Daily Archives: April 12, 2018
Barry Richard: Warren and Markey are AWOL from Fishing Issues
A restless waterfront is demanding the attention of elected officials on the state and federal levels, but so far there has been little but lip service. This week, Governor Charlie Baker promised to listen to the concerns of the local fishing industry, as plans proceed for an offshore wind farm that could have grave consequences for the industry if not done right. Industry reps are concerned about the impact such development could have on fish stocks. They also worry that the budding wind industry could crowd them out along the waterfront and pose safety risks,, 10 minute radio call in.>click to read<20:24
Coast Guard medevacs injured fisherman near Texas City, Texas
The Coast Guard medevaced an injured fisherman off the 44-foot fishing vessel Donnie J near the Texas City Dike, Thursday morning. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a request from a crewmember aboard the Donnie J for a medevac after the vessel’s captain was injured due to being struck in the head by gear onboard the vessel. The Donnie J had a two person crew and needed an experienced boat driver to navigate the vessel back to port. A Station Galveston crewmember was placed onboard to safely transit the Donnie J to Pier 21 in Galveston. -USCG- 16:12
Kodiak jig fishermen explore other markets during poor cod season
Kodiak processors and fishermen are seeing the effects of the 80 percent cut to cod quota in the Gulf of Alaska. Some small boat fishermen who previously relied on targeting cod are turning to other means to make a profit. One way to do that is to join a community supported fishery, or CSF. That’s what some Kodiak jig fishermen are doing to bolster their incomes. Jig fisherman Darius Kasprzak holds up a scrap piece of iron from WWII. He says he picked it up off a beach and uses it as a weight for his line. “When people were making money cod fishing, you’d just buy lead weights, but those days are over.” >click to read< 14:36
Human remains have been found on the Nancy Glen after it was raised from Loch Fyne.
The boat sank near Tarbert in January with the loss of two crew members. It was brought to the surface by a lifting barge after the Scottish government stepped in to pay for the operation. The bodies of Duncan MacDougall, 46, and Przemek Krawczyk, 38, are believed to be inside the wreck. A third crewman, John Millar, was rescued. A Crown Office spokesman said: “Work has been ongoing overnight and today to raise and secure the Nancy Glen. “Salvage teams who have been on board the vessel have described finding human remains. >click to read< 13:35
Can anyone save the North Atlantic right whale? A group of South Shore lobstermen say they know what the answer is
By the time Mike Lane shoves off the Cohasset docks, it’s past 8 a.m. — practically lunch time for a lobsterman. But it’s early spring, and the South Shore fisheries are mostly closed, so Lane is keeping a somewhat relaxed schedule. Lobsters tend to hole up for the season several miles farther offshore, and Lane would like to be there, fishing his 800 traps. That area also happens to be a feeding area for North Atlantic right whales — one of our planet’s most endangered species. And so, four years ago, the federal government closed these grounds for much of the winter and spring. That means all Lane can do right now is set a few traps in a small area just outside Cohasset Harbor. >click to read<11:37
Deadly success?
Twenty-eight years ago, the state of Alaska banned fish farming in favor of salmon ranching. The idea was simple: Catch a bunch of fish, squeeze out their eggs and sperm, mix the two together, hatch the eggs, raise the little fish in a hatchery, dump them in the ocean, wait for them to come back, and net the money. What could possibly go wrong? Maybe this: From 1985 to 1994, before the hatchery program seriously geared up in the Prince William Sound, the commercial catch of sockeye (red) salmon in Cook Inlet averaged about 5.3 million fish per year.>click to read<10:34
Lou Boudreu – The brave souls who bring you lobster
There is a good eight-foot sea running and 35-knot winds off the port bow. She’s taking a beating, but her classic Cape Island hull handles it. I’m standing exposed on the after deck with two other men handling gear. Another eight-foot sea breaks, blowing the icy cold Atlantic spray into my face. It hurts, but I am long past that stage. I am numb. As I handle the line, putting it around the spool to the pot hauler, my hand gets caught and cut right through the thick glove. But my hand is numb. I’ve gone long beyond the hurt stage;,, >click to read<07:55
Generations to gather for 50th Darien Blessing of the Fleet
Fred Todd was 10 in 1973 when he went to North Carolina with his father, Bobby Todd, to pick up a new shrimp boat, the Sundown. Sunday afternoon, he’ll be aboard the Sundown as grand marshal for Darien’s 50th annual Blessing of the Fleet when the 60-foot boat sails up the Darien River to the U.S. Highway 17 bridge for a sprinkling of holy water and a benediction for full nets and safe passages. He got aboard the Sundown as a worker in 1981 after finishing school. The Sundown will be one of at least 18 commercial fishing boats in the blessing,,, >click to read<01:30
