Monthly Archives: March 2021
Lessons from cod collapse
By the end of World War II about 320,000 people lived spread out over 1,000 small “outports”, small fishing villages many of which dating back as far as the Napoleonic Wars (*source: Atlasobscura.com). These communities were self-sufficient and lived by fishing the abundant cod and herring fields, and by logging and seal hunting. The beginning of the end came In 1949, when Newfoundland and Labrador voted to join Canada. The studies done by the departments of Welfare and Fisheries proved that this way of life was backwards and that there was much more money to be made by “modernizing” how resources were extracted. Opinion by Huguette Allen >click to read< 21:17
Commercial Fisherman Norwood Kline Frost, 77, of Salter Path N.C., has passed away
Norwood was born Dec. 10, 1943, in Morehead City to the late Floyd Staton Frost and Berna Marie Willis Frost. He spent his life on the water as a commercial fisherman and was the captain of the Frost fishing crew. It was through this he came to be the owner of Frost Seafood Market and Frost Seafood House Restaurant. He was proud of being able to serve fresh, local seafood to the Crystal Coast community for more than 50 years. >click to read< 17:55
Problems at the Port of Galilee being fixed. Finally.
The Port of Galilee in Narragansett, home to 200 fishing boats, is a working seaport in need of work itself. You can see large gaping holes of rusted out steel. Pilings are rotting. Decking on the docks has become so beaten down, weathered and dangerous. “Long overdue,” said lobsterman, Louis Fusco. “People falling, people getting hurt, getting electrocuted. The fishing port of Galilee produces a lot of income for the state, tax dollars, just jobs. I mean, the list goes on and on.” video, >click to read< 16:26
Coast Guard medevacs 25 year-old- fisherman suffering from seizures from fishing vessel 58 miles off Charleston
The Coast Guard medevaced a 25 year old man from the 47′ foot F/V Golden Retriever approximately 58 miles east of Charleston, Tuesday. A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew transferred the man to Medical University of South Carolina Hospital at 1:49 p.m. to receive further treatment. At approximately 11:25 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders
Feds announces $4.85M to buoy Nova Scotia’s struggling fish and seafood sector
The federal government has announced funding for a dozen projects in western Nova Scotia to buoy the province’s struggling fish and seafood processing sector. Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan says the $4.85 million for 12 projects at 11 companies will help the sector retool and find new markets, positioning the industry for a strong post-pandemic recovery. She says the funding, part of the $62.5 million Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund announced by Ottawa last spring, is expected to create 60 jobs in rural communities across western Nova Scotia. >click to read< 13:36
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 65′ DMR Offshore Lobster with Permit, Volvo 163A Diesel, 2 gensets
To review specifications, information, and 26 photos, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here<11:40
I liked Mayor Passero’s State Pier comments before he signed a gag order
I am sorry to say that not only did New London Mayor Michael Passero sell out the other victims of Gov. Ned Lamont’s $200 million remake of State Pier from road salt contractors and longshoremen to local fishermen when he signed a deal with the rich utilities that will profit from the project. But he settled cheaply. We all know that Eversource has legions of Connecticut politicians in its back pocket. I assume the utilities have prepared a T-shirt for Mayor Passero, with a big “E” for Eversource on the front and an “O” for Orsted on the back, and he might be expected to wear it whenever they call a news conference, jerk on his leash and demand a performance, as they are enabled to do by the host community agreement. >click to read< 09:53
California salmon season delayed and shortened, angering North Bay fishermen. Closest start may be May 1
Expected to be decided within the next few weeks, there are three proposals on the table, all shorten the season considerably. The closest start may be May 1, instead of April. Association President John McManus predicted a 40% loss in the season for sports fishermen, while Crescent City commercial fisherman George Bradshaw predicted the industry’s take would be down by two thirds. The bad news for a delayed and restricted salmon fishing season comes on the heels of a slow, sputtering start for crab fishing fleets, which were stalled while fishery officials waited for migrating whales to leave the coastal region. >click to read< 08:05
DFO backtracks on rule that harvesters warned would destroy the local spot prawn industry
“The Minister has been informed that for this season, [conservation and protection’s] enforcement posture toward the practice of tubbing will be one of outreach and education,” reads a statement from the office of Minister Bernadette Jordan. James Lawson, a prawn harvester from Heiltsuk First Nation, says the latest announcement is cold comfort to fishermen like him. “They know the solution: just don’t bring [the change] in. Everyone is furious, the consumers, the prawn fishermen, it’s just ridiculous. People want local seafood and we want to supply it.” >click to read< 21:08
Obituary – Scott Michael Kent of Nome, Alaska, has passed away
