Monthly Archives: February 2020
Cuomo’s Curse: New York Governor’s $47,000,000,000 Wind & Solar Boondoggle
A decade from now, New Yorkers will rue the day that Andrew Cuomo determined to run their state on chaotically intermittent wind and solar. Like everywhere else that’s attempted to run on sunshine and breezes, New York’s power prices are bound to rocket out of control and its enviable grid reliability will soon become a thing of the past. ,, One of the recently awarded off-shore wind project proposes to use 10.2 MW turbines and that means that 1,604 wind turbines >click to read< 09:49
F/V Scandies Rose: Efforts underway to locate sunken crab boat
Gerry Cobban Knagin lost her brother Gary Cobban Jr., the skipper and partial owner of the vessel, and her nephew, Gary’s son, David. Knagin said the tug Endurance from Paradigm Marine will head Feb. 9 to the area near Sutwick Island. A salvage crew will use sonar to pinpoint where the boat went down and send a remotely operated vehicle and divers to take pictures. It’s both exciting and emotional news for Knagin. Video, >click to read< 08:19
Tugboat sets off to investigate sinking of Scandies Rose – The tugboat Endurance set off from Kodiak Sunday morning to locate and document the wreckage of the Scandies Rose,,, >click to read< 13:08
Seattle memorial held for crew member lost in sinking of F/V Scandies Rose
Tony Ganacias introduced his son to the sea when he was working at a cannery near Cold Bay in Alaska, and bought him his first boat at age 17. That was it, Ganacias said. From then on for Arthur it was nothing but boats and fishing and cars, including his beloved 1971 Dodge Charger. On Saturday afternoon, Arthur Ganacias, known to most everyone as “Art,” was remembered by his father and other family and friends just a little more than a month after he and four other crew were lost when the Scandies Rose went down in 20-foot seas in the Gulf of Alaska. Ganacias, 50, was the boat’s engineer. photo gallery >click to read< 06:44
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for February 7, 2020
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 16:07
Inside Ireland’s last traditional boatyard, Hegarty’s Boatyard in Oldcourt
It is the last surviving traditional wooden boatyard in Ireland. The subject of a new photographic book by Kevin O’Farrell, the boatyard is full of great big hulks of wooden boats in various states of refurbishment.,, In an era of fibreglass boats, Hegarty is operating in a world that is fast disappearing. Once, traditional boat building took place all around the coast, but Hegarty’s Boatyard is out on its own now, miraculously still doing a steady trade, and enabling the revival of the once-lost West Cork mackerel yawls. Lots of photo’s, >click to read< 13:16
Fish farms not worth damage they’ll do
I have lived in Tiverton my whole life. I am a lobster fisher. I am very concerned about the effect that fish pens proposed by Cermaq will have on St. Mary’s Bay. I have environmental, economic and community concerns. I have been told approximately 25 acres of prime lobster bottom is being taken away from us by each of these salmon pens. We don’t have a groundfish fishery anymore. Lobsters are what sustain our way of life. These pens are proposed to go where I have always caught the majority of my lobster, and that could displace me from my job, by Sheldon Dixon, >click to read< 11:10
International Pacific Halibut Commission cuts 2020 harvest levels for US waters
Amid ongoing stock declines and concerns about commercial bycatch, the International Pacific Halibut Commission opted to cut allocations in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska for 2020.,, U.S. Commissioner Chris Oliver said he recognized that there maybe some dissatisfaction on the U.S. side,, Canadian Commissioner Peter DeGreef said he objected to the level of fishing intensity as well, saying that without a cut,,, >click to read< 10:06
Port of Newport nets $1.2 million grant for new pier construction serving the largest commercial fishing fleet in the state.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.2 million grant to the Port of Newport, Oregon, to support the construction of a new pier, serving the largest commercial fishing fleet in the state. ,, Senator Jeff Merkley also acknowledged the grant funding. >click to read< 07:59
Following a declaration of emergency, Port of Coos Bay moves forward with Charleston Ice Plant project
The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has been pursuing solutions to provide commercial grade flake ice to the fishing fleet following the fire at the ice plant in late December 2019. “Staff explored options to lease equipment for short-term relief while a long-term solution was pursued. Unfortunately, leasing equipment is not an option as the units necessary to produce the type of ice required by the fleet are only available for purchase,” the release said. Photos, >click to read< 18:04
Coast Guard hoists 4 fishermen after vessel runs aground near Shackelford Banks, North Carolina
The Coast Guard rescued four men after their 78-foot fishing vessel ran aground near Shackelford Banks, North Carolina, Friday morning. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina’s command center received a radio distress call at approximately 3:30 a.m from a crewmember aboard the vessel Tamara Alane, who reported that they had become disabled due to fuel issues, then ran aground and began taking on water. Video, >click to read/watch< 14:50
