Monthly Archives: May 2020
UPDATED! Video: Coast Guard aircrew hoists 2 people from grounded fishing vessel in Barnegat Inlet, New Jersey
The Coast Guard hoisted two people to safety after their vessel ran aground at the Barnegat Inlet Jetty in Barnegat, New Jersey late Wednesday night. A passenger (passenger?) aboard the grounded 53-foot fishing vessel Bay of Isle contacted watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light and reported that they had run aground and began taking on water. Due to the location of the grounded vessel, it was determined that a boatcrew from Station Barnegat Light would not be able to reach them and evacuate the passengers. Video, >click to read/watch< 12:05
Two Rescued From Wooden Boat Off South Jetty in Barnegat Light – Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light got the distress call via 911 at 10:55 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, that the Bay of Isles was taking on water, said Operations Petty Officer Graham Sahli. Two men on board were airlifted from the boat by Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. >click to read< 19:33
Concern Builds Over Potential Leak From Wrecked Fishing Boat in Inlet – The U.S. Coast Guard said late Thursday night that the condition of an overturned commercial fishing boat at the Barnegat Inlet jetty had deteriorated, raising concerns that hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel on board could begin to leak. photo’s >click to read< 12:41 05/08
Seafood processing worker is Cordova’s first positive coronavirus case
Cordova’s first positive case of the new coronavirus is an Ocean Beauty Seafoods worker who had recently traveled to the Prince William Sound community from outside of Alaska, officials announced Wednesday. The worker was asymptomatic, but his case was caught by his company’s routine testing of employees, said Mark Palmer, the president of Ocean Beauty Seafoods, in a KLAM radio briefing Wednesday afternoon. The worker, who arrived in Alaska two weeks ago from the Lower 48, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday night. “This person showed no signs of illness,” Palmer said. “But our testing procedure caught that person.” >click to read< 10:46
Long Island bayman still plying the waters, preserving traditions at 76
Ben Sohm stands on the second floor of his Amity Harbor home, surveying his surroundings through an expansive bay window. Below him, Ketcham Creek rolls its way to the Great South Bay, visible in the distance. His personal armada of a half dozen skiffs, duck-hunting and deep-sea fishing boats, is assembled along the dock abutting his house. Around him, arrayed on shelves that surround the living room, is his collection of vintage duck decoys, many carved a century ago by the baymen of Seaford, where Sohm grew up. But the most telling item in his collection is framed on the wall, near the carved ducks and family photos: A faded copy of Frank Roach’s New York State hunting license, issued in 1919. It was Roach, Sohm’s maternal grandfather, who inaugurated him into the life of a bayman, a tradition Sohm carries on, with aplomb, even at his own grandfatherly age of 76. Video, >click to read< 09:56
Coronavirus: Louisiana Shrimpers Uncertain of the Future
The seafood industry in Louisiana has seen highs and lows throughout the years.,, The ongoing competition from imported seafood and natural disasters have always been hurdles Captain AC Cooper and his family have had to navigate through, but now with the surplus of shrimp due to COVID-19 he’s unsure of the future. Acy said, “You just can’t get rid of the product that you normally get rid of because of the restaurants being closed and we went through lent but we still didn’t get rid of the excess. It’s hard to say that you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow and we don’t, and that’s very scary.” >click to read< 08:31
Amid escalating conflict, Ottawa orders temporary shutdown of Maritime elver fishery
The multimillion-dollar elver fishery in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick has been shut down amid escalating conflict between commercial and Indigenous harvesters, according to an industry representative. Riverside disputes and threats of violence during the spring elver fishery in 2020 rose to the point where local police intervention was required,,, The order says estimated elver removals were “far above the established catch limits in areas where fishing is occurring, which represents a threat to the conservation and protection of the species.” >click to read< 07:28
Court ruling threatens Maine’s lobster industry, MLA seeks donations to support its intervention in the case
Thousands of Maine’s family-owned lobstering businesses are at risk of extinction because of a recent federal court ruling citing a violation of the Endangered Species Act by the National Marine Fisheries Service. “The world’s most sustainable fishery could be shut down. And that is something that the Maine Lobstermen’s Association cannot let happen,” the association said in a press release today. “The MLA has launched a campaign to raise $500,000 to save Maine’s lobster industry,” Executive Director Patrice McCarron said in the release. The MLA is an intervenor in the court case and is the only organization in Maine that has been granted standing to participate in the case. >click to read< 15:20
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: Price Reduced! 60′ Gladding & Hearns Steel Dragger, With State/Federal Permits
To review specifications, information and 5 photos, >click here< Vessel is in good condition. To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 13:37
At Sea Observer – Whistleblowers say workplace abuse hides true impacts of B.C.’s trawl fishery
Under the at-sea observer program, observers are required to estimate bycatch on ships, often while mountains of fish are being dumped on deck and unwanted species are being thrown overboard. Observers are also expected to take biological samples and count and assess the condition of prohibited species, which can include valuable fish like halibut, all while staying out of the way.In early April, the Fisheries and Oceans Canada suddenly ordered the observers off the boats for 45 days due to safety concerns around COVID-19. >click to read< 12:50
Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan says financial aid for fishermen in Atlantic Canada is days away.
