Monthly Archives: July 2018
Louisiana Fisherman Talks Water Quality and Nutrient Reduction with Iowa Farmers
Nutrient runoff from Iowa agriculture is one of the leading causes of the growing “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, an oxygen-deprived section of the Gulf, which last year was recorded to be the size of the state of New Jersey. “About 29 percent of the load coming into the Gulf originates in Iowa,” says Larry Weber, an executive associate dean professor in the University of Iowa’s College of Engineering. “If we take the Iowa portion out of the Gulf, then the nitrate load to the Gulf of Mexico would be going down. The real challenge in fixing the Gulf hypoxia starts in Iowa.” In this special edition of River to River, host Clay Masters talks with panelists about what Iowa farmers are doing, or not doing, when it comes to reducing nutrient runoff into the Mississippi River. He also speaks with Thomas Olander, Chairman of the Louisiana Shrimp Association and a fourth generation shrimper. Audio report >click to listen<10:23
Research vessel departs for study of ‘black hole’ of Hudson Bay
With an extensive refit complete, the William Kennedy will leave the port of Summerside, P.E.I., Wednesday to explore one of the most understudied regions of the Arctic — Hudson Bay. “Despite being Canada’s largest ocean watershed, the Hudson Bay is like a black hole in terms of scientific knowledge with large gaps in oceanographic and near shore studies,” Adrian Schimnowski, CEO of Arctic Research Foundation, one of the operators of the boat, said in a news release. William Kennedy is a converted deep-sea crab fishing vessel. The refit, which was done in Summerside, cost $2 million. >click to read<09:25
After a hammer attack on a shrimp boat, Coast Guard searching for shrimper who fell or jumped into water off Fort Myers Beach
Members of the Coast Guard are looking for a man who fell (or jumped) off a shrimp boat. Brandon Scerri, 23, fell near Bowditch Point on Fort Myers Beach. He was on the shrimp boat “Jacob” on his way back from near the Florida Keys and Dry Tortuga area. Crime Stoppers said Scerri is a transient on Fort Myers Beach and doesn’t have any family in the area. Investigators said Scerri has gone missing before and may have mental health issues. >Video, >click to watch<08:30
USDA Rolls Out Trade Aid – Trump Administration Details One-Time Aid Programs to Help Farmers Facing Tariff Pains
Under a plan announced Tuesday by the Trump administration, farmers growing soybeans, corn, sorghum, wheat, cotton, milk and hogs will be able to apply for tariff aid payments sometime this fall to offset the impact of lost trade markets. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, stressing that President Donald Trump continues to support U.S. farmers, announced an aid package of up to $12 billion for agriculture, which will be available through three separate programs. Perdue called the trade response “a short-term solution” that would give President Trump time to work on long-term trade deals that would end the retaliatory tariffs. Perdue said the $12 billion figure “is directly in line with the estimated $11 billion impact of illegal tariffs on agriculture.” >click to read<21:43
Love Blue Crabs? Meet the Red Crab
If blue crab is this region’s Beyoncé, Atlantic deep-sea red crab is the backup singer you’ve never heard of. Found about 2,000 feet below sea level, these crustaceans are harder to harvest than their Chesapeake cousins. Plus, only one East Coast company is licensed to catch them. “I’ve been in business for 22 years, trying to put red crab on the map,” Atlantic Red Crab Company founder Jon Williams says. “It’s very well received when there’s no blue crab around, but as soon as blue crab becomes available, we take a second seat.” >click to read<21:18
Trump officials drafted plans to eliminate marine monument off New England
Senior U.S. Department of Interior officials prepared last fall to eliminate the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the Atlantic coast—even as they had yet to agree on the public justifications for doing so, according to newly disclosed internal documents. Interior last week accidentally released thousands of pages of unredacted internal emails in response to Freedom of Information Act requests.,, In a 22 August 2017 email, Interior official Randy Bowman, who led the monument review process, drafted two proposals: one in which Trump would revoke the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts monument and the other in which he would amend the proclamation to remove restrictions on commercial fishing. On 14 September, Bowman suggested in an email that impacts to the fishing industry were not a major consideration in revoking the monument’s status. >click to read<18:26
Highly Regulated: U.S. protects alpha predators, but its most famous shark hunter isn’t out of business yet.
