Monthly Archives: December 2020
Lifelong Ucluelet fisherman Doug Kimoto shares his thoughts on restoring fisheries
Doug Kimoto’s livelihood begins with a 42-foot commercial salmon troller named ‘La Perouse.’ The wooden fishing vessel has been a member of his Japanese-Canadian family for 70 years. “I started commercial fishing with my father when I was about 13-years-old,” His father, Tom Kimoto, lost about 10 years of his life as a result of being forced into a Canadian Japenese internment camp, Kimoto recalls. “These last few years, it’s been a disaster,” he says. “Years ago you could make a decent living, but now it’s down to what you’d call not even a minimum wage for most fishermen.” >click to read< 07:03
A Christmas Eve Tale – Loss of ring nearly cost his life. He found it in the belly of a codfish, arrived in Gloucester to marry his Mollie
With a headline sounding like a poem or song, this memorable Gloucester Christmas eve tale by Tom Herbert was published in the Boston Globe in 1893 – Christmas Eve. Boston Globe 1893, He kept his promise. Loss of ring nearly cost his life. He found it in the belly of a codfish, arrived in Gloucester to marry his Mollie! “Such a dread as I have of your going away so late in the fall,” said pretty Mollie MacDonald to her lover. “And remember we are to be married Christmas eve.” “Why it’s only a three weeks’ trip, Mollie, to the Western banks,” said McAchen, “Then you know, too, I am shipped in the famous Star of the East and we will sail at daybreak.”,, “But what about the engagement ring, Angus? >click to read< 09:20
Britain and E.U. Reach Landmark Deal on Brexit – The fishing industry reacts
Britain and the European Union struck a hard-fought trade agreement on Thursday, settling a bitter divorce that stretched over more than four years and setting the terms for a post-Brexit future as close neighbors living apart. The deal, which must be ratified by the British and European Parliaments, came together in Brussels after 11 months of grinding negotiations, culminating in a last-minute haggle over fishing rights that stretched into Christmas Eve, just a week before a year-end deadline. >click to read< 14:33
Brexit. The fishing industry reacts – not a sellout but not a Christmas bonanza either: – The UK fleet felt they had everything to gain and almost nothing to lose so how have they done? The picture is mixed and everyone is using the caveat of let’s see the detail,,, >click to read<
Reconstruction of North Bulkhead in Port of Galilee to continue into 2021
The state recently started a $5.2 million project to rehabilitate three commercial fishing piers in the Port of Galilee that are berths for the largest vessels, the offshore fleet.,, The vessels that tie up in this location produce the highest volume of landed seafood products. The work, which will involve demolition and replacement of the three piers, started in mid-October. The project in later phases will include reconstruction of the ice dock, called Dock X, which is the location for Seafreeze Ltd., which provides ice to the fishing vessels to keep the seafood fresh. >click to read< 12:24
Some bright spots for high-value salmon, halibut in 2021
Following the trend of the last several years, the salmon forecast for the 2021 salmon season in Bristol Bay looks positive. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a total return of about 51 million sockeye salmon, with an inshore run of about 50 million. That’s about 6 percent better than the average for the last decade and 45 percent greater than the long-term average.,, Halibut outlook – Stock numbers in the Pacific halibut fishery are overall still declining, but there are individual bright spots in some regions. >click to read< 10:43
Crab fishing is delayed over price negotiations; no one wants under $3 a pound, will not go
Disputes between Bay Area fishermen and seafood company Pacific Seafood Group over crab prices are causing more delays to the start of the commercial crab fishing season. California allowed commercial crab season to begin Dec. 23 after a month delay over environmental concerns to whales and other marine animals. However, the fleets in Half Moon Bay and the entire Bay Area remain at an impasse,,, Fishermen want at least $3 a pound for crab, while Pacific Seafood Group is only offering $2.25 a pound. Until an agreement is reached, commercial fishermen from the Bay Area will not go out to fish. >click to read< 08:59
Shortsighted Petition about whale regulations in Mass draws response from Maine
Enviro groups have filed a petition with the NMFS seeking immediate emergency action requiring the commercial fishing industry to protect endangered right whales from entanglement off the coast of Massachusetts. Members of Maine’s Congressional delegation responded in opposition to that petition with a letter to the Department of Commerce, calling it shortsighted. The petition suggests ropeless fishing could be used, and even though it targets Massachusetts, Maine’s commercial fishing industry is watching, according to Mike Dassatt, who is on the board of the Downeast Lobsterman’s Association,, “We need to be supporting Massachusetts because here in Maine, it would put way too many people out of business,”,, >click to read< 07:15
