Monthly Archives: November 2017
Garnish fish harvesters concerned about green crab
Garnish fish harvesters Preston and Tonia Grandy are worried about what an abundance of green crab in the waters of Fortune Bay could mean for the future of the fishery. “It is a bigger issue than I think a lot of people in 3PS realize, because it has only been the last three or four years that we started notice them (green crabs) here,” explained Tonia Grandy. Over that time, she has made other observations in relation to the invasive species.,, She said if green crab are destroying eelgrass as well as eating mussels, clams and scallops, they will have a negative effect on other species. click here to read the story 11:48
Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment – Plan to change New England ocean stewardship up for debate
The federal government is close to enacting new rules about New England ocean habitat that could mean dramatic changes for the way it manages the marine environment and fisheries. The National Marine Fisheries Service has been working on the rules for some 13 years and recently made them public. They would change the way the government manages the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and southern New England waters, which are critical pieces of ocean for rare whales, unique underwater canyons and commercial fishermen.,, The proposal states that its goal is to minimize “adverse effects of fishing on essential fish habitat.” click here to read the story 10:50
Why backers say Ocean Supercluster will sail off with innovation bucks
It’s deadline day for Atlantic Canada’s lone bid in the federal government competition for $950 million in innovation funding. Some of the biggest players in the region’s ocean economy have joined forces to come up with the Ocean Supercluster proposal, which aims to find solutions to problems extracting resources from the ocean.,,, Four core investors are committing $15 million each as part of the Ocean Supercluster: Emera, Clearwater Seafoods, Petroleum Research Newfoundland and Labrador — which is made up of the five oil companies operating offshore Newfoundland and Labrador — and Cuna del Mar, an open ocean aquaculture promoter. click here to read the story 08:59
A Fundraiser for Wesley VanHook funeral expenses
On November 19 my brother in law was killed in a tragic commercial fishing accident. He didn’t have any kind of insurance. Were unfortunately not able to afford a funeral for him. Those that knew Wesley knew he was a great guy and an even greater uncle to his nephew. He lost his life doing what he loved, being on the water. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. If your unable to donate please keep our family in your prayers. Thank you click here to donate 07:37
Female first mate untangling the net of male-dominated fishing industry
Nadine Adams began her prawn trawling career as a cook a few years ago, but she has moved out of the kitchen since then and during the recent tiger prawn season was controlling operations on the deck of the FV Ocean Thief, which is part of the Austral Fisheries fleet. “The skipper’s in the wheelhouse most of the time so I’m the person down on the deck making sure things happen the way they should be,” Ms Adams said. “I was kind of itching to move on from the cook’s position, because I’d done it for a couple of years and learnt what I could there.” click here to read the story 11:57
On Smith Island, Crab Is Everything. What happens when no one’s around to catch Maryland’s prized blue crab?
It’s the hottest day of the summer on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and at a tiki bar that doesn’t serve alcohol on a windless island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, two teenage boys appear, one holding up a small, live blue crab. “Hey Steve, will you cook this for me?” the boy holding the crab asks Steve Dunlap, who’s behind the bar. “Aw, put it back, Robert,” Dunlap says. Robert sulkily obliges, letting the crab scuttle off into the bay, but makes it clear that he wasn’t going to kill it. Here, on Smith Island, Maryland, there is an overpowering respect, almost a reverence, for the blue crab. At the dead center of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, 12 miles from Maryland’s shore, Smith is a central part of the Maryland crabbing industry, and has been for generations. Here, crab is everything: Food, money, work, family, tradition, history. Crab is life. But it might not be for very much longer. click here to read the story 09:36
Boatbuilders boosting capacity and hiring workers to keep up with demand
Wedgeport Boats is boosting its production capacity and hiring more employees to meet the strong demand for modern lobster-fishing boats.,, The challenge for Nova Scotia’s boatyards – some industry insiders say the biggest challenge – is finding those employees to build increasingly complex and larger lobster-fishing boats. “Boatbuilders are looking at replacing wood with some composite panels for deckhouses,” said Tim Edwards, executive director of the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association. “Many lobster boats are being fitted with live wells – to help improve the quality of landed catch. click here to read the story 08:54
All 7 crew of capsized Japanese fishing boat rescued
Two Japanese and five Indonesian crew members have been rescued after their 15-meter tuna fishing boat was found capsized about 400 kilometers from the Pacific island of Palau, the Japan Coast Guard said Thursday. Planes and ships from the U.S., Japan and Palau had been taking part in the search for the Japanese-flagged Gyotoku Maru No. 1, which capsized southwest of Palau.,, click here to read the story 08:23
