Monthly Archives: April 2018
Australia’s Largest High-speed Lobster Boat Delivered
Dongara Marine has delivered Australia’s largest capacity high-speed lobster boat, the 85-foot Holdfast. With capacity for 210 baskets or 6.2 metric tons of live lobster, Holdfast is the fourth 20+ meter lobster boat in as many years to be designed by Southerly Designs, joining Ohana (2015), Daydawn (2016), and Gambler (2017). Although not the lead builder for the Daydawn and Gambler projects, Dongara Marine played a key role as the manufacturer of their resin-infused composite wheelhouses. >click to read<
Jacksons Fisheries closes after three generations
Joe Jackson has been out on the boat fishing for the family business since he was 18-years-old, running the G.W. Jackson vessel, built by his grandfather George in 1963. After 32 years in the labour intensive industry of commercial fishing, Joe has decided to step away from Jackson Fisheries. His wife Tammy, who ran Jacksons Fish Market for 13 years, has also stepped away as potential buyers haven’t shown interest in keeping the market alive. The market was a reliable source for a wide variety of local, fresh fish, especially yellow perch. >click to read<18:28
Making a better “hot dog of the sea”
When people think of Alaska seafood, salmon and halibut come to mind. But the state also produces a lesser-known fish product sought after all around the world: surimi, the base for imitation crab. Now the guy who helped establish surimi in America — more than 30 years ago — is on a mission to improve how it’s made. Tyre Lanier is a food scientist at at North Carolina State University, where he’s been since the 1970s. He has a background in the science of hot dogs. >click to read<16:22
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife – Relocation of sea lions not enough to protect Willamette fish runs
Over 25 California sea lions and an unknown number of Steller sea lions continue to prey on salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and lamprey in the Willamette River this month. In the absence of federal approval to lethally remove the California sea lions at Willamette Falls, ODFW attempted a stop gap program of capturing and relocating sea lions this spring. “It’s our responsibility and mandate from the people of Oregon to ensure these fish runs continue,” said Dr. Shaun Clements, ODFW’s senior policy advisor. “So it’s incredibly frustrating to us that federal laws prevent us from taking the only steps effective at protecting these fish from predation.” >click to read<13:49
Trawler tragedy survivor’s poetic tribute to skipper lost at sea
It has been a decade since Michael Williams collapsed on a beach naked, sunburnt and exhausted after a 10-hour swim from a sinking prawn trawler. He managed to help guide rescuers to his crewmate John “JJ” Jarrett, who was eventually saved after more than 30 hours clinging to a red plastic tub off the coast of Byron Bay in northern New South Wales. But the boat’s skipper, Alan “Charlie” Picton, was never found. To mark the 10-year anniversary, Mr Williams has released a book of poetry called Sea Rogue (also the name of the sunken trawler), which tells the story of the tragedy and pays tribute to his crewmates. >click to read<12:14
Fishermen ask MLAs to avoid another costly mistake with Northern Pulp effluent
The government of Nova Scotia has been working closely with Northern Pulp on a proposed new effluent-treatment facility for the mill. At least $300,000 of taxpayers’ money has been spent on designing the proposed system that would discharge millions of litres of pulp effluent into the Northumberland Strait every day. Our fishing industry will be directly affected, but we were not consulted about the design, and we have received no response to a request to meet with the provincial environment minister. Ronald Heighton, President, Northumberland Fishermen’s Association >click to read<11:20
Newfoundland: End the recreational fishery, says head of Association of Seafood Producers
The executive director from the Association of Seafood Producers is making a bold call, suggesting a full halt to the recreational cod fishery. Derek Butler says the association is “not naive,” and he doesn’t expect the request to be carried out. Instead, he hopes to make a bit of a splash, so the recreational fishery is held accountable. “Our position is a little more dramatic, and maybe we need to say that to get some attention. Not for us, but for the fish,” he said. >click to read<09:27
A $49 lobster roll? A recent shortage has lobster prices soaring.
