Daily Archives: May 13, 2017
Sealing industry is much more than the sealers. Its other jobs, too
The sealing industry is like most industries in that it employs many more people than simply the primary producer.,, There are many hundreds of Canadians who are dependent on the sealers for parts of their income. That income is threatened by attacks on the sealers and the sealing industry. Who are these people? They are the businesses who sell fuel, groceries, insurance (both personal and vessel), rifles and ammunition, and tools of the trade to sealers. Not to mention shipyard workers who repair damaged sealing vessels. They are truckers who transport seals from landing ports to the plants and buy gas, insurance and food in the process, as well automobile dealers who sell those vehicles. Click here to read the op-ed Jim Winter, St. John’s 17:21
Can scallops be farmed in Penobscot Bay?
Everybody knows that the waters off Stonington are a rich source of wild scallops. Could they also be a good place to farm them? Robert Brewer of Deer Isle hopes to find out. Brewer recently applied to the for a 3.8-acre experimental aquaculture lease in East Penobscot Bay, where he plans to grow scallops on suspended ropes using the ear-hanging method developed in Japan. The technique calls for drilling a tiny hole through the flat “ear” at the base of the scallop shell and inserting a plastic pin with a small line attached. The scallops are hung in pairs along ropes called “droppers” that hang vertically beneath the surface.,,, DMR has opened a 30-day comment period for Brewer’s application. Click here to read the story 13:12
Video: Coast Guard crew says goodbye to the Tamaroa
Forty-four boarded a boat in Cape May early Wednesday morning, including 10 former Coast Guards, to say goodbye to a storied ship with decades of service. The Tamaroa, a 205-foot Coast Guard cutter featured in the “The Perfect Storm,” was scuttled earlier this week 33 miles off of Cape May, becoming part of New Jersey’s artificial reef program. The sinking was delayed numerous times due to rough seas since last October when the state’s Department of Environmental Protection’s had originally planned to sink the ship on the storm’s 25th anniversary. Click here to watch the video, read the story 12:29
Territorial Dispute in Maine’s Lobster Industry
On July 9, 2009, Chris Young was shot in the neck with a .22 caliber pistol. Surprisingly, in a nation plagued by urban violence, this story comes from rural Matinicus, Maine, a small island home to all-too-frequent lobster gang turf wars. Young, a victim of such a dispute, was shot by Vance Bunker in the culmination of a weeks-long dispute over whether Bunker’s son-in-law, Alan Miller, could lobster off the coast of Matinicus Island, despite being a mainlander. For several days following the shooting, the waters surrounding Matinicus were closed to lobstering in an attempt to relieve tensions and prevent further retaliation, but the shock of the violence still resonates today. When examined further, incidents of territorial violence date back as far as the modern practice of lobstering itself. Click here to read the article 11:59
Oregon: Attorney General gives green light to Pacific Seafood to buy Trident, with a few strings attached
From Pacific Seafood: Thanks to quick action by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Newport’s surimi processing plant, the last such plant on the West Coast, will remain in Newport and open in time for the 2017 Whiting season, which starts on Monday. The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) reviewed a proposal by Pacific Seafood to keep the plant open and word came today that it’s a green light. Governor Kate Brown and the Legislature’s Coastal Caucus, including Senator Arnie Roblan, Senator Betsy Johnson, and Representative David Gomberg, were instrumental in facilitating review in time for the season start. “We very much appreciate the Governor and Attorney General’s leadership in addressing this extraordinary situation,” said Dan Occhipinti, a spokesman for Pacific Seafood. “They moved quickly to reach a solution that saves 147 traded-sector jobs, retains the market for Newport’s commercial fishing fleet, and preserves Oregon’s access to a major export market.” click here to read the story 09:27
Sharks not a blessing to Georgia shrimp fleet
Men like Johnnie Ray Bennett and Ben McDowell do not have to read a federal marine biologist’s study to tell them sharks are thriving in the Atlantic Ocean. These Brunswick shrimp boat captains routinely see the evidence nowadays just about every time they pull in their trawl nets. After returning from a shrimping run Wednesday to the City Market docks, Bennett stood aboard the Flying Cloud and put his fist through one of many gaping holes in the net that hung from the rigging.,,, Marine biologists see the growing shark population as a sign of a healthy ocean ecosystem, and some folks would just rather not think about sharks in our waters at all. But for shrimpers these days, sharks are a downright nuisance. Shrimpers are spending as much time sewing patches in nets as they are dragging nets for shrimp. Click here to read the story 09:10
With no relief funds in sight, crab fishermen discuss next steps
After four years of poor crab and salmon fishing, including one of the worst crab seasons in recent memory, local fisherman and Eureka resident Bob Borck decided in November that it was time to move on. After selling his fishing vessel — the Belle J II — of four years in January, Borck is now planning to start work as a contractor. “I couldn’t be married to the boat,” he said Friday. “I’ve got enough family responsibilities on shore that it was too difficult to dedicate it to everything it needed to be.” Borck said he isn’t walking away from the industry completely if the right opportunity presents itself. But he said isn’t pining to return to it either, especially following a “pretty hard financial beating” after toxic algae blooms closed the 2015-16 Dungeness crab season for six months, placing many fishermen into debt. Borck’s story is not unique. Click here to read the story 08:01
