Monthly Archives: September 2018
Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting September 5-12, 2018 in Seattle
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory bodies will meet September 5-12, 2018 in Seattle, Washington at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport 18740 International Boulevard Seattle, WA 98188. Detailed Agenda>click here< Listen to the June 2018 Meeting Internet Live Stream Enter the Webinar ID – The PFMC meetings 2018 Webinar ID is: 530-089-227 Please enter your email address (required)>click here< PFMC meeting page >click here<19:54
How New England’s Jonah Crab Turned From Garbage To Delicacy
Ten years ago, the Jonah crab was basically garbage: a bycatch that would turn up in lobster traps and, usually, be tossed back into the cold New England water. That’s all beginning to change.
The Jonah crab is a medium-sized crab, ranging from brownish to reddish to greyish, boasting big claws tipped with black. During the winter, when most of the year’s crabs are caught along the Atlantic coast from Maine down to Rhode Island, it has an exceedingly hard shell, requiring a hammer or a saw to open. It’s mostly served as a plate of the large claws, with someone else taking care of scoring and cracking them open for the customer. >click to read<15:47
“Fish Farms Out!” – Fish farm opponents detained in protest at Victoria shipyard
Several people were detained at Victoria’s Point Hope Shipyard after illegally boarding a vessel to protest fish farms. Police received reports at around 7 a.m. that protesters had illegally entered the shipyard and boarded a vessel. Calling themselves “wild salmon defenders,” six protesters boarded the Orca Chief, a vessel reportedly used by salmon-farming company Marine Harvest to transport Atlantic salmon to B.C. fish pens. They then unfurled a giant banner that said “Fish Farms Out!” from the bow of the ship. >click to read<15:25
UK, French fishermen strike deal in ‘Scallop Wars’
British and French fishermen reached an agreement on Wednesday in the so-called Scallop Wars over fishing in the Channel, following clashes at sea between rival boats. “We renewed the 2017 agreements,” Gerard Romiti, chairman of the French national committee on fishing, told AFP following a day of talks in London. Tensions boiled over last week when five British vessels sparred with dozens of French boats in the sensitive Seine Bay, with video footage showing fishermen from both sides ramming each other. >click to read<14:22
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 38′ Northern Bay Lobster Boat, 525HP, 6 Cylinder John Deere
Specifications, information and 6 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<12:12
Fishermen concerned about salmon boycott at Seattle restaurants
There is new concern about the impacts restaurants may be having on the commercial fishing industry as a growing number of Seattle chefs decide to remove Chinook salmon from their menus to help rebuild the fish population and save the orcas.,, But many are concerned the boycott is counterproductive. Pete Knutson, a long-time commercial fisherman and commissioner of the Puget Sound Salmon Commission, points out that most of the Chinook that end up on restaurant menus are harvested after they’ve already passed through the areas where the orcas feed. Video >click to read<11:18
Capt. Mark Phillips and the Illusion, the last of its kind
‘It’s not fish you’re buying – it’s men’s lives.’’ – Sir Walter Scott. The Predator sits dockside in Greenport, behind Alice’s Fish Market, a rusting hulk of a fishing trawler, 75 feet long and with no certain future to speak of. It is Mark Phillips’ boat, but he is away most days trolling offshore for squid in his other trawler, the Illusion. “It is not going to sea anytime soon,” Phillips said by cellphone, an edge of weary disgust in his voice. “The Predator’s days have come and gone.” The Illusion was dragging for squid near Nantucket on a hot day in mid-July. Phillips had started that week near Jones Inlet on western Long Island, but the ocean had heated up and the squid, which don’t like warm water, were scarce, so he moved the Illusion farther east in pursuit of success. >click to read<09:41
If this is you my friend, you are a fisherman. Be proud. Be strong. Be safe.
The most abhorrent occupation in the world? – Imagine you have a business. You’re not breaking any laws and its something your family have been doing for hundreds of years. Your whole community has been doing it and whole cultures, traditions, music, stories and clothes have evolve around it. Industries have thrived on your products.,,, You find yourself and your industry being eroded. Not by fact-based evidence but by the wild ramblings of people who are ideologically driven to persecute those that make a living from a common resource. >click to read<
Jimmy’s Seafood Responds To PETA With Its Own Billboard – “I wasn’t going to take it lying down.”
