Monthly Archives: November 2017
North Carolina: Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project accepting applications
The North Carolina Coastal Federation is accepting applications from commercial watermen to assist in its annual on-the-water Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project. The project is open to any fisherman with a Standard Commercial Fishing License in North Carolina. Those selected help the federation and the North Carolina Marine Patrol remove lost fishing gear from coastal waters during the no-potting period, typically from Jan. 15 to Feb. 7. Compensation is $400 per boat, per day. Each boat is required to have two people onboard for safety reasons. click here for the story, application details 09:18
Commissioner, 3 employees are leaving embattled Alaska fishing agency
One of the two leaders of an embattled Alaska commercial fishing agency is leaving his job, he said this week. Ben Brown, a commissioner at the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, said in an email that he’s resigning to take a job at a Juneau arts organization. His departure comes within the same month as three other commission employees’, according to a former colleague. Brown and Bruce Twomley, CFEC’s other commissioner, have both earned more than $130,000 a year to supervise the fishing agency even though their most essential work — limiting access to fisheries and ruling on permit applications — has slowed dramatically. click here to read the story 08:58
Right whale deaths spur regulators to eye fishing gear modifications
This has been a tough year for North Atlantic right whales. Late in October, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the badly decomposed carcass of a right whale was found ashore on Nashawena Island, south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It was the 16th of the highly endangered species known to have died in U.S. or Canadian waters in 2017. Starting in the early spring and continuing through the late summer months, a dozen dead right whales were found floating in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence.,,, Last year, the NOAA Fisheries Large Whale Take Reduction Team (TRT) began a five-year review click here to read the story 08:23
Salvage efforts continue for grounded fishing vessel off Kaimana Beach
Responders are continuing work to salvage the commercial fishing vessel Pacific Paradise grounded just off Kaimana Beach on Oahu. Over the weekend, the Coast Guard brought on personnel from Resolve Marine Group, Global Diving and Salvage, Pacific Environmental Corporation and the Coast Guard Salvage Engineering Response Team from the Marine Safety Center. This team surveyed the vessel and are working to further develop and update the salvage plan. click here to read the story 23:25
Working Waterfront: Several hundred tons of squid offloaded in Ventura
The smell of squid filled the air Tuesday morning at Ventura Harbor, where workers were bustling to offload hundreds of tons of it. The morning’s activities represented one of the largest squid hauls the harbor has seen in recent history. Approximately 300 to 400 tons of squid were brought into the harbor, representing a positive turn of events, said Frank Locklear, manager of commercial fisheries and technology at the Ventura Harbor Village Marina. click here to read the story 21:23
Fisherman fined for one undersized lobster
A Merigomish fisherman was fined $2500 for having one undersized canner lobster in his catch. Percy John Hayne entered a guilty plea in Pictou provincial court Monday to having a lobster measuring less than 76 mm in his catch on May 31, 2017, in Lismore. Fisheries officers were at the Lismore wharf when Hayne was unloading his lobster catch. The market lobsters measured the proper limit but one of the lobsters picked out of the 95-pound catch of canners was undersized. click here to read the story 19:50
Coast Guard medevacs injured fisherman near Freeport, Texas
The Coast Guard medevaced an injured fisherman from a fishing vessel approximately eight miles south of Freeport, Texas, Tuesday morning . At 9:29 a.m., Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders overheard a report on Channel 16 of a crewmember aboard the fishing vessel Lady Tina who suffered a possible concussion and broken leg. A Station Freeport boatcrew arrived on scene at 10:40 a.m. and transported the injured man to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Coast Guard Station Freeport. The man was last reported in stable condition. -USCG-
NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Scup Quotas
NOAA Fisheries proposes to revise the 2018 quotas and announce projected 2019 quotas for the scup fishery. Compared to the current specifications in place for 2018, this action would increase the commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits each by approximately 40 percent. The recent scup stock assessment update indicated that the stock is not overfished and overfishing did not occur in 2016. The update also showed that the 2015 year class was about 2.1 times larger than the average recruitment (i.e., number of age 0 scup) from 1984 to 2016. huh! click here to read the press release 17:28
Rockport seafood business bouncing back after Harvey
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, about 40 percent of small businesses never open their doors to customers again after a disaster. Alby Godinich, owner of Alby’s Seafood, is determined that won’t happen to his historic Rockport-Fulton business that has been open since 1983. “We have lost a lot of money, I can tell you this. But hey, we are going to come back, we will come back,” said Godinich. Godinich lost thousands and thousands of dollars of retail inventory and most of his equipment was damaged during the storm. “We just reopened here a while back. We were shut down for five or six weeks. It will probably be a month or two to make up for what we have lost and everything, you know,” said Godinich. click here to read the story 13:58
