Monthly Archives: January 2020
US lobster industry hopes new deal renews trade with China
One group that is cautiously optimistic about the trade deal signed Wednesday between the U.S. and China is the lobster industry. The hope is that the deal will reopen one of the biggest markets in the world for lobsters. China is one of the biggest export destinations for lobster, which are trapped in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean by American and Canadian fishermen. >click to read< 06:59
Maine lobster industry will benefit from the China trade deal, Sen. Collins says – >click to read<
F/V Pappy’s Pride: Unified command established for vessel collision in Galveston, Texas
A unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, federal on-scene coordinator, Texas General Land Office, state on-scene coordinator, and Mr. Harry Stark, the fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride’s insurance underwriters, has been established Wednesday in response to the collision between the 81-foot fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride and the 600-foot chemical tanker Bow Fortune near the Galveston jetties in Galveston, Texas. >click to read< 20:31
Clearwater Seafoods keeps Canadian surf clam monopoly for 2020
Halifax-based Clearwater Seafoods will keep its monopoly on Canada’s lucrative Arctic surf clam for another year.,, The licence was originally awarded to a consortium of First Nations led by the Elsipogtog Band in New Brunswick and Premiums Seafoods of Arichat, N.S.,, But the licence was cancelled after it emerged the partnership was formalized after the licence was awarded, that participants had family ties to the federal Liberals including then-Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc, and were unable to secure a vessel to harvest the quota. >click to read< 18:49
1 dead 2 fishermen missing after fishing boat collides with 600-foot chemical tanker in Galveston
The crash happened around 3:35 p.m. Tuesday in Galveston near the jetties, authorities said. Two men were pulled out of the water and were rushed to UTMB, authorities said. Emergency responders had to perform CPR on one of the men who was unresponsive, but that man later died, authorities said. The condition of the other man is unclear. Crews worked to find the other two fishermen, but due to the fog,,, they had to suspend the search around 8 p.m. There was heavy fog in the area,,, Video, >click to read< 17:09
Elver Lottery to Allow New Entrants into Maine’s Lucrative Elver Fishery
Nine Maine residents will soon have a chance to join the state’s lucrative elver fishery. The Department of Marine Resources will hold a lottery, starting at noon Thursday, January 16, for the right to apply for an elver license. The lottery will be available through 4:30 pm February 21, providing lottery winners the chance to apply for a license prior to the upcoming season, which starts March 22 and runs through June 7. >click to read, details, links< 16:18
Bill seeks registration relief for licensed commercial fishing boats
Among the bills already filed for the upcoming legislative session is one that would offer relief from a new state registration requirement for owners of commercial fishing boats. In 2018 the legislature approved an expansion and rewrite of the state’s Derelict Vessel Act. Among other measures it expanded the boats that are now required to register with the state, including those already documented with the U.S. Coast Guard. The 2018 law was pushed by the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators and it was meant to increase means to track ownership and responsibility for expensive clean up of abandoned boats. >click to read< 15:36
F/V Pappy’s Pride: Coast Guard search continues for 2 fishermen after vessel collision in Galveston, Texas
The Coast Guard is continuing the search Wednesday for two fishermen from the 81-foot fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride that capsized after a collision near the Galveston jetties in Galveston, Texas. The case began Tuesday when Vessel Traffic Service Houston-Galveston watchstanders were notified of four people in the water after a collision between the fishing vessel and the 600-foot chemical tanker Bow Fortune near the Galveston jetties. >click to read< 14:22
Proposed Fisheries Regulation Amendments Target Fish Processors & Buyers
The Fall 2019 re-election of the Liberal government means the proposed amendments to federal fisheries regulations remain a concern for industry participants.,, However, the government has, to date, not implemented the amendments. The proposed amendments target arrangements that transfer license rights and privileges from license holders to third parties. In the Statement, the Minister notes the perceived narrowness of the definition of “Controlling Agreement”,, McInnes Cooper has prepared this document for information only,, >click to read< 12:27
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 85′ LOA Steel Shrimper Freezer/Trawler, CAT 3412, 2 Isuzu 65 KW Generators
Specifications, information and 10 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< This vessel is considered to be in “as new” condition. 09:52
Video: Terrier Inherited by Fisherman Adapts to New Life on the Waves
After inheriting Maggie the Welsh terrier from his grandpa, commercial fisherman Kale Pixey was determined to integrate her into his life. “Pretty crazy with the lifestyle of commercial fishing I have,” Pixey told Storyful of his grandfather’s bequest, “but he knew how much I loved her and would take care of her no matter what.” He’s had the dog for two years now. >click to read< 08:28
F/V Pacific Miner: Crab boat capsizes near Coos Bay; 3 rescued
