Monthly Archives: June 2019
Commercial Fisherman John Christian “Chris” Strawser
John Christian “Chris” Strawser, 64, of Glen Rock, Pa., formerly of Wanchese, NC, passed away Wednesday, June 19, 2019, doing what he loved, aboard the longline fishing vessel, Alexandra Dawn.,,, He attended the United States Military Academy West Point and the University of Maryland. Mating on the F/V Lollypop with Captain Chick Craddock, Chris fell in love with fishing and the sea. When Captain Chick retired and sold the boat, Chris determined to attain his own commercial fishing boat, and name it the F/V Lollipop,,, Chris left behind his best friend, soulmate and beloved wife of 20 years, Marilyn Strawser. Other survivors include his four daughters >click to read<21:28
The Working Waterfront: State may provide grant to Spruce Head Co-op
The Spruce Head Fishermen’s Co-op is in line to get another state grant aimed at preserving working waterfronts. The Land for Maine’s Future Board announced Friday, June 21 in a news release that it has selected six projects that it says will help protect and sustain Maine’s working waterfront.,,, Through the Working Waterfront Access Protection Program, funds have been set-aside to purchase development rights, through a legally binding agreement between the state and working waterfront owners, which will ensure that the property remains available to support commercial fishing or aquaculture activities. The other projects selected by the Board in its June 21 announcement are: >click to read<20:28
Contrary To Civil Beat Claims, Wespac Is Effective And Transparent
In a series of recent articles and an editorial, Honolulu Civil Beat made several allegations against the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, creating a false impression that council members and staff operate with “limited oversight” and violate federal law. Civil Beat called for an investigation into Council operations to address these purported issues. These claims of impropriety are baseless and ignore the myriad laws, regulations, and policies that council members and staff follow to properly implement the Magnuson-Stevens Act, our nation’s primary fisheries law, and related statutes. >click to read< By Taotasi Archie Soliai, Chair, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council 17:46
Harvest numbers are mixed as season gets underway. Meanwhile, PWS wild salmon harvest tops 1.5M fish
Prince William Sound landings of wild Alaska salmon have been strong, as the fishery gets under way. Meanwhile sockeye production in Kodiak, Cook Inlet and Chignik is off to a slow start, fisheries economist Garrett Evridge says in his first harvest report of the season. “Year-to-date statewide harvest of sockeye is more than three times the prior year,” said Evridge, an economist with the McDowell Group, >click to read<14:08
PWS wild salmon harvest tops 1.5M fish – As more areas of Prince William Sound opened for commercial fishing, preliminary data compiled by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game put the catch at 1.5 million salmon through June 18, including some 813,942 fish caught in the Copper River. >click to read<
Queens DA candidate pledged to crack down on live lobster boiling, campaign walks it back.
In May, the left-wing candidate (Tiffany Caban) filled out a questionnaire from the Brooklyn-based group Voters for Animal Rights which included a checklist of activities the organization believes “may be considered unlawful under New York’s animal cruelty laws.” The survey asked Queens district attorney aspirants whether they would investigate or even prosecute such offenses. The list included “Castration of pigs, cows, and other mammals without painkillers,” “Force-feeding of ducks or geese for foie gras production” and “Boiling lobsters and other crustaceans while alive.” >click to read<12:32
N.J. just gave the green light to build the nation’s largest offshore wind farm
The nation’s largest offshore wind farm is one step closer to reality off the Jersey Shore. On Friday, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities granted the state’s first award for offshore wind to the Danish energy company Ørsted and Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) for the proposed 1,100-megawatt Ocean Wind project. Gov. Phil Murphy declared this will “revolutionize” the offshore wind industry along the East Coast. >click to read< 11:32
Fish harvesters from British Columbia join Unifor with historic vote
