Monthly Archives: June 2018
58-year-old Chris Melanson identified as 2nd victim in weekend lobster boat crash
58-year-old Chris Melanson, of Weymouth, N.S., has been identified as the second victim in a fishing boat crash off southeastern P.E.I. over the weekend.,,, 20-year-old Justin MacKay, of Montague, P.E.I., has been identified as the other victim in the boat crash. The two men died when two fishing boats collided, nine kilometres off of P.E.I. One of the boats sank. The accident is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board and Transport Canada, the P.E.I. Department of Labour, the RCMP and the P.E.I. coroner’s office. >click to read<16:13
GoFundMe campaign launched for N.S. victim of fatal P.E.I. boat collision – One of the victims of a tragic boating accident was a Nova Scotia man who was visiting his daughter in P.E.I. for the weekend. Chris Melanson was on the boat with one of his three daughters, Isabella, during the fatal collision near Beach Point on the weekend. >click to read< >click to donate<
Ocracoke’s Two Blanches
Blanche Howard Joliff was a young teenager when her father, Stacy Howard, decided in 1934 that he needed another boat. He commissioned a master boatbuilder, Tom O’Neal, to begin building him a fine skiff. The work was finished by another island boatbuilder, Homer Howard, who added a rounded cabin near the prow. Proud of his well-designed craft – a traditional deadriser with a V-shaped hull at the bow that’s flatter toward the stern – Howard gave it the name of his daughter, Blanche. >click to read<13:47
Administration looks offshore for wind energy boom
The Trump administration is “bullish” about offshore wind, working with governors in the Northeast to transform what was once a fringe and costly investment into America’s newest energy-producing industry. “When the president said energy dominance, it was made without reference to a type of energy,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “It was making sure as a country we are American energy first and that includes offshore wind. There is enormous opportunity, especially off the East Coast, for wind. I am very bullish.” On a recent tour of coastal states, Zinke found “magnitudes” more interest in offshore wind than oil and natural gas drilling. >click to read<11:20
South Carolina shrimping season may open partially Wednesday
Commercial shrimping in waters off the South Carolina coast could resume on a limited scale as early as this week, but don’t expect an abundance of the coveted white “roe” shrimp. Mel Bell, marine fisheries director for the S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources, says the fisheries division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) likely will open federal waters to commercial shrimp trawling this week, possibly as early as Wednesday. Bell says DNR asked NOAA last week to reopen federal waters, which start about three miles offshore,,, >click to read<10:44
Offshore Wind Project Planned for California
Following its recent entry into Taiwan, German energy company EnBW has now expanded its activities to the U.S. with the formation of a joint venture with Trident Winds to develop an offshore wind project off the coast of central California. EnBW North America and Trident Winds, based in Seattle, have formed a joint venture to advance the 650–1,000 megawatt Morro Bay offshore wind project off the central coast of California. EnBW sees floating technology as a key technology as it opens new areas with greater water depth and better wind conditions. >click to read<09:26
New England Fishery Management Council meeting in Portland, ME June 12 -14, 2018
The New England Fishery Management Council will be meeting at Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland, ME, To read the final agenda, >click here< Register for webinar >click here< to listen live. 08:13
Fisheries minister urges Ottawa to help fishermen make up for revenue lost to Gulf closures
New Brunswick’s fisheries minister is calling on Ottawa to find ways to make up for lost revenue in the fishing industry in light of a growing number of closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence designed to protect North Atlantic right whales. Rick Doucet issued a statement on Monday night after Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced 10 new grids will be temporarily closed, effective June 15 at 4 p.m. AT, due to the presence of whales. The affected areas include: GV32, GV33, GV34, GV35, GX32, GX33, GX34, GW32, GW33 and GW34. Fishermen and fish processors alike are concerned about lost revenue, said Doucet. >click to read<23:39
Rolls-Royce Inks it’s Largest Ever Fishing Vessel Contract
