Monthly Archives: December 2017
The trade ban stays despite the growing seal populations – Only sealskin from Greenland can be traded in Finland.
The warm sealskin products are easy to sell in the cold conditions of the Arctic. The material would also be available in Finland, but, because of an EU ban against seal trade, only sealskin from Greenland can be traded. As winter embraces the north and cold spells hit the region, vendor Pekka Halonen starts his mobile shop and sets off to travel around Sápmi, the Land of the Sámi, in Finland and Norway. In 2009, the European Parliament decided that seal products could not be sold in or imported for sale into the European Union. click here to read the story 11:25
Current fishery situation is not sustainable – Kent Martin
I feel compelled to comment on the article in the Eagle (12/21/17) from the Columbia Basin Bulletin, “Group Tests Fish Trap above Cathlamet.” I attended the Wild Fish Conservancy presentation to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission and noted several inaccuracies, and the CBB added a few more. 1. Fish traps were never the “massive” harvest technology on the Columbia. They were outlawed in 1936 in Washington and 1948 in Oregon because many, if not most, were vertically integrated with the fish packers, and were being used to manipulate fish prices. I confronted one of the Wild Fish Conservancy people on this, and he admitted this was the case.,,, click here to read the story 10:43
Deep-water experiment reveals lobsters’ appetite for jellyfish
A team from Heriot-Watt University was surprised to find lobster scaring off other marine life in order to eat defrosted helmet jellyfish carcasses which has been attached to an underwater camera and lowered 250 metres in the Sognefjorden in western Norway. The experiment was designed to find out which deep-water species were most attracted by a jellyfish dinner, with hagfish and amphipods expected to be interested. But it was the Norway lobster – worth around £80 million to Scottish fishing catches – that was most keen and ate half of the jellyfish. click here to read the story 10:15
In 2018, Thorny Issues Ahead – Fishermen versus wind farm, beach access at Napeague remain unresolved
The proposed South Fork Wind Farm occupied the attention of many residents and governing officials throughout 2017 and, if anything, will be a matter of greater debate next year as its developer, Rhode Island-based Deepwater Wind, submits formal applications to multiple federal, state, and local permitting agencies.,, Most recently, commercial fishermen and Deepwater Wind are at odds over reports by the former that their trawl nets have snagged on the concrete mats that cover approximately 5 percent of the Block Island Wind Farm’s transmission cable. click here to read the story 09:41
9th Circuit Gives Enviros New Way to Shut Down Hawaii Fishing Fleet
Federal agencies must rethink permitting a swordfish-catching operation to increase the use of a fishing method that can kill endangered sea turtles and seabirds, according to a decision by a federal appeals court on Tuesday. Two of the three judges on a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel agreed with the Turtle Island Restoration Network and other environmental organizations that argued the National Marine Fisheries Service acted improperly when it increased the amount of sea turtles that could be killed incidentally in the waters off of Hawaii as part of a fishing method called longlining. Specifically, the majority said the fisheries service failed to properly integrate a climate-based model that showed significant declines in the population of the loggerheads sea turtle. click here to read the story 09:06 
LETTER: Need thorough, unbiased environmental study
I’d like to address publically, the situation in Pictou County involving Northern Pulp and the subsequent closure of Boat Harbor by 2020 with regards to the ‘replacement’ treatment plan which ultimately includes a pipeline for the treated effluent to be discharged into the Northumberland Strait which is part of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.,,, It should also be noted that the new home of the end of the purposed pipeline is the heart of LFA 26. (Lobster Fishing Areas – there are 41 LFA’s in Canada, of them, LFA 26 as a whole is amongst the highest producers in tonnage of annual lobsters landed). I’m highlighting lobster as this is the main source of revenue for the 1000 plus fishers that fish this zone commercially. John Collins, Alma Road click here to read the story 18:48
Fishermen in Mexico shoot down environmental group’s drone
The environmental group Sea Shepherd says fishermen fired 25 shots at one of its night-vision drones in Mexico’s Gulf of California, bringing it down. Various drones have been employed to patrol the Gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez, to combat illegal fishing and save the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world’s smallest porpoise. Sea Shepherd has been the target of demonstrations by fishermen in the past, but said the Christmas Eve shooting represented “a new level of violence.” click here to read the story 15:39
