Monthly Archives: May 2018
Long Island: Wind farm meetings scheduled – Politicians and fishermen have doubts about visibility and impediments to fishing
New York State on Monday will hold a public meeting in Southampton to discuss its blueprint for wind energy and the recently released federal government call for wind-energy projects along the shore of practically all of Long Island, including the East End.,, The South Fork is also home to the single greatest force in opposition to offshore wind: hundreds of fishermen who see the turbine structures and undersea cables as impediments to fishing. The Long Island Commercial Fishing Association has already joined a lawsuit contesting the federal government’s auction>click to read< 09:41
Golden eagle rescued by crew of Cape Sable Island lobster vessel Wishful Dreams
The Cape Sable Island lobster fishing boat Wishful Dreams lived up to its name for a golden eagle rescued by the crew on May 2 after being found near death floating on the fishing grounds about a mile and a half northwest of Seal Island. “We were hauling gear and steaming to another string and I happened to see him in the water,” recalled crewmember Steven Nickerson. “I didn’t really know what it was. I knew it was a different kind of bird. I thought it was dead but then I happened to see his head bobbing up and down so I got Kevin (Swim, the boat captain) to turn around and go back. We got alongside it and it was still alive so we got him aboard.”>click to read<14:14
‘Concern and confusion’: Premier slams logic behind marine protected area choices
Premier Stephen McNeil personally warned a federal panel on marine protected areas on Friday its decisions could have dire consequences for Nova Scotians who make their living from the North Atlantic Ocean. Banning fishing and other activities in protected areas has a huge impact on communities, particularly those along the province’s Eastern Shore, he told the National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards in Moncton.,, “To date, we are not seeing decisions based on science, research or fact,” he told the group during his eight-minute prepared speech. >click to read<12:02
For the Lobsterman that has everything, Feast Your Eyes on This Lobster-Themed Saucony Sneaker
END. and Massachusetts-based Saucony have teamed up to pay homage to one of New England’s most beloved dishes, the lobster. The American running brand’s GRID 8500 silhouette is used as the canvas for this special project. Alongside the shellfish-inspired white and orange colorway, END. and Saucony pulled out all the stops to make this sneaker look and feel authentic. A claw-printed insole and blue rope laces add fun details, while the packaging consists of a fish net and a bespoke display tank. photo’s >click to read<11:30
New Bedford Port Authority, Mass Division of Marine Fisheries, NOAA weigh in through public comments regarding offshore wind
The New Bedford Port Authority, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and NOAA all filed written public comments regarding Vineyard Wind’s Environment Impact Statement. The deadline to file public comments was April 30. All three agencies cited concerns regarding offshore wind’s presence within an important region for commercial fishing as well as marine life that could be affected beyond the acute area. >click to read<10:43
Offshore drilling on the edge of the Scotian Shelf too risky
BP’s lease sites take in the southeastern corner of the “Haddock Box” which is an important haddock spawning and nursery ground that is closed to fishing. The sites are about 50 km from our exceedingly beautiful and unique Sable Island National Park. The sites are also within a few kilometres of the Gully Marine Protected Area, which is home to rare deep-water corals and the endangered northern bottlenose whales. The Labrador current and the Nova Scotia current flow down the Scotian Shelf and the Scotian Slope to the southwest. These currents, combined with easterly prevailing winds at the lease sites, place the entire Scotian Shelf and all of our major fishing banks and lobster spawning grounds in jeopardy from any major spill.>click to read<09:08
Coast Guard medevacs 57-year-old fisherman 97 miles east of St. Catherines Sound
The Coast Guard medevaced a 57-year-old man Friday from a fishing vessel 97 miles east of St. Catherines Sound. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Sector Charleston Command Center received notification from a crewmember aboard the 72-foot fishing vessel Lady Helena stating a crewmember was suffering from chest pains. A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Savannah arrived on scene at 9:12 a.m., hoisted the crewmember and transported him back to the air station at 9:46 a.m. where EMS was waiting. -USCG-23:12
Fisheries and Oceans standing committee question why owner-operator system can’t work in B.C.
