Monthly Archives: September 2017
Legislative Hearing on 4 Fishery Bills – Tuesday, September 26, 2017 10:00 AM
H.R. 200 (Rep. Don Young), To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide flexibility for fishery managers and stability for fishermen, and for other purposes. click here H.R. 2023 (Rep. Garret Graves), To modernize recreational fisheries management Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017 click here H.R. 3588 (Rep. Garret Graves), To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide for management of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, and for other purposes. click here RED SNAPPER Act Discussion Draft of H.R. ____ (Rep. Jared Huffman), To amend and reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and for other purposes. click here To read the notice, click here 12:29
Menhaden battle once again pits Virginia against Northern states
Five years ago, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cut the menhaden harvest by 20 percent, forcing the largest employer in the rural tip of the Northern Neck, Omega Protein, to lay off workers and decommission a ship.,, Since then, ASMFC, which manages fisheries from Maine to Florida, changed its method of assessment and says stocks are now healthy. It began easing catch limits to where the quota is now only about 6 percent short of the 212,000 metric tons it once was. Omega, which catches a half-billion fish each year, replaced two of its seven ships this year with larger, more efficient ships and rehired some of its employees. But the company sees a new problem. click here to read the story 11:27
Hurricane Maria path: Category 2 storm may get uncomfortably close to East Coast before turning
A weaker Hurricane Maria continued on a path northward off the U.S. East Coast on Sunday. The National Hurricane Center said Maria, a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph, will continue to track northward parallel to the coast before making a turn away from land and to the east. It’s where and when that turn will happen that is problematic. Forecasters think the core of the hurricane will stay offshore, but it could come close enough that parts of the coast will feel some of its effects. For that reason, the hurricane center said tropical storm — or hurricane — watches may be issued for parts of the North Carolina or Mid-Atlantic coasts today. click here to read the story 10:48
Commercial Fishers and Fish Sellers Affected by the 2015 Refugio State Beach Oil Spill in California are Part of Class Action Lawsuit
Notice has been issued to Fishers and Fish processing businesses confirming that their claims are now part of a class action that has been certified by the United States District Court. Information has been mailed to each identified class members and additional information is available on-line, through various trade associations, and various publications. The Class Action arises from the May 15, 2015 rupture of a corroded underground pipeline owned by Texas-based Plains All American near Refugio Beach. As a result of the spill, the Department of Fish and Wildlife imposed a ban on fishing in a 138-square-mile zone from Gaviota State Beach to Isla Vista. click here to read the press release 09:24
Hurricane Irma: “The fishing industry in the Keys is frozen, paralyzed. We’re literally in a state of shock,”
Marooned on no-name sandbars among the mangroves in the Florida Keys are acres of broken lobster traps and the crumbled livelihoods of Florida fishermen. More than two weeks after Hurricane Irma, the Keys’ $150 million commercial fishing and trapping industry is at a standstill. And the result could affect every link in the chain, from the fisherman to the restaurant and grocery store consumer. If you find Florida spiny lobster at your local market, it will undoubtedly be frozen. “The fishing industry in the Keys is frozen, paralyzed. We’re literally in a state of shock,”, click here to read the story 07:37
Cox’s Cove fisherman selling cod to outside markets
Rick Crane was back home Friday after a solo four-day road trip, less than a hour of which was spent selling high-grade catch dockside in Quebec. In about 45 minutes Crane said he had cash in hand from the sale of 2,619 pounds worth of fresh Atlantic cod, which was caught, filleted washed, packed and frozen in 20-pound boxes, loaded on a covered U-Haul trailer, and delivered from fishers he’d teamed up with from Twillingate and Green’s Pond recently. click here to read the story 19:33
Hamlin on why he hates lobsters: ‘It’s just a big scorpion’
If Denny Hamlin wins Sunday’s ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN), he’ll have to face his fear.Not on the race track, mind you. In Victory Lane. As part of its post-race ceremony, the Magic Mile awards the winning driver a gigantic live lobster. When Hamlin won at New Hampshire in July, he recoiled when crew chief Mike Wheeler tried to hand him the 22-pound prize. click here to read the story 14:11
State of Hawaii wants to triple fees for commercial marine licenses
The state is proposing to triple by cost of commercial marine license fees by 2018. The $50 fee would jump to $100 initially, then to $150 on Jan. 1, 2018. “Commercial license fees haven’t increased in nearly 20 years, so we’re updating the fee schedule to reflect our current needs,” said Bruce Anderson, administrator of the state’s Division of Aquatic Resources. “The increased revenues will fund badly needed improvements to online reporting and licensing web sites, to better serve the fishing public.” The state is also proposing changes that would affect dealers who buy marine life directly from commercial fishers. A series of meetings have been scheduled for the public to weigh in: click here to read the details 13:46
