Monthly Archives: April 2020
Alaska’s Commercial Harvesters Listed as ‘Critical Infrastructure’
Plans are in progress to conduct the multi-million dollar Bristol Bay salmon fishery this summer in a manner that keeps harvesters, processors and the seafood itself safe in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic. “Everyone is working on it on a regular basis,” said Norm Van Vactor of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. in Dillingham, Alaska. “It is literally a plan in progress. We are moving forward with a positive attitude (but) nobody is in La La Land.” Commercial fishermen are now officially identified as “critical infrastructure” by the state of Alaska. >click to read< 08:19
Woes and blessings in the age of coronavirus, Rachel Blackmon Bryars
Those of us who grew up in the Bible Belt are very familiar with the good book’s many “woe-to-the” passages. Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil. Woe to the foolish. These passages have never been among my favorites, but the general phrase kept coming to mind this week, with a coronavirus twist. I still don’t like the woe-to-the mindset. I don’t like feeling angry. I don’t want to feed resentment. I want to hope for the best, believe the best, point to the best. Which is why I’m forcing my mind to pivot to a different phrase, “Blessed-are-the.” Blessed are the nurses, doctors, hospital staff, and medical workers of all types working tirelessly for days and nights on end. Who are on the front lines in a life-and-death battle. Who are heroes, each one. Blessed are the farmers, the ranchers, and the fishermen — remaining in the pastures, the fields, and on the seas so that we may feed our families. Blessed are the truckers who bring it all to market. >click to read< 07:23
Looking Back: 2007-Wake up New Jersey before more of your tax dollars are wasted on Governor Corzine’s offshore windfarm
The Governor is proposing to create a huge 80 unit windfarm capable of producing 350 megawatts of electricity in the waters off the south Jersey shore at an estimated present cost of 1.5 billion dollars. Last week New York cancelled plans for a smaller farm, of about 40 windmills, off of Jones beach because of rising cost estimates already over 700 million dollars for a project originally projected to cost about 200 million. New York officials were smart enough to recognize a financial black hole before they started it. Are New Jersey officials? >click to read< 13:47
A research expedition returning to Victoria puzzled by a no-show of the fish after an initial big haul
“It is a little difficult for people to accept that scientifically, no catch is sometimes as important as large catches. I think this is the case here,” said Richard Beamish, who is organizing the $1.45-million expedition with fellow B.C. scientist Brian Riddell. “We had relatively large catches of pink, chum and coho early in the survey and there were no salmon in the same area a few weeks later.” It is clear that there are probably large schools of species such as coho that are moving over large areas in response to some factor, Beamish said. The chartered trawler Pacific Legacy No. 1 left Victoria on March 11, headed up to the southern part of the Gulf of Alaska and fished off Dixon Entrance. On Friday, it was 513 miles off Cape Beale, west of Ucluelet. The team expects to return to Victoria on Tuesday. >click to read< 10:32
Coronavirus: NH lobstermen trying to keep afloat relying more on direct sales to the public
Andy Konchek has his own lobster boat and works as a deckhand for Capt. John Borden on the Mary Baker. They fish in federal waters and typically sell their catch to Kittery Trading Post in Maine, which was deemed “non-essential” and closed last week. Konchek said they have hauled in 300 of their traps because of the loss in sales. They are still going out for a limited catch and selling lobsters and Jonah crabs directly to customers from Pierce Island in Portsmouth to keep afloat financially. Brian Tarbell of Dover was one of Konchek and Borden’s customers last week. He said local fishermen need support now more than ever. >click to read< 08:56
Coronavirus impacts the UK seafood supply chains – Selling fish directly to consumers.
