Monthly Archives: August 2018
PFD’s – A case for life jackets for all: By Roger R. Locandro
Andre Penton of Fogo Island died June 27 this year in a boating accident on a pond not far from his home in Joe Batt’s Arm. The Fogo Island community mourns his death, with condolences to his wife Rita, his three sons and their families. Although his death was not directly due to drowning, it brought back my own memories of dangers on the water.,, People drown. Don’t take any chances on or around the water. I took chances and almost paid for it with my life. Some years ago, I was commercial seining for salmon in the Gulf of Alaska, out of Cordova. >click to read<22:49
Fisherman saves dog in distress in the middle of Greenwich Bay
A local shellfisherman taking part in a boat race, winds up saving a dog in distress, found paddling in the middle of Greenwich Bay. Every Monday, a dozen or so boats with crews to match, use a ‘race’ as an excuse to unwind on Greenwich Bay. But Monday, August 20th was different. While onboard the Quing Long, quahogger by trade Jody King noticed what he first thought was a mop floating in the water. “I yelled at it and it turned around. God it’s eyes got about this big,” said King. He thinks the dog seemed like it had been in the water “at least, over an hour,” he said. Video, >click to read<19:46
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for August 31, 2018
>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<17:14
California passes bill to ban drift net fishing
California is set to officially ban commercial fishermen from using drift nets off its coasts. The state legislature passed a bill Thursday that would make it ultimately unlawful for commercial fishers to use shark or swordfish drift gillnets, as well as troll lines and hand lines that are more than 900 feet in length, unless they are used as set lines. The law will set up an transition program to phase out fisherman’s use of shark or swordfish drift nets by offering incentives to those who voluntarily give up their previously received permit. The state would fund the transition by using $1 million in funds from its Ocean Protection Council for whale and sea turtle entanglement.,, The California state bill now awaits Gov. Jerry Brown’s (D) signature. He has until Sept 30. to sign it into law. >click to read<15:54
Catch and Release: Humpback snared in a fishing net
A group of 85 whale watchers witnessed humpback whale “Owl” thrash for 50 minutes while caught in a fishing net Thursday afternoon off the Isle of Shoals, said Peter Reynolds who led the tour. Jen Kennedy, executive director of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, said the fishing net was deployed off the purse-seiner” vessel “Western Wave” and the net “completely encompassed the 32 year-old humpback.,, A Coast Guard spokesman said a Coast Guard boat patrolling at the time, about 2:15 pm Thursday, responded to the incident, took about 40 minutes to get there and by the time it did, the fishing net had been lowered and Owl was freed. >click to read<15:13
Coast Guard rescues 3 fishermen in response to EPIRB activation near Port Isabel, Texas
The Coast Guard rescued three crewmembers from a life raft after their fishing vessel caught fire approximately 40 miles east of Port Isabel, Texas, Friday morning. Eighth Coast Guard District watchstanders in New Orleans received an emergency position indicating radio beacon alert from the fishing vessel Master D, which provided an approximate location of the vessel. Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Coho to the location. The Coho crew located the fishing vessel on fire, as well as the three-person crew in a life raft nearby and transferred them aboard the cutter. >click to read<12:19
Scallop War – French fishermen vow to ‘use the heavy artillery’ in next Channel clash with English scallop rivals
French fishermen now appear to be planning to step up their attacks on British vessels as they branded out trawlers “roast beef”. One, Pierre Sophie, raged the “war” is not over and vowed to keep attacking UK fisherman in the English Channel. In one rant, he said: “Will (sic) come back with more boats! We’ll have to get the heavy artillery out!!!” He also shared footage of the violent clash on Tuesday with the caption: “Bunch of b*****ds”. Another fisherman, , Steph LF, boasted about the attack, saying how “the little French frog… ate some f***ing British roast beef”. >click to read<11:34
Difficult fishing season for some fishers in Hay River, N.W.T.
