Monthly Archives: April 2020
Gloucester Fisherman Nicolo Vitale, ‘He was the type of guy who would do anything for you’
On Monday, Vitale died after going overboard from the Miss Sandy as the vessel returned from fishing for haddock with a handful of Gloucester day boats. About a mile outside the breakwater, Capt. Vince Taormina turned from the wheel and the deck was empty. Vitale was gone. “We’re so grateful for everybody that helped,” said Joe Orlando, who owns and operates the Santo Pio. “We’re especially grateful to the Coast Guard for how quickly they came and for everything that they did.” Orlando was the captain that located Vitale’s body floating facedown and unresponsive in the water on Monday. “He was the type of guy who would do anything for you,” Orlando said. “He was a jewel.” By all accounts, Vitale lived life to the fullest and on his own terms. He fished on boats throughout the harbor, including the Angela + Rose, which is owned and captained by his first cousin, Paul Vitale. 9 photos, >click to read< Rest in Peace, Captain. 22:30
Coronavirus: Seafood industry post COVID-19, an overhaul to trigger growth of small fisheries
The coronavirus outbreak spread through the planet at an unprecedented scale and brought the whole world to a halt, plummeting demand in the majority of the sectors including the seafood industry. Seafood producers across the world are without a market for their product as demand slumps and supply chains cripple due to restrictions imposed to contain the outbreak. The seafood sector is known to have some of the most complex and repressive supply chains but the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for change that would benefit fishermen as well as consumers. >click to read< 19:01
U.S. Senate passes nearly $500 billion coronavirus bill aiding small business
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed legislation providing nearly $500 billion in additional federal aid to help small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic and to aid hospitals dealing with large numbers of seriously ill patients. The bill, which is supported by the White House, now goes to the House of Representatives where it could be voted upon as soon as Thursday. >link< 17:25
Coronavirus: High Liner Foods suspends production at New Hampshire plant
Nova Scotia-based frozen seafood producer High Liner Foods has temporarily suspended all production at its plant in Portsmouth, N.H., because of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The company will redirect some of its production to plants in Lunenburg, N.S., and Newport News, Va. In a news release, High Liner Foods said it will carry out deep cleaning, contact tracing and risk assessment in Portsmouth. “Our priority is the health and safety of our employees who are doing essential work supplying food to families across North America,” Rod Hepponstall, the company’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. >click to read< 12:26
New Zealand rock lobster industry back in action with exports to China
The New Zealand lobster industry was among the first and hardest hit by Covid-19, with the export of live lobsters from New Zealand stopping in late January when China closed its restaurants and freight to the country was restricted. However, Te Anau-based Fiordland Lobster Company, which exports about 40 percent of New Zealand lobster to China, has started up again this week and its product will begin arriving in Shanghai this weekend. Lobster Exporters of New Zealand chairman Andrew Harvey confirmed lobster exports into China had resumed after “stopping dead” in late January. >click to read< 10:21
Coronavirus: Maine Fishermen still waiting to access pandemic relief funds
On March 27, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that, among other provisions, authorized one-time “economic impact payments” of $1,200 to adult U.S. residents with incomes of under $99,000 plus an additional payment of $500 for each child in a household. The CARES Act also established the Paycheck Protection Program to provide $349 billion in loans to businesses affected by the coronavirus shutdowns. Fishermen were eligible to apply for those loans as well as loans under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, but many did not realize that was the case. “Due to unclear guidance, many fishermen were initially told by their lenders they were not eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program,” lobster fisherman and state Rep. Genevieve McDonald (D-Stonington) said Monday. >click to read< 07:49
UPDATED: Gloucester Fisherman dies after falling overboard
Gloucester lost one of its fishing sons on Monday afternoon when 49-year-old Nicolo Vitale, a crewman aboard the Miss Sandy, went overboard as the vessel returned from fishing and later died at Addison Gilbert Hospital. The Coast Guard received a distress call from the Miss Sandy’s captain, Vince Taormina, that a crew member had gone into the water off the boat’s deck and could not be located. “He said he turned around and his crew member wasn’t there,” Gloucester fishing vessels Santo Pio, owned and captained by Joe Orlando, and the Angela + Rose, which is owned and captained by Paul Vitale, Nicolo Vitale’s cousin, joined the search. >click to read< 20:09
BREAKING: Fisherman goes overboard on way home
A local fisherman went overboard as his ship was coming into port this evening. Nicolo Vitale, 49, was on the Miss Sandy as it returned to Gloucester Harbor, and went overboard about one mile from the breakwater. He was pulled from the water by a crew from Coast Guard Station Gloucester. He was brought to shore, where medical personnel treated him before he was taken to Addison Gilbert Hospital. The story will be updated at GDT >click to read< 19:04
