Surrounded by wood shavings and the sound of sanding in the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum boat shop in Northumberland County, Egbert Dees and Pete Kauneckas were taking measurements of the angle and length of the driveshaft descending from the boat’s motor. The Spat II is what Chesapeake Bay waterman call a pushboat or yawl boat. It’s basically a floating motor that can be used to power the wind-powered skipjacks that have dredged oysters on the estuary for generations. The boat shop volunteers are replicating a boat called Spat I, which for more than 20 years has powered or been hauled up on davits at the rear of the skipjack called the Claude W. Somers. >click to read< 09:41
Monthly Archives: November 2020
“There’s something awful fishy going on here”: What about Clearwater and the offshore lobster fishery?
Media attention is trained on St. Mary’s Bay in southwest Nova Scotia, where the Sipekne’katik First Nation led by Chief Michael Sack has been exercising Treaty rights to a “moderate livelihood” fishery since September 17. But what is happening in the offshore lobster fishery is going largely unnoticed. That is absolutely understandable, given the very ugly scenes that erupted,,, But what is happening in the offshore could also have wide-reaching impacts on the Atlantic lobster fishery and independent inshore fishers, and is also worth keeping an eye on.,, Just nine days before Sipekne’katik fishers took to the waters, Membertou First Nation and Clearwater Seafoods announced that they had “reached an agreement for the sale of two of Clearwater’s eight offshore lobster licences” to Membertou. >click to read< 19:52
Advocates say B.C. needs a fisheries minister
Each year, about 196,000 tonnes of seafood, everything from salmon to scallops, is harvested off the B.C. coast. But unlike its East Coast counterparts, the province doesn’t have a fisheries minister. In the past several decades, the province has seen tumbling salmon populations, an increasingly inequitable distribution of the fisheries’ economic benefits and a drop in local processing capacity. All have eaten away at coastal communities, and the province’s ability to feed itself from the sea, a situation that advocates say calls for a minister dedicated to the portfolio. >click to read< 18:38
CDFW: Commercial crab season will be delayed due to the presence of whales
The commercial Dungeness crab season in the central management area, which was scheduled to open Sunday, Nov. 15, will be delayed due to the presence of whales within fishing grounds and the potential for entanglement.,, “While no one wants to delay the season, CDFW and the Working Group feel a delay is necessary to reduce the risk of entanglement,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “The fleet has gone to great lengths to be more nimble in order to protect whales and turtles, and the results are promising. This year for the first time in a long time it looks like we don’t have to worry about domoic acid, which is good news.” >click to read< 15:05
Lobster dispute is the culmination of government inaction
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “There remains no more important relationship to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples.”,,, Imagine the thrilling new drama, Lobster Trap, inspired by real events and probably starring Colm Feore as the determined but nice RCMP inspector, uncovering plots at the Digby Legion and facing down Lefty, the powerful Nova Scotia lobster mobster whose left hand is twice as big as his right. There is the wise and wily Mi’kmaq chief. There is Margaret, the love interest, who manages the day shift at Tim Hortons while rocking her hairnet. The intrigue builds to a dangerous but delicious lobster boil. By Monte Solberg, >click to read< 12:33
Fishing workshop upskills in Mauke
Forty-one keen fishermen including five women took part in a fishing workshop on the island of Mauke last week. Mauke’s fisheries officer Tai George was happy to see the women participate in the course. “It’s good more people are showing an interest; the mamas also learnt to repair and make fishing nets,” he said. The Cook Islands Fishing Association in partnership with the Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) conducted the workshop over three days. Practical sessions included engine/outboard motor maintenance, trailer repairs, fishing techniques,,, >click to read< 11:51
Michael G. Dearborn, Navy Veteran, Self-employed commercial lobster fisherman
Michael G. Dearborn, 76, of Gloucester, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, October 9, 2020. He continued to own and operate a lobster fishing business in Massachusetts for over 50 years. At the height of his career during the late 70s and early 80s, Michael was known as an innovator, pioneer, and industry leader. In addition to his experience on the water, Michael was an avid legislator, conservationist, and industry advocate. He served as a member of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, the Atlantic Lobstermen’s Co-Operative, and the MA Lobster Committee Management Team. Above all, Michael’s proudest accomplishment was that of being a father to his three children – Peter, Christopher, and Courtney – whom he loved dearly and spoke of in the highest regard. >click to read< 09:24
Yes, the fleet will be blessed on Friday
They did not summon a queen and they did not call for a king, because the contagion had wafted across the land. The Florida Seafood Festival, which would usually be flooding the county with visitors this upcoming weekend, instead had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the board of directors has made sure that one important aspect of the festival, the blessing of the fleet, will not be abandoned, and leading it will be an honorary King Retsyo. “Everybody needs a blessing at some point,” said board member Tress Dameron. >click to read< 08:12
Demolition nears for old codfish processing plant – what a story it has to tell!
