Daily Archives: October 14, 2017
Video: Crews respond to fire aboard F/V Pacific Paradise aground in Waikiki waters
Multiple agencies are responding to a fire aboard the Pacific Paradise, a fishing vessel stuck in shallow waters off Waikiki. Witnesses reported seeing thick black smoke coming from the vessel mid-morning Saturday. Coast Guard officials say they were informed of the fire just after 10 a.m. They continue to enforce a 500 ft. safety zone around the boat. Video, click here to read the story To view photo gallery, click here 20:00
“The fact is, law abiding, licensed commercial fishermen are considered by our government to be the most dangerous people in America.”
In September 1983 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Balelo v Baldridge decided the first court challenge against the government policy of placing federal observers on commercial fishing vessels to monitor their operations. The plaintiffs were Pacific tuna purse seiners. This the first observer program in the American fishing industry was enacted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The first observers spent many weeks on the high seas with the fishermen at a time when there was literally no other way to assure that the newly enacted law — meant to bring the mortality of marine mammals in the tuna fishery as close to zero as possible — was being followed by these operations. It was provided for in this portion of the MMPA that the captains be given notice well in advance of the required observer trips and that the funding be fully covered by Congress. click here to read the story 19:21
Submerged fishing boat near Chebeague Island prompts Coast Guard investigation
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating reports of a submerged fishing boat off the coast of Chebeague Island A captain, at the Coast Guard command center in South Portland, said a report came in just before 12:30 Saturday afternoon for a wooden fishing boat mostly submerged in the area of Chandlers Cove. The cove is located between Chebeague and Long Island off the coast of Falmouth. (We will update as details becomes available) click here to read the story 15:34
Coast Guard, federal agencies responding to offshore oil spill in the Gulf
The Coast Guard is responding to the report of a crude oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from the National Response Center at 1:30 p.m., Friday of a discharge from a damaged pipeline associated with a subsea well approximately 40 miles southeast of Venice, LA. The pipeline, which is operated by LLOG Exploration, has been secured. LLOG exploration reported that the volume of oil released is estimated to be between 333,900 and 392,700 gallons. Initial overflights identified three light sheens in the vicinity. click here to read press release 15:14
Coast Guard responds to oil spill off Louisiana coast – LLOG Exploration Company LLC, a privately-owned deepwater exploration company, reported the spill, which occurred 40 miles southeast of Venice, La., click here to read the story
NOAA has yet to determine fines and penalties in civil case involving Carlos Rafael
So far, New Bedford fishing mogul Carlos Rafael has lost a fraction of his fishing empire after pleading guilty to 23 counts of false labeling and identification of fish, as well as cash smuggling, conspiracy, falsifying federal records and tax evasion. He was found guilty and sentenced to nearly four years in jail last month. But there could be millions more in fines and penalties as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration decides what civil measures to impose on Rafael. Fishermen and environmental groups have been lobbying for that money to go toward restoring the fishery, and many would like to see it pay for better monitoring of what fishermen catch at sea and land on shore. click here to read the story 12:47
British Columbia: What is behind the sockeye salmon collapse?
The sockeye salmon run this year, is, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada and other reputable sources, down considerably. The reason for this, depends on who you talk to. Aaron Hill, executive director of Watershed Watch Salmon Society, says part of the problem is the fisheries ministry has dragged its feet on the Cohen Commission recommendations. The Cohen Commission, created in 2009, issued a report in 2012 with 75 recommendations on how Fisheries and Oceans Canada (working with its provincial partner) could monitor and safeguard the Pacific salmon fisheries. click here to read the story 11:43
N.S. firm taking lobsters to the world
World Link Food Distributors Inc. in the Aerotech Business Park near the Halifax Stanfield airport moves millions of pounds of lobster and other seafood every year to dozens of countries. “It’s like Canada,” co-owner and managing director Georges Jobert said of the multicultural and multilingual background of the 18 World Link employees who preside over shipping about eight million pounds of lobsters to retailers and wholesalers around the world. click here to read the story 10:52
Hurricane Ophelia 2017: Category 2 storm to pass near Azores, then head for Ireland
Hurricane Ophelia continued on a path that will take it near the Azores today as a Category 2 hurricane. The National Hurricane Center said Ophelia, the 10th hurricane in the Atlantic so far this year, will then track toward Ireland and the U.K., which could have to deal with hurricane conditions by Monday. click here to read the story Hurricane Ophelia Public Advisory – click here 10:02:
Pebble mine opponents at Dillingham meeting hammer EPA for changed course
In close to four hours of public testimony, dozens of people told EPA staffers that large-scale mining threatens a fishery and way of life in Bristol Bay. The unanimous opinion given during Wednesday’s meeting in Dillingham, held in the middle of the work day, was that the EPA should finalize preemptive Section 404(c) Clean Water Act restrictions, not withdraw them and wait for an environmental impact statement. click here to read the story 09:30
Ian MacPherson navigates waters of lobster industry
Ian MacPherson, executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association, admits he has no commercial fishing background. But he is still an important voice advocating for the association’s membership with the help of 1,300 experts at his disposal. Originally from Toronto, MacPherson joined the organization in 2010 after working in the transportation industry in Alberta and New Brunswick. According to Statistics Canada, the industry contributed about $73 million in 2016 to the Island’s GDP. To date, there is an estimated 1280 fishing licences held on the Island valued at $800,000 to $1 million per license, explained MacPherson. click here to read the story 08:53
A safety training exercise that every fisherman “needs to know”
Bob Scammon lived out the words of the medical training. Michael Oliveira experienced the man overboard training in reality. Scammon, a commercial fishing captain for more than three decades, tried to help a man on board suffering from a heart attack aboard one of his vessels years ago. Oliveira woke up to the news that someone on board the Miss Shauna had fallen overboard in July. In both situations, the crew dealt with death at sea. “All that mayday stuff, that is very, very important how to do it,” Oliveira said. “Everything that we’ve learned today is definitely to our benefit. I do think every fisherman, everybody that’s a seaman, needs to know this stuff.” The Fishing Partnership, a nonprofit organization geared toward improving the health and safety of fishermen, provided a safety training day at UMass Dartmouth SMAST on Friday. click here to read the story 08:31
