Daily Archives: November 27, 2017
Photos and audio: Coast Guard, good Samaritans rescue 6 fishermen south of Hawaii
The Coast Guard, and good Samaritans rescued six fishermen from the 57-foot fishing vessel Jane, reportedly taking on water 110 miles southeast of the Big Island, Hawaii, Monday. The six fishermen were rescued by the crew of the 70-foot fishing vessel VAK 2 and are en route to Hawaii where they will be met by emergency medical services and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. At 7:22 a.m., watchstanders at the Sector Honolulu command center received a mayday call via satellite phone from one of the crewmembers aboard the Jane stating they were taking on water and in need of immediate assistance. click here to read the story 22:12
Commercial Dungeness Crab Season in Northern California Delayed Due to Crab Quality Testing
Due to poor crab meat quality test results conducted at the beginning of November, the Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has issued a memo delaying the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season in Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties) for a minimum of 15 days until Dec. 16, under authority of Fish and Game Code section 8276.2. Crab quality tests ensure that crab are filled out enough prior to harvesting and follow the testing guidelines established by the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee that is overseen by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. click here to read the press release 21:15
Coast Guard medevacs 51-year-old man from fishing vessel 25 miles southeast of Murrells Inlet
The Coast Guard medevaced a 51-year-old man Monday from a fishing vessel 25 miles southeast of Murrells Inlet. Coast Guard Sector Charleston Command Center watchstanders received a call at 3:45 p.m. from the crew of the Shooting Star, a 42-foot fishing vessel, stating a crewmember was experiencing chest pains. A Coast Guard Air Facility Charleston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew launched at 4:28 p.m. and arrived on scene at 5 p.m. The Dolphin crew hoisted the man and transported him to Georgetown Memorial Hospital. -USCG- 19:12
FISH-NL says DFO has blood on its hands; department policy contributed to deaths of four Shea Heights fishermen in 2016
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) says a report by the Transportation Safety Board into the death of four fishermen off Cape Spear in September 2016 confirms the tragedy was the result of Department of Fisheries and Oceans policy. “I hope senior management at DFO go home this evening and take a good long look at themselves in the mirror, and then make sure to give their hands a good scrub because there’s blood on them,” says Jason Sullivan, Captain of FISH-NL’s under 40-foot fleet. “People are dying and no one’s held accountable.” click here to read the press release 14:04
Cape and Islands Lawmakers Join Fight to Protect Offshore Herring
The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance is receiving support from the Cape and Islands legislative delegation in protecting offshore herring for local fishermen. Earlier this month, the lawmakers called on the New England Fishery Management Council to create a buffer zone off the coast of the Cape and Islands from large-scale mid-water herring trawlers. Current regualtions allow the trawlers to fish three miles offshore from Provincetown past the Islands. click here to read the story 13:34
Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) endorsed by radical environmentalist group
Florida Representative proudly posted on his Facebook page an endorsement by Ocean Champions. But who is Ocean Champions? Ocean Champions is a 501(c)(4) organization with a connected political action committee – the first national organization of its kind focused solely on oceans and ocean wildlife. Our goal is to create a political environment where protecting and restoring the oceans is a national government priority. By helping to elect pro-ocean Congressional candidates and engaging with Congress to pass pro-ocean laws and shoot down bills that would harm the ocean. What does Ocean Champions mean by having a goal to “create a political environment where protecting and restoring the oceans is a national government priority” and to “pass pro-ocean laws and shoot down bills that would harm the ocean?” click here to read the story 13:03
Dumping Day Delay: moved to Tuesday due to weather
Lobster fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia will now be able to get their traps in the water on Tuesday after the start of the region’s season was delayed by a day to due weather. Dumping Day in lobster fishing areas (LFAs) 33 and 34 falls on the last Monday of November.,, David Whorley, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans director for the area, said he met with the advisory committee for the areas and Environment Canada on Sunday morning, and made the decision to issue a delay of at least one day. link 12:08
Lagunitas Creek gets odd visitor: pink salmon
A fish species rarely seen south of Washington state has turned up more than 700 miles away in Lagunitas Creek, part of what has been dubbed a strange beginning to the spawning season. In recent years attention on the Lagunitas Creek watershed has been focused on federally endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout, with efforts made to restore habitat to help those fish. The fish come to the Marin watershed from the ocean each year to spawn. But this year the attention has been on two other species, which have made surprising appearances. click here to read the story 11:36
Transportation Safety Board of Canada – Operating in poor weather conditions led to the 2016 fatal sinking of fishing vessel Pop’s Pride
In its investigation report (M16A0327) released today, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) found that adverse weather conditions led to the sinking of the small open fishing vessel Pop’s Pride and the loss of life of its four occupants in September 2016, off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The report also highlights the continued need for focused and concerted action by all levels of government and industry members to fully address the safety risks and deficiencies that persist in Canada’s fishing industry. click here to read the press release 10:46
BP Canada applies to drill off N.S.
BP Canada has applied to drill up to seven exploration wells within its current offshore exploration licences, located between 230 and 370 kilometres southeast of Halifax between 2018 and 2022. The government is in the process of approving the drilling — on Wednesday, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) released a 215-page draft report, as well as a list of potential conditions BP Canada would have to abide by if it wants to conduct exploratory drilling in the area.,, But John Davis, director of the Clean Ocean Action Committee, which represents inshore fisheries in Nova Scotia, says the government and CEAA is not being forthcoming with crucial information. click here to read the story 08:36
Oregon Eyes Killing Sea Lions to Save Steelhead Trout
Fish managers scrambling to gain approval to kill dozens of California sea lions feasting on threatened winter steelhead trout got a bump this week from a study blaming the creatures for taking food from orcas. But some say the effort is a misguided attempt to scapegoat natural predators for the human-caused decline of their prey. In 1999, about 15,000 winter steelhead passed Willamette Falls. In 2016, scientists with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife counted just 512.,, “We’re looking at a threat of extinction posed by sea lions,” Shaun Clements, the agency’s senior fish policy advisor, told the Fish and Wildlife Commission at a meeting in September. click here to read the story 08:04
This Waikiki Shipwreck Is Proving Tough To Get Rid Of
On the morning of Oct. 13, commercial salvage crews overseen by the Coast Guard thought they might finally free the Pacific Paradise from the shallow waters off Waikiki, where the fishing vessel carrying 20 people had run aground three nights earlier. Things did not go according to plan. ,,, Now, salvage crews are poised to attempt yet another tow this week, hoping to move the wreck that has greeted beachgoers at Kaimana for nearly six weeks. click here to read the story 07:12
