Monthly Archives: December 2019
The Maine Lobstering Union says the CEO of Lobster 207 and his parents embarked ‘on a systematic scheme’ to enrich themselves.
A federal lawsuit is alleging that the former owners of a Trenton lobster wholesaler violated an agreement to leave the business and instead stole $1.94 million from the new owners. The suit, filed in Bangor federal district court, said that the Maine Lobstering Union bought a wholesaling business in Trenton from Anthony and Josette Pettegrow in early 2017. >click to read< 09:14
Lobstermen’s union says former CEO and his parents embezzled funds, committed fraud – >click to read< 11:06
New Charisma shines before heading for shakedown trip
At 75m long and 15.3m beam she is five metres longer and 0.8m beamier than her predecessor, which has gone to Iceland after 16 years service to the Charisma partners. Shareholder and skipper Davy Hutchison is continuing at the helm with William Polson also a skipper and Billy Hughson as engineer.,, Charisma will be sailing with a big crew of 14, including some new recruits who will be trained up in the first few trips. That number might in future reduce as some of the older hands decide to step down. >click to read< 08:00
Randy Babich has been fishing Puget Sound and southeast Alaska for 54 years. A lot has changed in that time.
The Paragon is a 56-foot commercial purse seiner moored at Longbranch Marina, a seagoing workhorse that dwarfs the pleasure boats around it. “I was going to be a dentist,” said the owner, Randy Babich, who just turned 70. “I went through pre-med, pre-dent. My dad always said, ‘Get into a profession.’ ” Babich grew up in Gig Harbor and “got into fishing because my family was into fishing,” >click to read< 07:16
Boat Fire: Cause Still ‘Undetermined’
Investigators said they have yet to find the precise cause of a Brookings Harbor fire Monday morning that heavily damaged the Miss Pacific, an 85-foot commercial fishing vessel. “The cause is undetermined,” Harbor Fire Interim Chief Thomas Sorrentino told The Pilot. “We believe it could be an electrical issue. “The fire started on the port-side rear of the cabin and went out the back to the stern of the boat, >click to read< 06:36
Scientific study finds Seismic testing significantly increases mortality in scallops.
A recently published study in the U.S. Scientific Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that seismic air gun testing led to a significant increase in mortality among scallops along the Australian coast. No studies have been completed, [or even began] in the U.S. due to lack of funding by the U.S. Commerce Department controlled National Marine Fishery Service. >click to read< 19:57
Family loses livelihood, launches fundraiser to recover from shrimp boat fire
Days after a fire sank two boats in the St. Johns River, the owner of the Triton II set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the removal and recovery of the boat. “I’d like to personally thank everybody for just the love and support,” said Cristopher Thompson, the owner’s son. “My families very humble and grateful.” “It’s a tragic loss,” said Thompson. “It’s a huge financial loss for them. >click to read< To visit the GoFundMe page, and please donate if you can! >click here< 15:07
Maine congressional delegation wants more info before whale rules released
The four members of Maine’s delegation said Wednesday they want information from NOAA about how new findings will be incorporated into the draft rules. NOAA completed a peer review process of the data tool it’s using to create the regulations, and the delegation wants to know what impact that will have on the rules, the members said. >click to read< 14:03
Researchers, marine pilots work to prevent vessel strikes from killing Alaska whales
Over the past decade, federal officials have logged 77 incidents of vessels hitting whales in Alaska waters. About three-quarters of those, were endangered humpbacks. But, it’s not clear why those strikes keep happening. A group of federal researchers and marine pilots have teamed up to combine what scientists know about whale behavior with what marine pilots know about ships.,,, That’s important as NOAA has logged 182 whale strikes in U.S. waters over the last decade. But that’s an undercount: ships aren’t legally required to report when they hit whale. And sometimes they don’t even know it’s happened. >click to read< 12:18
Fishing fleets deserve better than this if they’re not to be sunk by Brexit – Sir Barney White-Spunner
Few industries resonate more with the British public, and not least in the coastal towns and cities of Yorkshire, whose many marginal constituencies may prove an important battleground on December 12. Fishing may not be the force it once was, but many communities are still culturally and financially dependent on the vessels of all sizes that, among other things, provide our national dish and bring hundreds of jobs to the region. >click to read< 11:29
Northern Shrimp: Future not promising for shrimp fishery
The fate of the shrimp fishery for the coming year, if any, will likely be determined Friday afternoon when the Northern Shrimp Section of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission meets to review the 2019 Stock Assessment Update Report and updates from the section’s Summer Survey Work Group and the Northern Shrimp 2019 Summer Survey Results. The meeting will be held by telephone and interested parties may listen to the proceedings by joining in the conference call or by signing in to a “webinar” on the internet. >click to read< 09:29
Uneven status of Pacific halibut revealed by annual data
Following the trend of the past several years, overall Pacific halibut biomass seems to be down again. The most recent stock assessment presented to the International Pacific Halibut Commission for its interim meeting on Nov. 25-26 shows a coastwide decline in spawning biomass, though that decline isn’t even across all areas. That’s a continuation of a trend seen in stock assessments since 2015. Particularly, surveys have indicated lower numbers of halibut in the central Gulf of Alaska. >click to read< 08:40
LETTER: Standing up for our fishery
A famous Newfoundland and Labrador politician was once asked about the impact of seals on the fish stocks off our coast. He replied using the wit many good Newfoundland orators are known for and said something to the effect of well, they don’t eat Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was absolutely right then and the same holds true today as we see thousands of tons of fish consumed daily off our shores by these cute-looking mammals with voracious appetites for cod, crab and other lucrative species; the same fish our harvesters and processors depend on,,, by Paul Lane >click to read< 07:21
