Monthly Archives: March 2017
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Sampson Lobster boat, 300HP, 6 Cylinder Cummins – Price Reduced!
Specifications, information and 35 photo’s click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 11:59
American Samoa wins suit against NMFS over Large Vessel Prohibited Area rule change
American Samoa has won its lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service over the Large Vessel Prohibited Area rule change. Hawaii Federal District Court Judge, Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi issued her ruling in the Territory of American Samoa’s case against NOAA ruling in favor of the Territory and vacating and setting aside NOAA rule 81 Fed. Reg. 5619 (Feb. 3, 2016) which shrunk the Large Vessel Prohibited Area (LVPA) from 50 to 12 miles. This allowed long-line vessels larger than 50 feet in length to fish closer to the islands. The Court reached this decision after concluding that NOAA failed to consider the Deeds of Cession. Specifically the Court ruled that, “the Deeds of Cession require the United States to preserve American Samoan cultural fishing practices and that the deeds constitute “any other applicable law” for purposes of the [Magnusson Stevens Act].” continue reading the story here 11:10
Forearm-sized prawn caught in Gulf of Carpentaria
A photo of the prawn sent to the ABC by Kai Thomas has generated plenty of interest on social media this week, with fishermen comparing their biggest catches. Austral Fisheries northern division manager Andrew Prendergast said it was rare to catch a prawn weighing 300g. “That’s a pretty significant prawn,” Mr Prendergast said “They’re not a target species of ours. We catch them incidentally and they’re generally always bigger than the grooved or brown tigers.” Mr Prendergast said he had never caught a prawn bigger than 300g, but he had seen one. “I do remember seeing something in the Australian fish management fishing magazine about one that was caught in the gulf, just under 400g,” he said. continue reading the article here 10:10
Gov. Paul LePage: US should take on EU-Canada lobster tariff plan
Maine’s governor says the U.S. should challenge a European Union plan to lift tariffs on Canadian lobster. Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, says the tariff deal would put Maine lobsters at a “significant disadvantage” to Canada. He made the comments during an appearance on WVOM-FM on Tuesday. American lobster wholesalers and retailers are concerned about the possibility of a tariff change, in part because the exchange rate already favors Canada. The EU imported more than $150 million in lobster from the U.S. last year. LePage says it’s time to go to Washington and “instill in them how serious this is.” He says he intends to use his connections with the Trump administration to push the issue. Link 09:17
Trump policies could mean big boon for Hawaii’s commercial fishermen and the enviro’s are upset!
The debate over fishing regulations at the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument
is heating up again. The council that helps outline rules for fishing in the federally protected area says it wants to work with the Trump Administration to ease restrictions there, making it easy for Hawaii’s commercial fishermen to work in waters around the monument. Environmental groups are demanding protections remain in place. Some are even calling for an investigation. The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council – known as Wespac – is meeting at the Ala Moana Hotel through Thursday. At the same venue as the Wespac meeting, a coalition of environmentalists and conservationist came together on Tuesday to challenge the council’s position. Watch the video, read the story here 08:46
York wavers on lobster co.’s big plans after owner’s arrest
The town could reconsider its involvement in securing a federal grant for lobster wholesaler Maine Coast, following the arrest over the weekend of Tom Adams, the company’s owner. The grant is a crucial part of a planned $1.2 million expansion of Maine Coast that would create jobs for local residents. Town Manager Steve Burns recently filed a letter of intent on behalf of the town, seeking a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant, which would be matched by Maine Coast. He said Tuesday, though, that Adams’ arrest could change things. Adams was arrested on a charge alleging drunken driving following an accident that sent local electrician Chris Welch to the hospital. “The question is, does it change the risk of the town?” said Burns. “The business is obligated to create 10 jobs. If all of a sudden it’s impacted because of legal action, does that expose the town?” continue reading the story here 08:11
Stakeholders hope for more input, more preparedness for potential cod fishery
When it comes to a rebuilding plan for the northern cod stocks, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union wants the government to remember why it’s important to plan for the longevity for the groundfish off the province’s northeast coasts. “That fishery and the way it was, was the lifeblood of many, many communities around rural Newfoundland and Labrador,” FFAW secretary treasurer Dave Decker says. “It’s important that as we are rebuilding that stock … we keep focus on why we’re rebuilding fisheries and it’s to rejuvenate the same communities. Decker took comfort that towns and harvesters affected by a cod moratorium that will celebrate a 25-year anniversary this year weren’t forgotten in a standing committee on fisheries and oceans report tabled in the House of Commons Monday. Ken McDonald, Member of Parliament for Avalon, who initially motioned for the study last February, is hopeful that investments into DFO last year to create 135 new jobs for research scientists following years of cutbacks will help facilitate those assessments. continue reading the article here 22:15
Small-boat scallop fishermen worry about being overwhelmed by larger boats in the Gulf of Maine
Since the start of the scallop season this month, Jim Wotton has dragged heavy dredges along the seabed off Gloucester, hauling in as much as 200 pounds a day of the valuable clams, the area’s federal limit for small-boat fishermen. Now, to his dismay, dozens of larger, industrial-sized boats have been steaming into the same gray waters, scooping up as many scallops as they can. Unlike their smaller counterparts, the large vessels have no quota on the amount they can catch; they’re only limited by the number of days they can fish.,, NOAA officials acknowledge the fishermen’s concerns, but have declined to take emergency action to close the fishery.,, Representatives of the larger boats say they have every right to fish in the area, and insist their catch won’t threaten the fishery.,, “The situation this year can’t continue and support a strong fishery year in and year out in the Gulf of Maine,” said Pete Christopher, a supervisory fishery policy analyst at NOAA Fisheries. “The council needs to change the way the fishery operates.” read the story here 18:52
Maine Lawmakers ask NOAA about trouble in scallop fishing industry
Two lawmakers from Maine want to know what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is doing to address trouble in the Atlantic scallop fishing industry. U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, say NOAA should work to ensure sustainability in the high-value fishery. A disagreement over the right to fish for the scallops has recently pitted small boats against big boats in the northern Gulf of Maine, a key fishing area. The federal government maintains different rules for the small- and big-boat fisheries, though they work some common areas. Pingree and King say they’ve heard concerns that the scallops are being overfished. They sent a letter to NOAA saying they’re concerned that an emergency action doesn’t seem to be on the table. Link 18:21
Please submit written comments – Amendment 23, Northeast Multispecies FMP, deadline 5 p.m. EST, Monday, April 3, 2017.
