Monthly Archives: April 2021
‘Deadliest Catch’ Captain Hospitalized
Captain Keith Colburn has been hospitalized with Coronavirus. Colburn announced in a video posted from his hospital room that he’d had the virus for at least 20 days. He maintains he went 10 days without needing any medication while he self-quarantined, but he still wound up needing to seek medical attention. While the virus has worked its way out of Colburn’s system, he claims he’s still dealing with its after-effects. He’s now battling a case of pneumonia as a result of his coronavirus diagnosis that’s left him in the hospital for the last eight days. Andy Hillstrand was another cast member to contract the virus, Video, >click to read< 17:44
Inland Fisheries: A big fight in Lansing over fishing rules on the Great Lakes
Dana Serafin still hauls in 20,000-pound boatloads of whitefish to supply regional restaurants and markets, Native whitefish, the main livelihood for Serafin and other Great Lakes commercial fishermen, have been in decline for years amid changes to the food web, replaced in Serafin’s nets by healthier populations of walleye and lake trout that he’s not allowed to keep. Chinook salmon, once a favorite of recreational anglers on lakes Michigan and Huron, have also plummeted in Lake Michigan, and all but disappeared from Lake Huron. Battles are brewing over fishing rights from recreational, commercial, Native American, and environmental group meddling. Video, >click to read< 13:41
Call for the return of historic 232 year-old boat Peggy to Castletown
Peggy is the only surviving vessel of its kind and one of the few remaining boats from the 18th Century. Calling for the return of the schooner to Castletown, Tony Brown said there was “no enthusiasm” from Manx National Heritage (MNH) to do so. Built in 1789 for Captain George Quayle, who was an MHK for 51 years, the vessel remained hidden in a walled-up cellar following his death. After being discovered it was given to the Manx Museum in 1941, and the site was opened as a Nautical Museum 10 years later, with the boat in situ. The boat was lifted out for conservation in 2015 amid concerns over the ongoing corrosion of the structure by the incoming tides in the cellar. >click to read< 12:19
Volunteers continue search for missing Elsipogtog fisherman
A large-scale search is underway for any evidence of the Tyhawk fishing vessel or its missing captain. The New Brunswick based boat, owned by the Elsipogtog First Nation, sank off the coast of Cape Breton, N.S. earlier this month. Now friends and family from Mi’kmaq communities in both provinces are pooling their resources and raising money to try and find the boat’s captain, Craig Sock. Volunteer Starr Paul of the Eskasoni First Nation in N.S., said a search team is in Chéticamp, N.S. scouring the shoreline and the water for any evidence of Sock, who was known as Jumbo. Four of the six crew members on the vessel were rescued after it took on water and capsized on April 3. Seth Monahan died and Jumbo was later declared missing and presumed dead. >click to read< 10:18
The Ocean State Says Goodbye to Its Beloved ‘Herring Man’
Paul Bettencourt was called a lot of things, most notably “The Herring Man” and “The Baitman.” The latter appears one word into his obituary. His youngest daughter, Paula Bettencourt, called her dad something else — “a special person.” “I remember being 10 or 11 and going to the dam and this whole community of people would be there moving herring over the dam,” the 35-year-old Stoughton, Mass., resident recalled. “Once he knew the fish were running he would gather his community. It took a lot of work and a lot of time. You had to pass the net up over the dam.” Paul and his brother, Joe, started their herring rescue adventures sometime in the late 1960s or early ’70s depending on whose memory you trust. >click to read< 09:10
‘It’s more than just a fish:’ Scientists worry cod will never come back in N.L.