The pledge comes amid both economic and health concerns caused by the Coronavirus pandemic and $252 million in aid announced for Canadian farmers and food processors this week. The pandemic has already delayed the start of the lucrative spring lobster fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as processors warn about slumping demand and their ability to safely process the glut that will arrive when catches land after the season opens May 15. “We know that [harvesters are] going to have some very challenging times this season and we will have more to say about that and what we will be able to do in the coming days,” Jordan said Tuesday during a virtual sitting of Parliament. >click to read< 11:15
Port Townsend: Captain Kat Murphy fishes to feed her community
She likens it to “chasing wild herds of buffalo.” On her 38-foot wooden power troller, “Grace,” and with one other crewmember, Murphy spends her days trolling for salmon—a fishing method that leads her through sparkling waters buffeted by Alaska’s rocky coastlines and small towns. “We’re the wandering trollers,” Murphy said. “Because of our gear type, we’re not limited to these tiny areas.” Off the coast of Baranof or Kruzof or Coronation islands, in the offshore waters of Southeast Alaska, power trollers like Murphy’s “Grace” run high-tension wires weighted with lead balls off hydraulic gurdies from various locations on their boats. The four lines on her boat are interspersed with glittering lures and hooks to attract the wild salmon. >click to read< 10:30
Fishermen, farmers suffering from food supply disruptions concerned for what’s to come
As the coronavirus has spread through the U.S. over the last two months, it has dealt a significant blow to the country’s food supply chain and driven the price of products down so much that those who source them aren’t sure if they’ll get a return on the time and money they’ve invested over the last year. Many are now concerned about what the rest of the year will look like and what it means for the foods they grow. For some fishermen, however, the risk of losing money is too high. California’s commercial salmon season began on Friday, but Mike Conroy, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, says that with the markets “upended” and 75% of California salmon purchased by restaurants, many fishermen might not go through the trouble of fishing. >click to read< 09:16
Cod Cannibalism: With natural prey like capelin and shrimp in decline, cod are eating their young
Stalled. That’s how research scientist Karen Dwyer of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans describes the northern cod stock following this year’s assessment. Ecosystem conditions appear to be the main factor, said Dwyer — especially low stocks of capelin and shrimp. “Both of those prey are very important in driving the population dynamics for cod,” she said. While there’s been an increase in different types of zooplankton, Dwyer said, there’s been a decrease in fatty zooplankton. “There used to be large numbers of large fatty zooplankton, full of fat, which are really good for young fish to eat, young fish such as capelin or even young cod,” she said. “Over time they’ve seen a decline in these large fatty zooplankton.” >click to read< 07:18
Boat fire sends fishermen scrambling
His boat catching fire wasn’t the hot start to the commercial fishing season Jerry Matzen III was hoping for, but the 34-year-old Ilwaco fisherman was glad his boat was saved from the flames to fish another day. Matzen’s boat was already billowing smoke from the port side when Ilwaco Volunteer Fire Department arrived at about 8 a.m. Friday, May 1 to the Ilwaco Boatyard. Within minutes the fire crew doused the flames and cut out a charred chunk of wood siding to prevent the fire from spreading further. The burnt section was about 3 feet long and a foot tall. Fortunately it was above the waterline and in a straight spot before the curve of the stern, making for a less complicated repair with no structural damage, Matzen said. Matzen bought the boat in early January, his first as the sole owner. “It’s where my crab money went, to starting my own business.” 6 photos, >click to read< 17:04
It’s Russia vs. USA For Bering Sea Crabbing Bragging Rights
It’s a rivalry that never dies – from the Cold War to Olympic hockey games to accusations of presidential election interference. Russia vs. the United States is a part of both nations’ pulse – for better or worse. The feud has spilled into the Bering Sea’s lucrative crab fishery in this season’s ongoing Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch, which continues with new episodes into this month with an intriguing new storyline. The twist: Russia has cracked down on the country’s trend of illegal fishing and revamping its crab quota, which would dramatically drive up the market price for prized king crab. >click to read< 14:44
North Atlantic Right Whale: State must secure incidental take permit within 90 days to to avoid fishery closures
Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani said that Massachusetts has done the most of any state in the country to keep endangered North Atlantic right whales from becoming entangled in lobster pot and gillnet lines.,, In her April 30 decision, Talwani postponed ruling on closing fisheries, but gave the state just 90 days to obtain an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. On Monday, a federal judge in Maine ruled that a similar suit could proceed, denying NOAA’s motion to dismiss. Both injunctions were brought forward by Richard “Max” Strahan, a longtime and controversial right whale activist with several prominent cases over the past two decades who sued under the Endangered Species Act. >click to read< 11:35
Opinion: Fish union’s delay tactics appalling
It is disgraceful what is happening in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our government declared our food supply essential weeks ago. Those involved had to step up, despite the pandemic, to maintain the food supply. Most industries were ordered to close, a societal lockdown the likes of which we have never witnessed before. The closest comparison is past world wars. The global economy has been thrown into mayhem. Soon after, Newfoundland and Labrador seafood processors mobilized their people to prepare for COVID-19.,,, The Fish, Food and Allied Workers union (FFAW) was kept fully informed, through 15-plus Zoom meetings and numerous phone calls over six weeks. By Gabe Gregory, Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s >click to read< 10:53
‘We are holding three million prawns for which there is no market’; Cork fishermen facing nightmare situation
John Nolan, Managing Director of Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co-op, was blunt and direct in the past week when he said that sectors of the French fishing industry were trying to impose a boycott on the sale there of any fish caught by non/French fishermen. “They have been taking television crews to wholesale and processing operations which they accused of buying fish from non-French boats and not supporting their own industry. “People are afraid actually in France to take fish off us,” he said. “Even big supermarkets like Leclerc, even their government is saying only buy French fish. It does get annoying when you see the way the French are acting. >click to read< 10:06
Salmon fishermen in Oregon to face brief closure that could help them later in the year
The commercial salmon season started just two weeks ago, but Tuesday is your last day to fish until the season opens up again May 26th. The executive director of the Oregon Salmon Commission says the season normally sees closures but at a different time. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, fishermen are catching Chinoock salmon but having a hard time selling them. That was behind the push to change the closure time from Cape Falcon south to the California border for this season. “Were basically closed for the markets in May,” said Nancy Fitzpatrick, the executive director of the Oregon Salmon Commission. “But it gave us more open days in July and August when we might typically be closed.” >click to read< 08:54
Mobile Coronavirus testing site now available for New Bedford’s commercial fishing industry
The Port of New Bedford has partnered with Southcoast Health to provide COVID-19 testing for the city’s commercial fishing industry. Beginning Friday, the Southcoast Mobile Health Van was on-site testing fishermen slated to leave port after their results would be made available. The mobile testing site, located along the port’s waterfront, is a trial run to see if there is an increased need for fishermen to be tested. The pilot will also help New Bedford and Southcoast Health prepare for expanded testing capabilities, including for targeted essential workers. >click to read< 08:09
Cape Breton: Lobster fishermen protest delay to the season
About 75 lobster fishermen took to the Canso Causeway Monday, protesting the delay of the lobster season. The fishermen – who motorists going by said weren’t interfering with traffic — held signs on the Cape Breton side, while a few were beyond the bridge behind the guardrail. “The season hasn’t opened, that’s the main reason they are upset,” said Jordan MacDougall, president Inverness South Fisherman’s Association, adding May 1 is their usual season opening. “The Gulf area and P.E.I. have been delayed until May 15. Everyone’s upset about that.” >click to read< 20:12
Md. crabbing industry fears long-term impacts of 2020 visa shortages – “Finding Americans that are willing to do this job, it’s not happening.”
Maryland’s famous crab industry is facing an uphill battle. With another year of visa caps, there’s a severe shortage of migrant workers to work as crab pickers ― and few Americans willing to do the job. This year, Maryland crabbers fear for the life of an industry that has been in their families for generations. Only nine crab processors ― which represent 95% of the state’s crab meat production ― remain in Maryland. The processors ― or picking houses ― rely on about 500 foreign seasonal workers to pick crabmeat each year. To work in the United States those workers need H-2B visas designated for temporary non-agricultural workers. >click to read< 18:54
‘I cannot believe how much we’ve lost.’ N.J. fishermen face tough times with restaurants shut down.
