Monthly Archives: May 2020
Rhode Island: New Temp License Allows Commercial Fishermen to Sell Seafood Directly to Consumers, Retailers
“There is a growing demand for local seafood during this critical time, and we’re fortunate that our commercial harvesters are able to meet the needs of residents with the abundant seafood resources available off our coast,” said DEM Director Janet Coit. “Rhode Islanders can take pride in knowing that when they purchase fresh local seafood, at local retailers or right off the boat from harvesters, they are helping to keep a vital part of our economy – our commercial fishing and seafood industry – up and running.” The new direct-sale opportunity supports the development of new, local supply chains for RI seafood. As an emergency regulation, the measure will remain in effect for up to 120 days. >click to read< 08:46
Cod Crusader Carol Adams wants Scots to boycott French produce
She believes consumers should stop buying wine from France’s best grape-growing regions, Champagne and Camembert cheese because French retailers are turning their backs on Scottish fish. The row sparked when the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association (SWFPA) claimed French fishers had applied pressure “through political routes” to make sure France’s largest retailers only purchased their catch – including fish from Scottish waters – at auction. SWFPA chief executive Mike Park said: “The genesis of their actions is unclear but understood to be linked to poor returns for a quantity of French fish. “What is clear is the impact their actions will have for Scottish fishermen, with exports of fish to France now reduced to very low levels. >click to read< 17:18
David Duguid: Coronavirus putting “huge strain” on sector – There is no question that the Covid-19 crisis is putting huge strain on our seafood sector. Boats that should be out fishing are tied up in harbours across the north-east. >click to read< scroll down.
Outer Banks quicksand! Recent shipwreck is sinking into the beach at Cape Hatteras
This odd occurrence is playing out at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where the 72-foot fishing vessel Ocean Pursuit ran aground on the morning of March. 1. The boat was stuck 50 yards off Bodie Island: surrounded by a few feet of water at high tide, but on dry land much of the time. It’s been two months now, and the bow has vanished below the surface and sand is filling the cabins. Is a boat actually sinking into the beach? Yes, it is, and this kind of odd occurrence has been seen before on the Outer Banks, the National Park Service says. The park is counting on the boat’s owners removing it before it completely sinks,,, Video, >click to read< 15:16
The 30th annual Blessing of the Fleet has been done differently this year in Juneau
Instead of the annual ceremony at the Fishermen’s Memorial on Saturday, the Alaska Commercial Fishermen’s Memorial Board posted videos online you can view from their website. President Carl Brodersen said four new names will be engraved on the memorial this year, James Lewis, Bob Bennett, Philip Daniel, and James Beaton. The 2019 names now engraved include Michael Walker, Ross Soboleff, Larry Painter, Lester Cole, William Larsen, John Pasquan, Robert Savikko, Joseph Hyde, Robert Becker, and Patrick Peterson. >click to read< with a link to watch the 2020 Video Ceremony @ http://www.akcfmemorial.org/12:37
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 01, 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< 12:06
A fisheries protest in spring? That’s normal, but this one’s quite different
Earlier this week, there was an uproar in South Brook, Triton and Port aux Basques about out-of-province crab needing to be processed. The details this time were quite different from prior years — this would be the first time a pandemic prompted a protest — but the scenario may have seemed familiar. Over the years, we’ve seen windows get smashed at DFO headquarters in St. John’s, a hunger strike outside the same building, gear getting torched in Port au Choix, an occupation at fisheries offices in Corner Brook, a blockade in front of Confederation Building … there’s been a lot. >click to read< 09:16
Mississippi’s Coast shrimpers cling to legacy through the industry’s choppy waters
Danny Ross, an Ocean Springs shrimper, has been on a boat for as long as he could walk. He remembers driving the family vessel as a kid, having to climb onto the dashboard to see over the steering wheel. “Two spokes to the left,” his dad would direct. He remembers, back on land, getting bad grades in art class because he would only draw one thing. “I’d draw a pretty good boat too,” he said. “Me and my brothers were always on the boat. The rigging, the pipes – that was our jungle gym. And our swimming pool? The boat would be shrimping and we’d be diving off the bow, catching ropes on the outrivers.” Ross, 55, recently tied up his boat after a disappointing season that saw fresh water kill 56 percent of Mississippi’s shrimp. The plummeting price of shrimp has made it difficult for Ross to find crew members, and instead he’s gone to work on another captain’s boat. After following five generations of fishermen into the business, he’s worried about the direction the industry is headed in. photos, >click to read<. This is a two part series, >click to read Part 1< , with photo gallery 08:09
Energy policy plan first, then offshore wind if needed – Offshore wind project needs to be vetted in NH
Here are two offshore wind farm opinion pieces in the media written by New Hampshire fisherman David Goethel. Energy policy plan first, then offshore wind if needed – With the presidential primary and annual town meetings in the rearview mirror, Seacoast residents can set their sights on the next big public policy debate. A massive wind energy facility often referred to as wind farms may be built off the coast of New Hampshire and residents will have to carefully weigh the pros and cons of this undertaking. From previous articles in Seacoast papers, it is obvious that both the political structure and the public have very little understanding of the facts surrounding this construction. >click to read< Offshore wind project needs to be vetted in NH – If you read last week’s column, you know I called on Congress to task the National Academy of Science with producing a comprehensive energy policy. One question they would answer would be why we need to construct a wind energy facility off New Hampshire when Hydro-Quebec has an enormous surplus of renewable energy going unused because no transmission line has been built to New England. Readers should ask politicians and environmentalists the same question. Meanwhile here are some facts about what is proposed for our shores. >click to read< 19:57
