Monthly Archives: March 2021

Ropeless fishing gear: Georgia researchers work with commercial fishermen to test equipment

NOAA has identified two areas critical for right whales: off the coast of New England, where the whales forage for food in warmer months; and off the southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida, where the whales reproduce between November and April. Fluech is collaborating with Kim Sawicki, project lead and doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts,, In summer 2020, the research team secured a permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service to test eight different ropeless gear systems with black sea bass pots off the coast of Georgia. It was the first time the ropeless gear had been tested in the South Atlantic. >click to read< 08:37

DFO Path Forward Rejected – ‘We’re going to establish our own fishery’

“We’re going to establish our own fishery and our seasons outside of theirs,” Chief Mike Sack said Wednesday. “We’ll push our own season and determine what those months are going to be.” Sack was responding to a letter from Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan that said any moderate livelihood fishery must operate under the rules and regulations of DFO’s commercial fishery. Then the letter spells out the rules under which any moderate livelihood fishery would be negotiated and what Canada is “prepared” to allow,,, Sack said none of that was acceptable. >click to read< 07:17

Fisheries Minister Jordan: A new path for First Nations to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood

We have never stopped working with First Nations to reach agreements and implement their right to a moderate livelihood. That is why effective this season, we will introduce a new path for First Nations to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, one that addresses much of the feedback we’ve heard over the past year. This plan will support individuals, their families, and their communities. It’s a path that is flexible, adaptable, and based on three key principles: implementation of First Nations Treaty rights, conservation and sustainability of fish stocks, and transparent and stable management of the fishery. >click to read< 21:53

Obituary: Commercial Fisherman Edwin Lee Owings, 1958-2021

Eddie passed away peacefully on February 23, 2021, at 62 years old, in Crescent City. He was born in Fort Bragg to Thelma and Joel Owings. He made many lifelong friends through his fishing adventures. Being a commercial fisherman and eventually Captain of the F/V Carmelia Maria was his livelihood for many years. He leaves behind his two children Cara Owings and Emily Reed (Thomas). He also leaves behind his fiancee Angelina of 15 years. He will be deeply missed by all those that knew him. >click to read< 18:53

F.V. Atlantic Destiny sank late Wednesday morning – 31 crew members rescued by Canadian and USCG helicopters

The Atlantic Destiny ran into trouble after a fire broke out around 8 p.m. Tuesday, possibly in the engine room, The fire knocked out the vessel’s power and then the ship started taking on water. The captain and three crew members remained on board initially, while the other 27 were lifted off the ship one-by-one. “This was one of the craziest rescues that I’ve been a part of, for the situation and how many hoisted we had to do and how  challenging it was trying to calm the aircraft to go get the survivors picked up,” said Phillip Morales, USCG.  >click to read< 13:43

Video, U.S., Canadian, Coast Guards, Royal Canadian Air Force, rescue 31 fishermen from sinking vessel>click to watch <

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 49′ 11″x 20′ Fiberglass Dragger, New 543HP Mitzubishi Main Engine

To review specifications, information, and 22 photos, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here<10:50

Cortez supporters scramble – Net camp gets 60-day reprieve.

Raymond Leslie Guthrie Jr., who has been been fighting since 2017 to save his net camp on Sarasota Bay at Cortez, has received a 60-day stay on removing the structure. Circuit Judge Ed Nicholas granted the stay Monday,,, Guthrie and his supporters are looking at their options, including trying to get a long-term lease on the property, or possibly working a deal with county government. “My preference would be a long-term lease for the Guthrie family,” said Karen Bell, Net camps, picturesque structures built offshore on stilts to store nets, >click to read< 08:53

DFO: moderate livelihood fisheries must occur during commercial season

The Trudeau government will announce conditions for the authorization of moderate livelihood fisheries Thursday, including the expectation that those fisheries take place within existing commercial seasons. The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs did not respond to a request for comment, but Mi’kmaw leaders and some academics have insisted the moderate livelihood fishery poses no risk to stocks because it is too small. The office of Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bernadette Jordan declined to comment in detail on DFO’s position until it is released Thursday, except to say the decision is based on conservation. >click to read< 07:10