Scott Michael Kent, a resident of the Nome area for 20 years, and well known for his professional career, his community involvement, and his colorful personality, passed away on Monday, March 1, 2021, of an unexpected heart attack. He was 45 years old. Scott grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior. Ultimately, he decided to make Nome his home and worked in commercial salmon and summer crab fisheries and spent time at various field projects and test fishing from southern Norton Sound to above the Artic Circle,,, >click to read< 19:21
Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources talk Bonnet Carré Spillway, CARES Act funding
Many fishermen got some help from that $1.5 million of CARES Act money that was granted to the state of Mississippi, with most of that going to the seafood industry. $734,222 of that money went to local commercial fishermen, $451,284 went to seafood dealers and processors, and $239,179 of it went to the charter boat fleet.,, At Tuesday’s Commission on Marine Resources meeting, Joe Spraggins, Department of Marine Resources executive director, explained the process of how $21 million in Bonnet Carré Spillway relief funding will get to those in the industry. >click to read< 18:25
Chase Dixon of Otway, N.C. has passed away
Chase Arline Dixon, 23, of Otway, passed away Friday, March 12, 2021, at his home. Chase loved working on the water as a commercial fisherman. He was a very loving person and had a very loving relationship with his mother and his sisters. He was an ambitious and helpful person who never knew a stranger. He loved hunting and spending time working in the garage with his father and in Texas with his cousins, Courtney and Cameron. His service is at 2 p.m. Thursday at Munden Funeral Home. >click to read< 12:51
New Simrad Sy50 Fish-Finding Omni-Sonar Integrates Advanced Functionality In A Compact Package
A new compact fish-finding omni-sonar has joined Simrad’s market-leading product portfolio with the launch of the Simrad SY50. Designed with small coastal fishing vessels in mind, the medium-frequency SY50 nevertheless boasts the same advanced functionality which characterises the larger units in the Simrad range; a first for sonars in this price bracket. >click to read< 11:54
A heritage plundered and abandoned – 70 years of complicity from Canadian governments
My Feb. 20 letter to the editor, “A heritage plundered and abandoned,” attempted to show how governments have allowed our fishing industry to be destroyed, because an armada of modern foreign fishing fleets were permitted unregulated access to the Grand Banks.,, One insightful response to the letter was, “we can write letters until ‘we are blue in the face,’ but nothing will happen, nobody listens or shows interest.”,,, Our house is burning, and we are caught inside. By Phil Earle, >click to read< 10:37
Direct to the consumer – ‘We grew about 600% in 2020’: Get Maine Lobster CEO & Founder Mark Murrell
The lobster business is one industry that has really seen a jump in sales during the pandemic. Initially, it took a hit right after the COVID outbreak happened here in the US, but here to talk a little bit more about this, we want to bring in Mark Murrell. “We grew about 600% in 2020. I would attribute that to people trying to find normalcy. Their favorite restaurant is closed. They aren’t going out. They aren’t traveling. They want to do something fun. And there’s nothing like being adventurous in the kitchen. So why not fly in some live lobster? video,>click to read< 09:05
Lessons From a Failed Experiment – When ‘Eradicated’ Species Bounce Back With a Vengeance
The study, published today in the journal PNAS, chronicles the effort and failure to eradicate invasive European green crabs from a California estuary. The crabs increased 30-fold after about 90 percent had been removed. The study is the first experimental demonstration in a coastal ecosystem of a dramatic population increase in response to full eradication. The crab is considered among the world’s top 100 invasive species, costing the U.S. commercial shellfish industry about $20 million in annual losses. >click to read< 08:09
New fishing vessel boosts jobs in Nelson and West Coast
A $6 million longline fishing vessel will be built in Nelson and is set to create new jobs for the West Coast fishing industry. The 26-metre vessel F/V Te Runanga will provide up to 25 new jobs on the West Coast, and more during its construction Nelson.,, With a crew of up to eight, it will in effect create around 25 full time jobs collectively with the additional fish it brought to the factory. It will also be built strong enough to go into the Southern Ocean around the Bounties. “Some might think it’ll be too small to venture there but this boat’s built like a tank,” Boote said. >click to read< 19:02
Bodies of three men recovered off the Wirral and Blackpool
The families of missing crew members from the fishing boat F/V Nicola Faith have been informed after three bodies were recovered from the coastline off the Wirral and Blackpool over the weekend. North Wales Police confirmed it has been in contact with colleagues from Merseyside and Lancashire police, and it is awaiting the outcome of the post mortem examinations. Alan Minard, 20, Ross Ballantine, 39, and the boat’s skipper Carl McGrath, 34, were declared missing after their fishing vessel the Nicola Faith failed to return to port on January 27. video, >click to read< 14:43
British Columbia: Prawn harvesters furious over DFO ‘tubbing’ ban – “Why are they reinventing the wheel?”
