Monthly Archives: October 2019
USCG offers Commercial Fishermen Marine Safety/Survival Training, asking Oregon fishermen to sign up
The Coast Guard has scheduled marine safety and survival training in five different cities along the Oregon Coast and is offering six separate two-day trainings beginning Oct. 24. The trainings are designed for commercial fishermen, not the general public, and are scheduled to be held on the following dates, at the following locations and with the following contacts for scheduling and questions: >click here to read more information< 18:02
U.S., China Reach Substantial ‘Phase One’ Trade Deal
The U.S. and China agreed on the outlines of a partial trade accord Friday that President Donald Trump said he and China’s Xi Jinping could sign as soon as next month. As part of the deal, China would significantly step up purchases of U.S. agricultural commodities, agree to certain intellectual-property measures and concessions related to financial services and currency, The agreement marks the largest breakthrough in the 18-month trade war that has hurt the economies of both nations. Importantly, Trump said the deal was the first phase of a broader agreement. >click to read< 16:34
Bill to ban catching perch for profit has Saginaw Bay fishing company worried
Despite the sunny skies and the good catch, a shadow hangs over the boat. A trio of bills in the state House would, in part, stop commercial fishing of yellow perch and impose stricter regulations on commercial fishing. That worries Lakon Williams, whose family operates Bay Port Fish Co., which is based on the western shore of the Thumb, about 40 miles northeast of Bay City. “It would take away a fishery that we’ve had rights to since the 1800s, the yellow perch fishery. It’s always been a commercial fish in Saginaw Bay for us, it’s never been taken away,” she said. Video, 50 photo’s. >click to read< 15:16
Candidates Face Off for East Hampton Town supervisor and town board
The debate, sponsored by the East Hampton Group for Good Government, saw discussion of a familiar range of topics including the proposed offshore wind farm, affordable housing, the board’s plan to relocate the town’s shellfish hatchery from Montauk to a residential area in Springs, the near-constant traffic to and from East Hampton Airport in the summer months, and other environmental and quality-of-life issues. Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, said that “the whole point” of the wind farm “is to shave peak,” or offset electricity demand during peak periods, “and improve resiliency. It does neither.” >click to read< 13:47
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for October 10, 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< 12:47
Collision Course: Offshore Wind Turbines Destroying Scotland’s Fishing Industry
Britain’s trawlermen are tough, but not invincible. Giant industrial wind turbines and their associated infrastructure have wrecked once productive fishing grounds, including the scallop beds of the Moray Firth. Dodging turbines in rough seas is bad enough: Collision Course: Offshore Wind Turbines Present New (Unnecessary) Mortal Danger for Trawlermen, But having nets and fishing gear snagged on and destroyed by the turbines’ transmission cables is a bridge too far. >click to read< 11:26
Huffman Gets Bleak Input on Fisheries
On Oct. 5, North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman held a public meeting in Arcata to discuss updating the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the federal legislation that governs ocean fishing. Huffman brought together a roundtable of regional and local officials, a Humboldt State University professor and a few representatives of the local fishing industry to offer feedback on the failings — and successes — of the MSA. >click to read< 10:22
New York sues U.S. Commerce Department over commercial fluke fishery quotas
New York State has filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Commerce Department challenging the “unlawful and unfair” 2020-2021 quota allocated to New York in the commercial fluke (summer flounder) fishery, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Letitia James announced yesterday. New York is seeking a revised allocation that would give the state’s commercial fishing industry an equitable share based on current — not 40-year-old — fluke fisheries data. >click to read< 09:48
Green Party responds to FISH-NL questionnaire
When it comes to issues impacting Newfoundland and Labrador’s inshore fishery, the Green Party of Canada opposes a seal cull, but is open to the concept of an Atlantic Fisheries Accord. The Green party made its stand known in response to a September questionnaire prepared by the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL), and sent to the federal parties in a lead up to the Oct. 21st federal election. >click to read< 08:53
Acy Cooper: Don’t let the EPA hurt Gulf fishermen with offshore fish farming facilitys
I’ve been fishing and shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico since I was 15 years old–for over forty years now. As my father and grandfather would say, it’s in our family’s blood. For many of us here in Venice, Louisiana, fishing is not just a family tradition, it’s in the fabric of our community.,, Now the federal government could make it even harder for us. The Environmental Protection Agency is moving toward approving an offshore fish farming facility by Kampachi Farms in waters off Sarasota, Florida. This operation could hurt the ecosystem and economy in Florida and set a dangerous precedent for development across the Gulf. As the only project of its kind in federal waters, it would pave the way for more industrial-scale aquaculture. >click to read< 22:07
Bruce Tarr: Ground Fishing rules don’t match industry realities
