Monthly Archives: June 2017
White spot – Shellfish disease unlikely to become major threat to shrimp
A shellfish killing disease discovered in crawfish ponds around Louisiana about a month ago isn’t as likely to be a major threat to the shrimp population, state officials say. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Jeff Marx said the virus is most likely in wild populations, but it shouldn’t affect wild shrimp as much as the crawfish because shrimp aren’t in contained spaces like crawfish are. Although the disease has only been found in crawfish, it could also infect shrimp and crabs in coastal estuaries, according to a report by the LSU Ag Center. Shrimp and crab will be tested for the virus. click here to read the story 14:57
Unlikely to become a major threat? They thought that in Queensland. Australia: Fears grow as white spot detected in crab in Logan River, click here for more info.
Boat and Ship Industry Ideal for 3D Printer R&D Tax Credits – What is 3D Printing? An Overview.
Although many boat and ship components are standard items, the added transportation costs and marine specifications often make parts and components difficult to source and very expensive.,, Vessels need to have spare parts stocked at all times in case something goes awry and a replacement is necessary. This leads to more space and weight taken up on the vessel related to the spare parts inventory. 3D printers on boats would eliminate the need for an inventory of spare parts. With a 3D printer on deck, many spare parts could be printed on demand. The quick and cost-efficient benefit of having a 3D printer onboard a vessel can dramatically change the way the changing and fixing of parts is managed. Although 3D printing may seem like a daunting idea, it is not too difficult for the average person to use. click here to read the story 13:37
What is 3D Printing? An Overview. click here to read it
Theresa May warned over handing UK fishing waters to Brussels
Despite failing to capture a Commons majority, the Prime Minister has insisted she will stick to the schedule and get the Brexit talks underway despite pressure from inside her own party to resign.
Ukip MEP Bill Etheridge forewarned Mrs May about using Britain’s fishing waters as a bargaining chip, with the possibility of them being handed back to Brussels in exchange for other concessions. The Brexiteer described the potential move as the “ultimate betrayal” by Mrs May and her Conservative minority government. He said: “It would be a huge betrayal and quite frankly the second time the Conservatives have betrayed our fishing fleets. Video, click here to read the story 11:23
Letter: Sanctuary action has affected fishermen
A recent story on the Monterey Bay Sanctuary quotes Superintendent Paul Michel
: “We do not regulate fishing … We have not negatively affected fisheries, in fact, over a half-billion dollars worth of fish have been landed since (sanctuary) designation.” That’s a surprise. There is ample evidence that sanctuary actions have negatively affected recreational and commercial fishermen. In 2007, fishermen witnessed the sanctuary’s leadership role in closing the best fishing areas in the region, displacing fishing effort to less productive areas. click here to read the letter (short and sweet) 10:29
Fishing for hope and faith
Many mornings the trucks of fishermen and lobster-men can be seen parked on Country Way in front of the North Scituate Marylou’s Coffee. Recently one truck had a new bumper sticker added that proclaims, “PRESIDENT TRUMP MAKE COMMERCIAL FISHING GREAT AGAIN!” After last week’s decision by the president to pull the US from the non-ratified Paris climate accord, perhaps there is some hope for commercial fishermen that other actions will mitigate the burdensome regulations and ineffective quota restrictions that have practically destroyed the industry. Now most commercial fisherman will not disagree that the climate is changing, along with seawater temperatures. Many of those that make their living harvesting the sea’s bounty respect the phenomenal force that is our environment and have faith that the system is naturally self-correcting. In other words, trying to control nature is like shoveling sand against the tide. Speaking of hope and faith, a well-known member of the Scituate community who happens to be recreational fisherman had his own reminder of the importance of hope and faith. click here to read the story 09:31
A mystery is born: Where are all the baby lobsters?