The building is all that remains of what was, at its founding, the first codfish processing plant north of San Francisco. Many of the untreated pilings, eroded by time, tide and critters were driven by Capt. J.A. Matheson when he built the processing plant in September 1891. By October, the former Provincetown, Massachusetts, sea captain’s schooner, Lizzie Colby, arrived from the Bering Sea with its holds full of cod, ushering in an era of fish curing and fish canning that would provide jobs for hundreds and fuel the economy of an infant city, according to news stories at the time in the Anacortes American. >10 photos, click to read< 15:15
Varied New Jersey Fishing Businesses May Apply for Grant for 35 Percent Loss in 2020
Since the pandemic began, fishing revenue in New Jersey is down about 35 percent, according to the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection. Viking Village commercial dock General Manager Ernie Panacek said, “All the commercial entities will be awarded something … it depends on each individual case” and may not be “a lot,” he said. “We deferred some (fishing) trips away from March and April because of the business slowdown. I kept everybody working here, but we lost revenue because we lost trips and limited the trips, made them smaller.” Fortunately, there are always consumers attracted to a quality product. If they weren’t able to get it inside a restaurant, a number of consumers bought it anyway. >click to read< 13:04
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 66’x18′ Wood Dragger with Longfin Squid Tier 1 permit, additional permits
To review specifications, and information, and 3 photos >click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here<11:53
Seafood Company Owner Says It’s Unfair To Call Commercial Fishermen Racists
Nathan Cooke, the owner of the wholesaler, says he and his 12 employees have received death threats because of the Facebook posts, and there have been calls to boycott his business. Cooke claims that neither he nor the lobster fishermen are racist. Cooke also says he supports the Mi’kmaq right to fish in their native waters, as laid out in treaty agreements with Canada. But he believes fishing should happen within the DFO-defined seasons, for the sake of conservation. The issue is it hasn’t been defined yet; it’s unregulated.” “No one is denying them access and anyone would buy off them (in season), any buyer.” >click to read< 11:00
The Magwood family is grateful for love, and support
The Magwood family would like to sincerely thank the town of Mount Pleasant, the surrounding Charleston community and the many friends for the beautiful outpouring of support that was bestowed upon us after the sudden passing of our father, Capt. Wayne Magwood. Our hearts were touched and we were truly comforted by everyone who showed their love for our father. The acts of kindness, loving words, prayers and tributes shared to honor his memory fille
Mi’kmaq Chief involved in Nova Scotia lobster fishery dispute re-elected
It will be a third term for Chief Mike Sack in the community of Sipekne’katik, formerly known as Indian Brook, located about 65 kilometres north of Halifax. The returning officer of the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq says Sack won more than 72 per cent of the vote. Heather Knockwood and Kim Paul were the other candidates for chief in the community of about 2,770 people. Sack gained national prominence after he officially opened a “moderate livelihood’’ fishery for his community on Sept. 17 in Saulnierville, N.S. >click to read< 09:27
Coronavirus lockdown: ‘Feeling of dread’ for fishing industry that it may be as bad or worse than the first lockdown
Prices dropped in March when the first coronavirus lockdown caused worldwide demand for seafood to fall drastically. Jim Portus, from the South Western Fish Producers’ Association, said there was “a feeling of dread that it may be as bad or worse than the first lockdown”. The government said it was continuing “to monitor the situation”. “This is a very uncertain time for the fishing industry,” said Mr Portus, who has called on the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to make a case to the government for financial support. >click to read< 08:56
Opening day is a no show for scallops and baymen
Shelter Island’s town dock was deserted, not what you expect on opening day for bay scallop fishing. A few minutes later, bayman John Kotula arrived, but not to go scalloping. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Kotula said, ignoring a stiff wind and soul-sapping 39 degrees.,, Keith and Louise Clark of Shelter Island renewed the license for the scallop-processing facility in their basement, an act that was equal parts stubbornness and ungrounded optimism. The death of the adult bay scallops in 2019 was shocking, but hope truly eroded in August of this year when researchers and baymen documented a second mass mortality. >click to read< 07:57
One day into the new season, and there are few if any adult scallops – For Ms. Phillips and her husband, Mark, a commercial fisherman who seems to work around the clock all year long, their family-owned seafood business on the creek in Greenport diversified long ago to help them weather situations like this year’s scallop crop. “But this lack of scallops will really hurt so many people who each year depend on them for their income.” >click to read<
The sardine war hits a lull: Commercial fishing industry lands a victory in Pacific sardine management
