Daily Archives: April 18, 2017
The fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador is in turmoil and I wish to inform the public as to the reasons why.
I am not taking sides with FISH-NL vs. the FFAW — this is a distinctly different matter that involves the right as to who represents fishers in collective bargaining. This is a matter of provincial jurisdiction that has nothing to do with fisheries management and DFO — a federal government responsibility. The Department of Fisheries and Ocean is denying the fishers their right to be consulted, and DFO has delegated its responsibility to the FFAW. The FFAW is a union constituted to represent fishers and plant workers for the purpose of collective bargaining. Click here to read the letter by Gabe Gregory Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s 20:56
Shooting won’t stop us: Tamil Nadu fishermen
At the break of dawn on March 05, 2017, as the rest of world was sleeping, Charles and four other fishermen fired up the engine of their trawler and left for fishing from Pamban Island, Rameswaram, India. Charles and his fellow fishermen were waiting for hours after setting the net in the middle of the sea near Danushkodi. Later, Charles pulled the net into the trawler and checked what was collected, but it was empty. The fishermen were anxious as they did not want to return empty-handed. One of the fishermen suggested to sail a little far and see whether they would be able to get a good catch. Charles and the others have already heard of stories of local fishermen being arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy when they tried to reach,,, click here to continue reading the article 19:36
Home after 6 months detention, fishermen recall ordeal in Gulf – For six months, Indian fisherman S. George lived in fear on a boat, thinking he would never see his wife and children again. Click here to read the story 20:40
Japan on verge of breaking tuna fishing cap, unable to enforce self-imposed limit
Japan is poised to exceed an international commitment to limit catches of threatened Pacific bluefin tuna just two years after it adopted the cap, which has been undermined by lax compliance. Japan leads the world in catches and consumption of the fish. As of Monday, the Japanese bluefin catch had reached 99.7% of the agreed-on quota for the 12 months ending in June, making it only a matter of time — possibly within the next two weeks — until the commitment is broken. In 2015, Japan adopted limits on catches of immature bluefin, following a decision by the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. For the year to June, the quota comes to 4,007 tons, 3,995 tons of which had been caught as of Monday. click here to read the story (2 pages) 17:33
Near-death drama leads commercial fisherman to insurance career
Three years ago, independent agent Patrick Schilling was trapped underwater in the cabin of a sinking commercial fishing boat in Alaska, fighting desperately to force open a door against the weight of the ocean. “The whole thing filled up with water,” he said. “I had to keep swimming up to the engine room [which contained an air pocket] … I was taking gulps of air and swimming under and was just pushing as hard as I could to try and get that door open. “I had my rain gear on and I couldn’t really move. I was pushing as hard as I could and nothing happened, and that’s when I thought: this is it.” Schilling miraculously survived, and has since swapped his fishing net for an agent’s desk. What used to be three-month stints out at sea have been replaced by a regular 9-5 desk job. click here to continue reading the story 16:37
Northeast Cooperative Research Program Review
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center initiated an independent review of its Northeast Cooperative Research Program in 2016. The final reviewer report, NEFSC response, and action plan are now available and posted below. The review found that the NCRP has demonstrated success working with fishing industry partners on research that can improve fishery science and management. Examples include long-term efforts like the NEFSC study fleet, development of electronic reporting tools for catch and environmental data, enhanced sampling opportunities of fishery resources, and specialized industry-based survey collaborations. Click here to continue reading. 16:10
Bucking rumors of a dying industry, young Lowcountry shrimpers take to the sea.