Fishermen like those aboard the netter Stelissa, are trying to keep the UK supplied with fresh fish – you can help by going online to the FishOnFriday website and buying your fresh fish – in some cases – direct from the boat itself! We’ve created guides to explain what you need to do to meet the regulations. They also highlight the food safety requirements that apply. Guides for England and Scotland are available to download below, Further guidance for Northern Ireland and Wales will be added here shortly. >click to read< 07:57
Menemsha goes old school on a Saturday morning. 500 pounds of scallops sell in two hours off F/V Martha Rose
Wes Brighton’s 77-foot scalloper, Martha Rose, is bringing sea scallops to its home port of Menemsha in a new way — straight off the boat with no intermediary. Saturday morning the vessel sold 500 pounds of scallops in two hours. Brighton had intended to offer scallops from 9 am to 1 pm but by 11 am, his hold was empty. The scallops were sold at $18 per one pound bag or $75 for a five pound box. Check, Venmo, or cash was accepted. >click to read< 07:00
Debut novel set in Bristol Bay delivers generations of women’s storytelling
Mia Heavener, now living in Anchorage, grew up fishing in Bristol Bay, where she absorbed stories her mother and other women told between tides and over tea. Her lovely debut novel set in a village near Dillingham, “Under Nushagak Bluff,” draws upon those stories and her own knowledge of the region, its history, its Yup’ik people, and the fishermen and cannery workers who came and went with the salmon runs. It is a compelling narrative, rich in its evocations of a time and place largely unrepresented in our literature — and a welcome addition to it. The novel begins with a voice. Someone — it’s a while before readers will figure out who it belongs to — is sitting in a skiff on a sandbar, waiting for the tide to come in. “My girl, I’m sorry,” she says. “I’ll start with that.” And she begins to talk, with a story “that could be told by the shape of the beach we just left. It is years before me. And it begins with a storm …” >click to read< 19:19
Coronavirus: It’s not business as usual for fishing industry
For Alaska’s commercial fisheries industry in 2020, things will hardly be business as usual. Reports of the first case of novel coronavirus in the state prompted processors to get to work developing plant and vessel response plans in consultation with medical experts to assure the health and safety of employees, harvesters, communities they work in and the fish they will process by the ton. “Everyone is working on it on a regular basis,” said Norm Van Vactor, president and chief executive officer of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. in Dillingham. “It is literally a plan in progress. We are moving forward with a positive attitude (but) nobody is in La La Land.” >click to read< 18:15
Isle of Man: A perfect storm for our fishing industry as Coronavirus hits markets
’We all just felt we were coming out the other side after such unsettled weather earlier in the year, with all those storms when the fleet weren’t getting out, but with this new crisis it really did escalate,’ said Nick Pledger of Port St Mary-based Island Seafare. He went on: ’The fleet are virtually tied up at the moment. All the key markets, northern Italy, northern Spain, France and the UK are among the worst affected areas. ’There is a local market of course for scallops and queenies but it’s not nearly enough to sustain our fishing fleet. As processors, we can’t keep taking it off the boats and putting it into cold storage.’ >click to read< 16:26
Coronavirus: Outdoor seafood market helps Point Beach fishermen sell catch
The commercial fishing industry, like many others, is reeling from social distancing orders. In the case of fishermen, two-thirds of their seafood is normally bought by restaurants, which have been reduced to takeout only. The co-operative’s fishermen are trying to find alternatives ways to sell their fish instead of bringing them to Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx, where wholesalers buy fish and move it to restaurants. “Prices have dropped by as much as 75 percent. I haven’t seen them this low since the 1980s,” said Jim Lovgren, who sits on the board of directors Fishermen’s Dock Cooperative, of Fulton’s prices. Video, photos, >click to read< 15:44
Ex-Head of Maine Union Co-op Named in Racketeering Suit
The annual Maine lobster catch might not be in trouble, but certain people who sell it are. On December 5, Lobster 207, a wholesale marketing cooperative owned by the Maine Lobstering Union, an affiliate of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, filed a civil racketeering complaint in Bangor federal court against its former head, Warren Pettegrow, his company Poseidon Charters Inc., and three other persons. The suit alleges the defendants engaged in a two-year scheme to loot the co-op. >click to read< 11:20
In the middle of a socio economic disaster, Town of Riverhead cracks down on bunker fishermen
Even as Long Island’s commercial fishing industry reels from coronavirus-shuttered markets and restaurants, one East End town this week began cracking down on one of the few remaining viable sectors for local baymen: fishing for menhaden. Menhaden fishermen who launch their boats from a town ramp in Riverhead were greeted by a bay constable Wednesday morning who said the men would be cited for using seine nets that stretch beyond the 50-foot limit allowed by the town. “I’ve been fishing there for the last 30 years, and they decide to pick now, in the middle of a socio economic disaster, to enforce a silly code that’s not even applicable?” said Will Caldwell, a Hampton Bays fishermen who received a summons with a 30-day court date. >click to read< 09:37
Mass Delegation Urges USDA to Buy American Seafood Under CARES Act
