Daily Archives: October 3, 2019

Amid a big fight for cod in the Bering Sea, can remote Adak survive?

A heap of slimy fish heads nearly filled a deep tote. Above, workers finished sorting stacks of decapitated halibut they had run through a grim mechanical apparatus. “Right here we have a guillotine blade,” said Mike Lauer, showing off the de-heading device.  “We’ll sell the cheeks, and then we can use the heads for bait,” he added. Lauer is in charge of quality control for Golden Harvest, a processing plant on Adak that’s at the center of a fish war in the Bering Sea pitting two small Aleutian Island communities against large out of state fishing interests. And the implications of that fight could stretch to other coastal fishing towns in Alaska. >click to read< 21:08

The Next Generation: Fleet Fisheries’ new scallop boat is turning heads

When you see the new fishing vessel Viking Power, you’ll know it. Due to arrive in New Bedford in early November, the unusual-looking scalloper has a hull that slopes outward at the bow. Just below the water line, it comes to a rounded point, like the nose of rocket. Fleet Fisheries owner Lars Vinjerud II commissioned the boat. He said the aerodynamic shape serves two goals: to make the boat more fuel efficient, and to make it more comfortable and safer for the crew. The boat should do less pitching in rough seas. “This boat has a lot of firsts,” Vinjerud said. “This whole boat is outside the box.” Photo’s, >click to read<  18:18

Video – Brand new scalloper F/V Viking Power maiden launch >click to watch<

An Inlet Seafood owner says lease is not a ‘partnership,’ – Orsted Wind Plans Montauk Operations Site

“We are pleased to be locating an operations and maintenance facility in Montauk to service our South Fork Wind Farm and bring additional jobs to the area,” Thomas Brostrom, chief executive officer of Orsted,,, In the same announcement, Bill Grimm, an owner of Inlet Seafood, is quoted saying that the agreement between Inlet Seafood and the developers outlined how fishermen and offshore wind developers “can work at the dock alongside each other.” Yesterday, however, Mr. Grimm denied that he had made that statement, which has been reported elsewhere. >click to read< 16:21

Son of former Middletown Police Chief charged with stealing fishing, crabbing equipment from the Belford Seafood Co-op

The alleged burglary happened on Aug. 18, but Robert Oches, Jr., 42, was arrested on September 17, confirmed Middletown police. He was charged with criminal mischief, burglary and theft of property.,,, “I will say that Middletown police did their investigation very thoroughly before making this arrest,” said David Tauro, dock manager of the Belford Seafood Co-op. >click to read< 14:15

Cape Bald Packers abandons Richibucto-Village, but will rebuild in Cap-Pelé

The New Brunswick-based seafood processing company saw fires 17 days apart devastate plants in the two eastern New Brunswick communities in February. The Richibucto-Village plant housed about 150 workers. “I know this decision will come as a disappointment to our former workers and the broader community,” Louis Arsenault, manager of the company’s Richibucto division, said in a release. >click to read< 12:45

Making a living from the river: Net maker keeps craft alive as fishing culture on Southern Indiana’s White River changes

The White River has provided a source of food and livelihood for generations of Southwestern Indiana residents such as Petersburg, Indiana, resident Larry Haycraft. However, encroaching invasive species, pollution, changing lifestyles and bureaucracy – byproducts of modern living – are changing the river and its role in the community. Haycraft is keeping the craft of traditional net making alive even as inland commercial fishing is in decline in Southern Indiana.”I’m a fourth-generation master net maker,”Haycraft said. “There are very few of us left.” >click to read< 11:25

Fishermen catch 2 billionth sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay this year, since record-keeping began

This year, during the fishery’s second largest harvest on record, Bristol Bay commercial fishermen hit another historic number: the 2 billionth sockeye salmon caught by commercial fishermen since record-keeping began in the late 1800s.  “It wasn’t supposed to happen this fast, but the last couple of seasons had huge returns,” said Nushagak/Togiak Area Management biologist Timothy Sands.  >click to read< 10:24

10 years after lives lost in Sea Gypsy sinking, safety regulation still not enacted

Ten years after the sinking of a small fishing vessel off the coast of Newfoundland, Sea Gypsy Enterprises off the coast of Newfoundland, a safety measure that was highlighted by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in the wake of the incident has still not been enacted.,, The Sea Gypsy Enterprises sank 130 kilometres east of Cape Spear on Sept. 12, 2009. Three fishermen were rescued, the body of a fourth crew member was recovered from the scene, and another man was lost at sea. >click to read<  09:00

Homosassa Community Helps “Bait Lady” Repair Boat

The Homosassa community is coming together to help their beloved “Bait Lady” get back on the water after her boat sank in August.,,, Bonnie Van Van Allen, known as “The Bait Lady,” has been selling bait from her boat in Homosassa for over 20 years. But when she was out in the gulf on August 30, she wasn’t able to get back to shore before a storm hit. But it didn’t take long for the Homosassa fishing community to come together to help. >click to read< 08:20