Daily Archives: March 6, 2018
(PHOTOS) Crab Fishermen Rescue Young Deer That Was About to Drown Near Humboldt Bay Entrance
Late this afternoon, the crew of the Josie L was headed back to port after a day of crabbing when they spotted something in the water, some sort of animal swimming between the south and north jetties that frame Humboldt Bay’s bar crossing. “We didn’t know what it was,” Captain Dale Lindstrom told the Outpost. “We thought it might have been a dog.” As they got closer they could see that the creature was struggling to stay afloat in the choppy waters. They pulled the boat closer and the crew soon recognized the animal as a young deer,,, >click to read< 21:21
House kills fish bill: Does Virginia risk falling out of compliance with menhaden catch limits?
The House of Delegates on Tuesday killed a bill, opposed by an influential Northern Neck commercial fishing operation, that would have brought Virginia into compliance with new menhaden catch limits adopted last fall by a consortium of Atlantic states. Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, made a motion to send his House Bill 1610, which had been sent down by Gov. Ralph Northam last month, back to committee, effectively spiking it for the year. In an interview, Knight said he did so in hopes that Northam’s administration and Omega Protein,,>click to read<20:42
Proposed 2018 regulations on black sea bass and other commercially targeted fish covered at DMF public hearing.
With no proposed changes in conch fishing regulations on the agenda, the annual Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) winter public hearing on proposed regulations was a relatively collegial gathering. A baker’s dozen of Island fishermen and stakeholders gathered at the Katharine Cornell Theater on Monday morning to weigh in on the potential changes the DMF is looking to implement in 2018. The main topic of conversation was changes to regulations for the commercial black sea bass fishery. >click to read< 19:00
Disabled fisherman fights ‘arbitrary’ 5-year limit on substitute fishermen
A disabled Nova Scotia fisherman says he will continue challenging a federal rule that will prevent him from hiring someone to catch lobster under his licence. Dana Robinson lives in Granville Ferry, N.S., and has had an owner-operator licence to fish in the Bay of Fundy, Area 35, since 2007. But due to a medical condition, he’s no longer able to stand for more than a few hours a day and can’t operate his boat himself. Fisheries Act regulations permit someone who has a medical issue to find a substitute to fish under their licence, but only for five years. >click to read< 16:40
An example of activism, and how to get your point across
A freelance writer Frederick Hewett, from Cambridge Ma wrote a piece about the wonderful wind advantage the Bay State has, Massachusetts Could Win Big In Offshore Wind Energy. The article was posted on the WBUR website, licensed by the Trustees of Boston University. The piece describes what the wind industry repeats continuously, that its just Utopia! Barbara Durkin, a citizen that is opposed to wind energy for all the right reasons commented on the article, and with every comment included information to back up her claims. As fishermen are opposed to offshore wind, offshore drilling, and the emotional issue of the right whale, it is a lesson on how to get your point across with dignity, and knowledge. >click to read< Her tag line on twitter is, “Show me the evidence that wind energy works….still waiting” Follow her on twitter>click here<14:35
Dow honored, DMR Excellence Award named for Andy Mays
Two men known well to the Mount Desert Island commercial fishing community were honored at the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum last weekend at the Samoset Resort here. Specialist Sean Dow of the Maine Marine Patrol accepted the Officer of the Year award Saturday. The DMR Excellence Award, now named for its first recipient, the late Andy Mays of Southwest Harbor, went to Machiasport fisherman Mike Murphy. >click to read< 12:15
Brexit-supporting Fishermen Worried May Will Sell Them out After ‘30 Years of Torment that Seemed Neverending’
Fishing for Leave, the grassroots fishing industry campaign for Brexit which organised the seaborne protest which turned into the (in)famous Battle of the Thames, expressed concern after the Remain-supporting prime minister signalled fishing would form part of Britain’s “economic partnership” with the European Union. The lion’s share of Western Europe’s fish are in British territorial waters, but EU member-states are required to surrender control over their fisheries — like their trade policy — to Brussels, which has resulted in a massive reduction in “fishing effort” as British stocks have been doled out to other EU member-states. Talk of reduced “fishing effort” is a euphemism for massive job losses,,, >click to read<11:09
‘Wild West’: Controversy dogs Nova Scotia’s marine brokerage industry
A fisherman from Shelburne County says he will fight a lawsuit from a marine broker seeking a $38,000 commission on the sale of a boat and lobster licence. Donnie Roy, a lobster fisherman who lives near Lockeport, N.S., paid a commission to brokers in the sale of his lobster licence and vessel, Justified Expense. Now another marine brokerage, Novi Marine Brokers of Yarmouth, is suing Roy, demanding $38,000 in commissions because Roy had also signed a listing agreement with the company. The dispute raises questions about the unregulated marine brokerage industry in this province, which is involved in the sale of fishing boats and licences in the tens of millions of dollars every year in Nova Scotia.>click to read<10:35
Fishermen lodge class action over toxic dredge spill
A Class action is being brought against Gladstone Ports Corporation on behalf of commercial fishermen for losses they say resulted from large-scale contamination from toxic dredge spill in 2011-12. The fishermen are claiming losses of more than $100million following the Western Basin Dredging and Disposal Project in Gladstone Harbour. The dredging began in 2011 to prepare for the three Curtis Island LNG projects. >click to read<
Graying of Alaska’s Fishing Fleet Puts Key Industry in Peril
Once known for its young guns, Alaska’s commercial fishing fleet is now full of graybeards. The average Alaska fisher is now older than 50, according to the University of Alaska’s Sea Grant program. That is a big change from 1975, when fishers under 40 held half of commercial fishing permits in rural Alaska.,,, At the heart of the problem, experts have concluded, is “rationalization,” the system that has transformed Alaska fisheries from an open-access free-for-all into tightly managed harvests governed by quota shares and “limited-entry” permits that must be inherited or purchased – with prices that can soar well above $100,000. >click to read< 09:00
