Seventy-nine years ago this Dec. 7, the Empire of Japan carried out a sneak attack on American military forces at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. More than 2,400 people — including 68 civilians — died and almost 1,200 more were injured. The next day President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war. The speech has become one of the most famous in American history, and reminds us of the service and sacrifices made by our countrymen during World War II. Here is Roosevelt’s address: Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 >click to read< 06:50:
Monthly Archives: December 2020
Dec. 7 dumping day on standby off southwestern N.S. – Captains and crews should be prepared to leave
The start of the LFA 34 commercial lobster season off southwestern N.S. remained on standby on Sunday evening, Dec. 6, following a late afternoon industry conference call. But there was a weather window being eyed for Monday, Dec. 7 for the season to possibly start anytime after 10 a.m.,, “If the call (Monday) morning gives the okay, there will be a delayed start, anytime after 10 a.m. Captains and crews should be prepared to leave late morning at the earliest on Monday, Dec. 7.” photos, >click to read< 16:52
Efforts to Break Deadlock Continue, Kilmore Quay Outlines its Fears – Last-ditch post-Brexit trade talks to resume between EU, UK
As efforts continue to agree a final Brexit deal, two Wexford fishermen have outlined on RTÉ Radio Countrywide how devastating loss of access to British waters will be. “Brexit is going to affect every port and harbour where fishing is the lifeblood of communities,” Will Bates (43), a third-generation fisherman,, Video, >click to read< 12:57
Last-ditch post-Brexit trade talks to resume between EU, UK – European Union and British negotiators Sunday entered what is potentially the final attempt to strike a deal over future trade ties, even though “significant differences remain” on three essential points. With less than four weeks remaining before the Jan. 1 cutoff day, >click to read<
F/V Johanna C: Memorial lights up ports across a nation in remembrance
Lights were shone into the sky and out to sea across the nation in remembrance of two fishermen who died when their boat sunk. The Joanna C trawler went down off the Sussex coast on 21 November. Skipper Dave Bickerstaff was spotted clinging to a buoy and rescued. The body of 26-year-old Adam Harper was found by divers a few days later, but Robert Morley, 38, is still missing. The memorial was staged in harbour towns to “light his way home”. >click to read< 10:47
New Bedford fisherman reflects on September battle with Coronavirus
The fishing industry, like most sectors, has not been immune to the pandemic. Tony Borges was catching fluke with his crew off the New Jersey coast in September when he developed a fever. The 63-year-old veteran fisherman, aware a crew member tested positive for coronavirus, took some Tylenol and got back to work for another tow. About two weeks later, he was in a hospital bed asking his doctor if he was going to die. >click to read< 07:44
Obituary: Captain Robert “Bobby” Waugh Blethen Jr.
Robert “Bobby” Waugh Blethen Jr. of Georgetown, Maine, passed away when his fishing vessel was lost to the sea on Nov. 23, 2020. Bobby was born on Nov. 20, 1979, in Portland, Maine, and raised in Yarmouth, Maine. He was a caring child who easily connected with those around him and who was often found taking things apart and putting them back together at an early age. He began working in the fishing industry as a teenager. He excelled at the challenging work and went on to captain several boats, most recently F/V Emmy Rose. Bobby was a respected member of the fishing community. >click to read< 06:49
Australia: Cheap lobsters on Christmas tables as prices plummet due to China import ban
Commercial fishers operating in Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia are supplying record volumes to the domestic market after China’s ban on Australian live lobster imports. With the crustaceans removed from restaurants and markets in China, (you know the drill),,,Tasmanian commercial fisher Jason Hart this week sold his catch directly to the public at the Strahan wharf. “I’ve never had to worry about selling them from the wharf before,” Mr Hart said. “Even when our markets have been bad you can still on-sell the fish. But I’ve never seen it like this,,, >click to read< 13:48
Obituary: Commercial Fisherman Michael John Porper Jr.,
Michael John Porper Jr., was born Feb. 12, 1982, in Gloucester, Mass., and was living with his fianceé and daughter, Grace, in North Berwick when Mike was lost at sea On the morning of Nov. 23, 2020, Mike was on his way home from a fishing trip, when tragically the boat sank. Mike was a loving father to two beautiful daughters, Myiah Olivia Porper and Grace Ann Porper. Michael loved what he did he was always proud to be known as a fisherman. >click to read< 12:05
Nearly Entire U.S. Seafoods Trawler Crew Test Positive, Six Fish Processing Plant Employees Test Positive For Coronavirus
Two crewmembers of the trawler F/V Legacy tested positive for the virus on Thursday, according to the City of Unalaska, prompting providers from the local Iliuliuk Family and Health Services clinic to test the rest of the 25-person crew.,,, they showed that 22 more individuals were also positive. All crew members remain on board,,, >click to read<
