Daily Archives: August 28, 2017
Alaska Department of Public Safety reaches out to fishermen in effort to combat opioid abuse
Earlier this year, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration to combat opioid abuse in the state. Since then, more time and resources have been dedicated to the issue. This summer, some of those efforts are aimed at getting the attention of the fishing community. “We haven’t had something of this magnitude before,” said Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, “It’s not just about fishermen, it’s about lumberjacks, it’s about concrete pourers and everyone else out there,” Though the letter was sent specifically to fishermen, the commissioners said its part of a wider effort, and they’re not singling out one industry. click here to read the story 22:38
Newlyn Fish Festival 2017 was the plaice to be in Cornwall today
Glorious sunshine shone down this Bank Holiday Monday as Newlyn Fish Festival capped off an eventful and memorable weekend in west Cornwall in style. The adored family event – which celebrates the sea, seafood and fishing while raising vital funds for the Fisherman’s Mission – returned for the 28th time and it will surely go down as one of the best in recent times. “It’s been a very enjoyable day”, said co-organiser Laurence Hartwell. “The weather has been beautiful and we’ve seen a great turn-out. A variety of things have been going on all across the harbour and it’s been great to see so many people enjoying themselves.” Demonstrations, taken by some of Cornwall’s best talents, were thoroughly enjoyed throughout the day.,, The annual Trawler Parade made for a spectacle once again as they sped out of the gaps. click here for photo’s read the story 17:52
Safe Harbor Bill Becomes Law, Ensures Legal Rights and Protection of Commercial Fishermen in Emergency Situations
Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and Senator Ken LaValle today announced that Governor Cuomo signed their Safe Harbor Law on August 21. The bill provides commercial fishing vessels with safe harbor. Safe harbor means immunity from prosecution from State fishing regulations in certain emergency situations.,,, The Safe Harbor Law would apply when a commercial fisherman (1) encounters or is forecasted to encounter unsafe weather, (2) experiences a mechanical problem, that makes the continuation of the voyage unsafe and poses a risk to life and property, (3) experiences a significant medical emergency which requires immediate medical attention necessary to protect the health of any person on board, or (4) experiences loss of essential gear such as support systems that renders the vessel unable to remain at sea. click here to read the story 14:30
Houston: Coast Guard responds after Hurricane Harvey
U.S. Coast Guard continues to conduct urban search and rescue in the greater Houston area. Coast Guard aircrews conducted two medical transfers of two critical patients from local hospitals to Memorial Herman Hospital medical center Sunday night. “Our crews have been operating non-stop,” said Capt. Kevin Oditt, Coast Guard Incident Commander. “This is an all hands on deck event bringing crews from all over the nation to help with our response.” click here to read the story click here for more images13:14
Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation – Icy spray, heavy pots may have doomed Seattle crab boat F/V Destination
What caused the February sinking of the Seattle-based Destination in the Bering Sea? On the morning of Feb. 11, crab-boat skipper Daher Jorge received a Coast Guard radio request to assist a Bering Sea search for a missing vessel — the Seattle-based Destination. But Jorge’s own boat, the Polar Sea, was burdened by a thickening mantle of ice that made it more vulnerable to sinking. His crew had been unable to break off all that ice while at sea, so Jorge felt compelled to reject the call for assistance and head to port in Alaska’s Pribilof Islands. “That was the only reason we did not go. For our own safety,” Jorge testified during two weeks of hearings held earlier this month in Seattle by a Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation into the sinking of the Destination and loss of all six of its crew. click here to read the story 12:44
Grey Seals becoming a growing headache for fishermen in Danish waters
Seal populations in the Wadden Sea are growing fast and their appetite for fish is becoming an increasing problem, especially for gill net fishermen. The number of grey seals has reached a record high this year, with 5,445 adults being counted in the Wadden Sea – an increase of 10 percent on the numbers from last year. Seals have been depreciating the sustainable coast fisheries that green organisations and politicians are keen to encourage. They rip up the nets and eat the parts of the fish that they like best. click here to read the story 11:22
It’s not okay
As we get into the thick of tuna season right now, and plenty of “large-medium” and “giant” class bluefin tuna are being caught by anglers around Cape Cod, and “small mediums” as well as good-sized yellowfin in the New York Bite, I thought it more than appropriate to say this… It’s not okay…. It’s not okay for an angler to take his or her bluefin, or yellowfin, or bigeye or any fish for that matter and sell it to the local restaurant through the back door… for freak’n gas money. Unfortunately, this kinda thing happens pretty regularly up here. Don’t tell me that it doesn’t, because I hear the bragging frequently. And don’t tell me that it’s a victimless crime. The hard-working full-time commercial fishermen are the first to get screwed. But it’s the consumer as well,,, click here to read the story 10:34
Coast Guard medevacs man from fishing vessel near Cold Bay, Alaska
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced a crewman from the fishing vessel Unimak, a 183-foot fishing trawler, near Cold Bay, Alaska, Friday. The Jayhawk crew safely hoisted the ill crewman from the Unimak, which was 46 miles northwest of Cold Bay, at 8:52 p.m. and transported him to emergency medical personnel at the Cold Bay Clinic at approximately 9 p.m. Coast Guard District 17 Command Center watchstanders in Juneau received notification from Health Force Partners stating a Unimak crewman had symptoms of dizziness and weakness, along with general confusion. A Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended a medevac. click here to watch video 09:14
Lobstermen test new bait as hedge against herring price spikes
Two lobstering co-ops in Tenants Harbor and Port Clyde are working with The Nature Conservancy to see if they can freeze the alewives that bait their traps so successfully each spring to catch lobster at other times of the year. If it works, alewives could be the affordable bait they need when their usual favorite, Atlantic herring, is in short supply, such as it is again this summer. “It’s the second year in a row where we’ve had bait problems,” said Josh Miller, a 40-year-old lobsterman who belongs to the Tenants Harbor Lobstermen’s Co-op. “Most wharves are on (herring) rations. The prices have gone up 10 percent already. We started the season with prices that never dropped from last year, when we had a bait shortage. Bait is a huge issue.” click here to read the story 07:49
