Monthly Archives: July 2020
Cole Charles Rutzer – Memorial service is planned, date to be announced
Cole Charles Rutzer was born to Greg Rutzer and Lesley Ashby at Providence St. Peter in Olympia, Washington on March 5, 1998. The past few years Cole spent most of his time with his father and captain Greg, cousin Brent Gilbertson and friends Dylan Furford and Kaleb Orton working as a deckhand on the Pacific Dynasty. Cole died on July 2, 2020. His loyal companion, black lab Trigger, stayed with him until the end. Cole’s family plans to hold a service to honor his life near the end of August at Roberta Merino’s home. The date has yet to be set. Details of this gathering will be announced to the community once confirmed. >click to read< 08:03
UPDATED: Maine Marine Patrol Investigates Apparent Fatal Shark Attack today near Bailey Island
The Maine Marine Patrol is investigating the fatality of a woman today near Bailey Island. According to Marine Patrol, an eye witness reported that the woman was swimming off the shore near White Sails Lane when she was injured in what appeared to be a shark attack. Kayakers nearby brought her to shore and EMS responders were called to the scene where she was pronounced deceased. No other information is available at this time and the investigation into the incident is continuing. More information will be provided as it becomes available. Until further notice, swimmers and boaters are urged to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals. The identity of the woman is being withheld pending notification of family. Department of Marine Resources 19:35
Woman dead from apparent shark attack in Maine – The Maine Marine Patrol says they are investigating the death of a woman who was injured in an apparent shark attack Monday afternoon. According to Marine Patrol and News Center Maine who spoke with witnesses at the scene, a woman was swimming off the shore near While Sails Lane. video, >click to read< 21:12
Maine lobstermen prepare for uncertain summer season, hoping for further federal relief
More than 1,300 lobstermen in Maine – about 1 in 3 – received forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), with the majority amounting to roughly $10,900.,, New data from the U.S. Small Business Administration shows that altogether, Maine’s lobster industry received roughly $24 million in PPP funding, the most given to any business concern in the state; dine-in restaurants, beauty salons, real estate, and home building received the next highest amounts. While the bulk of the fishing sector money – nearly $15 million – went to fishermen, some dealers, retailers and processors received loans between $150,000 and $1 million. >click to read< 17:49
Juneau processor sanitized, screened, quarantined but Coronavirus still got in
On July 4, a Juneau resident who works at Alaska Glacier Seafoods started showing COVID-19 symptoms. He quarantined at home immediately and got tested. “Unfortunately, you can be contagious for days prior to showing symptoms,” said Jim Erickson, vice president and co-owner of the company. “That’s what makes this disease so hard to get in front of.” Health officials who investigated the case say it resulted from community spread — not from inside the plant. “We’re not sure where he contracted it initially, because he’s probably not sure,” Erickson said this week. “I mean, let’s face it, you could pick it up anywhere.” >click to read< 15:10
Who’s Buying Lobster?!! Maine Lobster Industry Pivots Focus
The Maine lobster industry has shifted it focus from foodservice to retail as restaurant demand has fallen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While 70 percent of Maine lobsters are usually sold through foodservice channels, this year that figure is expected to be under pressure amid widespread restaurant closures and restrictions on dining out. “Typically we spend a lot of our marketing resources educating chefs about Maine lobster,” said Marianne LaCroix, executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative which represents Maine lobster harvesters, dealers, and processors. “We looked at what was available to us, and saw it was going to have to be about consumers eating lobster at home this year.” >click to read< 12:13
Stop treating fishing like a second class industry
It is true that fishing represents only a small part of our total economy, but the Government should not undervalue the thousands of jobs fishing creates not just on boats large and small, but in processing, logistics and food service. They are also at risk of ignoring the cultural and historical importance of fishing as part of our maritime heritage and our communities. The creation of this Trade and Agriculture Commission is to be welcomed and the NFU and its supporters congratulated for their successful campaign. >click to read< 10:53
Here comes that “tracking your activity science”! URI researcher to map commercial fishing activity to help reduce conflict between fishing, wind industries
“I’m exploring a new way of improving spatial planning for offshore wind,” said URI Associate Professor Thomas Sproul. “One of the biggest sources of delay in the regulatory process for offshore wind has been because of the conflicts with commercial fishing.” Sproul said. Partners include the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, and the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island. Julia Livermore, a supervising marine biologist for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, is also collaborating on the project. >click to read< 09:30
Is It Time To Start Eating Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna? Yes, it is, Margot! Its Sustainable!