The Pacific Fishery Management Council, which oversees fishing of Pacific sardines, voted unanimously in September to maintain the current sardine fishery management process that calls for reassessments after each year’s stock assessments. At the moment, the direct commercial sardine fishery is closed. “Fishery managers have failed to learn from the mistakes of history,” said Geoff Shester, senior scientist at marine conservation group Oceana,,, Diane Pleschner-Steele, executive director of the California Wetfish Producers Association, argues that sardines are not overfished and “the Council’s unanimous decision shows that they understand reality, the big picture.” >click to read< 14:27
Scallops open at $16-$22 a pound
Nantucket’s commercial scalloping season opened Monday morning with a fleet of about 16 fishermen heading into Nantucket and Madaket harbors at low tide with gusty winds of 25-30 mph. The scallopers were bringing their catch to island fish markets by 2 p.m., which were charging customers $16-22 per pound for shucked scallop meat, compared to $25-26 on opening day last year. Ninety-six island fishermen took out commercial scalloping licenses this year, according to town natural resources coordinator Joanne Dodd. There were 108 commercial licenses issued last year, and 79 the year before. >click to read< 11:13
Dropping numbers of herring and mackerel have spurred calls for lower quotas and new bait
A sausage-like concoction that aims to replace a quickly dwindling source of bait for lobster traps appears to be a success with fishermen following a series of preliminary trials, according to the scientist behind it. Bait Masters Inc. has developed a new bait using 75 per cent less herring and mackerel than would usually go in a trap. It’s made up of fish, oil, and other organic matter squeezed in a biodegradable casing. >click to read< 09:49
Commercial fisherman Michael Foy free from British Virgin Islands jail after plea deal
After a five-month ordeal in which he was imprisoned in British Virgin Islands, Stafford fisherman Michael Foy accepted a plea deal Friday and is free to go, aside from paying a $4,000 fine. Foy, 60, was arrested June 8 by British Virgin Islands custom officials and charged with illegal entry for violating the islands’ COVID-19 curfew. He was subsequently charged with unregistered and unlicensed fishing, and failure to arrive at a customs port. “The goal all along was to bring Michael (Foy) home. This was an acceptable decision for all parties. He can start putting this whole ordeal behind him,” >click to read< 08:50
Statement from the Director of Public Prosecution On the Case Commissioner of Police v Michael Foy – We wish to inform the public that Defendant Michael Foy changed his plea before the Magistrate’s Court on 28th October, 2020. To provide some background, on 8th June, 2020, the Defendant Mr. Micheal Foy was apprehended in Territorial waters off of Norman Island by Her Majesty’s Customs.,, >click to read< 11/4/20 14:32
Coast Guard hoists man clinging to a piece of debris from water in Union Bay, Alaska
KODIAK, Alaska – The Coast Guard rescued a 70-year-old man from the waters of Union Bay, Alaska, northwest of Meyers Chuck, Sunday. A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the man, who was in the water clinging to a piece of debris. “What saved this man’s life was his essential survival equipment,” said Lt. Justin Neal, a helicopter pilot from Air Station Sitka. “He had an emergency position indicating radio beacon registered in his name that allowed us to find him quickly, and his survival suit kept him warm long enough for us to rescue him.” Weather conditions at the time of the incident were up to 57 mph winds with 10 foot seas. >click to watch< 07:57
A man on board the fishing vessel Irony, fell into the water and was found clinging to a piece of debris by the US Coast Guard Sunday – >click to read<
Look at those!! Golden king crab harvesters bring in the first 2,000 pounds
For the first time in over 30 years there was fresh golden king crab for sale at the dock in Cordova and 60° North Seafoods, LLC plans to sell most of it retail throughout the United States for the coming holiday season. The crew of the Nip ‘N Tuck, owned by Teal Lohse, brought in a catch of 2,000 pounds of golden king crab, weighing on average a little over eight pounds on their first trip, said Rich Wheeler, chief executive officer. “We brought them back to the plant and sold them off the dock,” he said. Locals snapped up about 500-600 pounds of the succulent crab. >click to read< 17:41
Blood in the Water: A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes
Scofflaw Phillip Boudreau of Isle Madame, off the southeast coast of Cape Breton, was the kind of guy who would threaten to burn down your house if he had a grudge. He’d steal your lobsters, sell them, and then tell you to your face what he’d done.,, Boudreau was on the water in his speedboat, apparently cutting lines to lobster traps set by the crew of the fishing boat Twin Maggies. an enraged James Landry fired four shots from a 30-30 rifle at Boudreau before captain Dwayne Samson ran him over. It became known as the “murder for lobster” case. But that description, Silver Donald Cameron argues, comes nowhere near capturing the complexities of the crime and its effects on the local community. >click to read< 16:24
In Nova Scotia, we seem to have forgotten that fishermen are all in the same boat
