Monthly Archives: October 2017
A fisherman’s tale…
As a young man in his late 20s Peter Bullock made a living sailing luxury yachts around the Mediterranean for the super-rich. But when he was offered the opportunity to skipper a boat fishing for pilchards in Cornwall, he leapt at the chance. “Except we don’t call them pilchards now,” he points out. “They’re Cornish sardines.” Twelve years later, the catch he brings back to shore each morning is being sold not in cans, but on the fresh fish counters of upmarket supermarkets like M&S and Waitrose. click here to read the story 11:11
Conservationists plan to sue over right whale deaths
Animal conservation groups say they intend to sue the U.S. government unless North Atlantic right whales are better protected, following the deaths of 15 along U.S. and Canadian coasts. “We are literally facing the extinction of right whales due to human causes,” said Regina Asmutis-Silvia of Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America. In August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, declared the deaths of North Atlantic right whales since June 7 an “unusual mortality event,” which triggered a focused and expert investigation into the causes. But the conservation groups want more. click here to read the story 10:01
Prince of Wales claims Somalian pirates have been ‘fantastic’ for marine life because fishermen are too scared to go to sea
Prince Charles’ latest remarks have sparked outrage after he claimed pirates have been ‘fantastic’ for marine life because fisherman were too scared to do their job. The 68-year-old royal said there had been a ‘fantastic explosion’ of bigger fish off the coast of Somalia due to the lack of activity in the sea. Speaking to Sky News, Prince Charles said: ‘As a result, there hasn’t been any fishing there for the last ten or 15 years. And from that there has been a fantastic explosion of bigger and bigger fish.’ His comments came after delivering a keynote speech at the Our Ocean Conference in Malta, which came on the same day that he released a rehabilitated turtle back into the wild. click here to read the story 08:38
Ocean conference raises over $7 billion to marine protection – click here to read the story
Tropical Storm Nate: Path brings a hurricane to northern Gulf Coast earlier
Tropical Storm Nate got a little stronger and picked up speed on Friday morning on a path that could bring it to the northern Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane in less than 48 hours. The center of the storm moved back over water early Friday after spending most of Thursday over Central America. Nate will move near or over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula tonight and then enter the Gulf of Mexico late tonight or early Saturday. Nate is forecast to then race across the Gulf and could be nearing the coast of Louisiana by early Sunday morning. click here to read the story 08:25
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
Seafood sold in U.S. grocery stores is being processed by North Korean labor
The case for knowing where your food comes from grows ever stronger: A new Associated Press investigation reveals America’s hunger for seafood is unwittingly helping fund the North Korean dictatorship. According to the report, North Korea is outsourcing workers to plants in China that process seafood, including wild-caught salmon, snow crab, and squid, that’s sold in U.S. grocery stores such as Walmart and Aldi — meaning American grocery shoppers “may inadvertently have subsidized the North Korean government as it builds its nuclear weapons program.” click here to read the story 22:31
David Goethel – We have lost the case, but I have no intention of giving up the battle.