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is initiating the development of an amendment to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The Council is proposing to consider changes to the groundfish monitoring and reporting system to ensure it is providing accurate catch information necessary to manage the fishery efficiently. Click here to read about Amendment 23 (Groundfish Monitoring Amendment) You may attend any of the above scoping meetings to provide oral comments, or you may submit written comments on Amendment 23 by: Fax: (978) 465-3116; Email: [email protected] Mail at the address below. Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director New England Fishery Management Council 50 Water Street, Mill #2 Newburyport, MA 01950 The comment deadline is 5 p.m. EST, Monday, April 3, 2017. Please note on your correspondence; “Northeast Multispecies Amendment 23 Scoping Comments.” For some reason, there is no hearing slated in Rhode Island, and RI fishermen are wondering why there isn’t! 17:26
‘Wharfside Stories’ help unwrap history of Portland’s working waterfront
For more than 60 years Leland Merrill has made a daily pilgrimage to Widgery Wharf on the city’s waterfront. These days Merrill, now in his early 90s, no longer works a lobster boat, but he still has many friends on the wharf. Merrill’s tales of life and work among the lobstermen based in Portland Harbor is part of a new collaboration between the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership and the Waterfront Alliance. The project, called “”Wharfside Stories”,” provides a look at various aspects of Portland’s working waterfront. It will be part of an exhibition that’s open to the public during the day-long Portland Unwrapped event taking place Wednesday at various venues throughout the city. continue reading the story here 16:44
Fisheries committee calls for ‘rebuilding plan,’ information sharing on northern cod stocks
The once-mighty northern cod stock off Newfoundland needs an immediate “rebuilding plan,” according to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. The federal committee on the fishery also chastised the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for not yet establishing a fully-developed rebuilding strategy, almost 25 years after the commercial cod moratorium. In a report released Monday, the committee wrote it was “astonished” to learn that DFO had not yet fully implemented recommendations from a 2011 report, which called on DFO to set reference points for the stock. The committee cited expert opinion that warned without a plan, the stock was doomed to perpetual underperformance. While the committee did write that work was underway, it called on DFO to “immediately” create a plan, which should restrict fishing of northern cod until the stock leaves the critical zone, and manage availability of prey like capelin. continue reading the story here 12:15
Two guys who tried to sink their own commercial charter fishing boat get probation
Two men who intentionally tried to sink their commercial fishing boat in an effort to collect insurance money were sentenced to probation Monday. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Anello sentenced Christopher Switzer, 39, and Mark Gillette, 37, to 18 months of probation. Both pleaded guilty in February to conspiring to sink their commercial fishing boat, “The Commander.” The incident occurred on Oct. 11 when the two were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard from the sinking boat in an area about seven miles south of Dana Point. Gillette had reported the boat was taking on water and was in danger of sinking. It did not, however. continue reading the story here 10:45
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for March 20, 2017
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here 10:15
Getting a Jump on the Competition! Two busted for shrimping in closed state waters
Two shrimpers got a jump on their competition Friday by dropping nets in an area where the season hasn’t opened yet, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported Monday. Enforcement agents say they spotted Hoang Nguyen, 55, of Katy, Texas, and Nile Franklin, 52, of Gretna actively shrimping inside state waters southeast of Marsh Island Refuge. The area is in Iberia Parish. Agents boarded the boat and found shrimp onboard as well as shrimp in the nets, the department said. The live shrimp were returned to the water, but the 3,409 pounds of sacked shrimp found onboard were seized and sold at the dock, according to the department. continue reading the story here 09:52
How the illegal pursuits of a fishing empire could affect an entire industry already struggling under intense regulation.
