Daily Archives: March 6, 2017
Seine roe-herring fishery opens with sinking of vessel, one crew member missing
STRAIT OF GEORGIA — The commercial seine roe-herring fishery opened Monday to disaster with the sinking of the vessel, Miss Cory, and a search underway for a missing crew member. Dan Bate, spokesman for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said Marine Communications and Traffic Services in Victoria at 4 p.m. overheard a report that a fishing vessel had capsized off Cape Lazo near Comox on Vancouver Island. Four persons were recovered by another fishing vessel. The fifth crew member missing had been in the engine room during the capsizing and sinking in deep water, he said. The Canadian Coast Guard in Powell River and French Creek, near Parksville, are being enlisted in the search, along with a Canadian Forces Cormorant and search-and-rescue volunteers in Comox. continue reading the story here 23:58
“Blessing of the Fleet” – County Council joins in wishing “safe fishing” to crews preparing to head to Alaska
Washington is known for having some of the best seafood in the world, much brought to our shores from crews preparing to go to Alaska for the summer fishing season. The Metropolitan King County Council today recognized those brave men and women who will spend their summer in the North Pacific by recognizing the “Blessing of the Fleet” which will occur this weekend, the start of the halibut fishing season. “Commercial fishing has been a foundation of our economy for over a century. Fishers risk their lives, and their families risk the loss of their loved ones every year. The fishing industry is an integral part of our King County community,” said Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, the sponsor of the recognition. “We also acknowledge the many years of participation by the Ballard First Lutheran Church in the annual Blessing of the Fleet. We wish the fleet an abundant and abundantly healthy start of the season!” continue reading the story here 21:40
The Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Vancouver, Washington. March 7-13, 2017
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory bodies will meet March 7-13, 2017 in Vancouver, Washington. Advisory bodies will start Tuesday, March 7. The Council session will start on Wednesday, March 8 to address issues related to salmon, groundfish, highly migratory species, ecosystem, Pacific halibut, and habitat matters. For agenda item topics, please see the March 2017 meeting agenda. The March 2017 Council meeting will be live‐streamed. Click http://www.gotomeeting.com/online/webinar/join-webinar Enter the Webinar ID – The March 8-13, 2017 Webinar ID is: 897-986-459 Please enter your email address (required) Click here for details 20:43
Christie administration formally asks Department of Commerce to withdraw summer flounder quota
The Gov. Christie administration has filed a formal request with the U.S. Department of Commerce to stop restrictions on recreational summer flounder fishing from going into effect. The department oversees fisheries management under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The proposed NOAA quota calls for a reduction of summer flounder recreational and commercial limits by 30% in 2017 and 16% in 2018. In a news release, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said the limits would have a devastating impact on the state. He added that the rules vary “too widely” yearly, causing uncertainty for fisheries managers and anglers. Also, according to Martin, the state has more than 30 years of fish trawl surveys that indicate a measurable increase in the summer flounder stock offshore. Read the story here 16:06
Fishermen warned of the dangers of using drugs while at sea
Fishermen are being warned of the dangers of using drugs while at sea following several deaths linked to the use of amphetamines. In the last two years, 15% of fishing vessel accidents have involved drug abuse. Micky Hill’s son, Mike, was skipper of a scallop dredger when it capsized off Teignmouth, Devon. He died aged 22, along with Shane Hooper, 34 , who was found with amphetamines in his system. Mr Hill says Mike would not have allowed Shane on board if he’d known he’d been using drugs. Watch video here. We have a drug problem, people. One of the articles that continues to get an amazing amount of hits is about Wicked Tuna Fisherman Adam James Moser, age 27, of Portsmouth, N.H. whom passed away September 19, 2015, from an apparent overdose Link to the article 13:20
Crab ban timing aggravates fishermen – “It’s not too late. Give us an emergency opening.”
Crab fishermen are expressing frustration over how the state’s 30-day crab season moratorium was set for the weeks leading up to Lent when prices are higher. “Not during Lent, that’s what we’re saying. We don’t need to change the season, we need to change the date,” said Patrick Luke, a crab fisherman and the owner of P&S Seafood & Fuel in Dulac. Luke said crab fisherman wouldn’t be complaining if the closure was in October when prices are traditionally much lower. February is also “a period of time where we are allowed to pick up derelict crab traps. “So now you’re going to open back up this season, March 20, and you’re gonna have record crabs,” Luke said. “Say you had 50,000 pounds on that day. You’re gonna have like 500,000 pounds. The market can’t take it. So then what’s going to happen? The price is gonna drop. Who hurts? The fisherman.” Read the story here 10:58
Emergency crews responding to Burdwood Fish Farm diesel spill near northern Vancouver Island
Emergency crews are responding to a diesel spill at a fish farm near the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Early Sunday officials said at least 1,500 litres of diesel overflowed from the Burdwood Fish Farm in Echo Bay, B.C., northeast of Port McNeill. Farm crews reported the smell of diesel to Emergency Management B.C. just before 5 a.m. PT, according to an official report. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says the spill was caused by a diesel pump that was left on overnight. Shortly after 2 p.m., Courtney Bransfield, emergency program co-ordinator for the Mount Waddington Regional District, said all the recoverable diesel had been “contained to the farm’s fish pens” and absorbents to soak up the spill were in place. The company that owns the site, Cermaq Canada, issued a statement later on Sunday that the amount of diesel spilled was closer to 600 litres. continue reading the story here 09:41
NOAA Turns a Blind Eye – How manipulation and corruption are making a mockery of federal fisheries management
This question often comes up in discussions about the federal fisheries management process: Why are people who profit from the harvest and sale of America’s marine resources allowed to sit on management bodies that make regulations governing those resources? It’s a good question. The most contentious issue in the Gulf of Mexico is privatization of the red snapper fishery in which millions of dollars’ worth of a public resource was gifted to select commercial operators to harvest for their own personal profit. Gifted, for free. Yet, someone who owns red snapper shares can sit on the Gulf Council and vote on every aspect of that fishery. And one does. Over the past few years, certain members of the charter/for-hire sector have worked to launch a privatization program in which they, too, could own shares and use red snapper as their own. Yet, on the Gulf Council, people who own charter businesses and stand to directly benefit from the program are never required to recuse themselves from votes on that program. continue reading the article here 08:24
Fisherman says scene like ‘The Perfect Storm’ before being hoisted to safety
One of five fishermen who were plucked from churning, windswept seas off Newfoundland says they weren’t sure they’d make it as their boat was battered by “a perfect storm.” Frank Brown was with four other crew aboard the Northern Provider when a vicious storm came on quickly Sunday about 150 nautical miles northeast of St. John’s. Brown says the scene was similar to the movie The Perfect Storm, “but with a better ending,” for the crew that had been at sea since Monday in search of seals. He says they ran into trouble coming home Sunday morning when winds suddenly gusting to 60 knots pushed swells up to 10 metres. A coast guard helicopter was dispatched after the crew sent out a distress call, but conditions were so rough they couldn’t be taken off the boat and had to jump in the water before they could be hoisted up to the chopper. The Northern Provider was abandoned in the high seas, and Coast guard vessels have been dispatched to see if it’s still afloat. Link 07:54