U.S. Rep. William Keating, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Massachusetts, joined some of his Capitol Hill colleagues today in urging the USDA to include U.S. seafood companies in a $9.5 billion program designed to help farmers affected by the coronavirus. Keating, Rep. Seth Moulton, and Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and said the federal government should take steps to buy American seafood through the CARES Act agricultural assistance program. >click to read< 08:41
Coronavirus Northern Ireland: Fishing fleets will be given monthly payments depending on length of vessels
Fisheries Minister Edwin Poots has announced a substantial £1.5 million support package for Northern Ireland’s fishing industry. Fishermen are struggling to handle social distancing measures on vessels and many ships have been grounded for the foreseeable future coupled with the collapse of the European and domestic fish markets have made trading virtually impossible. Councillor on the Ards Peninsula, Robert Adair, said: “We have been calling for help, we have been urging Government to remember our fishing industry and fleets in these desperate times. >click to read< 17:42
Bernadette Jordan says harvesters have requested delays, and resists calls to shut down lobster fishery
The federal fisheries minister is resisting calls to close the Atlantic Canadian lobster fishery down completely this year in response to COVID-19. The pandemic shut down the market for luxury food on cruise ships and in restaurants, leading to the collapse of sales in Asian markets and leaving a glut of inventory that has increased with the lobster fishery ongoing in southwestern Nova Scotia.,, “There have been a handful of delays that have been asked for, but at this point the plan still is to open all fisheries.” >click to read< 15:18
In This Remote Town Spring Means Salmon, and Thousands of Fisherman From Coronavirus Hot Spots
Later this spring, Alaska’s Bristol Bay will blossom into one of the largest annual salmon fisheries in the world. The regional population of about 6,600 will triple in size with the arrival of fishermen, crews and seasonal workers on jets but also private planes and small boats, many traveling from out of state. And yet the heart of the health care system in southwestern Alaska, in a corner of the state where the Spanish flu once orphaned a generation, is a 16-bed hospital in Dillingham operated by the Bristol Bay Area Health Corp. Only four beds are currently equipped for coronavirus patients. As of Wednesday, the hospital had a few dozen coronavirus tests for the entire Florida-sized region, tribal leaders said. >Click to read< 14:16
More than a pin
The call for assistance from the fishing vessel Brenna A had already come in, and the Coast Guard Station Umpqua River crews were preparing to swap duty sections. The oncoming duty section was led by the Coast Guard’s newest Surfmen, Petty Officers 2nd Class Enrique Lemos (#559) and Aaron Hadden (#560). The two of them discussed the escort request upon reporting for duty at 7 a.m. They knew from the morning bar report that the Umpqua River bar was breaking at 14-feet on the series and also had 10 to 12-foot steep swells. The vessel, a 107-foot 198 gross ton fishing vessel, en route to Alaska had never crossed the Umpqua River bar before. They also knew that they were supposed to stand in front of their shipmates at 8 a.m. and be pinned with the distinctive surfman pin, a silver-colored life ring on top of two crossed oars. Photos, >click to read< 13:25
Profiles in Training: American Seafoods Company
Lance Camarena recognized from a young age that he wanted to work in the learning and development arena.,, Today, Camarena is Director of Training & Organizational Development for American Seafoods Company, a fishing company which runs six factory trawlers ranging from 256 to 341 feet. The company employs approximately 1,300 seafarers from 52 countries, with about a 7% turnover in our key officer positions and a 25% turnover in our entry level processor positions. American Seafoods has also implemented a Marine Learning Systems learning management system (LMS) e-learning solution and created the American Seafoods Knowledge Academy (ASKA), which can be accessed from almost any device to complete mandated training. >click to read< 11:04
Coronavirus: Chéticamp residents worry out-of-province fishery workers could bring COVID-19
The snow crab season on the west side of Cape Breton Island usually starts in mid-April and the lobster fishery opens shortly after that. Some Chéticamp residents say out-of-province workers are already in town looking for employment at the fish processing plant and those workers are exempt from the usual requirement to self-isolate for 14 days. Chéticamp’s Sacred Heart Community Health Centre has 10 beds.,, LeBlanc said he asked the province two weeks ago to remove the self-isolation exemption for fish plant workers, but has not received a reply. “The government needs to reflect on this very quickly and appease the fear that the community has, and rightfully so,” >click to read< 08:46
Coronavirus: Yaquina Bay fishing continues despite market disruptions
As part of the food-production chain, commercial fishing is considered an essential industry, but even though fishermen based out of Newport’s Yaquina Bay are still on the job, they have felt the impact of the current market disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.,, “Some crabbers are still trying to stick it out, others have probably called it earlier than they normally would,” Buell added. “There still is some effort happening, for sure. It’s kind of hard to keep up with everything, but it sounds like the Chinese markets may be opening back up a little bit, so they’re able to start moving some live crab there, which is helping.” >click to read< 07:47
Fresh fish to your door – Don’t let COVID19 stop the guys fishing – buy online or from a supplier near you!
