Daily Archives: September 26, 2018
Captain Jimmy Morgan, Legendary Menemsha Draggerman, Dies at 94
Capt. Jimmy Morgan, the legendary Menemsha fisherman and one of the last of a breed of commercial draggermen that included Louis Larsen, Eric Cottle, Robert Flanders and others, died Tuesday at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. He was 94. From his years spent at the helm of the 46-foot wooden dragger the Mary and Verna, to more recent years as an artist and model boat builder, Jimmy Morgan had been a fixture in Menemsha for more than seven decades. “The only one you can believe at this table is me,” he told the Gazette in a 2015 interview alongside his wife Roberta. “But when talking to an old man — I’m 91 — you should check your facts.” When it came to fishing, Jimmy Morgan was the genuine article. >click to read<21:13
Seafood Processor Pleads Guilty to Massive Crab Meat Switcheroo
A Virginia seafood processor has pleaded guilty to falsely labeling millions of dollars worth of foreign crab meat as a “product of the USA,” the Justice Department announced Wednesday. James Casey, owner and president of Casey’s Seafood Inc., entered his plea in federal court in Newport News, Virginia. Prosecutors said he admitted conspiring with others to substitute foreign crab meat for Atlantic blue crab and, as part of the plea, admitted to falsely labeling more than 183 tons of crab meat, which was then sold to grocery stores and independent retailers.>click to read<17:35
F/V Captain Billy Haver Crewman Held Without Bail, Coast Guard May Day Call Audio
The fisherman charged with killing one crew mate and injuring another on board a commercial fishing vessel off the Massachusetts coast has been held without bail. Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez made his initial appearance in federal court on Wednesday in Boston where he is charged with murder and attempted murder. Authorities say Vazquez, a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally, used a hammer and a knife to attack his shipmates Sunday on the Virginia-based vessel Captain Billy Haver about 55 miles off the coast of Nantucket. >click to read< Audio of the mayday call received by the U.S. Coast Guard from the fishing boat “Captain Billy Haver” which was approximately 60 miles east of Nantucket, Massachusetts Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. >click to listen<15:23
NOAA findings on right whale endangerment could affect lobster fishery
A new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center finds that the decline of the North Atlantic right whale population over the past eight years is due to multiple factors that include entanglement with fishing gear. The whales’ range expansion has exposed them to vessel traffic and fisheries in Canadian waters, which did not have protections for right whales in place until late last summer, the report says. Lobster populations are also changing distribution in the Gulf of Maine, causing U.S. fisheries to move farther offshore in pursuit of lobsters, thus increasing overlap between fishing activity and right whale foraging areas and migration corridors. >click to read<14:30
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: North End Marine 42′ Lobster Boat, 750HP John Deere
Specifications, information and 15 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< (July 2017: New main engine, transmission and propeller installed.) 13:42
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Declares Commercial Fishery Disasters for West Coast Salmon and Sardines
Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that commercial fishery failures occurred between 2015 and 2017 for salmon fisheries in Washington, Oregon, and California, in addition to the sardine fishery in California. “The Department of Commerce and NOAA stand ready to assist fishing towns and cities along the West Coast as they recover,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “After years of hardship, the Department looks forward to providing economic relief that will allow the fisheries and the communities they help support to rebound.” >click to read<11:02
After Florence: With local North Carolina shellfish likely off-limits this season, how will fisheries adjust?
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has ruled out shellfish harvesting for the time being, a decision that its spokesperson said will likely stick around during the coming months. – As the public learns about new contaminants and spills into local waterways daily, many, including fisherman, are concerned about whether its safe to harvest in public waters in the wake of Hurricane Florence. With oysters, clams, and other shellfish likely out for the season, local fisheries are working to catch up with remaining aquaculture that’s still fair game. >click to read< 10:34
Blood, guts and albacore -‘Battlefish’ series gives glimpse into gritty world of West Coast commercial albacore fishing
It’s blood, hooks, aching backs and sun-burnt skin. And cussing. Lots of cussing. A new Netflix series, “Battlefish,” debuted Friday, Sept. 21, giving audiences a raw glimpse into the commercial albacore tuna fishery off the Washington and Oregon coast. The series follows five crews from fishing vessels TNT, Oppor-Tuna-Ty, Intrepid, Judy S and Ashley Nicole from the ports of Ilwaco, Warrenton and Westport during the 2017 albacore tuna season. California-based Pilgrim Media Group, creators of other reality shows such as “Wicked Tuna,” “The Ultimate Fighter” and “Dirty Jobs,” produced the series. >click to read<09:07
New England Fishery Management Council scale back Atlantic herring catch
The New England Fishery Management Council unanimously approved a new management approach that will dramatically cut the catch limits for herring over the next three years, but the regulatory board stopped short of temporarily shutting down the fishery, as one option on the table would have required. The new rules adopted by the council, which put in place a formula for setting annual catch limits, were applauded by some environmental advocates as recognition of the fish’s key role in the larger ocean ecosystem. But the decision was made over the objections of groups representing commercial fishing boats that catch herring and lobstermen who use the fish as bait. >click to read<08:02