Feds fund new work tent for local shipwright
Astoria based WCT Marine & Construction, one of the few remaining shipwrights in the region, has secured a $573,000 federal grant to build a self-contained outside work area at North Tongue Point. The U.S. Maritime Administration provided the grant through its Small Shipyard Grant Program. WCT will match $191,000. WCT requested a 200-foot-long, 60-foot-wide tent where employees can work on tugs, barges and commercial fishing boats out of the wind and rain, speeding up the turnaround on projects. Under the tent will be a filtered drainage to catch byproducts from welding, painting and other vessel work. >click to read< 18:16
Scallops: NEFMC Approves Amendment 21 Range of Alternatives; Requests Emergency Action on Coronavirus
The New England Fishery Management Council covered several important scallop-related issues during its April 14-15, 2020 meeting, which was held by webinar. Current COVID-19 restrictions on travel and public gatherings prevented the Council from meeting in person. Here’s a recap of the scallop highlights. The Council agreed that the COVID-19 situation qualified as “unforeseen.” Over the course of its discussion, the Council did weigh the possibility of immediately initiating a framework adjustment to address the pandemic’s impacts on the scallop fishery, but the move did not garner enough support. >click to read< 14:18
2J3KL Cod Scientific Update was recently released. Important information was not included
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans released an update of the scientific assessment for 2J3KL Cod on Friday, April 17, 2020. While the Newfoundland and Labrador Groundfish Industry Development Council appreciates the effort by DFO-Science in completing this update in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, it appears that some important information was not included in the scientific deliberations. There is an internationally-accepted scientific model that has been used for this stock since 2016. This model provides information on overall stock biomass, fishing mortality, natural mortality and recruitment. All the data required to complete this analysis was available to scientists, but they chose not to run the model for this update. Contact: Jim Baird >click to read< 12:06
Foes of Pebble Mine lose a round in court
Opponents of the Pebble Mine lost one of their lawsuits Friday, when a federal court judge ruled against them. The case is about the so-called “pre-emptive veto” the Environmental Protection Agency issued during the Obama administration, before the Pebble Partnership filed its application for a proposed gold and copper mine in Southwest Alaska.,, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled Friday that the EPA could withdraw its proposed determination from 2014. Her decision was based on how much latitude government agencies have and what is subject to legal review, rather than the merits or dangers of the Pebble Mine. >click to read< 11:12
Maine elver fisherman dealing with lower eel prices during the coronavirus crisis
Elvers were often worth less than $200 per pound until 2011, when international sources of the eels dried up and the Maine price jumped to nearly $900 per pound. They’ve been worth more than $800 every year since, and hit a high price of more than $2,360 in 2018. Some fishermen call the elvers “wriggling gold,” but this year, the catch is only selling for about $500 per pound. Industry members are blaming concerns about the coronavirus for the plummeting prices. “We’re just going to the river and we’re going straight home,” said Julie Keene, an elver fisherman from the Lubec area. “Price is a lot less than normal. I think we’ve been greatly affected.” >click to read< 10:25
Family, friends remember fallen Stonington scallop fisherman Charles J. Lathrop
A memorial at the Stonington Town Dock built over the weekend paid tribute to Charles J. Lathrop, a Westerly man who died Thursday as a result of injuries suffered when he fell overboard last week while working on a commercial scallop boat. Surrounded with flowers, the memorial included a picture of the 50-year-old local fisherman who spent 35 years working on the water, docking in ports from Stonington to Hawaii. Next to the memorial, a sign read “Good men never leave us, they become legends we never forget.” photo’s >click to read< 09:53
Ireland: Dingle fishermen hold early morning protest to block Spanish trawler landing amid coronavirus fear
The local community mounted a blockade by sitting or lying on the ground at the pier, preventing an agent from driving across the pier in a truck which would have loaded the fish caught on the trawler. The fishermen had announced their intentions to block the arrival, and Gardaí were present when the Spanish-owned trawler arrived at the pier at approximately 4.30am this morning, Monday 20 April. Gardaí attempted to negotiate with the protesters in order to let the truck through, but were unsuccessful, and the trawler departed from Dingle Harbour at 5.30am without having transferred the caught fish to the truck. >click to read< 08:25
Coronavirus: FFAW calling for delay of crab fishery, NL-FHSA released 12 control measures to prevent spread of virus on fishing vessels
