Daily Archives: December 3, 2019
Sinking: Captain Decided Not to Return to Port Despite Forecast
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a Marine Accident Brief about the November, 2018, flooding and sinking of the fishing vessel Aaron & Melissa II approximately 70 miles southeast of Portland, Maine, while transiting to fishing grounds during a storm with gale-force winds. The Aaron & Melissa II sank about 0800 local time on November 14, 2018. All four crewmembers abandoned ship and entered an inflatable liferaft when attempts to dewater the vessel proved unsuccessful; they were later rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. >click to read< 20:09
Safe opening to lobster fishery in southwest N.S. but harsh weather followed during week one
The weather was wild and woolly for the first week of the lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia. After a one-day weather delay to the start of the season, fishermen headed to sea to dump their traps on Nov. 26 in good conditions, followed by a slicker for the first hauling day. It was all down hill after that, with gale force winds prevailing for the rest of the week, keeping much of the fleet ashore. “They got out the one day and that was it,” >click to read< 17:39
FISH-NL dissolves, application dead in the water
Time has run out for FISH-NL, which announced today it is ending its membership drive far below the required number of signatures, and the group is being dissolved. Ryan Cleary, president of the Federation of Independent Fish Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador, made the announcement Tuesday. >click to read< 14:58
2 shrimp boats engulfed in flames sink in St. Johns River
Two shrimp boats are at the bottom of the St. Johns River after a fire early Tuesday morning. The fire broke out sometime before 4 a.m., sending the 69-foot Triton II and the 40-foot Iris Marie up in flames. The Iris Marie sank into the St. Johns River about an hour after firefighters arrived. The Triton sank just before 8 a.m. Video, >click to read<
Two shrimp boats catch fire in Mayport; Both sink – Video, >click to read< 14:01
Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL, gave the following statement this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 3rd, 2019
I have a message for the thousands of harvesters who signed FISH-NL cards, and a message to the 437 harvesters who paid dues to FISH-NL. Keep fighting — against mismanagement. Keep fighting — against conflicts of interest. Keep fighting — against favouritism and unfair, undemocratic, union practices. Keep fighting for what’s right — because there’s so much wrong in today’s fishery. And everybody knows it. Most importantly, keep trying to fight with each other — side by side. The more individual fishermen and women worth together, the better things can be. Right is right/wrong is wrong. >Please click to read the statement<. 11:00
Family of missing shrimper hopeful he’ll be found; clinging to memories
The Baldwin County man apparently was thrown overboard when the 50 foot “Chief” capsized early Friday morning near the mouth of Mobile Bay. His family clinging to hope he’ll be found. “I begged him not to go. But I know he loved being on the water,” said Monica Conway, missing fisherman’s wife. Monica says her husband, Anthony “Fish” Conway did what he had to do to support his family. A life-long fisherman — he was shrimping early Friday morning on the shrimp boat “Chief” when something went terribly wrong. Video, >click to read< 09:59
Interior Department Considers Cable Plan to Wire Ocean Floor for Wind Farms Off NJ-NY Coast
As New Jersey and New York governors press for energy from giant wind turbines along the Atlantic coast and in the New York Bight, the question of how to best get the power to the shore has resulted in a call for public comment. Anbaric Development Partners LLC has applied to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for a right-of-way to construct a New York and New Jersey Ocean Grid. According to the application, Ocean Grid is a proposed submarine system of cables approximately 185 nautical miles (213 statute miles) in length and including the construction of up to nine “offshore collector platforms,” or OCP. >click to read< 09:23
Business plan finalists vie for $10K prize, Extreme Gloucester Fishing Commercial Fishing Training Center is in the running!
Small businesses from Salisbury, Gloucester and Peabody are finalists for a $10,000 first prize in this year’s North of Boston Business Plan Competition held by the Enterprise Center at Salem State University. The three finalists are: Covalent Bonds of Salisbury, Extreme Gloucester Fishing of Gloucester, Woven Royal of Peabody, >click to read< 08:15
New Environmental Defence Fund Report Details Actions Needed to Create Climate-Ready Fisheries
“Even with the necessary actions to control emissions and investments to reduce carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere, changes in the ocean already underway will continue and even accelerate,” said Eric Schwaab, senior vice president for EDF Oceans.,,, The five pathways articulated in the report focus on steps that can and must be taken by governments, NGOs, fisher organizations, academia and multilateral organizations in order to create greater resilience and sustainability of fisheries. The pathways include: >click to read< 06:57
Tina Comeau: ‘Easy? No. Easier? I’m not sure’ – reflecting on another lobster season start
The stars were so spectacular they stopped me in my tracks.I had been on the back deck of my house checking out how windy it was. I turned to go inside, but not before glimpsing towards the night sky. Whoa! It felt as if I had never seen the stars shine brighter. I took it as a good sign – of what, I was unsure, but surely a sky this beautiful had to mean a good day was ahead. It was the night before the day of – the ‘day of’ being the first day of the lobster season. In the morning I’d be making my annual trek to the wharf in Pinkney’s Point, Yarmouth County, for dumping day. Photos, >click to read< 05:52