An air crew and two boat crews searched for the men, and pulled them out of the water around 8:30 p.m., according to the Coast Guard. The men were safe, but were cold. The conditions when the boat capsized were 8-to-10-foot breaking waves and about 4 miles of visibility, the Coast Guard said. The boat also had about 300 crab on board. >click to read< 08:01
Watch: Fishermen rescued from inside capsized fishing boat near Coos Bay – >click to watch<
Coast Guard searching for 3 fishermen after finding capsized fishing vessel near Coos Bay jetty
A Coast Guard aircrew and two boatcrews are searching for three fishermen near the entrance to Coos Bay after finding a capsized vessel Tuesday evening on the jetty tips. The capsized vessel is the 38-foot fishing vessel Pacific Miner, which reportedly had three men aboard when it capsized. A Coast Guard Sector North Bend MH-65 Dolphin aircrew, flying on a routine training flight, spotted the capsized fishing vessel and immediately reported it to the Sector North Bend Command Center. >click to read< 22:39
THE YEAR AHEAD – A UK/EU FISHERIES AGREEMENT
In an industry that has experienced many momentous years and critical turning points, 2020 stands to be one of the most pivotal in our history. It is now clear that the delays and confusions, primarily caused by the absence of a government majority in Parliament, are now behind us and the UK will formally leave the EU on 31st January 2020. We will enter an 11month transition phase, during which negotiations will take place on the future economic and political relationship between the UK and the EU. >click to read< 21:56
Fisheries management is actually working, global analysis shows
Nearly half of the fish caught worldwide are from stocks that are scientifically monitored and, on average, are increasing in abundance. Effective management appears to be the main reason these stocks are at sustainable levels or successfully rebuilding. That is the main finding of an international project led by the University of Washington to compile and analyze data from fisheries around the world. The results were published Jan. 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. >click to read< 20:40
Coast Guard searching for 2 fishermen after vessel collision in Galveston, Texas
The Coast Guard is searching for two fishermen from the 81-foot fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride that capsized after a collision near the Galveston jetties in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday. At 3:35 p.m., Vessel Traffic Service Houston-Galveston watchstanders were notified of four people in the water after a collision between the fishing vessel and the 600-foot chemical tanker Bow Fortune near the Galveston jetties. >click to read< 19:10
F/V Martha Rose: Menemsha becomes homeport for Wes Brighton’s 77-foot scalloper
There’s a new boat in Chilmark, a big one. Wes Brighton recently brought the 77-foot scalloper Martha Rose to its new homeport, Menemsha.Brighton set out from Menemsha Harbor on New Year’s Day for the vessel’s maiden voyage. He and his two mates, Otto Osmers and Ian Andres, scalloped south of Block Island and in the Great South Channel, bringing the catches to market in New Bedford. Those trips served as sea trials for the boat.,, On Tuesday, Brighton docked the Martha Rose at Tisbury Wharf in Vineyard Haven. There the boat offloaded scallops on Vineyard for the first time. 23 Photos, >click to read< 16:16
Maine: September 2020 Trap Gear Marking Requirements
Maine Department of Marine Resources September 2020 Trap Gear Marking Requirements. Trap gear fished in water inside the exemption line: THREE PURPLE MARKS- 36” purple mark within top two fathoms, 12” purple mark midway, 12” purple mark at bottom of the buoy line. (No green marks allowed inside the exemption line). Trap gear fished in waters in the Sliver Area (between exemption line and 3nm line): FOUR PURPLE MARKS and ONE GREEN MARK- 36” purple mark and 6” green mark within top two fathoms,,, >click to read< 14:18
F/V Papa’s Girl: Body of one crewman recovered, another still missing as limited search continues
The remains have been recovered of one of the crewmembers missing from a shrimp trawler that capsized in the Pamlico Sound last week. The body of Keyron “Breezy” Davis was recovered Friday morning. The Hyde County Sheriff’s Office told WCTI-TV his body was found using sidescan sonar. Along with the Sheriff’s Office, commercial fishing vessels and volunteer boaters have continued searching off Engelhard for Sammy Douglas as weather conditions have allowed. Four men were onboard the F/V Papa’s Girl when it went down as a strong cold front crossed the sound the evening of January 7. >click to read< 13:18 All related posts, >click here<
Self-proclaimed ‘King’ ripped over response to girlfriend’s refusal to buy him Red Lobster
A self-proclaimed “King” angered his girlfriend by labeling her “poor and delusional” for refusing to shell out $50 for a royal feast from the chain restaurant. The conversation began innocently enough when the woman offered to cook a meal for a guy “she’d been seeing for a month,” per the tweet. It quickly went south after John Doe said he wanted “Red Lobster” instead, and the Oregon native tried to entice him with pics of scrumptious-looking shrimp tacos. “We’re making this, you want this?” she texted, adding, “I know you’re craving Red Lobster but I also don’t have much money after paying my bills and it would just be easier on me.” >click to read< 10:38
Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Video Release
Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage (PMFH) is releasing a video involving fishermen who believe that the rules and regulations around aquaculture leases need to be changed. Currently, a bill supported by PMFH, LR 2718, has been tabled in legislative council. The proposal calls for lessening the size of aquaculture leases in Maine. Video, >click to read< 08:42
