Monthly Archives: September 2019
Don’t Call Me Lobster
After a long, dull day, the sun is finally breaking through the clouds as fisherman Graeme Hackworth hops off his tiny blue-and-white boat—named Freya after his granddaughter—and clambers up the stone quayside. Using a heavy rope, he hoists the first of three plastic baskets, each about the size of a large laundry tote, from the boat deck about five meters below.,,, Never knowing how much he’ll catch is exactly what he likes about his job. “It’s different every day,” he explains. “It’s the excitement.”,,, >click to read< 08:57
New Adenia readies for sea after trip via Killybegs
The new Adenia tackled some harsh weather on her passage from Astilleros Zamakona’s yard in Pasaia, first to Killybegs to pick up gear, and thence to Whalsay. Skipper George Anderson, who is in partnership with his sons Stuart, Josie and Michael and fishing agents LHD, said that Adenia took the side-on bad weather, blowing to 30 knots on the first leg and 40 on the second, in her stride. photo’s, >click to read< 07:52
Bristol Bay Native Corporation to acquire two giants of Alaska’s Pacific cod fishery
Clipper Seafoods and Blue North Fisheries are freezer longline catchers, two giants of the Pacific cod industry. Clipper has six hook and line vessels, and after retiring one of its vessels, Blue North will have four. Now, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation is poised to acquire all of them. “Blue North and Clipper Seafoods, as of Friday last week, have officially merged together. And then BBNC’s intentions are to acquire the merged companies – the Blue North Clipper Group – on Sept. 30.” Audio, >click to read< 18:20
How much fishing gear is lost at sea, worldwide?
The first ever estimate of commercial fishing gear lost in the world’s oceans has been published by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear or ‘ghost gear’,,, Until now there has not been a clear global picture of the quantity and type of fishing gear lost worldwide.,,Using data from 68 studies Currently, much of the data on gear loss is from the United States and Europe, highlighting the need for more information about gear losses in the African, Asian, South American and Oceania regions. >click to read< 16:27
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 44’11”x21 Novi Lobster/Scalloper, Price reduced
Specifications, information and 45 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<
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Five processors have monopoly on inshore fishery: FFAW-Unifor
Fish harvesters gathered in St. John’s Tuesday to speak out against what their union describes as the cartel-like behaviour of the province’s fish processing companies. FFAW-Unifor union says that, as a result of what it claims are co-ordinated efforts by some of the largest companies, who refused to buy species such as northern cod and squid for several weeks this season, harvesters are calling on the provincial government to issue new processing licences and develop a strategy to attract more competition and investment within the industry. >click to read< 12:56
ACR Electronics Launches SM-3 Automatic Buoy Marker Light
ACR Electronics is introducing its new SM-3 Automatic Buoy Marker Light, a high-intensity LED strobe that provides brighter light in all directions for clear marking of a man-overboard site. Featuring industry-leading light weight, compact size and durability, the SM-3 provides 360° visibility for approximately 2 miles (3.22 km) and is ideal for any global commercial and leisure users requiring a reliable Crew Overboard (COB) marker light. When thrown in the water, the new ACR light automatically activates and rights itself to float upright in all conditions, strobing for over 24 hours,,, >click to read< 12:08
New study addresses changes in lobster molt timing, Gulf of Maine temperature shifts
Variation in lobster molt timing has been increasing in recent years, and is related to changing ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Maine,,, Creating a time series for lobster molts and outlining the relationship of the initial intra-annual molt season to bottom water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine is important to the lobster industry because shifts in water temperature could result in changes in timing of the molt season, led by then UMaine graduate student Kevin Staples, who was pursuing a dual master’s degree in marine biology and marine policy. >click to read< 09:45
9 U.S. environmental groups seeking Canadian snow crab import ban, stronger right whale protections
“We do believe that, at this point, at least Canadian snow crab needs to be banned from the United States,” said Sarah Uhlemann, program director of the Seattle-based Center for Biological Diversity. Uhlemann was one of nine conservation groups who signed a letter sent Tuesday to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) urging it to “press the Canadian government to immediately strengthen right whale protections, in order to avoid an import ban and to help save the species from extinction.” >click to read< 07:35
Coast Guard rescues 6 fishermen and an observer from a fishing vessel on fire off Oahu
Six crew and an NOAA observer are safe following a Coast Guard rescue eight miles off Ko’Olina, Tuesday. A Coast Guard Station Honolulu 45-foot Response-Boat Medium crew rescued the crew of the fishing vessel Miss Emma from a liferaft after the ship reportedly caught fire. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Watchstanders received a mayday call on VHF-FM channel 16 at 4:29 p.m. reporting the crew was battling a vessel fire. Photo’s, >click to read< 06:56
We need a seal cull
There are over seven million harp seals that are devastating our marine life with each passing migration from the north, destroying valuable fish stocks and causing incalculable economic damage to the fishery and our province. The federal government has allowed this to go on for decades, and each successive government refuses to take any action on the exploding seal populations. We are now seeing the results of their inaction. Shrimp, crab, and cod stocks are disappearing at an alarming rate, while seals are never considered enough of a contributing factor. The government continues to set tokenized quotas that go unfilled. by Zack Best, >click to read< 18:48 We know our fishery and our waters. It’s time to protect them.