I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to all the private citizens and members of fishing families who have called and emailed me about the recent Supreme Court decision. We have lost the case, but I have no intention of giving up the battle. Many of you have offered suggestions of how to proceed, and I will weigh them all carefully and take further action. In the meantime, I urge all of you, especially those not related to the fisheries, to pick up the phone and call either the Regional Office switchboard (978) 281-9250, or the switchboard at Silver Springs headquarters (301) 427-8000 and voice your displeasure with the current situation. I would also urge you all to contact your Federal Senators in your respective states and voice your frustration. Some members of Congress have tried to fix the problem but because it is regional, they are getting resistance from Senators outside New England. Since many of you come from all regions of the country your calls or emails would be particularly helpful. I wish to again, publicly thank Cause of Action. They have put tremendous time, money and expertise into this case. They are just as frustrated as all of you that no one would rule on the merits of our case. Finally, I want to remind everyone who reads this that citizens hold government accountable in a democracy. Sitting on the sidelines makes everyone assume you do not care. So please, pick up the phone or write that email, and let government know you are dissatisfied with this current outcome. Thank you, David Goethel 17:30
Gone fishin’: Court denies NH case – click here to read the op-ed
After collapse, researchers find a comeback for capelin in Barents Sea
Marine researchers found significant stocks of capelin during their comprehensive Barents Sea Ecosystem Expedition this year. That could open the way for renewed commercial fishing on the stocks. According to expedition leader Georg Skaret, prospects for the capelin is better than in many years. Data presented by Skaret during a presentation on Wednesday show that big stocks of capelin were discovered in the northern parts of the Barents Sea, in the waters east of the Svalbard archipelago. click here to read the story 15:18
2017 Commercial Salmon Harvest Summary
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has compiled preliminary harvest and value figures for the 2017 Alaska commercial salmon fishery (PDF 130 kB). Although there are still fish being caught, the majority of 2017 salmon fisheries have ended. The 2017 commercial salmon fishery all species harvest was 224.6 million wild salmon with an estimated preliminary exvessel value of $678.8, a 66.7% increase from 2016’s value of $407.3 million. Of this total, sockeye salmon again came in as the most valuable species, accounting for 48% of the value at $326.1 million and 23% of the harvest at 52.4 million fish. click here to read the press release 14:56
Seward: Vigor at SMIC: “Here for the Long Haul”
Vigor, a marine services operation located at Seward’s Marine Industrial Center (SMIC), is “here to stay,” according to Adam Beck. Beck is in charge of Alaska Operations for Vigor, and is based out of Portland, Oregon. He plans to spend a few days in Seward in early October to visit their 11 acre shipyard located in the industrial area on the east side of Resurrection Bay. Vigor is one of a handful of marine service operations who hold leases with the City of Seward. According to Beck, they have recently made changes to their business plan. These changes will allow third party contractors to complete work using their yard. click here to read the story 14:10
Questionable Management of Commercial Fisheries – US Senate candidate R.I. State Rep Bobby Nardolillo
Point Judith: State Representative Bobby Nardolillo, a GOP Candidate for the US Senate in 2018, made a formal statement today on the plight of the Ocean State’s commercial Fishing industry. In it he concentrated on recent efforts to restrict the federal quotas of Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus). The long statement was summed up by Nardolillo this way: “Menhaden is an important species in the commercial catch. Political overseers such as the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission have used demonstrably faulty science to needlessly restrict this catch in our waters. Relief from this untenable restriction is needed not only by commercial trawlers but also by ordinary Rhode Islanders who ultimately consume the protein this catch. click here to read the press release 13:04
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: TYPE: 42′ OEM Lobster Boat, 750HP John Deere 13.5 Liter Diesel
Specifications, information and 15 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 12:28
Congressman Blasts Fishery Council For ‘Improper Lobbying’ – asks for an investigation
The Honolulu-based Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council was harshly criticized on Capitol Hill last week over allegations of anti-environmental lobbying and secretiveness. U.S. Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, a Democrat who represents the Northern Marianas Islands, blasted the council known as Wespac during a hearing before the Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee. Sablan asked for an investigation of the 16-member council’s activities, which he said include “improper lobbying,” organizing efforts to undermine environmental protections and unspecified financial conflicts of interest. click here to read the story 11:09
More Atlantic salmon coming to Puget Sound despite objections