Better known as Mark the Shark, Quartiano might be America’s most famous seafaring hunter. He’s operated his charter business since 1976, hooking and killing, by his estimate, at least 50,000 sharks. Clients as varied as Clint Eastwood and the Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleaders call him if they want a set of jaws, a trophy catch to mount, or just an adrenaline-packed excursion. Some 120,000 people follow his exploits on Instagram. Quartiano, 64, says he’d like nothing better than to hand the whole thing over to his son, Maverick, now 12, when he’s ready to retire. But Quartiano’s way of life might be as threatened as the creatures he’s famous for catching. >click to read<17:54
Cape Breton snow crab season short but lucrative
Glen Burns doesn’t bother kicking himself over it too much anymore. “I was never much of a gambler,” said Burns. “You won’t see me at the casino or down at the fire hall.” It was 2002, he had a one-year-old son and lobster gear he’d just taken over from his father. What the Margaree Harbour fisherman didn’t have was $120,000 to buy three crab traps worth of quota to add to the handful he’d taken over with his dad’s licence. And what neither he nor anyone else knew at the time was how valuable the crustacean would become to Cape Breton’s west coast. >click to read<
Maryland crabbers rescue bald eagle
As they were crabbing in the early morning Wednesday, July 18, twin brothers Christopher and Russell Payne of Easton saw something unusual flopping around in the Tred Avon River off Oxford. The closer they edged their 27-foot workboat Twice the Payne, however, they realized a male bald eagle was struggling to swim. “He looked worn out,” Chris Payne said. “He was trying to swim towards shore about 100 to 200 yards in front of the Sunset Grill.” Russell retrieved the eagle with his crab net and eased him onto the stern of their boat. The brothers kept their distance while they called the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.“He was still skittish, and we didn’t want to get close to it. He was breathing like he had run a marathon,”>click to read<16:03
FISH-NL President Ryan Cleary: Dominic LeBlanc — goodbye and good riddance
I wish to respond to The Telegram’s July 20th editorial, “Sea Change in cabinet,” and reiterate my assertion that Dominic LeBlanc was the worst minister of Fisheries and Oceans in living memory. The Telegram may call that “hyberbole,” but allow me to rehash: • LeBlanc is under investigation by the federal Ethics Commission for expropriating a clam quota, a move that will cost jobs in N.L.• LeBlanc allowed offshore draggers back at the delicate south coast (fishing zone 3Ps) cod stock. • LeBlanc put indigenous groups/Bill Barry at the front of the line for future redfish quotas in the Gulf, ahead of struggling inshore harvesters,,, >click to read<13:35
National Fish & Seafood sues former employee
Gloucester-based National Fish & Seafood is accusing its former head of research, development and quality assurance of absconding with confidential processing information and other corporate trade secrets when she resigned recently to take a similar position with a Florida-based seafood competitor. In a civil lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Boston, NFS alleges Kathleen A. Scanlon, who worked at NFS for more than 20 years before resigning about two weeks ago, used company-issued equipment to help steal confidential recipe, processing and customer information as a means of assisting her new employer, Tampa Bay Fisheries Inc. of Dover, Florida. The suit also names Tampa Bay Fisheries as a co-defendant, along with an unnamed John Doe at Tampa Bay Fisheries who allegedly helped hatch the plan. >click to read<10:56
Some advice for the new Fisheries and Oceans minister
I’d like to welcome Jonathan Wilkinson to his new post as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. The fishery department, not the coast guard, he has inherited is a monstrosity of policy and regulations of which very little have to do with conservation of fish. It’s a department run amok with bureaucrats and lobbyists all juggling for control, while our inshore Newfoundland fishery, its fishing villages, its culture, is collapsing. Time for Canada to have a fisheries minister for Canada’s fish harvesters. U.S. President Donald Trump said it was time to drain the swamp and it is long overdue to drain the bureaucratic mess in fisheries and oceans. By inshore fisherman John Gillett >click to read<09:42
“He was Hell on Wheels, that boy” – ‘Wicked Tuna’ fisherman Nick ‘Duffy’ Fudge mourned
