Daily Archives: July 6, 2017
Coast Guard medevacs man from fishing vessel 152 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska
An aviation detachment crew deployed aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman medevaced a 33-year-old man from a fishing vessel Thursday morning approximately 152 miles north of Dutch Harbor. Watchstanders at the 17th Coast Guard District command center received a request from Health Force Partners that a crewman aboard the Island Enterprise suffered a severe injury to his index finger. The Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended a medevac after consultation with HFP deemed the injury as potentially limb threatening. An AVDET MH-65 Dolphin crew hoisted the man safely and transported him to EMS in Dutch Harbor. Weather on scene was 34.5-mph winds, 8 to 10-foot seas and 11.5 miles visibility. -USCG- 23:08
A Fundraiser for Abigail and Joshua Osborne
Aloha, my name is Noelani. My cousins Abigail and Joshua Osborne were in a very tragic boating accident this past week. They were working aboard the Miss Destinee vessel this summer in Kodiak, Alaska. On Thursday, the 29th of June, the boat capsized. I made this go fund me account in hopes that we can raise the funds to lay them both to rest and in giving both Joshua & Abigail a proper burial. We’d like to thank you all so much for all the love and prayers. Your support has helped us during this difficult time. We appreciate each and everyone one of you that hold Joshua and Abigail in your hearts. Click here to reach the fundraiser page @ gofundme.com 20:27
Remains of Two Fishermen in F/V Miss Destinee Capsizing Recovered from Vessel Cabin Identified
Alaska State Troopers report that the remains of the two people missing crew that were missing from the F/V Miss Destinee were located in the cabin of the vessel on July 4th. At 7:45 am on July 4th, a salvage company reported that they had managed to right the Miss Destinee and pump her out. The vessel was then towed to the Kodiak harbor. Upon arrival. AST, Kodiak City Fire and the USCG Marine Safety Detachment responded to the vessel and recovered the remains of the two previously missing crew, identified as Joshua Osborne, age 18, and Abigail Osborne, age 22, both of Wasilla. The State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage requested the remains for autopsy. click here to read the story 18:14
NOAA Officials May Be Illegally Deleting Skype and Google Chat conversations
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) might illegally be destroying records of a recent meeting discussing new regulations against the fishing industry, according to a conservative legal group in Washington, D.C. Cause of Action Institute (CoA) filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the NOAA to obtain communications during a New England Fishery Management Council meeting hashing out new rules foisted upon the country’s fishing industry. The group believes the agency is deleting Skype and Google Chat conversations that took place during the April meeting. The NOAA General Counsel considers communications through Google Chat to be off the record and will not be recorded anyway, according to a 2012 handbook guide CoA obtained. CoA disputed the agency’s claim, and pointed to provisions within the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The NARA, which maintains government records, states that any communications created on NOAA’s Gmail interface qualify under the Federal Records Act. CoA Institute requested e-mails, instant messaging, Google chat messages, text messages, and any Skype messages NOAA employees sent during the April 18–20, 2017 NEFMC meetings. click here to read the story 16:32
Webber designs on board net washing system
There’s nothing that catches fish better than a brand new net. If you can maintain a clean net you’re fully optimizing your ability to catch. Bill Webber runs Webber Marine and Manufacturing in Cordova, which specializes in the salmon gillnet arena. The net washer is one of the newest tools to come out of his shop. It essentially has vertical water chambers that weld onto the outboard sides of the rollers. The rollers still function as intended and they roll as the net goes through them. On the front and the back of this level line there’s vertical water jet holes in the water columns that spray at each other and through the net as it goes through the level lines. click here to read the story 15:27
Japan: New law a key step to resuming commercial whaling
A recent law promoting whaling allows Japan to take a key step towards resuming commercial hunting of the giant mammals that are “a great source of food,” officials said on Thursday. Japan defies international protests to carry out what it calls scientific research whaling, having repeatedly said its ultimate goal is to whale commercially again. In the 2016-2017 season, its fleet took 333 minke whales in the Antarctic. The new law, passed in June, will help enshrine as a “national responsibility” an activity that was previously just a tacit policy, said Shigeki Takaya, director of the Whaling Affairs Office at Japan’s Fisheries Agency. click here to read the story 14:06