The company that spilled thousands of invasive salmon into Puget Sound is sending 1 million more into local pens despite objections from state officials. “We are very concerned about Cooke Aquaculture’s plan to transfer up to 1 million Atlantic salmon smolts to a in Clam Bay across from Bainbridge Island. This is disappointing and frustrating, coming on the heels of the August collapse of Cooke’s net pen near Cypress Island that held 305,000 fish,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee said. click here to read the story 10:15
State gives OK to new salmon farm permit – The state found, however, that Fish and Wildlife didn’t have the authority to deny a permit to transfer fish into an existing pen, according to the joint release from Inslee and Franz. click here to read the story 10:42
Thousands of Sharks, Other Sea Life Mysteriously Die in San Francisco Bay, State Says No Funding Available to Determine Cause
As many as 2,000 leopard sharks have mysteriously died in the San Francisco Bay over the past few months. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says determining the cause is not a priority for the state since the sharks are not threatened or endangered, however, scientists say additional research and resources are crucial since the threat is now believed to be preying on other marine life. “This pathogen can tackle a variety of different species … we’ve had a much more diverse group of fish that have been found dead in the San Francisco Bay.” At least 500 bat rays, hundreds of striped bass, 50 smooth-hound sharks and about 100 halibut died in the bay between February and July, according to Okihiro’s estimates. Video, click here to read the story 09:24
First half of Maine’s lobstering season ‘painfully slow’ for fishermen
A cold spring, high bait prices and a stormy summer are adding up to a slow lobstering season in Maine. Every fisherman and every lobstering port along Maine’s 3,500-mile coastline is different. But as of Oct. 1, the midpoint in the industry’s peak season, most Maine lobstermen and the dealers who buy from them agree the catch is down. They disagree on whether the industry will be able to land enough lobster to recover and keep up with the last few years of record harvests. click here to read the story 07:46
Eastern Maine Skippers dip toes in murky waters
What’s bugging people in the fishing industry in your town? How do you find out? What can you do about it? More than 100 students from the Downeast eight high schools that participate in the Eastern Maine Skippers program travelled to the Schoodic Institute last week to learn how to answer those questions. The students were gathered at the first of four “full cohort events” planned for the current school year — as much to give them the opportunity to meet one another as to get a start on acquiring the problem-solving skills that can help keep the fisheries, and fishing industry, in their communities sustainable. click here to read the story 18:11
Environmental group sues California over whale-killing gear
An environmental group sued the state of California on Tuesday for allegedly not doing enough to keep Dungeness crab fishery gear from killing protected whales. The Center for Biological Diversity filed its lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco, saying the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is liable for a surge in entanglements of endangered whales and sea turtles because it authorizes and manages operation of the fishery. click here to read the story 15:18
Maine elver king to plead guilty to trafficking in poached elver eels
The man regarded as the founder of Maine’s elver fishery will plead guilty to violating federal law by trafficking in more than half a million dollars worth of poached baby eels. Bill Sheldon and federal prosecutors reached the agreement on Sunday. Sheldon has waived his right to appeal any sentence that includes a prison term of 30 months or less. Sheldon bought elvers, or baby eels, that he knew had been caught in New Jersey and Virginia, where the fishery is banned, prosecutors have said.,, Sheldon, 71, of Woolwich, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Portland at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 5, to formally enter his guilty plea. click here to read the story 14:37
Hickman’s Harbour fishers relieved DFO ditched new rule for herring fishery
Melanie Marsh just wanted a simple answer. How many people are considered “sufficient number of crew members” for a herring-fishing boat? It was a question that officials of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in Clarenville were unable to answer. Marsh was prompted to ask the question after she read the conditions attached to her partner Richard Marsh’s herring licence, and realized a new rule had been added since the spring herring fishery. And that new rule, in her mind, did not make sense. click here to read the story 13:32
Yes, Trump can revoke national monuments
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has finally completed a months-long review of dozens of controversial national monuments, recommending major changes to 10 monuments, including shrinking six and relaxing regulation of the other four. Before the specific recommendations became public, the president’s opponents were already threatening lawsuits, claiming the president has no authority to change existing monuments. With the recommendations now public, it is only a matter of time before the litigation floodgates open. Everyone should take a deep breath.,,, Nothing in the Antiquities Act forbids the president from revoking or shrinking a national monument. And the theory is belied by history: Seven presidents have shrunk national monuments, including President William Howard Taft, who reduced the Navajo National Monument by nearly 90 percent. click here to read the op-ed 12:10