Land Based vs Open Pen Aquaculture – Fish out of ocean water dampen aquaculture enterprise
Some day, it might be possible to raise salmon in land-based closed containment ponds and make a profit. But that day is still a long way off, and even when it does become economically viable, land-based aquaculture might be like organic farming: an option for consumers willing to pay a premium, but which can’t replace ocean-based salmon farming. That’s not just the conclusion reached by the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA), it’s also the opinion of a Nanaimo businessman who owns a land-based fish farm. click here to read the story 12:39
How Fishing Created Civilization
Of the three ancient ways of obtaining food—hunting, plant foraging, and fishing—only the last remained important after the development of agriculture and livestock raising in Southwest Asia some 12,000 years ago. Yet ancient fisher folk and their communities have almost entirely escaped scholarly study. Why? Such communities held their knowledge close to their chests and seldom gave birth to powerful monarchs or divine rulers. And they conveyed knowledge from one generation to the next by word of mouth, not writing. click here to read the story 10:02
Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks are rebounding — but raising quota proves controversial
Fishermen up and down the New England coast say it has been decades since they’ve been able to catch so many Atlantic bluefin tuna, so fast. Once severely depleted, populations of the prized sushi fish appear to be rebuilding. Now the industry and some scientists say the international commission that regulates the fish can allow a much bigger catch. But some environmental groups disagree.,, click here to read the story 09:18
Millions of fire extinguishers recalled
Kidde
, a manufacturer of fire suppression equipment, has recalled more than 40 million fire extinguishers equipped with plastic handles. Some of the units were manufactured more than 40 years ago. According to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), “The fire extinguishers can become clogged or require excessive force to discharge and can fail to activate during a fire emergency. In addition, the nozzle can detach with enough force to pose an impact hazard.” Millions of Kidde fire extinguishers are currently installed on pleasure and commercial fishing boats. click here to read the story Product Safety Recall – This product recall involves two styles of Kidde disposable fire extinguishers click here 08:22
RNC SUPPORTS THE NORTHEAST COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY
RI National Committeewoman Lee Ann Sennick sponsored a Resolution Supporting the Northeast Commercial Fishing Industry at the recent Summer Meeting of the Republican National Committee. Receiving widespread support, the resolution (full text of which can be seen (click here) was passed unanimously by the 168 person body. Sennick, who has professional ties to the industry, has formed a Republican Fisheries Coalition along with Richard Fuka, President of the RI Fisherman’s Alliance and Meghan Lapp, political liaison for Seafreeze Ltd. “Rich and Meghan reached out to the RI Republican Party because they have serious concerns for the future of the industry and the economic impact on our state. Those concerns have not been satisfactorily addressed by RI’s Democrat Congressional Delegation,” stated Sennick. click here to read the press release 07:10
Stone crab season in SWFL
Stone Crab season is in its fifth week, and crabbers say the beginning was a bit rough. Frank Rogues is a master crab catcher for Pinchers restaurants and said typically, 400 pounds of stone claw crab is the yield from a successful day, however, this year that number was reduced to about 100 pounds for the first few weeks the season. “You go out there and you spend a lot of money to set up a gear,” Rogues said, “which is quite expensive to do that, and you do that, and you’re not even making fuel money. That’s pretty tough.” click here to read the story 18:17
Tanner crab fishery to open in Kodiak for first time since 2013
Nat Nichols, Alaska Department of Fish and Game area management biologist for the Groundfish, Shellfish & Dive Fisheries, says the last opening was in 2013. He says ADF & G conducts an extensive trawl survey program between Dutch Harbor and Kodiak focused on tanner crab in the Gulf of Alaska. “This year we did 363 stations. About 200 of those are in Kodiak, so quite a few stations around Kodiak to assess tanner crab abundance.,, Meanwhile, the Dungeness crab season, which opened in May and June, closed last week. click here to read the story 17:35
Senior NOAA appointee calls for retraction of paper on illegal fishing
A top US official at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who was recently appointed by President Donald Trump, has called for the retraction of a paper that suggests the country exports a significant amount of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. The paper, published July 6 in Marine Policy, estimated that in 2015 approximately one-fifth of Alaska pollock exports to Japan were either illegal, unreported, or unregulated — a value of as much as $75 million. click here to read the story 15:17
Is frozen cod just as good as fresh? Yes. As long as it is handled properly, new research reveals.