Ropeless traps could help mitigate right whale deaths, says U.S. scientist
A U.S. scientist is working on trying to stop right whale entanglements with fishing gear, which garnered increased attention after a spate of deaths this past summer. Mark Baumgartner, a biologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., has been studying North Atlantic right whales since 1999.,, One of the problems is that modern ropes are much stronger and last longer than they used to be and don’t break as easily when they come into contact with large sea animals. click here to read the story 13:49
Whale-safe Fishing Gear – New buoy for lobster traps could prevent entanglements click here to read the story
Here’s why 12 right whales died in Canadian waters — and why more will die if nothing is done
A macabre joke in the field is that there are more North Atlantic right whale researchers than actual North Atlantic right whales. The scientific community is tight-knit: on top of the hours many of them spend sardined together on research boats and survey planes, a consortium dedicated to studying and conserving the species gathers every year for a meeting that tips further towards family reunion than your average academic conference. Still, as biologists, conservationists and policy-makers began filling an auditorium at St. Mary’s University very early on a Sunday morning in late October, the emotional register of the meeting felt unusually charged. Attendees greeted each other with bracing hugs. click here to read the story 12:27
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 41′ Novi Fiberglass Lobster
Specifications, information and 14 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here 11:39 
ThrowRaft Inventor Makes Guest Appearance at The Patent Professor’s Book Signing Event
Over 50 VIP guests were given a first-hand account of Troy’s near death experience when his boat sank 9 miles offshore. In a miraculous tale of survival, he spent 9 hours swimming back to shore which ultimately led him to conceive, build and market the world’s first throwable inflatable device, approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, that is no bigger than a small purse. Mr. Faletra personally demonstrated the product by throwing it towards the crowd who watched fascinated as the device self-inflated within a second or two of being released. click here to read the story 10:45
Lobster boat building boom in Western Australia a boost for quality catch, regional jobs
Record-sized rock lobster boats under construction in a small coastal town are driving a boat building employment boom in Western Australia. Fuelled by higher prices for their catch, some WA lobster fishermen are investing in newer, bigger boats, while others are expanding the carrying capacity of their existing boats. Dongara fisherman Clay Bass said he was spending about $4 million on a boat which would hold 6.5 tonnes of catch. click here to read the story 10:15
S.C. Senator Stephen Goldfinch calls opposition to seismic blasting and offshore drilling a “vocal minority” of “environmental zealots.”
So, in the senator’s view, every municipality and county on the South Carolina coast has been coerced by a liberal brand of fanatics who have taken environmentalism to a new level, bordering on a religion. This is exactly what the senator has told me. In addition to every municipality above described, he has now defined the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce in the same fashion – and the Business Alliance to Protect the Atlantic Coast. Neither of these are environmental organizations – but they both have studied the facts and come out against seismic blasting and drilling. Many other organizations have done likewise: the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, the Mid Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, the New England Fisher,,, click here to read the op-ed 08:50
It’s Maine Shrimp Season, Without the Shrimp
Sitting between Glen Libby’s desk at Port Clyde Fresh Catch and the armchair where his brother’s old dog, Red, likes to nap are two boxes full of “The Original Maine Shrimp Cookbook.” This slim spiral-bound volume includes contributions from various members of the brothers’ immediate family, whose shrimping history dates back nearly four decades in this coastal town about two hours northeast of Portland. Mr. Libby loves the small, delicate Northern shrimp, known fondly here as Maine shrimp, and so do customers at his processing and distribution plant. Photo’s, click here to read the story 22:12
Commercial crab fishing to open Jan. 15 on the Washington coast
Washington’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open in coastal waters Jan. 15 after a six-week delay, state shellfish managers announced today. Fishery managers for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the opening in coordination with fishery managers from Oregon and California. click here to read the notice 19:37 
Fishing Vessel Owners Marine Ways incorporates on March 28, 1919.
