Daily Archives: April 10, 2018
Dispute between Newfoundland and Labrador at-sea observer, fisherman goes to court
Frustrations within the inshore fishery do not always play out in public protests or in front of the media — some disputes take place on the wharf and, when serious enough, can end up in court.
A recent case out of provincial court in Corner Brook involved a dispute on the wharf between an inshore fisherman and a fisheries observer. The fisherman, Kenneth MacDonald, was accused of failing to comply with conditions of his fishing licence, in that he refused to allow designated at-sea observer Thomas Gavin onboard his vessel last year,,, >click to read<22:15
Proposed wind farms off of New London worry local fishermen
Last week, Ørsted and Eversource announced a joint venture and has submitted a bid to build Connecticut’s first offshore wind farm, in response to the state’s request for proposals for offshore wind energy generation. The approximately 200-megawatt project – Constitution Wind – would be the first of its kind to serve the state of Connecticut and would be located in federal waters 65 miles off shore. “That’s the traditional fishing ground where they’re talking about now,” said Stonington Fisherman Bob Guzzo. >click to read<18:56
2018 Mass. DMF fishing regulations go into effect April 20
The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has enacted new regulations, which were informed in part by this winter’s public hearings. The regulations were reviewed and approved by the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission at its March 15 meeting, and go into effect on April 20. The most substantive change is an adjustment to the open commercial fishing days for black sea bass. The new open commercial fishing days are Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.,, The commercial black sea bass season will begin on Tuesday, July 10.,, During the inshore small-mesh trawl squid fishery, April 23–June 9, trawlers will be allowed to retain a 50-pound bycatch limit of black sea bass. >click to read<18:00
New rule: “no discharge zone” bans vessels from releasing sewage into Puget Sound
Recreational and commercial vessels will not be able to release treated or untreated sewage into Puget Sound waters under new rules approved by the state aimed at improving water quality. The Department of Ecology on Monday officially designated a new “no discharge zone” in Puget Sound to protect shellfish beds, public beaches and sensitive marine environments from harmful bacteria. There are dozens of such zones across the country, but this is the first in the Pacific Northwest. The state estimates about 215 commercial vessels and 2,000 recreational boats >click to read<16:30
Elver run looks good, prices up over last year
Since the start of the elver season on March 22, the spring run has been picking up and landings are looking good. The Ellsworth American reported that dealers paid an average price of $2,747 per pound the first week of the harvest for elvers, which are bought by eel farmers in Asia. Elvers are by far Maine’s most valuable fishery per pound, but the catch is limited by a quota, so in terms of sales revenues it’s one of the least valuable in the state. According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, elver landings among non-native harvesters reported as of 6 p.m. on April 7 totaled 581.7 pounds out of an overall quota of 7,566.3 pounds. >click to read<15:29
Greasing the Skids: Bay State Wind Plans More Than $2 Million in Environmental Research Grants
Bay State Wind, which is working to bring clean, renewable and affordable energy to Massachusetts, today announced plans to provide more than $2 million in grants for research and programs to protect New England’s fisheries and whale populations. The grants include $1 million for a Bay State Wind Marine Science Grant Program for directed fisheries resources research on the Bay State Wind lease area. Funded projects will focus on addressing specific questions and concerns raised by the fishing industry. In addition, the Woods Hole Oceanography Institute would receive a $500,000 multi-year grant for the development of advanced whale detection systems, and the New England Aquarium Right Whale Research Project and the Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts would each receive $250,000 to prevent gear entanglement of the North Atlantic Right Whale. >click to read<11:27
Coast Guard medevacs injured crewman from fishing vessel south of Montauk
Coast Guard crews medevaced a 25-year old man from a fishing vessel 80-miles southeast of Montauk, New York, early Tuesday morning. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command center received notification around 11:00 p.m., Monday from the captain of the ‘Reaper’ that a crewmember had experienced what appeared to be a seizure, and struck his head on an object when he fell. The man’s current medical condition is unknown. The ‘Reaper’ is a 45-foot fishing vessel homeported in Point Judith, Rhode Island. -USCG-10:57
Pacific salmon ‘more abundant than ever’, new study claims
Pacific salmon are generally “more abundant than ever.” That is the provocative conclusion of a new paper published in Marine and Coastal Fisheries by Greg Ruggerone of Seattle’s Natural Resources Consultants and James Irvine of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The study used historical commercial catch and escapement data for the entire Pacific region for both wild and commercial hatchery salmon over a 90-year period, up to 2015. There is one caveat, however: Ruggerone and Irvine analyzed only data for pink, chum and sockeye salmon. >click to read<09:13
Fishing industry seeks smaller offshore wind rollout, possible delay
As the state sets up an offshore wind industry, those in a much older line of work – fishing – feel a little left out of the conversation. ,,,“Three separate, developer-led outreach efforts have been launched, and all are stumbling to produce meaningful dialogue or move us closer to real solutions in areas ranging from navigation, access, cable routes, radar interference, and gear loss,” the coalition wrote. “Equally troubling, it has become clear that offshore wind developers are unwilling or unable to coordinate their interactions with commercial fishermen to tackle issues that cut across multiple project areas.” >click to read< 08:17
Trudeau government turns to senior Liberals, Indigenous on rules for MPA’s
The Trudeau government has named an advisory panel to navigate the stormy issue of what activities will and will not be allowed inside coastal waters and ocean designated as marine protected areas. Canada has promised to “protect” 10 per cent of marine waters by 2020, but what that means in terms of restrictions on fishing and other commercial activity has not been established. “We’re not there yet,” said Rémi Bujold, who co-chairs a seven-member advisory panel named Friday by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. No one from the fishing industry is on the panel. >click to read< 07:46
