Monthly Archives: June 2020
Proclamation on Modifying The Northeast Canyons And Seamounts Marine National Monument
June 5, 2020 – In Proclamation 9496 of September 15, 2016, and exercising his authority under section 320301 of title 54, United States Code (the “Antiquities Act”), the President established the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, reserving for the care and management of objects of historic and scientific interest approximately 4,913 square miles of water and submerged lands in and around certain deep-sea canyons and seamounts situated upon lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government. The President prohibited commercial fishing, with a phase-out period for American lobster and red crab fisheries, within the monument’s boundaries. This proclamation lifts the prohibition on commercial fishing, an activity that is subject to the Magnuson‑Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson‑Stevens), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., and other applicable laws, regulations, and requirements. This proclamation does not modify the monument in any other respect. >click to read the Proclamation< 18:34
New oil regulation means step backwards for fishermen
The change to allow environmental assessments for exploratory drilling offshore to be done quicker will impact Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishing industry,,, The move was made to help the province’s oil and gas industry, which has faced countless setbacks over the course of the year. However, FFAW President Keith Sullivan says the new regulation has removed fishermen from the consultation process. Sullivan said the faster approval of environmental assessments, along with seismic work expected to take place in the province later this year, adds up to a larger impact on the environment and the waters people fish in. “More exploration and drilling in areas can cause problems either directly, and then there’s added risk of things like oil spills >click to read< 17:37
New Zealand: There’s something fishy about the government’s relationship with seafood
The government’s decision to delay the installation of monitoring cameras on fishing boats is being condemned by critics (of course) A pattern of delay and scuttling has emerged over the three years of the current government when it has faced a decision that could impose strict The National Party and Greenpeace have suggested that the government’s moves reflect NZ First undermining Labour and the Greens at the cabinet table, however NZ First MP Shane Jones dismissed the allegation in an interview with The Spinoff. His ardent vocal support for fisheries in parliament and reports that he’s received financial backing from the industry isn’t reflected in the government’s decisions, he said. >click to read< 14:41
Mass Senators want an additional $500 Million in CARES Act Coronavirus Fisheries Assistance Funds
In their June 5 letter, the senators said $28 million in fisheries assistance already allocated to Massachusetts should be supplemented as the pandemic continues to affect demand through the summer month’s peak harvests. “Compared to the previous five-year average, in March and April of this year, Massachusetts bivalve shellfish landings lost 60 percent of their value, lobster landings lost 40 percent of their value, recreational head boats have been completely shut down, and seafood processors have lost their usual restaurant market,” the letter stated. >click to read< 11:25
Victoria fishermen say catch has dropped by 80 per cent since the start of seismic testing
Tyson Pollard and his father Tony have been octopus fishing for three years and their catch is sent from Lakes Entrance to Melbourne and Sydney. But in recent months, the pair’s haul has plummeted. Mr Pollard said he noticed a change when two large ships started surveying for oil and gas in his usual fishing area. “New Year’s Eve, the bushfires in our region meant we had to evacuate; New Year’s Day, the seismic ship activity started,” he said. Several fishermen in the area have been compensated for their losses due to the testing, but the concerns of the industry go beyond money. >click to read< 10:13
“We’ve caught some big ones before but nothing close to that.”
A Whalsay fisherman has told of his surprise at catching a massive monkfish – the biggest his crew has ever encountered. Skipper Arthur Polson’s five man crew were out in Resilient on Wednesday when they netted the 57kg (125lb.) beast. Mr Polson said he was “very surprised” to catch such a huge fish. “We spent 10 years in our old boat targeting monkfish and never saw one this size,” he said,,, The crew, which is made up of John Montgomery, Ian Reid, Stephen Anderson and Theo Polson, was trawling 90 miles east of Lerwick when they caught the monkfish in their seine net. >click to read< 08:43
Body found on Placentia Bay beach – RCMP in communication with family of missing fisherman
In a release, police said they were notified that lobster fishermen had found a body in the area of Doughboy Cove, east across the water from Arnold’s Cove. Clarenville RCMP and Forensic Identification Services travelled to the beach and secured the body and had it sent to St. John’s for examination after consulting with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Police said they have been in communication with the family of Isaac Kettle, the lone crew member of the Sarah Anne who has not been found, but there has been no positive identification of the body. >click to read< 20:26
After months of lobster industry losses, things may finally be taking a turn for the better
“We’ve come through the pandemic and it’s been challenging for everyone, to say the least,” says Geoff Irvine, Executive Director of The Lobster Council of Canada. This week, lobster season opened for some parts of the Maritimes including the North shore of New Brunswick, some parts of PEI, Nova Scotia’s Northumberland Strait and pars of Nova Scotia’s Northumberland Strait. “We’ve seen the lobster market adjust quite dramatically from very strong demand and high, high prices, record prices in January pre-pandemic, and we’ve adjusted to a new reality and we’re in recovery mode now,” Irvine says. >click to read< 16:01
We finally have a Win, But we still need a U.S. Fish Bill for U.S. Fishermen.