Young West Coast fishers made the trek to Ottawa, two in gumboots, to testify and advocate for change in British Columbia’s fisheries management system, causing an immediate ripple effect. Federal policymakers who are amending the Fisheries Act, or Bill C-68, have submitted a motion to study owner-operator fleets after listening to the independent fishers who want the policy enforced on the West Coast. In B.C., fishers lease quotas from owners who have purchased the fishing rights. Multinational companies, or foreign investors, can own quota and licenses on the West Coast, but not on the East Coast of Canada. >click to read<18:31
TRAP GEAR CLOSURE IN CAPE COD BAY EXTENDED THROUGH MAY 15TH
The Division of Marine Fisheries has enacted an emergency regulation to extend the Large Whale Trap Gear Closure for a portion of Cape Cod Bay through May 15th. Affected lobstermen may begin to set their gear on Wednesday May 16th. The duration of this closure extension may be shortened or further prolonged based on the results of continuing aerial surveys. This extended closure only applies within those waters of Cape Cod Bay south of 42° 08’ north latitude and those waters north of Cape Cod west of 70° 10’ west longitude (map). >click to read<16:06
Fisherman’s last stand: No one could save the captain who refused to abandon his boat
It sounded like a plane crash, a shuddering boom and scraping of metal as the Fisherman’s Provider II rammed up on Frying Pan Shoal, a lurking hunk of rock in the Atlantic Ocean, about two kilometres off Canso, N.S. The boat had pulled away from the wharf of the historic fishing village just a few hours before, geared up for a four- or five-day trip of catching halibut. Now she was in trouble. Stuck fast, while her crew — Roy Campbell, Anthony Cooke and Brian Sinclair —were panicking. The three men had been in their bunks and were jolted awake upon impact.,, The men wrestled into their survival suits, deploying the life raft, calling 911 and hollering for their captain, Roger Lynn Stoddard, to forget about the damn boat, put his suit on, get in the raft and come with them. But Stoddard wasn’t budging. And he wasn’t panicked. He was at the helm, reversing the vessel, trying to work her off the rocks,,, Big story >click to read<15:18
Amid crab industry labor shortage, Maryland Rep. Harris says approval of 15,000 guest worker visas ‘imminent’
Federal immigration officials have agreed to approve 15,000 new guest worker visas for seasonal work, including in a Maryland crab industry grappling with a significant labor shortage, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris said Thursday. U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services would not confirm any changes to its H-2B visa program, which brings 66,000 immigrants to the country for work that employers can show they are unable to hire Americans to do. >click to read<13:09
Late Petersburg man named 2018 Fisherman of the Year
United Fishermen of Alaska, the state’s largest organization for commercial fishermen, has posthumously named Michael Bangs of Petersburg as its Fisherman of the Year for 2018. Bangs helped develop the roe-on-kelp and dive fisheries in Southeast Alaska. He’s the former president of the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association. Bangs had been chair of the Southeast Regional Subsistence Advisory Council and served on that body since 2003. He also served on the Petersburg Fish and Game Advisory Committee. Bangs passed away at his home in February.>click to read<12:29
FISH-NL reiterates call for province to allow in outside buyers in light of shrimp fiasco on Northern Peninsula
“Inshore harvesters are blocked from earning the best possible price for their shrimp by a pricing system that doesn’t work for them,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “The situation is a mess, with harvesters warning of ‘war on the water,’ and it’s time for the province to get off its arse.” Inshore harvesters on the Great Northern Peninsula are reporting catch rates of shrimp in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to be “as good as they’ve been in their lifetimes,” but an unfair price is keeping 8-10 boats in communities like Port aux Choix and Port Saunders tied to the wharf. >click to read<10:47
Fishing lobster aboard the Jaxton Brock in the Northumberland Strait
The piercing sound of a winch shattered the predawn ocean calm as a yellow trap was hauled up from the Northumberland Strait’s pitch-black waters onto the Jaxton Brock’s deck at about 4:20 a.m. It was the first catch of many on Wednesday and inside the traps were a true Pictou County delicacy: lobsters..,, The Jaxton Brock is a brand-new vessel that still smells of fresh paint and is named for Warren and Suzanne’s grandson, expected later this year. Warren was proud of their boat’s performance. “It turns on a dime,” he said. >click to read<10:10