Seeing experimental success, Virginia Beach shrimp season is extended
The experimental shrimp season, scheduled to end on New Year’s Eve, has been extended to Jan. 31 for Virginia Beach-based watermen. The state’s shrimp experiment started in 2017 after watermen started to notice an increase in the number of shrimp getting snagged in their fishing nets. One waterman was granted a permit. Today, eight watermen in Virginia Beach and two on the Eastern Shore have permits that are handed out in a lottery system. This transition will include more watermen and possibly a longer season and a wider area in which to search for shrimp. video, >click to read< 14:41
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 67′ Steel Stern Trawler, 525 HP Cummins, with Federal and NY Permits
To review specifications, information, and 10 photos, with Federal and New York Permits, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here<12:10
Slowing down big ships not enough to protect right whales from fatal strikes
Current speed restrictions for ships moving through Canadian waters will not prevent North Atlantic right whales from being killed if struck, according to new research that also determined smaller vessels are capable of deadly impacts. “Slowing big ships down does not reduce the death rate as much as we hoped it would,” said Brillant, adding that larger ships obeying current speed restrictions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where many right whales feed in the summer, still have an 80 per cent chance of killing a whale if one is struck. >click to read< 08:57
California: Don’t expect Dungeness Crab for Christmas this year
“Unless a miracle happens, which is highly unlikely, we won’t see crab for Christmas,” said Tony Anello, a veteran fisher who runs his boat, the Annabelle, out of Bodega Bay and offers up his tender product at Spud Point Crab Co. After several years of varied setbacks and more than a month of delays to the 2020 Dungeness season, local crabbers now face a new hurdle as they haggle over price with large wholesalers. “We should be traveling right now,” Dick Ogg,,, wholesalers are asking skippers to cut their prices by 30% to 35%, leaving both sides approximately $1 a pound apart from an agreement that would start the crab season. >click to read< 08:05
Unexploded Ordnance May be Cause of Fishing Vessel Blast
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has launched an inquiry into a blast aboard a fishing vessel off Norfolk, UK on December 15, which injured all seven crewmembers on board. The explosion aboard the crabbing vessel Galwad-Y-Mor,,, “The hauler was being used to heave in the back 
rope, and the crew had let the skipper know that there was a lot of tension on the line, when there was an unexpected explosion. Galwad-Y-Mor was thrown up from the sea surface, then landed heavily back down; all propulsion and electrical power was immediately lost. The skipper was injured and dazed, but conscious, and saw that the wheelhouse had been completely wrecked.” >click to read< 16: 32
Arbroath RNLI: The lifeboat heroes who give up their Christmas to save lives
Sam Clow will tuck into his Christmas dinner alongside his young family with his pager beside his festive fayre. Arbroath RNLI full-time coxswain/mechanic and his volunteer crew will drop everything at a moment’s notice if the pager goes off. Giving up their time to help save lives at sea is a tradition which runs through all 238 RNLI stations, whether it be mums and sons, or dads and daughters. Sam said the drill is the same for the crew all year round. “We remain on call 24/7 over Christmas and that’s the reality of the job,” he said. >click to read< 14:46
A Final 2020 DMR Update from Commissioner Pat Keliher
As 2020 slowly draws to a close, I’d like to share with you one last monthly update on the work of Maine DMR before we close the books on a year of challenges. Pat. New England Fishery Management Council actions,,, DMR has been auditing the data collected through the CARES Act application process,, Additional coronavirus relief has been approved by Congress however it is much too early,,, much more, >click to read< 12:20
Chief William Saulis: RCMP to use sonar in effort to locate missing Nova Scotia scallop dragger
In a news release Tuesday morning, RCMP say the aerial search would resume, weather permitting, after it was paused on Monday, and an underwater recovery team would join the efforts and explore the water with sonar equipment. RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Joyce said the sonar search was dependent on conditions and it was not clear, as of late morning, whether the underwater crew would be able to start Tuesday. The goal, he said, is to locate the vessel. >click to read< 10:58