It’s no shell game: As the price per pound has skyrocketed over the last few months, the costs of lobster dishes on restaurant menus across the city have been off the charts as chefs have been looking to claw back some of the margins. A combination of lousy weather, international demand, and iced-over Canadian fisheries has created a shortage that has driven whole hard-shell lobster prices to as high as $15 a pound this spring, up from about $8 a pound last year.,, Federal permits mean that only 25 percent of Maine’s fleet can go out to the,, In Massachusetts, fishermen are getting $9 to $11 a pound off the boat right now, said Beth Casoni,>click to read<22:51
Tough Conditions – A windy start for Togiak herring fishing Sunday
The Togiak herring fishery opened this morning at 6 a.m. It has been a windy start for the state’s largest sac roe herring fishery. Gusts over 30 miles per hour are posing a challenge for fishermen said area management biologist, Tim Sands. “The seine fleet is over there, and it’s pretty tough conditions today because of weather. I know some fish is being taken, but I don’t think a lot.”
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game surveyed the district Saturday and concluded the enough herring had arrived to meet the threshold for opening the fishery—35,000 tons. >click to read<20:13
Commercial Fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone – What was being caught and where back to 1950
What is the status of commercial fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, the waters from 3 to 200 miles off our coastline? Generally speaking – something that the “bureaucrats in charge” have developed a great deal of facility in doing – it’s pretty good. Since the National Marine Fisheries Service started getting serious about tracking commercial landings (or at making those landings readily accessible) in 1950, the total weight of our domestic landings has increased from 4.9 billion to 9.8 billion pounds. The value of those landings, when corrected for inflation, has increased from $3.3 billion to $5.2 billion, almost as good. Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet USA >click to read<17:03
East Coast offshore drilling just got dumber
Seismic testing for potential offshore oil or gas — long opposed by Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling and City Council — just got dumber. Frank Knapp Jr., president and CEO of the SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce, has been bird-dogging opposition to offshore drilling and seismic testing. “Government documents and firsthand accounts of munitions and radioactive waste being dumped off the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts to Florida came to our attention only recently,” Knapp said. On Friday, Knapp sent out a news release with this warning: >click to read<16:26
What’s going to have two claws and a hard shell? Shippagan’s new roadside attraction
Shediac has the giant lobster. Campbellton has the giant salmon. You can see giant fiddleheads in Plaster Rock and a giant cow and calf in Sussex. And if Shippagan has its way, there will soon be a giant crab, a tribute to its fishing industry. The Town of Shippagan believes the sight of big crab boats dry-docked at its sprawling wharf is not enough for tourists to see when visiting during the summer, said Jules Desylva, who manages tourism for the town. >click to read<15:53
Freeze on illegal lobster magnate’s multi-millions
The Royal Court has decided to maintain a freeze on the assets of Arnold Bengis, who admitted his involvement in a conspiracy to land huge amounts of the prized shellfish in excess of permitted quotas between 1999 until 2001. The illegally caught lobster were shipped to the US. The court was asked to rule on whether Bengis could have access to more than $23 million, which formed part of the $37.2 million [£26.4 million] which had been the subject of a forfeiture order. An appeal against the order was launched by a Lichtenstein-based trust company. >click to read<15:06
N.H. seafood program starts sixth season
Monkfish. Jonah crabs. Dogfish shark. Dabs. As New Hampshire Community Seafood starts its sixth year of operation, the species being served may not always be familiar. But the idea of a local CSA seafood is becoming almost routine. NHCS, a cooperative that buys directly from commercial fishing operations based on the state’s seacoast, began the season Thursday with the first of weekly seafood deliveries at 21 locations in New Hampshire – including Cole Gardens in Concord, Brookford Farm in Canterbury and the Contoocook Farmers Market – plus Kittery, Maine, and Dracut, Mass. >click to read<10:56
Still on the hook