Six Fish Processing Plant Employees And Two U.S. Seafoods Crewmembers Test Positive – On Friday, the City of Unalaska reported eight new cases of COVID-19 among employees at two local seafood processing plants and crewmembers of a United States Seafoods trawler. Five of the individuals are employed at Alyeska Seafoods and arrived in Unalaska by chartered flight,,, >click to read< 10:40
Volunteer RNLI crew of Aberystwyth lifeboat paged to assist trawler grounded on rocks
As the RNLI crew made their way to the boathouse they were surprised to see a 100 tonne, 15m beam scalloping trawler rolling around on the rocks directly outside the lifeboat station. With bad weather due, the scalloper had decided to make its way into Aberystwyth harbour. Once past the breakwater at the harbour entrance the vessel’s engine died and was quickly pushed onto the rocks, known locally as the trap. Once the engines were restarted the boat was spun around further onto the rocks and the crew asked HM Coastguard for lifeboat assistance. >click to read< 09:04
Late lobsterman Andrew Gove’s memoir published
Andrew Gove, a legend along the Maine coast, started writing down his stories more than a decade ago and kept up the work right up until he died at age 90 in June of 2020. Gove represents a disappearing Maine culture. In 1937 at age 7, he started lobstering and didn’t quit for 82 years. That hard-work ethic stemmed directly from his upbringing on Eagle Island, one that focused on family interdependence, self-sufficiency, trust and honesty — traits he exhibited throughout his entire life. >click to read< 08:01
Dec. 7 start now being eyed as weather keeps delaying LFA 34 opening
After a very lengthy conference call on Friday afternoon, Dec. 4, it’s still a no-go for the opening of the LFA 34 commercial lobster fishery off southwestern N.S. Boats, which have been loaded with traps since last weekend, won’t head out to the dumping grounds on Saturday or Sunday. The next industry/DFO conference call is slated for 4 p.m. on Sunday to discuss whether a Monday, Dec. 7 season start will be possible. >click to read< 07:07
‘The Crown’s honour is at stake’:Indigenous chief makes appeal to Justin Trudeau as fisheries deal rejected
A first draft memorandum of understanding was sent by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to the Sipekne’katik last week,,, The proposal, which was received with optimism, included the capacity for the Sipekne’katik to legally sell its moderate livelihood catch, which has been problematic for the band. But according to Chief Mike Sack, the government offer fell far short of what he had expected, In an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday, Sack wrote: “Although we had tempered our response of this first draft as a potentially groundbreaking and historical understanding, Sipekne’katik remains very disappointed in the draft documents’ intent and content.” “The Crown’s honour is at stake, >click to read< 18:47
Coast Guard suspends search for fisherman missing from capsized vessel off Cape May
The Coast Guard has suspended the search Friday for a man reported missing after an overturned 32-foot fishing vessel was discovered near Cape May on Thursday. Coast Guard crews searched more than 30 hours and over 700 square miles for the missing man. An inquiry into the name identifying the vessel was made, and is F/V Conch RD. Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Command Center received an alert from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon at approximately 2 p.m. Shortly afterward, a good Samaritan reported a capsized vessel in the area of the alert. The good Samaritan retrieved one person from the water,,, >click to read< 15:00
Haines Landslide. Two Haines residents still missing as four of six are found safe
There are still two missing residents. Jenae Larson and David Simmons have been missing since Wednesday afternoon’s mudslide. They lived at the same Beach Road property now buried in rock, mud and debris. His father, Randall Simmons, spoke to him about two hours before the landslide. >click to read< Four of six feared missing in Haines landslide found safe – Searchers suspended operations late Wednesday as the slide continued to move. Six people were originally feared missing, but four were found safe by Thursday morning. Troopers said there were nine feet of mud and trees covering the area. Surrounding homes were evacuated, and a helicopter planned to deploy at sunrise to continue surveying by air. >click to read< Juneau salmon hatchery forced to destroy fish because of landslide damage – >click to read< 13:11
Relief and disappointment: Bristol Bay reacts to Army Corps of Engineers Pebble permit denial
Pebble Mine has been stopped, likely for good. The debate around the mine has consumed Bristol Bay for more than a decade. Now the people who live here are coming to terms with the news. “I was ecstatic. I was elated. I was so happy to hear that it was finally over,” said Billy Trefon, Jr. from Nondalton,,, But for those who backed the project, the decision comes as a harsh blow. Sue Anelon works for the Iliamna Development Corporation. Iliamna is another community close to where the mine would have been. Anelon says the area is economically depressed. She sees the Army Corps’ denial as a bad decision for the state as well as the Lake Iliamna region. “I’m very worried right now, because there’s a lot of people without jobs — they’re depending on the government,” she said. >click to read< 11:31
Obituary: Jeffery Matthews – He was a hard-working, old-school fisherman.
