Monthly Archives: March 2021
Deadliest Catch: The Crab Industry Is Struggling – Will Mandy take over F/V Northwestern if Sig retires?
“Deadliest Catch” has been hinting this could possibly be the very last King Crab season. Episode 1 already shows the captains joining forces to find and catch crab since they endured many obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic. This could be the final straw for Sig. He comes from a long line of fishermen and started fishing at age 14. Sig is 54 years old. While he’s not technically considered old, he does have a slew of health issues. He’s had two heart attacks, yet fans can still see him smoking cigarettes in various “Deadliest Catch” ads. >click to read< 10:09
DFO’s ‘who’s on board’ policy – Bay Bulls harvester not on board!
“On Wednesday, an e-mail came out from DFO saying that as of April 1, this new crew list requirement would come into place, and they outlined what you needed to record,” said harvester Jason Sullivan of Bay Bulls. As per those new requirements, records of who is aboard the boat for each trip would need to be kept on file for five years. As part of the bookkeeping, a Fisher Identification Number (FIN) or Provincial Fisher’s Certificate would need to be recorded for everyone on board. But, according to Sullivan, not everyone may be able to obtain one of those numbers. >click to read< 09:01
Rescue operation resumes for disabled fishing trawler with seven aboard off the Cork coast Saturday
The Wexford-registered trawler, Ellie Adhamh, lost power early on Friday morning 130km off the Bull Rock in west Cork while returning from a prawn fishing trip in the Porcupine Bank. A major rescue operation was launched involving the Irish Coast Guard and the Naval Service and co-ordinated by the Irish Coast Guard Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Valentia Island. Force 4 westerly winds were whipping up big seas and a plan by a Bere Island tug, to go to assist the fishing vessel had to be abandoned after it was damaged by a large wave. >click to read< 07:39
Stricken vessel is being towed to safety off Cork coast – Local tugs attempted to assist the trawler, but one vessel was hit by a 10 metre wave, blowing out all the windows. It had to be assisted back to the shore by the RNLI. >click to read<
Nunavut’s fishing industry gets $3.2 million for exploration, promotion of six fishing and sealing projects
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, also known as CanNor, announced the new funding on Thursday. The money will be distributed to six fishing and sealing projects throughout the territory. CanNor said that some of the funding is meant for promoting Nunavut’s fishing and sealing industries to new markets as well as for the promotion of redfish and char markets. A portion of the funding will be dedicated to studying the potential of small-scale inshore fisheries for three communities: Arviat, Kinngait and Sanikiluaq. >click to read< 18:55
Seven crewmen remain aboard a stranded fishing trawler off Cork coast
Several crew members of a fishing trawler that’s drifting without power off the Cork coast are to remain on board the vessel overnight, with high winds and rough seas anticipated. The fishing vessel raised the alarm this morning when it lost power off the coast of Castletownbere, and it’s understood other trawlers in the area tried to offer assistance. An update from Rescue 115 reads: “The seven crew want to remain with the vessel at this time. Numerous other vessels on route,,, >click to read< 17:41
Rescue 115 has now returned to base after making two trips to the casualty vessel – >click to read<
Lobstermen united against Monhegan offshore wind project
In one of Maine’s biggest lobster harbors, close to 100 fishermen and their supporters packed the town dock to stand, side by side, in opposition to offshore wind power development in the Gulf of Maine. For the fishermen, the events of the week have hardened their resolve to fight the wind turbine project, which they say will be just the beginning of more platforms being installed in years ahead. They insist the development will damage the Gulf of Maine, “It’s not about anti-wind, it’s not about anti-green,” said Friendship wharf owner Jim Wotton. “It’s about preserving the Gulf of Maine.” Video, >click to read< 12:21
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for March 26, 2021
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here<11:23
A “Must Read” for Media and Politicians – Seeing the bigger picture on right whales