Two days ago, the local netter Stelissa skippered by Ryan Davey decided to take a chance and head out through the gaps and commit him, his crew and the boat to a full hake trip south of Ireland with a full twenty hour trip ahead of them. They steamed west-north-west into the setting sun over the Scillys before arriving on the fishing grounds yesterday to shoot their nets in these challenging times. The UK public can do their bit to a eat a healthy diet and b) help keep the nation’s fishermen at sea buy buying fresh fish either online or from a supplier in your area. Video, photos, >click to read< 06:56
Coronavirus: Elver Season Starts, But Prices Plunge
At 8 a.m., Monday, March 30, about 30 elver fishermen were at the Pemaquid Falls town landing to claim their fishing spots for a shortened season. The elver, or glass eel, season in Maine got off to a late start because of a coronavirus-related delay from March 22 to March 30. Bristol Town Administrator Chris Hall said in a phone interview March 30 that he estimates there were at least 60 fishermen at Pemaquid Falls on opening day last year. The price of elvers has dropped significantly this year, from more than $2,000 per pound in 2019 to $500 per pound, the lowest starting price since 2010. This is down from a price of $2,700-$2,800 at the start of the 2018 season, the highest ever seen in Maine’s elver fishery. photo galley, >click to read< 18:51
VARD Secures Contract For Stern Trawler
The new vessel will be the first new building of VARD’s own design sold to the Faroe Islands. VARD’s shipyards in Norway have in the past built many fishing vessels to Faroese ship owners, which several of the vessels were highly innovative at the time and a leap forward for the local fishing industry. The newly developed trawler of VARD 8 03 design is based on a range of highly advanced and well-proven fishing vessels from VARD, designed with the latest demands for fish health management, efficiency and environmentally-friendly operations. The vessel has been developed in close cooperation with Framherji and will have the latest green technology on board. >click to read< 14:47
Coast Guard medevacs Commercial Fisherman 55 miles offshore of Lake Charles, Louisiana
The Coast Guard medevaced a mariner from an 86-foot fishing vessel approximately 55 miles offshore Lake Charles, Louisiana, Thursday morning. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a call from the captain of the fishing vessel Captain Taruong Phi who reported a crewmember was suffering from symptoms of a heart attack and in need of medical assistance. Watchstanders consulted the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. photos, >click to read< 13:33
Gas engines saved the lives of salmon fishermen
Between 1908 and 1911, something happened that almost certainly saved hundreds of men from drowning on the Columbia River Bar. The salmon canneries in Astoria started fitting their gillnet fishing fleets with small gasoline engines. At the time, the mainstay of the Astoria gill-net fishing fleet was a picturesque double-ended lapstrake design, developed by a California man named J.J. Griffin in 1866 for use on the Sacramento River. They were 24 to 30 feet long, 7 to 8 feet wide, sloop-rigged with broad gaff-rigged sails on a relatively short mast. This design quickly caught on and became very famous and popular on river fisheries all up and down the West Coast. >click to read< 11:27
Cordova: All fishing vessel operators must sign coronavirus safety agreements
Businesses and individuals, including fishing vessel operators, will be required to sign coronavirus safety agreements to conduct commercial operations in Cordova.,, Under a mutual aid agreement, an operator must educate their employees about coronavirus symptoms and safety measures that may prevent infection, ensure compliance with the city’s coronavirus emergency rules and complete a health risk assessment form for all operators and employees working in Cordova or its waters. An operator must notify the city within 24 hours if any individual fails a health risk assessment and confirm that that individual has been placed under quarantine. An operator also agrees,,, >click to read< 09:53
Petty Harbour Inshore fishery champion Tom Best dead at 74
Tom Best died of cancer Tuesday afternoon at the Miller Centre in St. John’s. Best became a licenced inshore fisherman in Petty Harbour in 1963 after finishing high school. Petty Harbour mayor and fisherman Sam Lee said, “I’ve known Tom all my life really, but I’ve been working with him for over 50 years closely. It’s a great loss to our community and not only to the community but to Newfoundland as a whole.” Best was founding president of the Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Cooperative, a position he held for most of the last 36 years. The Co-op is owned and operated by fish harvesters. >click to read< 08:45
Coronavirus: Commercial fishermen scale back as market demand plummets
With restaurants only permitted to offer takeout and delivery, and many specialty seafood markets offering limited products or temporarily closing amid the COVID-19 outbreak, commercial fishermen are scaling back operations, too, and they’re feeling the impact. “It’s scary what’s out there, it really is,” said Ernie Panacek, 69, general manager of Viking Village, a commercial seafood producer in the borough. “The money that we get comes from those people going out to dinner and going to retail,” he said. “It’s going to be a hardship for a while. No one is going to flip a switch and have it go away immediately. We’re going to feel this for a long time.” 14 photos, >click to read< 07:45
Susan Beaton: Our markets gone, call fishing season off
I read that the provincial fisheries ministers from the Atlantic provinces and Quebec met recently. I was slightly heartened, but also worried. Is their intention to support our spring lobster and snow crab fisheries, or is their focus on ensuring they won’t have to, by making the case that we should fish, come what may?,, My hesitation occured when I read, “… adapt to maintain their livelihood.” Let me say, here and now, as a lobster fisher in the Gulf for 20 years, I have no interest in staying ashore, but I doubly have no interest in being a canary in the coal mine to test the theory that fishermen/women will fish, no matter the cost. We shouldn’t be put in the position of having to go to sea when there is no reasonable chance we can succeed. Fisheries from around the globe are shutting down because there is no market. more, >click to read< 06:56
