Monthly Archives: June 2018
Crescent City’s annual crab haul larger than average
Despite a late start to the season, commercial fishermen brought slightly more Dungeness crab to the Crescent City Harbor than in previous years, according to numbers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While this makes for increased revenue at the harbor, which collects 2 cents for every pound brought to its docks, Rick Shepherd, president of the Del Norte Fisherman’s Marketing Association, said commercial crabbers were paid less than last year. “I think one of the problems that I witnessed was there was a larger number of boats that participated here and so I think the actual amount of crab each boat caught was less,” he said. >click to read<09:39
Remembering Richard M. Gaines March 20, 1944 – June 9, 2013 Gloucester, Massachusetts
It’s hard to believe its been five years since Richard Gaines passed away on June 9, 2013. I miss him everyday, and I know I’m not alone. The many kind words that were written in his obituary by so many prominent members of the fishing community, reminds us when read again, that journalistic truth is elusive. With the integrity and tenacity of Richard Gaines, the truth was always told. >click to read< A video, NMFS Fraud Fishermen Thank Richard Gaines >click to watch<08:49
Mashpee Selectmen Push To Move Herring Trawlers Off The Coast
The New England Fishery Management Council, a federal entity, will host several public hearings to solicit comments on possible alternatives under consideration in an amendment to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. More specifically, the council is seeking feedback from the public on which alternatives should be selected and why. One of those amendments includes forcing fishing vessels called midwater trawlers 12 miles off the Cape Cod shore.,,, But the operators of these midwater trawlers contest the proposed amendment,,, Mary Beth Tooley, a representative of O’Hara Corporation in Maine, says that about 80 percent of the Maine lobster fishery uses herring as bait. “That’s thousands of lobstermen that will be impacted,” >click to read<20:13
Booker, Carper, Nelson Introduce Bicameral Bill to Establish Grant Program for Right Whale Conservation
U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Bill Nelson (D-FL), along with Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have introduced a bill to protect the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. Booker is a member of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, Carper is the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Nelson is the top Democrat on the Senate’s Commerce Committee, which oversees ocean policy. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), along with Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jared Huffman (D-CA), and Bill Keating (D-MA), has introduced a companion measure in the House of Representatives. >click to read<18:46
Three New Species Of Warm-Blooded Fish Discovered
Scientists have found three more species of a fish that – despite what we are taught at school – are fully warm-blooded. The species in question are large deep-sea fish known as opah, and are found in many oceans around the planet. A few years ago, the opah made headlines when it was revealed to be the first fully warm-blooded fish species ever discovered. Living in the frigid waters of the deep ocean, it warms its blood by continuously flapping its fins to generate heat. This keeps the fish’s core temperature at about 4 to 5°C (7.2-9°F) >click to read<16:22
Elver fishermen push for higher quota, say resource isn’t endangered
Despite the abrupt end to the elver season last month due to poaching, elver fishermen continue to support an increase in Maine’s annual catch limit. The Bangor Daily News reported that more than 60 elver fishermen appeared at a hearing held Wednesday by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — the interstate body that oversees the eel and elver fishery, among others — to consider whether to raise the quota from 9,688 pounds to 11,749 pounds. >click to read<13:47
Book questions Maine lobster fishery’s future
Author Christopher White will explore Maine’s lobster industry at an author talk and book signing for “The Last Lobster: Boom or Bust for Maine’s Greatest Fishery?” at the Jesup Memorial Library on Thursday, June 21, at 7 p.m. In the last five years, Maine lobstermen have annually caught more than 120 million pounds, six times what was caught annually in the 1980s.,,, Over the course of a year, White followed three lobster captains — Frank, Jason and Julie — as they hauled and set thousands of traps off the coast of Stonington and fought a warming ocean, volatile prices and rough weather to keep their livelihood afloat. >click to read< 11:39
Bob Jones Retires After 54 Years as E.D. of Southeastern Fisheries Association