For decades harvesters in remote locations have flash-frozen one-pound tubs of a couple-dozen prawns in native sea water,,, This week Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced the practice of tubbing will be prohibited, as the block of ice prevents DFO inspectors from having ready access to the prawns inside.,, “Prawn harvesters have been using this method to store their catch for more than 50 years. “It would be just horrible for us,” said Prince Rupert prawn harvester Peter Haugen. “Why are they reinventing the wheel?” >click to read< 13:06
North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission selects sector allocations for southern flounder plan amendment
The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission selected sector harvest allocations of 70% commercial and 30% recreational for the upcoming Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. The commission voted on the allocations at its quarterly business meeting Feb. 26, 2021. At its November 2020 meeting, the commission asked the Division of Marine Fisheries to consider several different options for sector harvest allocations in the draft plan amendment, including commercial/recreational splits of 70/30, 65/35, 60/30 with a 10% allotment for gigging, 60/40, and 50/50. >click to read< 10:46
Deadliest Catch: Hillstrand coming out of retirement. Sig says, “what we need are legends” for the industry to survive
Season 17 – We know that the pandemic has taken a major hit on the fishing industry. But the virus hasn’t been the only factor that destroyed crab fishing quotas, the crew also struggles with illegal fishing from the Russians. Johnathan Hillstrand not only knows how to retain fishing quotas but can keep the crab population sustainable, something that illegal fishermen don’t prioritize. As far as the pandemic is concerned, Northwestern Captain Sig Hansen knows that he needs the best in order to save the crab fishing industry. This is where Johnathan Hillstrand comes in. Sig says, “what we need are legends” in order for the crab fishing industry to survive. >click to read< 08:42
Private search for fishing vessel that disappeared with three men aboard to start this week
The Nicola Faith failed to return to port at Conwy on 27 January. A search for Ross Ballantine, 39, Alan Minard, 20, and skipper Carl McGrath, 34, was called off after two days. Ocean recovery expert David Mearns, who found wreckage of the plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala, is helping their families with technical advice. A life raft from the boat was found off Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland by HM Coastguard and has been positively identified by the Marine Accident Investigation branch (MAIB). An investigation, run by the MAIB, is taking place and has included sonar surveys. The families are hoping their private searches will bring additional expertise to the investigation . >click to read< 07:26
Coast Guard medevacs a commercial fisherman 35 miles east of Nantucket
Coast Guard crews successfully medevaced of a 45-year-old fisherman from the 80-foot fishing vessel, Mariner, approximately 35 miles east of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Sunday. At 12:50 p.m., watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England Command Center were notified by the vessel captain who was concerned about a crewmember experiencing chest pains. photos, >click to read< 17:37
Icebreakers are clearing the way for early Snow crab season with less risk for right whales
New Brunswick’s lucrative snow crab industry is just weeks away from a head start to the season, could result in higher revenue and less risk for North Atlantic right whales. Icebreakers from the Canadian Coast Guard and contracted boats began clearing the waters near Shippagan and Caraquet on the Acadian Peninsula over the weekend. Gilles Thériault, who lives in Tracadie, said fishermen are thankful for the icebreakers. “The quicker we catch our quota, the less danger there is of whales being trapped into ropes,” he said. “We hope that the vast majority of the quota will be caught before the whales arrive.” >click to read< 15:43
Fishing Machine – The Fifth Endeavor from Macduff
The new trawler took shape only a few miles from Peter Lovie’s home and it sails with a local crew of ten, including his sons David, Ryan and Andrew. ‘It’s particularly satisfying that Endeavour V has a young crew,’ he said. The 34 metre LOA, 10.50 metre beam Endeavour V has he distinction of being 