Rolls-Royce Marine said it has signed a contract with Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, L.L.C. in Louisiana for the development of a 100-meter-long trawler to be built for the Seattle based company Arctic Storm Management Group, LLC. In addition to being the largest fishing vessel contract to date for Rolls-Royce with a value of about £15 million, it also marks the first Rolls-Royce fishing vessel concept to be built at a U.S. shipyard. Rolls-Royce has been working closely with the owner, Arctic Storm, in developing this latest design, and the vessel will be equipped with a processing plant for fillet, surimi, fishmeal and fish oil. It will also be able to accommodate a crew of more than 150 people. >click to read<22:19
Several agencies still determining details of Beach Point lobster boat collision – A Fundraiser for the Justin MacKay Family
Islanders are coming together to support the family of one of the men killed in a lobster boat collision off Beach Point on Saturday. Justin MacKay, 20-year-old Montague resident, has been identified as one of the victims, while RCMP confirmed on Monday the other victim was a 59-year-old man. RCMP could not say where the 59-year-old was a resident of. A GoFundMe campaign named “Tammy Crossman and family” had raised more than $3,400 by Monday evening to help with funeral costs for MacKay, who graduated from Montague Regional High School (MRHS) last year. >click to read<20:18
AIS Inc. Wins Northeast Fisheries Five-year, $50 Million Dollar Observer Contract
AIS Inc., a scientific services company headquartered in Marion, Mass., has been awarded a five-year, $50 million contract to provide fisheries observers for federal monitoring programs in the Northeast. NOAA Fisheries has been contracting for fisheries observers in the Northeast since 1989. The work is fundamental to understanding and sustaining fisheries. AIS, Inc. is an experienced fisheries observer service company, employing people to monitor federal fisheries along the U.S. East Coast and in Alaska. Under this contract, the fisheries covered occur from Maine to North Carolina. >click to read<16:48
N.C. Fisheries bills may not get heard before legislature adjourns
State legislators are getting a crash course in commercial fisheries due to the variety of fishing issues addressed in a pair of bills filed in the short session. But time is running out for those proposals to be heard in the N.C. General Assembly, as lawmakers plan to wrap up their work as soon as the end of this week. House Bill 1049, sponsored by Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven, seeks to replace two at-large seats on the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission.,,, House Bill 1063, sponsored by Rep. Larry Yarborough, R-Granville, Rep. Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin and Rep. Ted Davis, R-New Hanover, seeks to restructure the commercial fishing license program and in doing so would take a huge step toward limited entry. >click to read<15:30
Lobster boat racing season revs up this Saturday
That’s right, lobster boat racing fans and racers. The 33rd season begins right here in Boothbay Harbor at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 16 with the Charles Begin Memorial races. Categories include gas classes based on length and cubic inches, diesel classes based on horsepower and length, a wooden boat race, gas and diesel free-for-alls, and four races just for Boothbay region boats. The race course runs in front of Tumbler Island toward the finish line at the Maine State Aquarium. >click to read<13:11
Giant great white ate its cousin during Sandbridge research expedition
When a Virginia Institute of Marine Science longline fishing survey caught a black tip shark on Friday, a much larger white shark couldn’t turn down an easy meal. Researchers just three and a half miles off Sandbridge were reeling in their 1.2-mile longline, equipped with 100 baited hooks, last week when a 12- to 13-foot great white showed up to see what all the fuss was about.,,VIMS began studying sharks in the mid-Atlantic in 1973 with its Shark Survey. It’s one of the longest running studies of shark populations in the world. The survey has shown a serious decline in shark numbers because of overfishing. That discovery led to the first shark management plan by NOAA Fisheries in 1993. >click to read<12:28
Welsh Personal Flotation Devices discount offer extended
Welsh vessel owners have been given an extra month to apply for discounted Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) offered by the Welsh Fishing Safety Committee (WFSC), supported by Seafish, ahead of The International Labour Organisation: Work in Fishing Convention (ILO 188) enforcement. 30 June is the new deadline to apply for the PFD with in-built PLB and vessel owners are being urged to take advantage of the offer because the ILO convention will likely require all commercial fishermen to wear PFDs on deck while at sea by the end of this year. >click to read<11:23
New Zealand approves innovative trawl technology
