Daily Archives: November 21, 2017
Good Samaritans rescue 4 from fishing boat fire off Pillar Point Harbor
Four crewmembers from the commercial fishing vessel Ocean Gale were rescued by the crew of the commercial fishing vessel Smith Brothers #2, after a boat fire 13 miles southwest of Pillar Point Harbor. Fishermen aboard the Ocean Gale, a 37-foot vessel, contacted Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders at approximately 5 p.m., Monday, reporting a fire aboard their boat.,, Crews aboard four commercial fishing vessels, Alma, Mr. Morgan, Alicia Dawn and Smith Brothers #2, responded to the UMIB and diverted to the scene. click here to read press release 22:30
New NOAA Director seems willing to work with fishing industry
Jon Hare has just completed his first twelve months on the job as a science and research director or NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. And its a big job. But he’s still smiling. The NEFSC managers the living marine resources of the Northeast Continental Shelf Ecosystem from the Gulf of Maine to Cap Hatteras. But Hare’s energy and enthusiasm have been equal to the task, while his willingness to listen and engage with all comers have earned him respect within NOAA and in the larger community. It’s been a challenge but one that I’ve enjoyed,” he said, sitting don for a wide-ranging discussion at the Fishing Partnership office in New Bedford last week. click here to read the story 21:46
Friends of Adam Purington say he was polite, hard working
Friends of Adam Purington describe him as polite, quiet and hard-working, a veteran who was a respectful guest at Thanksgiving dinner. But he died alone, in a storage container at the Rockland Fish Pier, with six uncashed paychecks on him when he died. His death, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, has shaken those who knew the 37-year-old Purington. His boss of the last two years, Frank Thompson, of Vinalhaven, said Purington was incredibly nice and one of the hardest workers he has had. “He would always meet with you a handshake,” Thompson said. Other crew members who worked with Purington were too upset to talk Tuesday, Thompson said, as they unloaded lobsters from his lobster smack at the fish pier. click here to read the story 20:37
After working with four generations of Inshore Fisheries family, Yarmouth County woman getting set to retire
Through four generations and almost 50 years, Nancy d’Entremont has seen a lot of changes as bookkeeper for Inshore Fisheries Ltd. in West Pubnico, Yarmouth County. D’Entremont began her career with Inshore Fisheries in February 1969, working for Mercedes d’Entremont and her business partner Lester d’Entremont. “The office was in her house,” recalls d’Entremont. And the pay was good. “I started at $40 a week.” In those days, buying and selling lobsters was the main focus of the company. “It was very different than it is today,” click here to read the story 20:06
ICCAT Ups Canadian Share of Bluefin tuna quota
Fishermen in Atlantic Canada will be able to catch another 77 tonnes of Bluefin tuna next year after an international commission agreed to raise the annual quota following an improvement in stocks. The increase was approved Tuesday during a meeting in Marrakech, Morocco of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Environmental group ‘disappointed’ Still, the increase was denounced by the Ecology Action Centre, click here to read the story 17:47
Trump Administration Dives Into Fish Fight
An unprecedented Trump administration decision over the summer that overruled an interstate fishing commission has drawn the ire of critics who worry that keeping a healthy and viable supply of flounder in the Atlantic Ocean is being sacrificed to commercial profits. While the fight over fish largely has been out of the public eye, it has implications for Maryland and other coastal states. In July, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross overruled a recommendation by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission finding New Jersey out of compliance with proposed 2017 harvest limits of summer flounder along the Atlantic coast. click here to read the story 15:28
Mayors go to D.C. to lobby for Anacortes shipbuilder
The mayors of Anacortes and Mount Vernon traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to urge legislators to forgive a local shipbuilder’s mistake. In speaking to the state’s Congressional delegation, Anacortes Mayor Laurie Gere lobbied for a waiver that would allow a ship built in the city to be used in U.S. waters, thus protecting the jobs of those who work for the shipbuilder. America’s Finest, the vessel in question, was built by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes for the Kirkland-based company Fisherman’s Finest for use in the Bering Sea. click here to read the story 13:50
NOAA Bans Rafaels Vessels from Groundfishing
Calling its actions “unprecedented” NOAA announced Monday that Carlos Rafael’s vessels are banned from catching groundfish for the foreseeable future. The government agency also said the vessels currently at sea on a groundfish trip must return to port, where they will be allowed to unload and sell their catch. click here to read the story 13:11
Fishing fleet dominated by ‘Codfather’ grounded – Jailed New Bedford fishing mogul Carlos Rafael’s empire, once one of the largest fish businesses in the country, continues to crumble. click here to read the story 13:31
Nations decide to increase quota for Atlantic Bluefin tuna
Countries fishing the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean agreed Tuesday to expand the annual quota for prized Bluefin tuna to reflect an improvement in their stocks. Two officials at the meeting of the 50-nation International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas said that at the end of the meeting Tuesday, countries have agreed to hike the quota from 24,000 tons this year to 28,000 next year, with a further 4,000 added in each of the following two years. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been officially announced yet. click here to read the story 12:26
Good morning, Eureka! Fifth Street is Covered in Fish Guts
Tuesday morning traffic on Fifth Street near its intersection with M Street is restricted to one lane after a truck spilled a load of fish waste there. Eureka Police Department officers are on scene directing vehicles while they wait for heavy equipment to come mop up all the gross. “Consider an alternate route if traveling north this morning,” EPD recommends. photo’s, click here 11:06
Tuna troller sinks in Ilwaco mooring basin
Authorities on Monday continued dealing with pollution concerns and making plans to raise the Lihue II, a 61-foot wooden fishing vessel that sank at her mooring at the Port of Ilwaco sometime Friday night or Saturday morning. A citizen reported the sinking to Long Beach Police at 10:14 a.m. Saturday. “Reporting party stated there was a boat that sunk; reporting party does not know if it was sabotage or what,” according to the Pacific County Dispatch media report. click here to read the story 10:28
Investigation continues after death on commercial fishing boat
An official with the U.S. Coast Guard said a boat currently docked in Beaufort returned with a crew member who had died. According to several posts on Facebook, family and friends identified the fisherman as Wesley Vanhook of Bayboro. The Coast Guard said they got a call around 9:15 Sunday that one of the crew members aboard the Little Jesse had received a head injury. Coast Guard Sector NC launched a cutter, which escorted the 75-foot vessel to the Beaufort Inlet. video, click here08:44
On World Fisheries Day FISH-NL reiterates call for Trudeau to apologize to NL for fisheries mismanagement
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) is reiterating its call for Prime Minster Justin Trudeau to formally apologize to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for fisheries mismanagement, which continues to threaten the province’s sustainability. “The Prime Minister is set to apologize to residential school survivors in Labrador, and for LGBTQ persecution, and we’re hopeful his next apology will be to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for the destruction — under Ottawa’s watch — of our once-great commercial fisheries,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. click here to read the statement 23:58