Southeast Alaska fisherman pleads guilty to illegally harvesting $35,000 worth of sea cucumbers
A Southeast Alaska commercial fisherman has been convicted for his role in illegally harvesting nearly 7,500 pounds of sea cucumbers near Prince of Wales Island. Jonathan McGraw Jr., of Naukati Bay, pleaded guilty to fishing in closed waters and providing false information on a harvest report. Both are misdemeanors. In 2018, McGraw and two others were charged with illegally fishing in a scientific preserve near Whale Pass. That area has been closed to fishing since the 1980s. >click to read< 21:13
F/V Darana R Hosts NOAA Fisheries Scientists During Fall Survey
A dozen scientists and staff members from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center visited the 90-foot F/V Darana R in Point Judith, Rhode Island on October 3. The stop was a port call in the midst of the fall NorthEast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) survey off the coast of Rhode Island.,, Captain Jimmy Ruhle, son Bobby Ruhle, and crew member Rigo Rodriguez deploy and retrieve all fishing gear, and work with six survey staff from VIMS. The survey collects data including catch, effort, and environmental conditions. Photo’s, >click to read< 18:50
Vineyard Wind: delayed project reveals bluster in US’s offshore wind ambitions
The recent decision by the Interior Department to hit the pause button on plans to build the first major US offshore windfarm off the Massachusetts coast means the project now hangs in the balance. Amid federal agency infighting, does the country risk squandering a vital resource of clean energy? We investigate. The waiting game: could Vineyard Wind be the new Cape Wind? >click to read< 16:09
FV Sally J – A Community Restoration Project
This past year, the iconic commercial fishing vessel the Sally J, located in front of the Lopez Island Historical Museum, had her gillnet gear reinstalled. The restoration of the Sally J has been a Lopez community effort from the time she came to the museum until now, and the historical society would like to acknowledge all of the people who have contributed this year and in the past, and give you an update on the progress made this year. >click to read< Lopez Island Historical Society >click to visit< 15:25
Most likely Carnival Cruise Lines is responsible for 18+ Right Whale deaths in the past 3 year, at which rate they would soon be extinct.
Human caused Right whale deaths have suddenly, in sync with a plummeting whale birthrate, put the right whale on the path to extinction.,,, There is the simple answer, to halt the march towards extinction. There is an easy way to prevent those 18 deaths and at least bring that -18 up to 0. We can stop the majority of the anthropogenic Whale deaths with a simple Cruise Ship lane modification between PEI and the tip of the Gaspe Peninsula. Prior to 2007 ships were almost solely responsible for Right whale deaths, but since 2008 fishing line entanglement deaths have increased and fishermen have become the main target. However data from the past 3 years indicate many more ship strike deaths than entanglement deaths. >click to read< 12:41
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 40′ Young Bros. Lobster Boat, 450HP Caterpillar 3208TA
Specifications, information and 15 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 11:26
Jones Act changes would ‘jeopardise countless US jobs’ in offshore wind
US fisheries advocacy body the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) has claimed proposed changes to the Jones Act – requiring that cargo, including wind turbines, shipped between US ports be transported on American-flagged vessels – could cost ‘countless of job opportunities’ to local companies in the rapidly emerging Northeast Atlantic offshore wind sector. “These proposed modifications would place foreign-owned offshore wind energy companies at a unique advantage not afforded to the thousands of US-owned maritime industries, including commercial fisheries,” said FSF counsel David Frulla. “FSF is not submitting this letter to oppose offshore wind energy development in its entirety,, >click to read< 09:21
Shrimping has begun off the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
White shrimp, which thrive in the Gulf of Mexico and south Atlantic Ocean, typically only venture as far north as North Carolina in any significant numbers. A ghost of a shrimp market has existed off Virginia for only one or two weeks out of the year, but this year, it’s something different. This fall, six watermen have been granted licenses to trawl for much larger quantities of the succulent 4-8 inch shrimp in an experimental fishery,, >click to read< 08:18
Coast Guard rescues boat captain from attack off Marco Island
The U.S. Coast Guard is out searching for an empty fishing boat that was last seen around 70 miles off Marco Island. The captain of that missing boat was allegedly attacked on Monday by a crew member wielding a “blunt object.” Members of the Coast Guard left their Fort Myers Beach station before 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Their mission was to find that missing boat: The Road Runner. Video, >click to read< 07:42
Rafael’s own fishery complaints opened door to his downfall. Coast Guard report details extensive fishing violations
In January 2015, angered by cuts to his portion of federal groundfish disaster relief, Rafael publicly railed against the process and said he planned to sell his more than 40 vessels and the approximately 60 federal fishing permits attached to them. And with that, five federal law enforcement agencies saw their opening.,,, New Hampshire fisherman David Goethel, in the question-and-answer segment, complained that none of the fish dealers who participated in the scheme — particularly Rafael’s infamous New York dealer — were indicted. >click to read< 06:14
Coast Guard report details extensive fishing violations – “I can’t tell you how angry my fishing community is over this,” Marshfield fisherman Ed Barrett said. Barrett felt NOAA, the New England council and fishermen knew that Rafael was fishing illegally. Rafael had a long history of fishing violations and bragged openly about how he could beat the system, and yet Audyatis said the investigation that eventually caught him didn’t start until 2015. >click to read<
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