Back in January, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch quietly changed their sustainability rating for western Atlantic bluefin tuna from Avoid to Good Alternative. Their report states that Atlantic bluefin caught using more sustainable fishing practices (e.g., rod and reel, harpoon, or larger fishing nets called purse seines) are a good alternative to higher risk commercially fished options. The authors note that additional research would need to be done to prove definitively that the Atlantic bluefin is no longer overfished, but the evidence points toward a healthy stock. They cite low bycatch in the handline and harpoon fisheries and “moderately effective” management as reasons for the changing the rating. Randy Blankinship, chief of NMFS’ Highly Migratory Species Management Division was quoted saying “when seafood consumers purchase Atlantic bluefin tuna caught in the United States, they’re supporting robust environmental standards that bolster both bluefin populations and our economy.” This should be good news, but it’s hardly been news at all. >click to read< 08:24
Icelandic Cod Spray Bodes Well Against Coronavirus
While several countries across the globe are vying to create a vaccine against COVID-19, Iceland, a nation of fishermen, has come up with a possible solution of its own. PreCold, a mouth spray intended to be used against the first symptoms of a cold based on cod enzymes, has proven efficient during tests and managed to deactivate about 98.3% of the virus that causes COVID-19, national broadcaster RÚV reported. The spray creates a protective film in the pharynx where the viruses that cause the common cold tend to localise and replicate. The film using enzymes extracted from cod offal, weakens viruses so they fail to replicate to a degree that makes the host sick. >click to read< 07:27
Coronavirus: COVID-19 and mandated on-board fisheries observers during the pandemic resurgence
The NOAA/NMFS “Navy’s” at-sea surveys in the Northeast region were cancelled at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and will not be resumed for at least the remainder of this year. “Since March, we have been rigorously analyzing various options for conducting cruises this year and are taking a 
survey-by-survey, risk-based approach. After much deliberation, we determined that there was no way to move forward with these surveys while effectively minimizing risk and meeting core survey objectives,” according to officials at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in a statement issued July 10.,,, But mandatory on-board observers pose no COVID 19 threat to commercial captains or crew?,, the mandatory on-board observers are scheduled to be back aboard commercial fishing vessels come August. >click to read< By Nils Stolpe, http://fishnet-usa.com/ 21:08
Nfld. & Labrador to research live seafood cold storage at Gander International, Port aux Basques for International Export
The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources is looking into creating new areas for cold storage of live seafood in the province, allowing more product headed for international markets to come directly from Newfoundland and Labrador. The provincial government announced $100,000 to determine the feasibility of creating cold storage facilities in Port aux Basques and at Gander International Airport Monday. Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne said the idea is centred around creating cold storage for live products like lobsters and oysters. >click to read< 16:52
Michigan’s dying commercial fishing industry fears state fishery bills will be final nail in the coffin
The once vibrant commercial fishing industry in Michigan has dwindled down from thousands of businesses to just 13 full-time fisheries. And those that are left are afraid legislation in a state Senate committee could be the end of the industry all together. That their mom-and-pop style operations would move out of the Great Lakes for good, and leave the door open only for large, investor-style corporations to take over the industry. This is all part of an ongoing battle in the Great Lakes between commercial fishing and sport fishing. >click to read< 15:02
New Beijing coronavirus outbreak deals blow to China consumer confidence with seafood sales dropping 70%
The new COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing has dealt a heavy blow to the nation‘s seafood sector, pushing sales down 60-70 percent compared with pre-pandemic levels, and analysts said it‘s the worst time for the industry in decades. Seafood orders are canceled and marketplaces are shut in Beijing, where about 25 percent of China‘s seafood consumption takes place. Consumers elsewhere in the country are cautious, too, and it‘s taking a heavy toll on the sector. >click to read< 12:50
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for July 24, 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<12:02
Humpy catch on the rise – ADF&G data shows PWS salmon harvest at over 9.4M fish
An estimated 800,000 were harvested in Prince William Sound on Sunday, July 19, boosting the cumulative pink salmon harvest to an estimated 5.6 million common property fish, and the overall estimated commercial catch for the fishery to 9.4 million salmon. Still fishery managers in the Cordova office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said that the Valdez Fisheries Development Association needs some 409,000 humpies for brood stock and has recommended a closure within Port Valdez. >click to read< 09:57