What a strange province I live in. The top commodity export in Nova Scotia is lobster, part of an industry that has employed tens of thousands of Maritimers, fueled more than 9,000 small businesses and driven $2.2-billion to the East Coast economy, as of 2016. And yet no one outside the industry seems to know a thing about how it works. What a peculiar view Canadians seem to have of us now amid the conflict with Mi’kmaq fishermen over lobster fisheries in Nova Scotia,,, By Susan Beaton >click to read<13:46
Settlement reached in sinking of F/V Scandies Rose for more than $9 million to surviving crewmen and families
The owners of the Scandies Rose have reached a settlement of more than $9 million with two surviving crew and the families of four men who died when the Washington-managed crab boat went down Dec. 31 off Alaska. Jerry Markham, an attorney for the families of three of the deceased, also confirmed the settlement, and said his clients “are relieved and pleased that the matter is settled.” The Scandies Rose disaster took the lives of five crew,,, The two survivors of the Scandies Rose, Dean Gribble Jr., and Jon Lawler, told harrowing tales of a severe list that imperiled the vessel. Both Lawler and Gribble eventually made it to a life raft.,,, >click to read< 10:14
Marine Navigation Safety Regulations 2020: Canada Announces New Marine Regulations to Improve Safety, Security and Protection
Canada has published new Marine Navigation Safety Regulations, which now apply to commercial vessels of all sizes, including fishing vessels, workboats, water taxis and ferries. The new regulations, which reflect extensive consultation with Canadians and the marine industry, represent a consolidation of nine existing sets of marine safety regulations into a single one,, The Marine Navigation Safety Regulations 2020 require vessel owners to have equipment to help reduce the risk of collisions that could cause pollution, like oil spills, and threaten endangered marine life, such as whales. They are also required to have lifesaving equipment that will send emergency signals and provide the vessel’s location. >click to read< 08:38
That Reminds Me: The Arthur Cavanagh and the end of an era
“At precisely 8 0’clock on the morning of Jan 10th (1962), the old trawler Arthur Cavanagh unobtrusively slipped her moorings in Milford docks, and with a farewell blast on her siren, began the last journey of her eventful life. On the face of it, this departure of an ageing ship for the scrapyards, merits no widespread regret, being an everyday event, yet when Arthur Cavanagh rounded St Anne’s Head, it marked the end of an era on the West Coast, the passing of a class of trawler the like of which, in terms of services rendered, will never have its peer. The Arthur Cavanagh was the last of the West Coast’s Castle class trawlers which probably played a greater part in the development of the country’s hake fishery than any other single factor. >click to read< 13:15
More information, photos, and stories of ARTHUR CAVANAGH LO407 / M184 / M16, >click here<
In Search of Common Ground – An interview with Arthur Bull about the lobster fishery crisis in St. Mary’s Bay
For weeks now we’ve read stories about the violence and ugly confrontations taking place on the shores of St. Mary’s Bay,, To try to make some sense of the recent turmoil, I turned to Arthur Bull, who is currently an advisor to the World Forum of Fisher Peoples. Bull has also been involved in the commercial fishing sector as Coordinator of the Fundy Fixed Gear Council, and President of the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association. How do you view the conflict taking place in St. Mary’s Bay and what do you think might be the pressures and the driving forces behind it?,, There was an article by the philosopher Cornel West, and he was saying that in the current climate, you’re either a racist or you’re an anti-racist. So, on that point, and not to dwell on it, but my thinking is that there’s two things going on in St. Mary’s Bay. One is about the fisheries, and the other is about the racism,,, >click to read< 11:23
N.S. Mi’kmaq chiefs demand stop of alleged federal plans to seize lobster traps
A group of Nova Scotia Indigenous leaders has levelled harassment allegations at the federal government over an ongoing moderate livelihood fishery dispute,,, The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs issued a statement on Friday saying they’d learned of unspecified plans from the conservation and protection department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, but did not disclose the source of their information. The chiefs alleged department members may be planning to seize gear and traps belonging to fishers exercising what they describe as a protected right to earn a moderate livelihood from their efforts. >click to read< 10:23
Australian lobster exports feared latest victim of China trade dispute
Tonnes of live Australian lobster are stranded on the tarmac at a Chinese airport, prompting fears they are the next victim in the ongoing trade dispute between Australia and China. The lobsters are facing Chinese customs clearance issues as exporters run out of time to get them into restaurants and shops before they are spoiled. A rejection of the lobsters or a further delay of more than 48 hours, would send a message that it is another trade strike after a year of rising tensions. In 2018-19 more than 94 per cent of Australia’s $752 million rock lobster exports went to China, >click to read< 08:17