Maine Men Sentenced for Illegally Trafficking American Eels
Today, William Sheldon was sentenced in federal district court in Portland, Maine, to six months in prison followed by three years supervised release for trafficking juvenile American eels, also called “elvers” or “glass eels,” in violation of the Lacey Act,, Sheldon was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000, forfeit $33,200 in lieu of a truck he used during the crime, and may not possess a license to purchase or export elvers as a special condition of his supervised release. Also sentenced today for elver trafficking offenses was Timothy Lewis, who received a sentence of six months in prison followed by three years supervised release, with the special condition that he too may not possess a license to purchase or export elvers. Lewis was also ordered to pay a $2500 fine. Thomas Reno was also sentenced today to one year probation. >click to read<08:57
Rep. Zeldin Statement in Opposition to Black Sea Bass Quota “Deal”
“This ‘deal’ is no victory for New York fishermen and is worse than status quo with other states receiving an increase. New York continues to roll over for the ASMFC while New York fishermen get screwed. I will not pull the wool over the eyes of hardworking New York fishermen and claim victory. Any deal on behalf of New York fishermen needs to place them on a level playing field with New Jersey and Connecticut, and this deal, cementing a quota cut for local fishermen in comparison to other states, is not equitable. I will not accept anything less than what New York fishermen, both recreational and commercial, deserve – parity.” >click to read<21:13
Lobster fishermen are putting canopies over the formerly open deck
Some lobster fishing boats are sporting a new look this year. Fishermen are installing canopies over the formerly open deck behind the wheel house. It’s all about keeping the catch fresher — and tastier. “For lobster quality,” said Lyman Getman, a fisherman in Tignish, P.E.I. “Keep the sun off them. Keep them cool.” The removable tops are becoming an increasingly common sight in Tignish and at other ports around the Island. >click to read<18:47
New Brunswick lobster fishermen anxious as start of season keeps getting delayed
Lobster fishermen in northern New Brunswick are increasingly worried about the fishing season, as they see delay after delay because of the conditions. The official start date was April 30, but the ice in many harbours, along with strong winds, has made it too dangerous to go out. The date has already been pushed back twice, and fishermen will only find out after a meeting Friday whether the season will start next week or be delayed once more. >click to read<16:29
A thousand days later, why is NOAA still dithering on allowing seismic surveys?
It has been more than a thousand days since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries accepted as “final and complete” the Incidental Harassment Authorization, or IHA, applications needed to take seismic surveys off the Atlantic Coast. Considering that the Marine Mammal Protection Act, or MMPA, requires agencies to issue decisions within 120 days after deeming IHA applications complete, this delay is a shocking policy failure. (This is an oil industry article, with a link to NMFS AA Chris Oliver’s testimony.) >click to read<15:50
95 year old wooden boat – The Lady Mabel is back on the water after repairs in Charleston
One of the Charleston Marina’s oldest wooden boats, The Lady Mabel, made it back into the water on Thursday morning after spending two months undergoing repairs at the Charleston Shipyard. The 52-foot boat was tall enough to stop traffic, as the draw bridge to the marina had to be opened for it to pass. Mabel is a 95-year-old wooden boat that is still used as a commercial fishing vessel. Few fishermen still use wooden boats and even fewer use boats as old as Mabel. >click to read< 14:29
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50-year-old Suffolk fishing boat found rusting in Tunisian harbour
Perhaps the last thing you would expect to see in a Tunisian harbour would be a link to the historic fishing industry of Lowestoft.,, While walking around the pretty harbour of the fishing port of Tabarka, a rusting, certainly not seaworthy ship appeared with the name ‘Marzak’ in white paint, on top of another name, the Suffolk Challenger., The fishing boat, built by Appledore Shipbuilders, worked out of the port of Lowestoft for decades, pulling in fish from as far as 300 miles off the coast of East Anglia. >click to read<11:21
Deegan Marine’s Stabicraft latest model of ‘unsinkable’ boat
