Monthly Archives: May 2020
Key Word -“displaced”: New London wants state to fund new pier for displaced fishermen.
The city is calling on the Connecticut Port Authority to help establish a new home for two commercial fishing businesses being displaced from State Pier. The city says it’s found a spot on its waterfront for a new pier but doesn’t have the money to fund a project. Mayor Michael Passero is calling on the port authority to provide the funding. The fishermen — Montville-based Donna May Fisheries and Waterford-based Out of Our Shell Enterprises — are among the tenants of State Pier being displaced by a $157 million project to redevelop it into a staging and assembly hub for the offshore wind industry. The redevelopment project is a partnership between the Connecticut Port Authority, Ørsted and Eversource. >click to read< 07:56
F/V Miss Jenna and her Captain Banned from Menemsha Basin
A Vineyard crab and whelk boat, has been banned from the Menemsha Basin by the Chilmark Harbor Department. Harbormaster Ryan Rossi said he made the decision following the grounding of the vessel Thursday night in Aquinnah. Rossi said alcohol appeared to be a factor in the grounding and taken together with two other incidents since last May, constitute a pattern of nautical behavior “proven to be reckless.” Rossi said not only is the Miss Jenna banned, but Capt. Andrew Wheeler’s right to operate any vessel in the Menemsha Basin has been revoked. The Miss Jenna was allegedly found to still be in gear when the Coast Guard found it in the shallows of Lobsterville Beach Thursday night. According to a Chilmark Police report, the Coast Guard also found “two empty 18 packs of Bud Light and numerous ‘nip’ bottles” on board. Wheeler told The Times “we fell asleep.” >click to read< 17:47
DOC Secretary Ross Allocates $88 Million in Fishery Disaster Funding for Fishing Communities Affected by 2019 Bonnet Carre Spillway Opening
Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the allocation of $88 million in fishery disaster funding to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, where a catastrophic regional fishery disaster occurred due to extreme freshwater flooding in 2019 associated with the unprecedented opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway. “The Department of Commerce stands with our U.S. fishing communities, especially in times of hardship,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “These funds will help industries and individuals recover from this disaster, and build resilience for the future.” >click to read< 16:22
Over $21.3 million in federal fishery disaster funds allocated to Mississippi – >click to read<
Our latest lobster boat: Force of Nature
Completed in late April 2020, some 12 months after contracts were signed, Force of Nature is a 22.4 metre Southerly Designs monohull which, like other recent Dongara Marine fishing and pilot boat newbuilds, combines an aluminium hull with a composite superstructure. The new boat is an upgrade from Perham’s current vessel, the 17.1 metre Conquest 55 Natural Selection, which was built for him by Sea Chrome Marine in 1994 and which Perham is selling to make way for Force of Nature.,, “When Natural Selection was built it was pretty much the average size crayboat, perhaps slightly above average if anything. In the 1990s only a handful of new boats, maybe one in every 20, were over 70 feet. Now that’s the average size for new Australian high speed lobster boats, and in fact its more like 75 feet for the Western Australian fishery. photo’s, video, >click to read< 14:29
PGS to Acquire Three Seismic Surveys for Eastern Canada in 2020
PGS’ new Blomidon, South Bank, and Torngat Extension GeoStreamer surveys are all supported by industry funding. Together they will cover approximately 10 000 sq. km offshore Labrador and Newfoundland. The three new PGS marine seismic surveys will be acquired by the Ramform Atlas and Ramform Titan between early June and early September 2020. PGS will deliver fast-track results in 2020, and final imaging and interpretation products in early 2021. >click to read< 12:48
‘Baboom!’ St. Jude returns with 48 tons of tuna and no restaurant market thanks to coronavirus so they are selling it at Seattle’s docks
When the tuna boat St. Jude motored out of Anacortes in November for fishing grounds 5,000 miles away in the South Pacific, few people outside of microbiology labs had ever heard the word “coronavirus.” By the time the 95-foot vessel docked in Seattle this month, the microbe had shaken the entire world and turned the seafood business upside down. “Baboom!” said owner and captain Joe Malley, who returned from the six-month voyage to find the primary market for his high-quality albacore had vanished. “Who could have anticipated this?” >click to read< 11:19