In an historic vote that was years in the making, 245 salmon seine boat fish harvesters on Canada’s west coast who fish for the Canadian Fishing Company have voted overwhelmingly to join Unifor.,,, The vote was an overwhelming 92 per cent to join United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU), a Unifor local. The vote was conducted last summer, but counting was held up until this week due to employer challenges when the British Columbia Labour Board ordered the votes be counted. >click to read<10:36 Historic win for B.C. fishermen now bargaining under labour code – Jun. 28, 2019 >click to read<
Lobstermen fed up, facing drastic rules to protect whales, say president should help
More than 100 fishermen attended a meeting with Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher June 20 at Camden Hills Regional High School. Lobstermen said they have already changed to weaker, breakable lines and sinking line in an effort to pacify government regulator’s who say the whales can become entangled in the ropes and die. “The end game is to have us not fish,” one lobsterman said at the meeting. >click to read<10:00
Excluded from the Working Waterfront – Trawlers to blockade €300m Greystones harbour development
A bitter feud in which the fishing fleet in Greystones, Co Wicklow claims it has been excluded from the town’s harbour, which has been redeveloped at a cost of €300 million, is set to come to a head on Saturday. Commercial fishing boats, whose owners have been told they are “illegally” using a pier in recent weeks, are set to blockade the harbour in a mass protest. Gardaí have already been called in amid accusations of ropes and a boat being impounded,,, Commercial fishers claim their work has been central to Greystones harbour for generations, but that they have been excluded since its redevelopment as a marine leisure and residential quarter. >click to read<09:41
Making the Cut! – Former Wilsonian featured on “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks”
As a boy, Daniel Blanks fished all the little farm ponds around Wilson County. On Sunday night, Blanks will be featured on the popular National Geographic television series “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks” as he and commercial fishing partner Zack Shackleton angle for bluefin tuna 40 miles off the North Carolina coast in the Atlantic Ocean.,, Then this year, the “Wicked Tuna” producers were looking for new captains. Blanks’ girlfriend sent in an application to “Wicked Tuna” hoping to get on the show. “We were kind of joking about it saying they would never pick a little boat like us to be on and sure enough, they called us,” >click to read<08:41 9 p.m. Sunday
California fishermen report the biggest salmon season in a decade
California commercial fishermen are reporting the biggest king salmon season in a decade, on the heels of three years of disastrously low catches because of the drought. The sudden bounty has resulted in a price drop for the coral-pink, fatty fillets to $20 per pound in many markets, down from the $30- to $35-per-pound range of recent years. “You might say this is the old normal, because we’ve been so used to catastrophe,” said Noah Oppenheim, >click to read<19:37
A stronger, modernized Fisheries Act becomes law
This afternoon, Bill C-68 received Royal Assent by the Governor General and has officially become law. This is a victory for the environment, independent fishers, and all Canadians because today, the important amendments to this Act, put forward by our government are being enshrined in law. Informed by extensive consultations with the public, industry, environmental groups and Indigenous peoples, this modernized Fisheries Act reflects the views of Canadians and will ensure our fisheries continue to grow Canada’s economy and support the livelihood of coastal communities.
A modernized Fisheries Act will benefit all Canadians by: >click to read<18:46
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for 06/21/2019
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<18:06
Scientists Recommend Removing Catch Limits, Increasing Allocation Limits for US Pacific Territory Longline-Caught Bigeye Tuna
The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded a three day meeting today in Honolulu recommending bigeye tuna catch limits and allocation amounts for the US Participating Territories for the fishing years 2020 to 2023. This and other recommendations by the Council’s SSC will be considered by the Council at its 178th meeting in Honolulu on June 25-27. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, the Council has authority over fisheries seaward of state waters in Hawaiʻi and other US Pacific Islands. >click to read<17:09
Government intervention – Recruitment to the Fishing Industry.
