Daily Archives: March 1, 2019
New Brunswick fish-packing plant fire could affect P.E.I. fishery
Officials in the Island fishing industry are monitoring the fallout from a fire that destroyed a fish-packing plant in Cap-Pelé, N.B. The impacts will definitely be felt more so in New Brunswick, officials with the P.E.I. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries said. “We have a small number of lobster buyers who sell their lobsters purchased in P.E.I. to this processor.,,, The Cape Bald Packers fish-packing plant in Cap-Pelé was destroyed by fire this past Sunday. The plant employed about 500 people, no one was injured in the fire. >click to read<19:56
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for March 1, 2019
>Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 18:41
Environmental lawyer says correspondence inside Northern Pulp contradicts company claims to the public
Northern Pulp’s public statements about its new proposed effluent treatment plan appear to be at odds with statements made between the company’s technical manager, consultants and the province according to environmental lawyer, Jamie Simpson. “One of the key things that jumped out to me was the inconsistencies with what they’ve been saying publicly and specifically to fishermen in the three maritime provinces,” said Simpson who obtained thousands of internal correspondences through a freedom of information request. >click to read<18:16
What caused the F/V Destination to sink? Coast Guard to release findings on Sunday
The Coast Guard on Sunday will release results of its investigation into why, without a mayday call, the Seattle-based Destination sank in 2017 in Alaska’s deadliest crabbing accident in more than a decade. Over the years, Coast Guard investigative reports into fishing disasters have repeatedly spotlighted the hazards of one of the nation’s most dangerous industries, sometimes helping to push reforms but often falling short of bringing major change. All six of the Destination crew were lost on Feb. 11, 2017, and the report is expected to offer the most likely scenario for what happened on a chill day in the Bering Sea when freezing spray was thought to have frozen on the boat. The report also will offer safety recommendations to try to prevent such losses of life. >click to read<15:46
Maine lobster harvest value jumps by $46 million!
State officials say Maine fishermen caught $46 million more worth of lobster in 2018 than they did the previous year. Maine lobstermen caught 120 million pounds of lobster worth $484 million last year, the fishery’s third-highest annual total value ever, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said Friday morning. That amount is 8 million pounds more than the 112 million pounds they caught in 2017, and $46 million more than the $438 million worth that they brought ashore in Maine that same year. >click to read<14:21
Clearwater defends its lobster fishery
With a fisheries conviction in the news and an important eco-sustainability certification at stake, Halifax-based Clearwater Seafoods is defending the way it conducts its offshore Canadian lobster fishery. The company offered media a tour this week on board its 40-metre offshore lobster vessel, the Randell Dominaux, at its home port in Shelburne.,,, Clearwater holds all licences in Canada’s offshore Lobster Fishing Area 41. The boundary begins 50 miles from shore to Canada’s 200-mile limit. In practice, the fishery takes place off southern Nova Scotia. >click to read<13:02
Stonington remains top port in 2018
After a 16 percent drop in 2017, commercial lobster landings and value rebounded in Maine in 2018, bringing in 119,640,379 pounds of lobster for $484,543,633 in ex-vessel value. An increase in boat price, from $3.92 per-pound in 2017 to $4.05 in 2018, helped drive the over $46 million increase in lobster landing value in Maine, which totaled $637,174,944, according to preliminary figures released by the Department of Marine Resources on March 1. >click to read<11:52
West Coast Fishermen cautiously optimistic for strong salmon season
After three difficult years when Chinook salmon population numbers were down and fishing opportunities were limited, commercial fishermen are hoping that the upcoming season will be better. “What we’re seeing is a better forecast of salmon in the ocean this year than we saw last year,” said Harry Morse, public information officer for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, following a meeting with about 85 commercial and recreational anglers on Wednesday in Santa Rosa. “We’re cautiously optimistic.” >click to read<10:31
IRS waives penalties for qualifying farmers, fishermen
The IRS will waive the estimated tax penalty for any qualifying farmer or fisherman who files a 2018 federal income tax return and pays any tax due by Monday, April 15. The deadline is Wednesday, April 17, for taxpayers in Maine and Massachusetts. The IRS is providing this relief because, due to certain rule changes, many farmers and fishermen may have difficulty accurately determining their tax liability by the March 1 deadline that usually applies to them. >click to read<09:36
