Monthly Archives: March 2020
PEIFA, minister update industry on COVID-19 impact
“The PEIFA will continue our ongoing dialogue with seafood industry representatives, the provincial and federal governments and any other sources of timely and factual information,” association president Bobby Jenkins and executive director Ian MacPherson said Monday through a news release. They stress that no decisions have been made yet, so there is no other information available to share. “The association is monitoring the situation on a daily basis and will be informing the membership through internal channels of any concrete decisions that have been made concerning the upcoming fishing season.” >click to read< 17:41
Alaskan Pollock Production Continues As Usual Despite The Coronavirus
“Basically, current demand for Wild Alaska Pollock is very strong and we are doing everything we can at the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers to support our members in meeting the demand,” said Morris. This is in stark contrast to the situations of fishermen targeting other species across the country, many of whom have seen significant losses. Another reason the Alaskan Pollock fishery is staying afloat has to do with the processing and shipping of the fish.,, All processing of Alaskan Pollock, however, occurs on the massive fishing vessels at sea or in facilities in Alaska, which gives Pollock fishermen an advantage over some other seafood producers. >click to read< 13:20
Port of Galilee: Fishing Industry getting hit hard economically by Coronavirus
Hundreds of people have been going to Galilee to buy seafood right off the boat, and there will be more help on the way. As of Thursday, the catch of the day by commercial fishermen in the Port of Galilee were sold out. “It’s been a process trying to find markets again for our product,” said Captain Brian Thibeault on the Ashley Anne II boat. Fishermen will be going out again on Friday to haul lobster and Jonah crab, to be sold at wholesale prices dockside Saturday. Video, >click to read< 10:03
Seafood Connect! Maine Fishermen hold events to get products direct to customers
It’s first come, first served this weekend at Maine’s Working Waterfront – Seafood Connect event. In the midst of everything happening in the world, the local fishing community has been hit hard. This event will feature fresh seafood at an “off the boat” price. Any fisherman who is legal to sell is welcome. No preorders. Fishermen will decide what/if they are selling each week. As of May 4, the group will be switching from the Rockland location to the Reny’s in Camden. Bring bags to take your seafood home. Names, phone numbers, locations, product diversity! >click to read< 09:21
Coronavirus: Bristol Bay fishermen urged to delay travel to the region until at least May 1
On Thursday, the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, which represents the Bristol Bay drift gillnet fleet, issued its first COVID-19 advisory to the fleet asking that non-local Bristol Bay Fishermen delay travel to the region until at least May 1 and listed the state mandated quarantine protocol for anyone who does travel to Alaska from out of state.,, Since Alaska enacted a limited entry permit system, the share of permits held locally by Bristol Bay residents has declined by more than 50 percent, according to a 2017 University of Alaska Fairbanks analysis. Many drift fishermen make the trip each summer from Washington, Oregon or California. >click to read< 07:49
Missing Port Dover, Ontario fisherman embraced sunrises and the water
Fisherman Michael Smith lived for the mornings he could venture on to the water with the Donna F and watch the sunrise, according to cousin and fellow fisherman, James Misner. “There’s no trees and nothing in our way. It comes right over the water and we get to see a beautiful, perfect sunrise every morning.” “We’d go on there and say ‘good morning, Port Dover! It’s 5:30 a.m. Look at the sun coming up over the water,’ and a ‘we love our town’ type of thing.” On Monday, Smith set out early on the Donna F and did not return. >click to read< 06:46:16
Coronavirus: Letter from 200+ US seafood industry stakeholders to Trump Administration
March 24, 2020, Dear President Trump. We write as participants in America’s seafood supply chain, a critical component of the country’s domestic food infrastructure and one of the major economic drivers in our country’s coastal communities and states. Empty restaurants, cafes, and dining halls are a visible reminder of the ongoing, unprecedented public health efforts to blunt the spread of COVID-19. The livelihoods of the chefs, cooks, servers, and other staff are obvious and direct casualties of those government efforts. The economic disruption caused by forced restaurant closures and active encouragement for Americans to “shelter in place,” however, extend far beyond the food service sector. >click to read< 19:37