Right now the biggest issue facing many skippers and boat owners is that of crewing. Many larger vessels, once jammed with local men, are now totally reliant on crews from other countries like the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Fine in the short term, but where are the local skippers, mates and engineers of the future going to come from?,,, The situation in Cornwall and Devon is mixed. Many of the new netters employ crew from the Philippines while the fleet of big crabbers in Newlyn rely mainly on Latvian men to crew and skipper the boats. Currently, there is an all-party Parliamentary Fisheries group researching the situation. >click to read<16:12
‘Do I need life insurance?’ A morning as a Peconic fisherman
Rain is the forecast as Tom Gariepy arrives at the Peconic River just before 5 a.m. for one of the last bunker hauls of the season. He backs his trailered sharpie bait boat into the still, 68-degree water, parks his pickup on the road and waits for veteran fishermen Lenny Nilson and Kenny Anderson before the three push off in two boats for the waters around Indian Island, in Riverhead. On the way out, Gariepy sees a giant school of bunker just beyond the launch point, but Nilson has a feeling about the waters to the north and east. >click to read<14:17
Are the House of Representatives Anti Real Sience? Golden’s effort to withhold whale protection money fails
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 345-84 to kill the amendment to the U.S. Department of Commerce spending bill. The proposed budget rider was also supported by Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District.,,, California Rep. Jared Huffman, a fellow Democrat who is the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources’s wildlife committee, spoke against the amendment, arguing the tool used to build the right whale protection plan was built on the best available scientific information. “Defunding it undermines consensus-based, conservation decision-making process,” Huffman testified. “It would set a dangerous precedent … and have impacts on other industries, fisheries and the North Atlantic right whale.” >click to read<12:18 How the House of Representatives voted. >click to read<
Crab pricing commentary a ‘confused and conspiratorial mess’
This letter is in response to that of Derek Butler, published on June 13 (“GUEST COLUMN: FFAW wants things their way on pricing, not ‘transparency.’”) The issue he attempts to address is very important, however, his argument is a confused and conspiratorial mess and delivered in a tone that would make any merchant smile in his grave. It is telling that Butler felt the need to mention the circumstances surrounding how fish harvester collective bargaining rights were enshrined in legislation. The Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act exists to protect the collective bargaining rights of harvesters,,, By Keith Sullivan >Click to read<11:22
Back in the Saddle
Former county commissioner Terry Thompson emerged from his first commercial fishing expedition since his stroke four months ago with a heavy haul of ling cod destined for a premier seafood restaurant in Newport. Flashing the familiar Thompson grin, Terry said he had plenty to smile about — his emerging victory over stroke, the return to fishing, the miracle that saved his best friend’s life and unexpected recognition. >click to read<10:17
Small locator device could save fishermen stranded at sea
Commercial fishing ranks among the most dangerous professions, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Between 2000 and 2013, more than 660 American fishermen died at sea, of whom nearly one-third fell overboard. The small GPS devices, which cost a couple of hundred dollars, transmit an alert message using satellite frequencies to NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard. >click to read<09:39
On This Day, 1952: CRASH SINKS BOAT; HERO CAPTAIN LOST; Skipper Leaps Into Sea Lest He Crowd Dory After Trawler, Tanker Collide
CRASH SINKS BOAT; HERO CAPTAIN LOST; Skipper Leaps Into Sea Lest He Crowd Dory After Trawler, Tanker Collide — 12 Saved – Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. June 21, 1952, Saturday BOSTON, June 21 — The 100-foot Gloucester fishing trawler Albatross and the 10,000-ton tanker Esso Chattanooga collided early today off Provincetown, Mass. The captain of the trawler was lost… The captain’s wife reported he had joked about taking his vessel out on Friday the 13th… >click to read<08:40
Whole Foods’ seafood plant closing, impacting 60 employees
The mayor of Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S.A., is “disappointed” that Whole Foods Market is suddenly closing its seafood processing facility in the city.The Austin, Texas-based retailer notified the city via a letter to Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken that its North Atlantic Region will be permanently closing its Pigeon Cove Seafood facility in Gloucester, effective 15 August. “I am disappointed at the decision made by Whole Foods Market to close its Pigeon Cove Seafood Facility. >click to read<19:56
Temporary reprieve for fishing boat washed up on Jones Beach
