Monthly Archives: December 2019
Letter: NOAA just another deep state bureaucracy
Stephen Rappaport’s Nov. 28 article “Scientists review divisive whale risk reduction model” indicates to me that NOAA has become just another deep state bureaucracy with a political agenda rather than a fact-finding, scientifically based regulatory agency. Its Large Whale Take Reduction Team (TRT) proposes a 50 percent reduction in lobster trap to buoy vertical lines. The TRT includes nearly 60 members as follows: by Dudley Gray >click to read< 10:32
Shem Creek Fisheries sells 2020 calendars to support local shrimp fleet
The Shem Creek Fisheries of Mount Pleasant, a local non-profit organization dedicated to Shem Creek’s shrimping fleet, is selling 2020 calendars to help fund their mission. The nonprofit will donate all of profits from the calendar sales to support their purpose of preserving the creek’s heritage, providing education to the public, helping with financial support when needed and helping the fleet continue to bring a sustainable product to the public. >click to read< For more information about this organization and the 2020 calendars visit scfisheries.com09:42
“I did not give up hope. I just kept on searching,”- Boat captain rescues lost Whitehouse fishermen
Seven fishermen who were lost at sea for more than a week were reunited with families in Whitehouse, Westmoreland, yesterday after being saved by a seaman who refused to give up on his rescue mission. What was expected to be an uneventful three-day trip to the Pedro Cays turned out be a nightmare for seasoned fishermen Wilton Swaby, Patrick Gooden, Ricardo Samuels, Ian Wright, Clive Tomlinson, Eyverth Blair and Alvin Blair.,,, Oniel Jones, captain of the rescue vessel, recounted sailing “about 150 miles out to sea” on his vessel, Lady Felicia. >click to read< 08:38
Fishermen participating in Alaska’s largest herring fishery have a huge quota to fill next year. But the primary customer isn’t buying.
“I’m a recovering herring fisherman,” joked Bruce Schactler. Schactler, who lives in Kodiak, has been fishing in Togiak off and on since 1985. But he won’t be returning this summer. “The market is so bad that Trident will not be buying fish this year, so we’re not going. Every ton that is frozen and shipped off to Japan is a loser. There’s no money being made,” he said. >click to read< 07:06
Bangkok protest to last ‘until Jan 15’, Fishermen vow 10,000-strong rally
Fishing groups from 22 coastal provinces on Thursday vowed to gather in Bangkok for a mass rally to pressure the government into relaxing laws and regulations they say are threatening their livelihoods. “We’ve already notified Nang Loeng police station as required by the law on public gatherings. And more than 10,000 people from 22 provinces will turn up,” said Mongkon Sukcharoenkhana, president of the National Fisheries Association of Thailand (NFAT). The protesters will rally outside the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry until Jan 15 or until their demands are met, >click to read< 13:25
The small change that meant big losses for Nova Scotia lobstermen
A sixteenth of an inch doesn’t seem like much. But it added up to a whole lot for Nova Scotia lobstermen in December 1989. A new law had been passed in the United States that increased the minimum allowable size of lobsters for import, by that seemingly insignificant margin. “That might not sound like much of a change to a non-fisherman,” he explained. “But in reality, it means as much as a quarter-pound increase in weight.” Video, >click to read< 10:37
Wind Energy Is Not Renewable, Sustainable Or Climate-Friendly
Wind turbines continue to be the most controversial of so-called “renewable” energy sources worldwide. But, you say, wind energy is surely renewable. It blows intermittently, but it’s natural, free, renewable and climate-friendly. That’s certainly what we hear, almost constantly. However, while the wind itself may be “renewable,” the turbines, the raw materials that go into making them, and the lands they impact certainly are not. And a new report says harnessing the wind to generate electricity actually contributes to global warming! >click to read< 09:11
Jury awards lobsterman nearly $850,000 over botched hernia surgery at EMMC
A Penobscot County jury on Thursday awarded an Ellsworth man nearly $850,000 for a botched hernia operation that required additional hospitalizations to correct and kept him from working as a lobsterman for more than two years. Stephen H. Robbins III, 49, sued Dr. Rafael J. Grossman and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in February 2019 in Penobscot County Superior Court alleging that the surgeon and the hospital were negligent. >click to read< 08:38
In the Peconic Estuary, A Perfect Storm Hits Bay Scallops
Warming water temperatures, hypoxia (a deficiency in oxygen), ocean acidification, and harmful algal blooms, said Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, are each a stressor to the bivalve and local delicacy. The occurrence of more than one at one time, he said, may be responsible for the die-off (may be) ,,, The bay scallop fishery is “notorious for booms and busts,” Stephen Tettelbach, >click to read< 08:04
Looming Northern Pulp decision churns up worries on the water
“Of course I’m thinking about it,” said Anderson, not looking up from his stitching. “Everybody’s losing sleep.” Environment Minister Gordon Wilson has until Tuesday to decide whether to allow Northern Pulp to build a new effluent treatment facility that will pump up to 85 million litres of treated wastewater into the Northumberland Strait. The pipe runs by the Caribou wharf, home port to 68 fishing boats. >click to read< 07:16
Comment: New Zealand’s fishing industry under pressure