UPDATED: F/V Atlantic Destiny catches fire off of Nova Scotia; crew members evacuated

A fishing trawler off the southwest coast of Nova Scotia caught fire Tuesday night, leading to the evacuation of most of the vessel’s 32 crew members. The rescue effort for the Atlantic Destiny was confirmed by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax. The vessel was adrift about 120 miles south of Yarmouth,,, The 141-foot vessel issued a mayday call off the eastern part of George’s Bank at 8 p.m. local time Tuesday >click to read< and >here<and >here< 06:34

All crew members of Atlantic Destiny scallop trawler safe after fire at sea – Ocean Choice International expressed gratitude Wednesday in a news release reporting the FV Atlantic Destiny’s crew members had all been removed from the vessel. There were conflicting reports about whether there 31 or 32 people on board at the time of the fire. >click to read< 11:46

A Commercial Fishing Vessel Sinks – Coast Guard responds to diesel fuel discharge near Sitka, Alaska

The Coast Guard is responding to a report of a diesel fuel discharge, Tuesday, after a vessel sank near Sitka, Alaska. Sector Juneau personnel received a report, February 27, 2021 at 2 p.m., that the 52-foot fishing vessel, Haida Lady, sank and was completely submerged between Cobb Island and Silver Point South of Sitka, Alaska. The vessel reportedly discharged an unknown amount of unrecoverable diesel near Cobb Island. Photos, >click to read< 17:42

Undersea cable survey marks milestone in Maine’s offshore wind quest

Three marine vessels that study the makeup and geology of seabeds are scheduled to arrive in Maine over the next week or so to survey the proposed route of an underwater cable that will link a floating, offshore wind turbine near Monhegan Island,,, The project received a major boost last August when Diamond Offshore Wind, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp., and RWE Renewables, the world’s second-largest offshore wind company,,,  While the location of offshore wind turbines has gotten a lot of attention, the siting of the cables that connect turbines received less scrutiny, according to Annie Hawkins, of RODA, >click to read< 15:25

Good news for Newfoundland fishermen, plant workers, and processors in the snow crab fishery

The snow crab fishery should continue to be an economic bright spot for the Newfoundland and Labrador economy in 2021. The latest report from Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) science shows modest improvements in snow crab biomass in several fishing zones around the province. The good news from science is that the snow crab stocks appear to be recovering in some areas.,, Julia Pantin, DFO’s lead biologist for snow crab in the Newfoundland region, said the population of crabs becoming available to the fishery is expected to increase over the new two to four years in most areas. >click to read< 11:30

Pink Gold – The next generation of shrimping comes into its own on San Carlos Island

They tie off and wait their turn to unload at the shrimp house owned by Erickson & Jensen, which has been on San Carlos Island since 1965. The shrimp house is a cavernous structure with plywood floors and an open ceiling. On this particular morning, an industrial fan in the corner blows hot air and a radio plays Savage Love by Jason Derulo. The cries of gulls and the clink of boat rigging can be heard from the wharf. Inside, the air smells of fresh shrimp, the scent of the sea. A small crew of day-pay workers mill around, smoking and looking at their phones. They are mostly men, their skin tanned and their faces lined from years spent near the water. At the center of the room stands Anna Erickson.  >click to read< 09:19

Maryland oyster industry may be forever altered by Coronavirus pandemic

The pandemic-impacted oyster season has been difficult for the industry in Maryland, causing farmers and watermen to rethink how they sell their product and changing how programs conduct oyster restoration. Robert Brown, waterman and oyster grower, has bottom oyster leases on the tributaries of the Potomac River. Brown, president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association, said he sells the majority of his oysters to oyster packaging houses, which aren’t working at capacity because they can’t sell the oysters once they shuck them. Watermen are being hit hard in the pandemic, and it might be a few years before we get back to normal,,, >click to read< 08:36

N.E. Aquarium Scientists urge NOAA to consider more aggressive Right Whale steps

In response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Proposed Rule to amend the regulations implementing the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury to North Atlantic right whales, fin whales, and humpback whales in northeast commercial lobster and crab trap/pot fisheries to meet the goals of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, the New England Aquarium submits this comment to express our strong reservations that the measures outlined in the Proposed Rule and accompanying Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) are not nearly aggressive enough to change the fate of North Atlantic right whales in U.S. waters. Based on our decades of NARW expertise, the Aquarium strongly urges NOAA to revise this Proposed Rule substantially before finalizing it. >click to read< 07:07

