Monthly Archives: July 2019
Maine gets another 4.7 million pounds of pogy, or menhaden, but will likely need more bait fish
The state ordered its menhaden fleet to stop fishing on June 30 after officials concluded it had exceeded the state’s annual quota of 2.4 million pounds by 1.5 million pounds, the majority of which was landed in the last four days of June, according to state records. But menhaden, a schooling forage fish also called pogy, were still abundant in Maine waters from Kittery to Penobscot Bay, so Maine sought access to another 4.7 million pounds of quota that is set aside for New England states to share when they catch their limit but the fish remains in large numbers. >click to read< 10:10
From DMR, MENHADEN: Daily Reporting Required for the Episodic Fishery – The menhaden fishery will resume under the episodic event set aside (EESA) program. The quota for the EESA is 1% of the 216,000 mt coastwide TAC, which equates to approximately 4.7 million pounds. DMR has implemented emergency regulation to open the Episodic fishery on Monday, July 15, 2019. >click to read<
Catch Shares – Veteran commercial fishers fear the worst for industry
Third generation fisherman Kevin Cannon has been net fishing on the Coast for 55 years, but is “demoralised” that a quota system proposed for the region’s popular species. Mr Cannon said flathead, bream, whiting, taylor and barramundi – “bread and butter” fish – were all some of the species included which would de-value his licence by “up to 60 per cent”. Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said many fisheries in Australia and around the world used the proposed system where individuals were allocated a share of the stock. (standard EDF line), “This provides security of access and allows them to plan their businesses,” >click to read< 08:51
Coast Guard, locals, good Samaritan rescue five fisherman after vessel sunk near Black Island, Alaska.
Coast Guard and Alaska State Trooper boat crews, as well as the crew of a good Samaritan vessel, rescued five fishermen after their vessel sunk near Black Island, Sunday.At 10:55 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received a distress call over VHF channel 16 from an operator of the fishing vessel Daffnie. They stated the vessel had capsized and sunk, all five people who were aboard had abandoned ship into a skiff and provided the coordinates for the skiff, as well as noted there was only one life jacket. >click to read< 22:36
Faye Passanisi – Fair winds and following seas to my writing colleague and friend, Bill Allen
Greetings, I’d like to share about Bill Allen ~ my writing colleague, and friend. Bill and I “met” due to an “accidental click” on my computer 4 years ago. 6 months after my “accidental click,” I was FB “friended” by Bill Allen and the same day was asked to co-write PORT BLISS with him and JW Gooding.,,, Bill was quick, witty and had a sense of humor. It was a pleasure to co-write with him and get to know him and he would tell me that I was everything good in his life. He did not want PORT BLISS to come to an end but it had to, eventually, in order to get it published. >click to read< 22:24
Commercial fishermen along Gulf Coast take another hit after Hurricane Barry
Gulf Coast commercial fishermen have taken another hit this season after Hurricane Barry struck Louisiana and Mississippi shores. Indeed, strong winds and rain from the Category 1 storm forced vessels to remain docked for days. That was the case for Floyd Lesseigne of Grand Isle, La. The commercial fishermen, who has two boats that he takes out to harvest crabs, shrimp and oysters, said he and many others were forced out of the water early last week. Video, >click to read< 19:27
Resqunit Launches Canadian Operations
Resqunit has found its Canadian home at Dartmouth’s Centre for Ocean Venture & Entrepreneurship’s (COVE) Start-Up Yard, and on July 15th, none other than Deadliest Catch’s Sig Hansen served as host at their housewarming party. A venture founded in Norway in November 2017, Resqunit is a floatation device that secures fishing gear, such as lobster traps and crab pots. When a trap gets lost, and remains under water for a period of time, the Resqunit is released, floating to the surface – saving expensive gear, hard sought-after fish stocks and protecting marine life that are often stuck inside these “ghost traps”. >click to read< 18:24 Floatation device for lobster traps – video, >click here<
Untested Waters: Feds take small steps toward inspecting more seafood
In hopes of making a dent in safety issues associated with the growing amount of foreign seafood coming into the United States, the federal government recently announced two changes: a new safety strategy and $3.1 million of additional funding. Longtime shrimper George Barisich had just come in from Breton Sound off the Gulf of Mexico after five days and four nights on the water. With him were two crew members and 3,500 pounds of fresh shrimp. Imaginably tired, Barisich, 63, was still eager to talk about the industry on which he was raised – an industry he said keeps changing. Video, >click to read< 14:19
Brexit Party MEP just insulted everyone from EU fishing vessels to Argentina
A Brexit Party MEP (Robert Rowland) has called for the Royal Navy to sink EU fishing vessels that enter a 200 mile exclusion zone around the United Kingdom. The policy would see EU boats as far away as France’s Bay of Biscay attacked by British warships. The 200 miles exclusion zone would also include a number of EU capitals and major cities such as Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Dublin.,,, “We are behind all our fisherman and the restoration of sovereignty over our waters. 200 miles of exclusion zone with any foreign fishing vessel given the same treatment as the Belgrano!” >click to read< 13:53
New tech could unveil the secret life of Bristol Bay red king crab
Fishery researchers in Alaska are using cutting-edge technology to track migratory patterns of one of Alaska’s tastiest catches — the red king crab.