Alaska officials are denying they’ve officially cut a deal to let off easy Kami Cabana, the now notorious seine-boat skipper indicted on charges of felony assault with a weapon after a Prince William Sound ramming, but they admit plea bargaining is underway. The 27-year-old Cabana was at the controls of the 58-foot, 81-ton Chugach Pearl in the summer of 2016 when a 49th state fish war escalated into actual ship-to-ship combat. Part of a Cabana-family led effort to wall of the back of Hidden Bay on Culross Island about 20 miles east of Whittier prior to a commercial, pink salmon opening, Cabana took aggressive action when the F/V Temptation tried to run the blockade. >click to read<08:04
BP granted approval to start drilling off Nova Scotia’s coast
BP Canada has been given the green light to start drilling off Nova Scotia’s coast. On Saturday, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) granted approval for the company to begin drilling one deepwater exploration well about 300 kilometres offshore. BP has applied to drill a total of four wells in the area, but Mi’kmaq communities have opposed the project saying it poses a serious risk to food, social and ceremonial fishing areas. >click to read<15:37
New Jersey: Murphy signs offshore drilling ban into law
Phil Murphy (D) signed into law Friday a bill meant to block offshore drilling for oil and natural gas in state-controlled waters. The new law is in response to Trump’s executive order a year ago that encouraged oil and natural gas exploration in United States coastal waters.,, The bill, which also bans permitting of any infrastructure to serve drilling farther offshore in federally controlled waters, is meant as a direct rebuke to the Trump administration’s proposal to allow drilling off of almost all of the nation’s coasts, including off of New Jersey. >click to read<14:27
Thousands of cleanup workers that claim BP oil spill made them sick haven’t had day in court
In the sea of fines, fees and compensation BP has paid to individuals, businesses, governments and lawyers for its 2010 oil spill, one group of claimants stands out for missing out on the billions.,,, Another claimant is shrimper George Barisich. He received compensation for his seafood business losses under a separate settlement, and he filed a claim for a chronic illness from exposure to the oil and chemical dispersants used to break up oil particles in the Gulf. “There’s no justice here for people who actually worked, went out there to clean up their mess,, >click to read<12:49
Throw out FISH-NL application, FFAW says after labour board ruling
The results of an investigation by the Labour Relations Board is proof that FISH-NL has insufficient support to trigger a ratification vote and its application to represent inshore fish harvesters should be dismissed, says Fish Food and Allied Workers union president Keith Sullivan. FISH-NL president Ryan Cleary, however, says the latest development is just more “smoke and mirrors” by the FFAW. Sullivan issued a news release Friday saying an investigation by the provincial government board has confirmed that membership numbers presented by the FFAW are accurate. >click to read<12:14
2018 lobster boat race calendar is released
Icy weather notwithstanding, the release last week of the Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association calendar poster is an absolute sign that summer is just around the corner. The poster features a striking photo of big, diesel-powered boats thundering up Moosabec Reach during last year’s Jonesport/Beals Island Lobster Boat Races with Winter Harbor fisherman Billy Bob Faulkingaham’s 51 front and center, leading the Class M pack. This year’s calendar includes 11 events, with the season bookended by June 16 racing in Boothbay Harbor and an Aug. 19 finale in Portland. >click to read<
Fisherman Jack Troake recalls a life on the water
Jack Troake acknowledges the work was gruesome, but said it had to be done. “No, I don’t miss seal hunting,” the veteran sealer based in Twillingate said. “Turns me stomach there when I talk about it. That’s how much I hates it. But you do it because it is part of your culture and your way of life.” The isolation of rural outports in Newfoundland made life difficult. For the most part, the communities living there had to be self-reliant by growing their own vegetables, and turned to fishing for their livelihoods. “It’s the way of life you know, b’y,,, >click to read<10:33
FISH-NL: Paper names and paper numbers; FFAW-Unifor’s dues-paying list more smoke and mirrors
