Daily Archives: March 5, 2017

Search and Rescue,150NM NE St John’s NL,5 Mar 2017

Five fishermen have been rescued from a fishing boat in distress 150 miles northeast of St. John’s today 21:27

Bumper harvest as herring return to Strait of Georgia in great numbers

The commercial roe-herring fishery opened with a flourish over the weekend as the gillnet fleet took its share of what the federal government predicts to be “near-historic” returns to the Strait of Georgia. The height of the action took place just north of Parksville, where gillnetters unfurled their nets in choppy seas and high winds along the east coast of Vancouver Island. Curious onlookers lined the shoreline, some with cameras and others with sport-fishing rods. Gulls and sea lions patrolled for their own catch. Milt — the seminal fluid — released by the male herring gave the cobalt ocean waters an exotic milky-turquoise colour. “It’s like a big orgy in a hot tub,” offered Brad McLean, owner of French Creek Seafood, watching from his second-floor office window. “It’s pretty, if you don’t think of what it is.” continue reading the story here 20:18

Tarheel Aluminum in Charleston launches first fishing boat since the ’90s

Tarheel Aluminum launched a fishing boat from the Charleston shipyard Friday, the first launch since the 1990s. The 40×15-foot aluminum vessel called the Alice Faye weighed in at 30,000 pounds on the shipyard’s new lift. It’s the first fishing vessel the family-run Tarheel Aluminum has made since the ’90s. Company owner Kyle Cox says their market buyers usually call for barges, so they’re excited to be making fishing vessels again. continue reading the story here with three more photo’s 16:43

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council may hike overall lobster harvest

Federal fishery managers meeting this week in Georgia hear proposals to raise the annual limit on spiny lobster harvests, the Florida Keys’ most economically important commercial species. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meets from Monday through Friday at the Westin resort in Jekyll Island, Ga. Permit limits in the for-hire (charter) sector in the snapper-grouper fishery also are up for discussion. The council is considering raising the annual catch numbers of spiny lobster because fishers contend that the number were based on yearly averages that include some of the worst lobster seasons on record. Twice in recent years, the harvests have exceeded the current catch limit of 7.3 million pounds. A legal sized spiny lobster weighs about 1 pound. During the bad seasons, “the historic low level of landings that were documented for the species [suggested] biological conditions had changed and that spiny lobster populations were at a new low normal,” says council staff summary. “Since landings have been much higher than anticipated, the review panel… determined that conditions for spiny lobster are likely better than they were during the 10-year period of low landings.” continue reading the story here 14:19

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Jekyll Island, GA March 6-10, 2017

The public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held at The Westin Jekyll Island, 110 Ocean Way, Jekyll Island, GA 31527, USA. Click here for details Webinar Registration: Listen Live, Click here 14:00

Tasmanian mayor heckled, ‘no confidence’ in minister, over fish farm pollution fears

The sometimes-heated community meeting was called to discuss Tassal’s plan for a fish farm in Okehampton Bay. A petition was also circulated calling on Glamorgan Spring Bay mayor Michael Kent to resign. The town appears to be splitting by some accounts over the fish farm proposal. Councillor Kent told the meeting he had been the subject of a campaign of mistruths and misinformation. Tensions boiled over in the crowd and there was loud heckling and booing. Bumper stickers opposing the project were distributed and slides shown of alleged instances of intimidation. Vision of the current state of Okehampton Bay was also shown. The meeting was also told the fish farm on the state’s east coast would have little economic benefit, and threatened the area’s marine health. continue reading the story here 12:52

Low Numbers of Sacramento and Klamath River Salmon Point to Poor Season

Recreational and commercial fishermen attending the annual salmon fishery information meeting in Santa Rosa on March 1 received grim news from state and federal biologists – they will see reduced salmon fishing opportunities in both the ocean and the Sacramento and Klamath River systems, due to low returns of spawning fish to the rivers last fall. The pre-season numbers unveiled by Dr. Michael O’Farrell of the National Marine Fisheries Service estimate only 230,700 Sacramento River fall run Chinook adults and 54,200 Klamath River fall run adults will be in the ocean this year. Biologists noted that both forecasts are lower than those of recent years, with the forecast for Klamath fall run being among the lowest on record. Salmon originating from these river systems typically comprise the majority of salmon caught in the state’s ocean and inland fisheries. Ocean regulatory management for salmon fisheries on the ocean from Cape Falcon in Oregon to the Mexico-US Border is heavily based on these runs. continue reading the article by Dan Bacher here 11:22

Stormy weather puts fishing boat in distress, 5 people rescued northeast of St. John’s

Five people have been rescued from a fishing boat in distress 150 nautical miles northeast of St. John’s. A spokesperson for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax said the boat was in distress due to stormy weather in the area.  The JRCC said Sunday it had dispatched a Cormorant, Hercules and two Canadian Coast Guard vessels to the ship in the early morning. JRCC said all five people aboard were rescued by helicopter and taken to Gander.  No one was injured. Link 09:58

Dear Secretary Ross.

Dear Secretary Ross, As members of our nation’s fishing communities, we want to express our gratitude for making the attainment of maximum sustainable yield in our fisheries a priority for the Commence Department.  We are also most appreciative of your publicly stated goal to increase domestic seafood production, which is a priority of Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities.  It is most encouraging that we have a Secretary of Commerce who understands the importance of sustainably harvested seafood. As you know, the U.S. fishing industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, and is a vital economic engine for our coastal communities. The industry is ready and willing to work with you and your department to achieve the goals you have set forth for American fisheries, and we want to build a successful relationship between the Commerce Department and commercial fishermen.  We know it is within our means to sustainably increase harvests and achieve maximum sustainable yield. A vibrant fishing industry will pay dividends not only to the coastal communities, but also to the millions of consumers who rely on the nutritional benefits of domestic sustainable seafood. Please click here and sign the petition. 09:39

Bait company’s freezer nearly empty. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has declared an emergency!

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has declared an emergency so the state’s one menhaden bait boat can begin fishing two weeks early. Louisiana Bait Products LLC officials say the emergency is that they’ve sold most of the 5,550 tons harvested last year, and don’t want to run out. “We had a pretty start to the crawfish season, so we’ve been selling a lot of our offseason inventory this year,” agent Shawn Switzer said Thursday from the office in Abbeville. Co-founder Daniel Edgar estimated Friday that Louisiana’s crawfish, crab and catfish industries use 37,500 to 50,000 tons of bait a year. Most is trucked in from Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. “We are going to run out of bait before April,” Edgar said. Read the story here 08:38