Biologists tagged 150 mature male crab in Dutch Harbor in June. The tags transmit acoustic readings back to an unmanned saildrone equipped with an accoustic receiver. This allows researchers to track movement across the ocean floor and monitor changes in water temperature. >click to read< 11:53
A fish tag that knows it’s been eaten is helping endangered Atlantic salmon
New tracking devices inserted into Atlantic salmon reveal that up to 48 per cent of the critically endangered fish are being eaten while leaving Nova Scotia’s Stewiacke River on their ocean migration. The insight is the result of acoustic tags that can tell when a tagged fish has been eaten.,, Striped bass the main predator,,, One thing has not changed: Atlantic salmon remain in deep trouble in the inner Bay of Fundy rivers where they are wiped out or on the brink of extinction. >click to read< 10:13
Vineyard Wind challenges ‘flawed’ permitting decision
The developer of the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the US is seeking a ‘superseding order’ to overturn a project application decision by the Edgartown Conservation Commission Vineyard Wind chief development officer Erich Stephens said, “Vineyard Wind always places a priority on working with local communities, and was fully responsive to all information requests received from the Edgartown Conservation Commission.,, Vineyard Wind has also entered into a Host Community Agreement with the Town of Barnstable, and a Community Benefits Agreement with the non-profit energy co-operative Vineyard Power, which serves Martha’s Vineyard. Fishing representatives for the project include the New Bedford Port Authority, the Massachusetts Lobsterman’s Association, and the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust. >click to read< 08:27
Captain Dave Goethel has some Fishery Observer and liability information you should review. Please share it!
Beginning sometime this winter, here in the northeast observers switched from the safety checklist to the “pre-trip safety inspection”. Basically, instead of accepting a card signed by a previous observer good for three months, with all the expiration dates listed for the EPIRB and other equipment,,, Anyone that has been sued knows that when someone gets hurt everyone remotely involved gets dragged in. If this is happening on my vessel it is happening elsewhere. For that reason I am releasing the statement I have written for all fishermen to use. It is not a legal document, but it will provide you with proof that you attempted to protect them from their own unsafe actions. Fishermen should customize the statement to their own vessels characteristics. To continue, >click to read< 19:18
The Feds Are About To Kill Maine’s Lobster Industry And Hurt Thousands Of Workers For Some Bogus Whale Regulation
Big government overreach knows no bounds. The latest example of federal regulation that will threaten thousands of jobs and livelihoods of hardworking Americas comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA says that Maine’s lobster industry is to blame for the killing of right whales, an endangered species, and has enacted regulations set to take place this September which will harm the already struggling industry. Yet, the evidence says that the proposed regulation will in no way actually help the whales and will instead only burden lobstermen. >click to read< 17:30
Tropical Storm Barry – Coast Guard reopens Port of New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard captain of the port for Sector New Orleans cancelled port condition Zulu and set port conditions normal as of 6 a.m. Sunday, allowing vessel movement into and out of the river and the Port of New Orleans with some restrictions. Specific information about Port of New Orleans restrictions can be viewed on the Coast Guard homeport webpage,,, Early preparation and communication between federal, state, local, and industry partners helped minimize the potential for damage in the New Orleans Captain of the Port zone. >click to read< 12:29
SURF AND TURFED: N.S. prof canned after wanting sex, lobster and moose meat from struggling student
A Nova Scotia university professor was turfed after allegedly demanding sex, lobster and moose meat from a student in exchange for better grades.
