Daily Archives: December 9, 2017
Jack Spillane: In gratitude for fishermen
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; 24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. Psalm 107 Misty Blue In the wake of its tragic destiny, even the name seems to betoken sadness. Misty Blue, of course, could also bring piece of mind and beauty. And surely there was a time when the rugged guys who worked the surf clammer on a gentle Atlantic day thought about their boat that way. Click here to read the story 22:24
Cantwell’s legislation provides regulatory relief for smaller vessels like crab and salmon boats
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced the Fishing and Small Vessel Relief Act (S.2194) to extend protections for fishermen and small vessel owners from adhering to costly requirements that do not tangibly protect or improve water quality for vessels of their size. An EPA study found that incidental discharges from these small vessels do not generate a significant threat to our waters. The bill will extend a current moratorium that exempts fishing vessels and vessels under 79 feet from incidental discharge permitting requirements mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These vessels have been continuously exempt since 2008 under a temporary moratorium as they do not pose a serious environmental risk. click here to read the story 21:35
Sam Parisi is asking all fishermen to attend the Gloucester Fisheries Commission meeting December 14th
I recently had a letter I wrote printed in our local paper. This was regarding a commitment the Mayor of Gloucester, Sefatia Romeo Theken made when she was running in 2016. That being, to hire a Fisheries Director part time and than look down the road for full time. She kept her word. In my letter I said we need to now hire someone full time. Not to take anything away from our director Al Cottone, he has done a good job, but you can not expect him or anyone else to do this effectively on a part time basis. click here to read the story 15:07
Yacht Captain Charged With Negligence After Fatal Collision In Waters Near Stonington
A federal grand jury has indicted a professional yacht captain for maritime negligence, charging that his failure to maintain a look-out and other inattentiveness were responsible for a collision that took the life of a Connecticut fisherman near Watch Hill, R.I., two years ago. The grand jury charged that Capt. Cooper “Chick” Bacon, 78, of Cape May, N.J., was running a 60-foot Viking luxury motor yacht though a marked passage into Fishers Island Sound at more than 30 knots when he ran over a 23-foot skiff operated by 81-year old Walter S. Krupinski of Stonington. click here to read the story 11:22
Starr Campbell says Support your local lobstermen
A recent article in the Reporter focused on an issue concerning our local lobstermen. Apparently, many of them are feeling “left out in the cold” due to complaints from neighbors regarding the storage of ” unsightly traps” on their property. We must not forget that Marblehead was founded by those hardy souls who went out for fish & eventually for lobsters. While their numbers are smaller now & Marblehead is more diversified we should not lose sight of the fact that it is because of them & their predecessors that Marblehead has thrived. click here to read the letter 10:45
Marblehead lobstermen frustrated by lack of storage options – click here to read the story
Maine To Set Up New Collaborative To Research Lobster Fishery
Maine’s Department of Marine Resources is launching a half-million-dollar project to get a more comprehensive scientific assessment of one of the state’s most valuable resources — lobster. The new Maine Lobster Research Collaborative will focus on the lobster fishery’s biological, physical and social dynamics, as the request for proposals puts it. DMR spokesman Jeff Nichols notes that while lobster populations in southern New England crashed this decade, Maine’s landings soared to record levels. Yet there is little research to show whether that can be directly linked to Maine’s management policies. click here to read the story 10:21
Fisheries council boosts Gulf of Maine quotas for cod, haddock, pollock
The New England Fishery Management Council voted to increase cod and pollock quotas for 2018, a move that is expected to benefit New England’s fishing industry. The council passed a rule Thursday that sets new quotas and has a number of other groundfish adjustments. The species with substantial quota increases are Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock and pollock. The redfish quota will rise by 5 percent. click here to read the story 10:03
A Columbia River gillnetter joins historical collection at maritime museum
After plying the Columbia River for more than half a century, the fishing boat Endeavor is getting a spot in the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s growing hall of boat history. The boat came to the museum from David and Tim Fastabend, who inherited the vessel from their father, Don, along with Astoria Marine Construction Co. David Fastabend said his father went fishing in the Endeavor on weekends and at night when he wasn’t working on boats. “He fished, picked nets all by himself,” David Fastabend said. “He fished until he was 75.” click here to read the story 09:47
