Daily Archives: May 12, 2020
British Columbia: Steveston-based fisher says industry faces uncertain future amid Coronavirus
Some B.C. fishers may be forced out of the industry if they aren’t able to earn enough income this year, according to Steveston-based fisherman Justin Taylor. As domestic and foreign demand fell dramatically in the wake of COVID-19, processing plants, which fishers directly supply, haven’t been able to sell to the restaurants and hotels that normally make up the bulk of the seafood market. As a result, prices are uncertain, and lower. “This is going to be a survival year for me and my crew, for sure,” he said. “When you’re facing 40 to 50 per cent price reductions, you really don’t know after expenses if there’s going to be much money actually pocketed…There’s a real risk of not making any money.” >click to read< 22:08
Protesting fish harvesters shout ‘We got no union!’
A protest involving 100 fish harvesters was heading Tuesday to Confederation Building after police urged demonstrators to disperse from the St. John’s headquarters of the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union. Tuesday’s protest is the second in the last several days in which harvesters demanded action on several issues, including crab prices, trip limits and safety concerns related to COVID-19.,, While protestors spilled out onto the street to space themselves out, many in the group said they were staying put to drive home their points. Ronnie Bidgood, a Petty Harbour harvester, he and others were standing up for their livelihoods and wouldn’t be leaving. >click to read< 18:12
Maine: Elver price plummets; lobster industry seeks help
Earning a living as a fisherman is tough in the best of times. Right now, times are bad and Maine fishermen have to hope they don’t get any worse.
Last year, according to the Department of Marine Resources, Maine harvesters landed 9,620 pounds of elvers, juvenile eels, and dealers paid $20,119,194 for the catch, an average price of $2,091 per pound for the fishermen. Things are markedly different in this year of the coronavirus pandemic.,, Like elver harvesters, members of Maine’s lobster industry have experienced an extraordinary disruption of their fishery. Most lobsters are consumed in restaurants or other commercial settings,,, >click to read< 16:30
Choice based on experience
When he got his first boat, he named her De Dee Mae – and she worked well for him. In 1979, success led him to Billings Diesel and Marine Service in Stonington, Maine for a larger boat. The 54 by 17-foot fibreglass vessel, known as a Northeast 54, became the De Dee Mae II. Over the next thirty years the boat and its He had a DDC 8V92 main engine served him well, and was overhauled several times. In 2000 he replaced it with the long block version rated for 388hp at 2300rpm. This past winter, he decided it was time to give this faithful boat a new main engine, and went back to the yard that built her and had worked on her over the years. photo’s, >click to read< 12:56
Coronavirus outbreak hits Pacific Seafood processing plant in Warrenton
The scope of the outbreak was not immediately clear on Monday afternoon. A spokesman for Clatsop County described six cases involving workers at Pacific Seafood and one case involving one of the worker’s contacts. In a statement on Saturday, Pacific Seafood said it suspended operations at the Warrenton plant after a worker tested positive for the virus. John King, the general manager of the seafood processor, said the worker was resting at home. King said Pacific Seafood immediately suspended operations and did a professional sanitization of the plant. >click to read< 12:14
FFAW asks for review of crab prices for Newfoundland and Labrador fishers, Panel agrees to hear submission May 13
The FFAW has asked the province’s Standing Fish Price Setting Panel to reconsider the price set for snow crab for the 2020 season. Earlier this month, the panel set the price at $2.90 per pound, after considering submissions from the FFAW and the Association of Seafood Processors (ASP) and assessing market reports. For the past three years crab fishers in this province have been getting exceptional prices for their catches, ranging from $4.50 to over $5 per pound, thanks to high consumer demand. This year, however, the market for crab is in a slump,,, The Coronavirus slump. >click to read< 11:01
North Carolina: Local seafood markets still seeing good business amid Coronavirus
Fresh seafood seems to be in high demand, given grocery stores are running out of stock of other meats such as chicken and ground beef, It’s a win-win situation for the markets and for customers. “It means a lot,” said Jimmy Phillips, the owner of Clyde Phillips Seafood MKT in Swansboro. “People want some good seafood with all the scares of beef and pork being out. So they come in and buy fresh fish an shrimp.” Phillips said that business has increased after the COVID-19 outbreak. Jody Davis, the owner of Davis Seafood in Sneads Ferry agreed that the local seafood industry remains steady. “Things have been pretty good for us,” he said. >click to read< 10:12
Provincetown Portuguese Festival will host Blessing of the Fleet, virtual activities
Organizers of the annual Portuguese Festival have released information about how they plan to celebrate this year amidst the coronavirus outbreak. While many of the in-person celebrations have been cancelled, the 73rd Blessing of The Fleet will still occur, which is held on the last Sunday in June, June 28. However, the event will be downsized and limited so as to not promote big crowds, which is similar to the original Blessing of the Fleet in 1948, according to a press release from event organizers. The time has yet to be determined for the blessing, but it will essentially be the only festival “event” occurring this year. >click to read< 08:34
Top Homeland Security Doctor touring rural Alaska ahead of commercial fishing season openers
The senior medical officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is touring Bristol Bay communities and elsewhere in Alaska this week as commercial fishing seasons get ready to open. Dr. Alexander Eastman will also visit Nome and nearby villages, state officials said Monday. Asked if fishing seasons that start with this week’s opener in Cordova prompted the visit, Eastman said a mix of factors “drove my bosses to give me the order to come to Alaska.” Among them, he said, are “the influx of a large amount of folks to the state in combination with her geography and some of the challenges the state faces on a day to day basis” even without the coronavirus when it comes to health-care resources,,, >click to read< 07:52
