Daily Archives: May 28, 2017
Newport News’ harbormaster proves she’s got what it takes
According to a long-held nautical superstition, it is bad luck to have bananas or women on a boat. If that were true, Doreen Kopacz probably would have sunk a ship by now. Kopacz, Newport News’ harbormaster, has worked on boats since she was 8 years old and hardly took time to stop. In what is a largely male-dominated industry, Kopacz worked her way up from boat scrubber to boat captain and, now, harbormaster. She is the first woman since about 1913 to work as Newport News’ harbormaster — the person who patrols the docks and makes sure commercial fisherman are paying their city bills. She’s also expected to review design plans for construction that might happen at the dock, such as a recent mooring system replacement. click here to read the story 18:00
We should never allow offshore oil drilling near Myrtle Beach, BY Carol Coney
Jeffrey Nelson’s letter of May 9 tries to convey a sense of safety that new technology will bring to offshore drilling. He feels that underwater drilling platforms guided from miles away will somehow prevent oil spills. What he fails to mention is that technology quite often fails. Combine remote control with a platform many miles beneath the surface, and you are asking for disaster. Yet his premise is that if it is underwater and you can’t see it, it must be safe.Consider this: The Deepwater Horizon drilling platform was using proven technology and, according to the government investigation, failed because of human error and gross negligence. No amount of new technology will eliminate causes like that. Click here to read the op-ed 16:58
North Carolina shrimp catch soared to new record last year – why its a mystery
North Carolina shrimp trawlers caught more of America’s favorite seafood last year than any time on record. The verdict on why is unclear. Shrimpers in 2016 harvested a record 13.2 million pounds worth $28 million, a 45 percent increase over the previous year, according to state biologists. A warm autumn gets much of the credit leading to big hauls through New Year’s Day, some two months longer than usual, according to a release from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Keith Bruno, owner of Endurance Seafood in Oriental, also credits mild temperatures.
“Weather makes all the difference,” he said. But weather does not entirely explain last year’s boom, said Steve George, a salesman at Willie R. Etheridge Seafood Company in Wanchese. Click here to read the story 14:31
Fishy chatter: The evolution of fishing captains’ radio groups
I had 54 cents in my bank account when I bought my own commercial fishing operation at age 20. I scrawled my signature on a six-figure loan, made it through college finals and came home to my first seine boat, the cabin full of cardboard boxes overflowing with mildewed manuals about everything from Freon refrigeration to Marco powerblocks. My father gave me two treasures to start the season: an enormous binder full of Xeroxed charts showing a lifetime of accumulated fishing knowledge, and a VHF radio with a list of scrambler codes to install so I could talk to our radio group. Radio groups are a long tradition in Alaska’s commercial fishing community. Click here to read the story 13:45
Last Man Standing: A Man and the River
Slicing across the tranquil Tennessee River, Leon Bivens looked across the dark blue expanse ahead — at the lights of the factories reflecting off the water and the steel and concrete bridges connecting the River City to destinations north. The 73-year-old’s calloused hands shrouded in yellow rubber gloves reached into the water and pulled on a line. A smattering of catfish and buffalo danced along the 100 hooks. “I love the river. The river is my life. I enjoy going to the river, putting down my lines, pulling them and catching fish, too. I really need to catch them, but I enjoy catching them anyhow. Ain’t I lucky,” Bivens said. For the past 59 years, Bivens has watched the changing world of the fishing industry from his boat’s wooden perch. He saw the rise in popularity of game fishing tournaments, the closing of mom-and-pop fish markets and the fall of independent commercial fishermen. click here to read the story 13:08
Metro lobster fishermen hauling in solid catches — and good prices
Lloyd Robicheau has endured broken bones, a torn meniscus, arthritis and more than a few lean seasons over the 33 years he’s stubbornly made a living fishing off the shores of Three Fathom Harbour. He’s even convinced his son, who’s now a Red Seal diesel mechanic, to stay clear of the business. “You won’t find a fisherman over 50 who’s not beat up,” said Robicheau, exhausted but still chatty after 11 hours on the water last Thursday. This balmy day, when temperatures soared above 20 C, served as a much-needed salve for Robicheau and the 10 or so other lobster fishermen who earn a living out of this small port called Fisherman’s Reserve, located a few kilometres beyond Lawrencetown Beach. Mother Nature has not been kind to these souls since the lobster season opened in Lobster Fishing Area 32, which stretches from Cole Harbour to Ecum Secum. A combination of high winds and driving rain deprived fishermen here of a week of fishing. The season lasts just nine weeks. Click here for more images, read the story 11:22
World-renowned chef Eric Pateman cooks up a statement on seal in Twillingate
Along with his daily business responsibilities, Pateman travels the country and the world, espousing the delights of sustainable, local Canadian ingredients and their role in the country’s culture. In showcasing Canadian products, and with a mind to the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, the executive chef and president of the Edible Canada Bistro, decided to add seal meat to his restaurant’s menu for Canada’s largest food festival, Dine Out Vancouver, in February. This wasn’t done haphazardly. “I did a lot of research,” Pateman explained during a recent visit to Twillingate. “I learned about the sustainability of the product and scrutinized the ethical concerns about the seal hunt. To summarize, I didn’t find it a problem. In fact, the harvesting of seal meat, in my opinion, is certainly more ethical than most of our factory farmed foods. click here to read the story 10:09
Louisiana’s New Red Snapper Catch-Share Program
When it comes to the great red snapper management mess, the consensus of opinion among recreational-fishing interests and advocates is that states (vs. the feds) can manage coastal fish stocks more effectively and fairly. One assumption here is that states are much more in tune with recreational fishing in their waters. Well, in that regard, Louisiana has just delivered a solid bitch slapping to the recreational-fishing community. At least, that has been the reaction of many anglers groups to the surprise announcement made by the Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday (May 25th) that a group of 150 anglers would be gifted with 25,000 pounds of red snapper in 2018 and again in 2019. In case you haven’t yet made the connection, let me make that for you. In two words: catch shares. click here to read the story 09:41
Black sea bass poachers on Buzzards Bay return with the season
Harbormaster and shellfish employees waded knee-deep in the Wareham River last weekend, fetching dead, floating fish and dropping them into black plastic trash bags. Each fish would serve as evidence. An angler had spied Environmental Police seizing 225 black sea bass from another boat and dumped his own illegal catch to avoid arrest. On the same sunny Sunday, beach-goers snapped cellphone pictures of boats that buzzed to the shoreline to drop off coolers, which Wareham Harbormaster Garry Buckminster believes were filled with illegal fish. The boats then motored back offshore to catch more. Its really a wild west in some of these areas, Buckminster said. Black sea bass season had officially begun. click here to read the story 09:12
