Monthly Archives: August 2017
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for August 25, 2017
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here for older updates click here 13:47
New video appears to show disfigured, unhealthy farmed salmon
Hereditary chief George Quocksister Jr., 68, from the Laich-Kwil-Tach Nation has been gathering footage of unhealthy salmon all month. Quocksister has been going from salmon farm to salmon farm along the east coast of Vancouver Island from Cambell River to Alert Bay. “I’m examining them and seeing what’s going on in them, and it’s sure not very good,” he said on the phone from a boat in a remote area off the coast. “I’m not a scientist, right, but you can obviously tell they have a disease,” said Quocksister. “It’s beyond horrible.” The footage has been edited into a video and posted online by independent biologist and marine activist Alexandra Morton. Video, click here to read the story 13:04
At Category 2, Hurricane Harvey fast approaching Texas
Hurricane Harvey intensified overnight and is expected to strike the Texas coast on Friday night or early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said. The NHC said in Friday’s 10 a.m. advisory that Harvey has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. The center of the storm is about 115 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, and 120 miles south-southeast of Port O’Connor. The NHC said in Friday’s 10 a.m. advisory that Harvey has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. The center of the storm is about 115 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, and 120 miles south-southeast of Port O’Connor. click here to read the story 12:00
National Hurricane Center – Hurricane Harvey Public Advisory – click here to read the update
James McCauley shares memories in new memoir ‘In My Wake’
James McCauley has spent most of his life on the water. About four years ago, after his wife, Joan, suffered a stroke and he began taking care of her, McCauley decided to sit down and write his memories of commercial fishing, by hand, on yellow legal pads. Those afternoons spent writing led to his memoir, “In My Wake,” which he published this year. The book recounts his career and draws from years of logs kept on his vessels, but “a lot of it is just memory,” he said.,,, McCauley was the owner and operator of two boats, the F/V Jerry & Jimmy and F/V Alliance. He helped develop the marine fisheries program at the University of Rhode Island, where he taught from 1970-74, and was the president and chairman of the board of the Point Judith Fishermen’s Cooperative Association from 1985-95. click here to read the story 11:25
Gulf Shrimpers seek shelter from approaching storm
At the Brownsville Shrimp Basin Thursday morning, workers at the Zimco Marine unloading dock raced against the clock to unload frozen shrimp from trawlers and load it onto trucks. “We have to get it done quick before the rains start and the winds start,” Supervisor Leonard Leyva said. “It’s already getting pretty dark so we’re trying to get things done quick.”,,,Next door at Texas Shrimp Association headquarters, TSA Executive Director Andrea Hance said most of the Brownsville shrimp fleet was either back in port or on its way. Earlier in the week, amid forecasts that Harvey would reorganize as it bore down on the coast, captains began steaming homeward, she said. Hance owns two shrimp boats with her husband, Preston, who called in to report that the Brownsville Ship Channel was packed with incoming trawlers. click here to read the story 09:19
As Harvey Closes-In Shrimpers Race Inland – Video, click here to read the story 12:36
Fish pie – Everyone wants a piece
Representatives of the haves and have-nots of American ocean fisheries gathered in a packed college classroom here on Wednesday to offer Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, their ideas on what he could do with the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act. The now 40-year-old federal fisheries legislation is the legacy of the late and revered Alaska Sen.Ted Stevens.,,, And there is no doubt the MSA has problems when it comes to dealing with recreational fishing. Anglers, charter-boat operators, commercial fishermen and environmental groups are at the moment all in a Gulf of Mexico scrum fighting over red snapper. It is in many ways a tussle that almost makes the long-running fish war in Cook Inlet look tame. click here to read the story 08:25
Coast Guard searches for fisherman last seen on fishing vessel near Port Fourchon
