Daily Archives: January 29, 2021
Proposed Frenchman Bay salmon farm plan prompts call for review of state licensing rules
Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage is calling for the Maine Department of Marine Resources to not only reject an as-of-yet unfiled proposal for a roughly 110-acre penned salmon fishery, but also revise the rules governing how such projects get approved. The group argues that without proper regulatory constraints, the state’s fast-growing aquaculture industry could disrupt traditional fishing activity and overtake the coast with large, 
industrial fish farm operations. In October, American Aquafarms entered into an agreement to purchase the Maine Fair Trade Lobster facility in Gouldsboro, where it plans to develop its hatchery and processing facilities, officials said in a news release. Backed by Norwegian investor Mikael Roenes, the American Aquafarms proposal includes 30 150-foot salmon pens,,, >click to read< 17:37
The Maine Fishing community weighs in on offshore wind development
Maine’s fishing community is deeply concerned that wind development will end our fishing heritage, which has sustained coastal communities for centuries and is integral part of Maine’s identity. Without dedicated research proving otherwise, we are skeptical that offshore wind can deliver on its promise of affordable clean energy as promised by global energy companies. “The state of Maine should be wary of trading its fishing heritage by entering a race to fulfill empty promises from international energy companies,” warned Executive Director Patrice McCarron of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. Wise words from the Executive Director. >click to read< 11:30
Missing fishermen named as Irish Sea search continues
A fishing boat crew missing off the north Wales coast since Wednesday night has been named as Alan Minard, Ross Ballantine and skipper Carl McGrath. The three men were working on the Nicola Faith,,, A major search operation, including coastguard teams and RNLI lifeboats, moved into a second day on Friday. The Coastguard said the alarm was raised on Thursday at 10:00 GMT and a major operation, including seven RNLI lifeboat crews and three coastguard search teams, was launched. >click to read< 10:38
CARES Act Applications Now Available for Maryland Fishing Industry – Deadline to Apply is Feb. 28, 2021
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announces that applications remain available through February 28, 2021 for economic relief funds for the commercial seafood industry through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), for those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The application will be available to eligible members of the seafood industry on the Maryland OneStop website. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28, 2021. >click to read< 09:27
Shipwreck off coast of Hilton Head caused $60K in damage to shrimp boat
After leaving the docks at Hudson’s Seafood at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 19, 2019, the captain of the “Miss Annie” was on his way to catch shrimp on Hilton Head Island’s south end. At 7 a.m., the boat came to an abrupt stop. It began flooding and tipping onto its starboard side. The captain told federal investigators he felt like he “hit a rock,”,,, The shrimp boat did not hit a rock, like the captain thought. Instead, it hit a moving shipwreck. >click to read< 08:49
DFO is making new fishing rules. Will they work? (without addressing seal/sea lion over population issues they won’t)
The proposed rules codify pre-existing internal DFO policies and require the ministry to assess the health of key fish populations in “batches”, salmon, rockfish and cod are in the first batch of 30, to figure out why their populations have declined (or could decline) and lay out a plan to bring the stocks back to healthy levels. If the ministry doesn’t comply or opens a threatened fishery, it could be sued. Similar, but more stringent, regulations have been successfully implemented in other jurisdictions with major fisheries, like the U.S. and the EU. >click to read< 07:50
