Monthly Archives: November 2019
Death of 2.6 million salmon in Newfoundland reignites debate over fish farming
Fishing captain Gary Snooks pulls his boat alongside a fish cage in Fortune Bay off the southern coast of Newfoundland. A chunky, pink plume covers the water. Aboard the Sara Ann, sounder equipment measures decaying fish nine fathoms deep – more than 50 feet of rotting salmon. “Everything was just smothered with this fat,” says Snooks, who’s been fishing lobster, herring and scallops in the eastern Gulf of St. Lawrence for 40 years. “There’s a lot of concern among fishermen.” >click to read< 08:20
Senators Warren and Markey calls for review of Canada’s protections of endangered right whales
Two U.S. senators from Massachusetts, including presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, are calling for an investigation of Canada’s regulatory measures to protect the North Atlantic right whale.,,, Their request notes New England lobster fishermen are currently responding to a federal plan that reduces the amount of rope in the water and requires lines that break more easily. >click to read< 17:47
Islay whisky collection up for auction in aid of RNLI – Scotch Whisky News
The Islay Sea Collection, a group of seven malt whiskies from each of Islay’s coastal distilleries presented in a one of a kind display case is set to go under the hammer in this month’s Just Whisky auction with all proceeds going to the Portrush and Islay volunteer lifeboat crews. The bottles and cask staves, which form the display case, were collected by a group of keen sailors who rowed 110 miles from Northern Ireland to Islay earlier this year. >click to read< 16:45
With the right team, we CAN get a good fisheries deal
John Ashworth writes an important take on how the renegotiated Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration cover fisheries. John is a hero of the Eurosceptic cause, and a critical figure in the campaign to win back British waters. Indeed, I well remember my first meeting in Parliament working for Sir Richard Body, because it was when Save Britain’s Fish campaigners came to discuss whether or not he should take back the whip. So it is with considerable reluctance that I write this. On this occasion, I think he may be wrong. >click to read< 13:56
Top climate hawk bashes first big offshore wind project. Sheldon??
For the past seven years, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse has given a weekly address about the dangers of climate change. Increasingly, some greens wonder if he is full of hot air. The Rhode Island Democrat, one of the Senate’s top climate hawks, has emerged as a leading critic of Vineyard Wind, an 84-turbine offshore wind project proposed in federal waters 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.,,, Whitehouse’s statements echo concerns of Rhode Island squid fishermen, who have emerged as leading opponents of Vineyard Wind. >click to read< 12:21
Let’s Try This Again. Irma Payouts to Commercial Fishermen Delayed, Require Reapplication
Commercial fishermen across the Keys are still trying to get on their feet from Irma as they continue to wait for recovery funds for lost harvest and gear. Due to a blip in the application process and mailing, they may have to wait a while longer. In February 2018, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross declared a fisheries management disaster in Florida and allocated $44,608,039 to help fishermen recover from Hurricane Irma. <click to read< 10:20
F/V Miss Hailee: Fort Bragg fishing vessel suddenly lay on its side and went down, losing one on board
There had been no obvious sign of trouble, no advance warning, in the moments before the Miss Hailee suddenly began to tilt onto its side during a routine fishing trip off the North Coast last weekend, according to Brian Kelley, whose family owns the commercial vessel. Then, for reasons still unknown, the boat capsized and sank,,, The resulting loss of a young deckhand, Arnulfo “Amigo” Santiago, has left his tight-knit group of co-workers grief-stricken, as people around Fort Bragg’s Noyo Harbor mourn a hard worker and friend. >click to read< 08:57
Video survey says Bay of Fundy bottom littered with plastic
A video survey of the Bay of Fundy bottom turned up some odd objects but by far the most common sight was plastic, particularly bags, said researcher Tony Walker, a professor at Dalhousie University’s school for resource and environmental studies. Video, click to read< 1.8 million pieces of garbage litter bottom of Bay of Fundy, says study – >click to read< 08:01
Maritime industry leaders discuss challenges at symposium
Skagit County’s maritime economy includes everything from boat building and manufacturing, to commercial fishing and recreational boating, to the businesses that support them. A group of maritime leaders is working to address the biggest challenges in the industry, and put Skagit County on the map as part of the statewide Washington Maritime Blue Strategy. A symposium was held in La Conner Wednesday afternoon to kick off the new maritime cluster. > click to read< 07:08
Regulators Take Action to Stem Striped Bass Decline
Responding to the precipitous drop in the Atlantic striped bass population, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has mandated an 18 per cent cut in commercial and recreational harvest quotas for 2020.,,, The new addendum limits recreational fishermen to one striped bass per day,,, Mr. McKiernan said he doesn’t believe that pressure from commercial fishermen, who are limited to 15 fish per day, a 34-inch minimum and two fishing days a week, plays a major role in the plummeting population. >click to read< 18:52
Plymouth-based Manomet Inc. tests hard-shell clams for replenishing Gulf of Maine fisheries