The Coast Guard is searching for a person who was last seen aboard a fishing vessel approximately 30 miles southwest of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, Thursday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at approximately 8 a.m. that a man had gone missing aboard the fishing vessel How You Doing 2 and was last seen by crew members at 4 a.m. click here The Coast Guard has determined the identity of the missing person to be Roy Kerwood, Thursday. Anyone with information regarding the missing person’s location is asked to contact Coast Guard Sector New Orleans at (504) 365-2200. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at approximately 8 a.m. that a man had gone missing aboard the fishing vessel How You Doing 2 and was last seen by crew members at 4 a.m. –USCG– 06:58
Fugitive Farmed Atlantic salmon ‘heading to every river in Puget Sound’
The Lummi Nation is marshaling a mop-up of thousands of fugitive Atlantic salmon in the tribe’s territorial waters, and the Swinomish chairman has called for a shutdown of the farmed-salmon industry in Puget Sound after last weekend’s spill. Swinomish fishermen caught farmed Atlantic salmon in the Skagit River on Wednesday night, as the fish continued to disperse through the Puget Sound, said Brian Cladoosby, chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. He also received a report of an Atlantic salmon caught off Alki Point on Thursday afternoon. “These fish are headed to every river in Puget Sound,” Cladoosby said. “We have been saying all along it was not a question of if, but when, this would happen. click here to read the story 23:27
Rep. William Straus request reveals NOAA has yet to penalize Rafael
Through a public records request, Rep. William Straus said he discovered that NOAA hasn’t disciplined Carlos Rafael since the indictment has been released. That included an incident on Aug. 5, 2016, which occurred after the indictment, where public records also show that the Coast Guard cited the Lady Patricia, a Rafael vessel listed in the indictment, for “fishing without proper VMS designation.” NOAA defines its Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) as a system supporting law enforcement initiatives and preventing violations of laws and regulations. It is used as evidence in the prosecution of environmental laws and regulations including regional fishing quotas, the Endangered Species Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. click here to read the story 21:40
Seafood giant back in Warrenton
Mike Brown, like many in the seafood processing industry, is used to old buildings — massive complexes from another generation that have seen countless fish and hundreds of filleters come and go over the decades. But as general manager of Pacific Seafood Group’s rebuilt Warrenton facility, Brown is about to be in charge of a brand-new building. The West Coast seafood processing giant is in the middle of rebuilding after a fire destroyed the original plant in 2013. Construction began last year, click here to read the story 20:37
08/24/2017 06:57 PM EDT – Coast Guard prepares response efforts for Hurricane Harvey
The Coast Guard is preparing response efforts for Hurricane Harvey’s impact on the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, Thursday. The Coast Guard is working closely with all local and state emergency operation centers and is establishing incident command posts to manage Coast Guard storm operations. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston and Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi captains of the port have set port condition yankee for the ports of Houston, Texas City, Galveston, Freeport and Corpus Christi.Stay informed. Information can be obtained through local television, radio, Internet, and VHF radio channel 16. click here to read the bulletin 19:25
The Fate Of The 1st Atlantic Marine Monument Is Likely Headed To Court
Environmentalists and fishing groups said Thursday they are prepared for a legal battle in the wake of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s decision to preserve the nation’s first Atlantic Ocean marine monument.,,, The Atlantic monument has been contested from the beginning. Some fishing groups have said it was created through an illegal use of the Antiquities Act of 1906 and jeopardizes their industry, and they’ve sued to challenge its creation. “I’m sure fishermen will appreciate any relief they get from the administration, but unless the monument is revoked it won’t cure the legal problem that we highlight in the lawsuit,” said Jonathan Wood, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, which is representing the fishing groups. click here to read the story 16:01
The Latest: New England groups want fishing rights back – Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance president Richard Fuka says he hopes U.S. demand for locally harvested seafood convinced U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to recommend reopening the area to fishing. Fishing groups said they were encouraged by Zinke stating that his recommendations would “provide a much needed change for the local communities who border and rely on these lands for hunting and fishing.” click here to read the story 20:16
