Daily Archives: January 23, 2018

Air Station Kodiak helicopter crew medevacs 2 men from 2 fishing vessels near Cold Bay, Alaska

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew forward deployed to Cold Bay medevaced two men Monday afternoon from the fishing vessels Ocean Peace and Northern Patriot 135 miles north of Cold Bay. The Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted a 21-year-old man aboard the Ocean Peace at approximately 5 p.m. and hoisted a 37-year-old man from the Northern Patriot at around 6:30 p.m. Both men were safely transported to Cold Bay Airport where they were transferred to commercial medical services. >click here to read< 22:54

H.R. 200 – More than one way to manage the nation’s fisheries

For the first time ever, reauthorization of the nation’s overarching marine fishery management law will take into account concerns of America’s recreational anglers. In mid-December, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources approved H.R. 200, a bill sponsored by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, amending the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. While the vast majority of the public hails progress on the bill as long overdue, an unusual coalition of environmentalists and commercial fishing entities has roundly condemned it, feverishly depicting the bill as an attack on the oceans and a threat to the future of the nation’s marine resources. >click here to read< 20:57

North Carolina: Commercial fishing under ‘assault,’ say Dare County Commissioners.

Calling it an “ongoing assault on the commercial fishing industry,” the Dare County Commissioners this week unanimously approved a resolution opposing the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission’s (MFC) proposed changes to the definition of a “commercial fisherman.” Commissioner Steve House, who made a brief presentation on the proposed changes to the board at its Jan. 22 meeting, said, “We’re in the battle again, and I’m proud to take on the fight.”  Under the proposed new definition, in order to qualify as a “commercial fisherman”,,, >click here to read< 18:32

Good Samaritan, Coast Guard rescue 2 fishermen near Pembroke, Maine

The crew of the fishing boat Alex Shea rescued two fishermen Tuesday afternoon after the fishing boat Born Again began sinking on Cobscook Bay near Pembroke, Maine. At around 11:54 a.m. the captain of Alex Shea issued a distress call after witnessing the Born Again sinking. A Coast Guard 45-foot rescue boat crew launched from Station Eastport to assist.  The crew of the Alex Shea pulled the two scallop fishermen from the water and transferred them to the Station Eastport rescue boat. The Coast Guard crew brought the two fishermen to Eastport at around 12:33 p.m. where EMS was waiting. The fishermen were reported to be hypothermic but responsive. –USCG– 17:43

“We’re expecting 100 per cent compliance,” New snow crab fishing rules rein in use of ropes to protect North Atlantic right whales

Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc has announced four changes to the snow crab fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglement, including reducing the amount of rope floating on the surface and mandatory reporting of all lost gear. The new management measures will take effect immediately and will be enforced “very aggressively,” LeBlanc said during the news conference in Moncton on Tuesday. >click here to read<16:29

Bonavista area fishers meet DFO

Dennis Miller of Burgoyne’s Cove is a typical inshore fisherman. Fishing up to 50 miles from shore in a 39-ft 11-inch boat, he makes his living from groundfish, capelin, herring, mackerel, lobster and snow crab.,, He wonders if the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will give smaller boats, like his, access to turbot by opening up fishing zones closer to shore. He was one of about 30 fishers who showed up for the meeting.,, With FISH-NL and the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) in the same room, there was bound to be an argument. >click here to read< 14:24 

EU to ‘stick two fingers up’ and STEAL fish if UK takes back control of seas post-Brexit

The EU is proposing a “childish” plot to pursue “unsustainable fishing just to stick two fingers up at the UK” in response to reclaiming fishing waters after Brexit, it has been revealed. Mackerel and herring move between EU coastal areas and the North Sea during breeding and migration and European countries may intercept the fish before they reach British waters, it is claimed. Alan Hastings from the campaign group Fishing for Leave accused the EU of being “childish” and “sticking two fingers up” at the UK. >click here to read< 12:20

Eighty Years Ago, Caterpillar Went to Sea!

Cat® diesel engines have been famous on land for their dependability and economy since 1931. Seven years later, we decided to head off to sea. The demand for a marine diesel engine was high among boat owners, and we knew we had the ability to make a great one. While manufacturing our engines specifically for marine use was a new idea, the use of them in boats was not. For years, boat owners had recognized Caterpillar quality and adapted our regular power units to their boats. But starting in 1938, boat owners could buy Caterpillar engines specifically designed for use on the water. >click here to read<11:22

‘We want limited entry’ – Nova Scotia Seafood processors lobby for permanent ban on new entrants

A group representing seafood buyers and processors in Nova Scotia is defending a new temporary provincial government moratorium that blocks new entrants into the shore side of the business.,, On the other side of the issue are lobster fishermen like James Brow of Havre Boucher, N.S., who sees the freeze as an attempt to stifle competition at the wharf as prices rise from lows of $3 a pound several years ago to over $7 today. >click here to read< 09:31

UPDATED: Tsunami warnings canceled – 7.9 earthquake in Gulf of Alaska, tsunami warnings issued for coast

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.9 hit deep beneath the Gulf of Alaska early Tuesday, and a tsunami warning was issued for coastal areas from British Columbia to the Aleutians. As of 3 a.m. there were no reports of significant waves or damage. The quake was centered 181 miles southeast of Kodiak, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. The quake was 6 miles deep, the center said. The magnitude was initially reported to be 8.2 but was later downgraded to 7.9. >click here to read< 07:24

Tsunami warnings canceled after magnitude-7.9 earthquake off Alaska – Forecasters canceled tsunami warnings for Alaska and the US and Canadian west coasts Tuesday after an earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska stoked fears of damaging waves. >click here to read< 08:30