Monthly Archives: October 2018
What About the Fish?!! Trump signs memo to send more water to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness
“Western water mismanagement has been horrendous for commercial, recreational, and guide fisheries in California,” said Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) executive director Noah Oppenheim in a statement. “Water users have sucked our rivers dry for far too long, and the fish have been paying the price.”,,, “Just last month the Secretary of Commerce declared our 2016 and 2017 fishing seasons to be official federal fishery disasters. >click to read<09:00
‘Completely heartbroken’: Beloved lobsterman loses addiction fight
The F/V Patricia Lynn II was Josiah Beringer’s refuge. It was also his darkness. The red and white lobster boat, named after his late mother, The Patricia Lynn now sits inside a cold warehouse at the state pier in Portsmouth, propped in the air above the concrete floor. A haunting autumn wind sweeps in, circling the boat like a cloak, a spirit. Aboard the Patricia Lynn on July 10, while docked at Badger’s Island in Kittery, Maine, Josiah overdosed twice within the same day, the second time killing him. He laid on her deck for 10 hours before he was found. He was 31. >click to read<05:47
Growing pains as companies try to move fish farms from ocean to land
Each time the food dispenser starts up at Golden Eagle Aquaculture, the water boils with supple, perfect coho salmon. They are Ocean Wise recommended and a Seafood Watch green light best choice — a conservationist’s dream. The flesh is invitingly red, delicious and rich in omega-3s. Land-based tanks are dimly lit to simulate winter light levels in order to trick the fish into growing faster, while delaying sexual maturity. It is one of many tricks needed to grow salmon outside the ocean, its natural environment. >click to read<17:20
Chesapeake Bay surveys show striped bass doing just fine
Virginia and Maryland say seine surveys conducted over the summer show young-of-year stripers – those spawned this past spring – top historic averages and signal good fishing for commercial and recreational anglers in a few years. Mary Fabrizio, who heads Virginia’s survey, said annual sampling has important economic and ecological value and helps in managing the species. “By estimating the relative number of young-of-year striped bass, our survey provides an important measure of annual and long-term trends in the bay’s striped bass population,” >click to read<15:36
‘I love upholding the tradition’ – 1880 history lives on at Shelburne Dory Shop
Not much has changed since John C. Williams opened his dory shop on Shelburne’s waterfront in 1880. Now part of the Nova Scotia Museum, dories are still built there much the same as they were 140 years ago. The original master patterns for the knees, the stem and the stern still hang in their respective places along the walls of the dory shop. Overhead are more patterns and jigs for scribing out the bottoms of the dories and for the risers. The original building platform for building the dories is still used. More images, >click to read<14:31
StarKist to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing and Face $100 Million Fine
StarKist agreed to plead guilty on Thursday to one felony charge of price fixing for its role in a broad conspiracy to rig the price of canned and ready-to-eat tuna, the Justice Department said. The company faces a fine of up to $100 million for forcing shoppers to pay inflated prices from at least November 2011 through December 2013, the Justice Department said. >click to read>13:16
UPDATE: Northern Pulp pipeline could harm herring spawning beds, say P.E.I. fishermen
A marine biologist working with the Island’s fisheries association says a proposed effluent pipeline in Pictou, N.S. could have negative impacts on already threatened fish and marine habitats in the Northumberland Strait. Speaking before the P.E.I. legislature’s standing committee on agriculture and fisheries on Friday, Melanie Giffin, who works with the P.E.I. Fisherman’s Association, said key Atlantic herring habitats in the Northumberland Strait could be threatened by the proposed Northern Pulp pipeline in Pictou Harbour. >click to read<11:47
A historical moment in the state of Alaska-Gov. Bill Walker drops out of campaign
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker announced Friday he is dropping his bid for re-election, and threw support to Democrat Mark Begich over Republican Mike Dunleavy. Walker, elected as an independent, made the surprise announcement at the Alaska Federation of Natives annual convention, three days after former Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott abruptly stepped down from both his office and the re-election campaign over unspecified “inappropriate comments” he made to a woman. >click to read<
‘It’s a whiff of BETRAYAL!’ Fisherman FIRES back at threat to extend Brexit transition
Brexit supporting fishermen have fired back at calls for Britain to extend the post-Brexit transition period, with fishing boss Simon Collins branding plans tie the fishing industry to the European Union’s controversial Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) for even longer after Brexit as a “betrayal”. >click to read<09:52
Barndoor skates, once a textbook example of overfishing, have recovered enough to allow fishing