After 54 years serving as the leader of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, Executive Director Bob Jones is retiring from SFA by the end of 2018. The SFA Board of Directors has begun the process to search for qualified candidates to be the next leader of the SFA organization. The SFA Board of Directors and Jones will continue to lead the organization during this transition. The open and honest interaction Jones has had with all the seafood industry stakeholders gave credence to the impact Southeastern Fisheries Association has on saving the commercial fishing culture because of the importance of producing seafood for the United States of America. >click to read<10:59
Ottawa eyes protection measures for the porbeagle
It is stout but fast, a top predator affectionately called “Canada’s shark.” But years of intense fishing left the porbeagle shark endangered, and the federal government is now considering protection measures.,,, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in an e-mail it will make a recommendation to the environment minister after reviewing input from the public and industry stakeholders, as well as scientific research. There is no current timeline for a decision, it said.,,, The latest population assessment on the porbeagle was from a 2009 survey which estimated,,, >click to read<09:41
With New Kuskokwim King Salmon Data Released, Bering Sea Bycatch Restrictions Come Under Review
New state data reveals that the number of king salmon returning to the Kuskokwim River has been inflated for decades. Now, the state is recommending that the body governing the Bering Sea pollock fishery adopt this new information. If it does, restrictions on the fleet’s bycatch of king salmon could tighten, and a long-voiced demand from Kuskokwim residents could be met. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting in Kodiak, Alaska this week. It’s scheduled to make a decision by Monday on how many king salmon can be caught incidentally by commercial fishing boats targeting pollock in the Bering Sea. >click to read<08:33
MLA says P.E.I. fishermen getting around $5 per pound for lobster
Souris-Elmira MLA Colin LaVie wants to know what the provincial government is doing to help increase lobster prices. During Thursday’s question period, LaVie, who is also a fisherman, raised the issue of lobster prices he said were as low as $5-$5.50 per pound. “Do you consider that a good price for lobsters?” The spring lobster season has been underway for more than a month and the P.E.I. Fisherman’s Association raised similar concerns about prices last month. >click to read<08:11
Bearfoot Bistro cutting out the middle man this lobster season
Lynn Albert still remembers when lobster didn’t have quite the same cache as it does today. “I remember when I was in school and very young, (some underprivileged students) would bring lobster in their lunchbox and we would eat bologna,” said Albert, 50, president of La Renaissance des Iles de la Madeleine, a seafood supplier based on the small Quebecois archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It’s safe to say lobster has enjoyed a renaissance since those days, and especially the lobster of the Magdalen Islands, known for its high quality and distinct flavour. >click to read<19:26
Twin Disc Celebrates 100 Years
Marine power transmission and propulsion technology company Twin Disc is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a wide range of local, national and international events that kicked off in May and run throughout the year. Twin Disc began in Racine, Wisc., in 1918 with P.H. Batten’s introduction of the twin disc farm tractor clutch. In the 1930s, the company entered the marine market, manufacturing countershaft reduction gears with 100 percent reverse power. >click to read<17:53
Mississippi Shrimp season gets underway with more than 250 boats lowering nets
Over 250 shrimp boats scoured the Mississippi Sound early Wednesday morning as the 2018 shrimp season officially got underway. Mississippi Department of Marine Resources officials conducted an aerial survey and found 254 boats lowering their nets in search of their first catch of the season. “We talked to the fishermen and early reports show moderate-to-low numbers of 40-50 count brown shrimp,” >click to read<14:30
Congress Questions US Green Group’s Ties To The Chinese Government
A House committee is asking the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the U.S.’s most prominent environmental groups, about its ties to China’s communist government. Top Republicans on the House Committee on Natural Resources sent a letter to the NRDC asking the group to clarify its two-decade relationship with the Chinese government and question whether the group should register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Lawmakers cited recent reports on China’s “vast influence machine” — through funding colleges, think tanks, advocacy groups and others — which it uses to shape its global image, including on environmental issues. >click to read<13:38