Fishermen press Scotland Office minister on Brexit plans
Shetland fishermen have reiterated their desire to see the UK take control of its waters post-Brexit after meeting with Scotland Office minister Lord Duncan on Friday. Shetland Fishermen’s Association chairman Leslie Tait said he believes the Conservative politician “absolutely understands what a great opportunity Brexit presents for significant growth in Shetland’s single most important industry.” click here to read the story 11:45
Skipper nods off, vessel collides with breakwater in Campbell River
A fishing vessel going cruising speed hit the breakwater at a marina in Campbell River last night. The captain of The Powell River Queen, the ferry the runs between Campbell River and Quadra Island, witnessed the event, said Deborah Marshall, executive director of public affairs for B.C. Ferries. watch the video here 11:31
Freak wave hit trawler ‘like a cannon’
Here Michael Sparkes shares another tale of the sea. Michael told us that he found it easy to record this account as it was the coldest voyage to the Arctic that he ever made. After our last trip to the White Sea we’d enjoyed our time in dock. I especially enjoyed an outing which a few of us had gone on the day we landed from the old Clee Park pub. We’d had a journey out into the country to the Black Bull at Horncastle, where they’d laid on a buffet and music especially for the crew. But now with all that behind us we found ourselves back on the cold and wintery North Wall getting ready to sail again. click here to read the story 10:01
Congress wants to ban the shark fin trade. These scientists think that’s a bad idea.
Florida has a few more days until increased shark fin penalties kick in, and Congress is considering a ban that would prohibit fin sales for the entire country. But a paper co-authored by two shark researchers argues that such a ban would be destructive to shark fisheries management tactics already in place. The act of cutting off a shark’s fin and dumping its body into the water, eventually leading it to bleed to death or suffocate, has been illegal in the U.S. since 2000. Senate Bill 884 increases the fines for those who cut the fins off sharks while on the water, or return to shore with a shark’s fin separated from its body. While Mote Marine Laboratory’s Robert Hueter supported Florida’s new law imposing stricter fines for finning, he said Congress aims to solve a problem that doesn’t exist in the U.S. click here to read the story 08:33
Riding out Hurricane Irma – A reprieve in Dry Tortugas
Richie Stiglitz is having a sleepover on Key Colony Beach, grilling for his crew and friends six days post-Irma, telling stories of the past week. His story is a little different from most. He, with a fleet of nine commercial Marathon boats, rode the storm out 60 miles offshore in the Dry Tortugas. His home, on Cudjoe Key, was destroyed in the storm. “At first the storm was looking like it was going up the east coast of Florida,” said Stiglitz, boat owner and commercial fisherman. “We were on the seat of our pants for a little bit.” The crew included Marathon residents Justin Bruland with first mate Riley Young, and Raymond Bruland with grandson Jayden, 14, Randolf and Cole Daniels, Ray Salidino, Justin Woodward, and Stiglitz’s sons Deme and Peder, who, at 16 years old, each captained their own boats on the way down. click here to read the story 20:26
NAFO Meets For The First Time Under Modernized Convention – Significant Decisions Were Made
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONTRÉAL, QC, 22 SEPTEMBER 2017- The 39th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) took place from 18 to 22 September in Montréal, Canada. Over 180 delegates from 11 NAFO Contracting Parties were welcomed to Montréal by NAFO President, Stéphane Artano, and the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.,,, In addition, to the traditional total allowable catch (TAC)* and quota decisions, significant decisions were made regarding the following: agreed to a management strategy for Greenland halibut, agreed to relaunch its second performance review, agreed to protect the entire New England Seamount chain, agreed to a benchmark assessment of cod on the Flemish Cap in 2018. re-elected current President click here to read the press release 19:32
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for September 22, 2017
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates, Click here for older updates click here16:02
Greenland halibut quota increase to boost fishing jobs in N.L.
A small increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) of Greenland halibut will pay big dividends for fishing communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC). At the annual meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in Montreal this week, all contracting nations agreed to an 11 per cent TAC increase of the species, raising it to 16,500 metric tonnes. “Canada’s 36 per cent share of this TAC translates into 6,000 mt for 2018.” click here to read the story 14:55
Buddhists fined almost £30,000 – for releasing foreign lobsters bought in Greenwich into the sea.