Barndoor skates were once thought to be so overfished that a highly-publicized paper from 1998 noted that they had been “driven to near extinction without anyone noticing.” One of the largest skates, barndoor skates can reach over 5 feet in wingspan, which is large enough that their diet includes small sharks like spiny dogfish; for a skate, that’s about as close as it gets to charismatic megafauna! >click to read<09:16
FISH-NL accuses FFAW of conflict of interest in accepting funds from offshore oil companies/industry regulator
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) questions the ability of the FFAW-Unifor to hold the offshore oil industry to account for its impact on the fishery when the industry has been funding the union for years. “The conflict of interest is blatant between the FFAW and oil companies — and the conflict even extends to the C-NLOPB, the industry regulator,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. >click to read<17:41
The Bike Stop Cafe – Fundraiser for Local Fisherman in Narragansett, RI October 28th from 12-6pm
John Mollo is a local commercial fisherman who was diagnosed with basel cell skin cancer which has spread to his nose and eye. The cancer was partially removed over the summer, however it could not be fully removed surgically without him losing his eye. In a final attempt to save his eye, John is currently undergoing radiation treatment in Boston 5 days a week for the next 7 weeks. He is currently unable to work and without a car or lodging for his treatment. We are hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, October 28th from 12-6pm in the bar at The Bike Stop Cafe. We are seeking items for a raffle and silent auction to help raise money. I realize this is extremely short notice, but there is a sense of urgency to this matter so we are going to do the best we can in the time we have. Casey Montanari, The Bike Stop Café, 148 Boon Street, Narragansett, RI 02882
Regrets of a Salmon Farmer – Swimming in Circles: Aquaculture and the End of Wild Oceans
Salmon farming is huge business, dominated by a single company in the U.S. The fish are fed toxic feed, laced with multiple troubling chemicals. Under these circumstances, they are vulnerable to disease and parasites, including sea lice, and surrounding wild sea animals are infected as well. The current industry response is to pour increasingly toxic pesticides into the ocean. Ocean salmon aquaculture, as it is currently practiced, eventually makes the area surrounding the fishery uninhabitable, and the fishery must either shut down or move. Avoid farmed fish for your health, the ocean, and all of the creatures in it. >click to read<
Wilbur Ross opens new front in trade war with $11M in fish farm grants
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross doled out $11 million Wednesday aimed at jumpstarting the U.S. aquaculture industry, or fish farming, and limiting dependence on foreign seafood imports. “With such vast coastlines, there is no reason the United States should be importing billions of pounds of seafood each year,” Ross said. As part of Wednesday’s announcement, the agency’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is launching 22 projects aimed at expanding sustainable U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes aquaculture>click to read<14:42
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for October 19, 2018
>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<12:45
Fishing groups sue Humboldt Bay Harbor Recreation and Conservation District
A lawsuit was filed against the Humboldt Bay Harbor Recreation and Conservation District by the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association and Trinidad Bay Fishermen’s Association. The two fishing groups are suing over a long list of allegations that include alleged dredging failures and money management issues among other things.,,,“Our objection is that the harbor district has essentially abandoned their mandated duty to maintain and protect the Woodley Island Marina for the benefit of the fishing fleet,” said Ken Bates, vice president of HFMA, who emailed a news release announcing the lawsuit. >click to read<11:45
Toxic gas accident on Scottish fishing boat nearly resulted in multiple deaths
A fatal accident on-board a fishing boat in an Aberdeenshire harbour nearly resulted in multiple deaths, an investigation has found. A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has made safety recommendations after the “tragic accident” in Fraserburgh. William Ironside, 52, died, while several other men fell ill while working on the Sunbeam in August. The MAIB report contains recommendations for the boat’s owners related to entering and working in refrigerated saltwater (RSW) tanks used for storing fish onboard. >click to read<10:56
Lower herring quotas squeeze lobster trade
Last year, according to the Department of Marine Resources, lobster was Maine’s most valuable fishery with landings of 110,819,760 pounds — the sixth highest ever — worth some $450,799,283. Despite all the talk about high value species such as scallops and elvers, according to DMR herring were the state’s second most valuable commercial fishery in 2017. Herring boats like the Sunlight and the Starlight owned by the O’Hara Corp. in Rockland or the Portland-based trawler Providian landed some 66,453,073 pounds of herring worth about $17.9 million at a record price of 27 cents per pound. >click to read<10:20
Facebook posts lead to first book deal for author, 68
