Monthly Archives: June 2019

Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting June 19-25, 2019 in San Diego – Listen Live.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council and its advisory bodies will meet June 19-25, 2019 in San Diego, California, at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Diego – Mission Valley 7450 Hazard Center Drive San Diego, CA 92108. Agenda and Meeting Notice, >click here to read<>Listen to the meeting live >click to listen<, Enter the Webinar ID: 634-645-459 Please enter your email address (required). Visit Pacific Fishery Management Council >click<21:46

Sedan overboard! Here’s how cars wound up sunk off the Washington coast

Out where the water is a thousand feet deep, an old wooden fishing boat was slowly dragging its net along the sea bed. It was trawling for Dover sole, flatfish about the size of dinner plates. “There’s only a couple of spots in the area that are that deep, and we have lots of really giant Dover within there,” said Makah tribal fisherman Larry Buzzell of Neah Bay, Washington, on his way back from a more recent fishing trip.,,, “But as we pulled the net up, we saw a fender and a license plate and a crushed car, stuck in the mouth of the net,” he said. >click to read<20:27

Commercial fishing crews in B.C. now required to wear life-jackets on deck

The organization that oversees worker safety in British Columbia is taking steps to reduce risks faced by commercial fishing crews. WorkSafeBC says all crew members on the deck of a fishing vessel must now wear a life-jacket or personal flotation device. Until the amendment took effect June 3, workers on commercial fishing boats were only required to wear a life-jacket when working under conditions that involved a risk of drowning.,,, The updated regulation stems from Transportation Safety Board recommendations made after the fatal capsizing of the fishing vessel Caledonian near Tofino in September 2015. Three of the four crewmen died and the lone survivor was the only one wearing a life-jacket. >click to read<16:35

‘Just Enjoy The Moment’: NJ Fishermen Thrilled By Close Encounter With Great White

A group of fishermen off the Jersey Shore coast had a close encounter with a great white shark that suddenly appeared Monday. The five Toms River fishermen were about 30 miles from the shore and nearing the end of a 13-hour day at sea, but the sight of a shark certainly woke them up. It was roughly 18-feet long, about 3,000 pounds and hungry.“When you’re out there in a boat like that with a fish that big, you feel very small,” Video, >click to read<15:54

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 38′ Northern Bay Lobster/Tuna, 6 Cylinder Iveco,

Specifications, information and 8 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<13:43

The Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Races are happening this Sunday!

Nearly $15,000 worth of prizes will be given away at the Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Races this Sunday, June 23, with bait topping the list again. More than 100 buckets of pigs’ hide bait has been donated for the event. The town’s ninth annual races will begin right around 10 a.m., according to organizer Wayne ‘Cooly’ Rich. “Just about everybody’s going to get one of those — maybe two,” he said. Registration begins at 8 a.m. in the harbormaster’s office on the town wharf in Bernard and will end at 9 a.m. A pancake breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. on the town wharf. “click to read<12:51

Belfast Conflict Waves A ‘Red Flag’ For Dutch Firm Looking To Add A Third Fish Farm In Maine

The Dutch entrepreneur who would like to build a land-based yellowtail fish farm somewhere in Maine said that the relentless opposition that some have shown to Nordic Aquafarms’ proposed Belfast salmon farm has made him proceed here with caution. Ohad Maiman of Kingfish Zeeland said in a phone interview last week that company officials believe they have found two viable sites on the Maine coast after reviewing 22. But he does not want to identify those communities yet in hopes of avoiding the same kind of response that Nordic, a Norwegian-based company that is working to build a $500 million facility, has grappled with since announcing its plans in January 2018. >click to read<11:13

Jarrett Bay unveils new boat lift

Local and state officials joined Jarrett Bay Boatworks management and team members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 11 for all who aided in the purchase and operation of the new 300T Marine Travelift.  A grant from MARAD helped support the purchase of the 300-ton Marine Travelift, which is a first for a North Carolina shipyard. This new equipment was recently put into service and is already fostering economic growth for the coastal Carolina region, according to Jarrett Bay. >click to read<10:02

Stability monitor enhances vessel safey.