Jimmy’s Famous Seafood is pinching back at PETA with its own crabby billboard. It reads, “SteaMEd crabs. Here to stay. Get famous.” and E in “SteaMEd” are to highlight the word “Me” in response to PETA’s billboard posted up near several downtown Baltimore seafood restaurants in August. PETA’s billboards read, “I’m me, not meat. See the individual. Go vegan.” “My father always told me when someone punches you, just make sure you punch them back even harder. I wasn’t going to take it lying down. I wasn’t worried about offending anybody. I was just worried about opening my doors the next morning,” Jimmy’s Famous Seafood CEO John Minadakis said. >click to read<21:59
Gordon Strengthens A Little As It Heads Toward the North-Central Gulf Coast, Will Come Ashore This Evening or Tonight
At 400 PM CDT, the center of Tropical Storm Gordon was located by NOAA Doppler weather radars near latitude 29.4 North, longitude 87.8 West. Gordon is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue until landfall occurs tonight along the north-central Gulf coast. A northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected after landfall, with a gradual turn toward the north-northwest and north forecast to occur on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Gordon will make landfall along the north-central Gulf Coast within the hurricane warning area this evening or tonight, and then move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley through Wednesday. >click to read<19:26
Premium Brands notches up yet another acquisition with Ready Seafood
Canadian food producer Premium Brands Holdings is adding yet another company to its extensive list of acquisitions this year with the purchase of US-based processor Ready Seafood Co. Premium Brands said in a statement today (4 September) it has signed a “definitive agreement” to acquire Ready Seafood located in Portland, Maine. The company was founded in 2004 by brothers John and Brendan Ready and has annual sales of around US$100m. Ready Seafood processes, distributes and markets lobsters for the US market from its three production facilities in Maine. >click to read<18:47
After spending days aground in Sitka, a sea lion returns to the water – with help from humans
An improvised rescue mission involving a front-end loader and tranquilizer darts returned a desperate and dehydrated sea lion that spent four days meandering around Sitka to the ocean Monday. “It’s a good outcome,” said Julie Speegle of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. “He was last seen catching a fish.” First seen humping down a road near Sitka’s hospital early Friday morning, the Steller sea lion had spent most of the past two days hiding in the woods. Scientists tried to encourage him to travel the quarter-mile to the ocean on his own, but those attempts failed. 12 photos >click to read<17:36
Sick River: Can These California Tribes Beat Heroin and History?
For thousands of years, the Klamath River has been a source of nourishment for the Northern California tribes that live on its banks. Its fish fed dozens of Indian villages along its winding path, and its waters cleansed their spirits, as promised in their creation stories. But now a crisis of opioid addiction is gripping this remote region. At the same time, the Klamath’s once-abundant salmon runs have declined to historic lows, the culmination of 100 years of development and dam building along the river. Today, many members of the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa tribes living in this densely forested area south of the California-Oregon border see a connection between the river’s struggle and their own. >click to read<16:01
Ocean Choice International says DFO delayed informing the captain he was in newly-protected area
Ocean Choice International (OCI) is accused of fishing in a conservation area during a closed time — an allegation that the company says it takes “very seriously.” According to court documents, OCI and a numbered company linked to OCI were both charged with a breach of the Fisheries Act in June. The charge stems from an incident that allegedly took place between Feb. 4-10, 2018. OCI is accused of fishing for Greenland halibut in an area off the coast of the island, which DFO calls the “Northeast Newfoundland Slope Conservation Area,” during a closed time. >click to read<14:59
New Washington DFW director has deep Harbor roots
He grew up hunting and fishing in Grays Harbor County. Now, Kelly Susewind has taken the reigns of the State Department of Fish and Wildlife. It begs the question: After 28 years with Natural Resources, why take on the leadership role in one of the biggest and most criticized agencies in the state? “I debated it, jumping into the fire,” he said. “I had 28 years in at the Department of Ecology, and a passion for natural resources in general. I grew that passion hunting and fishing, and I see the work of this agency as the most important work in the state. I saw it was at a critical point and I like to be where the action is.” >click to read<14:17
Scallop War: French navy ‘ready to intervene’ following scallop skirmishes in English Channel
France said on Tuesday its navy is standing by to avert new clashes between French and British fishing boats after tensions flared last week over access to scallop-rich waters off the Normandy coast. Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert told CNews television the navy was “ready to intervene in case of clashes” after fishermen hurled stones and insults in the latest episode of a long-running “Scallops War”. A patrol boat based in nearby Cherbourg is watching the area as part of a routine mission “to ensure the safety of people and ships at sea”, said Captain Bertrand Dumoulin. Travert said he could not speak for the British navy, which reportedly sent ships to the area. >click to read<12:35
Are There Too Many Harbor Seals in British Columbia?