Fisheries New Zealand on Monday approved the use of an innovative trawl technology for commercial operations in some deep–water fisheries, called the Precision Seafood Harvesting Modular Harvest System (MHS). The MHS is the first innovative trawl technology to be approved under amendments to the commercial fishing regulations introduced last year, Stuart Anderson, director of fisheries management at Fisheries New Zealand, said in a statement. The regulations were amended to support innovations in trawl gear that provide opportunities to achieve better quality of catch, add value across the sector, and ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources, Anderson said. >click to read<09:44
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 8, 2018
>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >Click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA <click here>09:14
Owner refused to let wreck be raised because grieving family didn’t ask nicely, FAI hears
The owner of a fishing boat that sank off Easdale with the loss of its skipper Scott MacAlister, refused to allow the wreck to be raised because the grieving father had not asked him ‘nicely’, a fatal accident inquiry heard on Friday. ‘The way he spoke to me, I was not very keen to help him in any way’, John Connell, 59, told Oban Sheriff Court. ‘If I had been asked politely, nicely and decently, permission would have been granted straight away.’ Mr Connell agreed Mr MacAlister was ‘the author of his own misfortune’, in the fifth day of the inquiry into the sinking of the Speedwell on April 25, 2013, adding he would not have let the boat sail if he knew it was unsafe. >click to read<21:09
Community devastated by boat collision deaths
The community of Murray Harbour is in mourning after two men died during a collision between two fishing boats on Saturday, says a pastor from the area. Pastor Scott Herring, of Murray Harbour Baptist Church, said there’s a feeling of devastation that’s come over the community. Residents are showing their support to one another through phone calls and visits, he said.
“As a congregation, we held prayers for the whole community. People are reaching out to one another to offer supports behind the scenes, it’s happening in different forms,” he said. “But there’s devastation.” >click to read<17:38
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Fort Lauderdale, June 10-15, 2018
The public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held at the Bahia Mar Doubletree by Hilton, 801 Seabreeze Boulevard. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Complete Agenda >click here< for details Webinar Registration: >Listen Live, Click here< To visit the SAFMC >click here< 17:08
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting in Wailea, Maui, June 11-13, 2018
Location: Wailea Beach Resort, 3700 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, Maui. >click to read< 16:52
Groups March in Washington, DC During Oceans Week To Oppose Offshore Fish Farms
Today, (6/9/18) hundreds of people join together in a March for the Oceans in Washington, DC. Preventing development of industrial ocean fish farms is a prominent issue for participants, wearing pins and carrying signs with the hashtag “#dontcageouroceans”.,,, Worldwide, ocean finfish aquaculture has caused a wide range of problems, including fish escapes; deaths of sharks, seals and other marine life; and changes in ocean ecosystems. Marianne Cufone, Executive Director for the Recirculating Farms Coalition said, “Industrial open water finfish farming is an outdated and unnecessary practice. It poses serious risks to our oceans and public health.” Now, Capitol Hill legislators are developing a new initiative for industrial aquaculture in U.S. waters. Opponents are collectively rising to protect fishing communities, public health and our oceans. >click to read<12:58
Squid washing ashore by the hundreds ‘live fast and die young’
An alarming number of squid are washing ashore along parts of Nova Scotia’s coast. Experts say although it’s unusual to see such mass die-offs, the deaths are part of the creatures’ “live fast and die young” reproductive cycle. Kent Smedbol is a scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and works with monitoring fish and invertebrate populations. He said northern shortfin squid are common in the waters off Nova Scotia. They range from the mid-United States right up to around Iceland. “They’re a highly mobile species, highly migratory and they only live for about a year,” said Smedbol. “So, they live fast and die young.” >click to read<10:34
The Richard & Arnold’s final voyage out of Provincetown
With my family on board, the Richard & Arnold sailed from Provincetown Harbor for the last time on Memorial Day. The Richard & Arnold holds an important place in the town and nation’s history as one of the oldest continually fishing vessels left in the U.S. For 36 years, it was ours. She was built in 1934 by Casey Boat Yard in Fairhaven. History tells us that the harbor was once filled with boats like the Richard & Arnold, the wheelhouse in the stern, constructed of wood, with fishing nets hanging from the rigging. In a perfect world the Richard & Arnold would have stayed in Provincetown forever. >click to read<08:57
UPDATED: 2 dead after fishing boats collide off southeastern P.E.I.