When Maine’s shellfish farmers had questions, they turned to Manomet Inc. for answers. The environmental science organization in Plymouth is helping the industry find solutions to predation problems plaguing soft-shell clams in coastal waters along the Gulf of Maine. Marissa McMahan, director of the Fisheries Division at Manomet, is working on a pilot program that may lead to the introduction of quahogs, a hardshell variety that is more resistant to predators, to deal with the changing conditions to the north. Photo’s, >click to read< 14:36
2019 PWS salmon harvest worth nearly $115 M, Statewide, 206.9 million fish brought in $657.6 M
Preliminary harvest figures compiled by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game put the value of the statewide commercial catch of 206.9 million salmon at $657.6 million, including $114.9 million for the 57.8 million fish caught in Prince William Sound. State biologists estimated the Prince William Sound harvest to include 18,399 Chinooks, averaging 18.42 pounds each, garnering fishermen an average,,, >click to read< 13:58
Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting November 14-20, 2019 in Costa Mesa, CA.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council and its advisory bodies will meet November 14-20, 2019 at the following location: Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa 3050 Bristol Street Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Phone: 714-540-7000. Briefing Book >click here< Listen to the meeting on the internet, >click to connect<More info, >click here< 13:25
At the Ropeless Consortium’s second annual meeting
Scientists, fishermen and policy makers met on Wednesday in Maine to discuss this issue at the Ropeless Consortium’s second annual meeting. The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium will continue the discussion of right whale conservation at their annual meeting Thursday and Friday.,,, “We here at the aquarium have been working hard on looking at reducing rope strengths and trying to get rope-less fishing as an option to reduce risk,” said Amy Knowlton, a Ropeless Consortium board member and senior scientist at the New England Aquarium. >click to read< 10:35
SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund Commits $900,000 to Protect Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales – The announcement was made by Dr. Michael Moore of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, during yesterday’s 2019 Ropeless Consortium meeting, >click to read<
Trawl Survey Results Show Northern Bering Sea In Flux
Norton Sound Red King Crab are moving, Arctic cod numbers have dropped significantly, and Pacific cod are continuing to increase as the Northern Bering Sea ecosystem undergoes drastic change. That’s all according to preliminary results from NOAA Fisheries’ trawl survey this summer in the Northern Bering Sea (NBS). Audio, >click to read< 09:50
Arctic crab invasion reaches new shores
Before 1960, the fishermen that sailed in the Barents Sea knew little about crabs. Then, developments unfolded that ultimately altered marine life on the far northern sea bottom. In fall 1960, Soviet marine biologist Yuri Orlov successfully moved nine female king crabs from Vladivostok to Murmansk. In the following ten years, another 3,000 crabs were moved the Kola Bay. Then, thousand more in the 1970s.,, According to the retired marine researcher, the king crab will continue to spread, and could ultimately reach as far south as the UK, and then even the Gibraltar. >click to read< 09:21
In the Great Lakes’ most productive fishing grounds, algae-fueled dead zones are eroding livelihoods
From his lakefront dock in Crystal Rock, 70 miles west of Cleveland, Dean Koch still gleefully reminisces on his career as a commercial fisherman in the heyday. At his first industry meeting in Sandusky in the late 1960s, fishing moguls booked the entire Holiday Inn and filled all the rooms. Back then, fishermen set hundreds of miles of gill nets and thousands of trap nets in Lake Erie.,, Now, Koch, 70, says, the number of fishermen who hold commercial licenses could sit around the small round table in his garage. >click to read< 08:22
Charting new waters aboard the Nellie Row
There will be an all-female crew aboard the Nellie Row when the LFA 33 lobster fishery opens this fall. “They want the opportunity and its hard to get the opportunity when you’re a woman,” says Captain Gail Atkinson, who along with her partner Kath Moore are going into their fifth season at the helm of the Nellie Row. Joining Moore on deck this season will be fellow sea salts Annie Featherstone and Sophie Mantel. Both have experience on the water in the tall ship world, said Atkinson, but not on fishing boats. “I don’t know if they can do it or not. I don’t know if they know whether they can but I want them to have a chance,” said Atkinson. >click to read< 06:46
#Breaking: U.S. Senate Committee Passes Legislation to Protect North Atlantic Whales
Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a markup on S. 2453, the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act led by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Tom Carper (D-DE). The measure would protect the North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered species of whales, by establishing a grant program to promote,,, The Senate bill, S. 2453, and its House companion bill, H.R. 1568, led by U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA), and John Rutherford (R-FL) is supported by Animal Wellness Action, the Animal Wellness Foundation, the Sierra Club, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, Defenders of Wildl >click to read< 20:12
Commercial crab season delayed until at least Dec.15