An old and battered 40-foot-long wooden fishing boat that washed up on Jones Beach State Park last week and was abandoned by its owner has won a temporary last-minute reprieve, officials said. Instead of being broken up and hauled off as initially planned, the Roger Ventures will be inspected to see if it might be reused by a state agency, said George Gorman, Long Island regional director, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. On June 9, “the Captain Leroy III was towing the Roger Ventures, and they had to drop the tow;,, >click to read<18:56
A Forage Fish War – Canadian company targets critical forage fish in Atlantic and Gulf
The two U.S. menhaden fisheries are in the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf,,, Omega Proteins, headquartered in Canada, has sought certification that the fishery is sustainable.,, Now it has sought the same certification in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a joint statement from the American Sportfishing Association, the Coastal Conservation Association, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.,, “The ASA, Theodore Roosevelt , and CCA, have formally objected, That steep price (of MSC certification) caused Sport Fish Magazine writer Doug Olander to pen a satirical op-ed,,,That prompted a swift backlash by Omega Proteins, “According to the ASMFC [Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission], Striped Bass are overfi…>click to read<17:23
Three new pelagic trawlers for Shetland
The Shetland pelagic fleet is set for further expansion with the arrival of three replacement pelagic trawlers this year. First in line is the Adenia (LK 193) being built at the Astilleros Zamakona yard near Bilbao, which had its first dealings with Shetland with the building of the white fish trawler Sunbeam in the 1990s >click to read<14:08
Local shrimp industry a tradition worth saving
The town of Mount Pleasant is now in the shrimping business as the new owner of the Wando dock on Shem Creek. What happens there over the next few seasons will be crucial to the future of the local seafood industry, as well as the wider Shem Creek community. First, the town needs to listen to the fishermen and provide them with a serviceable hub of operations, sufficient dock space and easy access to fuel, ice and a processing facility. >click to read<12:46
Florida Commercial fishermen can apply for Hurricane Irma assistance
Twenty-one months after Hurricane Irma, the funds are in place to begin restoring the losses of commercial fishermen in the Keys. The Florida Wildlife Commission has $44.6 million that will be available for marine fisheries assistance. The first step, according to the state agency, is for commercial fishermen to register in two places: Commercial fishermen — from coastal counties in Florida from Dixie County to Monroe County on the west coast and Nassau County to Miami-Dade County on the east coast — are urged to complete these steps by July 10, 2019. >Click to read<12:08
MSA reauthorization still stalled with 2018 House bill expired
More than a decade has passed since the last reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act was signed into law, but the latest effort has stalled in Congress. The act, originally passed in 1974, is the nation’s landmark legislation on federal fisheries policy. In the intervening years, Congress has passed a number of reauthorizations, most recently in 2006, tweaking language and adding provisions. The House passed HR 200, sponsored by Rep. Don Young, in July 2018. However, it never progressed through the Senate and thus expired at the end of the 115th Congress. >click to read<11:13
The best available science? – Backing lobstermen, Rep. Golden seeks to withhold funds for right whale protections
“The federal government is asking Maine lobstermen to make huge sacrifices without clear evidence that those sacrifices will have any positive impact on right whales,” Golden wrote in a statement Wednesday. “I’ve joined lobstermen to voice our concerns and now it’s time for action. Golden said it is important to help the right whale, but he joined the Maine lobster industry and Maine’s fishing managers in a common refrain: the federal government has no conclusive proof that right whales are getting hurt or killed by entanglement in Maine lobster gear. >click to read> 09:46
Maine Governor Mills signs wind bill, announces plans to advance offshore energy
Stalled efforts to test a floating wind farm off the Maine coast got back on track Wednesday after Gov. Janet Mills signed legislation directing the Public Utilities Commission to approve the contract for Maine Aqua Ventus, a first-of-its-kind wind project in the United States.,,, Mills also announced two collaborative efforts to put the state back in the game for offshore wind energy research.,,, Mills also announced that she will create the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative. The state-based program will identify opportunities for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine,,, will promote compatibility between potential future uses and existing uses, such as Maine’s commercial fishing and maritime industries. >click to read<08:27
Mills signs $8 billion budget, bills including Green New Deal, plastic bag ban – >click to read<