On March 28, 1919, Fishing Vessel Owners Marine Ways is incorporated. A group of halibut-schooner owners, who are also members of the Fishing Vessel Owners Association, form the new company because they are frustrated by a lack of shipyard capacity in Seattle. Their shipyard will build halibut schooners and dories and will repair, retrofit, and maintain all types of vessels. The yard is located at the Port of Seattle’s Fishermen’s Terminal, the homeport for the Seattle-based North Pacific and West Coast fishing fleets, which opened five years earlier. It will be a vital part of Fishermen’s Terminal and the maritime industry in Seattle over the next century. Photo’s, click here to read the story 19:08
Sipekne’katik band councillor’s lobster pound destroyed in fire
A Sipekne’katik band councillor says a lobster pound he owns in southwestern Nova Scotia was destroyed by fire in the early hours on Christmas Day. Alex McDonald said he was contacted by the RCMP about the fire at his lobster pound located in the tiny community of Saint Bernard near Weymouth, N.S. According to McDonald, the lobster pound was completely destroyed in the fire. click here to read the story 17:12
NOAA Seeking U.S. Commissioner to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization
NOAA Fisheries is seeking a U.S. citizen to serve a four-year term as a Commissioner representing the commercial fishing industry to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). NAFO is a regional fisheries management organization with 12 Contracting Parties that coordinates scientific study and cooperative management of the fisheries resources of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, excluding salmon, tunas/marlins, whales, and sedentary species (e.g., shellfish). click here to read the press release 16:26
Come 2018, The State Plans To Dispose Of The F/V Akutan
After months sitting abandoned in Unalaska, the state announced Friday its intention to dispose of the fishing vessel Akutan. The processor was abandoned in Unalaska’s Captains Bay in September following a disastrous fishing season in Bristol Bay where the ship’s owner went broke, the crew went unpaid, and it’s 158,000 pound haul of salmon was declared unfit for human consumption. The state is looking for buyers interested in the vessel. If there are two or more prospective buyers, they will conduct a public auction, or the Akutan will be donated for scrap or destroyed. click here to read the story 15:40
PFD’s: Fishing is a deadly business, but many fishermen won’t wear life preservers
One rogue wave or false step, an ankle caught in a line, is all it takes to cast a fisherman overboard. But those risks have never been enough to convince Rick Beal that it’s worth wearing a life preserver. Even though he has never learned how to swim. Commercial fishing ranks among the most dangerous professions, but fishermen — fiercely independent and resistant to regulations — have long shunned life preservers, often dismissing the flotation devices as inconvenient and constraining. click here to read the story 14:46 
Long Island: Controversial Larvicide Remains in Mosquito Control Plan
The Suffolk County Legislature approved a 2018 vector control plan on Tuesday that includes use of methoprene, a mosquito larvicide, but also acknowledges a pilot program launched this year at Accabonac Harbor that is intended to reduce and possibly eliminate the pesticide’s use. The Legislature passed the 2018 plan by a 17-to-1 vote, a disappointment to activists who insist that methoprene is harmful to nontarget species including lobsters and crabs. click here to read the story 11:07
Port of Newport evaluation – some good, some not so much
An evaluation audit of the Port of Newport brought up a number of issues that are common knowledge – the main one being it’s all about the Newport International Terminal (NIT) which has been, for a number of years, in various stages of partial completion. The auditor told the Port Commission this month that the port’s income is rather thin because they have haven’t finished the terminal. Money pledged from the federal government wasn’t spent in time because the port didn’t have an operator for the facility. click here to read the story 09:50
“We shall fight on the beaches” – Michael Gerson: ‘Darkest Hour’ proves that history can hinge on a single leader