Aquarium-Business Owner Admits to Trafficking Protected Corals
The owner of an aquarium business in Puerto Rico pleaded guilty Wednesday to harvesting protected reef creatures and selling them off island. Aristides Sanchez ran his saltwater aquarium business, Wonders of the Reef Aquarium, in his hometown of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Prosecutors say native Puerto Rican marine species accounted for a large part of Sanchez’s business, and that he sent live specimens to customers in the mainland United States and foreign countries by commercial courier services. “From January 2013 to March 2016, Sanchez sent or caused to be sent at least 130 shipments of falsely labeled marine species that were illegally harvested in the waters of Puerto Rico,” the Justice Department says. click here to read the story 13:25
Interior secretary won’t eliminate any national monuments
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he’s recommending that none of 27 national monuments carved from wilderness and ocean and under review by the Trump administration be eliminated. But there would be changes to a “handful,” he said. Zinke told The Associated Press that unspecified boundary adjustments for some monuments designated over the past four decades will be included in the recommendations he planned to give President Donald Trump on Thursday. None of the sites would revert to new ownership, he said, while public access for uses such as hunting, fishing or grazing would be maintained or restored. click here to read the story 12:39
Tropical storm Harvey intensifies, forecast to be a Category 3 hurricane at landfall in Texas
The Texas Gulf Coast was bracing for Tropical Storm Harvey to make landfall by Friday, bringing with it powerful winds, torrential rains and the possibility that it could strengthen into a hurricane. Harvey was about 370 miles southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, by early Thursday as it moved across the Gulf of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. click here to read the story 11:22 Click here for weather updates from the National Weather Service
Gloucester: At Fishermen’s Memorial Service, daughter speaks language of loss
Candace Unis, who will speak at Saturday’s annual Fishermen’s Memorial Service of the grief of losing a loved one to the sea, knows of which she speaks. In September 1978, her father left on a Sunday for two days of fishing on his nephew’s 52-foot trawler and was never seen again. There were no mayday calls, no signs of distress. The boat, the Alligator, went down — possibly hit by a freighter — with three men onboard: Unis’s 55-year-old father, James Sinagra, his 46-year-old nephew, Carlo “Bronco” Sinagra; and a 26-year-old crewman, Glenn Guitarr. It was the second boat lost out of Gloucester that month, with a total of nine lives lost, and to Unis, who was 25 at the time, it was a wound that would never really heal. click here to read the story 10:22
When: Saturday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m., Where: Monument of the Fisherman on Stacy Boulevard
Structural Problems – Washington state fish farm’s collapse has reinvigorated salmon-farming debates
The Washington state fish farm that collapsed allowing many thousands of Atlantic salmon to escape into the Pacific showed signs of trouble last month, and was slated for upgrades. In late July, the Cooke Aquaculture-owned operation near Cypress Island required emergency work to stabilize the net pens after crews saw them moving in currents. Then last weekend, the same pens, containing 300,000 Atlantic salmon, began showing damage on Saturday before collapsing on Sunday, releasing an unknown number of fish. While the incident happened in Washington state, it’s reinvigorated the longstanding debate about fish farming on Canada’s West Coast, including the controversial but common practice of farming Atlantic salmon in Pacific waters. click here to read the story 08:26
Spill of farmed Atlantic salmon near San Juan Islands much bigger than first estimates – The farm held a total of more than 300,000 fish weighing some 3 million pounds. click here to read the story 11:15
Your View: Even ‘smart’ video monitoring is onerous to fishermen
