Daily Archives: May 24, 2019
‘This is it’: Cordova fishermen tell harrowing tales of trip home in waves whipped by unseasonable storm
Bill Markowitz has been commercial fishing for over 30 years. But he figured his time was up Thursday when a giant wave caught his 27-foot gillnet boat as he tried to cross the bar at Egg Island Channel near Cordova. “A breaker caught me, flipped me around sideways, and rolled my boat up on its side I’d say at least 45 degrees,” Markowitz said by phone Friday. “It flipped me around … almost 180 degrees. When I went sideways, I thought, ‘This is it.’” >click to read<22:41
Volunteer force in search for fisherman expected to grow over weekend
The official search for a P.E.I. fisherman who went overboard off the North Shore was scaled back Friday but RCMP still saw a strong turnout of community volunteers. Jordan Hicken was lost while fishing out of Naufrage Harbour early Tuesday morning. The rescue effort was called off Tuesday evening and RCMP took it over as a missing person case.”They have actually had a chance to get two dives into the area [Friday] morning without success.” The dive team suspended its search until further notice around 5 p.m.>click to read<19:37
Fisherman suffering a heart attack refused to be airlifted from trawler twice! They got him.
An Irish Coast Guard helicopter was sent to meet a fishing trawler three times before they could eventually airlift a seriously ill crew member to hospital. The fisherman suffered a heart attack on board a French fishing vessel off the Clare coast but refused twice to be airlifted to hospital. The drama began at around 4.30pm yesterday when the Irish Coast Guard was requested to assist the captain of a 98-foot French fishing vessel who had reported that a crew member had suffered a heart attack. >click to read<16:10
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 24, 2019
A Word from Our Executive Director – Glenn Skinner, At their May Business meeting, the Marine Fisheries Commission voted to send draft Amendment 2 (to the Southern Flounder FMP) as presented by the Division to the Advisory Committee and out for public comment with the addition of data pertaining to a partial moratorium. The Division recommended using seasonal closures to reduce the recreational and commercial harvest of Southern Flounder by 62% in year one and 72% in year 2 of Amendment 2. >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<14:35
Ottawa commits $100 million toward cleaning up toxic mess at Boat Harbour
The federal government has pledged to spend $100 million to help clean up the Boat Harbour effluent lagoons — long considered one of Nova Scotia’s most polluted sites. The sprawling lagoons, which are near the Pictou Landing First Nation in northern Nova Scotia, are contaminated with millions of litres of treated waste water from the nearby Northern Pulp paper mill. >click to read<13:10
Atlantic Canada mackerel quota cut by 20 per cent – Move will reduce a key source of bait
Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans is cutting the Atlantic mackerel quota by 20 per cent in 2019, after a recent assessment concluded the stock remains in the “critical zone.” The quota cut will reduce a key source of bait in the region’s lucrative lobster fishery. In a notice sent to industry, the department said the region-wide total allowable catch will drop from 10,000 tonnes to 8,000 tonnes. >click to read<12:20
Saving the Small Fishing Industry, One Permit at a Time
Mr. Hopkins has the Island’s lone sea scalloping permit, a million-dollar commercial fisherman’s license the trust purchased and now leases to Mr. Hopkins. The trust works as a permit bank, buying pricey fishing licenses, lobster tags, and other permits so they can lease them to independent fishermen on the Island at less than market price. In a wide-ranging interview with the Gazette this week, trust president John Keene and executive director Dr. Shelley Edmundson discussed the work of the organization and its efforts to maintain an economically viable, independent fishing community on the Island. >click to read<11:44
Two years after CETA took effect, fisheries minister says Tory exemptions devalued the industry
In 2013, negotiations between Canada and the European Union over the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, included talks on how Newfoundland and Labrador might be compensated for losses once the deal was implemented. The provincial PC government of the time insisted on a $400-million compensation program, noted Byrne. “I can certainly understand why they’d take that position,” Byrne said. But that fund never materialized, >click to read<10:56
NOAA admin defends budget in House oversight hearing
The House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife met to discuss the administration’s fiscal year 2020 budgets for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The California Democrat (Huffman) said the Trump administration’s proposed budget shows the president “does not value oceans, wildlife or the communities that depend on healthy ecosystems.” (rolls eyes) McClintock, R-Calif., indeed did say the proposed cuts in the budget were not only the proper way to go, but should go further in consolidating perceived overlaps between NOAA and USFWS and cutting away more spending programs. >Video, starts @17:45 click to read<10:09
Let’s set the record straight for Brannon Finny – “From the beginning I have been totally honest,,,”
We posted a story titled “Fishing boat captain fined for polluting Alaska waters” which was published by KTUU. Sadly their story wasn’t accurate, and the report later included a response from Brannon Finny explaining her recollections, and actions. They deserve to be read. You can read them by >clicking the link<, or in the comment section of the original post. Thank you Rick McNamara!09:29