Earlier this year, Roy Jones Jr., a hereditary chief with the Haida First Nation, took a trip up the Skeena River, one of British Columbia’s prime salmon spawning grounds. Not far from the river mouth, he looked across the water at what he thought was a row of polished rocks. Then he pulled out his binoculars. “There were probably 120 seals lined up across that river,” Jones says. The seals were gobbling up juvenile salmon as the smolts made their way to the Pacific Ocean. It’s just one example of a problem that’s been growing up and down the coast, argues Jones, who recently co-founded an organization, to advocate for a cull of British Columbia’s harbor seals. A reduction in the harbor seal population is necessary to protect salmon species, some of which are highly threatened, Jones says. “We’ve got to do something, plain and simple.” >click to read<10:20
Store Caught Sticking Googly Eyes on Fish to Make Them Look Fresh
When you are shopping for fish, there are important ways to check its freshness. Of course there is the smell test. (Hint: it shouldn’t smell fishy!) And if you’re buying a whole fish, its eyes will tell you everything you need to know. They should be bright and bulging – not cloudy or murky in any way. In an attempt to pull one over on unsuspecting fish consumers, a store in Kuwait has done something that you would only ever expect to find in an Onion article. It was recently closed down after sticking googly eyes on its fish. And of course it went viral on Twitter when someone realized what was going on. >click to read<09:47
Albacore Tuna: A Thrilling Fishery at the Westport Marina
Imagine the thrill of hooking a 20 pound fish that can swim up to 50 mph. Every year, hundreds of such thrill-seekers journey to the Westport Marina for the unique experience of catching North Pacific Albacore tuna. This sustainable fishery is an economic mainstay of Washington’s leading commercial fish landing port. Each summer, when the schools of albacore return, so do their fans, spurring commercial, recreational, and retail activity at the Westport Marina. >click to read<09:05
Tropical Storm Gordon Public Advisory
At 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Gordon was located near latitude 28.1 North, longitude 86.2 West. Gordon is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph (25 km/h). A west-northwestward to northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next few days. On the forecast track, the center of Gordon will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico today, and will approach the north-central Gulf Coast within the warning area late this afternoon or evening, and move inlandover the lower Mississippi Valley tonight or early Wednesday. >click to read<08:10
Cape Ann Seafood Exchange plans to reopen Tuesday
The Cape Ann Seafood Exchange expects to resume landing fish Tuesday, almost two weeks after the U.S. Labor Department effectively shuttered the business by seizing its bank accounts because of unpaid court-ordered damages. Kristian Kristensen, the owner of the fish auction on 27 Harbor Loop, said Thursday night that he had received final paper work from Labor Department officials that unfroze his business and personal bank accounts. “Now we can start putting things back in order, pay some people and hopefully start landing fish again on Tuesday, the day after the holiday,” Kristensen said. “That’s the plan.” >click to read<15:54
Tropical Storm Gordon Public Advisory: Storm Surge Warning, Hurricane Watch is in effect
At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Gordon was located near latitude 25.8 North, longitude 81.9 West. Gordon is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h and a west- northwestward to northwestward motion is expected over the next 72 hours. On the forecast track, the center of Gordon will move farther away from the southwestern coast of Florida this afternoon and move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico tonight and Tuesday. The center of Gordon will approach the coast within the warning area along the central Gulf Coast by late Tuesday or Tuesday night, and move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday. >click to read<14:48
Will Congress reel in regulations on America’s fishermen?