Jeffery Matthews, 55, sank with his crew and went to heaven as a legend fisherman on Nov. 23, 2020, while he was at sea, doing what he loved. Jeff, above all things was a family man. He lived and breathed for his three children and grandkids. He was the definition of selfless, always giving, helping and doing for others. If he wasn’t at sea fishing, he was with his family, whether it was helping to fix a car, teaching his grandchildren how to ride a bike, or giving his time to anyone who needed help. Jeff spent over 35 years as a commercial fisherman. Some people might say he enjoyed being on the water more than he did being on land. Fishing was his life and soul. He was a hard-working, old-school fisherman. He was always there to help his crew no matter what the circumstances were. >click to read< 09:49
Clearwater Seafoods dropping MSC certification for its Canadian offshore lobster fishery
The blue MSC eco-label tells consumers the seafood they are buying is sustainably caught and has been a point of pride for North America’s biggest shellfish producer. Clearwater’s offshore lobster fishery off southern Nova Scotia was the first fishery on the Eastern Seaboard to receive MSC certification in 2010. The current five-year certification expires at the end of the month.,, The Marine Stewardship Council declined to directly comment on Clearwater’s decision to drop its lobster certification. >click to read< 06:54
Coast Guard searching for missing man near Cape May from capsized fishing vessel
The Coast Guard is searching for a man who entered the water when a 32-foot fishing vessel capsized near Cape May, Thursday afternoon. Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Command Center received an alert from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon at approximately 2 p.m. Shortly afterward, a good Samaritan reported a capsized vessel in the area of the alert. The good Samaritan retrieved one person from the water and reported that another person had been aboard the capsized vessel at the time of the incident. >click to read< 05:32
Southwestern N.S. lobster season start still delayed again by winds on Dec. 3 and 4th
Just over an hour before boats in LFA 34 were to leave their wharves for the start of the season on Thursday came word that the wind has delayed the opening of the lobster season yet again. And later in the day the situation had still not changed. Heading into Thursday evening there was still no opening set for the season which, under good weather conditions, would have opened on Nov. 30. An emergency conference call took place at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, Dec. 3, given a change in the weather from Wednesday’s forecast. The season was supposed to open at 9 a.m. >click to read< 19:27
Mayday Distress Call Audio: Coast Guard warns against false distress calls after suspected hoax
Over several minutes the caller described the vessel and crew’s situation in detail,,, Communication then ceased as Coast Guard rescue crews from Rockland and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, launched to search for the vessel and potential survivors. “Our Coast Guard rescue crews thrive on taking risks for the sake of helping others in distress on the water,” said Capt. Brian LeFebvre, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Northern New 
England. “Hoax distress calls – like the one we received this morning – unnecessarily put our rescue crews at risk, drain resources, and may limit our ability to respond to actual emergencies. Today’s hoax is particularly offensive given the loss of 4 fishermen aboard the F/V Emmy Rose just last week. We will use all available resources to identify and hold the responsible individual accountable.” >Audio, click to read the report< 18:01
Mayday call likely a hoax, search off Maine coast suspended
The Coast Guard said it has called off its search for three fishermen in the water off the Maine coast because the mayday call was likely a hoax. The mayday call said a 42-foot fishing boat was taking on water off the coast of Spruce Head in Knox County and the three crew members were putting on survival suits before going into the water. No name of the vessel was given in the mayday call. (no EPIRB alert) >click to read< 14:31
6 people missing, homes destroyed in southeast Alaska landslide – Coast Guard Responding
Six people were missing after a mudslide measuring an estimated two football fields across slammed into a neighborhood in the southeast Alaska community of Haines, Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday. An effort to fly search and rescue teams in a helicopter from Juneau was pushed back to Thursday morning, troopers said. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was launched from Sitka to assist, and the Coast Guard cutters Liberty and Anacapa have been ordered to make preparations to sail to Haines to provide additional support. >click to read< 13:52
Big Fish Bernt Bodal’s Divorce Was Finalized in July 2020 – Does He Have a New Wife Already?