Ni Li and Zhixiong Li were among 100 Buddhists who released the crustaceans into the Channel as part of a religious ceremony – despite them being an invasive species. They spent more than £5,500 on 361 live American lobsters and 35 Dungeness crabs, which they released from three boats, chartered off Brighton Marina.,,, But the ceremony on June 15, 2015 wreaked havoc on local marine life, forcing the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to offer local fishermen £20 for each alien lobster they caught. click here to read the story 11:48
Leaked fishing camera report ‘sound’, top advisor said
The report, carried out by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), was leaked to Greenpeace in June. It raised doubts about whether camera technology on fishing boats would be much use in court as evidence of illegal fishing. MPI later called the report “misleading” and poor quality, and Mr Guy said scientists had binned it. But in emails released to the Green Party under the Official Information Act, a top science advisor described the report as “robust and sound”. The camera technology will be rolled out on all boats from October 2018. The minister’s spokesperson said they could be used to spot some fishing offences, and would have a strong deterrent effect. click here to read the story 11:09
New Bedford: Working Waterfront Festival September 23, 2017 On Steamship Pier and at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center
Join us in New Bedford, America’s largest commercial fishing port, to learn about the men and women who harvest the North Atlantic. Walk the decks of a fishing vessel, dine on fresh seafood, see fishermen’s contests, and watch a cooking demonstrations. Experience the workings of the industry which brings seafood from the ocean to your plate. The Working Waterfront Festival presents performances of music, dance and poetry; demonstrations and contests of industry skills; tours of workboats; documentary films and footage at sea; cooking demonstrations; author readings; children’s activities; tug boat muster; whaleboat races, and more! click here for more info 10:08
Corexit Dispersant used in BP oil spill sickened workers, new federal study confirms
The chemicals that were used to break up oil from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout have long been suspected of sickening workers who responded to the disaster. Now a federal health agency is backing some of their assertions. The National Institutes of Health this month published a study saying workers exposed to oil dispersants suffered a range of symptoms,,, Two dispersants, Corexit EC9500A and Corexit EC9527A, both manufactured by Nalco Environmental Solutions, were dropped by airplane to break up oil on the water’s surface. It was the first time dispersants had been used on a large scale, and their potential effects on human health and the environment were not known. click here to read the story 09:35
Wild or hatchery fish: opinions vary on large pink return
Pink salmon seem to be showing up everywhere in creeks and along beaches all around Kachemak Bay and the outer coast of the Peninsula. Pinks are returning to systems that have historically never supported salmon. That has caused some head scratching in the fishing community, and there are differing theories as to why pinks are colonizing new systems. This summer was a significant year for commercial fishermen in Lower Cook Inlet. Glen Hollowell, area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, says two million pink salmon were commercially harvested, double the historic average. click here to read the story 09:10
Two years of loss, frustration, anger for Peggy Krupinski, widow of fisherman killed in collision with yacht
It’s been two years since Peggy Krupinski’s life changed in a horrible way. Officers from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management knocked on her door on Sept. 22, 2015, and told her that her husband of 55 years, Wally, was the victim of a boating collision earlier that morning. Wally was 81 at the time of the collision. He was in his 23-foot outboard off Napatree Point, near Watch Hill Light. In an incredible scenario when you consider all that water out there, a 60-foot yacht ran over Wally’s boat. The yacht, as determined by the investigation that followed, was being operated by Cooper W. Bacon, 76, a licensed captain — who was transiting this popular fishing area on a beautiful day in September on autopilot and with no lookout. click here to read the story 08:32
Long may your big jib draw, Torbay fishermen
A new, and long-awaited, jib crane is taking a load off fishermen in Torbay. “It means the world to me. No more strain on my back,” says John Waterman, who frequently hauls up boxes of cod weighing 150 pounds. The new piece of equipment comes courtesy of Paradise-based Steelfab Industries, which is lending the $50,000 crane to the fishermen for the foreseeable future. “We had a jib crane that we weren’t using at the time, so we put two and two together,” said Noel George, who is with the company. click here to read the story 20:37
New Projects for Boksa Marine Design
Florida based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Boksa Marine Design said it has kept bust over the past few months, with many of its 2017 projects having progressed from design and engineering phases on some and build-to-water on others. Boska provided an update on several of those projects. (Of special interest) The Two Dukes, a 70’ lobster boat, got her feet wet for the first time in the inlets leading into the Pamlico Sound of North Carolina.The Two Dukes was built by Custom Steel Boats in Merritt, N.C. click here to read the story 17:18
