Daily Archives: April 19, 2017
Medieval Histories – Medieval Cod Wars 1415 – 2017
In the 15th-century long-distance fishing appeared as one of the first global industries. Then – as now – huge political and economic interests were at stake; often leading to war. Medieval fishing in the North Sea has for a long time been an important topic for a group of historians, archaeologists and scientists led by J. H. Barrett, Reader in Medieval Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. Being an archaeologist, this has resulted in significant accumulation of valuable knowledge as to how and when the fishing trade in Northern Europe exploded; and how it successively played out. (this is an interesting read, Fast forward) And so it went for centuries with more than ten officially registered “cod wars”. According to the received history, the last two of these began immediately after WW2, when Iceland gained its independence from Denmark.,, Cod Wars Post Brexit,,, click here to read the story 19:19
Eat prawns over Easter? They might’ve been contaminated, Brisbane prawn catches at risk from airport chemical spill
Prawns eaten over the Easter long weekend were most likely contaminated by last week’s toxic spill, Brisbane’s commercial fishers have warned. At least 300kg of prawns were caught from the contaminated zone of the Brisbane River and sold on to local residents over Easter because local fishers were not warned against it. State Environment Minister Steven Miles yesterday wrote to the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester seeking immediate enforcement action to be taken against those responsible for the chemical spill and for the responsible party to “remediate and compensate for any harm caused”. The Queensland Seafood Industry Association received advice from Fisheries Queensland only on Tuesday – a week after the spill – to stop selling seafood caught within the contaminated zone. Local commercial fisher Michael Wilkinson said the advice was “too little, too late” after the State Government initially said the contaminated area did not affect commercial fishing zones. “It makes me sick to my stomach that I sold contaminated food to somebody unbeknown to me,” he said. click to read the story 16:58
Brisbane prawn catches at risk from airport chemical spill – click here to read the story.
UPDATED: Port aux Choix protesters get meeting with fishery officials
Since the April 18 protest, a meeting has been scheduled between DFO Area Director John Lubar and protest representatives for Friday, April 21 in Hawke’s Bay. Port au Choix harvester Stella Mailman has told the Northern Pen that seven or eight representatives from the area, representing different fleets and fleet sizes, will be attending the meeting – herself, included.
She is hoping they will address the issues the harvesters were protesting and advocating for on April 18. “The 4R lines, the adjacency, and talk about all the cuts to the fishery,” said Mailman. “All the things that was brought up during the protest will be put on the table.” She feels having a meeting means they’re making some progress and hopes that those in authoritative positions in the fishery will not just be willing to talk with them, but with people like Richard Gillett, the harvester undertaking a hunger strike, in St. John’s. click here to read the story 16:30
Day 7 – Newfoundland Fisherman Richard Gillett says he’s prepared to die on hunger strike against Ottawa
Celebrity Newfoundland fisherman Richard Gillett hasn’t eaten for nearly a week, and says he’s prepared to die for his protest over fisheries management.Gillett starred three seasons on the reality TV series “Cold Water Cowboys,” but is now living in a tent at federal fisheries headquarters in St. John’s. He has slept there six nights and says he has consumed just water since starting his protest on Thursday. Gillett’s demands include a teleconference meeting with federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc and an independent review of science and management for all provincial fish stocks. His father, John Gillett, says his diabetic son has had past heart issues and, though he supports his cause, wants him to eat. A spokeswoman for LeBlanc says the minister is not available to discuss the hunger strike or other recent protests about the fishery. Link 15:47
Lobster fishing in Gulf of Maine coral canyons gets initial approval
The New England Fisheries Management Council voted 14-1 to ban most fishing in the canyons and plateaus where slow-growing, cold-water coral gardens flourish in the dark waters of the Gulf of Maine. But pleas from Maine lobster fishermen who say a trap ban in fertile fishing grounds off Mount Desert Rock and Outer Schoodic Ridge would cost them millions helped sway an initially resistant council to grant a lobstering exemption. Fishermen also said closing these areas would have led to more traps, and fishing lines, being dropped in nearby waters traveled by endangered right whales, which can suffer injuries or die if they become entangled in lobster fishing lines. Opponents, including environmentalists and some who fish for other species that would not get an exemption in the coral zones,,, click here to read the story. 14:50