The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument will reopen to commercial fishing, thanks to President Trump’s order yesterday on June 5th in Bangor, Maine. This was unexpected, long overdue, and very much needed for our fisherman. I can remember fishing those waters with my dad back in the sixties for whiting . Normally February, March and April, were good times for whiting, even though we only got a nickel a lb! I can remember fishing with our ninety foot side trawler seeing a small lobster boat fishing there for deep sea lobsters that were very plentiful. Not only were these fishing grounds productive for Whiting, Squid, Lobsters, and other deep sea fish, it helped fishermen from Rhode Island to Maine. Thank you, Sam Parisi >click to read< 14:15
OCI celebrates arrival of new factory freezer trawler
Marie Sullivan has a very important job to do on Monday, June 8. The 94-year-old will smash a champagne bottle against the steel hull of the MV Calvert to officially christen the new addition to Ocean Choice International’s (OCI) fishing fleet. The ceremony at the waterfront in St. John’s will be a celebration for the Sullivan family and the company owned by her sons, Blaine and Martin. The name of the new ship pays homage to the small fishing community on the Southern Shore where the Sullivan family got their start in the fishing business. The new vessel sailed into St. John’s harbour on Thursday, completing her first ocean voyage, a 4,200-nautical-mile journey from her birthing place in the Middle East. Video, >click to read< 10:42
A Fisherman’s Family
Melba Willis of Harkers Island has been around commercial fishermen her whole life. Her dad, husband and even her father-in-law worked on the water. She married her husband, Billy, in 1960 and they were together for 54 years before his death approximately six years ago. They had three sons, Kerry, Billy Joe and Stephen. Being married to a commercial fisherman was a hard, yet rewarding life. Melba says they got through the years because they loved each other so. Most years, they made good money to feed their family, but there were what she called “dull” years. This meant that they were always having to be sure to “put back” money in the good years to cover the “dull” ones, the years that the ocean was not good to them. >click to read< 09:47
Ordinary men did the extraordinary 76 years ago on D-Day. On that day, they became heroes.
Seventy-six years ago today, thousands of ordinary men did something truly extraordinary. They struck a mighty blow for freedom. They showed Adolf Hitler and the rest of the world that Nazi Germany’s Fortress Europe was not invulnerable. Those men who stormed the beaches in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944 — forever known since as D-Day — and those who parachuted in under cover of the pre-dawn darkness came from all walks of life. Some were rich, some were poor. They were bankers, teachers, farmers, common laborers. Some volunteered for the military, some were drafted. Whatever path they took, they all shared one thing: They answered the call to fight tyranny. And, on that day, they proved that good can — and will — overcome evil. On that day, they became heroes. >click to read< 08:10
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 05, 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< 23:07
Ray Lamont, former longtime editor and staffer of the Gloucester Daily Times, has died
Ray Lamont, former longtime editor and staffer of the Gloucester Daily Times, died Thursday after a long illness. He was 67. Lamont, who came to Gloucester in 2008 and retired last year, fully embraced the role of newspapers in serving their community. He was far more than a writer, caring deeply about Cape Ann and its residents. The Gloucester Daily Times earned numerous state and national journalism awards under his tenure, including several Newspaper of the Year awards. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at a later date. >click to read< 21:17
President Donald J Trump:“We are reopening the Northeast Canyons to commercial fishing”, Threatens New EU, China Tariffs Over Maine Lobster
President Trump on Friday announced that he will reopen the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of Massachusetts for commercial fishing. “We’re opening it today. We’re undoing his executive order,””We are reopening the Northeast Canyons and the Seamounts Marine Region to commercial fishing.” >click to read<
Remarks By President Trump In A Roundtable On Supporting America’s Commercial Fishermen >click to read<
Trump Threatens New EU, China Tariffs Over Lobster in Maine Trip – President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on cars made in the European Union and on unspecified Chinese products unless the two regions reduce their duties on U.S. lobster, during a visit to Maine where he plans to lift Obama-era fishing restrictions. “If the European Union doesn’t drop that tariff immediately, we’re going to put a tariff on their cars, which would be equivalent,” Trump said in a roundtable event in Bangor, Maine, with commercial fishermen and the state’s former Republican governor, Paul LePage. “It’ll be the equivalent, plus,” he added. >click to read< 15:51
This is Big: President Donald Trump plans to open Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing
