Daily Archives: January 13, 2019
Sink or swim time for 93-year-old gillnetter Phyllis A.?
We were over at the Gloucester Marine Railways the other day, which is one of our favorite stops in the city, and we checked in with the yard’s venerable foreman Douglass Parsons to see what’s up with the efforts to repair and restore the lovely 93-year-old gillnetter, the Phyllis A. The project has been hampered by uneven funding streams and Parsons said he and some other members of the Phyllis A Marine Association have come to the conclusion that they either procure the $200,000 this year that would allow them to do enough repairs to get the 58-foot gillnetter back in the water or call it a day. >click to read<19:26
Cod mortality – Northern cod’s fate not the same as southern cousins
There are some fundamental differences between northern cod and their southern gulf cousins that could save the former from extinction, says Dalhousie University professor Jeff Hutchings. That will be a relief to anybody who saw newly published research that predicts Atlantic cod in the Gulf of St. Lawrence could be extinct by 2050.,,, There are a couple of fundamental differences in the two cod populations, Hutchings said, that make the situations difficult to compare. For one, southern gulf cod are being eaten by grey seals, while northern cod are affected by harp seals — a much smaller animal. >click to read<17:50
Trawlers catching “unheard of” amounts of shrimp off Corolla
South of the Virginia border, the shores off Corolla have become an Outer Banks hot spot to catch winter shrimp. Trawlers have clustered there within 3 miles of shore in recent weeks, each bringing in as much as 20,000 pounds of the delicacy per trip. Last week, the “Capt. Ralph” hauled in 30,000 pounds, the most ever for the crew, said Ashley O’Neal, manager of O’Neal’s Sea Harvest. In the past, 12,000 pounds was a good catch no matter where it came from, he said. “This 30,000-pound stuff is unheard of,” O’Neal said. “We are seeing a lot of shrimp.” >click to read<17:04
N.S. FREEZE ON ISSUING NEW SEAFOOD BUYERS/PROCESSTNG LICENSES
While 2018 as a year leaves us, many event announcements took place during this year. The two I personally felt got little action from the NS fishing industry, are the right whale lobster closures, and the announcement of ” NS Provincial Gov’t No Longer issuing New Seafood Buyers/Processors Licenses” – an indefinite freeze on new entrants. My old trusty dictionary states the meaning of “freeze” as an act of holding or being held at a fixed level or in a fixed state. Over my 50 plus years in this fishing industry, I recall the humble beginnings of today’s major buyers/processors as stories of starting with a single wheel barrow or perhaps NS largest buyer/processor today selling from a half ton truck on the Bedford Highway; or yes, here in my home town of an independent, family, fishermen writing an l.O.U. as a loan and today, that buyer/processor being one of the major largest players in the area. However l feel there are more of these success stories right across NS, so l ask you, the reader, to insert that success story here ( ) Sterling Belliveau >click to read<13:00
Letters to the editor: The best method to catch swordfish?
Re: “Can Sustainably Caught Swordfish Make Waves on the Central Coast?” As someone whose family has fished for swordfish for 50 years, the answer is YES: recognize the Drift Gilnet (DGN) fishery for the sustainable, well-managed fishery it is. Among other misstatements,,,, >click to read<10:55
‘What Happened in Craig’: True crime novel delves into unsolved fishing-boat murders
It’s been 37 years, and the unsolved murder of eight family and crew members on a fishing boat in Craig, Alaska, is still the subject of conjecture among fishermen, legal analysts, crime followers and conspiracy theorists. Seattle author Leland Hale has now published a true crime account, based on his extensive research, of what happened on that day in early September 1982 and in the months and years of investigation and trials that followed. >click to read<10:16
Western Australia lobster families rally for industry’s future after government’s ‘cray grab’ announcement
WA lobster families took to the steps of Parliament House on Sunday to raise their concerns over the government’s plan to seize a sizeable portion of their catch. Over a 100 people stuck the sticker “Fishing Families Matter” over their clothes, and some spray-painted it onto their surfboards and sticks. Ana Paratore opted for a more creative approach to voice support for her second-generation crayfisherman husband, James. She stuck the sticker on her pregnant belly to show that the coming generation would also be impacted. >click to read<08:42
