “There was a time when it was OK to drive a car and not wear a seatbelt,” Kathy Fox said following a news conference in suburban Vancouver. Three men died and one survived when the Caledonian turned over and sank shortly after it loaded what was to be its final haul of hake on Sept. 5, 2015. The person who survived was also the only one wearing a personal flotation device. Read the story here 12:15
New super long-lining catamaran being built for Abbott family at Narooma
The commercial fishing industry on the Far South Coast is about to get a big boost with a new 25-metre, state-of-the-art, long-lining catamaran being built for the Abbott family of Narooma. The three siblings, Ryan, Todd and Hayley, still only in their 20s, have invested heavily in the multi-million-dollar vessel because they believe in the sustainability of the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery and the demand for their top-quality fish continues to grow unabated. The new vessel, yet to be named, is currently taking shape in an Adelaide boat factory and is believed to be the first large commercial fishing vessel being built in Australia for the last 12 years. “With only 30 long-line vessels left in the entire fishery and the huge patch of water, the fishery is truly sustainable and much of it virtually untouched,” Read the story, and view 15 photos here 10:10
UPDATED: Charlie Melancon resigns from post as secretary of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Melancon spent most of his brief tenure either pissing people off or running another typical Louisiana corruption scheme. The biggest issue that has arisen in Melancon’s tenure was his opposition to the state taking over red snapper fisheries from the Federal government. Why would the state be opposed taking over red snapper jurisdiction from the Feds? Because as Scott wrote back in September, a JBE (Gov. John Bel Edwards) donor would be hurt. Read the story here About that Sealord donor! Charlie Melancon has resigned Wednesday as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “Charlie and I have agreed that we should move the agency in a different direction,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday. Read the rest here 09:44
Lobster buyer charged
A lobster buyer based out of Seal Cove is facing a year’s suspension of his license and a fine for allegedly violating Department of Marine Resources (DMR) reporting requirements. Donald Crabtree Sr., 48, of Crabtree Seafood in Brewer was summonsed Aug. 10 on a charge of violating the reporting requirements rule Chapter 8, a civil violation. Crabtree is scheduled to appear in Hancock County Unified Criminal Court for a dispositional conference on Dec. 16. According to Jeff Nichols, communications director of the DMR, the charge follows an investigation that began in the summer months of 2015 and continued through much of the summer of 2016. Crabtree is accused of buying lobsters from fishermen and not giving out sales receipts, Nichols said. Lobster buyers are required to report all transactions, including those made with cash. Read the story here 08:59
Alternative Energy Collides With Fishermen’s Livelihood Off Long Island
The federal government on Thursday plans to auction off a parcel of 79,000 acres in the Atlantic Ocean just south of Long Island to build a wind farm over fishing grounds that scallop and squid fishermen say are vital to their trade. Bidders hope to secure a 25-year lease to operate a wind farm, to sell the electricity to energy-hungry Long Island and the New York City region. Offshore wind is a big part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan for New York to get half of its energy from alternative sources by 2030. But the commercial fishing industry opposes building wind turbines on this particular stretch of the Atlantic Ocean, which is sandwiched between shipping lanes into and out of the New York harbor. “We are very afraid we are going to lock up an area of the bottom that is definitely favorable for scallop settlement,” said James Gutowski, a scallop fisherman from Barnegat Light, N.J., and chairman of the Fisheries Survival Fund. Members of the fishing industry say the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management didn’t adequately consider what the impact would have on scallop and squid fishing grounds. Read the story here 08:24
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
Disease outbreak in Logan River prawns turns ugly as politicians go to war on compensation
PROFESSIONAL fishermen have called for a total Logan River fishing ban in an attempt to control the spread of an exotic disease in prawns. It comes as a brawl breaks out between politicians over compensation for prawn farmers and trawler operators whose businesses have closed due to white spot disease. The disease has been found in a Logan River prawn farm, prompting the closure of it and two of the eight others nearby in the $88 million a year industry. A ban on fishing for crustaceans is already in place. Fisheries Minister Bill Byrne said no compensation would be paid but Logan River farmers and fishermen would have costs reimbursed for any work carried out under the direction of Biosecurity Queensland. Read the story here 19:46
Gillnetters oppose WDFW initiative to raise commercial fishing license fees for residents, lower for non-residents
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has proposed an initiative called “Washington’s Wild Future: A Partnership for Fish and Wildlife” Among the policies, it calls for increasing the commercial fishing license fees. The proposed fees would generate close to $4 million in revenue per year, with $700,000 of that coming from license fee changes. Much of the policies in the initiative were modeled after Oregon and Alaska regulation. Essentially, the new legislation would increase the commercial license fee for residential fishermen by an average of 17 percent and decrease the non-resident license fee by 3 percent – something the WDFW calls “equalizing” the fees. For example, a Puget Sound Gillnetting Licenses for salmon currently costs $585 for residential commercial fishers and $890 for non-residents. Read the rest of the story here 17:32