Two men are dead after two fishing boats collided about nine kilometres off southeastern P.E.I., police say. RCMP Cpl. Gregg Garrett said the collision happened Saturday between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Police, paramedics and firefighters, as well as officials from DFO, victims services and the Canadian Coast Guard, were at the Beach Point wharf near Murray Harbour on Saturday. >click to read<21:23
Two men dead after fishing boats collided near Beach Point, P.E.I. – Const. Tara McBride of the RCMP says one boat was on its way back to shore and smashed into another boat that was buoyed off about 10 kilometres off the coast of Beach Point. She says there were eight crewmembers total between the two boats, including the men that died. McBride says both of the deceased were on the same boat. >click to read<13:48
Dear Senator Warren
Dear Senator Warren , As a retired commercial fisherman, and your constituent, I am trying to help those fishermen that still exist. I want to out line our problems, as I see them. A. The science used by NOAA decides our future. Under the current law NOAA does not have to compare or look at other scientific data. They “own” the term “best available science” exclusively, excluding better data collected by non government entities, including collaborative science between industry and academia! This is wrong. This needs to be changed, and the only way is to have some wording in The Magnusson Act to that effect. By supporting HR-200, you can right this wrong. B. Saltonstall-Kennedy Act,,, >click to read<18:57
‘Big Earl’ prepares to head back to sea
Fishing vessel “Big Earl,” the shrimping boat that beached on the Holden Beach strand last month, is preparing to head back out to sea. For the last couple of weeks, Big Earl has been stationed at the Holden Beach Marina, getting some much-needed repairs. Reese Atkins, Big Earl’s owner, said the boat had to have several holes patched, a new starter installed, wooden posts replaced, engine repairs and a paint job. Yet he believes the boat will be ready to shrimp by the end of the month. “We are almost completed with repairs, I’m thinking the repairs will be done by this weekend,” Atkins said. >click to read<18:41
Hundreds of upset shrimpers pack Houma meeting
“We are on the bottom. It’s time to stand up and say we are not going to be on the bottom anymore,” says a shrimper. Passionate shrimpers packed a Louisiana Shrimp Association meeting. All of them were asking for help. “The prices of these shrimp are unbelievably low. It’s the worse I’ve ever seen or heard of,” says Troy Parria. The shrimpers say the industry is struggling to stay afloat with prices as low as 40 cents a pound. “We just need a price our shrimp to make a fair honest living that’s all we ask for,” says Parria. They say import prices are forcing the prices of locally caught shrimp to be extremely low. Video, >click to read<15:06
Forget Maine, Jersey fisherman catch quality lobsters
As the sun begins to set over Shark River, the boat “Fully Loaded” approaches the dock. As the name suggests, it’s fully loaded with lobsters. “It’s like gold mining. When you come in with the boxes full, it’s gold,” said Joe Horvath, co-owner of Jersey Shore Lobster Brothers. It’s a family business for Joey and Adam Horvath. How do they catch the lobsters? “Well, people think you just throw a trap out there and get them like a crab, but they’re totally not like a crab. You have to go out, you have to find what water depth they’re in, you have to find where they’re at. At certain times of the season they’re shallower, they’re deeper,” said Joey. >click to read<11:59
DFO will not change fishing area closures, despite proposed exemptions
In a statement released Friday, department officials said they had received proposals from the Maritime Fishermen’s Union and from the Regroupement des Pêcheurs professionnels du Sud de la Gaspésie asking the department to consider exempting shallow waters from temporary closures. However, the department has concluded that the measures will remain in place to protect the North Atlantic right whales from gear entanglements. “This course of action is based on the best science information available about the presence of right whales in our waters,” the statements said. >click to read<11:19
The only Mainer ever to have fishing licenses permanently revoked facing eel charges
On Tuesday, a warrant was issued for Lucas Lemoine’s arrest after he failed to appear in court in Hancock County on two fishing-related misdemeanor charges, according to court documents. Lemoine, 36, of Southwest Harbor, has 30 criminal convictions or civil adjudications for fishing violations that date back to 1998, according to Department of Marine Resources spokesman Jeff Nichols. In 2015, his fishing licenses were revoked permanently by DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher for what Keliher at the time called “a pattern of willful disregard” for Maine’s marine resources laws. At one point in March 2015, weeks before his scallop and lobster licenses were revoked,,, >click to read<10:41