The death of “Wicked Tuna” cast member Nicholas “Duffy” Fudge at age 28 is being mourned in the Seacoast and beyond, and his family on Monday shared special memories dating back to his childhood. He caught his first tune around age 8, on his first day tuna fishing with his father, Ron. “We told him he should retire, never to do it again, because you don’t get many, but he didn’t listen,” Ron Fudge said. Nick, who grew up in Greenland, was he first mate on Rye Capt. Tyler McLaughlin’s boat The Pinwheel. He became a popular personality on the National Geographic Channel reality TV show about competing fishermen. His parents and family members on Monday focused on Nick’s life. >click to read<09:00
Obituary – Nick ‘Duffy’ Fudge, Services, and calling hours->click to read, sign the guest book<
Blue crab population declines by almost 18%
The annual Blue Crab Advisory Report by the Chesapeake Bay Program and developed by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee, finds that the overall Chesapeake Bay blue crab population decreased by almost 18 percent from 455 million in 2017 to 372 million in 2018. The report, released last month, provides scientific analysis of the Bay’s blue crab population to help resource managers as they set blue crab fishing regulations.,, According to the report and the scientific reference points that resource managers follow for “target” (healthy) and “threshold” (border between safe and unsafe) levels, the Bay’s blue crab population is currently not depleted, nor is it being overfished. >click to read<20:12
BP Canada restarts drilling off Nova Scotia after spill
BP Canada has been given the go-ahead to restart drilling at its offshore exploratory well, a month after a loose connection spilled thousands of litres of drilling mud in the ocean off the coast of Nova Scotia. ,,, The regulator said the spill of 136,000 litres of drilling mud on June 22 was caused by a loose connection in the mud booster line on board the West Aquarius rig, which is drilling about 330 kilometres southeast of Halifax. The regulator said BP Canada is improving its inspection procedures, installing a pressure alarm system and replacing a section of mud booster line to try to prevent another a failure in the future. >click to read<18:56
Senators question NOAA Fisheries-FWS merger proposal in hearing
Members of the U.S. Senate got their first chance to look at the latest attempt to merge NOAA Fisheries with the Fish and Wildlife Service at a meeting on Thursday, 19 July. ,,,“Moving NOAA Fisheries from (the Department of) Commerce to the Department of Interior ignores the agency’s responsibility of managing multi-billion-dollar commercial fisheries,” said Cantwell, who added that she believes what fisheries need is “science and funding.” A merger of the two agencies requires approval of the U.S. Congress. >click to read<17:11
‘They are still using the ocean as a toilet’: NDP Fisheries critic proposes removing fish farms from oceans
The federal NDP critic for Fisheries and Oceans is proposing legislation that would overhaul fish farming by moving open-net fish farms from the ocean to land in an effort to stabilize and grow dwindling wild sockeye salmon numbers. “The impact to wild salmon has been a huge concern,” MP Fin Donnelly said to All Points West host Jason D’Souza. “I want to see healthy watersheds, healthy fish populations.” Reports have shown that wild sockeye salmon that come into contact with fish farms are more likely to be introduced to a number of problems, including parasitic sea lice — which attach themselves to the fish, weakening and sometimes killing them — and the piscine reovirus (PRV). >click to read<15:06
How to turn around our local shrimping industry
Given the harsh local winter and hampered shrimp season this year, a more generous and innovative local community of seafood customers is required for shrimpers to survive. In fact, it’s the cheap, penny-pinching, wholesale-seeking shrimp customers who are mostly to blame for Lowcountry shrimp fleets going away. So many sing, shag, and smile from ear-to-ear each year at the Blessing of The Fleet and at every shrimping fundraiser –– yet these same people berate area shrimpers mercilessly for lower and lower prices all season long. That dog will never hunt… Here is a roster of solutions that will add years to the economic sustainability of the local shrimping industry as a Lowcountry seafood offering: >click to read<13:25
International toothfish longliners shore up for Nelson berth as part of its first-year warranty repairs