October is National Seafood Month & Aragosta Mama wants to challenge you.
Harpswell, Maine— September 17, 2019 — October is National Seafood Month. The origin for the designation is unknown but nevertheless it should be celebrated and promoted, especially so here in Maine. Aragosta Mama was created by Monique Coombs (author) who wants more people to understand and love the community and culture that is inspired by the commercial fishing industry. Commercial fishing is important to coastal communities around the country and provides innumerable jobs and healthy seafood to feed a fast-growing population. >click to read< 17:00
Floodwaters Diverted from New Orleans Killed Off Marine Life
The federal government’s effort to avoid a flood disaster in New Orleans had catastrophic consequences of its own, causing massive fish kills and habitat destruction along the Gulf Coast, according to the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The governors say the Army Corps of Engineers’ diversion of trillions of gallons of water from the swollen Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico killed fish, shrimp, oysters and crab and forced the extended closure of beaches. Dolphins have suffered high death and infection rates, researchers say. >click to read< 15:44
Toothfish research draws scientists, seafarers back for second Antarctic journey
Having broken the ice three years ago, a Nelson-based longliner is making a return voyage to the Antarctic to gain further insights into the world of toothfish. The Talley’s-owned FV Janas sailed last week to the northern Ross Sea region to carry out a winter scientific research survey. This is the second such trip for the Janas, having successfully completed a survey in the Ross Sea in 2016. During that trip, scientists and crew successfully fertilised Antarctic toothfish eggs, measured egg buoyancy of newly fertilised eggs, and collected wild eggs from plankton for the first time in history. >click to read< 14:28
President Trump! About our great Fishermen, our great Farmers and tariffs
President Trump, as we sit here listening to your arena chat with another strong crowd of support tonight (9-16-2019) in New Mexico, you once again brought up the nations farmers, I’d like to mention another group of outstanding, and hard working Americans, U.S. Commercial Fishermen, of whom many are your supporters that have been standing with you on the trade war. We have heard the praise of the Miners, and the Farmers, and its time for you to praise the Fishermen. >click to read< 11:31
The New Zealand fishing industry is fighting back against claims its newspaper advertising campaign is “spin”
It is true that the seafood industry is in fighting mode, as evidenced by a series of full-page ads we are running in the Dominion Post and the New Zealand Herald. However, there is a very good reason for that. Hundreds of small, family-owned fishing businesses are at stake if a review of the Hector’s and Māui dolphin Threat Management Plan sees tougher rules introduced.,, And for what? there has been no death of a Māui dolphin attributed to commercial fishing since 2002.,,, the biggest threat to the Māui is not fishing. It’s toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease found in cat faeces,,, >click to read< 09:36
Moulton praises local lobsterers for staying at whale rule table at a teleconference they were’nt invited to
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton on Monday called the Maine Lobstermen’s Association shortsighted for stepping away,,, “It limits their involvement in the solution going forward,” Moulton said on a teleconference organized by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.,,, Monday’s teleconference was billed as an opportunity,,, The sole discussion on technology Monday centered on ropeless fishing gear. The panel, included two IFAW staffers and Rob Morris, a sales engineer with EdgeTech, a company that has developed a ropeless gear fishing system. No fishermen were represented. “We did not extend an invitation,” Ramage said. >click to read< 08:08
New Brunswick: Fundy fishermen rescue suspected great white shark in Back Bay Harbour
William Hanley said it’s not uncommon for porpoises or smaller sharks, like makos, to become trapped in fishing weirs or other netting, but the fish that emerged from the depths in Back Bay Harbour on Sunday morning was something new for him. “First when I saw it, I thought it was just a little wee small shark that was only about four or five feet long,” Hanley, a St. George fisherman of 30 years, recalled of the encounter just after dawn. “Then [it] come up underneath me and that’s when I realized we had a big one, the biggest one I ever encountered in the weir.” Video, >click to read< 18:56
Daniel Pauly’s Three Big Moves to Save the World’s Threatened Fisheries
In the last 60 years, globalization has transformed largely sustainable, small-scale local fishing enterprises into something very different. Now “largely corporate-owned and controlled” fleets subsidized by taxpayers roam the world’s oceans, depleting fish stocks either legally or illegally, Pauly says. Pauly’s pioneering and often provocative work has shed light on what the scientist calls “the toxic triad of fisheries” — the under-reporting of catches, overfishing and the tendency to blame depleted catches on “the environment.” >click to read< 17:04
New technology allows fleets to double fishing capacity—and deplete fish stocks faster – “This ‘technological creep’ is also ignored by most fisheries scientists in charge of proposing policies,” said Daniel Pauly, the Sea Around Us principal investigator. >click to read< 17:16
New Jersey Fishermen Demand a Say in Decisions on Offshore Wind Farms
Fishermen insisted Monday to a congressional subcommittee looking at offshore wind energy that they be consulted,,, Fishermen should have been brought into the planning process from the start, Peter Hughes, of Atlantic Cape Fisheries, told U.S. House members from New Jersey and California who were holding a hearing at the Jersey Shore. “Look at these slides,” he said, referring to diagrams of where proposed wind projects would be built. “They’re right smack dab where we are fishing. This is going to put people out of business.” >click to read< 14:26