Biologists and lobstermen are growing increasingly worried that the state’s most valuable fishery, which in recent years has boasted record volume and value and accounts for more than 80 percent of Maine’s fishing profit, is about to go bust, a doomsday economic scenario some call the curse of the “gilded trap.” At the center of their concern: The number of baby lobsters found in the Gulf of Maine continues to fall. “We call it the great disconnect,” said Joshua Carloni, New Hampshire’s state lobster biologist. “And as you can imagine, it has us concerned.”,,, The Seabrook tows found a decline in copepods – tiny planktonic crustaceans that are most likely a staple of the lobster larval diet click here to read the story 08:14
Fish in the Northwest Atlantic Are Going Hungry – New Science From Maine’s Department of Marine Resources Helps To Explain Why. click here to read the article
Alaska Seafood processors relying more heavily on U.S. workers this year
Seafood employers need to fill many seasonal jobs every salmon season. In general, that process remains the same year to year. Nelson San Juan is the seafood employment coordinator for the Alaska Department of Labor. He says employers are leaning on state labor resources more than usual this year. “A lot of them are depending highly with the seafood unit because of, well they used to use these H-2B visa, and some of them decided not to use it or for some reason they were not able to use that program this year.” The H-2B program allows U.S. employers to hire temporary workers from overseas. San Juan says employers who did decide to use the program ran into a problem. Audio click here to read the story 18:50
Oregon and California Senators seek fishery disaster declaration
Oregon’s and California’s senators called for a federal salmon fishery disaster declaration for both states to support economic recovery for coastal communities, in a letter Friday to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The letter from Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and California Sens. Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein follows a request from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and California Gov. Jerry Brown for the federal government to issue a fisheries disaster declaration to provide economic relief for the loss of coastal jobs due to declining salmon populations. Click here to read the story 17:00
Consultation process questioned for waters off Cape Breton designated as Marine Protected Area
An area three quarters the size of Prince Edward Island has been declared as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) just off eastern Cape Breton and the people who normally fish there aren’t too pleased about it. According to Veronika Brzeski, executive director of the Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association, local fishermen will be losing 15 per cent of their total fishing area. But what’s even worse was the way the Department of Fisheries and Ocean went about setting it up, she says. Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced the establishment of the St. Ann’s Bank Marine Protected Area as part of World Oceans Day earlier this week. The designation means that most human activities such as commercial fishing will be prohibited in 75 per cent of the area. “St. Anns Bank is the third Marine Protected Area to be designated in Canadian waters in less than eight months,” said LeBlanc. click here to read the story 11:30
A little story about my day at sea yesterday
So we leave to go fishing at 0330 with an observer that the government forces us to take. Now the young man is a likable enough guy who I have no problem with. The problem is we are forced to take these people with no exception. When they tell you they are going to put one on your boat you either take them or you deal with the wrath of NOAA law enforcement. So we go out with the plan of going to catch some scup, fluke and sea bass to unload in Connecticut. We had some nice scup the day before and figured we would get CT’s allowance which is a whopping 1200 pounds of scup, 75 lbs. of fluke and 10 sea bass in count. So we make a couple of tows and come up a bit light on the scup but have the fluke and sea bass. We go and unload ion CT. and on the way there, which happens to be a 2 hour+ steam each way I am informed that the scup that we landed the previous day which had been paying around 60 cents per pound had dropped to 10 to 15 cents per pound. Not even worth the fuel to catch. WONDERFUL. So we go all the way to CT. , unload our catch and head back another 2+ hours for home. After we get back to our dock, I and my crewman are cleaning up the boat and we notice someone on the dock with a camera taking pictures of us as he walks by. No big deal.,,, Click here to read the story 10:24
Nova Scotia Fishermen’s Association Relies on Mustang Survival as Part of Major Safety Investment
Mustang Survival®, the North American brand known for innovative solutions for the most demanding marine environments, is pleased to announce that the Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board (GNSFPB) has made another round of major investments in safety equipment which includes 1,200 Mustang Survival immersion suits. As part of a $1.3 million spend, the GNSFPB is aligning with new safety requirements for commercial fishing vessels introduced by Transport Canada, which will go into effect this summer.,, Leonard LeBlanc, GNSFB’s Managing Director, in partnership with Shippagan Enterprises, spearheaded the purchase of safety equipment for use by 600 inshore fishermen in an area that extends from the New Bruswick boarder to the tip of Cape Breton in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. click here to read the story 08:43
Vaca Key Marina owner’s son: ‘We will rebuild’
Even though the damage caused by a massive fire in Marathon Monday has been devastating to those who lived and work at the Vaca Key Marina, efforts to rebuild are underway. The June 6 fire that tore through the 1-acre bayside marina at mile marker 47.5 destroyed three boats, a house, six forklifts and thousands of lobster traps from 2 to 5:30 a.m. Traffic in both directions was shut down for hours. Capt. Dave Dipre with the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was at the marina Thursday assessing the number of lobster and stone-crab traps lost in the fire and said the actual number is closer to 10,000, contrary to the 20,000 originally reported lost. On the other, unfortunate, hand, what was first thought to be $1 million in estimated damage is now closer to $2 million, said Juan Carlos Berdeal, son of property owner Carlos Berdeal of Miami. click here to read the story 08:21
