Monthly Archives: June 2018
Help sought from a higher authority to help shrimping crisis
Local shrimp fishermen and dealers say the industry’s prices are locally hitting some of the lowest points in nearly a decade, and warning of a market collapse if some kind of help is not forthcoming. What kind of help will do the most good has not been settled, but the industry’ voices will speak 4 p.m. Friday at the Lennox Hotard American Post at 602 Legion Drive in Houma. Among confirmed attendees is U.S. Sen. John Kennedy R-La. “I hope he can sit with us before the meeting so that we can explain what is going on with us,” said Louisiana Shrimp Association President Acey Cooper. Angela Portier of Chauvin,,, “We want to know if there Is anything he can do to help, is there anything he can do to help raise our shrimp prices,” she said. “We need a direct line to President Trump >click to read<09:39
Obituary: Blake C. Painter
Blake C. Painter was born in Astoria, Oregon, on Oct. 20, 1979, to Jeffrey and Marion (Ericksen) Painter. He left us far too soon on May 21, 2018, at the age of 38. A 1998 graduate of Astoria High School, Blake was active in sports both in and out of school. Besides football and baseball, he raced motocross and participated in martial arts.,, Blake was an avid outdoor enthusiast from a very early age, from hunting big game and waterfowl to digging razor clams, snow skiing to water sports, you name it — he did it. And he did it well. He took his love of the outdoors to a professional level when he began commercial fishing with his father aboard the F/V Western Skies while a freshman in high school. >click to read<08:52
Responsible Offshore Development Alliance forms on the East Coast
With offshore renewable and wind energy development becoming increasingly common on the East Coast, a new alliance has formed to ensure that these developments are compatible with the existing interests of the nation’s fishing communities. The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) brings together a broad range of commercial fishermen from across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to advocate for their shared concerns over emerging offshore developments. >click to read<17:24
Winds stymie crab fishery on east coast of province
Since the arrival of Europeans on the shores of Newfoundland, harvesting of the fisheries has been heavily controlled by one major factor, Mother Nature. Winds, tides, and ice conditions determines when and where harvesting of the resource occurs. Modern day fisheries are no exception. Last year harvesting of snow crab was hampered by the arrival of ice on the northeast coast. For several weeks the ice packed into the various crooks and crannies that dot our bays and inlets keeping crab boats secured to the wharves. Harvesting was delayed as the ice drifted to and from the coastline. Photo’s >click to read<
Maine’s Lobster Ladies Officially Kick Ass
Early mornings, heavy traps, rough seas, and scary lobsters. These are just a few of the things that don’t intimidate the women working in Maine’s lobster industry. It’s a tough job, and not only because it requires being awake and on a boat at 5 a.m. It also means being surrounded by a lot of dudes. The expectation of masculinity is built into the language of the trade. Even female boat workers refer to themselves as sternmen, and fishing boats with names like “centerfold,” and “moneyshot” fill the harbor. Video, >click to read<13:31
Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Price Sheet for June 2018 Has Arrived!
