Daily Archives: May 13, 2018
Shrimp Boat F/V Big Earl still on the beach, a fundraiser was started to help with expences to pull her off
A shrimp boat stuck on the beach? It’s happening and the saga has reached Day 4. Yes, a shrimp boat dubbed ‘Big Earl’ got stuck in the sand on Holden Beach Thursday. The boat was recently purchased by its owner and was on its first trip out according to a WFMY News 2 viewer. The viewer submitted a video of the boat taken Sunday morning. They plan to try again Sunday evening. A GoFundMe page has even been started for Big Earl to help with damages and towing expenses. >click here for the fundraiser by Tyler Scott Bullock< >click to read< 21:09
‘He just kept the place alive’: Port Hood fire chief mourns colleague’s death
Fire Chief D.F. Beaton said Hugh Watts, 39, was a close friend with a great sense of humour. “Hugh was a very good firefighter. We just loved to see him come through the door because we were always in for a good evening. He’d tell jokes, stories, he just kept the place alive when he was here,” Beaton said. Watts and Glen MacDonald, 58, died Saturday when the fishing boat they were on capsized off the coast of Colindale, N.S., early Saturday morning. Watts’ stepson was also on board the vessel, but the 18-year-old managed to safely make it back to shore. >click to read< 15:28
Kings of the wild frontier
In 2013, I sat in a courtroom in Bethel, Alaska, and watched the trial of 23 Yup’ik fishermen, accused of flouting a ban on the fishing of king salmon the previous summer. The ban had been implemented by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as king salmon numbers plummeted, unexpectedly and inexplicably. The fishermen pleaded not guilty. They were justified in fishing, they said, because the taking of king salmon was part of their spiritual practice, their cultural heritage. First amendment. Mike Williams, then chief of the Yup’ik nation, pulled me to one side during a recess. “Gandhi had his salt, we have our salmon,” he said. For the Yup’ik, getting arrested was no accident. They had issued a press release about their intention to fish before setting out. >click to read< 14:46
Alaska Legislators pass a flurry of bills in final days before adjournment
Among the bills passing in the final days of last week were some significant pieces of legislation, Fishing loan increases (HB 56) Fishermen can borrow more money from the state’s Alaska Commercial Fishing Loan Fund in this measure from Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan. HB 56, passed Thursday, allows fishermen to borrow up to $400,000 for commercial fishing entry permits and individual fishing quotas. They can also borrow up to that amount to upgrade their gear or fishing boat. The old cap was $300,000. >click to read<13:58
Federal Delegation ‘Solidly Behind’ New Bedford in Fishing Fight
Prior to a town hall-style meeting in New Bedford on Saturday, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren quietly gathered with fellow senator Ed Markey and Congressman William Keating in the Wharfinger Building on Pier 3. Inside, the three legislators sat for more than an hour, listening to representatives of the fishing community relay their present and future concerns facing the industry. About 80 fishermen out of New Bedford have been unable to fish or lease their quotas since NOAA shut down Sector IX in November. The shutdown remains in effect until the feds can estimate how much quota convicted “Codfather” Carlos Rafael depleted in his overfishing scheme. Massachusetts’ two senators have been all but crucified for what many see as inaction on the Sector IX closure. >click to read<09:12
