Monthly Archives: January 2018
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
Lots of inshore issues to talk about at DFO meeting in Shearstown
Wednesday’s meeting in Shearstown for inshore harvesters was filled to the brim with conversation, as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans allowed the event to continue well beyond its planned two-hour duration. The discussion covered an array of topics, from the future of bycatch to qualms about size restrictions for vessels and the potential for oil exploration to harm marine life. Chad Payne, a harvester from Old Perlican, brought up the bycatch issue. He said it seemed wasteful for harvesters to get rid of perfectly good fish,,, >click here to read< 20:36
‘Cod is Dead’ uses New Bedford to highlight hurdles affecting fishermen
One of the first scenes in “Rotten: Cod is Dead” opens at night in the Port of New Bedford. Spotlights atop the fishing vessels light the area. A few belong to Carlos Rafael, noted by their green color and “CR” logo.,,, The hour long show looks beyond Rafael and focuses on catch shares in the New England Fishery. >click here to read< 19:05
EDF says Rotten gets it wrong about New England and catch shares – >click here to read< 
Federal waters off Georgia, South Carolina closed to fishing for brown, pink, white shrimp
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced on Jan. 24 that NOAA Fisheries have closed federal waters off Georgia to all fishing for brown, pink, and white shrimp. During the closure, no person may trawl for brown, pink, or white shrimp in federal waters off Georgia effective at 8:45 a.m. on Jan. 24Georgia, South Carolina NOAA Fisheries will issue a new Fishery Bulletin announcing the re-opening to shrimp harvest in federal waters off Georgia once the date is determined.. >click here to read< and in South Carolina >click here to read<17:55
Bulllard: Seafood farming is key for the future of seafood and our communities
As I retire from NOAA Fisheries, I want to share my vision of a bright future where marine aquaculture is part of our collective strategy for ensuring economic and environmental resiliency in coastal communities. If done responsibly — as it is in the United States — aquaculture is increasingly recognized as one of the most environmentally sustainable ways to produce fish protein. While world population is rising, the amount of wild fish is not. >click here to read< 17:00
Industry tops subsistence on Board of Fisheries herring votes
In a morning of controversial deliberations at the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting Tuesday, subsistence users weren’t successful in herring conservation measures to cut commercial fishing harvests. But a favored backup proposal, No. 106, did pass by a 6-1 vote: 4 square miles in Sitka Sound were added to a 10-square mile protected area reserved for subsistence harvest and barred from commercial fishing. >click here to read< 15:18
Keys lobstermen catch a break, traps get a $1 per-trap tag waiver
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, every dollar saved helps, say Florida Keys commercial fishermen. Untold thousands of spiny-lobster traps, the primary gear in the most economically significant Keys seafood harvest, disappeared or were destroyed by the Category 4 storm in September. The statewide lobster industry based in the Keys will get a bit of a break in the 2018 season that opens in August. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at its December meeting agreed to waive for one season the annual $1 per-trap tag fee for the allowed 473,500 traps in the lobster fishery. >click here to read< 13:44
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Gamage Scalloper/Lobster, Cat 3306, Federal Permits
Specifications, information and 5 photos click here To see all the boats in this series, Click here13:12 
Dangerous swells will complicate harvest this week as Crabbers go to sea
An informal Dungeness crab price strike ended this week on the Washington and Oregon coast after Newport-based crabbers decided to accept $2.75 a pound from Trident Seafoods. Columbia River-based crabbers began soaking pots at 9 a.m. Monday. Crabbers didn’t reach a formal agreement with industry giant Pacific Seafoods after days of stalemated talks in which fishermen sought a starting price of $3 a pound for wholesale deliveries to processors. Last year’s price was $2.89 a pound. >click here to read< 11:53
Fines for violating whale-protecting speed may be inadequate, says fisheries minister
Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he was “surprised” by the more than 500 reported speed limit violations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence last year and questions whether penalties should be stiffer to better protect North Atlantic right whales this year. “This is my own view, that a $6,000 fine may not represent an adequate sanction, it may not represent a sufficient deterrent,” said LeBlanc. ,,, As of late last week, only 14 of the 542 cases had resulted in a fine — all of them a minimum of $6,000, Transport Canada officials have said. >click here to read< 11:10
There won’t be new scallop fishing off the coast of Nahant after all
After hearing from more than 200 people who wrote letters demanding a reconsideration, the state has decided not to allow sea scallop dredging where it is currently prohibited off the coast of Nahant. “I am not anti-making-a-living,” said commercial lobsterman Justin Mahoney. “I have no problem with a fisherman making a living. I don’t like that we don’t know what the long term effects could be.” The State Division of Marine Fisheries proposed a pilot program that would allow dredging for scallops in areas where it is currently not allowed from February and March. >click here to read< 09:35
Fishermen say Deepwater data falls short of assurances
Fishermen and their advocates this week ramped up criticisms of Deepwater Wind and its efforts to prove that the planned South Fork Wind Farm would not hurt fishing off Long Island, challenging the basis of the company’s data and its adherence to the required review process. On Friday, fishermen and East Hampton Town Trustees again spotlighted what they say is a dearth of information from Deepwater’s scientists that pertains directly to the marine species that migrate through the region and their sensitivity to electrical currents, at an hours-long meeting with company representatives and members of the Trustees board. And on Monday a group of fishermen and fishing-related business owners released their own detailed assessment,, >click here to read< 09:06
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
Gulf of Maine lobster boom over as population starts to decline
The Gulf of Maine lobster population will shrink 40 to 62 percent over the next 30 years because of rising ocean temperatures, according to a new study released Monday. As the water temperature rises – the northwest Atlantic ocean is warming at three times the global average rate – the number of lobster eggs that survive their first year of life will decrease, and the number of small-bodied lobster predators that eat those that remain will increase. Those effects will cause the lobster population to fall through 2050, according to a study by scientists at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, University of Maine and National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration. >click here to read< 19:49
Suit by animal protection groups follows deaths of 17 right whales in Canadian and U.S. waters last year
Conservation and animal-protection groups have sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in the United States, alleging it failed to protect right whales from entanglement in commercial fishing gear. The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., late last week, alleges the federal management of the U.S. lobster fishery violates the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The lawsuit seeks to force the National Marine Fisheries Service to do a sufficient examination of the fishery’s impact on North Atlantic right whales and adopt additional measures to prevent entanglements. >click here to read< 18:55
Despite frustration, observation plan yields new fish data
Gillnet fishermen bristled at a requirement to carry state observers last fall, but what felt like a burden to the fleet may have turned out to be a blessing. Preliminary data collected on the trips show that the number of steelhead fishermen kill while trying to catch other fish may actually be much lower than the historic rate. It’s good news for a fishery that has been under fire for using gear opponents say harms fish runs — and even better timing. Last year’s steelhead run was one of the worst returns in decades. >click here to read< 16:13
