Daily Archives: May 6, 2019

New England, Mid-Atlantic fishery councils ponder switch to electronic vessel trip reporting

The move, which is under an omnibus framework action, would require commercial fishing vessels to fill out all of their vessel trip reports electronically, eliminating the ability to fill out paper forms. Electronic vessel trip reporting (eVTR) has been an established way to submit reports since 2013, according to Karson Coutre of the Mid-Atlantic council. ,,, While the Mid-Atlantic council is the one considering the move to mandatory eVTR, the New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC) will also need to consider the implications of transitioning to mandatory electronic reporting. >click to read<16:39

Division of Marine Fisheries – Seasonal Trap Gear Closure Extended Through May 14th

The continued presence of endangered right whales in the waters off Cape Cod results in the Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries extending the seasonal Large Whale Seasonal Trap Gear Closure through May 14, 2019 (Notice of Declaration)> click to read< This closure extension applies only in certain waters within Cape Cod Bay and along the Outer Cape.  Calanus plankton counts indicate that the whales are likely to remain aggregated and feeding in the area.,,,  This closure does not extend into any federal waters, including those waters north of Cape Cod on Stellwagen Bank. >click to read<16:03

Northeast Seafood Coalition loses longtime staffer to retirement

They threw a little party for Christine Sherman on Friday at the Gloucester House Restaurant, a little brunch with friends, family and colleagues, all of whom had collected to wish Sherman good luck upon her retirement from the Northeast Seafood Coalition. The coalition was formed in 2002 and Sherman, the wife of longtime fisherman Russell Sherman, was one of the first ones through the door, first as a volunteer and later as a staffer extraordinaire. “She served in so many capacities over 17 years,” said Jackie Odell, NSC executive director. >click to read<14:48

Chesapeake Bay blue crab rebounding in 2019, led by near-doubling of juvenile crab population

Scientists in Maryland and Virginia found that in 2019, the bay’s crabs are at their most plentiful in seven years. The number of spawning-age females, a key measure of future population growth potential, reached 190 million, a 29% increase over the previous winter.,,, The results suggest a strong crabbing season is ahead for Chesapeake waterman, with strong numbers of adults ready to be harvested as waters warm this month, and a booming crop of young that could grow large enough to be legally caught by the fall, or the 2020 crabbing season. >click to read<13:31

Harvesters Call for Better Consultation as Grieg Aquaculture Plans Expansion to Additional Sites

Fish harvesters are concerned about plans by Grieg Aquaculture to establish three additional sites east of Marasheen Island in Placentia Bay. The FFAW-Unifor is calling on the provincial government not to move forward with any project approval until they have pursued a proper consultation process with harvesters as the project may put their livelihoods at risk.  Placentia Bay is a high-traffic area with the highest concentration of small fishing vessels during peak fishing times. Union president Keith Sullivan says previous consultations on the overall project have been insufficient, and information on site locations has been inconsistent. >click to read<12:30

Lifejackets for Lobstermen van to visit Midcoast

A group seeking to promote the use of life jackets among lobstermen will visit several Knox County fishing towns during the weeks of May 6 and May 13. Researchers at the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety: Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing have been working with lobstermen in Maine and Massachusetts over the past few years to understand why life jacket use has been relatively uncommon among fishermen in this fishery sector. One result has been the “Lifejackets for Lobstermen” campaign. The vans will make local stops at the following places. All stops will begin at 10 a.m. May 8, Olsen’s Wharf, Pleasant Point Gut, Cushing, 10 a.m. May 9, Simmons Wharf, Friendship, May 10 and May 13, Tenants Harbor Co-op, Port Clyde May 14, Atwood Lobster, Spruce Head May 15, Public landing next to Ship to Shore Lobster, Owls Head May 16, Rockland Fish Pier, >click to read<11:44

NOAA Team Reaches Consensus on Right Whale Survival Measures

“This is hard work. The Team members brought not only their expertise but also their passion for the people and communities they represent to the table. Everyone understands that there are real and difficult consequences to fishermen as a result of the choices made in this room,” said Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs.,,, The group will meet in Providence, Rhode Island for four days. At the end of the meeting, they hope to agree on a suite of measures that will reduce right whale serious injuries and deaths in fishing gear in U.S. waters from Maine to Florida to less than one whale per year, the level prescribed by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. >click to read<09:15

Hurricane Florence And The Fish Industry

The fishing industry in Southeastern North Carolina came to a grounding halt when Hurricane Florence pounded the coast in mid-September. Since then, officials say, the industry has rebounded thanks in part to the Hurricane Florence Commercial Fishing Assistance Program. Captain Dave Tilley is starting up one of his boats in the harbor at Carolina Beach. He has fished these waters for most of his life. However, Hurricane Florence forced Tilley to take a few weeks off. “When the hurricane came through, we had a lot of damage both to the infrastructure,,, >Click to read<08:26

Fishing Disaster

I learned about the magnitude of the Gulf of Alaska as a youth in Yakutat when my father decided we would take up commercial fishing. He lost everything; boat, nets and almost his son. Commercial fishing is serious business in Alaska waters!,,, My father was a civilian contractor on the White Alice early warning system during this time in the mid-1960s,,,,As a youth who had attended 7th grade at Orah Dee Clark Junior High school in Mt. View, I was an angry kid. My father determined he needed to get his family out of Anchorage before I ended up in jail. My stepmother could not control me while Dad traveled the state working at the various sites. by Donn Liston>click to read<07:47