President Donald Trump is expected to sign a proclamation on Friday that would open up a conservation area in the Atlantic Ocean to commercial fishing, according to two sources familiar with the plan. The proclamation would allow commercial fishing to resume in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England, a sanctuary created in 2016 during the last year of the Obama administration. It is also expected to cancel the planned phase out of red crab and lobster fisheries that had been ordered in the 2016 designation, according to the sources. Trump could sign the proclamation during a meeting with commercial fishermen in Maine on Friday,,, >click to read< 12:58
March 27, 2018, Fishermen suit against Atlantic marine monument moves ahead – The fishing groups sued to challenge the creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument created by President Barack Obama in 2016. It’s a 5,000-square-mile area off of New England that contains fragile deep sea corals and vulnerable species of marine life such as right whales. The fishermen’s lawsuit had been put on hold by a review of national monuments ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration in April 2017. But a coalition of environmental groups is also intervening in the case in an attempt to keep the monument area preserved. >click to read<
Coronavirus: 50-day mission to retrieve Kiwi fishermen underway
Sanford deep water fleet manager Darryn Shaw said the trip to the South Georgia Islands had been made necessary due to the impacts of Covid-19, which had made it difficult to get people out of the Falkland Islands, with just one flight a week going to the United Kingdom. “Normally we would bring our people back by air, via South America, but that is not possible at this time with borders closed into that region. We did look at bringing them home via the UK, but that was going to put them at risk of actually being exposed to Covid-19 as they would have to fly into the UK and move about between airports.” Many of the crew, who are fishing for toothfish, had already been at sea for 130 days – missing the entire Covid-19 lockdown – and were eager to get home to their families, Shaw said. >click to read< 12:02
Offshore Fish Farms Opposed
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order the White House said will ‘remove unnecessary regulatory burdens’ and improve America’s seafood industry. But Dr. Ryan Orgera, CEO of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, said the order will fast-track approval for fish farms, which he said don’t belong in our waters. “This would be a way to do things quickly without proper environmental checks,” Orgera said. “I think in 10 years when we’re having fisheries emergencies and the collapse of several stocks, I think we would turn back and say, ‘Why would we do that for a short-term gain?’”One Hawaii fish farm company, Ocean Era (formerly Kampachi Farms), has already applied to put a small, test fish pen in the gulf 40 miles offshore Sarasota. >click to read< 10:09
Judge orders former owners to come up with $1.43M in lobster sales lawsuit
A federal judge has ordered the former owners of a wholesale lobster business and the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound to set aside $1.43 million,,, The Maine Lobstering Union in December sued the former CEO of its wholesale business and his parents in U.S. District Court in Bangor, alleging that the family defrauded and stole from the group after selling it their wholesale lobster business three years ago. U.S. District Judge Lance Walker accepted an estimate of the amount of money lost as $1,438,181.23. That figure was provided by certified public accountants in Portland hired by the lobstermen’s co-operative, according to court documents. >click to read< 08:59
Search for missing St. Lawrence fisherman continues a week after official search ended
The search for missing fisherman Issac Kettle continued on Thursday with the help of supply vessel Paul A. Sacuta, tug boat Keewatin and sonar equipment supplied by marine surveying company Fugro Geo-Surveys. Kettle remains missing after the fishing vessel Sarah Anne sank off the coast of St. Lawrence,,, Pike said there had been no news from the search effort ongoing throughout the day, noting the Paul A. Sacuta left St. John’s on Sunday night and has been searching the fishing grounds, about 23 miles from St. Lawrence, since arriving on Monday morning. Pike said the Keewatin joined the search on Wednesday. >click to read< 20:20
Here’s the itinerary for President Donald J. Trump’s Friday visit to Maine
Trump will arrive in Bangor around 1:50 p.m. for the fisheries discussion. Air Force One is scheduled to land at the Bangor International Airport. The president will go directly into the roundtable discussion at the airport with commercial fisheries stakeholders who have not yet been identified by the White House. It is expected to last a half-hour. He is then likely to take a helicopter to Guilford. The White House hasn’t disclosed his mode of transportation, but Trump is likely to get aboard his helicopter, Marine One, for the trip to Guilford, where videos posted to social media have shown government helicopters practicing takeoffs and landings at the high school this week. They have also been spotted above Bangor. >click to read< 18:57
Governor and other state delegates release statements ahead of President Trump’s visit – The Welcoming Committee doesn’t sound very friendly! >click to read<
American Seafoods screening 2 more crews after most on third vessel test positive for Coronavirus