Enviro’s Lukewarm Reception For Canada Modifying Right Whale Protections

The Animal Welfare Institute has responded to the Canadian government’s recent decision to modify right whale protections, specifically concerning how they affect lobster and crab fishers. On the one hand, the institute welcomes and applauds the government commitment to “Whale Safe” ropeless fishing gear. However, it does not accept the promotion of weaker rope lines as a long-term solution for entanglement. >click to read< , with a link to the policy they oppose, unreasonably. 18:06

Russia’s wealthiest official arrested over links to ‘Crab King’ murder & smuggling cases

Dmitry Pashov, named by Forbes as Russia’s richest official, has been arrested over the case involving Oleg Khan, the man dubbed by the media as the ‘Crab King’ who is accused of smuggling shellfish and killing an entrepreneur. In September 2020, Pashov topped Forbes’ ranking of the highest-earning civil servants and deputies, with a supposed yearly income of 6.2 billion rubles ($83 million). The businessman is the owner of Moneron, a large crabbing company, and became a member of the Sakhalin Regional Duma in 2017. Pashov was arrested on January 27,,, >click to read< 13:25

Oysterman’s thread is a must read – ‘Brexit deal is almost the same as a no deal’

The introduction of new checks and paperwork since the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31 has caused disruption to exports of fresh fish and seafood to the EU. But a thread from Tom Haward, an eighth generation oysterman, is damning about how Brexit has crippled his business and the industry in general. He lays the blame on the UK Government for the situation he finds himself in. 1. “A number of people are suggesting myself and others in the shellfish industry have been lazy, stupid (or both) for not being ‘prepared’ for the carnage Brexit has caused on the shellfish export industry. If we predicted this, why weren’t we ready? >click to read< 11:47

Families bid for private sea search to find missing Conwy fishermen

Families of three fishermen missing off the Welsh coast have sought advice from an expert nicknamed “shipwreck hunter” in a bid to find their loved ones. Ocean recovery expert David Mearns, who found wreckage of the plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala, is helping the families with “technical advice”. Now they are trying to raise £75,000 to pay for a private search to find Ross Ballantine, 39, Alan Minard, 20, and skipper Carl McGrath, 34. Their vessel was last seen in January. The Nicola Faith crew failed to return to port at Conwy in north Wales after a fishing trip on 27 January. >click to read< 10:22

F/V Scandies Rose: Investigation Takes a New Look at Crab Boat Stability

Last week’s hearings on the tragic sinking of the ill-fated fishing vessel Scandies Rose have raised questions about the stability booklet requirements for crab boats, which are routinely exposed to severe freezing spray in Alaskan waters. Many crab boat sinkings have been blamed on ice buildup and loss of stability over the decades, but the U.S. Coast Guard design standard for ice accumulation relies on an IMO rule that was not formulated with crab vessels in mind, leading several naval architects who testified last week to question whether it is time for a revision. >click to read< 09:19

Lobster industry changes require more evidence on North Atlantic right whale deaths

Environmentalists and the lobster industry have rarely agreed on anything related to the effort to save the North Atlantic right whale. So when they do, people should pay attention. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is now taking comment on its Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, aimed at reducing risk of rope entanglements and ship strikes to the endangered mammal by at least 60%. But members of both sides say no one has enough information to say that the sweeping changes would be effective. Our comment? Don’t pass a plan that puts the deaths of right whales on the backs of Maine lobstermen unless you can show that’s where it should be. >click to read< 08:14

Beached fishing trawler Remus refloated, making way to Nelson

The New Zealand-flagged trawler Remus ran aground at Big Bay, 40km north of Milford Sound, about 10am on Thursday. Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand was alerted but no distress call was made, and no search and rescue action was taken. There were no reports of injuries to the four crew members on board. The first attempt at refloating it yesterday was unsuccessful. But around 1am on Monday, they managed to get the heavy, steel constructed trawler refloated. >click to read < 07:14