But the central conceit of the film — that a deflated, defeated Churchill required bucking up by average Brits — is a fiction. Very nearly the opposite was true. The policy of appeasement was broadly popular in Britain during the early to mid-1930s. In 1938, a majority supported Neville Chamberlain’s deal at Munich (which ceded much of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany in return for … nothing). It is more accurate to say that Churchill summoned British courage and defiance by his intense idealization of British character. He saw heroic traits in his countrymen that even they, for a time, could not see. click here to read the story 09:13
Why California’s most productive salmon hatchery is millions of fish short
California’s most productive salmon hatchery has 6 million fewer fish this year, another sign the state’s drought woes linger despite last winter’s record rainfall. The federal Coleman National Fish Hatchery tries to produce about 12 million fall-run Chinook salmon for release each spring into Battle Creek, a Sacramento River tributary south of Redding. This spring, the Coleman hatchery will only have half as many young salmon to release. click here to read the story08:16
Donegal coastal community left devastated after Irish fisherman dies
A Co Donegal coastal community has been left devastated after a fisherman died while out fishing. The small fishing community of Downings is coming to terms with the sudden loss of popular local fisherman, Garret Boyce. Mr Boyce died on-board the McBride Fishing Company owned, MFV ‘Peadar Elaine II’, sometime before 4.00am on Saturday morning. The boat was fishing crab in the North Sea over the Christmas period and Mr Boyce was due to return home on December 27th. click here to read the story 20:28 
BP Canada’s offshore exploration bid progressing
The public comment period on the draft Environmental Assessment Report for exploratory drilling in the Scotian Basin closed at the end of the day on Friday. 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. The project would include the drilling of up to seven wells between 2018 and 2022. click here to read the story 17:33
The UN Starts a Conservation Treaty for the High Seas
The nations of the world have launched a historic two-year process to create the first-ever international treaty to protect life in the high seas. Covering nearly half of the planet, the high seas are international waters where no country has jurisdiction. These waters, which reach depths of nearly seven miles, are filled with life, from valuable fish to plankton. They help generate the oxygen we breathe and regulate the global climate. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get ocean governance that puts conservation and sustainable use first,” says Liz Karan, senior manager for the high seas program at the Pew Charitable Trusts. click here to read the story 16:19
A Christmas Day disaster
St Finbarr’s final trip was plagued by bad luck from the start. She took 14 days battling atrocious weather to get to Newfoundland’s Grand Banks – a trip usually done in half that time. Electrical faults reported from previous trips caused three delays before she even set sail from Hull’s St Andrew’s Dock on November 16th, 1966. On her maiden voyage in late 1964, St Finbarr, the most expensive Hull trawler ever at £500,000 (£13m in today’s money), smashed the national record hauling in 488 tons and 17 hundredweight, and had continued to do so since. click here to read the story 14:25
Winds of worry: US fishermen fear forests of power turbines
East Coast fishermen are turning a wary eye toward an emerging upstart: the offshore wind industry. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, the onetime whaling capital made famous in Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick,” fishermen dread the possibility of navigating a forest of turbines as they make their way to the fishing grounds that have made it the nation’s most lucrative fishing port for 17 years running. The state envisions hundreds of wind turbines spinning off the city’s shores in about a decade, enough to power more than 1 million homes.,, “Fishermen are losing ground one a nibble at a time,” said Joseph Gilbert, a Stonington, Connecticut fisherman who owns boats that range from Virginia to Maine. click here to read the story 12:30
Matinicus lobsterman gives hundreds of pounds of lobster to needy on Christmas Eve
No one would ever mistake Noah Ames for Santa Claus. For one thing, the Matinicus lobsterman is rail-thin and lacks that signature bowl-full-of-jelly belly. He dresses in a sensible parka bundled up against a cold December wind, not a dashing red outfit pulled together with white trim, a black belt and boots. And Ames’ vehicle of choice is a black pickup, not a sleigh, although one suspects that Santa has the edge in roof-landing ability. click here to read the story 10:33