The new round of testing involves the crews of the American Triumph and the Northern Jaeger as they dock in Bellingham, according to a company statement. “We’re conducting these tests out of an abundance of caution,” said Mikel Durham, the company’s chief executive. All three of American Seafoods’ vessels had been participating in the Pacific whiting harvest off the Northwest coast with large crews onboard to operate the vessels and equipment that processes and freezes the catch. Last week, a crew member of the American Dynasty tested positive and was hospitalized in Bellingham. A subsequent screening of other crew determined that 85 were positive. >click to read< 16:42
Criticism of federal handouts
I am living in a fishing town and the fishermen are fishing lobsters for a living. They are working hard trying to make a good living so they can pay their bills and support their families. Like everybody else, they have stress and they worry if they will be able to sell and get a good price for their labour. After reading the news about the province having a hard time finding labourers and immigrants having trouble to get into the province and work in the processing plants, I am stumped. We have unemployed students that could work these jobs but Ottawa — the way I read the news — will give them $2,000 a month,,, Simon LeMay, >click to read< 13:49
Fishing vessel takes in water north of Unst
The Sumburgh based coastguard helicopter came to the aid of a fishing vessel 30 miles north of Unst this morning (Thursday) after it began taking in water. >click to read< 13:01
Alaska’s Coronavirus plans for fishing communities are now being put to the test
In a normal fishing season, Dan Martin would fly straight from the Pacific Northwest to the Aleutian Islands, where his pollock trawler, the Commodore, would be waiting for him to take the wheel. But this year, the veteran skipper is stepping onboard in Seattle, where he, four crew and two federal fisheries observers are taking COVID-19 tests and hoisting a quarantine flag. Then they’ll squeeze onto the vessel for a week-long voyage to Alaska’s biggest fishing port, Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. “We might have to eat in shifts,” Martin quipped. “Because I don’t know that we can fit that many people at our galley table.” >click to read< 09:41
Good Karma! Catching two coloured lobsters, one blue and one calico, comes days after child saved from drowning
A fisherman for 42 years, Gary Robichaud was out fishing lobster with his three sons, Alex, Zachary and Sylvain, when they found a blue lobster in a trap. After celebrating that catch, taking pictures and posing with the bright blue lobster they were even more surprised when 15 minutes later another rare coloured crustacean was found trapped inside another trap. The market sized lobster was calico coloured, another rare catch for the fisherman. Asked if this had ever happened before, Robichaud said no. “It’s never happened to me,” he said of catching two rare coloured lobsters on the same day. But Robichaud said he will take it all as signs of the good luck he’s been experiencing including how things fell into place during the rescue of a 10-year-old boy May 29. >click to read< 20:00
Trump to to discuss commercial fishing while in Maine
President Donald Trump will hold a roundtable discussion with parties involved in the commercial fishing industry during his visit to Maine on Friday, according to a White House official. The president is slated to come to the Pine Tree State to visit the Puritan Medical Products facility in Guilford, which manufactures medical swabs used in coronavirus testing. The president is expected to discuss regulations and how to expand economic opportunities for the commercial fishing industry, according to the official. >click to read< 18:12
Kodiak Coast Guard aircrews medevac injured Fisherman 300 miles northwest of St. Paul Island
Two Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak C-130J Hercules aircraft and two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews coordinated efforts to perform a long-range medevac of an injured fisherman who was approximately 300 miles northwest of St. Paul Island, Alaska, Monday. The man was safely transferred to awaiting emergency medical services personnel in St. Paul, who further transported him to Anchorage for further care. At approximately 1:00 a.m. Monday, District 17 Command Center watchstanders received a call requesting a medevac of an injured 31-year-old fisherman aboard the 196-foot fishing vessel Baranof. Video, >click to read< 17:26
Bad lobster season affects everyone in Cape Breton
At this time of year, the local fishing wharfs are feeling the effect of the coronavirus on their bottom line. Lobster fishers are facing the reality of an overseas market that has dried up causing prices to plummet to an all-time low.,, When lobster fishermen have a bad year, everyone suffers. Car dealerships can’t count on the fishermen up-dating their trucks at the end of the season. Those new trucks will remain on the lot. The local fishermen are a generous group who give readily to local causes. You can’t give what you don’t have. A bad season affects us all. What can we do to help out? Start by eating more lobster. When lobster is cheaper than ground beef, now is the time to get a good feed. Treat yourself to lobster every week until the season is over. Order a few extra dozen and freeze for the Christmas season. By Yvonne Kennedy, >click to read< 16:08
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ Provincial Lobster/Gillnetter, 3208TA Cat Diesel
To review specifications, information and 5 photos, >click here< Vessel is in good condition. To see all the boats in this series, >click here<13:04