Backstabber hopes to make waves on tournament fishing circuit
Boatbuilder Steve Wessel seemed relaxed last week, at least by his usual high-energy standard, as he showed Backstabber, the latest creation from Wesmac Custom Boats, to a pair of enthralled sportsmen. He had a lot to be relaxed about.,,,Backstabber is a big boat, 54 feet long overall with a beam of 17 feet 6 inches and a 6-foot draft. With a cored superstructure, and solid fiberglass hull, her design displacement is 54,000 pounds. A boat that heavy needs plenty of power if it’s going to go after big fish and Backstabber has it. >click to read<11:55
No commercial opener for Copper River salmon fishery
Faced with a sonar count that is the ninth lowest on record since 1978, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said the Copper River district of Prince William Sound would remain closed to commercial fishing. The midday announcement on June 6 assured that the district would open to subsistence fishing on June 7. Cumulative commercial harvest to date is the second lowest harvest in the last 50 years, ADF&G said in an announcement from its Cordova office. Harvesters were advised, however, that the commercial fishery might open on short notice, should indices of sockeye salmon abundance support such a fishery. >click to read<11:12
Bristol Bay – How to avoid a Coast Guard ticket this season
As Bristol Bay fishermen put in long hours preparing their boats for another salmon season, the Coast Guard is just as busy making sure those vessels come home safely. “We put in 10-, 12-, 14-hour days some days trying to go as long and hard as we can,” said Russell Hazlett, a commerical fishing vessel examiner with the Coast Guard in Anchorage. “We’re only there for a short amount of time and have a small window to get it all done.” This month, Coast Guard crews will check flares, charts, navigational signals, fire extinguishers, emergency position-indicating beacons and survival suits on up to 450 boats across Bristol Bay at no charge. They won’t penalize operators for any problems they discover at the dock,,, >click to read<09:47
Giant waves and slimy seas: 2018 crab harvest a mixed bag for Conception Bay fishermen
The 2018 snow crab harvest is presenting some big challenges for fishermen in Conception Bay, but a record price is helping save what could otherwise be a disastrous year for some. While the bigger offshore boats, known as full-timers, are reporting healthy landings, the so-called inshore fleet, with vessels less than 35 feet, have been hard hit. Many have been pinned to the wharf in harbours like Port de Grave, missing valuable fishing time as persistent gales churn up giant waves. >click to read<09:16
Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Spokane, Washington, June 7-13, 2018
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory bodies will meet June 7-13, 2018 in Spokane, Washington to address issues related to groundfish, coastal pelagic species, and highly migratory species. Detailed Agenda>click here< Listen to the June 2018 Meeting Internet Live Stream >click here< PFMC home page >click here<07:32
Coast Guard rescues fisherman before vessel sank off Harbor, Ore.
Coast Guard boat crews rescued a fisherman from his vessel before it sank about two and a half miles west of the Chetco River entrance, Wednesday. One of the two boat crews from Coast Guard Station Chetco River removed the fisherman from the vessel and safely transported him back to shore after dewatering attempts failed. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend and at the station were first notified around 10 a.m. when the fisherman requested assistance over VHF channel 16. He reported his 29-foot commercial fishing vessel, the Roni J, was flooding and the onboard dewatering pumps were unable to keep up with the rising water. >click to read<20:46
Why Rhode Island Needs Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
“It is absolutely mind-boggling… that people that feed you, in one of the most historical oldest industries in this country, can’t go to sea and land that fish that feeds you without being treated like criminals,” said Richard Fuka, President of RI Fishermen’s Alliance. Civil forfeiture laws represent one of the most serious assaults on cars, cash, and other private property by government today. According to the Institute for Justice, which produces a state-by-state report card, the Ocean State received a D- for its asset forfeiture laws. Please watch the new asset forfeiture video from the Center now. >click to watch<20:19
Rhode Island House Republicans Call for Marine Life Study Commission to study the effects of wind turbines