Gloucester’s Faye Passanisi, who comes from generations of fishing families, has become an “accidental author” in the wake of feedback from her daily inspirational messages on social media. “I would just write my feelings each day and I received an outpouring of feedback from people who wanted more,” she said. Then she inadvertently became a member of a Facebook group for fishing families. “One day, I got a friend request from Bill Allen, after which began our journey in writing this book.” “Port Bliss” tells the story of Brandy Rogers, who joins the crew of the Sea Quest, the same vessel that led her husband to his watery grave six months before. >click to read<09:49
Newfoundland and Labrador: Snow crab fishery changes tactics as stocks hit 25-year low
A study six years in the making shows some grim statistics for snow crab in Newfoundland and Labrador. The study was released at the same time the Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced the crab fishery was moving to a precautionary approach. That means if the crab numbers are low, the total allowable catch will be lowered, meaning less fishing for the province’s harvesters. >click to read<19:11
New Jersey: Andrzejczak/Land Black Sea Bass Summer Flounder Bill Clears Assembly Panel
In an effort to benefit commercial fishing operations, Assemblymen Robert Andrzejczak and Bruce Land (both D-1st) have sponsored legislation permitting commercial fishing vessels to possess more than the daily trip limit of black sea bass and summer flounder under certain conditions. The bill was advanced Oct. 18 by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. >click to read<18:23
Report details economic value of Alaska’s salmon hatcheries
A new report shows that Alaska’s salmon hatcheries created one fourth of the economic value of the state’ total salmon harvest between 2012 and 2016 along with about 4,700 jobs statewide. McDowell Group, the Juneau-based economics consulting firm, based the report on eight of the state’s largest hatcheries, documenting $600 million in economic value. The estimate of jobs was done on an annualized basis, or how seasonal jobs are calculated as if they were year-round. The report, sponsored by the eight private nonprofit hatcheries included in the study, was released as the state Board of Fisheries considers proposals submitted by sportfish interests to curtail hatchery production, citing concerns on the impact of hatchery fish on wild salmon stocks. >click to read<15:55
Norway and Russia agree to slash cod, haddock quotas in Barents Sea, suspend capelin catch
The joint Norwegian-Russian Fishery Commission decides to reduce next year’s quotas to 725,000 tons. “After another round of constructive and good negotiations with Russia I am pleased that we have reached an agreement for 2019,” says Norwegian Fisheries Minister Harald T. Nesvik. “This will allow us to continue to harvest our joint fisheries in the Barents Sea in a sustainable way,” he adds. In 2019, the Barents fisheries will also see haddock quotas reduced quotas. The capelin catch will be halted. <click to read<
In Iceland, activists, industry are raging war over commercial whaling
In Iceland, a worldwide hotspot for whale watching, gentle giants seem to rule the sea. But all the while some species of whales are still being hunted. Iceland is one of just two countries in the world that allows commercial whaling in defiance of the International Whaling Commission’s ban on whaling, making this island nation the frontlines of the war on whaling. “Iceland is all fishermen,” said Kristjan Loftsson, the managing director of the Icelandic whale hunting company, Hvalur H/F. “We are utilizing the ocean.” >click to read<14:30
Northern Shrimp: Regulators set hearing on shrimp rules
Meeting in Portland earlier this month, the ASMFC’s Northern Shrimp Section approved, subject to public comment, an “addendum” to the current version of the Northern Shrimp Fishery Management Plan. The addendum would allow each of the three states that have shrimp landings — primarily Maine but also New Hampshire and Massachusetts — to allocate their annual catch quotas between the types of gear used in the fishery. The ASMFC will take written comments on the rule until Wednesday, Nov. 7. >click to read<11:46
Death of a fisherman – lifejackets now mandatory for company crewmen
A fatal accident inquiry at Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that Kirkudbright based West Coast Sea Products had made the wearing of lifejackets mandatory for its crewmen after the death of 34-year-old Scott Rennie from Newton Stewart. Mr Rennie fell from the scallop dredger King Challenger as he tried to unhook damaged gear on the ‘tipping deck’ of the 21metre long boat on 23 June 2016. In what Sheriff Ian Cruickshank called an “incredibly brave” effort to save Mr Rennie, fellow crewman Darren Rennie, who is no relation, dived into the sea to get a line around his unconscious crew mate. >click to read<10:01
Facing the Wind – A fisherman’s take on offshore wind
Local fishermen are on the verge of forever losing local fishing grounds to wind power as California trades one renewable resource (seafood) for another (electricity). The state of California and its citizens are on the front line of the efforts to convert our energy use from the burning of fossil fuels (oil and gas) to renewable sources of power — solar and wind. The latest move toward this conversion is for the sale of offshore ocean leases to wind power companies for the development of “at sea” wind farms with the ocean area off of Eureka and Trinidad as the prime first sites. >click to read<08:55
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
