Monthly Archives: October 2019
Nova Scotia premier should cancel China visits
Nova Scotia’s Opposition leader says the premier should stop visiting China – which he has done regularly throughout his mandate to promote local seafood and other industries – because of violent clashes between the state and pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and the continued detention of two Canadians whose freedom the federal government has been trying to secure. “He shouldn’t be visiting there, that’s for sure,” Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston,,, >click to read< 17:06
Feds Tap 300,000 Square Miles of Pacific for Humpback Whales
The proposed rule is the result of a settlement with the National Marine Fisheries Service, who were sued last year for not following through on a 2016 plan to designate two groups of Pacific Ocean humpback whales as endangered and a third group as threatened. The Center for Biological Diversity, joined by Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Wishtoyo Foundation, filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California claiming the lack of action by the Trump administration violated the Endangered Species Act. >click to read< 16:25
New study says smaller nearshore wind farms are more cost-effective than a single large offshore facility
Coastal communities will benefit more from near shore wind farms compared with offshore facilities located over 20 km from shore, a new Danish study has found. The study has produced several scenarios based on publicly available data.,, The study highlights that the shorter distance to the coast and lower water depth make it cheaper to establish nearshore wind farms. Other savings come from reduced cabling and electrical infrastructure costs when locating wind farms close to shore and closer to the onshore power grid. >click to read< 14:10
“Long Time Champion” of offshore wind, tax credit creator, Sen. Markey receives “U.S. Wind Champion Award”
Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has been named a U.S. Wind Champion for the 116th Congress by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) at an event hosted at Ørsted North America’s office in Boston. AWEA presents U.S. Wind Champion Awards to Members of Congress with exceptional records of support for the American wind industry and have demonstrated clean energy leadership. Senator Markey has been a long-time champion of offshore wind. Since 2011, Senator Markey has introduced a tax credit for offshore wind energy. >click to read< 13:22
Cornwall fishermen frustrated by Brexit surveillance changes
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is extending surveillance to “deter and detect illegal fishing by any vessels in English waters”. The extra checks are being done in port and at sea using boats and aircraft. Fishermen based in Newlyn, Cornwall said “we feel under so much scrutiny that people have given up”. The MMO said the changes would bring vessels under 10m in line with other fishing boats around the coastline. >click to read< 12:15
We ask Sen. Murkowski to let the Pebble process play out
Perhaps you have seen our ads thanking Sen. Lisa Murkowski for standing up for the permitting process for Pebble. The theme of our ads is “we need jobs” and “we want hope.” While the coastal communities in our region see some benefits from the short commercial fishing season, many in our home communities do not. Recently, several of our Bristol Bay leaders took to these pages pushing Sen. Murkowski to more be more aggressively involved in the permitting process. We support Sen. Murkowski staying informed and engaged about the Pebble issue. >click to read< 09:53
Was mayday call a hoax that sparked Coast Guard search off Kennebunkport?
The Coast Guard Sector Northern New England command center received a radio distress call at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, from a man reporting that his boat capsized about 10 miles off the shore of Kennebunkport while he and three children were on board. The Coast Guard launched a search that lasted 22 hours and covered 1,523 square nautical miles and suspended that search, pending new information, when it turned up nothing by 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6. >click to read< 07:44
Coast Guard seeks information on missing boaters – >click to read< If you have any information about the distress call, please contact Sector Northern New England at 207-741-5478.
North Korean fishing boat’s 60 crew members rescued after colliding with Japanese Patrol Boat
Japan rescued about 60 North Korean crew members from a fishing boat that sank after it collided with a Japanese patrol boat that was chasing it out of Japanese waters, the Japan Coast Guard said on Monday. All the crew members that abandoned the fishing boat were rescued and handed over to another North Korean ship, the Coast Guard said. >click to read< 20:13
Montigny rains on SouthCoast leaders’ wind lobbying effort
Sen. Mark Montigny takes a different view of the latest round of offshore wind bidding than New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and some 40 other SouthCoast leaders. “While we all want to see developers provide direct local investments, they must be able to do so without placing an undue burden on ratepayers,” “What matters most at this time is ensuring this nascent industry can get off the ground alongside commercial fishing, which is not guaranteed,” >click to read< 17:41
The Gulf’s new research ship needs a name. What’s your idea?
