Daily Archives: October 5, 2017
Walruses adapt to loss of sea ice and are not endangered, feds say
Blubbery, clam-loving Pacific walruses are surprisingly resilient to the dramatic loss of polar sea ice as the planet warms and won’t be listed as an endangered species, the federal government announced early Wednesday. The decision is controversial. A scientist for a group that works to protect endangered animals called it a Trump administration “death sentence for the walrus.” But Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, the state’s all-Republican congressional delegation, Native hunters, Arctic Slope Regional Corp. and the state Department of Fish and Game all said it was the right call. “This decision will allow for the continued responsible harvest of Pacific walrus for subsistence and traditional uses by Alaska Natives,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a written statement. click here to read the story 21:11
Canastra Brothers Offering $93 Million for ‘Codfather’s’ Fishing Fleet
One of the owners of the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction in New Bedford is shedding more light on a proposed deal to buy the “codfather’s” fishing fleet. Carlos Rafael has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for his illegal fishing scheme, and cannot be involved in the fishing industry during that time and three years after his release. In an exclusive interview with WBSM’s Phil Paleologos, Richard Canastra confirms he and his brother, Ray, have entered into a memorandum of agreement with Rafael to buy his business, Carlos Seafood, Inc, for $93 million. Video, click here to read the story 16:41
Deal between Rafael, Canastra brothers worth $93M, still needs government OK – While the Canastras and Rafael have agreed, the deal isn’t complete. NOAA and the U.S. Attorney haven’t taken a final position on the proposed sale, according to court documents click here to read the story21:03
Norton Sound: Arson ruled out, authorities trying to locate the owner
Authorities Thursday were still attempting to untangle a complicated web of ownership details linked to a fire-gutted boat that smoldered for several days over the weekend near Seaport Village in the San Diego Harbor, but investigators ruled out arson as the cause of the flames. What started the fire, which began Friday morning aboard the Norton Sound, was still undetermined Thursday, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokeswoman Monica Munoz said. The blaze was fully knocked down Sunday, but investigators were unable to probe its origins until mid-week. The next step in the clean-up effort will be to move the Norton Sound,,, But locating the owner has proven difficult. click here to read the story 15:04
‘Prettiest schooner that ever floated’: Restored old lady of the sea lures past sailors
She’s in her eighth decade and is described as “gorgeous” by three men who adore her. Wawaloon is a gaff schooner built on Tancook Island in 1946. She’s been lovingly restored by Harley Schofield, who bought the former herring fishing boat in 2013 for $5,000. “It’s a gorgeous boat, the prettiest schooner that ever floated,” Schofield said Wednesday. This week, he and two other men from Wawaloon’s past were aboard the restored vessel in waters off Chester. There have only been six owners in Wawaloon’s 71-year history. click here to read the story 13:52
Veterinarians release results from study of North Atlantic right whale deaths
Veterinarians examining the carcasses of six right whales found dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence this summer say four died from blunt force trauma, one was entangled in fishing gear and the other was too decomposed to say for sure. Pierre-Yves Daoust of the Atlantic Veterinary College says there was no evidence to suggest various toxins may have played a major role in the deaths.,,, About a dozen North Atlantic right whales have died in the Gulf since June — an unprecedented number of deaths for a marine mammal that is at risk of extinction with an estimated population of just 458. click here to read the story 12:23
Statement by Ministers LeBlanc and Garneau on report released on this summer’s North Atlantic Right Whale deaths – click here to read the statement
Oregon, California senators step up pressure on Trump administration to approve salmon emergency cash
Oregon and California’s four senators, all Democrats, stepped up the pressure on the Trump administration Wednesday to approve disaster assistance for salmon fishermen along 200 miles of coastline. In April, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which manages coastal salmon seasons, recommended closing coastal and commercial salmon fishing entirely along an area equal to roughly half of Oregon’s coastline. Govs. Kate Brown of Oregon and Jerry Brown of California requested emergency funding relief in May, to no avail. click here to read the story 11:51
New Bedford meeting brings wind, fishing industries together
Jim Kendall painted the city’s streets with snow when he articulated how fishermen may feel about offshore wind during a meeting Wednesday that brought both sides together. As a child on SouthCoast, Kendall spent his snows days sledding on the streets. “You just can’t do stuff like that anymore,” he said. He’s seen the same influx in traffic on the ocean in his evolution from fisherman to fishermen representative for Vineyard Wind. Time has added stock limits, marine monuments and the latest is offshore wind. More traffic equates to more difficulty fishing. click here to read the story 11:08
Tasmanian fishing company fined record amount for diesel spill at Hobart wharf
A fishing company has been given a record fine for a discharge of oil into Tasmanian waters. Australian Longline was fined $40,000 and the captain of its boat, the Janas, was fined $5,000. The ship spilt 400 litres of diesel into the River Derwent on November 5, 2015. The previous biggest fine given to a company in Tasmania for the same offence previously was $9,000. The Hobart Magistrates Court heard the spill created a 400-metre slick in an area inhabited by the endangered spotted handfish and Derwent sea star. click here to read the story 10:31
Op-Ed: DFO messes with success of age-old lobster businesses
I’ve been fishing out of Woods Harbour for 45 years now, and I want to tell people about what’s kept the fishery going here — in good times and bad. This feels important today because, at a time when the lobster fishery is so successful, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) wants to change policies in a way that would hurt our area’s economy. Let me tell my story first. click here to read the story 09:35
The Donald Marshall decision and Digby’s lobster wars
A debate over illegal fishing has reached a boiling point in southwest Nova Scotia. Amidst accusations from non-Indigenous fishers about black market lobster sales, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs is calling on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to finally clarify the policy surrounding a legal case nearly 20 years old. Mi’kmaw fishers working in St. Mary’s Bay have been facing vocal outcry this season from non-Indigenous fishers in and around the Digby wharves. click here to read the story 08:40
Why one Mi’kmaq fisherman says commercial fishing licences aren’t working – click here 16:11