From the Council – NEFMC Selects Deep-Sea Coral Amendment Preferred Alternatives, Click here to read 15:43
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 230ft. Steel Freezer Trawler, 4896HP, 12 Cylinder Wartsila 12V28B
Specifications, information and photo’s and videos click here (click the square on blue header for menu, here ) To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:42
‘Deadliest Catch’ captain Sig Hansen won’t face charges in alleged abuse
Celebrity crab-boat captain Sig Hansen won’t face criminal charges on claims that he sexually abused his toddler daughter nearly three decades ago, Snohomish County prosecutors said Tuesday after conducting a review of old case materials. “We have concluded that it’s outside our charging standards and we’re going to maintain our original decision not to charge Mr. Hansen,” Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Baldock said. Meantime, a civil lawsuit against Hansen brought by his estranged daughter, Melissa Eckstrom, remains on hold until the state Court of Appeals decides whether a King County judge’s ruling that would allow the civil case to go to trial is legally sound. Click here to read the story 11:42
Weak Meats: Researchers identify widespread parasite in Alaska scallops
A lot of Alaska’s scallops are sick, and scientists are trying to figure out why. Alaska’s scallop fishery is a small one — in recent years, four boats, with just one operating in Kamishak Bay in Lower Cook Inlet. The rest operate out of Kodiak. Most scallop beds straddle the three-nautical mile line between state and federal management areas and is jointly managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The permit system is attached to vessels rather than to individuals, restricting the entire fishery to nine vessels total under the federal system. But in recent years, the fishermen have had to start tossing a lot back. When they pull them up, a lot show signs of degraded meat with brown spots and a stringy texture and will occasionally slip off the shells at the processor. The condition, called “weak meats,” results in a lot of waste in the scallop fishery, as processors aren’t interested in buying scallops with weak meats. click here to read the story 09:46
Central Coast should look to Rhode Island for bad experience with wind turbines
Our commercial fishermen met with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the bureau plans on putting hundreds of wind turbines off our coastline, taking hundreds of square miles of ocean away from fishing. We spoke with fishermen on the East Coast that had five wind turbines installed off Rhode Island, and they had nothing good to say. The installation required huge cement slabs on the bottom. The blades cause radar interference for miles. They are in squid and scallop fishing grounds, costing hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars lost to Rhode Island. They are placing them in navigation lanes, causing shipping vessels to travel around them. Also, most of the time they don’t work! They need repair constantly, and if the wind blows over 50 mph, they have to shut them down! They are being federally subsidized by millions of taxpayer dollars to mainly companies from other countries! It’s costing four times the amount it costs them for natural gas-powered electricity. Gov. Jerry Brown thinks using our oceans for energy is what we need. He is wrong. The ocean is a food source. It is wild and powerful and is not meant for industrialization. Tom Hafer, Atascadero link 09:19
Wind Farm Conflict: Fisherman, “I feared for my life”
John Worthington was out trawling a catch on his 10m fishing vessel Mi-amor (FD1) when his boat and the 20m plus survey vessel Fairline Surveyor, employed in the windfarm industry, came within just a few metres of colliding. Had the two vessels made contact, the veteran fisherman says his boat would have been destroyed and he could have been killed. Mr Worthington, 51, of Troutbeck Avenue, captured the incident on camera and says it outlines the difficulties the inshore boats are now facing as the windfarm industry expands. DONG Energy is in the process of creating the new Walney Extension wind farm project just off Walney Island in Cumbria, but some of the waters coincide with where the fishermen ply their trade and the two parties are currently involved in a dispute over compensation. DONG says it has received no complaint about the near collision and insists safety is a priority. click here to continue reading the story 07:59