In pre-dawn’s inky stillness, brackish water floods the back roads leading to Haddrell’s Point near the mouth of Shem Creek on Charleston’s harbor, the full moon’s gravitational pull swelling tides to record heights. Where pavement turns to gravel, a lone street lamp illuminates old signage for the shuttered Wando Shrimp Company, a once vibrant seafood-processing warehouse that closed in 2014 after a sixty-five-year run. There, a ramshackle wooden walkway stretches toward the glaring floodlights of a shrimp trawler named the Miss Paula. Her tangle of furled nets, steel winches, chains, and ropes reach into the night sky. Water laps the dock as three young men pass buckets of ice up onto deck. One by one, their feet anchored in a scupper hole for leverage, they hoist themselves aboard. In an industry dominated by old salts, some of whom have been trawling shrimp for more than fifty years, the Miss Paula is remarkable for the youth of her crew. Captain Vasily “Vasa” Tarvin, at the time of this outing in late 2016, is 25. His deck mate, Franklin Rector, 23. Manning the wheel is Michael Brown, who at the age of 37, wryly pronounces himself “babysitter” on today’s run. click here to continue reading the story. 13:22
Fishing gear burned in Port au Choix protest
Fish harvesters from Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula burned crab and lobster pots Tuesday morning outside the Department of Fisheries and Oceans office in Port au Choix, saying they don’t have access to enough fish to make a living. “We feel we are completely abandoned,” said one of the organizers, Stella Mailman. “We are absolutely trash to them. That’s all we are.” Mailman, who fishes for lobster, groundfish and halibut with her husband, said protesters came from communities from Sandy Cove to Parsons Pond, with truckloads of gear. “Crab pots, drag nets, lobster pots, and they actually put them in the parking lot and set fire to them,” she said, estimating there were eight to 10 truckloads burned. click here to read the story 12:12
Day 6 – The hunger strike of Canadian Fisherman Richard Gillett continues
While Richard Gillett’s accommodations along the side of East White Hills Road have improved, his physical and mental state is headed in the other direction. Gillett, a Twillingate fisherman and vice-president of the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL), is five days into a hunger strike outside the entrance to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre. He is protesting what he considers mismanagement of Newfoundland and Labrador fish harvesting operations by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and its relationship with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union.,, Also on Monday, Gillett had a meeting with two representatives from DFO, a senior scientist and a member of senior management. The meeting, he says, was nothing more than “lip service” and an effort to gauge his level of determination and the expected turnout of supporters on Tuesday morning when federal employees return to work following the Easter long weekend. click here to read the story 10:50
The Massachusetts fishing fleet confronts an opioid problem
A reputation for drug use has long followed the Massachusetts fishing fleet, whose fiercely independent crews often return to port flush with cash and ready to exhale after long and dangerous trips. Some fishermen link that reputation to a rugged cowboy culture; others to the pain medication taken by men and women whose bodies are battered by the job. But now, as opioid deaths rise relentlessly in Massachusetts, fishing captains from Cape Ann to Buzzards Bay are beginning to stock their boats with naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses and is commonly sold under the trademark Narcan. click here to continue reading the story 09:46
An online home delivered service is going off the hook!
Door to door fish deliveries are taking off in Taranaki like never before. “It started as a part time business, three days a week. But now I’m so busy I can’t go hunting,” said George Cameron, owner of G & J Fish Supplies Ltd in New Plymouth. Cameron said he believed the internet had a lot to do with the resurgence of fresh fish because people could order online and have him deliver it fresh to their door.,, He processes all the fish himself in his small factory setup in New Plymouth, a process that can take to four or five hours each day. Video, click here to read the story 09:01
Cape fishermen and environmentalists push to protect herring stocks from “Localized Depletion”
Local fishermen are hoping the New England Fishery Management Council will help protect tuna and other fisheries from the herring fleet by agreeing to have measures asking for year-round closures of up to 50 miles east of the Cape analyzed and included during a vote expected later this year. The council is meeting in Mystic, Connecticut, today through Thursday, when the board will work on herring regulations. “There’s a strong feeling that fisheries that used to happen here have been displaced by 10 years of intense herring removal,” said John Pappalardo, executive director of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, and a member of the New England council and its herring committee. “The haddock resource is robust, but there’s no meaningful haddock fishery close to shore.” Localized Depletion. Are they not considering that with the squid fishery too? Oh yes they are! click here to read the story 08:08
You can listen to all the council action by clicking these links. To read the final agenda, click here Register click here to listen live via webinar.