Coronavirus: Fishing coalition seeks $4B in federal aid to cover lost restaurant sales
Commercial fishing industry members say they’re trying to stay afloat while the demand for fish dwindles as restaurants are reduced to take-out only amidst the coronavirus health crisis. Saving Seafood, a national coalition of seafood harvesters that includes New Jersey members, is now turning to the federal government for $4 billion in financial help. “We have to manage our expectations right now. This is a national issue and it’s not going to be solved in a day or two,” said Greg DiDomenico, executive director of the Garden State Seafood Association, a commercial trades group that’s also a part of the Saving Seafood national coalition. >click to read< 18:28
Coronavirus: Fishermen See Market Dry Out
Unable to sell a 1,000-pound catch of fluke last week, Capt. Chuck Morici of the dragger Act 1 spent three days filleting the fish at Montauk commercial dock and offering it for free straight from his boat. On Saturday morning, he gave it away from the back of his pickup truck in downtown Montauk, a big handwritten sign announcing, “Free Fish.”,, In addition to the closure of most domestic restaurants, foreign markets such as Spain and Italy, which before the pandemic were historically large buyers of squid landed on the East End, for example, have stopped all imports. As a result, many fish buyers have implored fishermen to stay ashore. >click to read< 15:10
Coronavirus: Maine DMR To Open Elver Fishery After Implementing COVID-19 Protections
After ensuring protocols are in place to protect fishermen, dealers and communities from the spread of COVID-19, the Maine Department of Marine Resources will open the elver season at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 30, 2020. Under the authority established by Governor Janet Mills’ March 15 Civil Emergency Proclamation, licensed elver harvesters may fish for and sell the quota of another licensed harvester. Dealers have also agreed to limit transactions significantly by only buying 1 pound or more of elvers. >click to read< 12:12
Coronavirus: Maritime lobster processors call for a minimum two-week delay opening the spring fishery
It’s the latest reaction to collapsed demand after measures to curb the spread of coronavirus shut down markets like restaurants and cruise ships around the world. The request is being taken seriously by lobster fishermen’s groups in eastern Nova Scotia, which have held conference calls since a letter from the processors, titled “Message to Canadian Lobster Harvesters,” was delivered March 23. The letter was written by Jerry Amirault, of the Lobster Processors Association of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, on behalf of “Canadian lobster processors.” >click to read< 09:46
Scotland: Fishing industry faces a storm like no other
It may be well used to dark skies and rough waters, but never has Scotland’s fishing sector seen a storm like this one. As an industry it’s worth £316 million annually to the Scottish economy, but with export markets and the domestic restaurant trade collapsing due to the coronavirus outbreak, the potential losses have been described as ‘terrifying’ by industry representatives.,, With demand from the domestic restaurant trade and export markets falling away the fishing industry is facing a crisis that few could have predicted. >click to read< 09:03
Local maritime organization restoring 114-year-old fishing boat
A remnant of a bygone era of handcrafted boats, it is one of the last of its kind. Between 1884 and 1951, about 8,000 existed. A 1951 law that required motors on commercial fishing boats resulted in the majority of these boats being either converted or burned. Today, fewer than five original vessels remain of the type that Sturgill launched his commercial fishing career on.,, The boat was donated by Seattle-based Trident Seafoods in 2013 to Drayton Harbor Maritime, a non-profit that Richard Sturgill founded with the goal of preserving the maritime history of Drayton Harbor and its surrounding waters. photo’s, >click to read< 08:17
To the Rescue! LI fishermen donate fish to feed hungry during the coronavirus crisis
Montauk fishermen came to the rescue of its local residents when they gave away more than 1,000 pounds of freshly caught fish to help those in need during the coronavirus crisis. “The stores were going empty and people were panicking,” says Chucky Morici, 56, of Montauk, who has been a commercial fisherman in the area for 30 years. “We thought we’d help calm people down by doing the right thing and giving the fish away.” Morici and his partner James Foley traveled 57 miles offshore on March 17 and had no idea about the pandemic panic happening on land. >click to read< 07:31
Fishing industry grapples with fallout from coronavirus response