Bristol Bay red king crab quota caught
The Bristol Bay red king crab season finished up last week when the entire allowable catch was harvested. “The Bristol Bay Red King Crab fishery went fairly well,” Miranda Westphal said. Westphal is the area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Dutch Harbor. “A little slower than we would like to have seen, but they wrapped up with a total catch of 6.59 million pounds. So they caught all of the catch that was available for the season.” click here to read the story 17:00
Sam Parisi – Unless we have the science compared to an independent survey we are in peril at NOAA hands
I was reading an article in South Coast Today regarding the new director of NOAA Jon Hare who said quote, he is willing to talk to the fishermen. Among his duties at the Northeast Fishery Science Center, Mr. Hare is responsible for conducting the ground fish surveys that determine annual catch limits for each species. Fishermen have disagreed with NOAA findings and actually taken photo’s of thousand of lbs of cod caught in their nets. Up to now the vessel Bigelow has done NOAA surveys but now is dockside for repairs, and in it’s place is the Pisces that will only conduct a thirty day survey instead of sixty. click here to read the story 15:43
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 43ft Aluminum Stern Trawler, 300HP 6 Cylinder John Deere
Specifications, information and 11 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 15:05
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for Thanksgiving 2017
Click here to read the Weekly Update, to read all the updates Click here, for older updates listed as NCFA click here13:34
Ekofish orders twin-rigger from Stellendam yard
Dutch fishing company Ekofish Group has contracted Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam to build a new twin-rig trawler. The design and equipment of the new vessel will all be in line with Ekofish’s dedication to sustainable fishing methods. The design of the new vessel has been a collaboration between Ekofish, Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam and naval architect Vripack, more well-known for its leisure boat portfolio. click here to read the story 11:59
Search underway for crew of capsized tuna fishing boat off Palau
A search is underway for two Japanese and five Indonesian crew members after their fishing ship was found capsized about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the Pacific island of Palau. Planes and ships from the U.S., Japan and Palau are taking part in the search for the Japanese-flagged Gyotoku Maru No. 1, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday. The 15-meter (50-foot) tuna fishing boat capsized southwest of Palau. click here to read the story 11:21
‘Codfather’s’ fraud leaves New Bedford fishing permits on ice, and lot of people out of work
South Coast officials and seafood industry interests were stunned by Monday’s federal decision to shut down a sector with ties to disgraced fishing magnate Carlos Rafael, a decision they say will cut into the livelihoods of fishermen during the holiday season and beyond. “The ruling itself was unexpected,” said Andrew Saunders, a New Bedford attorney retained two months ago by Northeast Fishery Sector 9, one of 19 non-profit entities set up to manage fishing industry operations in the face of strict catch limits imposed by the federal government.,, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell says there’s collateral damage involved for people in the New Bedford area whose jobs are tethered to the harvesting of groundfish such as cod, flounder and haddock. click here to read the story 10:48
This Hilton Head shrimp boat is a Lowcountry comeback story — and now a viral photo
She was surf fishing when she saw the boat, its nets trawling the water, its running lights bright in the ever-darkening sky, and its size made her pause, then hurry from the beach. Terri Chabot lives in Kure Beach, N.C., close to the pier the shrimp boat was nearing Saturday, and she gambled she’d be able to run home and back before the moment passed. The sun was setting and birds circled the boat, which, with its outriggers deployed, looked much like a pelican skimming the sea. It was under a half-mile offshore, Chabot estimated. She could not make out its name. click here to read the story 09:39
Optimism heading into the 2017 lobster season off southwestern Nova Scotia – Search and Rescue is Ready!
While many factors can come into play before an opening shore price is determined in the commercial lobster fishery, there is reason for optimism going into this season. In the Upper Bay of Fundy in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 35, where the season opened on Oct. 14, there are reports of strong landings and a solid shore price of $6.50. The Canadian dollar was trading at less than 80 cents with its American counterpart in October, which is always good news for Canadian exporters. click here to read the story 08:35
SAR assets lined up for lobster dumping day off southwestern Nova Scotia-Inshore and offshore Search and Rescue (SAR) platforms will already be on the fishing grounds and in position when lobster fishermen in LFAs 33 and 34 head out to set their traps on dumping day. click here to read the story
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