“Next year will be 30 years since the original moratorium on this stock,” said Robert Rangeley a marine biologist and director of science with Oceana Canada, a non-profit group aimed at protecting the country’s oceans. “It’s time to do something different.” Atlantic cod in the waters off Newfoundland’s northeast coast have been in the critical zone since the early 1990s, shortly before the federal government in 1992 announced a 
sweeping moratorium on fishing the species, instantly eliminating a traditional livelihood for about 30,000 people. There’s now a small commercial cod fishery, known as the “stewardship” fishery,,, The Fisheries Department declined a request for an interview to address criticism that it needs a greater focus on conservation. and a growing seal problem that is ignored in this communication,,, >click to read< 08:01
Seacor Power: Two more dead crew identified – search of capsized lift boat continues – Nine still missing
Confirmed deaths stood at four after the Lafourche Parish coroner identified the latest victims, both found inside the jackup barge: Anthony Hartford, 53, of New Orleans and James “Tracy” Wallingsford, 55, of the northeast Louisiana village of Gilbert. Hartford’s wife, Janet, said a knock came to her door at 3 a.m. with news of her husband’s death. >click to read< Seacor Power death toll rises to four as dive teams recover two bodies -The 
confirmed death toll in the Seacor Power liftboat disaster has risen to four, after dive teams recovered two bodies inside the overturned oil exploration vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. Nineteen crew members were aboard the Seacor Power when the vessel flipped over in about 50 feet of water during hurricane-force winds and high waves on Tuesday. Six were quickly rescued, nine remain missing, and now four are confirmed dead. >click to read< What we know about capsized lift boat Seacor Power and rescue efforts off Louisiana coast, an inventory of related stories, >click here< 20:55
Salmon season delayed for Half Moon Bay fishermen
Fishermen are facing a shortened commercial salmon season,, “This is the least amount of fishing time that I can remember for California fishermen since the closures of 2008 and 2009,” said Half Moon Bay fisherman Don Marshall.,, Pacific Fishery Management Council made the season restrictions recommendation,, Fisherman Scott Edson said the shortened season would be tough when he fishes out of Half Moon Bay, but it could have been worse given the circumstances. He struggled during crab season and knows this will be an important few months to make a living this year. “I have to produce for salmon. Crab didn’t do anyone any favors,” Edson said. >click to read< 17:10
Something ‘fishy’ about state’s herring data, argues a former Sitkan
The Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring Fishery closed last week, but not before harvesting around 16,000 tons of herring, the biggest commercial harvest in nearly a decade. Commercial fishermen want the lucrative fishery to continue. And while the state is in the middle of a lawsuit with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska over the management of the fishery, the state maintains that its model is conservative. But the model has its critics. >click to read< Was the 2021 Sitka herring fishery built on irrelevant data? Was a slaughter of older herring the result? How risky could that be, anyhow? fishy numbers: an inquiry – Peter Bradley >click to read<14:55
In New England, “The resource keeps diminishing.” Clammers Dig Through The Pandemic For Fewer Shellfish
In Maine, the largest clam producing state, fishermen produced their lowest haul in more than 90 years at a little more than 1.3 million pounds in 2020. Nationwide totals aren’t compiled yet, but Maine’s haul typically accounts for more than half the U.S. total, and hauls in other clamming states such as Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York have been trending downward in recent years. “The resource keeps diminishing.” The clamming industry has had to contend with more marine predators of clams such as green crabs and milky ribbon worm in recent years. >click to read< 13:33
Deadliest Catch: Capt. Keith Colburn Talks Loss, Rifts, And Nearly Losing F/V Wizard