The Gulf of Mexico’s largest research ship won’t be built until 2023, but the naming process has already begun.,, Last month, the National Science Foundation announced it would pay $106 million to build the ship.,, Gulf Island Fabrication in Houma will build the ship, along with two others also funded by the foundation. The nearly identical ships will go to Oregon State University and the University of Rhode Island. >click to read< 13:02
Video: Fishing industry expresses concern over the increase in offshore wind farming
>click to watch< 10:32
Lennox Island chief says First Nation has right to fish lobster in July
Chief Darlene Bernard was reacting to a statement the PEIFA issued last week indicating it supports a mid-summer ban on all lobster fishing activity in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. A news release indicated the ban, proposed as a conservation measure, would also include the food, social and ceremonial fishery, but as far as Bernard is concerned, that’s the only fishery that would be impacted by such a ban and she is having no part of it. “It’s still rights-based,” Bernard said of the First Nations’ food social and ceremonial fishery. >click to read< 09:09
Diver airlifted from Northern Harvest Sea Farms site in Fortune Bay, stop-work order issued
Northern Harvest Sea Farms hired several dive teams to empty its open-net pens, following a massive fish die-off that left thousands of pounds of salmon to rot. In a statement Monday morning, a spokesman for Northern Harvest Sea Farms said the divers are employed by third-party companies, and one of those companies reported an incident requiring occupational health and safety to get involved. The suspension of dive operations is a serious blow to ongoing clean-up efforts, but the company insists its “clean-up activity can continue despite dive activity being temporarily stopped.” >click to read< 08:21
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Durham, NC, October 7 – 10, 2019
The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s meeting to be held at Durham Convention Center, 301 West Morgan Street, Durham, NC, 27701,, Briefing Materials & Agenda Overview Agenda are available, >click here< Attend Meeting with Adobe Connect, its easy! >click here< 20:42
Coast Guard rescues man, dog off grounded vessel near Toledo, Oregon
The Coast Guard rescued a man and his dog Sunday afternoon after the man’s vessel ran aground on submerged pilings near Toledo. A Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew retrieved the man and dog off the fishing vessel Mickey, which is listing and stuck in mud in the Yaquina River. Photo’s, >click to read< 20:13
Conservatives announce fisheries plan, pledges to consult with communities on MPA’s, rebuilding fish stocks
Conservative candidates at four separate events in Atlantic Canada on Sunday unveiled the party’s plans to support the fisheries and to try to build consensus on how to restore fish stocks. In Glace Bay, N.S., Alfie MacLeod and Eddie Orrell announced their party will consult with communities on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), commit an additional $250 million to the Small Craft Harbours program and create a “modern aquaculture act.” “We’ve seen how over the last four years Justin Trudeau has taken this province for granted,,, >click to read< 18:50
50 Photos: Blessing of the Fleet in Moorehead City, North Carolina
The annual Blessing of the Fleet asks for God’s blessing on the commercial fishermen, and it honors the men and women – both past and present – of the fishing industry. The 21st Annual Blessing of the Fleet took place Saturday at the North Carolina State Port in Morehead City. Here are 50 photo’s of the Laying of the Wreaths, and the boat procession. >Click to read< 17:35
Fines to rogue fishermen fall and illegal fishing escapes prosecution, environmentalists claim
Concerns have been raised recently that fishermen are increasingly involved in illegal scallop dredging and prawn trawling to supply a black market in seafood, at the expense of Scotland’s marine environment.,,, Environmentalists claim that the Scottish Government is not treating damage to MPAs by boats as “serious crimes”. They have accused the official body tasked with protecting seas, Marine Scotland, of failing to take tough enforcement action against skippers breaking the law. >click to read< 13:54
Hydroelectric dams and fish are possible if we’re willing to talk it out
We are now almost 30 years into federal court battles over the management of the Columbia and Snake rivers, both of national concern. Federal judges are making decisions over the “right” management of the river systems. None of them is a dam operator. This is probably the most complex natural resource issue in the Western U.S., if not the entire country. Environmental groups have teamed up to tie it all up repeatedly in the slow federal court system to force a decision that moves only in their direction. They don’t care about the rest of us — the folks who love the working river system FDR started and we use today in so many ways. by Jeff Sayre >click to read< 10:26
Port of Bellingham has key decisions to make. Two candidates want the chance to make them
Port of Bellingham commissioner races may appear below-the-radar compared to other offices, but they have a huge influence in shaping the future of Whatcom County.,, Below are details on the two candidates running for the district 3 position, which is a nonpartisan office that carries a four-year term. Commissioners are paid $8,400 a year. Bobby Briscoe, incumbent, 63, was raised in south Bellingham as a fourth-generation commercial fisherman. Anthony Distefano, 44, was born in eastern North Carolina, Background professionally is maritime, tourism, environmental advocacy/education and renewable energy projects. >click to read< 09:12