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) says the FFAW-Unifor is playing its usual smoke and mirrors with regards to a report released this afternoon by the province’s Labour Relations Board. The report — prepared by the Board’s investigator into FISH-NL’s Dec. 30, 2016 application for certification — includes information on the number of people who paid FFAW-Unifor union dues in 2015 and 2016. >click to read<09:21
Oregon Fish and Wildlife commissioners back gillnetters
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is again pushing for commercial salmon fishermen to get time on the Columbia River. Oregon and Washington state adopted a policy nearly six years ago to slowly phase gillnetters off the river’s main stem, but Oregon has second-guessed the wisdom of the decision. The five commissioners at a meeting in Astoria on Friday said they supported looking into a summer Chinook salmon season for gillnetters — something they attempted to do last year. Commissioners walked back that move, however, after Gov. Kate Brown instructed them to align with her administration and Washington state. >click to read<21:04
Maine Maritime Museum to celebrate relaunching of historic fishing schooner
Maine Maritime Museum in Bath plans to celebrate the full restoration of the 1906 schooner Mary E, the oldest Bath-built vessel still sailing, by hosting a public recommissioning ceremony as the vessel is launched into the Kennebec River on June 9. Built in Bath in 1906 and restored in 1965 on the grounds of what is now Maine Maritime Museum, Mary E is a two-masted clipper schooner and the oldest surviving Maine-built fishing schooner. The museum purchased Mary E in early 2017. >click to read<18:42
From seafood to smokables – High hopes for a historic fishing town
Cannabis could be coming to the rescue of a Newfoundland fishing community that’s been without an economic centre since Hurricane Igor laid waste to the area in 2010. Port Union’s old Ocean Choice International fish plant could soon be used to plant marijuana. The disused building is in the final stages of a sale to local businessman Daniel Porter,,, Between 70 and 100 jobs are envisioned for the plant, with a business plan to produce about 10,000 kg of cannabis each year. Shelly Blackmore, mayor of Trinity Bay North, is excited about the possibilities. >click to read<18:06
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 20, 2018
>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >Click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<16:28
Research models how deadly virus moves among Pacific salmon, trout
For the first time researchers studying a deadly virus modeled how it spreads to young trout and salmon in the waters of the Columbia River Basin, showing that migrating adult fish are the main source of exposure. The ecological modeling of the infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, or IHNV, shows how it moves across the landscape over time, providing a crucial understanding for managers of hatchery programs attempting to protect juvenile salmon and trout. >click to read<15:24
Effort to let Anacortes-built trawler fish in U.S. waters runs aground
Federal legislation to authorize a $75 million Anacortes-built factory trawler to work in U. S waters has foundered — for the second time this spring — in the turbulent political seas of Congress. The measure was included in a Coast Guard reauthorization bill that failed, in a procedural vote, to get the support of 60 senators and move on to a final vote. A provision to allow the 264-foot vessel to net and process fish off Alaska failed to make it into the spending bill passed by Congress in March. >click to read<10:19
Harvesters charged with killing Stellar sea lions
A commercial fisherman and his deckhand have been charged with harassing and killing 15 Steller sea lions found dead during the opening of the 2015 Copper River salmon fishery. Jon Nichols, 31, of Cordova, captain of the F/V Iron Hide, and deckhand Theodore “Teddy” Turgeon, 21, of Wasilla, are charged with harassing and killing the Steller sea lions with shotguns and then making false statements and obstructing the government’s investigation into their criminal activities, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Anchorage said April 19. >click to read<09:14
Debt, determination and hope mingle during dumping day in Larrys River
“To hell with it, let ’er go,” Damien Delorey called back from the wheelhouse. At his command, Robert Hart threw the buoy, waited for the water to draw it taut, and then shoved the trap over. “You’ll never learn if you never try,” the captain murmured quietly to himself. For reasons only he understands, the handful of traps he dumped at this nameless point in the water a few kilometres off Larrys River are a bigger gamble than the rest of the 250 he and his crew set on Thursday. >click to read<08:03