West Coast Dungeness crab Tri-State managers agreed Nov. 13 to delay the start of the 2019-20 season until at least Dec. 15 because crab are slow to put on meat this year. The delay affects the coast from Point Arena, California north to the U.S./Canada border. Tri-State Dungeness Crab Pre-Season Testing Protocols specify that after the first round of testing, if any area does not meet the minimum meat recovery criteria,,, >click to read< 18:44
Fishing companies donate millions to new Kongsberg Digital fishery simulator in Greenland
Nine commercial fishery companies have donated in total DKK 3.2 million to Danish training institute, the Greenland Maritime Center, for investment in a state-of-the-art K-Sim Fishery simulator from Kongsberg Digital. A first of its kind in the Kingdom of Denmark, the K-Sim Fishery simulator will enable students to gain vital competence in diverse fishery situations, including aft deck operations, and is scheduled for installation in 2020. >click to read< 14:30
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 79.8′ Steel Lobster/Trawler, Freezer Hold, Cat 3412
Specifications, information and 14 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 13:34
Oceana Canada Audit finds Canada’s fisheries in decline, says response lacks urgency
An annual audit of Canada’s fisheries has flagged a decline in the number of healthy fish stocks over the last two years,,, The findings are contained in a report released Wednesday by the advocacy group Oceana Canada,,, Robert Rangeley, science director with the organization, said the series of audits has revealed worrying trends, including a disappointing lack of action on the continuing “crisis” in Canada’s fisheries. >click to read< 12:22
New England: Chronic social disruption following a systemic fishery failure
In the United States, the iconic groundfish fishery for Gulf of Maine cod has endured several dramatic reductions in annual catch limits and been federally declared an economic disaster. Using a repeated cross-sectional survey of fishing captains to assess potential social impacts of the fishery failure, we found that psychological distress and social disruption were pervasive throughout New England fishing communities. Since 2010, there have been 33 disaster declarations approved and another 8 pending for US fisheries >click to read< 11:26
Lobstermen’s Association rejects DMR whale proposal
Efforts to find consensus over how to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in fishing gear without decimating the Maine lobster industry took a blow last week. The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) announced that it would not support a plan developed by the Department of Marine Resources “because it seeks reductions that exceed the documented risk posed by the Maine lobster fishery” and “creates unresolved safety and operational challenges for some sectors of the lobster industry,”,,, >click to read< 10:43
Being Frank: Salmon coalition a return to cooperation
The Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition is looking forward to another year of working together to accomplish responsible management through responsible leadership. We formed the coalition of tribal, state and local policy leaders, sport and commercial fishermen, conservation groups, scientists, business and others following the inaugural Billy Frank Jr. Pacific Salmon Summit in March 2018. Our goal is to return to the kind of cooperation that has always been the key to natural resources management in our region. by Lorraine Loomis >click to read< 08:59
Veterinarian Uses Fish Skin To Help Treat Severely Burned Dog
Back in January, Archer, a dog living in Alaska, was severely burned when his home caught fire. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found Archer consumed by flames. The scared dog ran off when firefighters tried to pick him up, leaving many people worried about his survival. Thankfully, Archer was located near the ocean not long after the fire and was immediately taken to the vet. Since Archer lives in Haines, Alaska, things are pretty remote and emergency vet services aren’t that abundant. Often these kinds of situations call for Dr. Michelle Oakley,,, >click to read< 08:00
Coast Guard announces naming of new cutters after FDNY, NYPD, USCG Reserve 9/11 heroes
The Coast Guard announced today that two of its new Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) will be named in honor of two extraordinary public servants who served in the Coast Guard and also served in the New York City Fire Department and New York City Police Department, respectively, with both losing their lives responding on 9/11. >click to read< 16:52
Nova Scotians work to keep the art of net mending alive
As Nova Scotia’s fishery changes, some people worry that one of the industry’s oldest traditions — net mending — will be swept out to sea. Garrett Henneberry, 19, of Sambro, N.S., has been fishing since he was seven. He first learned the fundamentals of the job through his father and uncle. Now, he fishes herring. “Being a younger generation of fishermen, I want this to last for my lifetime and when I eventually have kids, I want it to be for their lifetime,” Henneberry says. >click to read< 15:37
Coast Guard seeks public comment regarding bar entrances in central, northern California
The Coast Guard initiated a public comment period Thursday pertaining to proposed safety requirements at several bar entrances in central and northern California. Regulated Navigation Areas are being proposed for the harbor bar entrances to Crescent City Harbor, Humboldt Bay, Noyo River and Morro Bay. The proposed regulation would create additional safety requirements for recreational and small commercial vessels operating in these areas during periods of hazardous conditions,,, >click to read< 17:36
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