Daily Archives: October 17, 2018

Warren again calls for Rafael’s permits to stay in New Bedford

Elizabeth Warren repeated a call she voiced last year by sending another letter to NOAA regarding Carlos Rafael’s federal fishing permits. The Massachusetts senator addressed her two-page letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, acting NOAA Administrator Benjamin Friedman and assistant Administrator for Fisheries Chris Oliver and asked that NOAA keep the 42 permits the agency is targeting in its civil action in New Bedford. Warren sent a letter to NOAA last October, too, echoing the same sentiment. >click to read<21:15

Should Oregon Kill Sea Lions to Save the Salmon?

Used to be, they’d show up at Willamette Falls around late November—beefy males here to bulk up and loll on the docks. Call it sea lion winter break; time off from California’s Channel Islands rookeries, beaucoup steelhead to eat, zero problems. (No pups, no ladies, no predators.) When it was time to head back south, a 400-pound sea lion might have doubled in size, having chowed down on, at minimum, three 15-pound Pacific Northwest salmonids a day. >click to read<19:47

Columbia River: The fishing life before boats had motors

Several years ago, as Columbia-Pacific Heritage Museum Curator Barbara Minard and I were talking about the many losses of small fishing boats in those days before motors, she stated, with emphasis, “These boats are very important.”1879: “The sorry experiences of fishing this year, although it has cost many lives and the loss of much property in boats and nets, has demonstrated that the best place to catch fish, and the finest fish, is as close as possible to the bar at the entrance of the Columbia river. >click to read<18:07

F/V AMG: ‘No safety issues’ found on shrimp boat beached in Ormond

The U.S. Coast Guard boarded a 77-foot shrimping boat on Wednesday which remained grounded on Ormond Beach as curious people continued snapping pictures and selfies of the 150-ton vessel.,,, The Coast Guard boarded the boat on Wednesday to see if it could be safely pulled out to sea, said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Dickinson on Wednesday morning. “They found no safety issues or water intrusion,” Dickinson said. >click to read<15:38

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 46′ x 18′ 4″ Novi Lobster/Gillnetter, 6 Cylinder Detroit, Northern Lights12 KW

Specifications, information and 15 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< Vessel is in good condition. Federal Permit with Lobster Area 4, Black Sea Bass, Monkfish A, Scup, Summer Flounder for additional $125,000. 13:42

Charges, defendants added to lobster wholesaler’s lawsuit alleging embezzlement

A lawsuit by a Saco lobster wholesaler that alleges a partner in the business embezzled more than $1.5 million has been moved to federal court and expanded with new defendants and RICO charges. The original lawsuit was filed in August in York County Superior Court. It was moved this month to U.S. District Court in Portland. The wholesaler, Sea Salt, which also operates a restaurant on Route 1 in Saco, alleges that the man overseeing the company’s shipping operation, Matthew Bellerose of Scarborough, set up a sham customer,,, >click to read<13:03

Snow crab up, king crab quota down in Bering Sea

It’s not much, but there is a red king crab season. And snow crab is up 45 percent, and Tanners are down slightly, but at least that one will go forward due to a revised harvest strategy.,, Nichols expects fewer boats fishing this year, with fishermen combining quotas onto one boat that otherwise would have been fished by two vessels, because of the harvest reduction leading to the efficiency move. At least there is a red king crab season, despite earlier fears of a complete cancelation, according to Unalaska Mayor Frank Kelty. >click to read<11:30

Harry Schiffman honored for decades of fighting for Dare’s watermen

On the cusp of a long-awaited breakthrough in securing the navigability of Oregon and Hatteras Inlets, Wanchese resident Harry Schiffman pondered the decades-long quest to achieve that goal. “People who aren’t on the water in our inlets don’t understand what a miraculous opportunity we have set before us,” he told the Sentinel. “It’s a gigantic step in the right direction, but we’re not done yet.” The breakthrough came in May when the state legislature earmarked $15 million for the purchase of a shallow draft hopper dredge that will be based and primarily used in Dare County. >click to read<10:43

Despite Hurricane Michael, Eastern Shipbuilding Keeps Working

In a display of resilience, Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Florida is already getting back to work after Hurricane Michael, despite the storm’s devastating impact on the Florida Panhandle. However, yard manager Justin Smith says that only 100 out of 800 workers have returned to their duties so far, and many of them have lost their homes. “We are a family at Eastern Shipbuilding,” Smith said in a statement. Eastern says that it is helping to feed and take care of its employees’ families in order to help workers return to the yard.,,, Unfortunately, one of Eastern’s commercial shipbuilding orders suffered damage due to the storm. The newly-launched trawler North Star partially capsized in St. Andrews Bay during the hurricane,>click to read<09:41

Belliveaus Cove lobster outfit goes belly up

A company charged with purchasing lobster caught out of season by Aboriginal fishermen has gone into receivership. Grant Thornton is acting as receiver for Guang Da International. The company was charged this spring by Fisheries and Oceans Canada with purchasing lobster caught under an aboriginal communal fishing licence that doesn’t allow for sale. >click to read<07:51