Ice Assistance Emergency Program – $5M for iced-in fish harvesters, but FFAW says plant workers left out
A Liberal member of Parliament says the federal government has allocated up to $5 million to help fish harvesters who are stuck in port because of heavy ice. Gudie Hutchings, MP for Long Range Mountains, said Friday the money will come under the Ice Assistance Emergency Program for eligible applicants in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Quebec. Some fishermen have been without income for more than two months, as ice socked in the coastline. “Plant workers have been just as impacted by severe ice delays as fish harvesters. Leaving these people out of the income bridging program is unacceptable,” said FFAW president Keith Sullivan in a news release Friday evening. click here to read the story 20:10
DWR answers letter from those impacted by Lake Oroville Spillways incident
A letter sent to the Department of Water Resources dated April 19, 2017 which included questions and requests for information from a coalition of community groups, local governments and agencies, businesses, labor, and individuals who have been affected by the Lake Oroville spillways incident has been answered and follows. The cover letter by Chief Deputy Director of DWR Cindy Messer states “We respect the magnitude of difficulty that you and your community faced. We also understand the disproportionate impact that the evacuation had on residents who are socially or economically distressed and will continue to seek solutions that address these considerations. Given the comprehensive nature of your letter, each of the items are addressed individually.” Click here to read the story 19:36
Early reports point to decent MS shrimp season
Shrimp season in Mississippi waters opened just two days ago. Early reports from fishermen indicate we might be in for a decent season. St. Michael’s ice and fuel dock on Biloxi’s Back Bay is unloading about 10 boat loads of shrimp a day. One boat that had been out since the season started unloaded about 4,000 pounds of shrimp Friday morning. “The shrimp are larger than last year, fuel prices are down, and shrimpers are getting a fair price for their catch,” said Chris Lyons, who manages St. Michael’s. short video, read the story here 17:34
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 9, 2017
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here CALL TO ACTION! The NCFA in conjunction with NC Watermen United are planning a Seafood Lobby Day on Wednesday, June 14 at the Legislative Building located at 16 W. Jones Street, Raleigh, NC. Transportation is available! click here for logistical details 16:28
Coast Guard probes ‘oily sheen’ at Port Canaveral, zeroing in on two commercial fishing vessels
The Coast Guard is in the midst of a full-scale investigation of what the agency and Port Canaveral officials are describing as an “oily sheen” that was reported over Memorial Day weekend in the channel near the Cove area of the port. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Stephen West, marine safety detachment supervisor at Port Canaveral, said the Coast Guard zeroed on two commercial fishing vessels that were in Port Canaveral at the time of the incident as the potential sources of the substance in the water. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Josh Decker, who is working on the investigation, said samples from the bilge of the two boats were sent to a special laboratory in New London, Connecticut, to see if they match a sample of the oily substance found in the port channel. Decker said each sample has its own characteristics, and no two are alike, much like a fingerprint. So getting a match would indicate proof of the boat that was the source of the substance in the water. click here to read the story 14:37
Iliamna Lake levels barely high enough for Bristol Bay boat portage
Many of the boats which fish Bristol Bay spend the winters docked in Homer. Each summer they make the trip across Cook Inlet where they are picked up and trucked across the Pile Bay road to Iliamna Lake. After a long trek across the Lake, they navigate their way down the Kvichak River down to Bristol Bay’s commercial fishing grounds. “From Cook Inlet we pick them up at Williamsport which is just south of Iniskin Bay, and then we move them over the road system and we put them in the Iliamna Lake here at Pile Bay,” said Ray Williams this week. Williams is the owner of Iliamna Transportation Company, and his family has been hauling boats over the road for 80 years. This shortcut saves Homer-based boats about 700 hundred miles, said Williams. But this year the waters between Iliamna Lake and Bristol Bay are unprecedentedly low. click here to read the story 13:55
Canada using fishery closures to count toward promised 5% marine conservation target
Canada has moved a little closer to meeting its target to protect five per cent of the country’s oceans by the end of 2017, but some are concerned about the methods the government is using to reach that goal. To coincide with World Oceans Day, Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced on Thursday that St. Anns Bank, covering 4,364 square kilometres east of Cape Breton, is officially Canada’s latest marine protected area. Altogether, Canada is now protecting 1.52 per cent of its oceans — a far cry from the five per cent target it has promised to hit in the next seven months, though LeBlanc said there’s “other good news coming” that will take the country “to five per cent and a bit beyond.” click here to read the story 11:50
Fishermen in La Scie eye return to water to catch crab, after 2 boats stuck in ice return safely
Fishermen say they are not deterred by the recent mishaps involving thick sea ice that caused one vessel to sink and several others to get stuck off the coast of Newfoundland’s Baie Verte Peninsula.