The federal government on Wednesday released data showing that cod stocks in the area remain overfished and are not on target to be rebuilt by 2024. “Abundance is very low, not the way it used to be, so that’s obviously of great concern to us,” said Division of Marine Fisheries Director David Pierce,,, Calling the report “concerning,” Sen. Bruce Tarr, “I’m still reading through the details but I think it points to the fact that we should be doing things differently than we are today.” Tarr said there’s “too much regulatory discard” of cod “and there’s mortality that’s being caused by a set of rules that don’t recognize the practical reality of groundfishing.” >click to read< 19:32
‘No pipe’ placards popping up on P.E.I. election signs
Some federal election signs around P.E.I. are carrying an extra message — candidates are adding a second, smaller sign printed with the words “No Pipe in the Strait.” The signs are from the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association, and they oppose a proposal by the Northern Pulp mill in Nova Scotia across the Northumberland Strait from Prince Edward Island to extend a waste-water effluent pipe into the strait, part of its plan to improve its pollution control. Nova Scotia’s environment minister has to make a decision by mid-December. >click to read< 18:43
On the Northwest’s Snake River, the Case for Dam Removal Grows
The hydropower dams have been controversial since before their completion, between 1962 and 1975, because of their disastrous impact on salmon and the other 137 species that are part of the salmon food chain. Most of the Columbia Basin’s 250-plus dams have played roles in the salmon’s decline, but the four lower Snake River dams are prime targets for removal because their economic value has diminished and their absence would inordinately benefit salmon. >click to read< 17:22
‘It’s a terribly bleak day’: Search continues for missing fisherman in west cork
A low water search is to continue tomorrow for a young fisherman missing off the West Cork coast. The man, named locally as Kodie Healy, who is in his 20s, is now feared drowned. The popular young man played football locally and comes from a well-known and well-liked local fishing family. Mr Healy left the shore at 7.30am on Wednesday on his 21ft boat to tend lobster pots. There was a 2m swell and force 5-6 winds gusting.Ten fishing trawlers also joined the search, initially focusing on the area near Carbery Island in Dunmanus Bay,,, >click to read< 14:19
Stewart Lamont, Tangier: Finally! Salmon feedlots fall victim to federal election
Events are developing quickly. The federal Liberals and the Greens have made a pre-election pledge in British Columbia to transition from open-net pen feedlot fish to on-land closed containment only, by 2025. This policy advisory, issued 16 short days before a federal election, changes absolutely everything. It came out of the blue, and both parties are to be heartily congratulated. You and I might ask why the same commitments are not being made here in Atlantic Canada. >click to read< 12:46
On the Road: Law Court to hear case in Houlton
Supreme Court Justices will be at Houlton High School on Oct. 10. On Thursday, the Law Court will hear the case of Erik Wuori vs. Travis Otis. On Dec. 10, 2018, a judgment was issued against Travis Otis in Belfast District Court in the amount of $60,000 plus interest and costs. In the case out of Waldo County, the district court ordered Otis to turn over his 36-foot-long boat to Wuori.. Otis is appealing, arguing that his use of the boat to fish for lobster in closed or restricted waters to obtain data from each lobster for research purposes, for which he is paid, constitutes “commercial fishing,” thereby making his boat exempt from the claims of creditors. >click to read< 10:53
One man’s mission to save a historic ship built a digital community
At the beginning, which might otherwise have been the end, the ship was an empty shell, without mast or motor. Just a bathtub with a deck so rotten you could toe into it like mulch, the wood well on its way to being dirt again. But she had a name: Tally Ho. In May 2017, Leo Goolden climbed into the belly of the boat for the first time and sat with the fragile wooden ribs curled around him, rain dripping onto the plastic sheet stretched overhead. Inside the living wreck of the ship he had come so far to see, he conjured the photograph that drew him in,,, >click to read< 10:19
Zephyr is latest pelagic giant to join Whalsay fleet
Zephyr, Whalsay’s latest pelagic trawler should be heading to the fishing grounds to catch mackerel at the end of next week and has already completed fishing trials. Zephyr (LK 394) arrived back in Shetland on 28 September following fitting out at Norwegian Yard Larsnes AS. Her hull and superstructure were built at Marine Projects in Poland with completion in February. >click to read< 09:24
New London commission submits input for State Pier plans
The New London Harbor Management Commission is asking state environmental officials and the Connecticut Port Authority to retain a diverse mix of water, rail and land-based operations at State Pier. The request is one of several contained in a six-page letter,,, The commission requests that consideration be given to the movement of the commercial fishing fleet now operating at the Central Vermont Railroad Pier. At least four vessels operate from that pier. Mayor Michael Passero said he is working with stakeholders to explore the idea of Fisherman’s Pier, on the city’s waterfront, as a new location for the fleet. >click to read< 07:32
B.C. is well positioned to become a world leader in land-based salmon farming, By Eric Hobson
I am writing to applaud the Liberal party’s recent commitment to transition the open net-pen salmon farming industry to closed containment by 2025. The Liberal party platform recognizes that, around the world, open net-pen salmon farming is a sunset industry, and the time has come to support movement to closed containment in B.C. to protect our wild Pacific salmon and revitalize our aquaculture industry, ensuring we preserve jobs in both aquaculture and the wild salmon economy. >click to read< 21:35
There’s a new fight over Bering Sea black cod.
