Monthly Archives: August 2018
After a long wait, Ugashik fishermen’s patience paid off
Fishermen in Ugashik Bay are used to their sockeye salmon to showing up late in Bristol Bay’s salmon season. This summer’s salmon season was especially trying, but for some, the wait was worth it. Conrad Day and his crew tow a net into the Ugashik River in preparation for the incoming high tide. He explained, “Now we’ll just wait on the switch, cause when the water floods the fish come with it. It’s like a free ride upriver.” Things are quiet out on the water tonight, but a few days ago the river would’ve been full of fellow set netters preparing for the evening sockeye run. >click to read<17:12
Save an Endangered Species – Support Your Local Lobster Fishermen
Whether we realize it or not, commercial fishermen help us all live better. Fishermen are an integral part of the local economy. Think of all the businesses that rely on fishermen to survive – restaurants, fish markets, grocery stores, seafood processors, truckers that transport lobster, lobster bait, fuel companies for boats and trucks delivering lobster, marine mechanics, boat builders, trap and gear manufactures and more. In addition to choosing local over foreign sourced fish whenever possible, there are other ways to support local lobstermen and their families, all the while strengthening the local economy. This is an American way of life that must be preserved. Here are 5 ways to support local lobstermen right now. By Shelley Wigglesworth >click to read<
Lucky winner gets 3-acre Wellfleet shellfish grant in ‘unprecedented’ lottery
For the first time in recent memory, a shellfish grant was returned to the town and leased to a new shellfish farmer via lottery on June 6. Shellfish Constable Nancy Civetta said that a grant has not been given back to the town for at least 18 years, making this lottery “unprecedented.” Typically, she explained, retiring shellfishermen pass their grants along to family or friends. The lucky winner, Justin Lynch, 35, is thrilled. “I feel very fortunate,” Lynch said. “It totally caught me off guard.” Lynch brought on his friend, Even Kenny, to work the grant together. The selectmen approved their lease on June 12. >click to read<15:51
With Trap War Brewing, Maine Department Of Marine Resources Implements Limits For Lobster Trawls
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) is imposing a new five-trap limit for lobster trawlers in an area around Mt. Desert Rock, about 6 miles off Frenchboro. The limit will go into effect starting in October.,,, “I’m troubled when an industry creates conflicts among themselves, and we couldn’t work it out, and to me it’s one of the problems with the zone system,” said Keliher. “You have more effort in [Zone] C, and that effort needs a place to go, and they are moving into other areas. That creates a trap-density problem, and as soon as you have a trap-density problem, you have social problems. And those sometimes lead to enforcement problems.” >click to read<12:52
The Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act Passed By US Senate Committee
The Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act, which helps protect endangered salmon and steelhead populations, passed without objection and will be considered next on the Senate floor. The bipartisan bill would allow wildlife agencies to better protect vulnerable fish populations through science-based management of these invasive, non-ESA listed sea lion populations, while also maintaining a strong Marine Mammal Protection Act that supports research, science-based management, and public process. >click to read<12:33
Susquehanna River Debris Has Crabbers Concerned After Heavy Rains
The slew of debris from as far as upstate New York is now hitting our region after officials were forced to open gates on the Conowingo Dam in the Susquehanna River. This is due to the rain that pounded the area last week. For Blair Baltus, he’s bearing the brunt of that debris. “When that flood water came down, it killed most of the crabs that were in the pots.” President of the Baltimore Watermens Association, Baltus says these months are supposed to be the peak of crab catching season. “With these gates opening up it pretty much flushed away everything we had.” Baltus said. >click to read<11:07
Fishermen up in arms over plan to build windmills off Long Island coast
It’s before dawn on a recent July morning at Lazy Point in Napeague Bay, LI, and there is a slight chill in the air as the fishermen unload their boats into the water. Dan Lester, a 12th-generation bayman, and his son Daniel, 14, are among those heading to sea to check their traps. “This is the most sustainable fishing you’ll ever see,” Dan says as they begin hand-sorting the fish trapped in their nets, tossing whatever they can’t sell, including small spider crabs and stingrays, back into the ocean. On a certain level, not much has changed for these New York baymen since the 1600s, when their ancestors came from places such as Kent, England, and were taught to fish by native Algonquin tribe members. But these East End fishermen fear it soon will. They are up in arms over an agreement to build 15 massive windmills – each more than 650 feet tall, the height of Manhattan skyscrapers – off the coast of Montauk. >click to read<09:33
Ownerless Bay of Fundy turbine operating without fish kill monitoring gear
Even before Cape Sharp Tidal, owned by Irish company OpenHydro and Emera, placed it on the floor of the Minas Passage two weeks ago and OpenHydro was placed in receivership days later, the 10-billion tonnes of seawater hauled into the narrowing between Cape Split and Cape Chignecto was already tainted by bad blood. “The opposition isn’t about just whether it kills fish because other things kill fish too — fishermen kill fish,” said Mary McPhee, former facilities operator for the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy, the government-funded tidal test site commonly known as FORCE. “What fishermen want is for the tidal power people to be treated in the same manner as they are. They want the law to be applied equally. So if a fishery has a quota, why can’t tidal power have a quota?” >click to read<08:47
Sharks are killed a ‘stone’s throw’ from protected waters off East Coast, Canadian researchers to question U.S. rules