Maine Lobstering Union that’s suing its former CEO, hires a new management team
A lobster fishing cooperative that is suing its former CEO in federal court has hired two people to round out its new management team. Lobster 207 LLC, also known as the Maine Lobstering Union, has appointed Carmen Look as its chief financial officer and Brian Hemingway as its director of business development, the organization said Thursday.,,, The cooperative is alleging in a lawsuit that Pettegrow and his parents defrauded and stole from the union after selling it their wholesale lobster business for $4 million in 2017. The lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court in Bangor. >click to read< 12:39
Fishing boat runs aground on the Tyne – Updated: Towed to Safety
A fishing boat which ran aground heading out of the Tyne has had to wait for high tide to be rescued. UPDATE: Fishing boat stranded on the Tyne after running aground towed to safety – >click to read< The Tynemouth RNLI lifeboats were launched early on Friday after a fishing vessel ran aground on the Black Middens, hazardous rocks inside the Tyne harbour. The skipper of the 20m, 163-tonne vessel radioed for assistance after experiencing a gearbox failure while sailing out of the harbour, leaving him unable to avoid the rocks. >click to read here< ,,, and >here< 11:26
Michigan House Bills Ban Commercial Perch Fishing on Great Lakes
Lakon Williams of the Bay Port Fish Co. expressed her concern. The company nets whitefish and perch in Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. “I knew that that was going to happen, unfortunately we’ve been trying since the summertime to get through to the House of Representatives that this isn’t what we want and this isn’t what we need, and that this will put us out of business. It’s just kind of fallen on deaf ears,” she said. Video, >click to read< 10:16
Captain Titus: Canadian fisherman’s Twitter tweets a rare glimpse of a hard life in the North Atlantic
From the outset, the captain’s social media strategy has been to post photos and see what happens. What has happened, in the eight years since his first tweet, is a master Canadian mariner has offered a rare, real-time glimpse into what life is like, say, in the dead of winter on a boat in mountainous seas several hundred kilometres off the coast of Labrador. Or what it is like to be bumping through the ice between Baffin Island and Greenland aboard the Mersey Phoenix, a 70-metre vessel with 30 crew and a quarry, Pandalus borealis/ photos, >click to read< visit https://twitter.com/shrimpfisherman 08:05
When F/V Scandies Rose sunk west of Kodiak, he survived. Now he’s grappling with losing his crewmates.
Dean Gribble, one of the survivors, grew up in Washington. He began salmon tendering when he was 11, and he’s spent the past 21 years crab fishing. “I was born a commercial fisherman,” said Gribble. “It’s in my blood. My dad and my family have all been in it. Other kids grew up having football or baseball players as their heroes, and I had crabbers as mine.” On New Year’s Eve, Gribble hadn’t planned to be on the Scandies Rose, which is homported in Dutch Harbor. But a crew member quit in late December, and his friend, John Lawler, asked him to fill in. >click to read< 06:55
Last missing F/V Papa’s Girl crewmember recovered near Ocracoke
The fourth and final crewmember of the capsized Hyde County fishing vessel Papa’s Girl was recovered Tuesday, according to the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office. HCSO Sgt. Charles Herina says that the body of crewmember Sammy Douglas was recovered Tuesday after being spotted by crewmembers on an NCDOT ferry. The HCSO, Hyde County EMS and the U.S. Coast Guard all participated in the recovery effort Tuesday. The final recovery this week followed extensive searches of the Pamlico Sound in January by multiple federal, state and local agencies in the weeks after Papa’s Girl capsized on the evening of Jan. 7. >click to read< 18:28
Coronavirus threatens California lobster industry
Roughly 95% of commercially caught lobster in California is shipped to China, where customers are willing to pay premium prices. “Traditionally, Chinese New Year is when we get the biggest price,” says lobster fisherman James Voss. “This year, that happened to coincide with the coronavirus and China stopping all wild animal imports into the country. So our price went from the highest it’s been all year to the lowest.” Photos, >click to read< 14:44
Fishing Crews Urged To Avail Of Safety Training After Dramatic Irish Sea Rescue
RNLI fishing safety manager Frankie Horne has urged the fishing community to avail of safety training that is on offer for their crews and to ensure that their safety equipment is up to date. It comes after the skipper of a fishing vessel that sank late last year off the Isle of Man has attributed their rescue to the safety training the crew had undertaken previously and to their lifejackets (PFDs), which were fitted with personal locator beacons (PLBs). >click to read< 13:22
The Risk of Ship Strikes: Maine Congressional Delegation Ask Feds To Shift Focus Of Right Whale Protections
In a letter to top officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this week, the delegation calls on the agency to provide more information about reducing the risk of ship strikes off the United States and Canada – strikes that they say are as much a threat to the whales’ survival as entanglement with lobster fishing gear. >click to read< 10:13
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 – >click to read<