Someone should point out to the media that the right whale population has shown dramatic growth from the 1990s up until the last few years, when birth rates leveled off. Without a doubt, 2017 to 2019 was a terrible time period for them,,, It is irresponsible for any scientist or oceanographer to take an extreme year (2017) and say that the population is headed to extinction. The bigger picture shows a much more hopeful story. By Jack Merrill, >click to read< 10:27
Despite unprecedented 2020 market losses, Maine fishermen brought in history’s 9th most valuable catch
Valued at $516.8 million, the ex-vessel value, or price paid at the dock, of Maine’s commercially harvested marine species was the ninth-highest on record. Maine’s lobster fishery once again accounted for most of the state’s overall landed value, with the lobster catch totaling $405.98 million. While the landed value was down from $491.2 million in 2019 and the 2016 peak of $540.7 million, it was the seventh straight year that the lobster fishery exceeded $400 million. Maine scallop fishermen brought ashore an additional 224,874 pounds compared to 2019, ranking the fishery as the third-most valuable, despite a 19-cent per pound decrease in value. >click to read< 09:12
Coronavirus: Bering Sea Crabbers Push For Extended Season
A group of Bering Sea crabbers say the Coronavirus pandemic has slowed their fishing season, and they want more time to catch their quota before the state shuts down their season next week. For the few boats fishing bairdi crab this year, there could be a lot at stake if they don’t have time to catch their full quota. “I’m thinking they don’t quite understand what we’re going through out here,” said Oystein Lone, captain of the 98-foot crab boat Pacific Sounder, which is based out of Dutch Harbor. >click to read< 07:55
Smaller antennas developed for vessel VSAT
Introducing KVH Industries’ latest system, TracPhone V30, its smallest VSAT antenna for digital satellite communications to date. This comes as the pace of digitalisation continues to accelerate throughout the maritime industry and owners of workboats, fishing vessels, tugs and passenger vessels look for easier–to–install and more affordable solutions. “It is designed to deliver operational needs and to enable crew access to web browsing and chat, email and calls wherever the vessel operates,” >click to read< 16:17
Right whale protection regs leave Cape fishermen feeling trapped
His house on the quarter-acre lot is nearly surrounded by gravel, with bright yellow and black fishing traps neatly stacked all around. Tolley is gearing up for the fishing season, is headed for a hip replacement in a month, but that wasn’t his only concern. New state regs require that he fit the buoy lines on all 1,200 of his lobster, conch and black sea bass traps with special sleeves that release under the pressure of an adult whale. “I don’t want to see a right whale entangled,”,,, He worries about the financial pressures imposed on him and other fishermen by regulations >click to read< 13:42
Nearly 30 years into the moratorium, Newfoundlanders look for ways to rebuild Cod
Atlantic cod, the species better known by its population name, Northern cod, is the fish of choice for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. On a day spent handlining cod on the North Atlantic off of Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, a centuries-old fishing community just outside of St. John’s, it can be easy to forget cod has a storied history – and a still uncertain future. Northern cod survived near-decimation from overfishing three decades ago, leading the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to shutter the commercial cod fishery in 1992. Meant to last two years, the cod moratorium remains in effect, although DFO reopened an inshore commercial fishery, called the “stewardship fishery,” in 2006. >click to read< 11:00
‘How do we stop it?’ – Lobstermen voice concerns over wind farm development in meeting with regulators
The state Gov. Janet Mills is telling Monhegan Island-area lobstermen to remove fishing gear from the path of a survey vessel, or the Marine Patrol will.,, In text and email messages sent to lobstermen Wednesday morning, DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher says he has been directed to ask the state Marine Patrol to move gear away from the route if the vessel is unable to continue its work. He also says DMR is working with the vessel to make sure it keeps its operations within a defined pathway. Keliher and other officials in Gov. Janet Mills’ administration did not immediately return requests for comment. >click to read< 10:02
Fishing industry unimpressed with Biden Harris’s NOAA/NMFS climate crisis notions. (Offshore Wind Farms, either!)