Full Committee Markup, Legislative Hearing on Sustainable Fisheries
The Committee on Natural Resources will hold a markup on Wednesday, Jan. 15. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, our Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee will hold a legislative hearing on six bills that make our oceans and fisheries more sustainable in the face of manmade threats. The Committee’s full schedule and witness lists are available below. As with all hearings and markups, these events are open to media and the public. >click to read< 07:37
Cape Coral captain gets 60-day jail sentence for overfishing
U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber imposed the sentence Monday on Mark Zywotko, who admitted in court last August that he took and sold more red grouper and red snapper than allowed under federal regulations designed to protect those species from overfishing. Zywotko pleaded guilty to four counts of mail fraud for mailing documents to the National Marine Fisheries Service that intentionally misrepresented the number of fish that were caught. “You have manned up,” Barber said in imposing the prison sentence. “You can’t just pay the money back … you’ll have to spend some time behind bars.” >click to read< 18:53
Coast Guard seeks public information after laser strike hits Port Angeles aircrew
The Coast Guard is seeking information from the public to help locate the person or persons who pointed a red laser light at a Coast Guard helicopter Friday at 10:23 p.m. as the crew was flying a mission northwest of Bremerton.,, The laser strike was reported to Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, the Federal Aviation Administration and local police by the aircrew. The laser light came from the vicinity of the southwest corner of Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor. >click to read< 17:47
BOEM Report Key to Offshore Wind’s Future
The forthcoming report from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on the cumulative environmental impacts of the Vineyard Wind project will determine the future of offshore wind development. BOEM’s decision isn’t just the remaining hurdle for the 800-megawatt project, but also the gateway for 6 gigawatts of offshore wind facilities planned between the Gulf of Maine and Virginia. >click to read< 15:48
We would like to extend our Deepest Condolences to the family of Timmy Sobotka of Wanchese.
Timothy Ira Sobotka, 48, of Wanchese, NC died Thursday, January 9, 2020. Born in Riverhead, NY on October 1, 1971, he was the son of Frank John Sobotka and the late Phylis Irene Etheridge. Longline captain of his fishing vessel The Bluefin, Timmy was at peace when he was at sea. Big, beloved, devoted badass pirate fisherman, he was an avid and devoted commercial fisherman with a larger than life character and a big soft heart of gold. Family to all who knew him, he will be sorely missed by the Wanchese/Outer Banks community and all along the East Coast from Greenport, Long Island, New York to the Florida Keys. Calling hours, >click to read< 10:25
Fishy Findings: 100% Replication Failures
Science proves… Science says… Research shows… Every week, the above phrases are employed by TV personalities, newspaper journalists, coworkers, friends, and family. When these phrases are uttered, certain ideas get elevated above the fray, enthroned on a pedestal. Science has spoken. Who are you to be arguing with SCIENCE?,,, The fallibility of ‘science’ is splendidly illustrated by a paper published last week in Nature. >click to read< 08:23
Canada imposing mandatory gear marking for lobster, and crab fisheries in 2020
Specially coloured rope will become mandatory with the start of the season in every lobster and crab fishery in Eastern Canada. The rope must identify the region, species being fished and individual fishing area. The requirement is also intended to maintain access to the United States seafood market by demonstrating Canada has rules comparable to those in place for American fishermen. >click to read< 07:20
F/V Scandies Rose: Stuart Coast Guardsman recalls saving two fishermen off coast of Alaska
“I just told myself this what I trained for. I volunteered to do this so I knew what I had to. It was up to me to execute it,” said Evan Grills. Grills, 24,is a Petty Officer 3rd Class in the U.S. Coast Guard. “My nerves were OK until the door opened,” he said, as the rescue swimmer recalled the signal his crew received New Year’s Eve night. Video, >click to read< 06:22
Carlos “Codfather” Rafael settlement rankles local fishermen
By the start of the new fishing year on May 1, Carlos Rafael, once owner of one of the largest fishing fleets in the country and known as the “Codfather” will officially be little more than a memory on the New Bedford waterfront. According to his attorney John Markey, Rafael will have sold off all of his fishing empire as part of a settlement agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and will be out of the fishing industry forever. >click to read< 20:32
Concerns over horseshoe crabs spur discussion about limiting harvest
When Long Island beaches come alive at high tide with hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs, looking to spawn under the spring and summer moons, it’s also time for many fishermen who track those cycles to harvest the arthropods at their most plentiful. Most use their catch for bait, but some sell them to markets, where they are shipped either for other fishermen’s purposes or medical uses.,, Jamie Hummel, who fishes from Hampton Bays, said baymen like him take only their limit, and need only enough to keep their conch pots baited through the year. He said if anything regulators should look to limit or end the market for selling horseshoe crabs. >click to read< 14:25