The FFAW’s crab committee chairs met Sunday and voted to delay the fishery opening again. President Keith Sullivan said the recommendation will be sent to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, who holds the authority to open or delay the fishery. “We have to be able to ensure that we have a safe fishery for everyone involved,” Still, Sullivan said harvesters aren’t ready to call off the 2020 crab fishing season, which employs thousands and is worth more than $300 million, including export value and spin offs.,, Meanwhile, The Fish Harvesting Safety Association (NL-FHSA) has released 12 control measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on fishing vessels, if fisheries open later this spring. >click to read< 18:14
Coronavirus: Maine fishermen say they missed out on pandemic relief program
Thousands of Maine fishermen and others in the seafood sector could have qualified for pandemic relief through the Paycheck Protection Program, but many were, apparently, unable to access the benefits before the money ran out. Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, said many of the industry’s on-the-water workers did not realize they were likely to qualify for the forgivable loans and other assistance that was briefly made available through the Small Business Administration. >click to read< 15:11
Asian Carp Fishing Method Being Tested In Kentucky
A commercial fisherman harvested close to 60,000 pounds of Asian carp from one bay in 48 hours as part of a fishing method being tested in Kentucky for the first time. Often referred to as either haul seining or beach seining, the method involves running a net out into the bay and scooping fish to the bank, hauling the net in with a winch and by hand. Wade Robbins, owner of Robbins Fishery, conducted the test in Kentucky Lake’s Pisgah Bay from the afternoon of March 19 to the morning of March 21. “It’s new in Kentucky,” Robbins said. “It’s been used for probably a century. It’s been perfected by the guys out of Browning, Ill., to use for Asian carp.” >click to read< 12:57
Pandemic Fish Tales From the Bay State’s Sinking Seafood Industry
These are hard times on the high seas for the Bay State’s celebrated seafood industry. Many individuals and businesses are headed for the rocks as social distancing, closed eateries, and trade tariffs take a significant toll on the market. John Symonds,“I can only go out once a month until this turns around. Let’s say I’d spend $300 on bait, $200 on help, and $100 on fuel. Would have been cheaper to stay docked—I’m losing money on trips out. My dockage, mortgage, truck upkeep, and other bills stay the same.”,, “It’s like, Holy shit, what is gonna happen?” (Tim) Walsh said. “We expect low volume this time of year, but this is outrageous. This has affected the price of bait, fuel, ground fishing, herring fishing. All these boats have supply, but nowhere to go.” >click to read< 08:44
Stonington scallop boat crewman remembered for devotion to his daughter
When Charlie Lathrop was just 15, he quit school and began a 35-year career as a commercial fisherman, working out of ports from the Town Dock to Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Known for his devotion to his 13-year-old daughter, Catherine, his tattoos and his nickname “Charlie Tuna,” the 50-year-old Westerly resident died sometime Wednesday night when he fell overboard from the local scallop boat Invictus off the coast of New Jersey.,, Lt. Commander Dan Schrader, the public affairs officer for the Coast Guard’s Mid-Atlantic Region, said Saturday that on Wednesday at 10:43 p.m., the Coast Guard received a report from the boat that a person fell overboard about 60 miles southeast of Atlantic City, N.J. Southern New England Fishermen and Lobstermen’s Association President Mike Grimshaw referred comment Saturday to boat owner Joe Gilbert of Milford, who could not be reached. The 74-foot-long Invictus was not at the dock on Saturday,,, You may have to answer a survey to access at the article. >click to read< 07:49
Shon Myers, 43, commercial fisherman, lobsterman
He was a commercial fisherman and lobsterman who had a passion for being on the water. He was an artist, musician, writer and photographer. He had an appreciation for knitting. “He was 6-foot 6 and had a smile that would melt your heart,” said his mother, Gayle Myers of Cape Elizabeth. Myers was a skilled lobsterman and commercial fisherman who worked on boats in Maine and elsewhere. He fished in Gloucester and New Bedford, Massachusetts; Point Judith, Rhode Island; Charleston, South Carolina; and Cape Canaveral and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. His mother said he found peace on the ocean. >click to read< 17:52
Fishing vessel crashes into Menemsha commercial wharf
The scalloper Martha Rose allided with the commercial wharf in Menemsha at roughly 6 am Saturday morning. The impact smashed a section of plank and rail along the wharf and left a piling akilter. Chilmark Harbormaster Ryan Rossi said the vessel suffered a mechanical failure in the middle of the harbor which triggered the allision. “Good thing is nobody was hurt,” Rossi said. The Martha Rose also clipped the fishing vessel Miss Jenna during the incident. Rossi described the damage to both vessels as “cosmetic.” >click to read< 16:20
Shem Creek blessing
On Tuesday, April 14 there was a downscaled version of the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony without the Seafood Festival and the large crowds. A more private family gathering took place on the Shem Creek Park side of the creek with several shrimping trawlers docked and ready for the start of the provisional season on Wednesday, April 15. Chaplain Jeff Wallace of Charleston Port and Seafarers Society blessed each vessel with holy water and prayed that each would have a bountiful season for a bountiful season for each. Boats included: Winds of Fortune, Eleanor Paige, Miss Bridget, The Family Thing and the Lady J were all blessed at the ceremony. 20 photo’s, >click to read< 15:13