The Chronicle Herald reported an unnamed instructor from Cape Breton University had asked a female student who was struggling in his class if she wanted to do some extracurricular activities in an effort to boost her marks.,,, The student claimed the teacher asked her to bring him moose meat and lobster in exchange for better grades, and despite her better judgement, she did. When the student and the instructor went to her car to collect the edible goods, that’s when the educator wanted to get into her pants. >click to read< 11:25
Move over Fishermen, Alberta company to try to harness Bay of Fundy’s powerful tides
An Alberta-based company has been granted permission to try to harness electricity from the powerful tides of the Bay of Fundy. Nova Scotia has issued two renewable energy permits to Jupiter Hydro. The Jupiter application says it will use three “floating barge type platforms” carrying its patented technology. The company says it uses helical turbines mounted as if they were outboard motors. .,,,Energy and Mines Minister Mombourquette also authorized a power purchase agreement that allows the company to sell the electricity it generates to Nova Scotia Power for 50 cents per kilowatt hour. >click to read< 10:03
Opinion: Federal fisheries committee challenges B.C. licensing policies
With a sole focus on protecting fish stocks, since the mid-1990s Fisheries and Oceans Canada has largely ignored the economic well-being of B.C.’s commercial fish harvesters and coastal communities. Something really extraordinary just happened. Someone in the government of Canada started paying attention to the B.C. fishery. Not just to the fish in the water, but to the 2,400 small- and medium-sized businesses that employ more than 5,000 fish harvesters to deliver high-value seafood products to local and global markets and sustain B.C.’s coastal communities and First Nations. >click to read< 21:52
Scientist says DFO may be overestimating Newfoundland cod stocks by 35 per cent
A British Columbia fishery scientist says he’s worried federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans managers aren’t getting an accurate picture of the state of the northern cod stock. In fact, George Rose’s research suggests DFO science may be overestimating the biomass of the stock by 35 per cent.,,, The president of the FISH-NL union says DFO should take the criticism seriously. Cleary is calling for the cancellation of all fishing for northern cod outside the stewardship fishery, including the recreational food fishery, which is not something the union takes lightly, he said. >click to read< 19:10
State invests in Puget Sound salmon habitat
More than $45 million in grants were awarded to communities throughout Puget Sound to support salmon habitat restoration projects — including more than $333,000 to San Juan County. The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, in partnership with the Puget Sound Partnership, awarded Friends of the San Juans three grants on Monday, July 8.,, The first grant is for $199,884 to protect herring spawning habitat around the islands. Herring are one of the two species of fish on which salmon prey. >click to read< 15:30
What lies beneath: Gulf of Mexico likely holds tons of discarded military munitions
Today, questions remain as to exactly where those munitions are off the U.S. coastlines, what their condition might be, what dangers they might pose, and whether or not it makes sense to attempt to recover them for land-based disposal.,, Dumped from barges or sent to the bottom aboard scuttled ships, estimates are that millions of pounds of military munitions — unexploded 250-, 500- and 1,000-pound bombs, land mines, mustard gas and other chemical weapons, including munitions confiscated from Nazi Germany and elsewhere following World War II — were sunk off the eastern seaboard of the United States, around the Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of the Hawaiian islands. Records of the dumped munitions, if kept at all, are scarce. Some likely are inaccurate. Some likely were destroyed. >click to read< 15:11
Barry strengthens into category 1 hurricane; Gulf Coast braces for impact
As power outages continued to mount across Louisiana Saturday morning, Barry continued to intensifying and strengthened into a category 1 hurricane as it churned toward the Gulf Coast, threatening millions with flooding and damaging winds. Barry is the first hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, and only the fourth hurricane to ever to make landfall on the Louisiana coast in the month of July. >click to read<14:07
Bristol Bay’s 40-knot netter
They recently sea trialled Bryan Mcmahan’s Esa Ruth, the first of their latest pair of Bristol Bay boats that will be turning some heads on the Bay during this Summer’s sockeye season. The boat’s 40-knot speed will stand out among the crowd of fast boats. But it will be their innovative design that is set to attract attention. Rather than the conventional forward cabin-design, these two craft have the cabin set aft on a raised platform that allows flexibility in handling the salmon gillnet. >click to read< 12:38
Fishing Boat’s Chief Mate Charged With Killing Eight Crewmembers