Contact our sales team today @ 401 295 2585 or 800 732 273 For the complete price list from Seafreeze Ltd., >Click here< – We are Direct to the Source-We are Fishermen-We are Seafreeze Ltd! >Click here< to visit our website! 13:12
In their battle against sea lions, fish are losing – Support The Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Protection Act
The tally doesn’t look good for steelhead and salmon on the Columbia River. Last year, sea lions devoured an estimated 9 percent of steelhead and 5 percent of spring chinook trying to make their way upstream past Bonneville Dam. Even more disconcerting, an estimated 24 percent of chinook disappeared between the mouth of the Columbia and the dam. In other words, there is a battle going on in the Columbia, and the sea lions are winning. That points out the need for Congress to pass a bill sponsored by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground. >click to read<12:53
The ‘grace of God’ -La Scie fishing crew survives harrowing journey after losing steering during storm
Crew members on the Ocean Surfer II are lucky to be alive after a harrowing weekend on the open seas. Five people were on the boat, which was fishing for shrimp 175 kilometres northeast of La Scie on Saturday, when it lost its steering and ability to go into reverse. To make matters worse, a major storm was about to hit. According to owner Terry Ryan, who was on shore, the crew that included his son as skipper battled 50-knot winds, the equivalent of 93 km/h. He worried they wouldn’t be able to make it back home without steering. >click to read<11:06
Work Boat Large for US Navy
From powerful seine skiffs for the Alaskan salmon fishery to sturdy and practical crew boats for the safe transfer of workers on marine construction jobs, Snow Boat Building has been attracting attention on the West Coast. Based in Seattle, the firm is known for its quality aluminum fabrication and general commercial boat repair. Recently the builder has won a contract to construct a 40- by 17-foot U.S. Navy Workboat Large. >click to read<10:24
Latest joke in labour circus; FFAW’s top executives acclaimed after thousands blocked from union election: FISH-NL
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) calls the final slate of candidates for the FFAW-Unifor executive the latest joke in an ongoing labour circus. “How Keith Sullivan or Dave Decker can look the membership in the face is beyond me,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “But then how any labour leader in this province can stand by as the democratic rights of inshore harvesters are stripped from them is another mystery.” Nominations for the FFAW-Unifor’s 16-member executive board closed May 28th, and the union announced Monday that the top two union positions — president (Sullivan), and secretary-treasurer (Decker) — were uncontested. >click to read<09:29
Opinion: Alliance defends prices paid to lobster fishermen
I am writing on behalf of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, in response to the editorial reprinted from the Charlottetown Guardian in Friday’s Chronicle Herald complaining about the price Prince Edward Island lobster fishermen are getting in 2018 for their lobster. The Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance represents many Nova Scotia lobster buyers and processors, some of whom buy lobsters in P.E.I.,,, The suggestion of collusion among buyers to increase profit at the expense of fishermen is ridiculous and quite honestly insulting. >click to read<09:01
Alaska: Prices are up, but commercial salmon harvests and forecasts are down
As a number of commercial salmon fisheries around the state kick off this week, the outlook for ex-vessel prices is looking good. Fishing economists say between lower run forecasts and strong foreign and domestic demand, commercial fishermen will likely see higher prices this year. But that doesn’t necessarily mean commercial fishermen will earn more this season compared to last year. Andy Wink with Wink Research and Consulting said although prices vary by species and region, most fisheries should see stable or higher prices this year. >click to read<08:20
Tranquility boosts confident whitefish fleet
The Skipper of Shetland’s latest addition to its whitefish fleet says he is confident that he and his partners had made the investment into the new vessel at exactly the right moment in time. Stuart Anderson and his Tranquility crew arrived with the new vessel at her home port of Symbister on Sunday afternoon after successful sea and fishing trials at the Danish shipyard in Hvide Sande. The new Tranquility LK63 replaces the partnership’s previous 32 year old vessel of the same name, which is now in the process of being sold to an Irish company to work as a guard vessel in offshore wind farms. >click to read<18:14
Connecticut – Stonington commercial fishermen to recycle old gear
Commercial fishing boats at the Town Dock have begun participating in the Fishing for Energy partnership, a program that offers fishermen a way to recycle old fishing gear for free. The gear will be stripped of metals for recycling with the help of Schnitzer Steel and processed into clean, renewable energy at the Covanta SECONN Energy-from-Waste Facility in Preston. The Town Dock is the first port in the state to participate in the program and fishermen can deposit gear in a collection bin at the dock. >click to read<15:39
Fisheries minister casts line to Ottawa for lobster poaching task force
Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell says he’s “very concerned” about the possibility of violence related to lobster poaching in southwest Nova Scotia and he’s proposing an idea he says worked in the past. Last week, representatives from several lobster associations raised the issue of poaching on the eve of the season’s close, saying they feared an escalation of tensions that last year saw several boats set on fire and threats exchanged between fishermen. >click to read<14:29
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting in Philadelphia, June 5 – 7, 2018
The public is invited to attend the June 5 – 7 Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s meeting at DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City 237 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA. Briefing documents will be posted as they become available. Meeting Agenda >click to read<. For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest >click here< www.mafmc.org12:12
Cordova disaster?