In Norway they say that nothing is in more of a hurry than a dead fish. This is probably true, because on average it takes three days for a fresh cod to reach most sales counters. And for both retailers and customers, a three-day-old fresh fish is stretching it a bit. However, if the fish is frozen on board the vessel and thawed properly before it reaches the sales counter, its quality can be just as good as if it had never seen the inside of a freezer. Just as long as the fishermen and fisheries industry take note of our research results. From fresh seasonal fish to a high-quality frozen product. click here to read the story 12:55
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In Depth: Rose de Cascia
One could easily think that the ‘Ship of the Year award 2017’ for the innovative fishing vessel MDV-1, won together with shipyard Hoekman from Urk, seems to have paid dividend for shipyard Padmos from Stellendam. The yard is constructing a series of three fishing vessels for a French client which bear a strong resemblance to MDV-1, even though they are a size smaller.,, The Rose de Cascia and her sister vessels are specifically developed for the flyshooting fishing method, also called Danish Seine fishing or Snurrevaed. This method has gained in popularity as it is a lot more fuel-efficient than bottom trawling, whereby a heavy net is dragged over the seabed. click here to read the story 11:32
‘The Codfather’ expected to report to prison today
A New Bedford fishing magnate who pleaded guilty to multiple charges is expected to report to prison Monday to begin his sentence. Carlos Rafael — also known as “The Codfather” — will serve about four years on charges of smuggling, falsifying documents and evading fishing quotas. He’ll also have to serve three years’ probation and pay fines of up to $200,000. link 10:03
Fake Data Behind Coral Bleaching Report
In Hawaii, there are many who constantly try to bring to an end our ability to feed people. The latest example was November 2, 2017 when a group of legislators orchestrated an informational conference on coral reef bleaching and overfishing. The conference was put together by Representative Kaniela Ing (Maui), by Representative Cedric Gates (West Oahu), Representative Chris Lee (Waimanalo), and Representative Nicole Lowen (Kona). Why are these politicians making it harder to survive in Hawaii? Their goal is to create new laws and legislatively mandate closure of 30% of the Hawaiian Island near-shore waters. Taking into account the recent closures to the North West Hawaiian Islands, that is over 80% of what used to be fishing grounds and a food source to our local population. There were many holes in the conference keynote lecture by Dr. Alan M. Friedlander. But the news picked up on it and made it out to be a life or death situation. click here to read the story 09:09
Federal bill that could eliminate shark fin sales puts pressure on N.C. shark fishermen
The sale of shark fins may soon become illegal for coastal fisherman across the country. Legislation has been introduced to the House and Senate which would make it illegal to possess, buy, sell, or transport shark fins or any product containing shark fins. Local fishermen make a portion of their income based off of the sale of shark fins and shark meat. Some perceive this aspect of their business to be at risk because of the potential regulation. North Carolina congressmen David Rouzer, Tedd Budd, David Price and Congresswoman Alma Adams all cosponsor the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017. The bills, S.793 and H.R.1456 are opposed by Congressman Walter Jones, North Carolina’s Third District representative. click here to read the story 07:53
R.I. commercial fishing landed $93.9M in 2016
Approximately 82.5 million pounds of seafood were commercially landed in Rhode Island in 2016, an increase of 9.1 percent year over year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries of the United States 2016 report Monday. The year’s haul in the Ocean State was worth a combined $93.9 million, an increase of 14.7 percent… Rhode Island caught 22.5 million pounds of squid in 2016, 16 percent of the national supply and second most in the country to California. click here to read the story 07:21
Alligators eat sharks — and a whole lot more