Fish of all shapes, sizes and stripes glisten from stainless holding bins at Belford Seafood Co-Op, reached by a narrow bumpy road that seems to head to the marshy middle of nowhere.,, “The dorado (mahi-mahi) is wild caught from Spain,,, “The rest of it is local, from our boats. We have six different draggers…’’ So expect no punches to be pulled when you ask how the coronavirus has affected the seafood co-op, and the fishermen on its 10 boats. Most of the restaurants that depended on Belford’s fish have shut down, which has wreaked havoc on the co-op’s business. >click to read< 15:31
British Columbia: Independent Seafoods Canada adds second vessel to base in Alberni Inlet
Independent Seafoods Canada Corporation (ISCC) owns the 56-metre (184-foot) Sunderoey, and says it will almost double employment by the time the new trawler is at full deployment. Independent Seafoods has moored the Raw Spirit at the Port Alberni Port Authority (PAPA) property since 2013, and has provided more than 50 direct local jobs to crew as well as 20 more onshore when the ship comes back from its offshore fishing grounds to offload. >click to read< 14:18
2020 Boothbay Harbor lobster boat races canceled
Event organizer Ashlee Lowery announced Sunday, May 3 that the 35th annual Charles Begin Memorial Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races, scheduled for June 20, will be canceled this year, in conjunction with many other local events, due to the recent pandemic. >click to read< 11:19
Queensland Government says it’s done enough for the domestic fishing fleet to weather the coronavirus storm
QSIA CEO Eric Perez described the state government’s response as a shameful position, saying commercial fishermen were only asking for a waiver for 12 months, not forever, and it would significantly assist a struggling industry. “The government knows what pressure we’re under,” he said. “Domestic markets have taken a massive hit that we didn’t see coming, because tourists aren’t going to restaurants to eat.” He said the industry wasn’t seeking a handout, rather relief from regulatory fees. “It appears the state government is hesitant to part with $5.1-$5.2 million to help an industry that generates over $350 million to the state economy.” >click to read< 10:07
Coronavirus: Commercial fishing industry on the ropes as pandemic-era shoppers avoid seafood
Fisherman Marty Scanlon has not returned to his Long Island home since leaving for North Carolina at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in New York. Scanlon, a longliner captain from Hauppauge left for North Carolina in early March — roughly the same time the first case of Covid-19 emerged in Manhattan. In the weeks that followed, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered most businesses to close, effective March 22, casting a pall over New York City restaurants in a once-bustling culinary capital. Business for Scanlon has been brutal ever since. “We basically don’t have the money to go home,” Scanlon said, over the phone. “We can’t go home til we pay our bills.” >click to read< 08:32
Why one Islander has been giving palliative care patients lobster for two decades
In 1999 Ray Campbell dropped off his first delivery of lobsters for patients being treated at the palliative care unit in Charlottetown. It’s been an annual tradition ever since. “It’s just the right thing to do, I guess,” said Campbell. Campbell said up until last year, he was a lobster fisherman operating out of Covehead, P.E.I. Every year he took about 10 market-sized lobsters out of his catch, cooked them and delivered them to the palliative patients.,, Campbell sold his lobster boat last year, and this year P.E.I.’s lobster season has been delayed because of COVID-19, but that didn’t prevent Campbell from making his first delivery. >click to read< 07:53
SE Alaska Chinook controversy attracts more user groups
A controversy over whether NOAA Fisheries is properly managing Chinook salmon stocks in Southeast Alaska, with consideration for a hungry whale population in decline, has been joined by sport and charter fishermen who say Alaska is not the problem. The environmental organization SalmonState, along with the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and Alaska Trollers Association said on Monday, April 27, that sport and charter harvesters have joined them in support of NOAA Fisheries in a lawsuit brought by Wild Fish Conservancy, of Duvall, Washington. The group characterizes as misguided the decision of WFC to sue NOAA Fisheries in federal court to halt Chinook salmon trolling in Southeast Alaska effective July 1. >click to read< 16:15
Squid are back in abundance in Monterey Bay
The squid fishery is among the most lucrative and productive in the state, frequently valued in the double-digit millions. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, landings from California market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) were over 34,000 short tons in the 2018-2019 season, generating more than $33 million in revenue. But according to Diane Pleschner-Steele, the executive director of the California Wetfish Producers Association, these charming and elusive animals can be difficult to pin down. The statement has proven true in the last couple of years. Spawning squid are targeted because they die shortly after they reproduce, and so fishing season — though technically open all year round — coincides with the spawning season. The catch is historically best in Southern California in fall and Central California in spring-summer. >click to read< 10:35
Some P.E.I. fishermen feeling left out of lobster market
This year due to considerations around the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic, P.E.I. lobster fishers will be setting traps on May 15 instead. Beach Point fisher Brayden Handrahan says he was ready to fish April 30 as usual, and he says he’s not alone. “That’s when everybody gets the most lobster, in the first two weeks, and that’s why everybody wants to go,” he said. Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan said her department chose May 15 after fishers in licensed fishing areas (LFAs) 24 and 26a voted on the date. Ian MacPherson, executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association, who co-ordinated the vote, says it was close, but the majority asked for a delay. By the time the vote was underway, many felt it was too late for the season to start on time, said MacPherson. As the decision date approached, Jordan added a “new wrinkle” by including processors into her considerations, he said. >click to read< 09:50