Captain Keith gave us a shockingly honest reveal of his mindset of the fleets’ captains, and also spills about the recent trashing of the Wizard that nearly killed his brother Monte. And as for Captain Keith Colburn of F/V Wizard, he will still be competing with his fellow Dutch Harbor crabbers, some of them friends, others not so much. In season 17, Discovery says that “half the crab boats of the Bering Sea fleet are tied up in Seattle” while “an existential threat faces the fishermen who make the long-haul trip to Dutch Harbor, Alaska,” because they face “a potential closure of the entire fishery” for the 2021 season. The crab survey conducted during the summer by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game didn’t happen because of Coronavirus,,, >click to read< 10:50
Commercial Crab Fisherman David Anthony Sherwood, Kodiak Island, Alaska
Dave born in Mankato, Mn on January 1, 1957 passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on April 1, 2021. He attended high school at Mankato West where he excelled at swimming and tennis. He joined the Army which took him to Hawaii. Upon completion of his service he stayed in Hawaii for many years. He traded the Hawaiian island for Kodiak Island, Alaska. Dave’s life was bound to Alaska where he was a crab fisherman on the Bering Sea for many years. Our family was on the receiving end of many of his “catch” as he would send home huge boxes of the biggest and best seafood we had ever seen or eaten. >click to read< 09:26
Cranberry Islands communities get second round of vaccine via lobster boat
For Maine’s island residents, getting vaccinated isn’t as simple as driving to a vaccination site and getting in line. It takes a complete community effort, and vaccine administrators needed some extra help to move from island to island. Enter Captain Richard Howland, of the Fishing Vessel Victoria. Normally he’s hauling lobsters on his boat. Friday, it was the vaccine. “They needed a big, safe, comfortable boat. It’s blowing about forty easterly, so… I got a big boat.” Video, >click to read< 08:29
Divers search Seacor Power wreckage for survivors – Second body recovered 33 miles from Seacor Power site
Search-and-rescue divers worked Friday to get inside the cabin of the capsized Seacor Power lift boat, hoping to find survivors a day after rescuers several miles away plucked the body of a second crewman from the Gulf of Mexico. >click to read< Second body recovered 33 miles from Seacor Power site – He has been identified as 69-year-old Ernest Williams of Arnaudville, LA. Officials say the body was spotted by an aerial crew around 7:10 p.m. Thursday night. A Coast Guard boat was deployed to recover the body Friday morning. >click to read< 20:31
SEA-NL forms to represent the licensed commercial inshore fish harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador
In a media release Thursday, the Seafood Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador said it will represent the interests of only licensed owner-operators. As an association, says the press release, >click to read< SEA-NL won’t need permission from the province’s Labour Relations Board to organize and incorporate. “Owner-operators are a distinct group within the province’s fishing industry, and it’s high time they were recognized as such,” said SEA-NL organizer Ryan Cleary. >click to read< 18:39
2021 Yukon River Chinook salmon run will likely be small, according to forecast
Somewhere between 42,000 and 77,000 Canadian-origin fish are anticipated to make the journey from the Bering Sea this year, Alaska and Yukon experts told attendees during the Yukon River Panel’s pre-season meeting on Tuesday. The most likely run size would be 57,000, they said. That’s smaller than the pre season outlooks for 2020 and 2019, and both those years ended disastrously when it came to getting enough salmon across the border. Under an international treaty, Canada and the U.S. are supposed to work together to ensure at least 42,500 fish make it to their spawning waters in Yukon. That spawning escapement goal hasn’t been met since 2018, last year only about 33,000 Chinook made it. >click to read< 13:21
Haley Goreham has organized a fundraiser for Lobsterman Andrew Saulnier and his family
As most of you know, Andrew got into a bad accident on the boat today well working. Andrew has a 2 year old daughter as well as a 3 year old step son with a baby boy on the way. Andrew has had 2 surgeries today, one was to amputate his left leg and the other surgery was try to rebuild his right leg. He also had to have surgery on his stomach, he will be having another surgery on his ear as well as his fingers. The doctors are still unsure of the outcome with the second leg. Andrew is stable and is on ventilator for now they will hopefully try to lower sedation within the days to come. Andrew has a very long road ahead of him. Andrew brought in the money for his family. There will be lots of travelling to and from the city. This money will be used for Medical expenses, food, gas and whatever else them or Andrew may need in the time to come,,, Thank you so much, >click to read, and please, donate if you can<. 09:10