Port Nelson’s ship fixers have secured a big boost to its winter work schedule with the arrival of the first of three international toothfish longliners. Owned by Norwegian-British partnership Argos Froyanes Ltd, the 2004-ton longline fishing vessel Nordic Prince arrived in Port Nelson on Wednesday for several months of repairs. Repair work is to be carried out by Aimex Service Group and several Nelson-based contractors. The chief engineers on board the Nordic Prince are from Nelson, and they will work in conjunction with the vessel’s Turkish shipbuilders as part of its first-year warranty repairs. >click to read<12:38
Adapt or die
Alaska needs to find ways to encourage innovation in the commercial fishing industry to head off declines in a struggling, one-time mainstay of the state economy, the former director of the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Institute on Social and Economic Research (ISER) is warning. Presenting at the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade in Seattle this week, economist Gunnar Knapp, an expert on Alaska fisheries, warned that aquaculture is continuing its takeover of global markets and appears destined to push its technological advantage into the future.,,, Knapp’s prognosis for ever-changing salmon markets is unlikely to sit well with 49th state commercial fishermen mired in the 20th Century, and his latest presentation is unlikely to win him any new fans in-state with his suggestion that Alaska needs to find better ways to harvest wild fish.>click to read<11:36
Many are injured on the job, most lack health insurance. Meet the cowboys of the sea.
North Carolina fishermen work long hours, and many fish alone. When harvesting shrimp, they can stay out on the water four to five days at a time. Broken bones and lacerations are common. Fishermen are disproportionately affected by skin cancer. The majority complain of back pain. Other lose limbs, even as many don’t have health insurance. Some die by drowning. One hurricane or unexpected cold front can move their crop. The stakes are high. But they don’t think about these things much and they didn’t see why a health care reporter was interested in talking to them, even as they admitted health care concerns have changed how many approached their fishing careers. For Glenn Skinner, 45, fishing is freedom. It’s in his blood. He’s a fourth generation fisherman from Carteret County and has been on fishing boats since he was 4 years old. >click to read<09:04
Another Cast Member of “Wicked Tuna” Dies
Nicholas Fudge, who was the first mate on Captain Tyler McLaughlin’s boat, has died, as per reports on July 22, 2018. People have been extremely saddened by the news and are wondering how Duffy from Wicked Tuna died. Unfortunately, Nicholas Fudge’s cause of death of unknown at this time, but details are expected later. Wicked Tuna has tweeted, “We join his family and friends in mourning his untimely loss.” Fans of the show paid homage to Fudge on social media and offered their condolences. >click to read<08:01
F/V Dianne Tragedy: sole survivor Ruben McDornan calls for tighter commercial fishing safety laws
The sole survivor of a dive boat disaster that claimed the lives of six men has accused the government of turning its back on commercial fishermen, calling for more stringent safety monitoring of boats. Ruben McDornan, the only surviving crew member from the FV Dianne, which sank off the coast of Queensland last year, says fishermen are dying unnecessarily because no government authority wants to take responsibility for their safety. “If six people had died in a mine, or in any other workplace on land, there would be uproar,” McDornan told 60 Minutes. >click to read<21:48
Stonington fishermen to hold open house on Saturday at Gambardella’s Wholesale Seafood at the Town Dock
The town’s commercial fishermen will hold an open house from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, at the Gambardella’s Wholesale Seafood location at the Town Dock. The event is being billed as an opportunity for residents to meet fishermen, local retailers and restaurants and find out what types of seafood are for sale locally this time of year and how the fish are processed and prepared for the local market. There will be an opportunity for people to go aboard a working fishing boat and learn how it operates as well as meet fishermen, ask them questions and learn what issues are concerning to them. >click to read<17:32
Here’s why ice was a hot commodity in the Nushagak this summer
Bristol Bay’s Nushagak fishing district pulled in more than a million sockeye on eight separate days earlier this month. Before this summer, it had only done that twice in Bristol Bay’s history.
