Daily Archives: June 19, 2018
A fisherman asks how to make disability insurance affordable
Q. I don’t have a lot of money left over after paying bills each month. I know I should buy disability insurance – I work in commercial fishing and my job gives me some short-term disability but I think I need more. How can I make the disability insurance more affordable without losing the benefits I could need? — Trying to do right. A. Good for you that you recognize the need to protect your most valuable asset – your ability to earn income. And if you think paying your bills is tough now, just imagine how much tougher it would be with no income. That’s why disability insurance is such a great investment. >click to read<18:39
11 shark fins, dismembered sharks found aboard boat near South Sound Creek
The U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission personnel seized 11 shark fins and dismembered sharks Monday that were found aboard a 40-foot commercial fishing boat near South Sound Creek, Coast Guard officials announced Tuesday in a news release. Authorities said an FWC officer first spotted the boat, dubbed Miss Shell, off South Sound Creek because of its improper display of navigation lights. Authorities said they found 11 shark fins and dismembered sharks aboard the boat. The boat was then escorted to Port Largo. The catch was seized and handed over to NOAA officials Tuesday. >click to read<16:15
DFO orders fisheries closure in Bay of Fundy after right whale sighting
The federal government announced Monday evening the first temporary fisheries closure in the Bay of Fundy as a result of a North Atlantic right whale sighting. The area, just east of Grand Manan, will be closed to fixed-gear fishing activities starting at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said in a statement. It said the closure, which affects lobster, crab, groundfish, herring and mackerel licenses, will remain in place until further notice. It’s believed to be the first closure of its kind ever in the bay, according to Laurence Cook, chairman of the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association lobster advisory board. Cook was busy fielding calls and texts from “angry and upset” members after government informed the association around 6 p.m. Monday, he said. >click to read<11:42
Held Hostage: New Bedford Fishermen, Businesses losing out while waiting on NOAA
“If something doesn’t happen with groundfishing soon, it’s gone,” general manager of Hercules SLR John Reardon said. NOAA implemented the ban Nov.20 and has continued because of an overage calculated at 72,000 pounds of grey soul, according to multiple people who spoke Monday evening. The overage represents the amount of fish calculated by NOAA that Carlos Rafael misreported. He is serving a 46-month prison sentence, but the NOAA punishment aspect has held many along the waterfront hostage. >click to read<10:27
Conceived in a boat, born on the river: Mullet fishing is in Lonnie Head’s blood
At 79 and a fourth-generation Old Homosassa fisherman, Lonnie Head knows the waters of the canals and rivers and the gulf by heart. Still strong as an ox, he still goes out mullet fishing a few times a week in a boat he built himself, pulling in his nets full of fish like they’re weightless. Before the net ban in 1994 took away much of his and other commercial fishermen’s livelihood, Head fished nearly every day. “Fishing was all there was to do,” he said. “All Homosassa was was a fishing village … I started fishing with my daddy when I was 7 years old or younger. >click to read<09:01
Fishermen of Newport to Honor Ronnie Fatulli this Thursday
On Thursday, June 21, 2018, the Newport Lobster Shack and Fishermen of Newport will honor Ronnie Fatulli for his lifelong commitment to the commercial fishing industry of Newport, his love of the working waterfront and his successful efforts to insure a permanent commercial pier in the City of Newport. Business owners, locals and tourists alike are invited to join in the celebration at State Pier #9 located at 150 Long Warf, Newport, RI. The ceremony will begin promptly at 11:00AM and will feature speeches by Mayor Harry Winthrop, Director of the DEM, Janet Coit, Bill Palumbo and Alan Eagles. >click to read<08:04