Tecnopesca Argentina Modernizes 30 Year Old Trawler
After seven years at the quayside in the Argentinian fishing port of Mar del Plata, the 42.70 metre Cabo Vírgenes, which used to fish for hake, was missing some of its equipment. Electrical systems had been stripped out and rust was eating away at its steelwork. Now, after ten months at the TecnoPesca Argentina (TPA) shipyard,, ‘It’s working as a fresher trawler, with no processing or freezing systems on board. Basically, it’ll be fishing for hake but is also able to fish for Argentine red shrimp,‘ photos,,, >click to read< 10:01
Warm tribute paid to an island’s legendary last blacksmith
The life and work of Calum “Steallag” MacLeod is remembered in An Gobha, The Last Blacksmith, which will screen on Hogmanay. It features footage of MacLeod, who died last year aged 84 and who was known for his hard work, kind spirit and great storytelling skills, being interviewed in his Stornoway smithy. There, he talks of a life at the forge and anvil with his skills first learned from his father, John, who shoed horses in the trenches during World War One. Between the two men, more than 100 years of service was given to island homes, crofters, fishermen and building businesses. >click to read< 09:12
The new Charleston ice plant is up and running with increased prices
The port of Coos Bay has its new ice plant up and running in Charleston. The newly built ice plant replaces the plant that was destroyed by a fire in late December of last year. The new ice plant has increased storage capacity and a higher production rate, both of which were problems with the old plant. “We used to run into situations where we would need to either turn away,,, “And now during peak times, we should have no problem meeting the demand of our fleet.” With new technology, the cost of running the “state of the art” facility brings new pricing. photos, >click to read< 08:33
Atlantic Canadian commercial fishing industry calls for clear regulatory oversight for all fisheries
The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFCA), a newly formed alliance of commercial fishery stakeholders, is calling on the Government of Canada to establish clear, lasting, responsible, regulatory oversight for all fisheries – commercial, food, social, and ceremonial. Established in Nov. 2020, the UFCA represents thousands of multi-species commercial fishermen, fishery associations, and associated businesses from across Atlantic Canada and its membership is growing. “It is essential that every community, association and fisherman in the Atlantic fishery have certainty as to the rules they abide by. Clear rules, regulations, compliance, and enforcement are needed.” >click to read< 07:30
Russia’s New Long-Endurance Arctic Research Vessel Might Be The Ugliest Ship We’ve Seen
The Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, which is part of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation, launched the North Pole on December 18, almost exactly two years after construction began. The vessel has been built for the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, better known as Roshydromet, at a reported cost of $100 million. It is being run as a joint project between Roshydromet and Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. Measuring 276 feet long by 74 feet wide, and with a displacement of 10,225 tons, the North Pole is intended to be the first vessel of its kind to be permanently based in the high Arctic. photos, >click to read< 18:34
Researchers find new toxin hot spot
As high levels of domoic acid once again delay the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Washington state and along Oregon’s North Coast, researchers say they have zeroed in on a like cause of marine toxin issues farther south. They recently identified a new highly toxic hot spot between California’s Cape Mendocino, several hundred miles north of San Francisco, and Oregon’s Cape Blanco, north of Port Orford, according to a study published this month. >click to read< 16:04
Chief William Saulis: RCMP continues search for missing fishermen on Monday, say unidentified debris found
The RCMP says it is continuing the recovery mission for five scallop fishers and a vessel missing off the Nova Scotia shore on Monday. Police say helicopter crews did an aerial search of the coastline spanning approximately 100 kilometres, from Digby Gut to Harbourville. The search did not locate the missing fishermen nor the debris from the Chief William Saulis fishing vessel. video, >click to read< 14:06
Monkfish Price Tumble in Scotland Shows Pain of French Shutdown