Early this year, the suspect was serving as the chief mate aboard the tuna fishing vessel Wen Peng on a voyage in the Indian Ocean. On February 20, while the boat was operating off Mauritius, the mate was involved in a verbal altercation with some of the crewmembers over their work. He then stabbed and killed one Philippine crewmember, then a second, prompting eight additional members of the crew to jump over the side to escape. Two of those who went over the side were rescued by another vessel; six others are missing and presumed dead. In total, three Philippine nationals and five Indonesians died in the fight. >click to read<12:08
Vineyard Wind project lands in rough waters
The project, jointly owned by Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, had seemed to be gathering permits the way a kid gathers shells on the beach. One after another, the developer added them to the bucket. Then the snag: The Edgartown Conservation Commission on Wednesday denied an underwater cable route off the town’s coastline, citing the potential disturbance to marine habitats and other conflicts. (Local fishermen weren’t happy, either.) On Friday, Vineyard Wind vowed to get a “superseding order” from the state Department of Environmental Protection – a more sympathetic venue – that would overturn the commission vote. More trouble lurks: Vineyard Wind also disclosed that the US Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management would not issue a crucial permit, as expected, this week,,, >click to read<10:43
Developer: We won’t pursue wind farm in waters off Hamptons
The developer of one of the largest of three proposed wind farms contemplated for the waters off the Hamptons has withdrawn its tentative plan in favor of sites to the west, and is urging the federal government to restrict turbines from East End waters, according to the Germany-based developer’s top U.S. official.,, Bill White, managing director of East Wind LLC, a subsidiary of EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, said Friday the decision to withdraw and recommend against development off the Hamptons was primarily related to concerns about impacts on fishing. >click to read<10:08
On this Day: July 13 – 1846: Burning whale oil created “a sea of fire” nearly wipes out Nantucket
On this day in 1846, a fire began in a hat store on Nantucket’s Main Street. In no time, it raced through town, consuming everything in its path. Barrels of whale oil were stored on the wharves; when the fire reached them, they burst into flames. The burning oil flowed into the water, creating what one man described as “a sea of fire.” Seven hours later most of the town’s commercial area lay in ashes. Some 250 buildings had been destroyed – almost all the markets and shops, seven factories that processed whale oil, a dozen warehouses, three of the town’s four wharves, and many homes. The fire had lasting consequences: it contributed to the demise of Nantucket as the world capital of the whaling industry. >click to read< 09:10
Tropical Storm Barry Brings Shrimp Fishing to Halt in U.S. Gulf
Shrimp fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico were docking ships and tying down equipment as Tropical Storm Barry strengthened while heading to the Louisiana coast. The storm is likely to disrupt fresh catches of shrimp for a day or more, C. David Veal, executive director of the American Shrimp Processors Association in Biloxi, Mississippi, said on Friday.,,, Many processors, retailers and restaurants have ample supplies of shrimp and other seafood in freezers. Those supplies would be threatened by a sustained power outage. >click to read< 19:15
Mills comes out against ‘foolish’ federal regulations to protect right whales
Gov. Janet Mills is directing the Maine Department of Marine Resources to come up with an alternative to a federal plan to protect the endangered right whale from the state lobster industry, saying she won’t allow “foolish” regulations to make life harder for the state’s fishermen.,,, Some fishermen complained that it took Mills too long to come to their defense, and some worried her feisty tone might prompt federal regulators to take even more drastic action to protect the right whale, but many welcomed the support from the Blaine House. “It’s nice to know the governor was listening to us,” said Cutler lobsterman Kristan Porter, the head of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. >click to read< 18:30
‘An extreme crisis for our sacred salmon’: B.C. rockslide threatens First Nations’ food security
Several First Nations leaders say a “state of emergency” could arise from the blocked salmon situation necessitating immediate action on the part of other governments. The remote site of a rockslide on the Fraser near Big Bar continues to fill with rocky debris, which is impeding any fish-rescue efforts despite the establishment of a multi-agency Incident Command Post out of Lilooet with experts working on it every day.,,, Several types of fish are being impacted, including some of conservation concern, officials said. The impacted stocks include: Interior Fraser Steelhead (Chilcotin), Spring/Summer Chinook, Interior Fraser Coho, Early Stuart Sockeye, Early Summer Sockeye, Summer Run Sockeye and Fraser Pinks. >click to read<17:44
Department of Marine Resources – Rulemaking Adoptions: Chapters 25, 26, 34, and 36
The Department of Resources has adopted the following rules, which are effective July 17, 2019: Chapter 25-Lobster and Crab Fishing-This regulation defines the area in the Bay of Fundy referred to as the “gray zone”,, Chapter 26-Urchin Season-This rule establishes open harvest days and tote limits,,, Chapter 34-Groundfish Regulations- In order to be consistent with the National Marine Fisheries Service… Chapter 36-2019 Herring Season >click to read< 17:31