‘I Don’t Know if We Will Make It’: Fishing Industry Takes a Huge Hit from Coronavirus
Commercial fishing is one of the many industries suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s led to a dramatically shrinking market for seafood as restaurants either close or have converted to takeout, and consumers stay home. It’s a quiet scene these days at L.D. Amory & Co. in Hampton, Va. The normally bustling wholesale seafood packer is struggling. “About 80 percent of the product we pack here ends up in restaurants,” Meade Amory, vice president of the company, told CBN News. “And so far we have no markets for our products right now, and it’s been very difficult.” Video, >click to read< 10:34
Mass. Hydropower Project Stymied By Maine Ballot Question Dispute
The project that would provide New England with its largest source of renewable energy and Massachusetts with about a fifth of its electricity demand is at the center of a simmering political and legal fight taking shape in Maine. New England Clean Energy Connect, a 145-mile transmission project of Central Maine Power Company, is expected to link the electrical grids in Quebec and New England to provide cleaner and more reliable hydropower directly to a converter station in Lewiston, Maine, and into the regional power grid. >click to read< 08:51
UPDATED: Coast Guard sets Port Condition Yankee for Port of Morehead City, N.C.
The Captain of the Port for North Carolina set Port Condition Yankee for the Port of Morehead City at 2 p.m., Sunday, and anticipates setting Port Condition Zulu at 10 p.m. Port Condition Yankee closes the identified port to inbound traffic without permission from the Captain of the Port. All affected vessels are encouraged to seek an alternative destination. Owners of pleasure craft are advised to seek safe harbor. Drawbridges may not be operating if sustained winds reach 34 mph or when an evacuation is in progress. Mariners can view the latest port updates on the Coast Guard’s Homeport Site. The Coast Guard is warning the public of these important safety messages: >click to read< 19:54
Captain of the Port reopens Port of Morehead City, N.C. – The Port of Morehead City has been returned to the Seasonal Alert port condition and is reopened to all vessel traffic. For guidance on specific issues or questions, contact Sector North Carolina at 910-343-3880.
The future of fish is frozen: How the Massachusetts seafood industry is adapting to Coronavirus
As restaurants closed, local seafood distributors needed to find a way to sell their product. So they turned to their freezer. Jared Auerbach first saw the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in early January, when seafood orders from Boston’s Chinatown — and Chinatowns across the country — slowly stopped coming in. At first, the founder of Red’s Best, a Boston-based seafood distributor, wasn’t too worried. “The second week of March, we were down about 20 percent,” On March 17, restaurants in Mass. were ordered to shutdown, and Auerbach, who founded Red’s Best in 2008, saw his business fall out from under him “What’s our contingency plan?” Across the country, seafood purveyors are all asking the same question. >click to read< 13:25
Smart crab fishing – New crabber for Scrabster, Scotland
Both owner and yard found themselves in new territory as the UK went into lockdown, just as Andrew Watt’s new vivier crabber was about to be delivered, and with the long delivery trip to Scrabster ahead of them. The new Osprey WK-4 was launched at the Parkol Marine Engineering yard in March,, The new crabber is expected to fish brown crab along the north coast of Scotland west to the Butt of Lewis, working 5-6 day trips,,, photos, >click to read<
Smart crab fishing – Osprey has a carefully arranged layout for handling fishing gear, developed by the owners and the longstanding crew, working with vessel safety management systems to ensure safe operation. photos, >click to read< 10:58
Slow going for the Copper River opener
A 12-hour opener marking the start of the 2020 Copper River commercial salmon season proved slow going, with a catch of 1,650 Chinook and 1,500 sockeye salmon, down from 2,300 kings and 20,400 reds in the 2019 opener. Prices for the catch were also down, due to lack of demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, with upscale restaurants that normally feature Copper River entrees following the start of the fishery still closed. Even with fewer fishermen on the grounds, it was tough going. One veteran harvester said his 12-hour effort produced a total of five fish. Worries over a potential low price for the prized fish, coupled with concerns that the novel coronavirus pandemic might stop the fishery lowered the competition for the fish, said Cordova Mayor Clay Koplin, who calculated that as much of one fourth of the fleet never left the harbor. >click to read< 08:34
