Daily Archives: May 16, 2018
Washington must come to grips with offshore wind conflicts
Offshore wind energy developers have momentum building for them in East Coast waters. But other maritime industries want to ease up on the throttle. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management recently held another round of public meetings in New Jersey and New York, gathering information for what could be a future round of lease offerings in the New York Bight. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke has promised to help fast track future permitting. .,,, Commercial fishermen have a case in federal court over the Statoil lease, and litigation seems certain to reignite. “We have the Magnuson Act (federal fisheries law) because we want to have American fishing grounds for American fishermen,” said Meghan Lapp, fisheries liaison for fishing company Seafreeze Ltd., North Kingstown, R.I. “BOEM is plowing ahead regardless. They have not slowed down.” >click to read<22:42
South Shore lobstermen finally put traps in water
South Shore lobstermen are back on the water this week after more than a three month ban on lobster fishing, aimed at protecting endangered whales. The ban was supposed to be from Feb. 1 to April 30, but an additional two weeks was added because whales were spotted close to the shore last month. In all, local lobstermen have gone 15 weeks without pulling a trap or making a sale. “We’re going into the season broke, let’s put it that way,” fisherman Dana Blackman said Wednesday morning, the day after lobster fishing resumed.,, The ban affects about 75 lobster boats in Marshfield and Scituate alone. >click to read<17:46
Fishing and seafood industry raises questions and concerns during MPA information session with DFO in Yarmouth
There was a lot of agreement and disagreement when DFO representatives met with the fishing industry to consult and share information about marine protected areas (MPAs) during a recent session in Yarmouth. Many in the room were in agreement that they disagree with aspects of the federal government’s MPA plan and worry about the impact on the fishing and seafood industry. The federal government has committed to putting in place MPAs to help protect species and ecosystems and there national benchmarks have been set out. >click to read<15:53
Northern District king salmon setnetters stay closed
Subsistence fishermen in part of the Susitna River drainage will be able to harvest a few kings, but commercial fishermen in Northern Cook Inlet will remain closed for now. The Board of Fisheries considered two emergency petitions Monday related to the preseason restrictions of king salmon fishing in northern Cook Inlet after preseason forecasts indicated that the Deshka River would not see enough king salmon returning to meet its escapement goals. The board approved an action related to a petition from the Mt. Yenlo Fish and Game Advisory Committee, which requested limited subsistence fishing opportunity for king salmon on the upper Yentna River, and denied another asking for reconsideration of the commercial fishery closure from the Tyonek Fish and Game Advisory Committee. >click to read<
DFO rejects rock crab plan to ease lobster bait shortage
The P.E.I. government has asked for the rock crab fishery to open early to help with a lobster bait shortage, but the request has been rejected by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The province was thinking rock crab could be an alternative for lobster bait. There is a shortage of gaspereau that’s used for bait because of the flooding in New Brunswick. Provincial Fisheries Minister Robert Henderson said herring stock seems to be on the low side right now as well. The request to open the fishery early came from western Northumberland Strait fishermen. >click to read<14:05
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: Canadian Built 115ft. Steel Dragger, Seiner, Tuna, 830HP MTU 2000 Diesel
Specifications, information and 16 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >Click here<13:18
Community pitches in to help get shrimp boat back out to sea
Five days and still no change. Shrimp boat Big Earl has been stuck on Holden Beach since last week is still there. Captain Virgil Coleman was hoping tonight was the night to get the boat back to sea. he tide this morning didn’t help dislodge the boat from the sand as the captain had hoped. Coleman says they have been digging a trench all around the boat Tuesday but was unsuccessful of getting the boat back out during high tide this evening.>click to read<12:44
MPAs – DFO will stifle lucrative industry by stuffing fishermen into new eco-box
I never thought I’d become a fisherman growing up. I always wanted something bigger. To make a real difference, you know —so after graduating top 10 in my class at Barrington Municipal High School, off to Acadia University I went, with no real direction, just thinking that there’s got to be something better than fishing out there. It took me three semesters, but I figured it out. There wasn’t.,, Our federal government has made some sort of an agreement on an international level to protect important habitat here off our coast. So I’m thinking, “Great, that’s super news, right? Fish forever, right?” >click to read<11:32
First North Atlantic right whale of season seen off N.S. amid fishing concerns
The first North Atlantic right whale of the season has been spotted in waters off eastern Cape Breton amid concerns from fishermen that measures meant to protect the endangered mammals have led to increased fishing activity and greater risk. Fisheries officials said late Tuesday that one of their surveillance flights had reported a right whale sighting in Canadian waters after it likely transited from wintering grounds off the U.S. seaboard. “Based on the information DFO has at this time, there is no immediate plan to implement any temporary measures. At this time fishing will continue, but harvesters should be on alert.”>click to read<10:30
Pesticides Contaminate Fish Farms, Lawsuit in Canada moves forward
Northern Harvest Sea Farms, an ocean-based fish farm in New Brunswick, Canada, was scheduled to appear in court yesterday to answer legal charges stemming from the off-label use of an unnamed pesticide added to its operations to combat severe sea lice outbreaks. The company holds nine licenses for farmed Atlantic salmon cages on the Bay of Fundy, as well as for fish farms off the Newfoundland coast. Sea lice outbreaks are a common at over-crowded, ocean-based fish farms because such facilities afford the optimum conditions for rapidly reproducing and spreading lice. In response, some companies have turned to using illegal and off-label pesticide applications to stave off the problem, which causes huge farmed salmon kills.>click to read< 09:37