I would like to make several observations regarding Michael Bonner’s Aug. 21 article, “Delegation supports Rafael’s forfeiture toward electronic monitoring.” First of all, state legislators’ support for utilizing the forfeiture to fund the electronic monitoring (surveillance), presupposes that this form of electronic monitoring will be supported and adopted. It surely does not seem to be the favored choice of monitoring, as far as the groundfish industry is concerned. In fact, they are not in favor of any form of monitoring that has been proposed to date. NOAA fisheries Regional Administrator John Bullard (soon to be retiring) is quoted as saying that he thinks that video monitoring is a major benefit to the industry. I’m not sure who he thinks he’s going to convince with that statement. Surely not the fishing industry. If that were the case, New Hampshire fisherman David Goethel likely would not be requesting that this “benefit” be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, click here to read the op-ed by Jim Kendall 19:04
Another chance to prosper
It began quietly, this year’s white shrimp season, on Friday. If you know how to look for the rhythms of the bayous, you could see the boats heading out, some Thursday night, some even earlier. On those vessels large and small ride the cultural lifeblood of this region, one of the things that makes us different from everywhere else. Commercial fishing is seen by many as a relic of the past, but the dollars that it pumps into the local economy is anything but yesterday’s news. The boats are so much more than boats. They are in essence the equivalent of family-owned stores. click here to read the story 17:16
Latest shark incident prompts Cape Cod politician to push ‘Hazard migration strategy’ – would hook ’em, kill ’em
A Barnstable County commissioner is proposing a controversial “shark hazard mitigation strategy” after a shark attacking a seal off a Cape Cod beach Monday sent terrified swimmers and surfers scrambling to shore. Commissioner Ron Beaty is looking to deploy baited drum lines with hooks near popular beaches in the hopes of catching great white sharks — a protocol that he says has been successfully implemented in South Africa and Australia. “From my viewpoint, based upon the sharp increase in shark-related attacks and incidents around Cape Cod in recent years, there is a clear and present danger to human life as a result of this growing problem,”. (He’s not wrong, as a report of a shark gnawing on a paddleboard surfaced today, (click here) . Greg Skomal, a state Division of Marine Fisheries biologist, said he would need to know more about Beaty’s proposal, which, based on the commissioner’s seven-sentence press release, “doesn’t seem to have much to it.” “I’m wondering what the shark hazard is,” said Skomal, who has spent more than 30 years studying sharks. click here to read the story 15:26
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Provincial Fiberglass Lobster/Tuna, 400HP, 6 Cylinder Volvo
Specifications, information and 3 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 14:19
FISH-NL releases correspondence in response to its call for immediate vote for inshore harvesters to decide their union fate
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) was forwarded correspondence today in response to its Aug. 15th letter asking the Labour Relations Board to proceed immediately with a vote of inshore harvesters to decide which union they want to represent them. The correspondence is from the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), and the FFAW-Unifor. “FISH-NL believes in complete transparency,” said Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “In that light, both letters are attached.” click here to read the press release and letters 13:45
Magnuson Reauthorization, let’s get it right this time – Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet USA
When the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) became law 0n April 13, 1976, one of its primary selling points, along with reserving the fish and shellfish in our coastal waters out to two hundred miles for U.S. fishermen, was that the eight regional Fishery Management Councils that it established had as voting members both government employees who were involved in fisheries management and private citizens who were knowledgeable about fisheries. Ideally this made for balanced decision making, allowing for both the official view of what’s going on in particular fisheries and the on-the-water observations of people with an actual working knowledge of the fisheries, and with the Secretary of Commerce required to sign off on any fishery management actions. (It’s important to note that this was well before supposed environmental crises were supporting a multi-billion dollar industry.) click here to read this article. 12:21
Feds review annual bowhead whale quotas for Alaska Native hunters
Federal officials are reviewing annual catch limits for 11 Alaska Native communities whose subsistence hunters are authorized to harvest bowhead whales. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the public has until Sept. 14 to comment on quotas for a six-year period to begin in 2019. The International Whaling Commission, which has final say on quotas for subsistence harvesting of large whales, meets next in Brazil in 2018. click here to read the story 10:46
