Daily Archives: March 1, 2018
Charges dropped against Sipekne’katik fisherman who had his boat burned
A Mi’kmaq fisherman whose boat was stolen and burned in October had three fisheries regulation charges against him dismissed last week. Alex McDonald, a member of the Sipekne’katik band, had been charged with fishing for lobster out of season, catching shellfish in breach of regulations and a lobster tag violation. McDonald, 56, was to appear in Digby provincial court on Feb. 23 but the federal Crown asked to have the charges dismissed. >click to read<21:22
Fishing boat gets stuck in Danish ice, collides with bridge
A fishing boat on Wednesday got stuck in the frozen waters of the Limfjord in northern Denmark. The Defence Command Center (Forsvarets Operationscenter) was informed of the stricken boat near the Aggersund Bridge, around 40km west of Aalborg, at around 9am on Wednesday. Immobilised by the ice, the boat was reported to be in danger of colliding with the bridge – and this eventuality occurred later on Wednesday. No serious damage to the boat, besides a broken mast, was caused by the collision. No injuries are reported. >click to read< 20:43
Stedman sponsors resolution to control sea otter growth
A Senate resolution seeking an increase in the number of sea otters hunted in Southeast Alaska is making its way through the legislative process. Sitka Republican Sen. Bert Stedman said the Senate Joint Resolution 13 is a way for the state to ask the federal government to do something about Southeast’s increasing otter population. “I think this is a good starting point for the conversation,” he said. “We live a different lifestyle up here, and we want to preserve it and keep it in balance. And having the sea otters virtually run unchecked,,, >click to read<19:30
Coast Guard warns mariners, prepares for storm, New Jeresey and North, Hurricane Force Wind Warning for Coastal NE
The Coast Guard is advising mariners and swimmers along the New York and New Jersey coasts to use caution as a powerful storm approaches Thursday night through Saturday. Mariners are warned to take the following precautions to protect their vessels and their crews: “With the potential for severe weather, our overall concern is ensuring the safety of the people and mariners who live and work on the water,” said Capt. Jason Tama >click to read< 17:27
HURRICANE FORCE WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING
National Weather Service – 417 PM EST Thu Mar 1 2018 .Synopsis for Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastal waters… A powerful and long duration coastal storm gets underway tonight into Sat, and perhaps lingers into Sun. >click to read<17:35
The Coffee Break Challenge! – Make the Margaretsville Wharf Great Again, American urges his U.S. friends
A Texas man who owns a summer home in Nova Scotia has launched an appeal in his home state for donations to repair a damaged wharf ,,, “A couple of years ago, we bought a place right on the outskirts of Margaretsville. I’ve fallen in love with the town and its assets, including that beautiful wharf,” Charles Gillis told CBC’s Information Morning in Halifax on Thursday. The $190,000 cost of repairing it is too much for the tiny community of about 200, Gillis said. He’s urged his colleagues at the Dalllas law firm where he works to skip one of the coffees they buy every day and put that amount toward the price of rebuilding the wharf. >click to read< 16:17
Virginia: Heavily lobbied menhaden bill finally emerges
After weeks of intensive, behind-closed-doors lobbying, the Chesapeake Bay’s oily, inedible menhaden fish finally landed on the General Assembly’s plate. After more than 90 minutes of debate, the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee decided by an 11-10 vote that the best answer was: sort of. Earlier in the session, it let die a measure that would enact the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s purse seine quota cut, to 51,000 metric tons, into state law. On Wednesday, it approved a measure, introduced by special permission a month after the usual deadline, that would strike the current quota of 87,216 tons from state law and empower the head of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to set a new purse seine quota of not less than 51,000 tons once the state had made its case to the commission that the quota cut was too steep. >click to read< 15:14
NOAA Sector ban suffocating shoreside industry in New Bedford
The hits keep coming from NOAA’s groundfishing ban with financial losses spreading to business that support New Bedford’s fishing fleet. “No one ever really paid attention to our shoreside business,” manager of Reidar’s Trawl Gear and Marine Supply Tor Bendiksen said. We’re the last of the group. We all remember when there was companies like ours up and down this entire coast. The only reason that we’ve all survived in New Bedford is because we had not only groundfish but we have the scallop industry to support us., The collateral damage of the ban extends beyond fishermen. >click to read< 10:47
On This Day – March 1, 1977: 200-mile fishing zone takes effect
On this day in 1977, a 200-mile territorial fishing zone took effect, with the waters off Cape Cod being one of the two areas where the Coast Guard focused its enforcement efforts. Coast Guard vessels also patrolled the rich fishing grounds near Kodiak, Alaska, to protect American fishermen from foreign competition. “Poachers illegally fishing U.S. waters or taking the wrong kind of fish can be seized,” United Press International reported. Foreign vessels were required to obtain permits to fish within 200 miles of the US coastline,,, >click to read<09:22
UPDATED!: Lobster plant on Deer Island catches fire overnight
Police in St. George are at the scene of a fire that broke out overnight on Deer Island that badly damaged a lobster plant. This is the second time a fire has broken out at the Paturel International facility over the past six months. In September, a fire destroyed a lobster tank house on the site. The tank house was a major part of lobster fishing on Deer Island. More to come… >link< 08:00
Early-morning blaze destroys lobster processing plant in New Brunswick – Fire has destroyed a major lobster processing plant on Deer Island in southern New Brunswick. >click to read< 12:45
The Room Erupted! Tensions flare at suggestion snow crab fishery close for whales
Fishermen erupted in anger Wednesday when federal officials proposed banning snow crab fishing in a large zone off the coast of New Brunswick for the entire time endangered whales are there.
The proposal came at a meeting that industry and government officials hold every year to discuss the coming snow crab season in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. This year’s season is of particular importance after a deadly 2017 for the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Gear used in snow crab fishing is believed to have played a role in some of the whale deaths, with necropsies on three whales revealing signs of entanglement in fishing rope. >click to read< 00:27