Federal subcommittee hearing opens lines of communication between offshore energy company and fishers – Photo’s >click to read< 19:28
Copeland man accused in his father’s death aboard a fishing boat in March sentenced
A Copeland man accused in his father’s death aboard a fishing boat in March was sentenced to just fewer than 10 years in prison at the federal courthouse in Fort Myers on Monday. Casey Hickok, 32, originally faced a second-degree murder charge and was accused of bludgeoning the sleeping Robert Hickok, 54 of Copeland, to death with an alternator aboard the fishing boat No Bitchin’ on March 18. >click to read< 14:07
Humpy catch ends, coho opener wait for rain
“We still haven’t gotten a lot of rain, so we’re tracking behind in escapement and the (coho) commercial harvest is below anticipated,” said Jeremy Botz, gillnet area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Cordova. “We had been fishing once a week and now we have been closed for more than a week.” The last opener for coho salmon was Sept. 2. >click to read< 12:59
Offshore Wind Energy Looks More Promising for Oregon
A stretch of the Pacific Ocean off the coast between Humboldt County, California, and Coos Bay, Oregon, has some of the highest wind power generating potential in the country. The area north of the California border looks particularly promising to green energy advocates because the region already has a functioning electric grid. But a past attempt to install five floating turbines off Coos Bay faced rising costs and opposition from the fishing industry, and was eventually moved to California when no one could be found to buy the high-priced power the facility planned to generate. >click to read< 11:24
A no-deal Brexit would likely end access for French boats to British waters
Sophie Leroy, whose Armement Cherbourgeois company operates three fishing vessels off the northwest coast of France, says there have been almost daily checks of their boats by the British authorities. Earlier this month, her boats were stopped for what she described as an interminable set of checks 21 miles off the English coast. Her boats were also surrounded by 15 British fishing vessels, she said. “And they were saying, ‘We are going to do the same as what the French did to us last year’. >click to read< 10:15
A trip with the lone company chasing menhaden in a 140-year tradition on the Chesapeake Bay
It’s an industry that once made the village of Reedville one of the most prosperous in the state — big, brightly-painted three-story Victorian mansions, bedecked with gingerbread woodwork under their generous shade trees line Main Street in testimony to those long gone days. These days, menhaden are at the center of an obscure, if fiercely fought, political battle over who should catch them where, and whether the Omega Proteins fleet that still sails from Reedville is harvesting too many from the Bay. Among the reasons for that concern: Menhaden are an important food source for striped bass. Photo’s >click to read< 07:54
UPDATED: Blockage removed from Skinners Pond harbour entrance
An excavator spent most of the day Saturday on the south block of the Skinners Pond Harbour breakwater, scooping seaweed out of the port’s entrance. That’s after about a half dozen boats got caught up in the seaweed while returning to port on low tide Friday afternoon.,,, “We did it as quickly as we could for the safety of all the fishermen,” Doyle said of Saturday’s cleanup. Sixty-one lobster boats fish out of Skinners Pond. >click to read< 21:07
State officials to field questions on offshore wind at meetings on LI
The state and wind-farm developers are expected to face questions about cost, views and impacts on fishing and birds at three open-house informational meetings,,,, “I’m petrified of them,” said Mark Phillips, one of the most experienced commercial fishermen on Long Island and one of the last operating out of Greenport. His chief concern, he said, is the turbines’ potential impact on the region’s vital squid fishery.,,, “The potential to lose the whole inshore squid fishery is real to me,” he said. >click to read< 17:02
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting September 16 – 20, 2019 in Charleston, SC
The public is invited to attend the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to be held in Charleston, SC, Town & Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407. >click here< for Agenda details. >click here< for Webinar Registration: >Click here< To visit the SAFMC >click here< 16:03
Legislators say Pebble mine could spark a cataclysmic mistake
Claims of Gov. Mike Dunleavy to a potential investor in the Pebble mine project that the state will actively help defend the project from “frivolous and scurrilous attacks” are drawing a sharp rebuttal from 20 Alaska legislators and the Bristol Bay Native Corp. In their Sept. 9 letter to Randy Smallwood, president and chief executive officer of Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., in Vancouver, British Columbia, the legislators said that while the mine “may provide some economic benefit to Alaska, it sits near the headwaters of the largest salmon run in the world. Dewatering and re-routing these headwaters could devastate our cherished resource, as would a single cataclysmic mistake.” >click to read< 13:28
Aquaculture poses threat to the lobster industry
As president of the Maine Lobstering Union, I know we have struggled with several concerns this summer from right whales to bait shortages to aquaculture leases. We need to take steps now to fix rules and regulations around aquaculture. If we don’t, it will encroach on ocean space for everyone. The lease sizes have gotten so large we are making Maine’s oceans attractive to out-of-state corporations. By Rock Alley >click to read< 11:40