Trident seafood worker the first positive COVID-19 case in Dillingham
Dillingham has its first case of COVID-19. According to state data, the person is an out-of-state resident who works in the seafood industry. It’s the ninth case of an out-of-state resident testing positive for the disease, and it’s the fourth instance of someone testing positive who works in that industry. The state said in a news release that the individual is a seasonal worker for Trident Seafoods. Trident is arranging for that worker to leave the community today. That person is doing well and does not require hospitalization. Public health nurses have completed a contact investigation and report that no one at that quarantine site had any outside contacts. “They haven’t exposed the community because they haven’t been out in the community,” public health nurse Gina Carpenter said in the state’s news release. >click to read< 18:51
Coronavirus: A fisherman’s daughter’s perspective
I am a fisherman’s daughter who is very aware of the beauty and the dangers of the ocean. Fishing isn’t for everyone — it is a physical, dangerous, high-risk profession in which generations of fishers have gone out on the water and, all too often, not come home. The fishery is one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s many highly dependent resource sectors employing thousands of people directly and indirectly. This year the obstacles facing this sector are beyond what any industry should have to deal with on their own. Since mid-March, fish harvesters were deeply concerned about the potential impact of COVID-19. Safety was and continues to be top priority as it is impossible to social distance while working in a fishing boat. Meagan Careen, St. Bride’s>click to read< 17:12
Funeral procession for fisherman Gus “Scotch Gus” Graham to pass his regular pubs along Freeman Street Grimsby to honour much-loved town character
Mourners have been urged to line Grimsby streets to say farewell to one of the town’s best-known fishermen. The funeral cortege carrying Angus “Scotch Gus” Graham will leave his home at Banbury Court on Victor Street and travel along Freeman Street where he was known as a regular at most of the pubs. Sadly Gus sadly died aged 68 years. Daughter Claire said he was “a big friendly giant” and will be missed by his family and his many friends. She told how he moved to Grimsby from his native Campeltown on Argyll and Bute when he was just 17 years. He had learned fishing working with his uncles from the age of 14 years. His first job was with Dury Brothers on Grimsby docks. >click to read< 15:57
Trawl fishing in the age of the coronavirus: First, you make it through quarantine
Hundreds of crew members went through two weeks of shore-side quarantine coupled with testing for the novel coronavirus that did identify a few who, if they had gone out to sea, risked sickness and spreading the virus. “There’s no silver bullet. But this is a huge deal,” said Karl Bratvold, a managing partner of Aleutian Spray Fisheries, which operates the catcher-processor vessel Starbound now harvesting whiting in open waters off the Olympic Peninsula. “We have a steady crew. And I’m glad they came back. They work in tight quarters and it’s scary out there. We had to do what we had to do to keep these people safe.” photos, >click to read< 13:27
Activist Seeks Preliminary Injunction To Halt Lobster Fishing In Maine
There are new developments Friday in the legal battle over whether rope used by Maine lobstermen poses a deadly threat of entanglement to endangered North Atlantic right whales. Richard Strahan’s case is similar to one he brought in Massachusetts, where a federal judge ruled recently that the lobster fishery there violates the Endangered Species Act. Strahan says state governments and NOAA have deliberately ignored the law. In another case, a coalition of conservation groups late Friday filed their proposals for protecting the right whales. That’s after a judge’s finding that the federal government violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to stall the whales’ slide toward extinction. The Conservation Law Foundation and others say the judge should immediately bar use of vertical rope,,, >click to read< 11:42
Massachusetts Lobstermen push against whale rules – Aug 22, 2019 >click to read<
F/V Miss Jenna aground on Lobsterville Beach
