Daily Archives: October 6, 2018
Tedeschi says Keating underperforms for fishing industry
Republican Peter Tedeschi, the convenience store magnate and Republican candidate for congress in the Massachusetts 9th District, staged a small rally on the waterfront next to the fishing family sculpture Saturday and took aim at incumbent William Keating for what Tedeschi says are deficiencies in Democrat Keating’s job performance. About 20 supporters either arrived with him on a district-wide tour, or came out locally to hear him. He told The Standard-Times in an interview that mirrored his prepared comments, “I don’t believe that the fishermen down here and the fishing industry are getting adequate support from our current congressman. And that manifests itself in several ways.” >click to read<20:02
‘Pirate’ fishing charters make money with no license. A recent attempt to stop them failed
Pirates, they call them — people taking anglers out for money without the effort or expense of getting properly outfitted and licensed.,,The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council looked at one answer last week — a moratorium, a temporary stop on issuing new charter permits — as a way to regulate the desirable catch of sought-after snapper and grouper fish. It also could cut down the number of illegally operating captains, some council members said. Others, though, said it wouldn’t. The council voted the moratorium down. It might not have been the best answer anyway. The council’s bigger problem remains unanswered: How to get those fish counted by recreational anglers at sea. >click to read<19:19
In Battle Over Whale, Judge Tears Up Agency Stonewalling
A federal judge opened the door Thursday for environmentalists to bolster claims over a lobster fishery they blame for the declining population of an endangered whale. Ordering the National Marine Fisheries Service to produce discovery, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said the Endangered Species Act allows the agency’s challengers to use evidence outside the administrative record. “In order to accurately assess the alleged crisis of these cetaceans, the court will benefit from a record that reflects the actual, ongoing effects of the lobster fishery on the species,” the 16-page ruling says. The cetaceans at issue are called the North Atlantic right whale. There were roughly 455 right whales left as of 2016, and the Conservation Law Foundation says at least 18 of these have been killed since 2017. >click to read<16:28
Fishermen running for office: Poverty, opioid crisis are issues in all-Winter Harbor House race
In the District 136 House race Downeast, the candidates are both Winter Harbor natives. Both have served as selectmen, both have been lobstermen. Democrat Kylie Bragdon, “Winter Harbor born and bred,” grew up on the water and now fishes when she can but works as the principal of KidsPeace in Ellsworth.,, The Republican in that race is William “Billy Bob” Faulkingham. It is clear that this man cares about his family, his community and fishing. His campaign material describes him as “Father – Veteran – Fisherman,” in that order.,, District 134 (Deer Isle/Stonington) features a lobsterman too. Genevieve McDonald of Stonington runs F/V Hello Darlings II and is full of enthusiasm for serving in the Legislature, with the opportunity to work toward collaboration between managers, scientists and fishing communities. >click to read<15:30
In the lobster business, there’s always a deadline
As a lobster salesman, Matt Egan likes to joke that his dad is his worst customer. “He always wants lobsters — and never wants to pay for them.” While some salesmen market products or services such as cars, real estate, pharmaceuticals, or insurance, Egan’s commodity is alive and kicking. Egan, a salesman for Boston Lobster Company, could give a tutorial on how to sell a lobster — except that he has a cellphone constantly glued to his head as he brokers purchases with seafood dealers and lobstermen, and then sells the goods to hotel chains, restaurants, supermarkets, and local fish markets. Like a day trader, he buys low and sells high, but unlike a non-living commodity, lobsters have a shelf life. >click to read<12:28
Inside the operation that propped up Kodiak fishermen
It was low tide and most of the staff were sleeping, having finished an egg-take shift sometime before 7:00 a.m. The next shift would begin just before high tide, at 2:45 p.m. “We’ve done 200,000 fish already – that’s male and female. We’ve got about 135 million eggs right now,” said Wachter. Kodiak’s hatcheries, as well as those across the state, were originally set up to give fishermen a safety net during years in which wild stocks are low. Alaska’s Private Non-Profit Hatchery Program, however, is currently at the center of a political battle that could see restrictions placed on the number of hatchery-reared fish that are released each year. >click to read<11:48
Army Corps dredging Moriches Inlet to remove heavy sand buildup
Four storms last winter created a buildup of 300,000 cubic yards of sand, clogging the inlet, which feeds Moriches Bay and sits between Smith Point County Park and Cupsogue Beach County Park in Brookhaven and Southampton towns. The inlet provides access to the Atlantic Ocean and is a major economic driver for marine-related businesses in the region. “Failure to dredge these vital waterways would not only cause economic hardship and create a public safety crisis, but will bring about significant environmental issues,” Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said at a news conference Friday at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in East Moriches. >click to read<10:28
Commercial Fishers Sentenced to Jail Time For Willful Failure to Pay Taxes on Income
A Southeast Alaskan couple were sentenced today in Juneau for willfully failing to pay their individual income taxes, and instead prioritized spending money on traveling and gambling. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder. Archie W. Demmert III, 58, and Roseann L. Demmert, 61, both of Klawock, Alaska, were sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess to each serve 12 months, plus one day, in federal prison on two counts of willful failure to pay income tax. >click to read<09:06