the largest newbuild to emerge from Macduff Shipyards, as well as being the fifth Endeavour to be built for the same owners since the first to carry the name, a 21 metre single rigged with a wooden hull, was delivered in 1989. >click to read< Fishing Machine – A single skipper’s chair in a horseshoe console faces a bank of a group of three 55-inch 4K bridge monitors, forming a video wall managed through a touchscreen control system developed and installed by Woodsons, who supplied the full package of Endeavour V’s electronics. >click to read< New Hull Form – and a bit about propulsion, >click to read< 13:07
Lobstermen say proposed Right Whale rules are expensive, dangerous, and based on outdated data
During the final public hearings, Maine Department of Marine Resource Commissioner Patrick Keliher echoed a statement put out by Gov. Janet Mills earlier that week stating that “a one-size-fits-all approach in the state of Maine will not work.” Fishermen and environmentalists voiced concerns over the science federal regulators were using to make decisions, including the number of right whales alive today, how many have been harmed by entanglements or struck by ships and the effectiveness of proposed gear changes. “We all agree on one thing,” said Matt Gilley, a Harpswell lobsterman who spoke up at the virtual meeting. “That is that the data is flawed. In what direction, that remains to be seen.” >click to read< 11:10
Wreckage Removal on Hold! F/V American Challenger stuck on Marin coast until salvage funds identified
State and federal officials are wrapping up their emergency response to a wrecked fishing vessel on the northern Marin coast,,, Tom Cullen, administrator for the state Office of Spill Prevention and Response, was outwardly frustrated by the long-running discussions about the problem and, in particular, by the American Challenger — an uninsured boat from out of state on its way to be scuttled being towed by a tugboat that also was uninsured.,, Both the tugboat and the 1975 American Challenger are owned by Ship International Inc., whose principal, Felix Vera, are not able to fund the salvage. video, >click to read< 10:04
Saving salmon is a ruse for breaching our dams
In the early 1990s, our small group were researching environmental claims that the lower Snake River dams were devastating salmon runs. At that time, we learned about East Sand Island, a man-made island in the estuary of the Columbia River. This island was formed from dredging deposits in 1983. And by 1984 Caspian terns, cormorants and gulls, which had colonized the island, were feasting on salmon smolts. We thought: “Wow, this is an easy fix. Tear out a man-made island and save millions of endangered fish.” The environmentalists beat us to the punch. They filed in federal court to protect the island and the birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Now we have the largest nesting colony of these non-endangered birds in the world on a man-made island. >click to read< 08:38
A Chesapeake blue crab turned up on Dollymount Strand in Ireland
While the crab is not much to look at in terms of alien invaders, the National Biodiversity Data Centre has warned it is larger and more competitive than native crabs, and the female can lay up to six million eggs a year. Once in competition with the smaller Irish native crabs the American version – also known as the American blue crab, would be likely to take over, scientists fear. The appearance of the crab on Dollymount strand, where it was photographed last month by Ruth McManus, is the first recorded appearance of the crab on these shores. How it got here is a bit of a mystery, the centre says it hopes the “Dollymount One” is something of a one-off. >click to read< 15:40
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for March 12, 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< Incest: Yes, you read it correctly! After last week’s update, Allen Jernigan wrote that I have an “incestuous relationship” with members of the General Assembly. As proof, he provided a screen shot of the update where I stated, “…there will probably be a meeting of the NC House Marine Resources Committee next week but nothing official yet.” Good grief! But there’s more! click it! 10:52