The Vineyard fishing vessel Miss Jenna ran aground on Lobsterville Beach 11:30 pm, according to the U.S Coast Guard. At 12:30 am the vessel was still stuck in the sand about 20 feet from shore. U.S. Coast Guard personnel could be seen on deck and boats flashing emergency lights could be seen in the distance. Capt. Andrew Wheeler, who runs the Miss Jenna, told The Times Friday morning sleep deprivation was a factor. “Basically we ran a long trip and fell asleep,” he said. He did not specify who was at the helm. “Pretty embarrassing to be honest with you,” he said. >click to read< 10:47
In the Coronavirus Economy, Texas’ Commercial Fishermen Are Barely Treading Water
Most of Texas’ commercial fishermen have seen similar struggles. As has been the case across food industries, the pandemic’s economic fallout on Gulf Coast commercial anglers and local wholesalers brought their boats and operations ashore like a summer storm. Their financial livelihoods and the industry’s future, as well as generations of rich commercial fishing tradition, are at stake. Without restaurants, in other words, seafood demand plummets. Commercial angler Buddy Guindon, who co-owns Katie’s Seafood Market with his wife, Katie, says their operation in Galveston felt the pandemic’s impact almost immediately. When local restaurants mostly closed up shop, they were forced to cut their employees’ fishing trips short. >click to read< 10:00
New rules for California Dungeness crab fleet
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Friday unveiled a batch of complex new rules designed to reduce the risk to endangered whales and sea turtles of becoming entangled in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear. The draft regulations are set to be finalized before the next commercial season starts in November after a period of public review. Among the provisions are options to restrict fishing in certain depths, require crabbers to set only a share of the traps for which they’re permitted or limit intervention to any of six newly established geographic zones, rather than the larger Northern and Central California management districts that currently exist. >click to read< 09:14
Setting day challenging but ‘better than expected’ say Malpeque fishermen
Despite a two-week delay to P.E.I.’s fishing season because of COVID-19 and added dredging challenges, Malpeque Harbour was still bustling with fishermen on setting day. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans cautioned fishermen in Malpeque Harbour that the yearly dredging effort was still ongoing, as the dredger was unable to create a clear passage through the channel that leads from the harbour to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. “After weeks of stress and sleepless nights, it went much better than expected,” said Justin Pickering, a captain who fishes from the harbour. “The wind let up last night and the dredger was able to get a little bit of a path cut through for us and we were the second boat out,” he said. >click to read< 08:13
Fishing boat runs aground after man at helm nods off
Boat owner Michael Michieli, and the crew member who nodded off after being left in charge, were rescued by the emergency services. Neither was injured. Describing the incident, Mr Michieli’s daughter Rebecca said: ‘They had been over to France and they had been working for 48 hours. ‘My dad was resting and asleep downstairs, and as they got closer to Jersey the crew member in the wheelhouse also fell asleep for a few minutes. Lockdown restrictions have devastated the export market. Many local fishermen, including Mr Michieli, have since been making a living by selling their catch from ‘pop-up’ stalls. Ms Michieli added: ‘It was purely an accident and we are very grateful to everyone who came to help. It was just one of those things – and my dad even joked that he should say they were just trying to create a pop-up fish stall.’ >click to read< 18:57
The Northeast Observer Waiver Has Been Extended Through 5/30/2020!
NOAA Fisheries is extending the waiver granted to vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry human observers or at-sea monitors for an additional two weeks, through May 30, 2020. Administrator authority to waive observer requirements, and is also consistent with the criteria described in the agency’s emergency rule on observer waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. NOAA Fisheries will continue to monitor and evaluate this situation. As we have done in other parts of the country, >click to read< 15:04
Coronavirus: The country is shutting down. Shutdown NOAA’s Fisheries Observer Program, nationally. Right Now. – 06:06 March 20, 2020, I am writing this editorial today as a responsible, conscientious American fishermen and citizen, in complete disbelief of the irresponsibility of a U.S. government agency during the current international coronavirus crisis. >click to read<
Coast Guard assists fishing vessel taking on water 60 miles southeast of Charleston, S.C.