New rules in works to lift safety standards in fishing industry
Last year was the deadliest year for the Canadian fishing industry in more than a decade. Seventeen people died aboard fishing vessels in 2018, the most since 2004, prompting the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to sound the alarm about the industry’s safety culture. As it stands, fishing vessels are not considered a workplace, meaning they don’t adhere to any WorkSafeNB compliance requirements. Proposed legislative amendments would give captains binding safety obligations. >click to read< 08:07
Seafood society suspends its own MSC certification over lack of stock assessment
Canadian Pacific Sustainable Seafood Society has announced the “self-suspension” of the MSC certification for B.C. wild salmon, over concerns that the proper stock assessments required to maintain MSC verification are not being done. The society fears it will lose its MSC certification anyway, since it feels DFO is failing to do the science and monitoring required to maintain the certification, so it is voluntarily suspending it for B.C. sockeye, pink and chum salmon. It may be a moot point this year, since there are no wild salmon being caught this year for consumers to buy. >click to read< 20:12
Hundreds of spawning salmon killed in Squamish river; BC Hydro admits responsibility
Biologist Chessy Knight, who captured photos of the dead fish on Sept. 20, estimates about 300 fish were killed when the water levels in the Cheakamus River fell by about half over the course of a day. The pink salmon were trapped in shallow pools and couldn’t return to deeper, flowing sections of the river. “This has been happening for many, many years on the Cheakamus,” said Knight, who’s also president of the Squamish River Watershed Society. “But this is the first time that we saw adult spawners also affected by these flow manipulations.” >click to read< 17:59
Brixham Trawler race is no more. 2019 Trawler Race was the last.
It’s described by the organisers as the end of an era. The high point of the year for the English port of Brixham – the annual trawler race – will no longer be taking place. The 2019 Trawler Race was the last one in a tradition that goes back more than fifty years and which has proved an enduringly popular event, with visitors coming from all over the South-West of England, as well as a regular number of dedicated visitors to the port over that June weekend coming from many parts of Europe. >click to read< 12:17
Sipekne’katik harvesters sell lobster on Digby wharf to show solidarity for treaty rights
Harvesters with the Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia dropped lobster traps in waters in the Annapolis Basin and sold their catch on the wharf in Digby Thursday to make a point they have a treaty right to earn a moderate livelihood from catching and selling lobster.,, “We’re here to exercise our rights and to support our local fisher people from our community,” Chief Michael Sack said. “There’s been a lot of dangerous activities going on and harassment (of) our people so we’re just showing support. >click to read< 11:25
A man accused of driving a boat while intoxicated, found guilty of negligence in boating death
Eugene Butler Jr., 47, was found guilty Friday of culpable negligence in the death of 19-year-old Vanessa Mauffray. In June 2016, Mauffray and her boyfriend, Ryan Necaise, were in a skiff setting crab traps on Bayou Caddy. Butler, who was driving a 20-foot fishing boat, crashed into the couple’s skiff. Officials said Mauffray died hours later as a result of traumatic injuries sustained during that crash. >click to read< 09:32
Cold Spring, Late Molt Lead to Slow Start for Lobster Fishery
South Bristol Fishermen’s Co-op President Tim Alley said the co-op’s numbers are down so far in 2019, although he doesn’t know how much.
Kathleen Reardon, lead lobster scientist for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said in an email that, from “anecdotal info filtering through the industry, the South Bristol Co-op experience is similar to other areas.” However, DMR landings numbers are not available yet. The DMR usually releases the information in February or March of the following year, when it has compiled all the data. >click to read< 08:04
A potent symbol of First Nations rights sat for years in DFO storage, but now it’s home
Jeff Ward was in the middle of a meeting last month in Truro, N.S., when he received a text that made him jump out of his chair.,, Sent to him was a photo of Donald Marshall Jr.’s eel nets, the same ones seized more than two decades ago when the Mi’kmaw man was charged with fisheries offences, a case that would reshape First Nations fisheries in Atlantic Canada. >click to read< 19:21
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for October 4 , 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< 17:22
NCFA drops civil suit – A commercial fishing advocacy group has dropped its civil complaint against the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission that alleged the commission had violated the N.C. Open Meetings Law. >click to read<
NOAA answers lobstermen’s critique of whale rules science
NOAA Fisheries released a more detailed response Wednesday to criticisms of the science it used to develop new protections for North Atlantic right whales,,, The response was attached to a letter from NOAA assistant administrator Chris Oliver to Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. (The letter is attached at the article) >click to read< 14:50