It’s been a difficult summer for commercial fishers on Great Slave Lake, at least according to one fisherman who has been in the business for 40 years. Although he’s caught plenty of fish this year, Duncan Richardson said they haven’t been the right kind. Last year was a bumper year for whitefish, which is where the money is. But, this year, Richardson guessed 40 per cent of his catch was whitefish, while the other 60 per cent was trout and coney. He said he’ll be lucky if he breaks even this year. “I don’t know if it was the water or whatever it is, but it sure screwed things up,” said Richardson. “It was a bad season. Just bad. I don’t know how to explain it.” >click to read<10:37
Dolphin, porpoise found dead near Minas Basin turbine site
A dolphin and a porpoise have been found dead along the shore of the Minas Passage since the installation of OpenHydro’s instream tidal turbine late last month. The dolphin was found along the shore near Highland Village at the end of July and on Aug. 4 the porpoise was found dead near Bass River.,, Meanwhile Fisheries and Oceans Canada has declared that the 1,000-tonne turbine in the Minas Passage is now in violation of its special dispensation under the Fisheries Act because monitoring equipment meant to evaluate whether it kills marine animals isn’t operational. The turbine has been spinning but not generating power on the floor of the Minas Passage. >click to read<09:57
Captain with Bristol County Sheriff’s Office Convicted of Smuggling Rafael Profits to Portugal
A Captain with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office was convicted today by a federal jury in connection with helping Carlos Rafael, known as the Codfather in the fishing industry, and the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the U.S., smuggle the profits of his illegal overfishing scheme to Portugal. Jamie Melo, 46, of North Dartmouth, Mass., was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States and one count of structuring the export of monetary instruments. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Oct. 24, 2018. The jury acquitted the defendant of one count of bulk cash smuggling. >click to read<08:31
Fisheries Omnibus Bill of 2018 – California Lawmakers Act to Protect Whales, Turtles From Entanglement
The California Senate yesterday sent legislation to Gov. Jerry Brown to sign that requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to adopt regulations to prevent whales and sea turtles from being entangled in commercial Dungeness crab lines. West Coast entanglements have skyrocketed in recent years. California commercial Dungeness crab gear is responsible for the majority of entanglements where the gear could be identified, entangling at least 35 whales from 2015 to 2017. Senate Bill 1309 responded to the crisis by requiring regulations by November 1, 2020, and directing the department to restrict fishing as needed until then to prevent a significant risk of entanglements. >click to read<20:33
So that’s how you deal with lobsters
Christie Wilcox describes a terrible experiment. Investigators were mystified >click here< by an area around a Pacific island that was empty of lobsters, so they dumped a bunch of lobsters there to see what happened. And then… “Visibility was great that day, and virtually the entire sea bottom started to move,” he said. That movement was countless whelks. They started to climb onto the newcomers, sticking to their legs. “I didn’t know then, but they’d started to suck them alive, basically. It was like a horror movie,” Barkai said. “It actually was a bit frightening to watch.” The lobsters simply didn’t know how to respond. They were outnumbered and overwhelmed. “To my horror, in about 30, 40 minutes, all the lobsters were killed.” Barkai managed to bring two whelk-coated lobsters back to the surface to show the crew—which is when the first photo in this piece was shot.>click to read<19:59
Sea Cucumber: Ocean Choice International in St. Lawrence highlighted during Innovation Day
It’s not the kind of cucumber you’d put in a green salad. But the slimy-looking sea creature is the type of thing that finds its way to the Asian dinner plate; sold at pricey restaurant as a delicacy, the dried product is often rehydrated to be used in rice salads and/or soups. Production of sea cucumber has allowed the plant to extend its production season. And that’s meant jobs for over 100 people at the Ocean Choice International (OCI) plant in St. Lawrence. Production of sea cucumber has allowed the plant to extend its production season.,, “The inshore vessels have gotten so much better, the product quality that has been coming from the inshore sector over the last two decades is improved immensely, snow crab, shrimp, sea cucumbers,”Blaine Sullivan says. “When I started in the business Canada, and Newfoundland, was not renowned for quality (in seafood) but it is today. There’s been a big change and that’s something this industry should be proud of, and should talk more about.” >click to read<19:13
Massachusetts GOP hopeful Geoff Diehl forms fishing advisory council
Geoff Diehl, who’s running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, announced Thursday morning the formation of his “Fishing Advisory Council.” Diehl made the announcement on the city’s working waterfront at Bergie’s Seafood. “Understanding the importance of fishing to our economy, I have been meeting with leaders of the industry for well over a year. It is clear that fishermen need and deserve a full-time senator who will work to revive and protect the industry,” Diehl said in a statement. “That’s why today I am pleased to announce my Fishing Advisory Council. They will be advising me on fishing and related matters that effect our local ports.” >click to read<13:57