Keeping all those fish cool proved problematic for fishermen who still rely on slush ice. Capt. Nick Sotiropoulos of the fishing vessel Flyin’ Tiger said he’d like at least 1,000 pounds of ice for every opener to keep his catch cold and earn that chilled quality bonus from his processor.,, Just over 10 percent of Bristol Bay’s fleet relies on ice to chill their fish. Another 27 percent turn over unchilled fish to processors, and the final 63 percent are drift boats with refrigerated sea water systems. >click to read<14:43
Seaforth man who fell off fishing vessel remembered for his ‘irrepressible spirit’
A 58-year-old Seaforth, N.S., man who fell off a fishing boat late Thursday night, is being remembered for his dedication to saving wild animals and his “irrepressible spirit.” Reid Steward Patterson was swordfishing about 65 kilometres off the coast of Halifax when he fell into the water. An exhaustive search by air and sea lasted 23 hours, but searchers weren’t able to locate his body. On Friday night, Joint Task Force Atlantic handed the search over to the Halifax District RCMP. Patterson was instrumental in the growth of Hope for Wildlife, a refuge for wounded animals in Seaforth. He was also the founder, Hope Swinimer’s, partner. >click to read<11:49
Search for man who fell overboard southeast of Halifax handed over to RCMP – >click to read<
Stop efforts to kill salmon and fishing jobs
Today, many Northern California commercial fishermen sit in harbors along our coast worrying about their bills and waiting for another disastrously shortened salmon season to begin. Many businesses that serve the normally robust sport salmon fishery also have suffered because of the delay. River fishing guides have lost half their season as well. Salmon numbers are predicted to be down from the lingering effects of the last drought and the damaging water allocation decisions that put salmon fishing families last. Meanwhile, San Joaquin Valley congressmen are hard at work tilting the balance of water in California toward valley agricultural barons. >click to read<10:48
This strange, lobster-fueled border dispute off Maine has been simmering long before Trump
The conflict was recently cast into international focus after reports that U.S. Border Patrol agents were stopping Canadian fishermen in the area, causing a modest uproar in the Great White North. It was likely the first time many Americans had even heard of Machias Seal Island, if the story broke through at all. Once dubbed the “Coldest War,” the quiet dispute over the tiny, meadow-topped island and its surrounding waters has been simmering for more than two centuries, consisting of puffins, lobster, and a few legendarily provincial Mainers. And this dispute has been festering since the Revolutionary War. >click to read<09:47
BASE Seafood Auction set to unveil revolutionary software to buoy groundfish industry
In his dimly lit second floor office surrounded by artifacts of the past, from antique license plates to model fishing vessels to family photos, Richie Canastra resurrected memories of the fish auction. “You know many people said I was crazy? I was young,” Canastra, the co-owner of the Buyers and Sellers Exchange (BASE). Canastra and his brother Ray, started the Whaling City Auction in 1994 when the city-owned auction ended. The display style auction crafted by the brothers caused friction within the industry. It promoted a buyer beware attitude, which forced buyers to pay what they bid, unlike the old system, when buyers often altered their bid after they won by questioning the quality of the landing. >click to read<09:01
Another dead sturgeon found as review of turbines threat remains in planning process
Another dead sturgeon has been found downstream of the Annapolis Tidal Turbine. Meanwhile a promised review of whether the 20 megawatt turbine kills fish at population levels by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat remains in the planning process. “The terms of reference for the review have been drafted,” said Debbie Buott-Matheson, spokeswoman for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in a written response. “We have not yet set a date for a CSAS peer review meeting, but it is considered a priority going forward.” That review was announced in January after a series of stories in the Chronicle Herald detailing how the turbine, which opened in a causeway crossing the Annapolis River in 1982, was never granted an exemption under the Fisheries Act to kill fish. >click to read<18:58