‘Deadliest Catch’ tragedy: Sig Hansen in tears as crab fishermen friends are lost at sea
Crab fishing is a dangerous profession and that was made tragically clear on Tuesday night’s emotional episode of “Deadliest Catch.” On the Discovery Channel show, the captains were devastated to learn that the Destination, the ship of their friend Jeff Hathaway, had gone missing off the coast of Alaska. Hathaway and his crew couldn’t be found. The Bering Sea had been fierce all winter and as the episode began, veteran Sig Hansen noted, “We have had our close calls. It makes me wonder, how many chances do we get?” Sadly, unbeknownst to the skippers, the coast guard was searching for a missing vessel that had set off a distress signal. click here to read the story 09:53
Coast Guard hosts meeting to decrease oil spills in New Bedford harbor
The Coast Guard, Massachusetts’ Department of Environmental Protection, the New Bedford Harbor Development Council and the Fairhaven Harbormaster agreed that 95 percent of the oil pollution in the harbor is caused by about 5 percent of the vessels using it. For two hours Tuesday, the organizations led a meeting targeting those who illegally dump oil into the harbor. However, the fishermen who attended the meeting likely aren’t the ones polluting. “As soon as somebody gets caught and they get hit with the a fine, that’s going to turn some people’s heads,” Ed Anthes Washburn, director of the port and HDC, said. click here to read the story 08:50
Prince Rupert Sends Letter to Fisheries Minister On Importance of Processing Fish At Home
Councillor Joy Thorkelson presented a motion to council to have the letter ask for better policies to ensure Canadian fish caught at home is processed at home instead of somewhere overseas. “An example is pink salmon is being frozen and sent to China, Vietnam, or the Philippines for processing. We’re buying it back in Canada when it’s processed in Asia. Those are our jobs. Those are Canadian jobs, those are good union jobs that support this community. We used to have 750 people working; this year had about 135 people working processing fish.” click here to read the story 22:59
Man lied about father dying to get off work on fishing boat
A novice fisherman who concocted a story about his father dying in a car crash just to get off work has been convicted for dishonesty. The lie, which prompted his skipper to head for port, caused $170,000 dollars of damages in wages and lost production. Former fisherman Tyler Stokes said while leaving court “I’d just like to say that I’ve said sorry for my actions, I’m remorseful, and that’s all.” The 20-year-old had only spent four days on a Talley’s trawler when he decided to fool his captain. He claimed a car crash had killed his father and put his mother in intensive care. The company put its fishing operation on hold and headed into port. His partner Monique Carlaw also faced court, after backing up the lie in a conversation with Talleys. click here to read the story 20:48
NY State, Fishermen Map Out Possible Conflicts At Sea To Help Clear Way For Future Wind Turbines
Commercial fishermen from throughout the South Fork last week pored over nautical charts showing the broad swaths of ocean south of Long Island being considered for future wind energy development by New York State—and saw a lot of the area where they harvest a living. But the state officials who hosted two open-house discussions with fishermen last week, one at Shinnecock Inlet and the other in Montauk, said that is exactly what they wanted the fishermen to point out to them—so they can work to reduce the impact.,, “I think the main concern is that fishermen don’t want to lose any fishing ground,” said Bruce Beckwith, a Montauk draggerman. “For me, I would rather not see anything in the ocean—just leave it the way it is. I have eight grandsons. They might want to go fishing someday. I don’t want to see them be shut out.” click here to read the story 15:48
Traffic, sun blindness, now eclipse dumps 305,000 Farmed Atlantic salmon near San Juan Islands
It’s open season on (farmed) Atlantic salmon as the public is urged to help mop up a salmon spill from an imploded net holding 305,000 fish at a Cooke Aquaculture fish farm near Cypress Island. Lummi fishers out for chinook on Sunday near Samish, south of Bellingham Bay, were shocked to pull up the spotted, silvery sided Atlantic salmon — escapees that turned up in their nets again Monday. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is urging the public to catch as many of the fish as possible, with no limit on size or number. The fish are about 10 pounds each. No one knows yet how many escaped. But the net had some 3 million pounds of fish in it when it imploded about 4 p.m. Saturday, said Ron Warren, fish program assistant director for the WDFW click here to read the story 15:05