Sep. 03, 2018 – 5:09 – Fishing industry says the U.S. government is crushing them with regulations. >click here to play video< 12:03
Local waterman offers crabbing, fishing trips
Although it’s been several years since he last taught at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School, local waterman Fred Pomeroy has never left the classroom. Today, Captain Fred, the owner-operator of Stoney Cove Charters, takes visiting families on the Little Choptank River and teaches them how to dip for crabs on a commercial-length trotline. Along the way, they learn river navigation, the life cycle of a crab and receive a history lesson on Chesapeake Bay watermen. >click to read<11:47
Hatchery chum catch sets new Southeast record
Nine-hundred thousand chum salmon – that was the catch by the purse seine fleet at Crawfish Inlet south of Sitka on Thursday. It looks to be a new record chum catch for a one-day opening in Southeast Alaska. Crawfish Inlet is a new remote release site for the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, or NSRAA. It’s about 40 miles south of Sitka. This is the second year of fish returning to that location. NSRAA general manager Steve Reifenstuhl said Thursday’s catch is bigger than any one-day catch on record for the private non-profit’s hatchery at Hidden Falls on the opposite side of Baranof Island. >click to read<09:33
Tensions escalate in scallop wars as French fishermen venture into British waters to net 44 bluefin tuna
The battle between British and French fisherman escalated again today after Gallic trawlers grabbed a giant haul of bluefin tuna off Jersey that their UK rivals must throw back. Two boats based in Normandy caught 44 of the valuable protected fish while hunting for bream off the Channel Islands – adding to already simmering tensions between the two nations. The tuna, each weighing between 50kg and 120kg and worth more than £100,000 in total, were then brought ashore at Granville in France to be sold. British fishermen caught in the ‘Battle of the Scallops’ last week say the new development proves their French foes are hypocrites. >click to read<09:02
Search ends for missing fishing crew member 250 kilometres northeast of St. Anthony
A search by air and sea for a fishing boat crew member who went missing early Saturday morning in the waters near St. Anthony is over. Joint Task Force Atlantic tweeted Sunday night it’s now a missing person’s case and is in the hands of the RCMP. Joint Task Force Atlantic spokesperson Maj. Amber Binau had said the call came in from crew members of the Precious Jewel fishing vessel on Saturday at around 5 a.m, saying a person had fallen overboard about 250 kilometres northeast of St. Anthony. Search and rescue crews, including three Canadian Coast Guard ships and other auxiliary vessels, began looking for the crew member right away, she said. The search continued over the weekend. Binau said the person was not wearing a flotation device or survival gear at the time of the incident. >link<20:55
New York Activists Make False Accusations Against Menhaden Fishermen
Gotham Whale of Staten Island, New York and Menhaden Defenders posted material on Facebook suggesting that legal, regulated fishing of menhaden in federal waters off New York and New Jersey would leave marine mammals such as humpback whales and dolphins with nothing to eat, resulting in the whales moving to other waters. The two posts specifically cited normal fishing activity by Omega Protein Corporation vessels. A blog post by a photographer, linked to by Gotham Whale, falsely accused the fishermen of marine mammal interactions. >click to read<12:58
You should have seen the ones that got away…
TWO French fishermen working off the south-west coast of Jersey got a surprise – when they caught 44 bluefin tuna. The fish, which are rarely seen in the Island’s waters, weighed between 50 and 120 kg and were brought ashore at the nearby port of Granville to be sold. Normandy newspaper La Manche Libre reported that the tuna were caught by two commercial vessels that were pair-trawling for bream west of the Minquiers. >click to read<11:09
Search continues in St. Anthony area for fishing crew member that fell overboard
A crew member of a fishing boat has been missing for more than 24 hours after falling overboard in the waters near St. Anthony, according to officials. Joint Task Force Atlantic spokesperson Maj. Amber Binau said the call came in from crew members of the Precious Jewel fishing vessel on Saturday at around 5 a.m, saying a person had fallen overboard about 250 kilometres northeast of St. Anthony. Search and rescue crews, including three Canadian Coast Guard ships and other auxiliary vessels, began looking for the crew member right away, she said. The search continued all day Saturday, and weather conditions in the area have been favourable. Binau said the person was not wearing a flotation device or survival gear at the time of the incident. >link<10:25