Developed by Hook Marine Ltd, the Scottish-based safety engineering company, the SeaWise real-time stability monitor, has been specially designed for the protection and survival of small vessels, in particular fishing boats. With accident statistics showing that the majority of fishermen are lost when a vessel capsizes or founders,,, The system monitors any loss of stability through this continuous roll measurement and features a simple traffic light display which gives a green light during normal operation, an amber light when stability is decreasing, and a red warning when there is real danger of capsize. >click to read<09:04

FISH-NL asks Ottawa to review quota-sharing arrangements of adjacent stocks – A Letter to Fisheries Minister Wilkinson

“There should be no difference between the fish and oil off our shores in terms of who the principle beneficiary must be — Newfoundland and Labrador,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “That’s not the case with species like turbot, halibut, snow crab and scallops, which is unacceptable.” “Newfoundland and Labrador is slowly losing access to the fish off its shores, which, if not stopped and reversed, will be lethal to the culture and way of life.” In a letter Tuesday to federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister John Wilkinson, Cleary noted that Canada only holds 15 per cent of the turbot quota on the entire Grand Banks, with the remaining 85 per cent held by counties like the European Union, Japan, and Russia. >click to read<08:32

Coast Guard suspends search for missing fisherman 300 miles east of Cape Canaveral

The Coast Guard suspended its search Tuesday for a missing fisherman who reportedly went overboard 300 miles east of Cape Canaveral. Missing is Russell Minor. After searching more than 4,640 square miles for over 42 hours, officials were unable to locate Minor who was reported missing Sunday. >click to read<22:18

Mississippi’s shrimp season will open Thursday. It doesn’t look good.

Mississippi’s shrimp season will open this Thursday, June 20 at 6am, despite samples showing smaller shrimp than typical for opening day. That’s the decision from Tuesday’s Commission on Marine Resources meeting. It’s not a cause for celebration though. It’s more of a sign of desperation. Usually, the legal count for shrimp must be 68 shrimp per pound before the season is opened. Right now, samples are showing 112,,, Experts also report that brown shrimp reproduction is down 90%. “I don’t think it really matters. I think the situation now is only getting worse, so why don’t we take the best we can? The only chance we have now is to allow our shrimpers to have some chance to have a life this year,” said Joe Spraggins, the director of the Department of Marine Resources. >click to read<19:36

Floods in Midwest take toll on seafood in Gulf Coast area

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards have asked the federal government for a fisheries disaster declaration,,, Louisiana’s oyster harvest is 80% below average,,, “We’ve been dealing with the river since October,” said Acy J. Cooper Jr., president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association “That’s a long time it’s been high.” The die-offs are as bad in Mississippi.,, Shrimp are now in places only larger boats can reach, said Cooper. “Some of the big ones are catching a few,” he said. “The smaller boats are just catching hell.” >Video, click to read< 18:05

Offshore Wind Farm’s Meteorological Tower To Be Constructed Next Month; Officials Express Concerns At Public Hearing

A 300-foot-plus meteorological tower will be installed about 17 miles off the coast of Ocean City next month in advance of the US Wind offshore wind farm project.,,,“It was a public hearing, but there weren’t a lot of people there because I don’t think there was a lot of notice about it,” he said. “There were some commercial fishermen there and they’re very concerned about the pounding of the pilings. “The commercial fishermen that fish for conch and lobsters and clams etc. are very concerned about losing equipment,” he said. “They are also concerned about the construction and noise scaring off fish and scaring their catch away. That was very evident during that meeting.” >click to read<15:42

Offshore Wind Projects’ Impact on Fishing Grounds off the Ocean City Coast Discussed – July 18, 2018, After hearing a strong presentation from a noted expert on the impacts of wind farms on commercial fishing, the Mayor and Council seem inclined to strengthen opposition to the wind farms off the resort coast in general.,, Monday’s presentation was spearheaded by Meghan Lapp, who is the fisheries liaison for Seafreeze Ltd., >click to read<

Renewables ‘Transition’ Terminated: With Their Subsidies Slashed, the Honeymoon for Wind & Solar is Over