Mi’kmaw woman seeks to charge Canada with theft for seizing fishing gear
A Mi’kmaw woman from Acadia First Nation in Nova Scotia has asked the RCMP to charge the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) with theft for seizing lobster traps she laid while fishing by inherent right, outside of Canadian fishing regulations. Marilynn-Leigh Francis and her three nephews dropped 19 lobster traps into St. Mary’s Bay at the beginning of August. Last week, Francis confronted DFO officers on the water after they pulled them back up. Seeing the seizure as unwarranted, Francis called the RCMP and filed a complaint asking the police to charge DFO with theft. It was the second time she had filed a complaint against DFO, she said. As far as she knows, no charges have been laid. >click to read<13:07
Senator Dan Sullivan Applauds Senate Passage of American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) is applauding the Senate passage of S. 1322, the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act, bipartisan legislation he introduced alongside Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to create an Advisory Committee to assist in the awarding of fisheries marketing, research, and development grants. Alaska Congressman Don Young is the sponsor of companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.,, S. 1322, the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act unanimously passed the Senate on August 22, 2018 with a clarifying amendment offered by Senator Dan Sullivan and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. >click to read<11:09
Scallop War – ‘Not the first time!’ Fisherman says French Navy ignored attacks on UK boats two years ago
Derek Meredith, the owner of two fishing boats caught in the shameless attack by French fishermen in the international waters between France and England, told BBC News this was the second time he had to defend himself at sea. Mr Meredith said he experienced the same attack by the hand of French fishermen two years ago, revealing the French Navy, present at the time of the attack, did not intervene to stop it from happening. He said: “Two years ago it happened to us but not as forceful as this time, I wouldn’t have said. >click to read<10:00
New York’s RE Debacle Deepens: Offshore Wind Power All-at-Sea Without Massive Subsidies
Where the cost of onshore wind power is staggering, the cost of offshore wind power is astronomical. Of course, in either case, in the absence of massive and perpetual subsidies, there would never have been a single turbine constructed on land or at sea, ever, period. New York State’ Governor, Andrew Cuomo is just the latest in a long line of politicians in bed with crony capitalists the wind and solar ‘industries’. His obsession with wind power is sending New York’s power prices into orbit. And his plan to spear thousands of turbines off the New Jersey coast has incensed local fishermen who are literally told developers to get f*%#@d: Deepwater in Deep Trouble: Fishermen Tell Off-Shore Wind Farm Developers to F@*#K Off. >click to read<07:50
Salvage team refloating F/V Pacific Knight
The 58-foot vessel, which was operating as a tender near Clark’s Point, sank July 25. After more than a month at the bottom of the Nushagak Bay, a salvage team is lifting the ship and will tow it to Dutch Harbor. “The past few days we’ve been passing chains underneath the vessel and connecting them to our crane barge,” explained Todd Duke (Resolve Marine). “We’ve turned it, and we’ve picked the vessel so it’s sitting somewhat upright now. We’ve been using a tool we call an airlift to remove sand and silt from around the vessel so that we can get the chains underneath, and we’ll continue doing some airlift and more chain connections to go ahead and lift this thing completely out of the water.” >click to read<21:25
PETA seeks to honor their brother and sister lobsters, with a stone
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a request to the Maine Department of Transportation to place a five-foot roadside memorial honoring the lobsters. A truck carrying 70 cases of lobsters rolled over and crashed on a highway in Brunswick, strewing cases of the creatures. “Countless sensitive crustaceans experienced an agonizing death when (a) truck rolled over and their bodies came crashing down onto the highway,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. >click to read<20:10
The Snowflake Generation – Cromer crab fisherman shortage as young people ‘won’t stick at it’
A sweet Cromer crab is a prized British delicacy, best eaten fresh from the coast of Norfolk where it is caught, and a firm fixture on high-end restaurant menus across the land. Fans of the crustacean will be worried to hear that the future of the local industry is under threat, according to local fishermen. They argue that young people don’t want the work involved in a life catching Cromer crabs, and that they don’t have the gumption to stick at it. Local crab fisherman John Lee, 55, of Cromer, Norfolk, said that experience is not passed down from one generation to the other, and we are at risk of losing the skill. >click to read<15:47
Southeast pink salmon catch lowest in over four decades
Southeast Alaska’s commercial pink salmon catch will wind up way below forecasts, the lowest harvest in more than four decades. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s pink and chum salmon project leader for Southeast Andy Piston said the region’s commercial catch this summer is 7.3 million fish. “And that would be the lowest region-wide harvest since 1976,” Piston said. “And our Southeast purse seine catch, and that’s the gear group that catches most of our pink salmon, is about 6.5 million which again is the lowest we’ve seen since the mid-1970s.” It’s not the lowest catch ever. >click to read<14:57