Gulf of Mexico Still Struggling 10 Years After BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Blanchard operates one of America’s biggest shrimp distributors, Dean Blanchard Seafood, which has yet to fully recover from the aftereffects of one of the world’s worst oil disasters. The calamity began when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana on April 20, 2010, The environmental catastrophe devastated one of the world’s most productive aquatic ecosystems five years after Hurricane Katrina had decimated the region. Fishing industry devastated,,, Shrimper and oyster harvester George Barisich said he had to settle for 35% of lost income. “That oil’s basically created pavement at the bottom of the Gulf,” Barisich explained. “Some seafood likes to hide at the bottom, but they can’t burrow in pavement.” Blanchard blames the situation for shrimp hauls that continue to decrease annually. >click to read< 08:19
Death of young woman onboard Sanford fishing boat prompts police investigation
Anna Mannering was dancing and having fun with crewmates onboard the F/V San Granit as it made its way deep into the Southern Ocean on the evening of January 27.It was the 21-year-old’s first expedition on a commercial fishing vessel, and she had recently become engaged to a crew member. But that same night, Anna was found unresponsive in her cabin and later pronounced dead. Tragically, the 21-year-old was the second crew member to have died on the 67-metre San Granit, in just over a year.,, A Sanford spokeswoman said: ‘’Sanford can confirm this was not a workplace accident but a sudden death. It was a shock and very sad for the crew to lose one of their team.” >click to read< 19:34
Memorial service held for Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative founder Tom Best
Nearly four months after his passing, family and friends of Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative founder Tom Best honoured his life and legacy Saturday, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Best passed away on March 31 after a battle with cancer. He was 74. After a memorial service, Best’s brother Reg carried his ashes down Southside Road from St. George’s Anglican Church to the co-operative, which Best helped establish. His obituary describes him as a “fiercely proud inshore fish harvester who dedicated his life’s work to advocating for sustainable fisheries and communities.” >click to read< 17:29
Bristol Bay Fisheries Report: July 24, 2020
A lull in returns today at 468,000 fish, the daily harvest bay-wide was about half what it was the day before. The total run is 55.9 million fish, about half a million away from last year’s. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released the final environmental review for the proposed Pebble Mine. A Seattle-based seafood processor will pay out more than $440,000 to workers at a Bristol Bay cannery, the result of a settlement after the company was sued in June. “We think that it is a fair and just compensation for the workers that were held for 12 days at a hotel without being paid,” said Jonathan Davis, a managing partner of the San Francisco-based Arns Law Firm, which filed the lawsuit. The firm took on the case pro bono, so it will not receive any compensation for its work. The processor, North Pacific Seafoods, was sued for false imprisonment and failing to pay the workers, among other charges. >click to read< 15:30
Pebble Mine is closer to a federal permit; supporters and critics respond
Lisa Reimers is a board member of Iliamna Natives Limited. She supports Pebble’s development. Her and my dad they’ve both passed now, but they were both big supporters of resource development,” Reimers said. “They thought their families should work. This is a good project, and we want to see something positive happen out in the area. We don’t see any projects coming down the pipeline that would help the area and make it grow, so people can continue to live out there and prosper.”- Bristol Bay Native Corporation’s President and CEO Jason Metrokin says the report fails to really address these concerns. “The final EIS is really no different,” Metrokin says. “To have such significant changes during the process and the later weeks and months of the process just goes to show, at least in our opinion, that the process seems like it’s focused on a political timeline rather than a regulatory timeline.” >click to read< 12:36
‘Blame the fishermen’ media narrative only hurts the endangered right whale
It is not easy to see this population of giants of the sea become extinct, and yes, it is sad. Perhaps it’s because it hits us so hard that we feel the need to point the finger at the culprits. This even more true for the media, who rush to get answers, right away and without asking themselves the real questions.,, If we play the game of “Whose fault is it?”, only in this way will we be able to place the shipping vessels among the guilty parties. As happens too often, the article in question used fishermen as easy targets for a gratuitous accusation under the circumstances. When a whale is hit by a shipping vessel, it either gets injured or dies. In the dock are also the fishermen, for whom blame is almost automatic. >click to read< 10:27
There is Nothing Like a Lobsterboat Race
As a sports reporter, I’ve covered just about every big championship the sports world has to offer. But none come close to being as hardcore as the annual lobsterboat races in Jonesport. One weekend a year, fishermen and women, who usually use their boats to haul lobster traps, empty out their cabins, trick out their engines, and see how fast those babies can go. The reckless beauty of fishing vessels charging through the Atlantic takes your breath away. It quickens your pulse. How, you think, are these clunky boats going so insanely fast? By Charlotte Wilder >video, click to read< 09:36
Fisherman’s Wharf Pier 45: City commission to approve loan program for crab trap replacement
San Francisco is expected to begin demolition next week on the remains of the large Pier 45 shed in Fisherman’s Wharf that was destroyed by a May fire along with the thousands of fishers’ crab traps stored inside.,, Meanwhile, the Port Commission is preparing to finally approve a loan program using $1 million in Port funds to help fishers replace destroyed traps. Under the Port’s loan program, fishers can apply for $100 per replacement trap 