The Copper River commercial salmon fishery will remain closed on Monday, leaving about 550 gillnet fishermen in Cordova to sit in port and ponder what is increasingly looking like a disaster for what is pound-for-pound Alaska’s most valuable sockeye run. Favored fad-fish of high-scale restaurants, Copper sockeye had a reported price on their heads of $8.50 to$9.50 per pound when the season opened, and everything looked good-to-go despite a below-average, pre-season sockeye forecast. >click to read<09:53
Collusion or delusion? – Welcome to spring 2018 and a more realistic lobster market reality for P.E.I. fishermen
The lobster sector: The port-by-port, wharf-by-wharf lobster sector. More, specifically, the price to the fishermen at any given moment on any wharf throughout Atlantic Canada. Is there a topic about which more is said publicly that is scandalously inaccurate? Does anything generate more publicity than lobster pricing and competitive practices? Is there any price high enough to satisfy those complaining about $6 per lb.? There should be a requirement that to comment publicly, from the vaunted editorial perch, the Charlottetown editors would have at least done a tiny bit of homework. >click to read<08:26
Coast Guard Suspends Search For Two People Missing After Plane Crash
The U.S. Coast Guard and East Hampton Town Police have announced that the search for the Piper Navajo and its two missing occupants has been suspended due to “rapidly detiorating sea conditions.”,,, The cause of the crash is still under investigation but many have commented on the strong thunderstorm that had swept across the South Fork at almost the same time as the crash. The captain and crew of the Montauk-based fishing boat Caitlin & Mairead, which was one of the first vessels on the scene of the crash yesterday, said that the strong squall had blown through right before reports of the crash. “The weather was awful savage,” said David Aripotch, the captain and owner of the Caitlin & Mairead. “There wasn’t a lot of wind, but there was a lot of rain and lightning, a lot of lightning. It went by quick and right after that the Coast Guard came on [the radio] and said there was a plane crash. We were 4 to 5 miles east so we headed there. >click to read<18:04
North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Kodiak June 4-11, 2018
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet the week of June 4-11, 2018 at the Best Western Convention Center in Kodiak, AK. The Agenda >click here< and Schedule >click here< are available, as well as a list of review documents and their associated posting dates >click here<. Listen online while the meeting is in session>click here<. Visit NPFMC website >click here< 17:07
Coast Guard helicopter crew medevacs 13yo from Fishing Vessel in Chenega
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed to Cordova, medevaced a 13-year-old male from Chenega, Alaska, Saturday. The Jayhawk helicopter crew transported the 13-year-old to Anchorage and transferred him to awaiting medical personnel. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders received notification from the crew of the Golden Pacific, a 58-foot fishing vessel, who reported that the teen was suffering symptoms of a seizure 30 minutes after falling 18 feet. An EMT on board the Golden Pacific assessed the teen and requested higher care. A flight surgeon for the 17th Coast Guard District agreed and recommended a medevac. >click to read<15:51
Bureaucrats’ power on trial in California wildlife dispute
When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched a program in Southern California to reintroduce an otter population, imposing penalties for encroaching on the animal’s habitat, Congress passed a law to protect the fishing industry. Federal officials, however, want to penalize fisherman who accidentally encroach on the otters, and now the U.S. Supreme Court will decide how much power those bureaucrats possess. The case, California Sea Urchin Commission v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife, stems from the Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan in 1986 to widen the territory supporting the otter population. >click to read<09:45
Notice of fisheries closures – Fishermen told to remove gear from gulf areas to protect right whales
Fishermen have until Wednesday to get their gear out of the water in five newly closed fishing zones of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has gotten reports of North Atlantic Right Whales in the area prompting the closure of more fishing zones. DFO said crews must remove their gear by 5 p.m. AT on Wednesday, June 6. The next 24 hours will bring high winds, so DFO is allowing a longer notice than usual. “All gear must be removed from the closed area before the time of closure,”>click to read<DFO notice>click here<08:04
Vision IV taking on her prawn trawls in Newlyn.
