Daily Archives: September 8, 2020
Commercial skipper fined for throwing bear banger at sea lions
B.C. harvester Allan Marsden pleaded guilty in Courtenay Provincial Court to disturbing marine mammals under section 7.1(b) of the Marine Mammal Regulations. Marsden was fined $8,000 and prohibited from possessing explosives for the next three years. The March 2019 incident in the Strait of Georgia made headlines after a video of it surfaced on social media. The video prompted a lengthy investigation by fishery officers from the Georgia Basin North Conservation and Protection detachment out of Nanaimo. (I watched it again, and yes guys. it was awesome!) >video, click to read< 16:48
Membertou First Nation Investments to Expand Participation In Atlantic Canada’s Commercial Offshore Lobster Fishery
Clearwater Seafoods and Membertou First Nation are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement for the sale of two of Clearwater’s eight offshore lobster licenses to Membertou First Nation. Membertou is investing $25 Million to purchase the licenses, significantly increasing their presence in the commercial fishery in Atlantic Canada. >click to read< 15:28
Clearwater gives up piece of offshore lobster monopoly to N.S. First Nation for $25M – Clearwater currently holds all eight Canadian offshore licences that are fished with a single vessel, the F/V Randell Dominaux, out of Shelburne, N.S. It is the only year-round lobster fishery in Canada and the only one with a quota. Paul said Membertou’s two licences will continue to be fished by the Clearwater vessel. Membertou has gone to the First Nations Finance Authority for the money for the purchase. >click to read<18:26
DFO working to keep U.S. markets open to northern fisheries
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is working to ensure that fisheries in Nunavut and Nunavik will be able to export their products to markets in the United States after next year. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2022, the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act’s import provisions rule will take effect. Four Greenland halibut (turbot), three Arctic char fisheries, and a shrimp fishery will all need to comply. “This rule ensures that the U.S. will only accept imports of fish and fish products originating from foreign countries that have enacted management measures to reduce marine mammal bycatch”,,, DFO submitted a progress report to NOAA and proposed that three Arctic char gillnet fisheries be exempt based on their location in river estuaries, short time in the water and shallow depth. NOAA rejected the request for an exemption. >click to read< 14:00
Blue Horizon Seafood closed their doors and evacuated for Hurricane Laura. Half of their boats did not survive.
One Hackberry business is dedicated to serving its community with the freshest seafood, but after being hit by Hurricane Laura, they’re not sure when they’ll be able to reopen. Out of the 27 boats docked at Blue Horizon only 14 survived the storm. “The boats that went down they can’t be recovered, they’re all tore up just like this right here and 11 of our fleet is down I think there’s only about 14 left in the fleet. But everyone Is trying to pick up the pieces at the house and they’ll come to see what they can do with the boats.” video, click to read< 12:52
Obituary: Louis Puskas Jr. of Barnegat Light, New Jersey has passed away
With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Louis Puskas Jr. of Barnegat Light, New Jersey, born in Rocky Hill, New Jersey, who passed away on September 2, 2020 at the age of 89. He is survived by : his wife Frances “Fran” Puskas; his sons, John Puskas (Shannon), Paul Puskas and Matthew Puskas (Cheryl); his sister Linda Jane Richardson; and his grandchildren, Jill, Christina, Mary, Paul, Jacob, Logan, Jennifer, Matthew, Andrew, Shea, John and Grace. He is also survived by many loving cousins, nieces, nephews and many, many friends. >click to read< We posted this in 2014 about Capt. Lou Puskas – From the historical archives of the commercial fishing industry, Captain Lou Puskas certainly steps into the limelight. He has had a tremendous career and seems to be somewhat of a legend. This man rediscovered tile fish, lobbied against foreign fleets fishing in US water and survived three boat sinkings. >click for video< 11:33
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 9th 2020 from 3:00 to 9:00 PM at 1801 Bayview Avenue, Barnegat Light, NJ
Legendary Commercial Fisherman Lou Puskas Jr. Dies – Puskas has been described as “a legend” and a “fearless” fisherman by members of the Barnegat Light commercial fishing community – he survived three boats sinking under him and is credited for starting the tilefish industry out of Barnegat Light. >click to read< 9/9/2020, 13:02
Latest Garmin Fantom Series Boosts Its Market-Leading Power for Solid-State Marine Radars
The new Fantom 254/256 series uses Garmin’s signature MotionScope™ technology to detect and highlight moving targets in different colors, helping users avoid potential collisions, find flocks of birds and track weather. Now with more than double the power of the existing Fantom 124/126, the new Fantom 254/256 solid-state radars yield the best combined short- and long-range target detection performance for serious boaters and anglers. New features, including scan-to-scan averaging and improved MARPA with Automatic Acquisition, provide improved target precision and more visibility of what lies ahead to further a user’s situational awareness on the water. >click to read< 09:57
New England clam diggers press through the Coronavirus pandemic
The clamdiggers, who pull softshell clams for use in chowders and clambakes from tidal muck, have weathered an aging workforce, relentless predators that eat shellfish, warming waters and fickle markets. This summer’s pandemic has held back few of the clamdiggers from plying their trade in the coastal clam flats that have fed their customers for generations, members of the industry said. Buyers have rewarded the clammers with prices that have held up better than many sectors of the beleaguered seafood industry, which has suffered a significant economic hit from the pandemic. But some clammers said the disruption wrought by the pandemic has still created yet another difficulty to deal with. >click to read< 07:59
