Daily Archives: January 25, 2018
More changes to snow crab fishery not ruled out – minister wants any changes to be fair across all crab fleets
Government is still weighing its options when it comes to more changes to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales, says federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Immediate rule changes to the crab fishery were announced Tuesday to help protect the whales. At least 17 died in Canadian and U.S. waters last year. Some died from being hit by ships and others from entanglements with fishing gear. Another right whale turned up dead Thursday in the waters off the coast of Virginia, the first to be reported this year. >click here to read< 22:38
‘They want to track us like paedophiles’
Commercial line fishers say a plan to track their every movement on the water like they were paedophiles with ankle bracelets would cost them hard-won information and give away their competitive advantage. The Queensland Government was pushing to implement vessel monitoring systems by 2020 that would electronically record where all commercial fishers were operating at any time. Michael Thompson, one of only nine commercial line fishers still operating from Caloundra to Noosa, said existing government electronic platforms were not secure. He and colleagues fear fish grounds they have identified and harvested sustainably over decades would be exposed. >click here to read<20:55
Gloucester: Local fishing titans battling in court
Two of the Gloucester waterfront’s heavy hitters are squaring off in federal court in a lawsuit with at least $710,000 at stake — and potentially much more. Kristian Kristensen, owner of the Cape Ann Seafood Exchange auction and Zeus Packing on Rogers Street, is suing longtime Gloucester fisherman Giuseppe “Joe” DiMaio, alleging DiMaio has failed to repay the approximately $710,000 balance remaining on two corporate and personal loans made to him by Kristensen and his related businesses. >click here to read< 20:06 
Deepwater Wind Farm Representatives Face Blowback
As a deadline looms for the submission of applications to federal and state agencies, Deepwater Wind, the Rhode Island company seeking to construct a 15-turbine wind farm approximately 36 miles east of Montauk, is facing headwinds from commercial fishermen and their representatives, who are concerned that the installation could disrupt the industry and threaten marine life, habitats, or migration patterns. >click here to read< 19:19
Washington State: Council unanimously opposes coastal oil and gas drilling
The Ocean Shores City Council on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution that opposes offshore oil and gas activities off the coast in response to a pending Trump administration proposal to permit drilling in most U.S. continental-shelf waters. “Our Washington coast is one of the most wonderful places in this entire world,” said Ocean Shores Mayor Crystal Dingler.,, Larry Thevik, the president of the Washington Dungeness Crab Fishing Association and a 47-year resident of Ocean Shores, said he was also speaking on behalf of the Washington Trollers Association and the Westport Charterboat Association. >click here to read< 17:24
Fishing ship Vostok, missing in Sea of Japan, capsized after icing – witnesses
The fishing ship Vostok, which has gone missing in the Sea of Japan, capsized under the weight of built-up ice, eyewitnesses said on social networks. “My father was on another ship. The [missing] ship was following my father’s vessel. He said that it [the Vostok] capsized because of icing,” an Instagram user wrote. He said his father’s ship was also covered with ice and listed but managed to reach the Zarubino port in Primorye. “They kept hacking at the ice, no sleep. My father’s ship was also listing. The captain was scared,” the Instagram user wrote. >click here to read< 16:43
DFO outreach meeting – Harvesters in Baie Verte offer suggestions to improve fishery
A pair of fish harvesters from Baie Verte appreciated a rare opportunity to address Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) representatives in an open forum last week. Ray Wimbleton and Lyndon Small both acknowledged the opportunity they were given to voice their concerns, and said they have plenty of suggestions for improving the industry. Wimbleton, a harvester with 40 years’ experience, says the biggest issue he has with the cod fishery right now is that weekly harvesting limits were put in place without consultation with the harvesters. >click here to read<15:53
Hitting the Elver License Lottery! Handful of lucky Mainers win right to apply for lucrative elver licenses
In the first lottery since 2013 in the lucrative elver fishery, the Maine Department of Marine Resources awarded the right to apply for an elver license to 11 Mainers. 3,136 people applied for the licenses. The lottery, authorized during the past legislative session, was available to Maine residents who are at least 15 years of age by the start of the 2018 season, and who are eligible to purchase an elver license in 2018 because they have not had their right to obtain an elver license suspended. >click here to read< 12:40 
3 safe after shrimp boat takes on water off Little Talbot Island
Three people are safe and back on land after their shrimp boat took on water near Little Talbot Island Thursday morning. According to Jacksonville Fire Rescue, a marine distress call came in some time before 7 a.m. The 62-foot shrimp boat is called the Russell Lee. It took on water east of Little Talbot Island. >photos, click here to read< Will be updated 10:57
Calais and Boulogne blocked by protesting French fishermen
French fishermen have blocked the ports of Calais and Boulogne in protest at so-called pulse fishing, which uses electrified nets to stun fish. Fishing boats stopped ferries entering or leaving Calais while a roadblock stopped traffic at Boulogne. Calais is a major link between the UK and France used by thousands of tourists and lorries every day. The European Parliament recently voted to ban pulse fishing which is mainly used by Dutch trawlers. >click here to read< 09:59
Facing a Dying Industry, Two Young New Hampshire Fishermen Head Out Anyway
It’s a feeling many in today’s economy can relate to: starting out in a career is just harder than it used to be. One group that’s very familiar with that idea is commercial fishermen. In New Hampshire, dozens of boats used to head out every morning to fish for cod and haddock. Today that number is down to just a handful. For our series The Balance, which looks at the cost of living in New Hampshire, Jason Moon tells us about two young fishermen who, in spite of the odds, are trying to live a vision of an iconic New England profession. >click here to read< 08:40