Built at Buckie’s famous shipyard, Zander Jack’s Vision IV is one of the largest prawn trawlers to visit Newlyn this summer…along with the Ocean Vision…trawling, especially twin-rig trawling requires the trawls, bridles and doors to be rigged and maintained to the highest order if they are to fish efficiently and effectively… 22 Photo’s, >click to read<22:42
Sinking fishing boat salvaged at Ventura Harbor
Crews salvaged a commercial fishing boat that was sinking at Ventura Harbor early Saturday. The Ventura Harbor Patrol was notified at 2:10 a.m. about a boat that had started sinking in its slip at the Ventura Harbor Village Marina, 1583 Spinnaker Drive. Patrol officers responded and requested assistance from the city of Ventura Fire Department, the Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. An oil containment boom was deployed around the vessel to minimize the spread of its 1,300 gallons of diesel fuel. >click to read<19:46
Retiring marine radio operator recalls 50 years of triumph and tragedy
His name may not be familiar. But Blair Duhamel’s voice is known by mariners across Eastern Canada. For 50 years, the Glace Bay man has worked as a marine radio operator for the Canadian Coast Guard. At his retirement celebration at the Canadian Coast Guard College in Westmount, N.S., colleagues paid tribute to a man who’s helped “countless” mariners to safety. “I was fresh out of high school and applying for anything I saw in the paper,” he said. ‘So I applied for this job, not knowing what it was. But I’m very glad I did.” When he started in the spring of 1968, at age 19, mariners used Morse code to communicate. >click to read<18:37
“First fish is a celebration of the start of Alaska’s wild salmon season,” – 60° North Seafoods delivers first fish to Anchorage
While the first Copper River salmon hit markets and tables in Seattle on May 18, the first fish arrived in Anchorage on time for dinner on the day of the first opener, thanks to processing newcomer 60° North Seafoods. Out on the Copper River flats, F/V Genevieve Rose captain John Derek Wiese and deckhand Robert Silveira harvested the Chinooks and Reds, quickly offloading them to the waiting helicopter. A helicopter carrying a sling load of the fresh salmon from 60° North, Cordova’s new fisherman-owned seafood processing plant, arrived at the Merle K. (Mudhole) Smith Airport in Cordova on May 17 while the opener was still in progress. The fish were loaded onto a Piper Navajo Chieftain and off to Anchorage. 19 photo’s, >click to read<15:27
Somebody keeps stealing the Coast Guard’s bells and gongs in Maine
Expensive brass gongs and bells are being stolen from navigational buoys off the coast of Maine, and the Coast Guard is asking for help to track down whoever is pilfering them. The sounding devices are used by ships and sailors to navigate, especially in low-visibility conditions. The sounding devices are attached to buoys and “play a vital role in the safe passage of ships and mariners,” the Coast Guard said in a release. Six buoys have been hit over the past six months, according to Lt. Chellsey Phillips, spokeswoman for the South Portland Coast Guard Station,,, >click to read<12:52
Why this Maine lobster boat is cruising Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac
If you’ve seen the Ugly Anne’s flashy red hull cruise past you in the Straits of Mackinac, you’ll be forgiven if you swivel your neck for a second look. What’s a refurbished Maine lobster boat doing carrying tourists in Michigan?,,, Enter the Ugly Anne. A lobster boat since 1975, she’d been used to haul in winter delicacies in the Gulf of Maine. Summers saw the wooden vessel hauling charter fishing groups.,, And the Ugly Anne still has a following in her own right. She was well-known in Perkins Cove, Maine, >click to read<11:28
Shrimpers pressured by import prices, seek legislative change
Charles Robin the third comes from a long line of commercial shrimpers. Robin said the shrimping community is struggling to stay afloat. “The way it is right now you gotta catch a boatload of shrimp every trip. If you don’t, you don’t even pay the bills. That’s all we’re doing is staying above water,” Robin said. Local fisherman say import prices are forcing them to lower prices.,, On top of competing with import prices, shrimpers are also forking out money to upkeep their boats. >click to read<09:56