He’s been dubbed the Codfather. Carlos Rafael, owner of a fishing empire that is the largest in the Northeast if not the country, is accused of exploiting federal fishery regulations to get ahead and misreporting hundreds of thousands of pounds of fish. His alleged crimes expose the pitfalls of a system meant to help fishermen and their catch coexist. It’s a tale of fraud, smuggling and organized crime better suited to the big screen than the docks of New Bedford.,, Besides tax evasion and fraud, the problem with Rafael’s plan is that it undermined the efforts of federal authorities to manage healthy fisheries and avoid over fishing. Fishermen from Rhode Island to Maine have had their catches limited by federal quotas since 2009 under a program regulators say promotes sustainable fishing, but for many fishermen it’s meant hanging up their hooks. During the first year of the catch-share program, there were 440 commercial boats. That number dwindled to just 120 by 2013. Read the story here 09:16
Iditarod demand for king crab keeps Nome fishermen busy
On a brisk and breezy afternoon, the stillness of the Bering Sea ice was broken up by the sounds of commercial crabbers, hard at work removing icy buildup from their crab pot openings. “We’re about four miles west of the Cape Nome. We’re currently set about 30 feet,” Greg Mendez explained. It’s part-time job for him, one that makes good money. “The market at the beginning of the year was $7.25. This time of year it drops to $6 per pound, so if you have a lot of crab that’s really good,” Mendez laughed. During the Iditarod, he sees a demand from people in Nome wanting fresh-caught crab and he’s happy to provide. Video, read the story here 08:18
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
Pamlico chamber to host meeting on shrimp proposals
The Pamlico Chamber of Commerce will hear Tuesday about the potential local effects from a recent Marine Fisheries Commission approval of changes to rules in the shrimping industry. The chamber membership will also hear about plans to start a new civic organization in the county. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Pamlico Community College’s Delamar Center and it is open to the public. The major focus will be on the February MFC vote on a rule-making petition brought by the N.C. Wildlife Federation that could ultimately limit shrimping to three days on the Intracoastal Waterway and other estuaries and four days on the ocean up to three miles out, among other proposals. Jerry Schill, president of the commercial fishing lobby group North Carolina Fisheries Association will be the keynote speaker. continue reading the story here 20:41:1
Push to investigate land-based salmon farming option for expanding Tasmanian industry
Tasmania’s Shooters and Fishers Party is pushing for land-based salmon farming, saying the move would silence the industry’s critics. The party believes with the industry’s projected dramatic expansion, and a growing groundswell of concern from the fishing community, it was time to consider options other than ocean pens. Vice-chairman Ken Orr said land-based salmon farming was being introduced around the world, including in the United States, Denmark, and on the Chinese-Mongolian border. He said the practice would eliminate uncertainty and many of the ocean open-cage controversies plaguing the industry in Tasmania. “You don’t have the issues with anyone saying that you’re trashing the environment,” Mr Orr said. “You don’t have the seal issues, you don’t have the sea lice and freshwater bathing, you don’t have the issues with escaped salmon.” Read the article here 17:24
Captain of Fishing Vessel Pleads Guilty for Discharging Waste into the Ocean
A captain of the fishing vessel (F/V) Native Sun pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Seattle, Washington, for discharging oily-waste directly into the ocean in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and the federal conspiracy statute. Randall Fox pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Lasnik of the Western District of Washington to two criminal felony counts for violating APPS’ prohibition against discharging oily-wastes, namely machinery-space bilge water, directly into the ocean. According to court documents, Randall Fox, and other co-conspirators, repeatedly discharged the oil-contaminated bilge water into the ocean using unapproved submersible pumps and hoses. On at least one occasion, such a discharge left a sizable oily-sheen along the surface of the water that trailed alongside the F/V Native Sun. Trial for vessel owner Bingham Fox is currently set to begin March 21, 2017. Read the rest here 15:38
Brexit Allows Us To Solve This Haddock Conservation Problem By Leaving The CFP
It would be terribly wrong to compare the European Union to any of the mid-20th century unpleasantnesses in Europe like fascism and the rise of the Nazis but it is true that that peaceful economic arrangement has managed something that total war did not, the rationing of fish and chips in Britain. For it is actually true that said fish and chips never was rationed. Even when the Kreigsmarine was trying to sink everything larger than a canoe which issued from Britain’s ports we still had that haddock, cod and plaice. Give it 45 years of that ever closer European union and the bureaucratic management of the Common Fisheries Policy and we’re being told that we must indeed ration our consumption:,,, It’s all there in Garret Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons. Where there’s an open access, what Hardin calls Marxian, resource, then that is just fine. If the regeneration capacity is greater than the annual demand, then all who want can have simply by taking. (See where this is going?) continue reading the article here 14:50
Your Winter 2017 Pacific Islands Fishery Newsletter is here!
Aloha, enjoy our new web-friendly newsletter format. Click here to download the entire newsletter as a printable PDF. Or click here to read entire issue online. Some issues included in the newsletter: Thousands of Species Slated for Ecosystem Component Designation, Comprehensive Tuna Management Stymied in the Pacific, Council Director Weighs in on Marine Protected Area Discussion, and others. Click here to read the newsletter 10:10
