Daily Archives: November 3, 2019
Dungeness commercial crab season likely to be delayed over risks to whales
California’s state fish and wildlife chief is poised to delay this fall’s commercial Dungeness crab season for eight days under a legal settlement,,, Bodega Bay fisherman Dick Ogg said he appreciated the unenviable spot Bonham is in and the pressure he is under to avoid taking chances with an endangered species while positioned directly in the lens of a microscope. “You know, he tried to make the best possible decision he could make and still give the fishermen the opportunity to take advantage of the Thanksgiving market,” Ogg said. “It was tough.” >click to read< 14:50
Canadian firm’s steelhead trout farm plan under the microscope after salmon escapes
Last month, a net pen used for fish farming and operated by Cooke Aquaculture Pacific began to dip below the surface off Bainbridge Island. A hole in a pontoon left the structure’s southeast corner partially submerged. Repairs were eventually made. But now as the New Brunswick-based Cooke seeks to farm steelhead trout — instead of the nonnative Atlantic salmon that state law will soon ban — the incident has caught the attention of state regulators. >click to read< 12:58
Arnold’s Cove company investing $10M in high-tech plant
The president and CEO of Icewater Seafoods in Arnold’s Cove wants more cod.,, He said his company is investing $10 million over three years to buy the latest cod-processing technology, and claims Icewater is the only North American processor dedicated full-time to Atlantic cod production. Seventy-five per cent of the $10 million is coming in the form of conditionally repayable loans from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Atlantic Fisheries Fund. >click to read< 09:56
Aleutians East Borough Mayor aims to combat loss of fishing permits to drug addiction
With an “alarming” loss of commercial salmon fishing permits in rural communities, Aleutians East Borough Mayor Alvin Osterback has an idea on reversing the “graying of the fleet,” by allowing young fishermen to establish themselves with leadership experience on the water. His plan also aims to combat the loss of fishing permits by drug addicts who inherit and then sell their fishing privileges in order to stay high. The plan to add a second name to salmon permits will ultimately require legislative approval. It has already been endorsed by a group representing local government officials. “A whole generation of fishermen are missing because of drugs,”,,, >click to read< 08:08
Meetings this week – Lobster industry braces for right whale changes amid turbulent times
“Right now, we’re all fishing hard, so it’s taking our mind off it some, but it feels like we’ve been waiting and worrying about what whales might do to us for so long now,” said Jake Thompson, a Vinalhaven lobsterman. “We can manage the rest of it, but whales? Everybody’s worried about whales.” Lobstermen will have a chance to weigh in on Maine’s plan to protect the endangered right whale from buoy line entanglements at Maine Department of Marine Resources meetings in Ellsworth, Waldoboro and South Portland this week. >click to read< 06:51