Community rallies support for lobster fisherman seriously injured while working on lobster boat
Julie Smith is taking things day by day. Her fiancée, Andrew Saulnier, has a long road ahead of him after the 24-year-old fisherman was seriously injured onboard on a lobster boat Saturday morning. The 24-year-old Saulnier was taken to the Yarmouth Regional Hospital before being airlifted to the QEII in Halifax, where Smith, who is six months pregnant, remains by his side. She says he is communicating and is now able to eat again. “They had to amputate his left leg above the knee, and they were thinking that they might have to amputate the right, but it’s looking way better, so they’re holding off on that,” Smith said. >click to read< – >click here for “Helping Andrew and his Family” fundraiser< 08:16
U.S. Seafoods apologizes to Unalaska following coronavirus exposure at the Norwegian Rat Saloon
A Seattle seafood company has issued an apology to Unalaska after crewmembers from one of its vessels at port in the island community breached isolation protocols to visit a crowded local bar last weekend. The resulting widespread exposure forced the city to move from the “medium” to “high” coronavirus risk level after nearly a month and a half at the lower threshold. Dozens of locals who visited the Norwegian Rat Saloon have been asked to quarantine and test said Dave Wood, U.S. Seafoods’ chief operating officer. “We regret that these individuals made terrible decisions, put a lot of people at risk and harmed a lot of people. We are as outraged as you are.” >click to read< 22:55
Seacor Power: Coast Guard points to early survivors as search continues, with updates from the Gulf this evening
Evening came to Port Fourchon on Thursday with still no word on the fate of a dozen missing crewmembers from a capsized lift boat seven miles offshore, though officials suggested for the first time that human life may still remain aboard the Seacor Power. U.S. Coast Guard officials said the observations of rescuers who were scrambling to save the crew hours into the aftermath of the disaster Tuesday caused the agency believe at least 
two members who had survived the capsizing were still on board. >click to read< Coast Guard saw five crew members on hull of Seacor Power Tuesday; 2 went back into vessel – A team of divers contracted by the U.S. Coast Guard headed to the wreckage site Thursday,,, As of Thursday, a total of six crewmembers aboard the Seacor Power had been rescued, and the body of 63-year-old captain David Ledet had been recovered. The remaining 12 members are unaccounted for, including the two who were on the hull late Tuesday and said they were going back inside. >click to read<‘ God please bring him home’ – The niece of Gregory Walcott, 62, of Abbeville, said her family holds out hope that her uncle is among the survivors in an air pocket awaiting rescue. “Knowing him,” Crystal Randle said Thursday afternoon, “he’s worrying about us.” >click to read< 21:46
Video: “WE’RE STILL HERE!” Captain brings shrimp boat and crew to safety through big blow in the Gulf of Mexico
“We might lose her.” Aaron Callais, who is from Galliano, says they were about 10-15 miles off the coast of Grand Isle when the wind and waves started thrashing against his boat, F/V Ramblin’ Cajun. There were three people on board,,, The video, shows lightning lighting up the sky as the boat is tossed, often leaning to the side. Callais prepared his crew for the worst, asking them to secure their life jackets. Then, a call to his parents. “The windows are cracking…they’re rattling…we’re about to lose the boat, I think we’re going to roll. I love you mom, I need you to put dad on the phone.” >click to read/watch< 14:40
Euro invasion! “Ørsted is ready to mobilize.” – Town Trustees urge Ørsted to get fisheries studies underway immediately
Members of the East Hampton Town Trustees this week said that South Fork Wind Farm developer Ørsted needs to get fish population surveys started immediately, even though the actual proposal will not be finalized until later this spring, so as to be able to capture the full two seasons worth of data demanded by a fisheries study mandated in state approvals for the project. As one of the agreed-to conditions,,, Trustee John Aldred said that he and the Trustees attorneys, blah blah blah, blah blah blah,,, “I don’t want to be a defender of Ørsted, but,,, lol! >click to read< 13:11
Women of New Bedford’s Waterfront