Tucked away in the marine drive at Agfest is a first in Australia. Deegan Marine’s Stabicraft is the latest model of the well-respected brand of ‘unsinkable’ vessel.,,The Stabicraft will do 40 to 45 knots with a full load of gear and fuel, and is powered by two 250 horsepower Evinrude engines. The Stabicraft was first designed more than 20 years ago to meet the demand of commercial fishermen working the Foveaux Strait in southern New Zealand, a notoriously rough and dangerous stretch of sea. >click to read<09:17
Fisheries commission to vote on NY black sea bass appeal
An interstate fisheries commission is scheduled to vote Thursday on New York’s appeal for a less stringent quota on locally abundant black sea bass. New York recreational fishermen and women could face a 12 percent reduction in the allowable catch for black sea bass this year under a federal mandate.,, DEC commissioner Basil Seggos said the state was “willing to go to the bear cage” to fight the planned reductions, including filing suit and going into noncompliance on the rules if the federal government did not act. The state has made similar demands to change New York’s share of the commercial fluke quota. >click to read<08:20
New England Senators Threaten Trade Action Against Canada Over Right Whale Protections
A group of New England senators is calling on the U.S. government to speed up an analysis of Canada’s efforts to protect the endangered North American right whale, and to consider trade action if Canada’s rules do not prove as strong as in the U.S.,, Now they’re calling on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to investigate whether fishermen in Canada are being held to similar standards. If not, they say, then NOAA should consider barring the import of Canadian seafood from the relevant fisheries. “It’s really a double-edged sword,” says Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. >click to read>19:12
Massachusetts: Herring run in full swing along South Shore
Herring are filling local streams and rivers during their annual migration from the sea. Like salmon, herring live in salt water but travel to fresh water to spawn. In Pembroke, Herring Brook is full of fish fighting their way upstream to the top of a fish ladder that allows them to get around a dam at Glover Mill Pond. During the peak of the migration, it can see as many as 40,000 fish in one day. Video, photo’s >click to read<17:38
River herring return to Weymouth en masse – Thousands of herring were visible making their way towards the fish ladders in Jackson Square today. >click to read<22:51
Fisheries Act must include legal duty to rebuild stocks: Oceana Canada
For the first time since the Fisheries Act was created in 1868, there are provisions within it that focus on the rebuilding of fish stocks. But as they’re currently worded, they fall short of what international experience has shown is required to actually help a stock rebuild. Simply, they must mandate that the federal government respond, not just consider responding. That was the word from Josh Laughren, executive director of Oceana Canada, at the House fisheries committee earlier today. He said the language contained in Bill C-68 will also have to go further if it’s going to fulfil Canada’s international agreements and ensure this country’s laws are commensurate with other nations. >click to read<16:06
Marine Monument Case Aligns Trump, Conservationists
Cautiously aligned with the government in support of America’s first marine monument, environmentalists urged a federal judge Monday to sink a challenge by fishing groups. Designated by President Barack Obama in September 2016, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument encompasses 4,913 square miles off the coast of New England. Cordoned off from oil and gas exploration, as well as commercial fishing, the seabed within the monuments boasts four underwater volcanoes and three canyons. The Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Conservation Law Foundation and naturalist Zack Klyver had all intervened in the case,,, >click to read<14:08
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 80′ Eastern Rigged Steel Stern Trawler with Federal Permits
Specifications, information and 13 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >Click here<13:00
Right whale rules trap fishermen
The federal government’s decision to extend rules protecting right whales to P.E.I.’s lobster fishermen sent waves of anxiety through the industry last week. The fishermen were reacting not only to the poor timing of the decision — coming just days before the lobster season’s opening on May 1 — but, more urgently, the prospect that their livelihood may dwindle if a right whale is spotted near a fishing vessel. Of course, the reasoning for these federal measures isn’t really at issue — no one is saying right whales shouldn’t be protected. >click to read<09:53
