Daily Archives: August 26, 2017
A proper fisherman’s farewell
New Bedford-A line of people wrapped around the entrance of Seamen’s Bethel, down Johnny Cake Hill and onto Union Street. Under cloudless skies, the crowd slowly filled the pews on the second and third floors. When no seats remained, some stood near the doorways and peered into the main area that would honor and remember Thomas Quintin Jr., who was lost at sea on July 3. Chatter of their favorite “that’s Tommy” stories echoed throughout Seamen’s Bethel until a few strums of an acoustic guitar silenced those in attendance as the memorial service began at 10:15 a.m by singing “Amazing Grace.” The two hours that followed mixed tears with laughter. click here to read the story with more images 19:28
Tracking system trials commence on entire commercial fishing fleet in Australia
Fisheries Queensland Executive Director Claire Andersen said units were being trialled on crab, net and line vessels in the Gulf of Carpentaria, South East Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, both offshore and inshore. “The trials will cover all conditions and vessel types, from 15 metre boats to small tinnies without power,” Ms Andersen said. “Tracking the entire Queensland fishing fleet will allow us to improve compliance, validate logbooks and provide a valuable tool for fishery management. Ms Andersen said we were committed to working with industry to ensure that the rules are practical and achievable for smaller inshore boats. (yes. of course!) click here to read the story 17:56
Hurricane Harvey Downgraded to Tropical Storm Over Inland Texas
At 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Harvey was located by National Weather Service Doppler radar near latitude 29.1 North, longitude 97.6 West. Harvey is moving slowly toward the north-northwest near 2 mph (4 km/h), and little motion is anticipated during the next several days. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher gusts. Additional weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours. click here to read the update 15:33
Maine lobstermen tap into union network for retail sales
A few months after buying a lobster pound and processing plant, Maine’s lobstering union is now tapping its connection to unions across the country to rack up online retail sales and reap greater financial returns for its members. The union is now shipping live Maine lobster caught by its 400 members anywhere in the country. The path these lobsters will take on their way from the ocean floor to your door is completely unionized, from the Vinalhaven lobsterman who traps it to the Rockland truck driver who picks it up from a transfer boat to the Lamoine plant worker who packs it to the UPS teamster who delivers it. Anyone can buy them, of course, but the Maine Lobstering Union is definitely looking to make the most of a nationwide union network. click here to read the story 14:31
Fishermen support reversing marine monument designation
There’s a rich fishing ground a couple of hundred miles offshore used by fishermen from all over the East Coast called the Northeast Canyons. All kinds of commercial fish gather in the plankton-rich waters — from tuna to butterfish, from lobster to squid. “We have probably half our fleet that does all kinds of fishing out there,” said Rich Fuka of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance. It’s also a distinctive marine environment, with ancient coral and steep canyons.,,, Fuka said nets don’t go deep enough to affect coral and that “the fishermen are well-schooled and well-rehearsed and always participate in anything that has to do with migratory species like mammals, whales, they avoid them.”He pointed out the competition for fishing grounds now also includes offshore wind farms,, click here to read the story 10:34
Judge orders DFO monitoring reports of rival fishing vessels to be disclosed to the court
The Nunavut fishing company Masiliit Corp. has won a small victory in trying to prove it was following industry standards when fishing for turbot in Davis Strait in October 2012. Masiliit Corp., a member of the Arctic Fishery Alliance, and its ship master, Captain George Hudson, have been charged under the Fisheries Act for fishing outside of Canadian waters. But in what has become a long and drawn out legal affair, their lawyers have argued that because of Davis Strait’s “narrow fishing channel, unpredictable and strong currents and an irregular international fishing boundary,” it is not unusual, “for fishing nets to drift after they have been set,” Nunavut Justice Sue Cooper summarized in her written judgement. click here to read the story 09:59
Fishing Bycatch Regulations Pass Judge’s Sniff Test
Federal regulators ducked a conservation-minded challenge Thursday concerning rules meant to minimize fishing bycatch. The National Marine Fisheries Service adopted the rules in question two years ago, with approval from the D.C. Circuit. Though the rules requires fishing vessels to occasionally have a biologist document the amount of fish caught and discarded, the group Oceana complained in a federal complaint that the infrequency of such observation undermines its efficacy as a serious check on fishing abuses. U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle sided with the agency Thursday at summary judgment, saying the issue comes down to how the Fisheries Service allocates its funding for NMFS, short for standardized bycatch reporting methodology. click here to read the story 09:02
The Pie Analogy – Fleet consolidation and loss of fishing jobs a hot topic at MSA hearing
Senator Dan Sullivan brought his Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard to Soldotna on Wednesday for a hearing on the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. One theme was addressed by many of the dozen invited experts who testified. Fleet consolidation is a predictable outcome of limited access privilege fisheries, or LAPs in the acronym-filled parlance of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, or MSA. A limited access fishery is one that has been privatized in some way. For example, in the Bering Sea, the crab fishery was rationalized more than 10 years ago, resulting in a fleet today that is just a fraction the size it was before privatization.,,, In his testimony, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Sam Cotten asked that Congress not take any action that would further consolidation. click here to read the story 08:32
Coast Guard medevacs fisherman off Hampton Harbor, NH
A Coast Guard Station Merrimack River boat crew medevaced a fisherman Friday evening, 6 miles east of Hampton Harbor, New Hampshire. A crewmember aboard the fishing boat Patricia Lynn radioed the Coast Guard for assistance at around 6:45 p.m., stating another crewmember was experiencing symptoms characteristic of a heart attack. A Coast Guard Station Merrimack River 29-foot rescue boat crew heard the call while underway in the area and diverted to assist. The Coast Guard crew took the 30-year-old-man on their boat and brought him to Hampton Harbor State Pier where emergency medical services personnel were waiting. –USCG– 08:13
