Daily Archives: June 21, 2018
Offshore ‘slipper skippers’ and local monopolies target of new fishing industry study
If you have ever purchased fish at Fisherman’s Wharf, there’s a 50/50 chance the bulk of your money will make its way into the pockets of an investor, who may not even be able to pinpoint Steveston on a map. Such investors, both foreign and domestic, own government-issued quotas and licenses and lease them to fishers for a cut of the catch. Because profit margins for fishers are already razer thin, the extra costs of the quotas and licenses means young, new and independent fishers find it difficult to get a foothold in the industry. This regulatory system is being called into question by Fleetwood Port Kells Liberal MP Ken Hardie. Fishers have long complained about the ownership structure of licences and individual transferable quotas (ITQs), or catch shares,,>click to read< 20:08
Cocaine in the Water Is Hurting River Eels
The Earth’s waters are laced with drugs—from prescription and over-the counter medications, to caffeine, to antibiotics from personal care products. Marine environments are also tainted with illegal drugs, and a recent study demonstrates just how harmful these illicit substances can be to aquatic wildlife. As Michael Marshall reports for New Scientist, researchers in Italy have found that small amounts of cocaine in water can make eels hyperactive and cause significant muscle damage. >click to read<16:41
Dead plankton, stunned fish: the harms of man-made ocean noise
Human-caused ocean noise and its dangers to marine life are the focus of meetings at the United Nations this week, a victory for advocacy groups that have long warned of this problem. What are the causes of ocean noise? The main human activity that causes noise is maritime shipping. Among the loudest sounds are explosions aimed at demolishing offshore oil platforms, though these events are rare. Advocacy groups focus on seismic airguns, which are used by oil and gas interests to find reserves on the ocean floor. A boat tows 12-48 airguns at a time, each of which shoot loud blasts of compressed air. >click to read<15:27
Sam Parisi – Why I will be listening to other candidates in the next election.
Greetings to those that read this. As a retired fisherman, I have tried to help those who still exist. As a third generation fisherman and a Democrat, I have helped both Senator Warren and Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. I have written them twice and asked for their input and support for a Fish Bill. I am sad to say neither one have answered my letters. I have donated my time and money and put up campaign signs for them and yet can not get them to respond to me. I am disappointed,,,, >click to read<13:59
Provincetown: The women behind the fishermen
Fishing has changed, but being the wife of a fisherman has not. The wives keep the books, paint buoys, and make sure permits are up to date. They give pep talks, and sometimes fish alongside their husbands when a crewman doesn’t show up. These women are the shore captains, the homemakers, and the mates on and off the boats. They encourage, support and value their husbands and the work they do. “Fishermen’s wives also support each other,” says Tasia Rego, whose husband, Mike, fishes off the Miss Lilly. “We are like families. We help each other. We understand the ups and downs of the business.” >click to read<11:24
The Incredible True Story of the Henrietta C.
That Monday opened with winds coming steady out of the east-northeast at 20 to 25, or kyowking, as they say on Virginia’s Tangier Island. It’s one of many old and strange words used by the people there: kyowking, or blowing hard. A day unfit for pleasure craft and weekend sailors. But April 24, 2017, was also a workday, and for 72 of the island’s watermen, that meant venturing out into the Chesapeake Bay to harvest its famed blue crabs.,, So it was that at five o’clock that blustery morning, Edward Vaughn Charnock and his son, Jason, slacked the lines on Ed’s workboat, the Henrietta C., and chugged west from the harbor in the predawn dark. >click to read<
Commerce Secretary allocates $200 million fishery disaster funding
Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross allocated $200 million in disaster funding appropriated by Congress to help fishermen and the businesses and communities that rely upon them to recover and rebuild following hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017. Funding has also been appropriated and allocated for the disasters that devastated the West Coast and Alaska fishermen from 2014 to 2017. >click to read<10:03
“A Good Diehl for Fishing” – Warren’s Senate Republican challenger Diehl unveils plan to help fleet
Geoff Diehl, the Republican challenger to incumbent U. S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, would retain Carlos Rafael’s forfeited groundfish permits in New Bedford and would push to repeal the creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Marine Monument, according to his plan to help the fishing industry. Diehl, a state representative from Whitman, is set to release the plan, “A Good Diehl for Fishing,” at campaign stops Thursday in New Bedford, Scituate and Gloucester.,, The Diehl fishing plan also calls for reducing the regulatory burden on commercial fishermen and finding “a balance between the necessary protections to ensure ocean preservation, and continuing to support the growth of a healthy marine industry across the state.” >click to read<09:14