Hurricane Harvey decimates Galveston Bay’s oyster population
The storm was the latest setback to a multimillion-dollar commercial fishing and seafood-processing industry that appeared poised to finally rebound from floods, including two devastating tropical weather systems, and an extended drought in less than a decade. Shrimpers, crabbers and other fishermen who work the bay also will feel an impact. But it’s most lethal in the case of the oysters, as Harvey-spawned rains and rainwater runoff drove down the bay’s salinity to fatal levels. of 12 to 30 parts per thousand are ideal for a healthy oyster harvest in Galveston Bay, which researchers say is the nation’s most bountiful. Yet preliminary tests performed by commercial fisheries on Tuesday revealed salinity levels at 0 to 5 parts per thousand – and excessive water continues to drain into the bay. click here to read the story 15:14
Commerce chief Ross makes waves, roils fisheries rules
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has wasted little time in giving a jolt to the nation’s fisheries. In June, the 79-year-old billionaire investor who now oversees NOAA Fisheries singlehandedly extended the fishing season for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, ignoring protests from scientists and environmentalists that it could spur overfishing of the popular species. Then in an unprecedented decision in July, he handed a big win to New Jersey fishermen and the state’s Republican governor, Chris Christie, by overturning catch limits for summer flounder that had been approved by an interstate fisheries commission.,, “Secretary Ross finally challenged them — the first time in the history of the commission they got challenged — and they don’t like it,” said Donofrio, who gave the president a “Fishermen for Trump” bumper sticker at a recent event. “I love it. … The commission got kicked in the balls, and they don’t like it. That’s just too bad.” click here to read the story 12:27
Salmon trollers get winter season in Southeast Alaska
The good news for commercial salmon trollers in Southeast Alaska is they will have a winter season for king salmon starting up next month; the bad news is that winter season may be shortened this year. Trollers have been concerned over the possibility of no winter season and what low king numbers mean for the future of the fishery. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced September 20 that the winter troll season will open October 11th. It could remain open through the end of December but managers will have to wait and see about fishing opportunity later in the winter. click here to read the story 11:44
City of Monterey looking to buy up commercial fishing rights
The city of Monterey wants to control nearly a million pounds of groundfish in Monterey Bay. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, councilors looked at purchasing the fishing rights to 880,000 pounds of fish from Monterey native Giuseppe Pennisi. Pennisi is about to put his federally allotted fishing quota on the market and City Manager Mike McCarthy said the city is ready to pay $583,000 to buy the rights. “If the city is unable it is unlikely any other local organization will be able to buy it,” McCarthy said. The fear is an outside organization from Oregon or Washington would come in and buy the stock, pushing out local fishermen. click here to read the story 11:23
Cox’s cove fisherman trucks 2,619 pounds of cod fillet to Quebec and sells out in less than an hour , boosting argument for outside buyers
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) says the actions of a Cox’s Cove fisherman this week in trucking cod fillet to Quebec and selling it for a profit boosts the argument for the province to allow in outside buyers. “Inshore harvesters aren’t making the money they should be making because free enterprise doesn’t exist for them,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “Canadians are willing to pay good money for our cod, better money than local processors are paying, and harvesters are missing out. That must end.” Fisherman Rick Crane from Cox’s Cove on Newfoundland’s west coast trucked 2,619 pounds of frozen cod fillet across the Gulf of St. Lawrence to a Quebec community, where the fish sold out on Tuesday evening in less than an hour. click here to read the press release 09:51
Op-Ed: Westerly Sun is complicit in environmental deception
I was disappointed to see that the Westerly Sun would put a misleading editorial authored by the ecoRI “news” staff on the front page of its free weekly publication, The Express, (Northeast Canyons and Seamounts on D.C. hit list, 9/7/17), as if it were truly factual news. (read it, click here) There is absolutely no factual basis for the claim that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendations to President Trump regarding the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument would “lead to the destruction of treasured lands and marine ecosystems.” EcoRI calls the area an “undisturbed underwater ecosystem” that would “once again be exposed to threats from commercial fishing.” One has to ask, if the area remains undisturbed and “pristine” after decades of commercial fishing, why would restoring fishing rights in the area suddenly threaten these ecosystems? click here to read the op-ed by former fisherman Richard Allen 08:20