Like almost all industries and institutions across Alaska, the novel coronavirus pandemic is shaking up the fishing industry. With restrictions changing almost daily and cases spreading across the United States, fishermen are still fishing, but the normal seasonal progression of the industry is likely to hit some rough waters. Travel in and out of Alaska has dropped after federal and state advisories against it, and questions are hovering about how seafood processors and fishing vessels will find the employees they need for upcoming seasons.,, Adding to that, the workers in the seafood industry are often seasonal and come from outside the communities where they work, from elsewhere in Alaska, the Lower 48 or international. That’s something the processing industry is working hard to figure out. >click to read< 17:23
Believe it or not, now is your time
Greetings Shrimpers of the South, and commercial fishermen across the nation. My name is Ed Blaine, and in light of the Coronavirus mayhem we’re all experiencing, believe it or not, now is your time. I’ve been talking to Shrimpers, and the imports of shrimp from foreign sources have stopped. This is an opportunity to take advantage of, and not ignore the fact that 92% of the seafood consumed in this country is imported from overseas, and we have a chance to fix that. Prices are up for your domestic product, as the availability of that cheap, inferior, imported stuff has dried up. >click to read< 15:12
Coronavirus Slam California’s Commercial Fishermen, Including In San Diego
The true economic impact of the novel coronavirus is a long way from being determined, but it has likely already affected every industry in San Diego, including the one that helped define the region. “I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said Tim Jones, a San Diego commercial fisherman for more than 30 years who is shutting down his operation to wait out the storm.,, Coronavirus isn’t the first thing to test the fortitude of San Diego’s commercial fishermen. Environmental restrictions, foreign competition and other factors eviscerated this once-thriving sector of the local economy beginning in the mid- to late-20th century. >click to read< 14:21
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 82′ Raised Fo’c’sle Trawler with Federal and State Permits
To see specifications, information and 1 photo, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 11:51
Coronavirus: Humboldt Bay crab fishing season ‘devastated’
“We could use one word: it’s devastating,” said Harrison Ibach, president of the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association. “Everything has come to a screaming halt. And it’s not just the crab industry, it’s the entire seafood industry.”,, Recent crabbing seasons have ended in hardship, including a state settlement in 2019 that prematurely closed crab fisheries over a series of whale entanglements off the California coast (one of them near Eureka). Before this year’s season even started, crabbers like Scott Creps of Eureka were worried about whether it would go the distance. >click to read< 10:37
Always Top Quality! Your Seafreeze Ltd. Price Sheet for March 2020 Has Arrived!
Contact our sales team today! To review the complete price list from Seafreeze Ltd., >Click here< – “The only thing we treat our fish with, is respect” Seafreeze Ltd! >Click here< to visit our website! 
White House, Senate reach deal on $2 trillion stimulus package
The revamped Senate proposal will inject approximately $2 trillion into the economy, providing tax rebates, four months expanded unemployment benefits and a slew of business tax-relief provisions aimed at shoring up individual, family and business finances. The deal includes $500 billion for a major corporate liquidity program through the Federal Reserve, $367 billion for a small business loan program, $100 billion for hospitals and $150 billion for state and local governments. >click to read< 09:13
A Message From XTRATUF
“During these challenging times, the team at XTRATUF wants to ensure the fishing community works together, stays safe and feels supported, whether on land or sea. “The fishing industry and fishermen need continued consumer access for purchasing fish and seafood, and many businesses are offering alternative delivery options. XTRATUF is hoping to help support the community by connecting consumers across the country to healthy, fresh protein, shipped directly to your doorstep. XTRATUF is also actively working to build consumer awareness through a new #XTRATUFTOGETHER campaign, because even during challenging times, we can stand together and keep each other healthy. >click to read< 07:40
Hustle and Innovation: Maine fishermen turn to direct-to-consumer outlets
Fishermen and seafood farmers are struggling with markets that have recently slammed shut. But over the past week, at least a few outlets have been established to connect the businesses directly to consumers. A new Facebook group called Maine’s Working Waterfront-Seafood Connect began offering consumers the chance to pre-order lobster, oysters and other seafood. Two pick-ups have been held in Rockland. >click to read< 06:40