for the first 200 they buy and then “all remaining funds will be allocated proportionally based on the outstanding debts of each applicant,”,, John Mellor told the commission he has fished out of Fisherman’s Wharf for more than 40 years. The fire destroyed his crab gear, which is “essential for making a living as a fulltime fisherman.” “It’s a very desperate situation for the San Francisco fishing community and I can’t emphasize enough that we really need your help.” >click to read< 08:18
Early release of Pebble Mine Final EIS triggers barrage of criticism
Thursday a wide array of Alaska Native, commercial fishing, and sportfishing groups issued statements criticizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Pebble Mine after copies of the document were delivered to interested parties via USPS a day before its publication in the Federal Register. The Final EIS is not a decision on whether the Pebble Partnership will receive the permits it needs to move forward with the mine, but rather it is a scientific document the Army Corps and U.S. Coast Guard will use to make permitting decisions. >click to read< 17:16
Fishermen? Or Offshore Wind Farmer Wannabe’s?!! Massachusetts Group Grants for Offshore Wind Workforce Training
Massachusetts’ Baker-Polito administration has this week announced $1.3 million in grants to nine Massachusetts institutions and organizations to establish or expand workforce training and development programs that support the state’s emerging offshore wind industry. The awards include a $100,000 commitment from Vineyard Wind’s Windward Workforce Fund and a $100,000 commitment from Mayflower Wind’s Offshore Wind Development Fund, and collectively, the grants leverage an estimated cost-share from awardees of approximately $950,000. The programs will be led by institutions located in Taunton, Bourne, Martha’s Vineyard, Lowell, New Bedford, Boston, North Dartmouth, Burlington, and Gloucester, and will serve workers throughout Massachusetts, the administration said. “Massachusetts is a national leader in the responsible development of the emerging offshore wind industry,” said Governor Charlie Baker. >click to read< 14:10
United Fishermen of Alaska dismiss Al Gross, endorse Senator Dan Sullivan
The announcement comes as a bit of a body blow to the campaign of his opponent, Al Gross, who presents himself as a commercial fisherman from Petersburg. This is an endorsement that should have come easily for someone with an Alaska gill net permit. Many in the fishing industry are independent voters, and Gross also presents himself as an independent, although he is running on the Democrats’ ticket and with the Democrats’ resources and endorsement. Sen. Sullivan has demonstrated leadership and effectiveness in advancing the interests of Alaska’s fisheries and fishermen across the state, said UFA President Matt Alward. by Suzanne Downing, >click to read< 11:51
Time to reform DFO – Unable to protect wild fish while managing commercial fisheries and ocean-based aquaculture
Conservation and angling groups on the West Coast are calling for radical reform of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, saying it appears unable to protect wild fish while managing commercial fisheries and ocean-based aquaculture. The B.C. Wildlife Federation, in a letter to Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, says the federal department should be “independently reviewed and rebuilt” with a mandate to restore and recover failing salmon 
populations. Many B.C. salmon runs are considered threatened or endangered, including most South Coast and Fraser River chinook, Interior Fraser coho, Fraser River sockeye and Interior steelhead. Some are down to just a few dozen individuals. >click to read< 10:38
Florida Delegation Want Commercial Fishermen Included in USDA’s Lobster Relief Program
This week, the Florida congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged U.S. Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue to include Florida’s commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Donald Trump on June 24. The program addresses harm to the United States lobster industry caused by steep tariffs imposed by the Chinese government. Dear Secretary Perdue, We write to request the inclusion of Florida commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Trump on June 24, 2020, in response to the difficulties facing the United States lobster industry due to tariff action by the Chinese government. >click to read< 09:25
Sealord ordered to forfeit $24 million vessel
The company was also ordered to pay a $24,000 fine in Nelson District Court for trawling in a Benthic Protected Area. Sealord vessel master Bolen Terric Goomes was fined $7500 and first mate Thomas Adrian Pope was fined $5000, MPI reports. They were convicted on one representative charge each, relating to five trawls for the company, three trawls for the skipper and two trawls for the first mate. In addition to the vessel Ocean Dawn being forfeit, the proceeds from the sale of the entire catch taken in the five offending trawls is also forfeit which amounts to $1,12294.13. >click to read< 08:05
Lobstering at 15: Brentwood girl spends summer working on family’s boat
When most of her friends are still asleep during summer vacation, 15 year old Ella Byrne is getting up before the sun. Her dad, Ward, wakes her about 3 a.m., and the two head to Portsmouth, from their home in Brentwood. They eat breakfast, then take a dinghy to their big boat, the F/V Sugar Daddy. They motor past the Portsmouth Fisherman’s Cooperative Pier, and out to the Atlantic Ocean while it’s still dark. When the sun begins to rise, it’s time to haul lobster traps. When asked how long she’s been going, she points she points to a photo on her phone when she was about 8 on the boat with her dad. With sales of lobster to restaurants down, and fish auctions happening less often, the Byrnes are like many other local fishermen who have pivoted to a direct to consumer model of sales. photo’s, >click to read< 23:19