“Time is getting short for crab, right? They got the season extended now until July 15, good job they have, I say,” said Justin Giles. “I’m hoping to get out in the next couple of days again if the wind would mind to go off. So hopefully we’ll be able to do it.” Thursday marked the safe return of two fishing vessels that were stuck in ice, a day after the crew of another boat had to be airlifted to safety after the vessel started to sink. Five boats left La Scie on Tuesday to fish for crab, but ran into trouble with the thick ice pack almost immediately after leaving the harbour. click here to read the story 09:16:42
Fishing Community Tackles Trash in the Ocean
Fishing gear is not the biggest contributor to the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” or other accumulations of trash in the ocean, but derelict gear left at sea after a fishing season does create problems. In California, the fishing community itself is creating a solution that improves the health of species and the environment, and the involvement and viability of local communities. There is typically no by-catch with pot fishing, said Andy Guiliano, a Dungeness crab fisherman from Emeryville, California. In Guiliano’s perspective, this makes the Dungeness crab fishery an environmentally friendly fishery. But Guiliano’s experience has tested this outlook. “The only Achilles’ heel is, inevitably, gear gets lost during the season,” Guiliano admitted — gear amounting to hundreds of crab pots as well as nets that can affect boat propellers and large whales. click here to read the story 08:42
Lobster prices climbing as export market grows
While consumers may not like the high cost of lobster, it is good news for lobster fishermen like Clinton Pendleton. He fishes with his father and grandfather from Deer Island, N.B., in the Bay of Fundy. Pendleton said recent cold temperatures are driving down landings because lobsters don’t feed when it’s too cold. That means they don’t crawl into the baited traps. “This year, compared to recent years, I don’t remember anytime in June when you were able to see your breath all day long,” he said. Cold weather and high demand have driven the price up and kept it there this season. click here to read the story 21:25
Oil spill spared fish
Almost 30 years after the oil tanker Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef and smeared Prince William Sound with more than 11 million gallons of Alaska crude oil, a team of state and federal scientists have concluded the spill – as bad as it looked and as much impact as it had on marine mammals and birds – appears to have done no real damage to fisheries. “We found no evidence supporting a negative EVOS (Exxon Valdez Oil Spill) impact on herring, sockeye salmon, or pink salmon productivity, and weak evidence of a slightly positive EVOS signal on Copper River Chinook (king) salmon productivity,” the study says. “It is unclear how EVOS may have impacted Chinook salmon positively.” Somewhat surprisingly, however, the study found two non-oil spill events – one natural and one manmade – that appear to have caused significant changes in Sound fisheries. And one of them, a naturally occurring spill of fresh water, appears to be what crippled herring stocks there. click here to read the story link to the study 20:16
Yarmouth Sea Products fined after man fractured skull on scallop fishing boat
Yarmouth Sea Products will pay a $41,500 fine and is also required to hold two seminars on workplace safety as part of a sentence issued in Yarmouth provincial court Tuesday after an incident on board one of its fishing vessels two years ago. The company was sentenced by Judge James Burrill after pleading guilty to three charges under the Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Act. On June 7, 2015, Clayton Joudrey was hit in the head by a metal ring after a cable snapped aboard the Compass Rose II, a scallop fishing boat in the Bay of Fundy. Joudrey had only been working for the company for 17 days and it was his third trip on the vessel. Joudrey, then 43, suffered a fractured skull, a fractured eye socket and a broken neck. click here to read the story 18:10
Scientists to Advise on Marine Monument Fishing Regulations, American Samoa Large Vessel Prohibited Area, Kona Crabs, ACL’s
Renowned scientists from throughout the Pacific will convene in Honolulu June 13 to 15 to provide recommendations on managing fisheries in Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the US Pacific Remote Islands Areas. The meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) is open to the public and runs 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400. Major agenda items include the following: Click here to read the press release 17:18
Pyrosomes: The Borg of the ocean, clogging fishing and research gear
