Daily Archives: November 26, 2018
Solution to deal with B.C.’s sea lion surplus? Harvest them, group suggests
Sea lion populations have been on the rise for years and wreaking havoc on commercial fishermen’s catches and equipment, according to the Pacific Balance Pinniped Society. Adult male California sea lions can grow to as big as 800 pounds and consume massive quantities of fish as they grow. “Out in the waters and in our rivers, the pinniped populations have just exploded and we know they’re targeting mainly salmon, steelhead, trout and other fin fish species,” said Thomas Sewid. He believes seals and sea lions are over-abundant in B.C. waters and is spearheading a solution to deal with them. “Not just the natives want to start harvesting pinnipeds,” said Sewid. “This is an industry that can explode throughout coastal British Columbia.” >click to read<21:08
Scarce bay scallops are costly
Last year the Vineyard bay scallop harvest boomed. Prices hovered around $20 per pound. Not so this year. Bay scallops are scant, and at Menemsha Fish Market they were retailing at $38 per pound on Monday. “Nobody went out today,” Larsen said Monday morning, “nice day, too — because there’s no scallops.” Until recently, bay scallops were $35 per pound at the Net Result in Vineyard Haven. As of Monday, they hovered at $30 per pound, which still ranked as the second most expensive seafood there after fresh lobster meat, at $50 per pound. >click to read<19:32
Mid-week decision will be made on a Friday or Saturday start to the lobster fishery
The start of the lobster season that had been delayed for Monday now won’t happen until Friday or Saturday in southwestern Nova Scotia and along the province’s south shore. During a Monday morning 8 a.m. conference call that took place for LFA 34, the decision was made to have another conference call on Wednesday morning to decide on a Friday or Saturday opening. The vote to hold off until beyond Wednesday was made by the port reps given the forecast for the next few days. Fourteen LFA 34 port reps voted no-go until later in the week, two voted to go earlier and one rep abstained from the vote. A conference call took place in LFA 33 an hour later. The decision to hold off until week’s end was unanimous in that call. >click to read<16:39
Protect the Working Waterfront: Portland fishermen protest waterfront development
Portland fishermen last week launched a social media campaign urging Portland officials and residents to protect the working waterfront and their livelihoods from development. A group of Portland fishermen released a short video, “12 Little Wharves,” as part of the campaign. In the video, fishermen cite the economic activity generated by the wharfs for Portland and Maine in general.”There’s no place left in America like Portland where we have these 12 little wharves that are so unique, that still produce product for the state,” fisherman Willis Spear Jr. says in the video >click to watch<. “They not only provide safe harbor to small vessels in a storm but they’re a big part of the economic engine for the city of Portland.” >click to read<15:30
After six years of tracking mackerel in the North Atlantic, scientists have uncovered a few fishy secrets.
Do mackerel outcompete herring? And does the fact that mackerel are so widespread in the Nordics mean that their populations are booming? Researchers have spent six years trying to answer these and other questions, and the answers are now beginning to come clear. Their efforts are motivated by more than just academic curiosity. Researchers’ recommendations help shape international quotas that help protect fish stocks, which in the case of mackerel have had a rocky history. >click to read<13:14
Fishermen train for a rescue in an industry full of danger
The thick red neoprene of my survival suit pressed my nose flat against my face, as I flopped into the makeshift rescue rig. A winch above strained to pull me from the dark water. The rope snapped. I plunged back down, spat out salty water and bobbed to the surface. “And that’s why we do the drills,” said Matthew Duffy, a safety advisor with the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia. Duffy stood on the boat above me in Port Mouton, N.S., next to a sheepish captain who later vowed to buy a new rope. On an adjacent wharf, dozens of fishermen watched our mock rescue. >click to read<12:41
F/V Barracudina: Lost But Not Forgotten
40 years ago, on November 26, 1978, the fishing vessel Barracudina disappeared in the Cabot Strait, about 20 miles south-west of Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada. She carried with her to their watery graves her crew of five.
The Barracudina was returning from fishing off Cape North on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The weather was bad (forecasts gave gale/storm warnings, winds up to 40 to 50 knots), but was not beyond the experience of her seasoned crew. Radio communication was poor, the Master, Jim Chaulk, communicated by Citizens Band with a person onshore about 0030 hours Newfoundland Stand Time (Zulu (UTC) minus 3.5 hours) Sunday November 26 advising he was about 20 miles out and would be in port in about two hours. >click to read<09:42