Coronavirus: Port of New Bedford, Southcoast Health to pilot COVID-19 testing for fishing industry
Using the Southcoast Mobile Health Van, testing began Friday afternoon for fishing crews whose vessels are slated to leave the port after their results are available. The testing Friday is a trial run to prepare for expanded testing capability by Southcoast Health as more COVID-19 testing becomes available. Targeted testing for essential and high-risk employees will be key to continuing to plan for reopening of the local economy and adjusting social distancing in the workplace. Medical interpreters will be on site, and literature in multiple languages will be available at the mobile testing site. This site will pilot best practices for mobile testing as more tests become available to healthcare providers, preparing Southcoast Health and the City of New Bedford for expanded testing capabilities, including for targeted essential workers. >click to read< 16:42
Shrimp season threatened by Coronavirus pandemic
With seafood processors across South Mississippi closed for business, the shrimping season slated to open in as few as four weeks could be sidelined by another disaster. Because many coronavirus restrictions are still in place on the Gulf Coast, processors, shrimpers and the restaurant industry could take a hit for the second year in a row. Freshly caught shrimp will soon be harvested from the Mississippi Sound, but with coronavirus restrictions still in place, seafood processors that have been closed already have plenty of stock on ice. video, >click to read< 12:21
Father and son continue the Tilghman Island boatbuilding tradition
John C. Kinnamon Sr. and his son J.C., of Tilghman Island, Maryland are steadily turning out fiberglass-over-wood Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboats for Maryland and Virginia commercial fisherman. The Kinnamons are native Tilghman Islanders. Their lives as professional boatbuilders are strongly tied to their growing-up years, when commercial fishing and boatbuilding were vital to island life. They each own commercial fishing boats and work in Maryland’s blue crab trotline fishery. J.C., with the help of his father, builds about four new glass-over-wood deadrise workboats a year. With knowledge that comes from first-hand experience, the Kinnamons have clear insight into what a Chesapeake Bay waterman wants and needs in a workboat. >click to read< 10:20
The Fishermen’s Mission vow to help fishermen during coronavirus pandemic
The Fishermen’s Mission was established in 1881 to help fishermen and their families, and continues to do so with the pandemic hitting the industry hard. Tim Jenkins, port officer in East Anglia, said: “We can help you if you feel like you are struggling with money worries or feeling isolated and alone. “We are still here to help you. If you are a fisherman on a UK boat, a retired fisherman, or a member of a fisherman’s family, please do not hesitate to contact us. “These are very difficult times and the support we can give you may make all the difference. >click to read< 09:50
Coronavirus: ‘Like a funeral’: Fisherman laments tanking prices in once-lucrative lobster fishery
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has set opening dates for the lobster fishery from May 1 to May 6, depending on the area of the province where harvesters live. According DFO, there are 2249 lobster license holders but not all are active. Preston Grandy, 40, has been catching lobsters since he was just a boy. On Saturday, he’ll leave his wharf in Garnish on the Burin Peninsula and set his pots, a task he’d normally take on with pure enthusiasm. “Usually setting day for me for lobsters, it’s just like Christmas morning for a kid. But this year it’s almost like a funeral. I’ve got no desire to even go down to the wharf,” >click to read< 08:58
Monterey Bay fishermen looking forward to salmon season
There’s a frenzied pace to life in Monterey Bay’s fishing ports this week. Today, May 1, fishermen and women in Santa Cruz, Moss Landing and Monterey began to harvest the iconic California king salmon — sustainable, nutritious and the economic backbone of local working waterfronts during summer months. Wild king salmon and summer barbeques are as steeped in California culture as fresh, in-season Dungeness crab for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, While a few winters of healthy rainfall and strong management plans have been a boon to California salmon populations running to the Sacramento River, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have wreaked havoc on local seafood supply chains. We fishermen and women can catch the fish, but the question is: Who will buy them? >click to read< 08:11
Massachusetts: Lobster season opens on time today after right whales move out of Cape Cod bay
Lobster season for the South Shore will begin as planned after endangered right whales, spotted in Cape Cod Bay, moved out of the area. The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies previously estimated five whales, including two mother-and-calf pairs, were feeding in Cape Cod Bay, following an aerial survey on April 25. On Wednesday, the Center flew over the area again and found the whales has moved out of the bay and adjacent waters, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries said in an announcement Thursday afternoon. Although the season starts Friday, it is unlikely anyone will go out because of a forecast of high winds and bad weather. >click to read< 07:11