President Biden ordered NOAA to collect information from a wide range of groups on increasing the resilience of fisheries as part of his plan to address climate change and to protect 30% of U.S. ocean areas by the year 2030. The NOAA directive is included in the sweeping executive order Biden signed his first week in office that made “the climate crisis” a centerpiece of his presidency. “Fisheries, protected resources, habitats and ecosystem are being affected by climate change,” acting NOAA Fisheries chief Paul Doremus said at the beginning of yesterday’s conference call. >click to read< 07:55
Female Sockeye salmon are dying at higher rates than males
Female adult sockeye from the Fraser River are dying at significantly higher rates than their male counterparts on the journey back to their spawning grounds, “This is causing skewed sex ratios in their spawning grounds, something that has been observed in recent years,” says lead researcher Dr. Scott Hinch, a professor in the faculty of forestry and head of the Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory at UBC. “The implications on the health of Fraser River stocks are concerning, particularly as Pacific salmon populations in British Columbia have been declining over the past several decades.” >click to read< 15:48
Study shows three times as many Red Snapper as previously estimated in the Gulf of Mexico
The $12 million Great Red Snapper Count estimated that the Gulf holds about 110 million adult red snapper, those at least 2 years old. A 2018 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marine fisheries’ estimate was about 36 million. Clay Porch, director of NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center Director in Miami, said peer reviewers will be going over the science for the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, which is likely to consider revising quotas in April, Porch said Tuesday. >click to read< 14:24
Ronald David “Captain Ronnie” Bingley, of Fisherman’s Harbour has passed away
Ronald David “Captain Ronnie” Bingley,63, Fisherman’s Harbour, Guysborough Co., passed away on Friday, March 19, 2021, in Fisherman’s Harbour. Born in Sherbrooke, he was a son of the late George and Dorothy (Lloyd) Bingley. He was an active fisherman, a former boat builder, an avid carpenter, plumber, electrician, and an amazing father. These wonderful skills, he passed on to his children. He taught them to grow up to be strong and independent. Ronald is survived by 5 children, and 11 grandchildren. >click to read< 13:24
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 57′ Steel Scalloper/Lobster/Longliner
To review specifications, information, and 17 photos, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here<11: 04
The Intense, Lobster-Fueled Fight Over America’s First Floating Wind Farm
On Sunday, local Maine outlets reported that a slew of fishing boats gathered in a show of protest against a planned wind project in midcoast Maine. While the weekend flotilla of fishermen was peaceful, tensions continued to rise on Monday. That’s when the wind project’s owners accused three fishing boats of intentionally surrounding a research vessel that was out for an ocean floor survey, “creating an unsafe situation” that forced them to suspend operations,,, >click to read< 09:55
Indigenous fishermen to assert treaty right for lobster fishing during court case
The stage is now set in Nova Scotia for another round in the court battles over Indigenous fishing rights. The lawyer for four Mi’kmaw fishermen appeared by phone Tuesday in Yarmouth provincial court. The men admit they were fishing for lobster aboard the vessel Charlene Helen off Pinkney’s Point, Yarmouth County, in September 2019. The area they were fishing in is part of Lobster Fishing Area 34, which was closed to fishing activity at the time. >click to read< 08:56
F/V Nicola Faith: Body found off Wirral coastline confirmed as missing fisherman Ross Ballantine
A body found off the Wirral coastline on Friday, March 12, is that of Ross Ballantine, police have confirmed. The 39-year-old was reported missing, along with two other fishermen, in January. North Wales Police said this evening: “We can confirm that the body found at West Kirby on Friday 12th March is that of Ross Ballantine, who went missing along with two others on the Conwy fishing boat ‘Nicola Faith’ in January. The news comes 24 hours after a body found on a beach in Blackpool on March 13 was confirmed as being the Skipper Carl McGrath. >click to read< 07:52
Fishing Industry reps withdraw from Canada-France meetings after DFO recommends 3Ps cod moratorium
Canada and France began negotiations today, March 23, to decide who can fish for what on the south coast of Newfoundland but representatives from the fishing industry won’t be there. Atlantic Groundfish Council, Fish Food and Allied Workers, and Association of Seafood Producers have all announced they will withdraw from the bilateral meetings to determine quotas in protest over Canada’s intent to place a moratorium on cod in the 3Ps zone. The decision to withdraw comes after the industry learned late Friday,,, >click to read< 17:56