New Zealand’s fishing industry punches well above its weight internationally – but we can do better, writes National’s spokesman for Fisheries Ian McKelvie.,, Currently our fishing industry is under pressure as their fishing methods, environmental record and the sustainability of their catch are coming under criticism from a sector of our community, and factions within Government who don’t always use fact-based material to back up their criticism. The Hector’s and Māui Dolphins Threat Management Review is a major concern for the industry at the moment. >click to read< 19:04
2019 salmon season fell short in some areas
As nearly every commercial salmon fisherman in Upper Cook Inlet can tell you, the 2019 season fell far short in every department. The commercial harvest came in at about 2.1 million sockeye, 37% below the most recent 10-year average, and the total run, forecast for 6 million sockeye, fell 13% short,,, Lower Cook Inlet, meanwhile, had a better season with a commercial harvest of 2.4 million fish of all species. >click to read< 18:07
Stock decline leads to historic shutdown for Gulf P-cod
Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishermen will be keeping their gear dry this winter: The federal fishery has been closed for the 2020 season. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council decided to close the fishery due to concerns about historic low biomass shown in the latest stock assessment. The struggles of the stock have been linked to climate change more than excessive fishing. In 2014, the Gulf of Alaska experienced a major influx of warm water, linked to the El Nino event in the south Pacific. >click to read< 15:44
Melbourne is now home to a pink Champagne and lobster bar
Upon arrival at Pinchy’s in Melbourne’s Bourke Street, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve returned to the womb.,, Pinchy’s imports lobster from Maine and crab from Alaska, and while their website emphasises their commitment to sustainable fishing practices, it’s not clear whether they’re offsetting the carbon from flying produce halfway around the world. As the business grows, hopefully they’ll consider swapping American shellfish for some of our beautiful local crays and crabs. In the meantime though, go for a glass of bubbly and soak up the pink. >click to read< 11:55
F/V Sea Angels: Unified Command activated for fishing vessel that ran aground near Browns Inlet, North Carolina
A Unified Command was established on Wednesday afternoon to oversee the safe removal of fishing vessel Sea Angels, which ran aground in the vicinity of Browns Inlet, North Carolina. On Dec. 9, 2019, fishing vessel Sea Angels ran aground near a restricted navigation area in Browns Inlet, where the potential of unexploded military ordnance exists due to active live fire training in the area dating back to World War II. >click to read< 10:49
Scotia Harvest Inc. in Digby moving forward with construction of $14-million production facility
Alain d’Entremont has never taken his eyes off of his to-do lists,, Scotia Harvest Inc. in Digby is gearing up for construction of a $14-million, 43,580-square-foot groundfish production facility in the Digby industrial park. “I don’t think any of my colleagues in the industry would be surprised that I’m building a plant, I’ve been talking about it for years,” says d’Entremont, president and CEO of Scotia Harvest Inc. When Scotia Harvest Inc. acquired O’Neil Fisheries in 2012 it included a processing plant. But d’Entremont knew early on his business plans would outgrow that facility. >click to read< 10:07
Our water quality problems are a tangled mess, but they can be fixed
What can we or local governments do about red tide? Another major outbreak could be disaster. But it could be necessary to forces us to address the sources of nutrient pollution. Reality is government ignores everything it can. To fix things, the sources have to be outed, and then it will take money to clean things up. But elected officials need contributions to get elected and re-elected. It’s expensive to campaign. What do those big contributions buy? >click to read< 09:04
Offshore Wind Task Force Meets Today At UNH, livestream of the BOEM task force meeting beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday
New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts are set to begin planning how they might develop offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine. The first meeting of the tri-state task force takes place all day today at the University of New Hampshire and is open to the public. Watch a livestream of the BOEM task force meeting here beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday: >Click here to read, and watch livestream< 08:22
Waiting Game: Gear ready, the North Coast’s commercial crab fleet is on hold
Fishermen are optimistic by nature, but spending $5,000 on new crab gear this year is still a risky proposition for commercial crabbers like Curt Wilson. The equipment is expensive, prone to being lost and there has been no certainty in recent years that the commercial Dungeness crab season will start on time, if at all. “I just want a chance to fish,” said 34-year-old Wilson,,,>click to read< 07:06
FurCanada open house will kickstart campaigns for a seal, sea lion and sea otter commercial fishery in British Columbia
The fur is set to fly in Nanaimo this weekend, with an open house to kickstart campaigns for a seal, sea lion and sea otter commercial fishery in British Columbia. FurCanada, a Vancouver Island company, hopes the event on Dec. 14, will raise awareness about the overpopulation of seal and sea lions which are decimating B.C.’s endangered and threatened chinook salmon stocks. Thomas Sewid, who is President of Pacific Balance Marine Management, which is the organization leading the development of the seal, sea lion and sea otter industry estimates that of the 27 million chinook smolts produced a year in the Salish Sea (wild and hatchery) the pinnipeds are consuming about 24 million of them. >click to read< 19:53