Like a bride jilted at the altar, the wind and solar ‘industries’ are moaning about what could have been.,,, It was, of course, a ‘green’ wet dream. Now, reality has started to bite. With an inevitability, all of its own. For some strange reason, the places that led the charge with mandates, targets and massive subsidies to wind and solar, all appear to be the first to unwind those very same policies – simply because they were never sustainable, in the first place. Faced with rocketing power prices and grids on the brink of collapse, European states have slashed subsidies and are building new coal-fired plants and refurbishing old ones. >click to read<14:01

PROPULSION: The OXE Diesel Outboard Arrives

As Trace Laborde, Marine Manager for Laborde Products, said, “The OXE diesel is the complete package, a true diesel engine. It’s great for any maritime application that requires fuel efficiency, simple maintenance, compliance with all European and EPA Tier 3 regulations, and unmatched performance. There is no other choice than the OXE diesel.” That’s high praise, predictably coming from one of OXE’s authorized North American distributors, but in this case, the talk is matched by this OEM’s proven performance. The OXE was recently approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as the first and only Tier 3 diesel outboard for commercial use. >click to read< 12:47

Multi-organization effort believes Cashes Ledge deserves to be permanently protected

The team’s efforts of four years ago, including holding roundtables and giving talks across the region, were undertaken in hopes Cashes Ledge would be awarded a monument designation. The effort failed, but it did play a part in the creation, three years ago, of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the only national monument in the Atlantic Ocean. Lamb, who now works with the Witman Lab and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on various marine issues, believes Cashes Ledge deserves the same protection, especially since the Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming bodies of salt water in the world.  >click to read<09:37

US Coast Guard acted properly – Chang

National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang is claiming that the US Coast Guard followed correct procedures in the case involving the five Jamaican fishermen who claimed they were subjected to inhumane treatment after being detained in 2017. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is seeking compensation for four of the fishermen, claimed they were stripped naked, chained to the decks of US Coast Guard vessels, made to lie in faeces and had their boat burned. On Sunday night Dr. Chang told RJR News that the fishermen did not file a complaint about their alleged mistreatment by the U.S. Coast Guard. He claimed that the Coast Guard “responded within (the) legal framework of our agreement with the US Government and we had no complaint from the men involved prior to this report.”>click to read<08:31

Public comment period ends July 1 for seismic survey permits off SC coast

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is currently accepting public comments regarding a new application for seismic testing off the South Carolina coast from WesternGeco LLC. Jeffrey Payne, Director for NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, said seismic surveys “would have reasonably foreseeable effects on coastal uses or resources of South Carolina’s coastal zone.” In addition to potential reductions in commercial fishing catches there is also the potential for conflicts with other vessels. >click to read<21:10

Coast Guard searching for Fort Pierce fishing captain who fell overboard

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for 31-year-old Russell Minor, the captain of a 46-foot fishing vessel who reportedly fell overboard at 2:57 a.m. on Sunday while boating 300 miles east of Cape Canaveral. The Coast Guard said crew members of Day Boat Too, owned by Day Boat Seafood, LLC, alerted authorities to Minor’s disappearance.,,, At approximately 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, members of the Coast Guard began searching for Minor using both rescue boats and helicopters. “The search is on-going and there are no plans to suspend the search at this time,” >video, click to read<19:21

Commercial crab fisher ordered to forfeit traps, fined $20,000 after repeat offences

A B.C. judge lamented the state of protections for Canadian fisheries this month as she tore a strip off a commercial skipper with a history of repeat fishing violations. Powell River Provincial Court Judge Kimberley Arthur-Leung slapped Tuan Huu Le with a $20,000 fine, a four-month fishing prohibition and an order to forfeit his traps after he pleaded guilty to a series of crab fishing offences. >click to read<17:06

Gov. Edwards Requests Federal Declaration of a Fisheries Disaster in Louisiana

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced today that he has requested a federal fisheries disaster declaration for Louisiana from the U.S. Department of Commerce following impacts of the spring flood flight on the fishing industry in Louisiana. Troubling mortality rates among oysters, declining fish catches and the financial damage to the livelihoods of those in the fishing industry caused by floodwaters rushing from the Bonnet Carré Spillway were among the reasons for the request, which Gov. Edwards outlined in a letter to Wilbur Ross, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. >click to read<16:18