North Carolina Researchers ask commercial fishermen to take part in economic survey
This survey is funded by the fishermen themselves through the the North Carolina Commercial Fishing Fund. “The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic impacts and benefits of North Carolina commercial fishing and the seafood industry throughout the entire state,” says Dr. Dumas. That includes businesses supplying and supporting fishermen, processing, packing, storing, shipping wholesaling and retailing seafood. >click to read< 08:29
Treasurer of Australia Josh Frydenberg warns of ‘significant impact’ of coronavirus on economy
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned of a “significant impact on the Australian economy” from the coronavirus as seafood businesses fear they will have to close their doors. But the deadly disease is already hitting exports hard, in particular the seafood industry. Some business owners say they have lost around 95 per cent of their business as China stops buying live seafood like fish, crab and lobster. 7 minute Video, >click to read< 07:46
Permits issued allowing French fishing boats to return to Bailiwick waters
Guernsey States says it is processing applications for the new system which will replace the The London Fisheries Convention that ended following Brexit. The new system will issue individual authorisation documents to French fishing vessels which choose to fish in Bailiwick waters in 2020. It will only apply during the Brexit Transition Period. The application forms have also been supplied to French authorities to try to speed up the process. >click to read< 06:39
NEFMC Roundup – Herring, EBFM, Skates, Red Hake, January 2020 Meeting
Here are several timely management actions that directly relate to the work of the New England Fishery Management Council. Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, Atlantic herring assessment, Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management, Skates, Red Hake,,, >click to read, details, and links< 21:16
DNA tests show commercial halibut catch 90% female, influencing catch limits being set this week
For the first time in its 96 year history, the International Pacific Halibut Commission will be setting catch limits for halibut this week with the knowledge that the commercial fleet’s catch has been around 90 percent female, a notably higher proportion than previously thought. “The Commission has long known that the directed commercial Pacific halibut fishery catches mostly female, but we’ve had indications,,, >click to read< 18:59
Marine Biologist Doubts Parasite Was Only Cause of Bay Scallop Collapse
A parasite that the New York State commissioner of environmental conservation called “a significant threat” to the Peconic Bay scallop fishery has been detected in a sample of bay scallops from Shelter Island — and may have been a factor in the near total collapse of the adult scallop population throughout the estuary last year. A type of single-cell protozoan from a group known as coccidia, the parasite found,, >click to read< 17:17
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Young Bros. Dragger with Ma CAP Permit
Specifications, information and 1 photo >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 13:59
Duluth Trading Co. Debuts Fishing Collection Built For Extreme Conditions
Inspired by the grit of the Alaskan frontier, Duluth Trading Co. today launches its first collection built to withstand the harshest conditions unique to commercial fishing and other extreme fishing environments. The first wave of the Alaskan Hardgear® Fishing line consists of six essentials that set new standards in Duluth Trading’s technical product offering and merge the solutions-oriented, job-tested features consumers expect from Duluth Trading. >click to read< 13:00
Good Samaritan raises money for couple who lost home in fire with a lobster trap fundraiser
Nov. 27 turned out to be an eventful day for local Good Samaritan Chris Hodgdon. Hodgdon was scheduled to leave his Barters Island home for back surgery at 9 a.m., but before he could leave, around 8 a.m., a neighbor’s home was on fire. His neighbors, Kelo and Gayle Pinkham, lost their home in a pre-Thanksgiving Day blaze. Hodgdon recovered from back surgery and was determined to help his neighbors. While recovering from surgery, Hodgdon began calling fishermen about assisting the Pinkhams. >click to read< 11:17
Race is on to get East Coast crab boats on the water before right whales return
The Canadian Coast Guard committed Tuesday to doing all it can to help East Coast crab fishermen get on the water before the right whales arrive in the area. “What we’re trying to do now is assist the fishermen to get out as soon as they can by opening the harbours as soon as we can,”Carter Hutt, president pf the Prince Edward Island Snowcrab Association said in a phone interview that it is best if all fishermen get to go fishing at the same time, so that the fish plants have enough product to reach peak production,, >click to read< 10:25
AMSEA to offer Mariner’s First Aid & CPR Class in Sitka, Alaska on February 22
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) will offer a Mariner’s First Aid & CPR/AED class in Sitka, Alaska on February 22, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at N.S.R.A.A., 1308 Sawmill Creek Road. The cost for the class is $100, including sales tax Interested mariners may register online at www.amsea.org or call (907) 747-3287. For more information, >click here< 09:22