Scallops: NEFMC Approves Framework 32 for 2020 Fishing Year
On December 5 during its meeting in Newport, RI, the New England Fishery Management Council approved Framework Adjustment 32 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The framework includes specifications for the 2020 fishing year, default specifications for 2021, and measures to mitigate impacts on Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and northern windowpane flounder. The new specifications are expected to result in roughly 52 million pounds of projected landings in 2020 with an estimated ex-vessel value of close to $487 million. Landings of this magnitude, while lower than the 2019 projection of roughly 62.5 million pounds, will remain well above the historical average. >click to read< 16:31
Sister recalls Shrimper Mike Pitts, killed in shrimp boat accident, started his career young
For the first time, we’re getting a look into the life of Mike Pitts, one of two shrimpers that died when their boat capsized in the Mobile Bay off of Fort Morgan the day after Thanksgiving. Pitts’ sister, Gail Hester, says his siblings all live in different states, from Georgia to Maine, but that Pitts left Georgia at age 14 to head to the Gulf Coast and pursue a fishing career. Video, >click to read< 14:41
Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Price Sheet for December 2019
“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<-13:35
Local skipper speaks at United Nations fisheries conference
At a United Nations sustainable fisheries conference in a posh conference center in Rome three weeks ago, it was “Your Excellency” this and “Minister that” until the master of ceremonies stilled the room to introduce a fishing boat captain. That captain was 34-year-old Rebecca Argo, co-owner of a pair of salmon tenders that operate out of Port Townsend’s Boat Haven, serving southeast Alaska. >click to read< 12:55
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ High Sheer Provincial Lobster Boat, 750HP John Deere
Specifications, information and 30 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 12:04
Warren proposes ‘Blue New Deal’ to protect oceans. Where Warren’s Blue New Deal Falls Short
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday proposed a “Blue New Deal” plan in what she calls an effort to protect oceans and rebuild the economy associated with oceans. The proposal was influenced by a question from an oyster farmer at the CNN presidential town hall on the climate crisis in September,,,“I said I would, and I meant it,,, >click to read< 11:03
An Environmental Lawyer Explains Where Elizabeth Warren’s Blue New Deal Falls Short – Warren’s plan does recommend folding the US into the United Nations Law of the Sea treaty,,,, Furthermore, the Blue New Deal aims to rebuild America’s fisheries, an effort that “would support an additional 500,000 jobs and generate an additional $31 billion in sales impacts,” >click to read< 11:09
New England Fishing Communities Being Destroyed by ‘Climate Shocks’: Study
The climate crisis is hurting the New England fishing industry, claims a new report published Monday, with a decline of 16% in fishing jobs in the northeastern U.S. region from 1996 to 2017 and more instability ahead. University of Delaware researcher Kimberly Oremus’ paper, “Climate variability reduces employment in New England fisheries,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. >click to read< 10:28
New England fishermen losing jobs due to climate: study – While other studies have used temperature projections as a proxy for climate change, Oremus chose the North Atlantic Oscillation, a climate index based on the difference in sea-surface pressure between two points in the Atlantic Ocean—at the Azores and near Iceland. >click to read<
Measure to help protect, enhance working waterfronts passes U.S. House
The measure, introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine, D-1st District, would provide $24 million in federal grants and loans to states, which could allocate funding to municipalities, nonprofits and fishing co-ops for projects that preserve or improve working waterfront infrastructure. If approved by the Senate, it also would create a task force at the Commerce Department charged with identifying threats to working waterfronts, including climate change and marketplace pressures. >click to read< 09:02
He sketched designs by hand and taught himself to use Adobe. Now this scalloper has a line of clothing that showcases New Bedford.
Ryan Tavares, a commercial scalloper for 13 years, understands the physical and mental demands of being on the water for a couple weeks at a time, squeezing in meals and sleep between 12-hour shifts. It means spending time away from family with no cell phone service, and potentially dangerous situations. But Tavares said it’s a calling, a lifestyle, and there’s pride in that. In 2012, the now 31-year-old of Fairhaven made his first T-shirt for what developed into Slave of the Sea, a brand that resonates with other fishermen. “I just wish we had more stuff to like express how proud we are to be fishermen,” Tavares recalled thinking at the time. >click to read< 07:32
David Goethel dropped us a note, and we thought we’d share it with you!
I saw your recently posted article about Carlos and Bullard’s ridiculous statement. Rafael’s own fishery complaints opened door to his downfall. Coast Guard report details extensive fishing violations (click to read) I went to that meeting driving 7 hours through a blinding snowstorm to speak for three minutes under public comment with the attached statement. I asked on the record why the corrupt fish dealer in NY was not arrested. I believe you are the only person who mentioned my comment.,,, This whole thing is a very carefully choreographed ballet to get cameras, not catch crooks. >click to read<, and please leave a comment at the bottom. Thank you.18:31