House Republicans are calling for a commission to study the effects of wind turbines on marine life in Rhode Island. Representatives Sherry Roberts, Justin Price, and Robert Nardolillo are urging fellow lawmakers to support the initiative. The representatives are renewing their calls for a study commission in light of Deepwater Wind’s recent announcement of plans to expand the offshore wind farm off the Rhode Island coast. The legislation, sponsored by Representative Sherry Roberts, was introduced in February. Since then, the new $250-million Revolution Wind project was announced. The scale of the project has heightened unease about potential environmental damage from the turbines. >click to read<19:40
‘Industrialisation of the sea must end’
A fisherman has backed a protest calling for the end to the environmental destruction of our seas. Leigh fisherman Paul Gilson spoke out after protests were staged in Amsterdam against the European discard ban. The ban has resulted in fish going to landfill rather than being thrown back into the sea. Fishermen also protested over the growing numbers of windfarms springing up in the North Sea. Hundreds of fishermen from Holland and Belgium this week protested about the loss of fishing grounds due to the impact of the windfarms and the EU’s discard ban. >click to read<18:27
Take shrimper’s concerns seriously
Fourteen years ago Louisiana shrimpers joined those from other Gulf states and pooled their money — along with processors and dock owners — to pay millions of dollars in legal fees to bring a case for tariffs to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission. The punitive tariffs that were approved, after this costly battle, were the result of findings that China and other nations were dumping shrimp into the U.S. at a below-market price or subsidizing the industry in some nations. The tariffs did some good but not enough. There is ample proof that shrimp were routed through other countries not contending with tariffs to defeat the process. The result has been more shrimp often raised in unsanitary farms and containing chemicals banned in the European Union but allowed in certain thresholds at U.S. docks. >click to read<17:01
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Cape Dory Split Wheelhouse Lobster boat, 500HP Lugger
Specifications, information and 23 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >Click here<14:19
Famous Crab Fishing Boat Gets a New Crane
Captain Sig Hansen has been fishing crabs in Alaska aboard the F/V Northwestern for more than 30 years. In 2005, Discovery Channel aired the documentary TV show “Deadliest Catch”, which portrays real life aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea. Since then, he has been one of the most charismatic characters of the globally watched TV show. In April 2018, PALFINGER MARINE received a purchase order from Captain Hansen for a knuckle boom crane (PKM 250) to be used for lifting operations on the iconic crab fishing boat F/V Northwestern. >click to read<13:41
Proposal sent to minister – Fishermen propose ‘flexible’ closures to protect whales and livelihoods
Lobster fishermen are asking Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc to consider a proposal that would allow them to continue fishing close to the shores of northeastern New Brunswick even if whales are spotted in the area. The proposal comes as fishermen become increasingly anxious about their shrinking fishing grounds as more areas close Wednesday afternoon after endangered right whales were spotted. Martin Mallet, executive director of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, met with about 100 fishermen in Sainte-Marie-Saint-Raphaël on Tuesday evening. >click to read<13:12
Blame the cold winter: There’s still no date for the opening of South Carolina shrimp season
South Carolina’s commercial shrimp season — already nearly a month behind its average opening date — might not open any time soon. The bright spot is that a delayed spring season usually turns into a good fall catch. S.C. Department of Natural Resources biologists began another round of sample trawls Tuesday checking whether the spring shrimp had spawned and whether the summer crop had grown to good size. Off Charleston, they found a mixed net.,,, Shem Creek shrimper Tommy Edwards, who took the biologists offshore, still found a reason for some optimism. >click to read<12:46
Bill’s changes would allow industrial-scale oyster farming in N.C.
Should oyster farming in North Carolina be a cottage industry or marine industrial operations owned by nonresident corporations? That is the question facing legislators working on changes to the state’s oyster aquaculture statutes enacted in 2017. Senate Bill 738, sponsored by Sen. Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, Sen. Harry Brown, R-Onslow and Sen. Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico, drew strong opinions when it was discussed on May 30 at a meeting of the Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee co-chaired by Cook and Sanderson. >click to read<11:46