Canadian scientists on the Bay of Fundy are seething over a spate of recent photos of sharks killed in the bay by U.S. fishermen. Especially upsetting have been social media posts showing a large porbeagle shark that was landed in Eastport, Maine. Porbeagles are protected on the Canadian side of the border, but not in the U.S., which does not consider the species in any danger of extinction. “The shark is protected for one minute, then in a heartbeat it’s no longer protected,” said Steven Turnbull, a marine biologist specializing in shark research at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. >click to read<20:01
Transportation Safety Board of Canada determines fishing vessel was on autopilot prior to fatal lobster boat collision
An investigation into the two-boat collision which resulted in two deaths in June, has revealed that one of the vessels was on autopilot at the time of the crash. The investigation into the collision off Beach Point, P.E.I., was conducted by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. According to the investigation summary, on June 9 the fishing vessel Forever Chasin’ Tail, with three people on board, departed Beach Point to haul lobster traps about 14 nautical miles (nm) out. Later that morning, a second fishing vessel, Joel ’98, with five people on board, also left Beach Point to haul traps about six nautical miles out. >click to read< Marine Transportation Safety Investigation M18A0185 – >click to read<18:56
Alaska – Halibut dock prices rebound, but upswing may not last
Halibut prices fell about $2 per pound at the beginning of the season. But there’s good news for some fishermen: ex-vessel prices are increasing slightly around the state. “We did see the ex-vessel price for halibut perk up a bit where we’re at $6.25, $6.50, $6.75 here in Homer today,” said Doug Bowen, who tracks halibut prices around the Gulf of Alaska for Alaska Boats and Permits, a vessel-and-fishing permit broker in Homer. >click to read<16:22
Mount Pleasant developer to buy one of Shem Creek’s last shrimping docks
One of the last shrimp boat docks on Shem Creek might be saved. Or it might be developed out from underneath the boats, as some fear. Builder and Mount Pleasant resident Brett Elrod has stepped in to buy the Wando dock at the mouth of Shem Creek. Elrod said he plans to work with the community developing the property while maintaining a dock and facilities for shrimp boats.,, But the East Cooper Land Trust, which had been trying to raise money to buy the property, is not convinced and is not partnering with Elrod in the effort. Director Catherine Main said the trust is skeptically optimistic. >click to read<15:16
Save Shem Creek Corp. won’t fundraise until Land Trust offer accepted – >click to read<
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 69.3” Steel Trawler/Gillnetter, KT19-M Cummins Diesel, auxiliarys, Permit available
Specifications, information and 5 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >Click here<14:22
New boat joins the Stonington lobster fleet
Sunday was a great day to have a picnic along the shore of Eggemoggin Reach even without an excuse. The celebration for the launching of Stonington lobsterman Matt Shepard’s new lobster boat Alexsa Rose made the party even better. Shepard comes from a fishing family and has been lobstering since he was a tyke on a succession of ever larger boats. For the last several years, he fished on a 35-footer. Alexsa Rose, named for his daughter, is big step up. The solid fiberglass hull and cored fiberglass top were built by the Kief brothers’ Morgan Bay Boat Co. in Frankfort and it was just the third boat out of the mold for the new 43-foot model. >click to read<11:41
Canadian Freezer scalloper to be built in Spain
Canadian company Comeau’s Sea Foods, based at Saulnierville in Nova Scotia, has placed an order with Astilleros Armon in Spain for a new 50 metre freezer scalloper to be delivered in the spring of 2020. The new scalloper for Comeau’s Sea Foods is designed by Allswater Marine and a 20-moth construction period is expected. The name of the newbuild has been announced as Lady Comeau III, named after Thérèse Comeau, the wife of company founder Bernardin Comeau. >click to read<10:27
R.I. officials find no fault with accidental shark catch | Video
After an analysis of video, the Department of Environmental Management determined that a Rhode Island commercial fisherman netted a juvenile white shark off Westerly and released the shark in compliance with state regulations, a DEM spokesman said Monday night. The video, which was posted on social media, showed a shark of about 6 feet in length and weighing 250 to 350 pounds, said the spokesman, Michael Healey. DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement did not investigate the incident and the fishermen who caught the shark were not required to file a report under the circumstances, Healey said. Still, DEM investigators reviewed the video and determined that no violation occurred, Healey said. Video, >click to read<10:01
Fishing documentary “Dead in the Water” wins film prize
Filmmaker David Wittkower knew he had to do something or his commercial fishing documentary “Dead in the Water” might indeed be dead in the water. Following eight months of showings throughout Massachusetts and other parts of coastal New England, Wittkower’s film, which traces the erosion of the once-proud Gloucester groundfish fleet, was largely rejected by most of the film festivals the director tried to enter. The over-arching criticism was that the film lacked balance, failing to properly include the perspective of federal fishing regulators — most specifically NOAA Fisheries — and environmentalists as the counterpoint to the already powerful message of an industry in trouble. >click to read<09:18
Deepwater in Deep Trouble: Fishermen Tell Off-Shore Wind Farm Developers to F@*#K Off
Wind developers just ran aground off the New Jersey coast, with fishermen telling them to stick their wind turbines where the sun don’t shine. Gripped with a maniacal obsession with wind power, New York State, under Andrew Cuomo, is determined to wreck its once affordable and reliable power supplies, and much more, besides. It’s not as if New Yorkers are short of power. With tens of billions of dollars in subsidies up for grabs, RE rent-seekers have scoped out every last inch of territory in which they might get to spear a few more of these whirling wonders, and start harvesting those subsidies, in earnest. Like all forms of crony capitalism, the rent-seekers will do and say anything to win political favour. Building subsidised offshore wind turbines, is no exception. >click to read<07:56