At the Peterhead fishing port in Scotland, prices for haddock and monkfish were inverted on Monday, skewed by a closed border with France and a ticking clock that threatened to render some of its catch worthless. The price gyrations mark the latest setback for the U.K. fishing industry, With French borders closed since Sunday, thousands of pounds of seafood could be left to rot in lorries that would normally speed through the Port of Dover to Europe. “This is the most important sales week of the year and it’s been caught up in a hurricane,” said Jimmy Buchan, chief executive officer of the Scottish Seafood Association. “We’ve got Brexit, we’ve got Covid and now on the back of Covid we’ve got this further restriction.” >click to read< 10:34
Report on Fishery Failures: Urgently Needed Disaster Declarations Act, S. 2346
Purpose of the Bill: The purpose of S. 2346, the Fishery Failures: Urgently Needed Disaster Declarations Act, is to clarify and expedite the disaster declaration process, establish certain deadlines for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reduce delays, and clarify eligibility for assistance to ensure that charter, recreational, and Tribal fishers have access to disaster funds. Additionally, the bill would provide employment opportunities for fishery employees displaced by a fishery disaster by prioritizing their hiring to undertake restoration, conservation, and other fishery rebuilding activities funded by disaster relief funds. >click to read< 09:22
Sipekne’katik lobster fishery closed for the season
Over the course of the season, Sack said Sipekne’katik harvesters caught and sold close to 55,000 kilograms of lobster. Selling their catches had been a problem for Mi’kmaw harvesters earlier in their season because provincial regulations prohibit buyers from purchasing anything caught outside a commercial fishing license. But in the end, Sack said everything his community caught was sold — although he wouldn’t say exactly where. >click to read< 08:05
For Nova Scotia mother of scallop fisherman, a painful wait for her son lost at sea
For Lori Phillips, waiting for news of a son lost at sea is painful, as she says closure could begin with his body’s return from the Bay of Fundy. As of Sunday at 4 p.m. local time, crewman Michael Drake is the only one of the six people on board whose body has been recovered by search teams. Phillips says she hopes desperately her son Aaron Cogswell and the others still missing can be located as well, whether by searches or raising the vessel. The continuing care assistant in the Annapolis Valley has had a trying year, looking after elderly residents in a Berwick, N.S. long-term care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently grieving the death of her father-in-law. “I want my son home. I want to have something that I could go to,”,,, “I need his body, I need closure and , video, >click to read< 17:27
Joseph Anthony Gann of San Diego has passed away
Joseph was born in the fishing port of Gloucester, Massachusetts, on December 19, 1925. He then moved to San Diego in 1926 at the age of one, with his parents Vincent and Nazare, and his two brothers Vincent and Edmond. Joe’s sister Lillian was born a few years later. His father built and operated a commercial fishing clipper.,, Joe then entered the fishing business with his brother Edmond and formed their company Caribbean Marine Service Co. Inc.; they soon became successful tuna-fishing fleet owners.,,, Joe went to congress to fight the 200-mile limit, and then in the 1970’s, along with Julius Zolezzi, he went to Samoa to facilitate the Fishing Treaty between the United States and Samoa. >click to read< 13:44
F/V Chief William Saulis: Helicopter search reveals no sign of scallop fishermen lost off Nova Scotia this morning
RCMP say an aerial search for five fishermen who were working on a scallop boat when it sank in the Bay of Fundy has not spotted any sign of them as of late morning local time today. Police had said in a news release on Saturday that a search with a helicopter would be suspended until Sunday, but have since corrected this to say some aerial searching occurred on Saturday and was continuing into Sunday morning. A release said the search did not locate the missing fishermen or debris from the scallop dragger Chief William Saulis,,, >click to read< 12:29
The rise of the land salmon
Damien Claire stands inside an industrial complex on the outskirts of Miami, watching thousands of salmon fry dart this way and that in a circular tank. At nine weeks old, the youngsters are the size of paperclips and learning to feed. Instinctively, they school, turning into a swirling dark ball in the lime green light. Claire wears a bright safety vest and a white hardhat stamped with the logo of the company he works for, Atlantic Sapphire. It’s a brand that pops up frequently these days in seafood industry publications with names like Salmon Business and Intrafish. >click to read< 08:55
