Daily Archives: July 29, 2018
Vineyard Wind, R.I. fishermen still at odds over turbines
At issue is minimizing impacts to fishing grounds for squid, lobster and other species that are critical to Rhode Island fishermen. Nearly four months into a review of its proposal by Rhode Island coastal regulators, Vineyard Wind has been unable to allay fears that its proposed offshore wind farm of up to 100 turbines would harm the state’s fishing industry. With a key approval from the Coastal Resources Management Council at stake, the New Bedford-based company has agreed to a two-month extension in an attempt to bridge the divide with agency staff and Rhode Island fishermen over the $2-billion project that would be built in 250 square miles of ocean south of Martha’s Vineyard. >click to read<23:54
Some lobster exporters are feeling the Chinese tariff pinch
The lobster pipeline from Maine to China shut down on July 5, however, when China hit U.S. lobsters with a 25 percent import tax in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on imported Chinese goods. Since then, Nadeau’s business, The Lobster Co., has not sold a lobster to China, despite daily phone calls and a trip to the Pearl River Delta to visit her Chinese customers last week.,, But so far, lobstermen say they aren’t feeling the sting of Chinese tariffs. Their boat prices, which range from $3.50 to $4 a pound in different ports for shedders, are comparable to what they were getting at this time last year, they say, >click to read<21:39
Man found in Port Clyde Harbor identified as 56-year-old lobsterman
The Maine Marine Patrol is investigating the death of a 56-year-old lobsterman whose body was found Saturday morning near the Port Clyde Fishermen’s Cooperative, where he fished regularly, officials said. Sgt. Wesley Dean of the Maine Marine Patrol said good Samaritans tried to revive John Crane IV, a career lobsterman, around 6:20 a.m., but to no avail. “We don’t believe he was in the water for a very long time,” Dean said. He said it is not clear whether Crane drowned or had a medical issue, nor whether he might have fallen from his boat at the time. >click to read<19:37
$600 ‘prehistoric’ king crab, anyone? Now at Fontainebleau Miami Beach
For those who like to splurge into the deep — in the sea and their wallets — have we got a deal for you. Just $600 will buy you and your feeding crew a rare delicacy: an 8-pound Norwegian red king crab. The Fontainebleau resort in Miami Beach has received a small, annual allotment of the live crabs, dubbed “prehistoric luxury shellfish” by the resort’s PR agency. Caught from the icy waters of the Barents Sea off Norway’s northern coast, the crabs that arrived this week weigh 5 to 8 pounds and can feed up to five people. The shipment of live crabs and langoustines (jumbo European prawns in shells that resemble lobster) are kept in special “Waterworld” tanks of seawater in the resort’s basement. >click to read<18:08
EU Fisheries Deal With Morocco Sparks Criticism Over Inclusion Of Western Sahara Waters
A fresh legal row may be brewing over the EU’s trade links with Morocco, after the two sides finalised a controversial new fisheries agreement, following almost three months of negotiations. In a joint statement issued on July 20, the two sides said they had agreed on the content of a new sustainable fisheries agreement and that it would enter into force “as soon as possible”. The most contentious element of the agreement involves Western Sahara – the territory which has been occupied by Morocco since the mid-1970s. Morocco’s claim is not internationally recognized and the United Nations says the area is a non-self-governing territory. >click to read<17:21
Coast Guard Medevacs crewman from fishing vessel in Prince William Sound
Coast Guard Station Valdez crew members medevaced an 18-year-old male, suffering from a hand injury, from the fishing vessel Pacific Harvester in Prince William Sound, Thursday evening. The station’s crew, including an emergency trauma technician, treated the man’s hand while in transit to a Valdez pier where he was transferred to awaiting emergency medical service personnel for higher care. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center received a report from the master of the Pacific Harvester requesting a medevac for the crewmember who was suffering from a hand injury and displaying signs of shock. >click to read<16:25
Devastating report has seafood dealer on his heels, angry – U.S. senator calls for an investigation
A national seafood distributor is defending its reputation as sales plummet after The Associated Press found it was not living up to a guarantee that all of its seafood was wild, sustainable, traceable and caught by local fishermen. Sea To Table owner Sean Dimin said most problems identified by the AP were honest mistakes or the result of miscommunication, and some supporters came to his defense. But four former employees said they raised concerns about mislabeling, the blending of imports and deceptive marketing practices years ago, and were ignored or silenced. A U.S. senator has called for an investigation, and a community-supported fishery filed cease-and-desist orders, demanding Sea To Table stop deceptive marketing. >click to read<13:25
New England: Centuries-old cod fishery had worst year in history in 2017
One of the most historic fisheries in the country hit an all-time low last year as cod fishermen continued to struggle with choking quotas and low abundance of the fish. Maine’s cod fishery has existed since at least the early 17th century, and it was once one of the strongest in the country. The fishery peaked at more than 21 million pounds of cod, a fish often used with the fish and chips dish, in 1991.,,, One reason for the collapse is that federal quotas for cod are so low many fishermen are just avoiding them altogether, said Terry Alexander, a veteran fisherman out of Portland and Boston. Cod fishermen typically also seek other species, such as haddock and flounder, and they must stop fishing altogether once they reach quota for cod, per the rules. >click to read<11:15
Residents learn about fishing, local offerings at Stonington open house
They all were visiting the open house hosted by the town’s fishermen at Gambardella’s Wholesale Seafood at the Town Dock on Saturday afternoon to get an inside look at the fishing industry and learn more about the seafood caught by local fishermen. Ed Emery, a third-generation fisherman, encouraged people to shop locally at the Town Dock for fresh fish,,, Mike Gambardella, owner of Gambardella’s Wholesale Seafood, who came up with the idea for the event, said the fishermen want to show people how wild-caught, chemical-free, good seafood tastes.,,He also said they want to show how hard of a job it is to be a fisherman under so much regulation. He said scientists should listen to the fishermen who go out every day to the ocean and see what is out there. >click to read<09:46
Fishing is a family business – Three couples know everybody needs to pitch in to make a living
Long Island’s fishing families know how to adapt. They have to if they want to keep making their living from the water. Many have succumbed to the sea of quotas and regulations. Fewer and fewer are hanging on. In the past eight years, the number of commercial food fish licenses has dropped by double digits —11 percent — from 1,030 in 2018 to 916 so far this year, state data show.,, Most of the families still in commercial fishing run mom-and-operations, Brady said. “Some can go back 15 generations, some have been here since the ’70s,” she said, “and some are just starting out” The Phillipses, the Osinskis, and the Lofstads. >click to read<08:51