The Coast Guard assisted a vessel taking on water 60 miles southeast of Charleston, Thursday. A Coast Guard Air Facility Charleston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew transferred a dewatering pump to the vessel and a Coast Guard Station Charleston 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew transported the two crew members ashore once the vessel flooding was secured. Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center watchstanders received a report at 10:20 p.m. via VHF Channel 16 from the Norris L, a 44-foot fishing vessel, stating they were taking on water with two people aboard. >click to read< 13:37
New Jersey commercial fishing operations counting on relief funds to stay in business
The Garden State Seafood Association is hoping the $11 million recently allocated to New Jersey’s seafood industry as part of the coronavirus stimulus law will prepare it for reopening. “The money should go to those businesses that have a proven negative impact from the COVID pandemic and should be used to help keep as many fishing businesses in operation as possible,” Scot Mackey, the Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) Government Affairs director based in Trenton, told The Center Square. “I am concerned that the dollars seemed to flow to states regardless of the impact of the pandemic,” Mackey said. “I don’t think Alaska seafood has experienced the same impact as … the East Coast.” >click to read< 12:37
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 15, 2020
The General Assembly gets back into work mode next week, allowing for the public to also access the two legislative buildings, although using safety measures. Temps will be taken for all entering the buildings and they ask that those attending only do so if necessary. 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< 11:37
An Alaska commercial fishing season unlike any other kicked off in Cordova on Thursday
Normally, the Copper River gillnet season, the first salmon fishery to open in the state, is known for high-priced fish and celebrity-level fanfare: One of the first fish to be caught is flown to Seattle via Alaska Airlines jet, and greeted with a red carpet photo opportunity. In this pandemic year, things are different all around: The Alaska Airlines first fish photo op will still happen, but the festivities have been tamped down and six-foot distancing and masks are now required. Instead of a cooking contest pitting Seattle chefs against each other, a salmon bake for workers at Swedish Hospital in Ballard is planned. And this year, Cordova’s first-in-the-state salmon fishery will be a high stakes test,,, >click here< 10:15
Sittin’ on the dock watching,,, A photo gallery of Gloucester fishing vessels posted at GoodMorningGloucester by Manuel F. Simoes
23 photos by Manuel F. Simoes, and an Otis Reading clip to listen to while reviewing the images. Good Morning! 08:40
UPDATED: It’s setting day for P.E.I.’s lobster fishery after 2-week delay
Lobster fishermen are setting their traps from ports around Prince Edward Island this morning, after a two-week delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The spring fishery on P.E.I.’s North Shore and the eastern Northumberland Strait was delayed partly because some lobster processing plants in the region were not ready,, It will be a season like no other for fishermen: they’ll be asked questions about their health daily, are not allowed to share equipment and must wear gloves at all times. They’re required to thoroughly clean frequently-touched surfaces on board vessels, and to maintain a physical distance of two metres when possible. added photos, >click to read< 07:31
IN PHOTOS: P.E.I. lobster fishers head out on setting day following delay – P.E.I. fishers hit the water early this morning to set their lobster traps. The season finally opened on May 15 following a two-week delay due to the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic. >click to view< 13:22
On eve of lobster season, fishermen worry about low prices and high costs
Glace Bay harbour was a busy spot on Thursday, with lobster fishermen loading traps in preparation for setting day on Friday. It’s a time that is usually much anticipated among fishermen, but not this year. “I would say we’re going to lose 40 to 50 percent from last year to this year,” said Herb Nash. Nash has been a fisherman for more than 30 years and says he hasn’t seen prices this low since the seventies. “I don’t think our fishery is going to last two months anyway,” he said. “I think if we get two or three weeks out of it. They’re not going to be able to sell the lobster or prices are going to be that low, we’re not going to be able to afford it. We’re paying $1.25 pound for bait and we’re getting $5 dollars for lobster.” >click to read< 21:59