Doing Well! Lobstermen survive with off-the-boat sales
Seacoast lobstermen have seen complete sellouts of their weekly catch since dining establishments and other businesses began to shut down as a result of the health emergency – but only because they’re finding alternative solutions to sell, mostly via retail sales to the public right off the boat. Most lobstermen were notified by their wholesale dealers last week that since restaurants in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts have been mandated to go takeout-only – resulting in many opting to close their doors completely – the buyers won’t be buying. There’s no one to sell to. >click to read< 19:57
Commercial Fisherman lost in Lake Erie after going overboard
Divers from the OPP are searching Lake Erie for a man who is missing after going overboard from a commercial fishing vessel Monday morning. The incident happened about 13 kilometres west of Long Point around 10:15 a.m. The fisherman is being identified as Michael Smith, of Port Dover, Ontario from the fishing tug Donna F. “He was loved by all and had an amazing number of friends amongst the fishermen and Port Doverites alike,” photo, boatnerd.com >click to read< 19:11
Coronavirus: Dear UFA Members and Friends, people arriving in Alaska are required to self-quarantine
As we all try to understand the magnitude of Covid-19, UFA is closely monitoring the evolving situation. We are actively engaged on the issue at the state and federal level and we will continue to provide you with information as soon as we get it. Last night, Governor Dunleavy issued a Health Mandate for the State of Alaska. All people arriving in Alaska, whether resident, worker or visitor, are required to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor for illness. Arriving residents and workers in self-quarantine, should work from home, unless you support critical infrastructure (see Attachment A). (Food and agriculture, company cafeterias, cultivation, including farming, livestock, and fishing;) >click to read, links< 17:45
Fishing industry slump demonstrates vulnerability of food security in Coronavirus crisis
Measures are needed to avoid a worldwide Covid-19 slump in agriculture and food production, such as already exists in the fishing industry. Fishing fleets and fish farmers were among the hardest hit by COVID-19, and not just in Ireland. Businesses in the United States and elsewhere supplying high-value food products like lobster and other crustaceans to restaurants in China have also been crippled by the pandemic.,, Demand for seafood slumped dramatically. Many Irish trawlers are now tied up at the piers, with their crews having handed out free fish,,, >click to read< 14:59
Coronavirus: Maryland seafood industry affected by outbreak
“Right now, the climate in the seafood business is absolutely horrific ever since the announcements that eat-in restaurants were shut down. We really took it on the chin. It virtually shut down the last two weeks that were left in the oyster season,”, Out on the water, those who catch the oysters are feeling the pain, as well, on what was set to be one of the better oyster seasons on record. “It kind of put us out of business and now we’re looking at spring fishing and going into summer fishing, and the markets are slowed almost to a standstill for that and now we’re worried about the crabs,” said Jim Reihl, Maryland Oysterman’s Association president. Video, >click to read< 13:57
Coronavirus: Global lockdown to hit China’s supplies of steak, lobster, wines
Just over a month ago, supply chains in China were thrown into chaos as trucks and planes delivering goods to the world came to a standstill. Now, China’s economy is moving back towards capacity, while the supply shock from the coronavirus pandemic is beginning to affect many Western countries, as they look to contain the virus’ spread. But this second round of supply shock enveloping countries around the world may mean China’s growing middle classes find themselves strapped for premium overseas food such as meat and dairy products,,, Video, >click to read< 11:26
At the Very Beginning of the Great Alaska Earthquake
The world and everything in it appeared to be convulsing. Genie’s eyes were seeing it, but her mind couldn’t organize all the discordant information into a coherent story. Suddenly, through the windshield, she watched the road roll away from the car. The pavement didn’t break apart; it was still solid. But it rolled, wavelike, as though some humpbacked shadow creature were surging under its surface, heading for town. Finally, Genie found a word that could fasten this chaos together in her mind. She said the word aloud: “This is an earthquake.” >click to read< 09:17