Updated – Letter: Gulf Seafood industry hampered by spillway opening

Gulf seafood harvesters need federal disaster recovery funding to ease the suffering caused by the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.,, In a letter to the U.S. secretary of commerce, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant stated that 70% of the Mississippi Sound’s already imperiled oyster population is estimated to be dead, with the crab catch down by 35%. Shrimp season in Mississippi, which usually begins in June, will also be affected. >click to read<14:36

Gov. Edwards Requests Federal Disaster Declaration for Flooded Fisheries – >click to read<

A Fishery Management Proposal

Its frustrating to watch fish regulators on the various fishery management councils continuously cut back on fishermen allocations with no regard for how they will make up for the “scientific” decision that takes revenue from them. I have reached out to various politicians to create a Farm Bill for fishermen, which would be a huge undertaking for the Congress, and in the current political climate, it seems like an impossible task, even though it is needed. In the meantime, the mismanagement continues, and people are pushed closer to exit the industry, which is unacceptable. What I am proposing is to correct this and mitigate the damage caused by the cutback is legislation. This is what I would like to see. Sam Parisi >click to read<12:16

2019 Northeast Groundfish Stock Assessment Plans Under Review This Week – Listen Live

In 2019, 14 Northeast groundfish stock assessments will be reviewed and updated. Scientists will use existing models and data sources to evaluate stock health.,, On Thursday, June 20 the Assessment Oversight Panel will review and approve assessment plans for each stock. After this meeting, scientists will spend the summer conducting the assessments. The results will be presented Sept 9-11, 2019 to a panel of peer reviewers. Meeting Webinar >click to read<11:34

Eric Schwaab Comes Aboard as New Head of EDF’s Oceans Program

“Eric was critical to the success we achieved during my time as NOAA Administrator,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, University Distinguished Professor, Oregon State University and former EDF Board Trustee. “His unflappable get-it-done approach makes him notably effective working with a range of stakeholders from fishermen to global leaders.” As head of NMFS, Schwaab led the transformation of U.S. fisheries management including widespread adoption of science-based catch limits and catch shares. EDF was a leading advocate for these reforms, which have driven a dramatic recovery of fish populations and increased catch and profits for fishermen. >click tp read<10:02

Skrobie’s last hurrah on the harbor

William Dixon Skrobacz made his last trip on a boat on Friday. For once, he didn’t have much to say. But if he did, he probably would have wondered — profanely — from within his remembrance urn how all of his friends could have forgotten to bring along a few Miller High Lifes to lubricate the leaving. A little something, as it were, for the effort. Late Friday afternoon, three lobster boats — Mark Ring’s Stanley Thomas, Joe Mondello’s Tully IV and Pete Mondello’s Allison-Carol — ferried about a dozen family and friends to a spot off Half Moon Beach, where, under a perfect sky and on a calm sea, they released Skrobie’s ashes into Gloucester Harbor. >click to read<08:43

Lobster Boat Races come to Rockland

Lobstermen in Rockland weren’t hauling any traps today, but that doesn’t mean their boats weren’t in action. Summer in Maine is actually multiple seasons rolled into one. The Rockland boat races happened to be on the fifth birthday of Owen Hotchkiss, so his dad Blake brought him down from Brewer, for a loud, Fathers Day/ Birthday afternoon. “A lot of noise, which is great though,” said Hotchkiss.” Love the engines, how fast they’re going. He really likes it too. You know, I grew up on the coast near Blue Hill, so we’ve been around boats all our life, so this is really important.” >click to read<19:08

Illegal eel exporters exposed by Countryfile

Posing as a UK fisherman who had legally caught the eels on the River Severn in Gloucestershire, presenter Joe Crowley was approached by Chinese and Russian buyers and a UK exporter. They were prepared to pay up to seven times the normal catch price if the eels could be sent out of the EU.
>click to read<15:47

Coast Guard searching for a missing fisherman 300 miles east of Cape Canaveral

The Coast Guard is searching Sunday for a missing fisherman 300 miles east of Cape Canaveral. At 2:57 a.m., Coast Guard 7th District Command Center watchstanders received a report from the Day Boat Too, a 46-foot fishing vessel, stating the captain, a 30-year-old male, went overboard. >click to read< To be updated.11:57