A strange organism has taken over the ocean waters off Oregon this spring, clogging fishing and research gear and confounding beachcombers and biologists. Fishermen compare them to pickles, gummy bears and sea cucumbers. They are the Borg of the ocean, one researcher suggested, referencing characters from the “Star Trek” TV show. They are called pyrosomes, and they are everywhere. In all his decades doing survey and research work off the coast, Richard Brodeur, research fishery biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has never encountered pyrosomes in these kinds of numbers, or really at all. He knew about them, had seen them down in California, but never off the Oregon Coast. Then, “starting in 2014, we started seeing a few of them,” he said. In 2015 and 2016, he saw a few more. This spring, on a survey cruise, they pulled up 60,000 pyrosomes in a five-minute tow. click here to read the story 15:15
Looming state gov’t shutdown threatens AK’s $500M salmon industry
Alaska’s half-billion-dollar salmon season is in jeopardy if lawmakers don’t pass a state budget by the end of June. Without one, state government shuts down July 1. That’s also a big deadline for the fishermen statewide — that’s when they’ve got to be out on the water if they want to catch quality salmon. They need the Department of Fish and Game to do it. For Zack Worrell, fish and crab are his bread and butter. Worrell is looking forward to what could be a profitable season with well-priced salmon, but, if lawmakers don’t get a budget passed, his livelihood could swim away. Indeed, July 1 is the worst time to shut down the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. That’s when hundreds of millions of dollars worth of salmon swim back to Alaska shores. Video, click here to read the story 14:21
Controversial bill allowing secret tracking devices on lobster boats wins Maine Senate approval
A compromise has been reached over a controversial bill that would allow the Department of Marine Resources to secretly place tracking devices on lobster boats. The measure is aimed at cracking down on violators of lobstering laws. The Maine Lobstermen’s Union had been strongly opposed to the bill, saying it gave the commissioner too much authority by allowing him to covertly track boats. But after a discussion with the commissioner this morning the union now backs the bill. “So we have a lot more people fishing offshore, much more difficult to catch violators offshore,” said Patrice McCarron of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. McCarron said if allowing investigators to covertly place tracking devices on boats of suspected cheaters leads to more arrests, the industry will be better off. Video, click here to read the story 11:30
Maine Lobstermen Support GPS Tracking of Lawbreakers Fishing Vessels – Lobstermen from Swans Island are fed up with the bad behavior of fellow fishermen who violate regulations within the states most valuable fishery. Video, click here to read the story 12:02
New Jersey has good reasons to resist federal rules on fluke
If federal fisheries managers got fan mail from some flounder these days, would it side with their catch limits or New Jersey’s defiant alternate rules? State and local officials and the N.J. congressional delegation pushed hard against this year’s federal plan to reduce the catch of summer flounder, also called fluke, by 30 percent. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission wanted to require fish to be an inch bigger to be kept — 19 inches in the ocean and nearby waters and 18 inches in Delaware Bay. Since last year’s limits were already tough on fishers and marine businesses, the plan prompted an uproar. Rep. Frank LoBiondo said “unelected bureaucrats in Washington use questionable methodologies and outdated science to cut us off at the knees.” He and fellow Rep. Frank Pallone introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent the new flounder quotas from taking effect. click here to read the story 10:28
Garnish fishermen facing big bill after boat sinks
Preston Grandy, a fisherman from Garnish, is facing a big repair bill after his longliner sank less then a quarter mile from the community on June 5. “I was over lobster fishing in new grounds, unfamiliar grounds, and I hit an unmarked sunker as the tide was falling,” he explained. “When the tide fell out, then she rolled over.” Grandy said the vessel sustained a hole in the stern, as well as other damage along the side of the boat and the interior. “Complete write off for electronics,” he said. On board the vessel, Grandy had a new plotter capable of creating 3D images, radar, newly installed lighting and other equipment. Tim Ball, a commercial diver who fishes with Grandy, was also on board the vessel at the time it rolled. click here to read the story 09:51
