Daily Archives: March 20, 2017
Crew of lost crabbing vessel declared legally dead
The six men lost when their crabbing boat sank on a cold morning in the Bering Sea last month were declared legally dead at an unusual court proceeding Monday, allowing heartbroken families to take a first step toward closure and settling their loved ones’ affairs. The proceeding, known as a presumptive death hearing, is a kind of mini-trial held to determine whether a missing person can be declared dead. They are often held in the cases of people who have disappeared in such extreme terrain as to have exhausted the chances of survival or recovery. The fishing vessel Destination sank 3 miles north of St. George Island on the morning of Feb. 11, just before starting the winter snow crab season. The bodies of the men aboard — captain Jeff Hathaway and crew members Kai Hamik, Darrik Seibold, Larry O’Grady, Raymond Vincler and Charles G. Jones — have not been found. continue reading the story here 23:34
FISH-NL calls on Ottawa to reopen seal hunt by March 25th
Monday, March 20th, 2017 The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) is calling on Ottawa to reopen by March 25th the harp and hood seal hunt to all harvesters and all fleets in Newfoundland and Labrador. The federal government closed the hunt on March 15th to allow time for seal whelping and nursing, which will be all but wrapped up by the 25th. Sealers want to harvest the older seals then for their meat and high fat content (although the entire animal is utilized), but as more times passes, the animals lose their weight. Read the press release here, and support the seal hunt! 22:37
Engine failure on big scallop trawler investigated by TSB
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board expects to complete its preliminary investigation by Tuesday into an engine failure last week on board the scallop dragger Atlantic Destiny. The TSB dispatched two investigators from Quebec and two from its Ottawa laboratory to Shelburne, N.S., where the 43-metre long vessel was towed after a mechanical failure caused the ship to lose power. According to a timeline provided by Transport Canada spokesperson Stephen Bornais, the Atlantic Destiny lost main engine power 200 kilometres south of Yarmouth on the night of March 14. Clearwater scallop trawler Atlantic Preserver came to her aid and began towing her to Shelburne harbour the next day. Investigators boarded the vessel on March 18, examined the engine room and interviewed crew and witnesses, TSB said Monday. continue reading the story here 18:12
Atlantic fishermen groups want more time to adapt to new vessel safety rules
Fishery organizations in Atlantic Canada say they are frustrated with the rollout of new federal fishing-vessel safety regulations scheduled to take effect in July, but Ottawa says they’re being given sufficient time to comply.Representatives from a number of regional and national groups walked out of a meeting with Transport Canada Officials on Thursday in Halifax when they didn’t get the answers they were hoping for. Sharon Walsh, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association, says the groups are looking for a phase-in period to help fishermen and companies be compliant — but federal officials have not been receptive to the idea. continue reading the story here 13:51
UMass Dartmouth awarded $1M for scallop, flounder fisheries research
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth scientists will receive $1 million in federal research funds to improve management of the scallop and flounder fisheries.The funding, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Northeast Fisheries Science Center and New England Fishery Management Council Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program, was awarded last week to the researchers at the UMass School for Marine Science and Technology.Projects will focus on bycatch reduction, scallop biomass and improving the understanding of scallop biology. The scallop survey research will be led by Kevin Stokesbury, while Daniel Georgiana will expand on previous sea scallop gray-meat research. Link 11:51
2017-2018 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Recommended Awards Announced – Click here to read about the projects
A quarter-million salmon died in their Bay of Fundy pens last summer during a sea lice outbreak
Documents filed with New Brunswick’s Court of Queen’s Bench reveal an environmental disaster was only narrowly averted last summer in the Bay of Fundy. The incident is tied to an outbreak of sea lice at aquaculture sites managed by the Gray Group, which had slipped into receivership owing millions of dollars to creditors. More than 250,000 salmon died from the fast-growing infestation before contractors managed to gain the upper hand. An additional 284,000 salmon were pre-emptively killed to contain the spread. The documents describe a race against the clock as Kinsman tried to convince insurers that more than 500,000 fish at Hospital Island and a nearby site at Hog Island needed to be killed to prevent the spread of the infestation to other areas. continue reading the story here 09:35
Sale and trade of shark fins to continue in Florida, and environmentalists are upset
Environmentalists sighed in disappointment after a Florida Senate bill banning the sale and trade of shark fins was amended last week, weakening its original intent. Originally proposed by Northeast Florida Senator Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, Senate Bill 884 would have thwarted the lucrative business of shark fin sales with strong language outlining the punishment and violations of the sale, trade or distribution of fins. “Eleven other states that had ports where this activity was taking place have already banned the sale and trade of shark fins,” said Erin Handy, campaign organizer for Oceana’s Climate & Energy Campaign in Florida. “Florida would have been the twelfth.” Handy speculates the state has been slow to implement rules against the sale and trade of shark fins due to the fishing industry. “There’s some opposition from the fishing industry saying the fins are the most valuable part and they should be able to sell them if they catch the shark and land it legally,” she said. That is called common sense! read the story here 08:49
Problems surface at Fulton Fish Market
Late last month in the Bronx, one of the city’s oldest and largest seafood wholesalers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The problems of M. Slavin & Sons Ltd. and its 80-year-old patriarch, Herb Slavin, could affect far more than creditors and its 105 workers, who fillet fish, drive delivery trucks and handle sales at its headquarters in the New Fulton Fish Market. The century-old firm is the largest tenant of the Hunts Point market and the fourth in as many months to have hit a financial wall. The three previous casualties are gone for good, leaving the sprawling facility, which is run as a cooperative, with a 30% vacancy rate. Some of the 30 or so remaining tenants fear that Slavin’s misfortune could drag them down, as they would have to pick up its share of the rent. “If Slavin goes out, that will be a big hurt,” says Joseph Sciabarra, owner of Mt. Sinai Fish Inc. “They pay rent on 15% of the building.” continue reading the story here 08:06
