Daily Archives: May 7, 2018
Fishing company to pay $400,000 penalty following 4,200 gallon fuel spill into New Bedford Harbor
In August of 2017, the Challenge, a fishing boat owned by the New Bedford company Quinn Fisheries, sunk while docked on the city’s waterfront, causing a fuel spill that spread over a mile and killed at least five ducks. The Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Justice launched an inquiry, and found that the ship sunk when its captain failed to shut off a valve after illegally dumping bilge into the harbor and leaving the boat for the day, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court >click to read< 22:30
August 16, 2017 – Fishing vessel sinks in New Bedford Harbor >click to read<
Could a seal cull help cod recover? It’s not so simple, scientist says
The equation seems simple: seals eat fish, fish are declining, kill the seals, fish recover. But experts warn that many factors need to be considered before drastic measures are taken. With talk revived about ending the recreational fishery, some believe a seal would be a more effective way to help cod stocks recover. But is a cull the answer to our fish stock problem? (HELL YEAH!) Eldred Woodford of the Canadian Sealers Association is taking an even stronger stance, and calling for an all-out seal cull.,, Alejandro Buren, a research scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, says many factors are at play when looking at food web relationships. >click to read<20:28
Councilmember Mike O’Brien booted from gala; wife shouts at fishermen
Rumors swirled over the weekend on Facebook suggesting that Seattle Councilmember Mike O’Brien and his wife were kicked out of the opening night gala for the newly-opened Nordic Museum at a local shipyard on Friday, May 4. On the way out, while escorted by staff, O’Brien’s wife allegedly shouted “[Expletive] the fisherman!”,,, When asked if the rumors about O’Brien and his wife were true, the manager wrote, “If you are referring to his being escorted off our property, spilling his beer, and his wife’s derogatory comments towards our business customers, yes.” >click to read<19:05
Crab fishermen struggle as season begins under strict new regulations making some fishing grounds off limits
Snow crab fishing began last week in northern New Brunswick, the first season under strict new regulations by Ottawa to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale. The most drastic of the new measures has been the closing of a zone off the province’s northeastern coast to fishing, a location where 90 per cent of the whales had migrated to last summer. That area is also an area rich in snow crab. As many boats came back from their first trip out to sea, some fishermen couldn’t help but feel anxious about what the season would bring. >click to read<16:11
Save salmon; kill sea lions
Another spring, another much anticipated migration of “Kings of the Columbia,” our Pacific Northwest’s most revered salmonoid, the chinook salmon. Or perhaps not. At one-time chinook and their cousins migrated upstream by the hundreds of thousands. No longer. Salmon and steelhead are on the fast track to becoming endangered species. The Columbia River has its problems when considering fish migrations. The dams, commercial transportation, irrigation demands, you name it. These problems are solvable, but it will take time. There is now one glaring problem that can be simply and quickly resolved. >click to read<15:05
New Beam Trawler Delivered
Over the last 10 months, Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam (Maaskant) has outfitted the 41-meter hull from stock. The vessel, designated UK 46, is for Hakvoort Brothers, based in Urk, the Netherlands. According to the builder, a key feature of the vessel is the installation of twin Optima nozzles manufactured by Damen Marine Components (DMC). This is the first time that Maaskant has installed these in a fishing boat. >click to read<12:49
New Brunswick flooding leads to shortage of lobster bait on P.E.I.
The spring lobster season in P.E.I. hasn’t been open very long, but some lobster fishermen and buyers are concerned about the shortage of bait available to set their traps. One of the causes of the shortage this season is the flooding across New Brunswick, which is making it difficult for fisherman to get their boats in the water and catch gaspereau, a popular fish used as lobster bait in P.E.I. Jerry MacDonald, a buyer for Shediac Lobster Shop who works out of Naufrage Harbour in eastern P.E.I., said this season’s bait shortage is the worst he’s seen in years,,, >click to read<11:53
Deepwater Dilemma: Parts One and Two
Part one is opinions from knowledgeable minds, both environmental planners and long time conservationists, businessmen and board members, but most of all concerned citizens. Part two looks at the concerns and opinions from the commercial fishing community both in Port Judith, Rhode Island and right here at home in Montauk, New York. The fishing and fishing community has already been disrupted by Deepwater Wind in Rhode Island from their Block Island Wind program. Two of those affected, were kind enough to talk to me about their experience and the loss of their trade, their work and their way of life. >click for Part 1< >click for Part 2<11:19
Never give up hope – Sam Parisi
Just when I thought I had no help, my was voice heard. Senator Markey’s aid, Kate Marchet, called to tell me the Senator would be in Gloucester to meet with constituents, and that she would like to meet with me. I had reached out to the Senator about my experience in Saint Petersburg last year on a panel to review S-K grant applicants, and was not pleased with NOAA’s selection process and distribution of the funds, and felt it is rigged by NOAA. Meanwhile, Senator Sullivan of Alaska had presented a bill, S132, the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act,, >click to read<10:26
A seafood empire and a court battle over Trudeau’s push for Indigenous reconciliation
One of the Trudeau government’s signature acts of Indigenous reconciliation is being challenged in court, exposing the fierce competition between First Nations for a shellfish quota worth millions — and the jockeying by one of Canada’s leading seafood companies to keep control of the fishery. Hundreds of pages of records filed in Federal Court offer new insight into the controversial decision in February to award 25 per cent of Canada’s Arctic surf clam quota to Five Nations Clam Company, led by Elsipogtog First Nation of New Brunswick and its industry partner Premium Seafoods of Arichat, N.S. >click to read<09:43
The ‘Codfather’ is behind bars, and New Bedford’s economy is paying the price
From the icehouse to the auction house, a pall hangs over the fabled wharves in New Bedford. As the new fishing season begins, many of the city’s fishermen are unemployed, their suppliers stuck with excess inventory, and local officials are questioning whether the millions of dollars in lost revenue will cost the port its ranking as the nation’s most valuable, as it has been for the past 17 years. “It’s devastating what’s happened to us, and other businesses here,” said Tor Bendiksen, the manager of Reidar’s, a marine supply company. >click to read< 08:25