Undersea cable owner seeks injunctions against trawler operators
The owners of two transatlantic communication under sea cables are seeking High Court injunctions preventing fishing boat owners from trawling near their property. The action has been brought by GTT Communications Inc and related entities Hibernia Express Ireland Ltd and Hibernia Atlantic Cable System Limited which run between Ireland, the UK, and Canada. The companies claim that the owners of several fishing vessels have been trawling in the waters near the cables. This it is claimed, poses a high risk of damage to the cables. >click to read< 14:06
The NLGIDC are surprised and disappointed by DFO’s plan to implement a moratorium on 3Ps cod
St. John’s, NL, March 23. 2021 – The Newfoundland and Labrador Groundfish Industry Development Council (NLGIDC) finds it difficult to understand DFO’s rationale in proposing a moratorium for 3Ps cod in 2021. We are opposed to this approach. “During the 3Ps industry advisory meeting early in 2021, the DFO science presentation indicated the most important factors in determining stock growth are high natural mortality and a changing ecosystem and not the commercial fishery”, said Jim Baird, the Chairperson of the NLGIDC. Some facts from the recent 3Ps assessment: >click to read< 12:57
Canadian government likely has not met constitutional obligations to First Nations
The precedent set by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Marshall cases recognizes the First Nations’ right to fish under the Peace and Friendship Treaties but also allows for limitations by the government for the purpose of conservation. The Badger decision set out the parameters for applying those limitations and puts the onus on the federal government to show that the infringement of treaty rights is justified, and to consult with First Nations to find a solution that puts the minimum restrictions on Indigenous rights. The 13 Nova Scotia First Nations chiefs have unanimously rejected Jordan’s plan for a number of reasons, a major one being a lack of consultation. >click to read< 11:45
1984 – Liberal cabinet was split on seal hunt, while refusing to give into ‘blackmail’ from animal rights groups
The controversial Atlantic seal caused caused a major split in the Liberal cabinet of 1984, secret documents obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter show. Ministers cursed the International Fund for Animal Welfare while acknowledging the seal hunt was “relatively minor.” Some ministers feared animal rights groups would lead a boycott of Canadian fish products at McDonald’s and other restaurant chains. >click to read< 09:31
Supreme Court won’t hear fishermen’s case against Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Marine Monument
The high court denied a request to take a look at the case. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the creation of a national monument was “of no small consequence,” but the petitioners did not meet the criteria to bring it before the Supreme Court. The fishing group is let down by the court’s decision, but also feels that Roberts’ statement is a signal for others to bring similar cases, and suggests the high court “will soon resurrect meaningful limits on the President’s monument-designation power.” >click to read< 08:10
The flawed plan to rebuild Canada’s Northern cod – DFO’s plan is riddled with science and policy weaknesses
Canada is on the cusp of an inauspicious anniversary. Next year will mark 30 years since Newfoundland’s 500-year-old Northern cod fishery was shut down. The fishery was closed on July 2, 1992, because of a massive decline in the cod population, as much as 95 per cent, between the early 1960s and the early 1990s. The socioeconomic consequences were staggering: 30,000 to 40,000 jobs vanished overnight. Closure of what once was the largest cod fishery in the world stimulated an exodus of 10 per cent of the province’s population by the turn of the 21st century. Resource depletion was not anticipated when the federal Fisheries Act was passed in 1868. >click to read< 06:25
North Wales Police confirm body found on Blackpool Beach as missing F/V Nicola Faith fisherman
Carl McGrath, 34, was with Ross Ballantine 39, and Alan Minard, 20, when their fishing boat Nicola Faith went missing after leaving Conwy, north Wales, on January 27. Mr McGrath’s sister Lauren Hynes has today paid tribute to her brother, describing him as ‘my hero, my rock’. North Wales Police today tweeted: “Sadly we can confirm that the body found on the beach at Blackpool on March 13th is that of Carl McGrath, who went missing with 2 others, on the Conwy fishing boat ‘Nicola Faith’ on January 27th. >click to read< 19:16