Alligators don’t just stick to freshwater and the prey they find there. These crafty reptiles can live quite easily, at least for a bit, in salty waters and find plenty to eat — including crabs, sea turtles and even sharks. “They should change the textbooks,” says James Nifong, an ecologist with the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Kansas State University in Manhattan, who has spent years documenting the estuarine gator diet. Nifong’s most recent discovery, splashed all over the news last month, is that the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) eats at least three species of shark and two species of rays, he and wildlife biologist Russell Lowers report in the September Southeastern Naturalist. click here to read the story 21:46
Sitka Police – Suspect identified in Eliason Harbor fishing boat shooting, held on $100,000 bail
Sitka Police Department have released more information about the suspect of a shooting Saturday evening that left one man injured. 35-year-old Nathan Leask has been identified as the suspect who allegedly shot a man on a commercial fishing boat before fleeing. Sitka Police say they received a call around 5:30 p.m. that a man had been shot on a commercial fishing boat in Eliason Harbor. “Upon arrival, officers located an adult male with a gunshot would on his thigh and blunt force trauma to the head,” said the press release from Sitka Police. “Leask had entered the vessel occupied by the victim and female and a physical altercation had broken out.” Leask was apparently armed with a handgun during the fight. It was said to have discharged, resulting in the injury. click here to read the story 18:46
Boudreau family makes local shipbuilding history
The largest modern fishing boat ever manufactured on Isle Madame hit the water in October. Father and son duo Adolphe and Shawn Boudreau completed construction on the fishing vessel All Segments, which was purchased by the Everett family of Digby. The hulking 50-foot by 30-foot boat weighs in at 90 tonnes. click here to read the story w/photos 16:30
How Nantucket Came to Be the Whaling Capital of the World
Today Nantucket Island is a fashionable summer resort: a place of T-shirt shops and trendy boutiques. It’s also a place of picture-perfect beaches where even at the height of summer you can stake out a wide swath of sand to call your own. Part of what makes the island unique is its place on the map. More than 25 miles off the coast of Massachusetts and only 14 miles long, Nantucket is, as Herman Melville wrote in Moby-Dick, “away off shore.” But what makes Nantucket truly different is its past. For a relatively brief period during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this lonely crescent of sand at the edge of the Atlantic was the whaling capital of the world and one of the wealthiest communities in America. click here to read the story 14:46
Pacific Ocean ‘blob’ appears to take toll on Alaska cod
Gulf of Alaska cod populations appear to have nose-dived, a collapse fishery scientists believe is linked to warm water temperatures known as “the blob” that peaked in 2015. The decline is expected to substantially reduce the Gulf cod harvests that in recent years have been worth — before processing — more than $50 million to Northwest and Alaska fishermen who catch them with nets, pot traps and baited hooks set along the sea bottom.,,, Scientists don’t ascribe the blob specifically to climate change. Gulf of Alaska temperatures — influenced by atmospheric conditions such as wind strengths — have always fluctuated over time. But researchers have never before tracked such an extreme heat wave that spread across such distances and penetrated to such depths. click here to read the story 11:52
Eating Fish During Pregnancy Might Prevent Childhood Asthma
Consuming an actual fish by the mother as compared to fish oil could actually be beneficial in protecting the offspring from asthma. The research was the work of the researchers at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla wherein they conducted a scientific review of two studies that show that children whose mothers who consume high-dose omega-3 fatty acids daily during their third trimester have lesser chances of having breathing problems. click here to read the story 11:16