Scarborough fishermen try to beat green crab problem to death
Under a sliver of a moon, dressed in hip waders and wearing headlamps or carrying flashlights, they made their way, carrying bats, hockey sticks, ski poles and homemade weapons in search of night-time predators. Their mission: Murder green crabs. About 20 fishermen participated in the June 28 conservation project along the banks of the Jones Creek and Nonesuch River, hoping to kill as many invasive green crabs as possible before the crustaceans prey upon the clams – and the fishermen’s livelihood. The crabs came out at night, as usual, to feed on clams, but on June 28 they were met by the fishermen, who crushed them with their various weapons. Killing the crabs – which do not die easily even when punctured – made a “crunching” sound. click here to read the story 12:01
Fishing groups say lobster fishery would be better off with industry-led by-catch monitoring system as opposed to something DFO imposes
If the reality is that it’s coming anyway, three local fisheries organizations say fishermen and industry would be better off to handle it themselves as opposed to having it handed down by DFO. Such is the case with a proposal that could see by-catch monitoring happen in the lobster fishery by the fall of 2018. Three local organizations – Coldwater Lobster Association, the Maritime Fishermen’s Union and the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fisheries Association – have joined efforts to get the message out that industry is willing to develop a monitoring system that would be better for the fishery in terms of cost and time.,,, Another proposal being thrown around is cameras on fishing boats. These three associations are all strongly opposed to such a Big Brother approach, saying not only would it be extremely expensive, but it would not generate any useful scientific data. click here to read the story 11:16
Zuckerberg’s fake news
Seven months ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was voicing plans to combat fake news on the social media website. And this week he’s in Alaska doing what else? Creating fake news. But that all sort of pales compared to coming to Alaska, apparently breaking the law, and providing photographic evidence of the crime to your 92,734,686 followers. Granted, Zuckerberg can surely claim ignorance, given that Alaska fish and game laws are often confusing even to Alaskans. They are particularly confusing when it comes to non-residents and the Alaska practice of dipnetting salmon, ie. scooping them out of the water with a big net. As Zuckerberg duly notes in a post with one of his photos he was “tagging along with locals who were going dip netting. I couldn’t participate since only Alaskans can do subsistence fishing.” Actually, the fishery was a personal-use dipnet fishery, but it looks like a subsistence fishery. Zuckerberg probably just wrote down what those locals told him. Whether they told him exactly what the law allows only he knows. But what the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says is this: click here to read the story 10:10
Fishermen: Legislation To Protect New York’s Horseshoe Crabs Is ‘Overkill’
There is a new layer of protection for New York’s horseshoe crabs. Environmental groups said it’s needed to preserve a threatened marine species, but commercial fisherman are opposed — they’ve called the legislation ‘overkill.’ Inside of a breeding laboratory run by Molloy College in Suffolk County, the next generation of marine biologists is learning about the long history of horseshoe crabs. Dr. Tanacredi warns the ancient lineage is now threatened by over-development and over-harvesting.,,, A spokeswoman for one fishing group went further telling CBS2, “this legislation is unnecessary and reflects the environmental lobby’s power,” while labeling it, “another attempt to eliminate the commercial fishing industry.” click here to read the story 09:25
DMC to host a talk on fishing and farming of scallops in Maine
On Friday, July 7, Dana Morse will give a talk on scallops and their impact on Maine’s fishing and farming industry. The seminar will take place in Brooke Hall at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center beginning at 10:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested (by clicking here). The sea scallop is an important offshore commercial fishery that extends from Atlantic Canada to Virginia. The inshore fishery for scallops in Maine is a vital source of winter income for fishermen. Over the years, there have been many attempts to establish a scallop aquaculture industry in Maine. Through collaborative work with fishermen and scientists in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, scallops are en route to become a commercially viable option for producers. click here to read the story 08:50