Season 15 of The Real Housewives of Orange County features tenured cast members like Kelly Dodd and Shannon Storms Beador and new faces like Elizabeth Lyn Vargas. On the Season 15 premiere of RHOC, she revealed that her now-ex-husband not only cheated on her, but he also had a baby. So, who is Bernt Bodal‘s new wife and baby mama? Bernt served as the CEO of American Seafoods Group for an impressive 21 years. He was a deckhand on a fishing boat when he and his parents first came to the U.S., as per Seattle Business Magazine, after which he was promoted to the role of a captain. >click to read< 10:21
NAFTA 2.0 – US wind project delay pushes approval to Biden era
As part of his clean energy strategy, incoming president Joe Biden wants the US to install tens of thousands of wind turbines,,, Vineyard Wind is a joint venture of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid, a US subsidiary of Spain’s Iberdrola.,,, Vineyard Wind said its choice of GE meant “a historic American company will play a vital role in the development of the first commercial-scale offshore wind power in the US”. GE’s Haliade-X turbines, the world’s most powerful, are manufactured in France. >click to read< 08:53 Imported components for the renewed service economy!
Emergency Petition! Awaiting Court-Ordered Help, Enviro’s Want Ban on Some Lobster Traps, pushing newer ropeless traps
“We filed this petition because it is an emergency situation,” Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity,,, Monsell and colleagues brought a lawsuit against the federal government in 2018, challenging how it has managed lobster fishing and arguing for better right whale protections. In April, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the National Marine Fisheries Service to issue new regulations by the end of May of 2021. In the interim, the petitioners say it’s necessary to ban vertical lines. That could happen without banning lobster fishing outright, since newer, ropeless traps don’t pose the same risks to the whales. >click to read< 07:12
Emergency Petition Seeks to Protect Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales From Fishing Gear – >click to read<
Today, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund, along with our coalition partners,,, >click to read<
‘There’s Death Threats’: Indigenous Fishers Nervous as Nova Scotia’s Commercial Lobster Season Opens
Some Mi’kmaq have fished alongside commercial fishermen on these wharves for years but this year, after violence erupted in the past few months, they’re now divided largely by race—the white Acadian fishermen at Meteghan, and the Mi’kmaq at Saulnierville, with each flying their own flags. A court injunction, sought by the Mi’kmaq, has further separated the two groups, in an effort to prevent any more aggression and harassment towards band members on the Saulnierville wharf and on the water as they continue to fish until Dec. 17, the end of their moderate livelihood plan. The commercial inshore lobster fishery, expected to launch later this week, runs until the end of May. >click to read< 20:37
Irish Shipyard Supplies Trawler To Shipping Company In Shetland
The latest new fishing vessel built and equipped from the Irish shipyard Mooney Boats in Killybegs is a trawler for the shipping company One Way Fishing Company in Shetland. The ‘Ocean Challenge’ LK-253 was built for the owner Leslie Hughson and his family. Three years ago, the former vessel ‘Ocean Way’ was lost north-east of Shetland and until the end of February this year they had been fishing with the other vessel in the ‘Fairway’ shipping company. Video, >click to read< 19:48
Dec. 3, 09:00 start confirmed for LFA 34 lobster fishery
After days of delay because of the weather, the LFA 34 commercial fishery off southwestern N.S. will get underway Thursday, Dec. 3. It’ll be a later start with boats leaving the wharves at 9 a.m. as opposed to the traditional 6 a.m. start. It was decided to take advantage of daylight for the season start. The season opener was confirmed during a Wednesday morning industry conference call with other stakeholders. >click to read< 14:24
Mississippi DMR hearing public comments on spillway relief funding
The 2019 openings of the Bonnet Carre Spillway are still being felt here on the Gulf Coast a year later. NOAA has allocated about $88 million in relief funding due to the spillway impacts, and a little more than $21 million is coming to Mississippi. “Everything from the fin fish, to the crab, to the oysters, to the shrimp. Any type fish in the Gulf, it covers that,” said Joe Spraggins, “We’re not going to have that without our commercial fishermen. We’ve got to have them,” said Spraggins. “It’s a matter of whether you stay in business or not, and if these companies leave, if they ever leave us, we’ll never get them back, If these oyster fishermen shrimpers, crab fishermen, we’ll never get them back.” Video, >click to read< 08:56
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