Record numbers of young black cod, also known as sablefish, are swimming off Alaska’s coast; scientists estimate that this group of fish, which had huge reproductive success in 2014, is twice the size of the next-largest on record, from 1977. The small-boat fishermen who catch black cod, many of whom live in Southeast Alaska, are eagerly waiting for the young fish to grow larger and commercially valuable. But they’re getting frustrated seeing increasing numbers of black cod caught accidentally, as bycatch, by the Seattle-based trawlers that target lower-value species in the Bering Sea, like the pollock that go into McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. >click to read< 16:43
14 Stocks Reviewed, 2019 Northeast Groundfish Operational Assessment Report is Available
Pre-publication copies of our report on the 2019 operational assessments for 14 Northeast groundfish stocks are now available. The document will be reformatted later for publication in an NEFSC document series, but the content will not change. You may download the pdf version of the document >click here to review< . For more information or assistance obtaining a copy of the report Ariele Baker, NEFSC Population Dynamics Branch, 508.495.4741
Lobster boat racing season was a summer success
As attention begins to turn from boat motors to snow blowers, the Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association reports that the summer racing season was a resounding success. With 10 events on the card spread over venues ranging from Portland to Jonesport-Beals, according to MLBRA President Jon Johansen, 823 boats took part in races last summer. That’s the largest number of boats ever to compete in the summer racing series. >click to read< 14:33
Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Price Sheet for October 2019 Has Arrived!
“The only thing we treat our fish with, is respect” – Contact our sales team today @ 401 295 2585 or 800 732 273. To review the complete price list from Seafreeze Ltd., >Click here< – >Click here to visit our website<13:39
Chinook Salmon Return to a Revitalized San Joaquin River
A staggering number of Chinook salmon are returning to a California river that hasn’t sustained salmon for decades due to agricultural and urban demands, giving biologists hope that threatened fish are finally spawning in their native grounds without human help. Officials working on a restoration program announced Tuesday that they have counted a record number of spring-run Chinook salmon fish nests (redds) so far this fall on a stretch of the San Joaquin River near Fresno. >click to read< 13:02
P.E.I. lobster season closes Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019
Despite missing about 10 fishing days, including four last week due to foul weather, Miminegash lobster fisherman Thane Deagle said Tuesday he’s quite satisfied with the Lobster Fishing Area 25 fall lobster fishery, which closes Wednesday. Deagle said his catch was up over last year, and he thinks just about every fall lobster fisherman saw an increase this year.,, Catches were not the only improvement P.E.I.’s fall fishermen witnessed this year. >click to read< 12:17
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 65′ Steel Longliner/Lobster Boat, 400HP Iveco, 45 KW Gen Set, Price Reduced!
Specifications, information and 6 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 11:29
This is why small-scale local fishermen fear being ‘put out of business’
Together, Sean and Bill Hunter have fished Littlehampton’s waters for more than 85 years. But the father and son duo fear the ‘life could be squeezed’ from their livelihood by laws to stop them fishing near the coast.,, The Sussex Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority wants to introduce a byelaw which could mean Bill and Sean would need a permit to fish using nets, and would stop them netting between 0.5 and 1.5km from the coast ‘to protect both migratory and juvenile fish stocks’. >click to read< 10:12
Blessing of the Fleet: Ceremony honors industry, heritage
The fishermen’s willingness to risk their lives on the open water to make a living providing fresh seafood is why the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony weighs heavily on the community’s heart. This year’s ceremony was held Sunday at the N.C. State Port of Morehead City. It marks the 21st annual event after last year’s Blessing was canceled due to Hurricane Florence’s lasting impact on the county in mid-September 2018, especially to the fishing community. >click to read< 50 Photos: Blessing of the Fleet in Moorehead City, North Carolina >click to review< 08:45
The first woman captain of Argentina fishing vessel drives the fight for equality for women at sea
Nancy Jaramillo became in 2017 the first woman in the country with the title of “Fishing Captain”, and from that place she became one of the most authoritative voices to claim for gender equality at sea.,, Her history as a woman of the sea began in 1994 in Puerto Madryn, due to a mixture of “chance, poverty and need,” as she recalled, from the dining room of Erin Bruce, moored at the North Pier of Mar del Plata. >click to read< 18:46
