Daily Archives: April 27, 2020
OCI granted injunction as fishermen block out-of-province crab
The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador has granted Ocean Choice International an injunction ending the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union’s blockade on the highway near South Brook. The injunction prohibits FFAW members from blocking the route to OCI’s processing plant in Triton or interfering with customers or contractors entering the property. It’s the latest development in an argument between the union and Association of Seafood Producers over whether the fishery should be up and running during the COVID-19 pandemic. Union members blocked two fishing vessels from the Magdalen Islands from offloading crab in Port aux Basques on Sunday evening. >click to read< Protesters Who Blocked Out-of-Province Crab Shipment Facing Court Injunction, tweets, >click to read< 18:04
Trollers side with NMFS in Chinook litigation – Endangered whales compete with increasing populations of seals, sea lions
Litigation to halt the Southeast Alaska king salmon fishery to provide sustenance for Southern Resident Killer Whales is prompting commercial trollers to intervene in the lawsuit brought by the Washington state based Wild Fish Conservancy. The Alaska Trollers Association in Juneau voted on Tuesday, April 21, to insert itself into the defense of the lawsuit filed in mid-March against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the subsequent injunction against king salmon fishing and the troll fishery specifically. >click to read< 15:41
Tributes paid to fishing industry leader Donal O’Driscoll – A champion of the Irish fishing industry
“A champion of the Irish fishing industry” is how the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation (IS&WFPO) described him yesterday (sun), as plans were made for a guard of honour in his home port of Castletownbere, Co Cork today. The RNLI Castletownbere lifeboat station, Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co-op and the IS&WFPO are among organisations which Mr O’Driscoll was instrumental in founding. Mr O’Driscoll was one of a family of 14 and was born on Sherkin island in 1933. He learned his first fishing techniques – seining for mackerel – from his father, Dan William O’Driscoll. >click to read< 14:10
For NH’s food producers, Coronavirus sends a very mixed message
Across New Hampshire, the demand for local food is up, even as restaurants have closed or have tried to get by with takeout. The state’s small farmers are finding an unexpected benefit in the Covid-19 pandemic – there is an increased demand for their locally grown meats, vegetables, dairy, and other products.,, And for the Vernons and others, business is thriving. Demand for fish Kayla Cox, manager of New England Fishmongers, said the company’s business model for the past couple of years has been to sell directly to consumers – no wholesale. “What has changed drastically is that home delivery has completely blown up. It’s almost out of control,” Cox said. “We were doing 15 to 20 deliveries a week, and this past week we did 170. >click to read< 13:04
Boat sustains heavy damage as it burns along Fishermen’s Terminal
A large boat at Seattle’s Fishermen’s Terminal suffered severe damage during a large fire on board Sunday evening. The fire broke out just after 10 p.m. and flames were visible shooting from the top deck as far away as an SDOT camera at 15th Ave. West and West Emerson Street. >click to read< 11:21 Fire damages boat near Fishermen’s Terminal – No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation. photo, >click to read<
Coronavirus Florida: Cortez fish company staying afloat
Fishing boats are still leaving the docks in Cortez, but coronavirus has changed the specifics of where the hauls wind up. Karen Bell, president of A.P. Bell Fish Co., said “we’re holding our own” when asked about the impact the virus has had on the fish house she owns in the historic village of Cortez that sends seafood all over the world. Business is far from brisk, but demand is still there, even if the target has been altered. “It (the virus) shifted everything around,” Bell said. “People are still eating but they’ve changed how and where they eat.” Of the fish being unloaded now, 60% are coming from inshore, 40% offshore, Bell said. Before the virus upended the economy, it was the other way around. >click to read< 10:20
Vessels fly flags at half-mast for Vitale – In loving memory of Gloucester Fisherman Nicolo Vitale
We didn’t know Nicolo Vitale personally, though we suspect that our paths at least crossed a few dozen times and we probably would have recognized him even if we didn’t know him, even if we’d never howdy’d or shook, as they say in Texas. It’s the nature of a small town. Yes, we’re a city, but we’re really a very small town. Especially along the waterfront. For the second time since December 2015, we had to write about a local commercial fisherman dying while fishing. >click to read<
In loving memory of Gloucester Fisherman Nicolo Vitale – Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, visiting services with his family were held privately. A memorial mass and Celebration of Nicky’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Nick’s Fishermen’s Safety Fund through Cape Ann Savings Bank, 109 Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 to help provide personal safety devices to fishermen. >click to read< 08:36
Coronavirus: Fishermen block out-of-province crab shipments heading for N.L. fish plants
It’s the latest development in an argument with the Association for Seafood Producers over whether or not the fishery should be up and running during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fish, Food and Allied Workers union (FFAW) says its members do not want to go to work on boats or in plants until their safety is assured. “Fish harvesters are mobilizing around the province to block out-of-province crab from landing in Newfoundland and Labrador for processing,” said a statement sent by the FFAW on Sunday night. “Harvesters and plant workers are calling on the provincial government to step in and for companies to respect N.L. workers.” >click to read< 07:40