Northern cod growth off NL stalled, latest science indicates
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on Friday released it’s latest stock status assessment information on northern cod. “We continue to be concerned about the status of the northern cod stock, which remains in the critical zone,” a technical briefing document states. “Survey indices suggest that recently observed stock growth (2012-2016) may have stalled. Ecosystem conditions indicated limited productivity and reduced food availability may be limiting growth of cod. “The precautionary approach requires that removals be kept at lowest possible levels.” >click to read< Does the precautionary approach include a plan for a major extraction of marine mammals? Asking for a friend. 11:32
A life hooked on uncertainty – Delaware fishermen just hoping they can survive impacts of the coronavirus
Brian Hoffecker almost didn’t make it through the first year he ventured off on his own as a commercial fisherman. It was the mid-1990s and he owed a lot of money on the boat he had just bought when a historic winter storm hit his prey – Delmarva’s iconic blue crabs – hard. “When it was time to go crabbing, I was broke,” he said. “It was brutally cold and it killed most of the crabs. There weren’t any crabs to catch.” After more than two decades making a living on the water, the impacts of the coronavirus, Hoffecker’s livelihood is threatened once again.,, Like commercial lobsterman and black sea bass fisherman Wes Townsend says, the only thing certain in the world of fishing is the uncertainty.,, But he’s never seen anything like this before, he said. photos, video,>click to read< 09:21
Coronavirus: Concerns raised about pending Cheticamp snow crab fishery
Setting day for the lucrative fishery is Friday and it runs until June 30. “Residents of Cheticamp are really scared and upset about the coming of the crab fishery,” Cheticamp resident Yolande LeVert said. “I’m not sure what’s happening here, I don’t know why there is not more communication with the residents of Cheticamp. Are there rules on the wharf when the fishermen come in for the ones that unload the boats?” ,, LeVert noted the snow crab fishery will see more than 30 boats arrive from around the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, mainly from New Brunswick and Quebec, for the Zone 12F snow crab fishery. That equates to about 120 fishermen, in addition to dozens of plant workers, many of whom arrive from Mexico. >click to read< 08:35
Coronavirus: North-east fishing chiefs fear Holyrood funding package may not be enough to rescue ‘all’ of industry
More than 1,000 businesses dependent on fishing are now eligible for financial assistance. The scheme will help businesses operating a vessel larger than 12 meters, about 40ft, to land shellfish by providing capped payments of up to £21,370. Those operating more than one boat could be eligible for up to £42,740. Chief executive of Peterhead-based Scottish Seafood Association, Jimmy Buchan, said the processing sector welcomed measures to ensure it would still have catches to sell. He said: “I welcome the new funding and I hope it is enough to save all of the industry, and not just part of it. “Fishermen and processors play a significant role in feeding the nation, now even more so. We play an important part in keeping people healthy.” >click to read< 07:23
Maine lobstermen spray-paint trap lines for whale entanglement study
Stores up and down the coast special-ordered quantities of purple paint this winter in anticipation of a state-inspired data collection effort, spearheaded by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. With approximately 4,500 commercial lobstermen in the state setting up to 800 traps each, that is a lot of purple spray paint. For those who got a jump on the lobster season, the job was underway in late February, indoors, amidst fumes of acetone and toluene. For others, it has been an outdoor project, long and messy. But the lobstermen mostly agree that at least the state and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration will gather definitive evidence indicating whose lines — U.S., Canadian, from Maine or other states — are entangling the endangered North Atlantic Right Whales in the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean. photos, >lick to read< 17:57
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 17 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< 16:44
Coronavirus: In Photo’s – The Essential Work of Farmers (and Fishermen)
Despite the many coronavirus lockdowns around the world, people still need to eat, and agricultural work continues, but with many new challenges. Some crops that were ready to harvest are being plowed under or allowed to rot in the fields, because seasonal workers are restricted from traveling, and many buyers have temporarily closed. Unwanted flowers are being used as feed for livestock, and some fishermen are donating their catch to needy families. The farm workers who do have jobs worry about possible exposure to the virus, and have little protection, but many are glad to have a paycheck right now. In some places, the demand for organic produce has gone up, and farmers are working to get their crops to smaller markets as well as larger warehouses. 30+ photo’s, >click for more< 14:14
