Daily Archives: June 18, 2018
Coast Guard medevacs injured fisherman 13 miles west of Grays Harbor
The Coast Guard medically evacuated an injured fisherman 13 miles west of the Grays Harbor, Washington, entrance, Monday morning. A Coast Guard boat crew aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Station Grays Harbor met up with with the commercial fishing vessel Myrna Lynn to transfer the 50-year-old injured fisherman to shore, and get him treated by emergency medical services for a severe hand injury and shock. Watchstanders at Sector Columbia River received the injury report via VHF-FM radio at 8:15 a.m., and directed the launch of the boat crew. The patient transfer between the Myrna Lynn and the boat crew occurred at 9 a.m. >link< -USCG-
Humpy invasion
While West Coast Americans – Alaskans among them – worry and fret about farmed Atlantic salmon escaping to invade the Pacific Ocean despite decades of failed stocking efforts aimed at helping them do so, the Norwegians, Scots and other Europeans are facing a real and significant problem with an invasive Pacific salmon – the ubiquitous Alaska humpy. The smallest of the Pacific salmon, the humpy – or pink salmon – is by far the most common species in the 49th state. Of the 224.6 million salmon caught in Alaska last year, 63 percent, some 114.6 million, were pinks, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. And Northern Europeans are now worried the highly adaptable and voracious humpy could become a common species in their coastal waters. Blame the Russians. >click to read<15:52
Coast Guard searches for fisherman overboard 100 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana
The Coast Guard is searching for a 55 year-old man who reportedly fell overboard approximately 100 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana, Monday morning. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a communications relay from the captain of the fishing vessel Captain Edwin at approximately 3 a.m. reporting that a crewmember had fallen overboard off a nearby fishing vessel, the Captain Kent, while it was at anchor. It was also reported that the man was not wearing a life jacket. -USCG- 12:56
It’s wild salmon health vs. money and jobs as B.C.’s fish farm fight comes to a head
For some, salmon farms are a blight on the landscape. Not for the way they look, but because of the threat they believe these large aquaculture operations pose to wild salmon. “We’re pretty confident this place will have to be dismantled,” says Ernest Alfred, pointing at the farm from the boat. “And I’ll be here to watch it.” The government is currently reviewing the leases of 20 fish farms that expire on June 20. Alfred and other opponents are upping the pressure on the NDP leadership in hopes they will commit to ending fish farming in the ocean. But supporters of the farms say that would be a huge blow to an industry worth billions of dollars to the province. >click to read<12:01
Meanwhile, in Scotland, A bid by the Scottish Government to resolve fierce arguments over how fish farms harm wild salmon has been dismissed as a public relations stunt by campaigners. The population of wild salmon in Scotland has fallen by 50 per cent from around 1.25 million in the 1960s to 600,000 in 2016. Angling groups point out that most of the decline is on the west coast, close to where salmon farms are located. >click to read<
Lobster fishermen comply with federal order and move traps to smaller area
Lobster fishermen aboard about 60 boats spent Sunday morning pulling traps from waters off Miscou Island in northeastern New Brunswick in order to comply with a zone closure put in place by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The closures in Lobster Fishing Area 23 were announced by the DFO on June 11, after five North Atlantic right whales were seen between Miscou and the Gaspe Peninsula. DFO boats were in the area monitoring the situation as the traps were hauled up. “There’s a very small block that they can kind of move into. They are limited on the amount of territory that is left for them so they’re all going to have to cram into what’s left I guess.” >click to read<10:16
Norwegian fisherman speaks out about oil industry
Norwegian commercial fisherman Bjørnar Nicolaisen has spoken out about the negative impacts of the oil industry on his livelihood. The group Oil Free Seas – Australia has picked up on his appeal posting a video of Mr Nicolaisen on its Facebook page. Kangaroo Island based environmental campaigner Linda Irwin-Oak urged everyone to watch the video. “If you have any doubts at all about the company Statoil/Equinor drilling in the Great Australian Bight, then this will make your mind up 100 per cent,” Ms Irwin-Oak said. “Statoil is not to be trusted and this plea is from a man that has fought and won a battle against the oil giant on his home grounds.” >click to read<08:37