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 60′ Steel Longline/Offshore Lobster, Federal Permits available
Specifications, information and 19 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< Vessel can be purchased with or without the Federal Southeast Region Permits 12:31
Life on the Bays – Stories of beauty and heartache
Once numbering in the thousands, independent baymen have worked in the public waters off Long Island for centuries. Now these clammers and fishermen, many in their 60s or 70s, go mostly unnoticed. So do their daily struggles. Whether in Peconic Bay, Hempstead Bay, The Great South Bay, or others, the baymen share common pains: declining clam and fish populations, lack of affordable docking, increased regulations and catch limits. They cite pollution, fertilizers, global warming and governmental disinterest as culprits. Of course, there is also the literal pain they endure from the repetitive physical stress of their jobs. And then there’s Oyster Bay. 40 minute video, >click to read<10:55
English Channel Scallop War Erupts! French fishermen accused of ‘endangering’ lives of British fishermen
French and British fishermen clashed on Monday night in a row over scallops. Tensions continued to rise in the early hours of Tuesday morning as 40 French boats appeared to surround five British vessels leading to an angry stand-off. Rocks, paint pots, flares and cans of oil were thrown, while one boat crashed into the side of a rival trawler. One of the British boats involved suffered a broken window, while another suffered fire damage. Video, >click to read<09:23
A controversial comeback for a highly prized tuna
“There’s probably no fish that’s ever been more politicized than Atlantic bluefin tuna,” said Golet, a University of Maine professor. “People get a passion for this fish. And people are making a living off of this fish.” The fish have long been at the center of a battle among commercial fishermen who can make a huge amount of money on a single fish, environmentalists who see them as marvels of marine migration, and consumers who pay a hefty price for them in restaurants.,, But international regulators say the species has recently recovered enough that it can withstand more fishing, and U.S. ocean managers implemented an increase of about 17 percent for this summer, to the delight of fishing groups. The decision prompted environmental groups to renew their calls for holding the current line on quotas. >click to read<08:30
Oceans Protection Plan – New fisheries minister directed to focus on sustainable waters
Sustaining Canada’s waters dominates the list of responsibilities for the Trudeau government’s new Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Jonathan Wilkinson.,, The minster is directed to implement and develop the Oceans Protection Plan, advance Bill C-68 – the reform of the Fisheries Act, which aims to restore lost protections, to achieve the government’s goal of protecting 10 per cent of its marine and coastal areas by 2020, protect Canada’s fresh water, restore salmon stocks in the Fraser River, create a healthy future for Pacific salmon by 2019 the International Year of the Salmon and to formalize the moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia’s North Coast. >click to read<21:43
Oregon boat captain accused of drunken assault on woman at sea
An Oregon man accused of assaulting a woman on a commercial fishing ship he was operating while intoxicated was arrested after a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter located the vessel and sent a response boat to board the ship, according to federal court documents. Branden Michael Vanderploeg of Winchester Bay is charged with assault within maritime jurisdiction and operating a commercial vessel under the influence of alcohol. Vanderploeg, 38, is accused of holding the woman down, punching her repeatedly in the face, slamming her head into a tool box and swinging a fishing gaff at her – a pole with a sharp hook at the end used to stab large fish, >click to read<18:43
Captain Dave Marciano Endorses Geoff Diehl for the United States Senate
“I’m endorsing Geoff Diehl for U.S. Senate for the simple reason of the abject failure of our current representation. Under her watch, as well as others, we have lost thousands of fishing industry and related jobs the past 8 years,” said Marciano. “If current representatives were graded on how well they represent the fishermen in the Commonwealth, it would be an F. In the fishing industry if you fail to do your job you are “ off the boat.” The current Senator needs her walking papers or swimming papers as the case may be due to her failure to protect fishing industry and related jobs. She sat back and watched the middle class fishing families be destroyed by out of control government,” added Marciano. >click to read<16:53
Deepwater Horizon oil spill didn’t really hurt Florida pro-drilling leaders say
Former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp caused a furor recently when he claimed oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster “didn’t even reach the shores of Florida.” He now admits he was wrong. Sort of. “I guess I overstated it,” said Kottkamp, now leading a group seeking to open the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil exploration, said in an interview this week with the Tampa Bay Times. His attempt to walk back the remark could offer a preview of the campaign to come as groups push to expand drilling in federal waters eight years later. He and another industry representative say the BP oil spill was more of a public relations disaster fueled by the television news media, rather than an environmental disaster. >click to read<15:47