Captain Jessica Walker, 34, first stepped foot on a commercial fishing vessel, which happened to be the Legacy, when she was 19. The college history major was looking for a summer job and this one was far from “potato country”, the place in Northern Maine she called home. She started with summer trips that eventually became full-time work. She worked her way up to mate and learned everything from the boat owner and previous captain, David Wilhelmsen. When he stepped down, Walker assumed the role of captain in the summer of 2013. Further up in the harbor, fishing vessel Reliance was docked earlier in the week for maintenance before departing for the next scalloping trip. Two men with welding helmets sat on the deck repairing the metal gear while Crystal Vaughan stood up in the wheelhouse attending to inventory. 21 photos, >click to read< 10:20
Crab traps seized by DFO during food fishery-Mi’kmaq fisher argues feds becoming more aggressive in seizures
Robert Syliboy and his crew dropped ten traps into the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean to harvest snow crab for a community feast.,, He said the crab traps were seized before he reached the shore. video, >click to read< Mi’kmaq fisher argues feds becoming more aggressive in seizures of Indigenous gear -“I told fisheries officers I was fishing under the chief and council’s authority, and all the fish was going for food,” Syliboy said. “They disregarded the treaty I was fishing under.” The Indigenous band has cited Supreme Court of Canada rulings, including the Sparrow case in 1990, as affirmations of the Mi’kmaq practice of harvesting fish for ceremonies, food and gatherings. >click to read< 08:42
Obituary: Commercial Fisherman Anthony “Joe” Mattera, Jr
Anthony Joseph Mattera, Jr. “Joe”, 55, of North Kingstown, formerly of Cranston, passed away Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at Philip Hulitar Hospice Inpatient Center in Providence surrounded by his loving family. Born in Providence, he was the devoted son of the late Anthony J. and Florence C. (DeRise) Mattera. Anthony was a commercial fisherman for many years and was a proud member of the fishing industry. A celebration of his life will take place at a later date. >click to read< 07:10
F/V Nicola Faith: Expert says fishermen could have been saved
David Mearns, a chartered marine scientist, historical researcher, author, and expedition leader of deep ocean projects, confirmed the Nicola Faith has been found less than two miles out to sea in Colwyn Bay. Mr Means, owner and director of Blue Water Recoveries, said he and his team found the wreck using high-resolution solar imaging as as part of a privately-funded effort. The ship was later formally identified by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and North Wales Police divers. But speaking on BBC Radio Wales, Mr Means outlined “alarming” findings and suggested there is “no reason” the boat was not found sooner, and that there is a “possibility” the men could have been saved. >click to read< 22:50
‘Inspirational’ Colin builds boat for Bardsey Island crossings
Colin Evans, who lives in Uwchmynydd, has crafted the boat in his workshop. Two years of planning and another two years of hard work have gone into the project. In addition to being an island ferry, it can be used as a high-speed inshore fishing boat or platform service vessel. There is a high demand for this class of craft and the moulds now permit easy re-production. The boat has just been rolled out of the production shed, where final fitting out is taking place >click to read<20:04
Grand Isle scrambles to clean up after freak storm: “It was like a baby hurricane”
Businesses, residents and town workers in Grand Isle scrambled Wednesday to pump out water and clear debris ahead of a second batch of bad weather expected to blow through the island by about 3 p.m. Grand Isle was hit suddenly by a violent storm Tuesday afternoon with wind gusts of up to 90 mph and rain that flooded streets, sank boats, stripped shingles off of roofs and threw trash cans and other unsecured personal property around, said Mayor David Camardelle. photo’s >click to read< 14:34
1 dead after capsized vessel caught in ‘microburst’ of bad weather off the Louisiana coast; 12 still missing, 6 rescued – The Coast Guard searched for 12 people missing off the coast of Louisiana on Wednesday,,, Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson III confirmed the missing crew members were on board the Seacor Power before it flipped over miles south of Port Fourchon. Capt. Ronald Dufrene said his offshore trawler Mister Jug was among the shrimp boats that struggled to survive the storm. >click to read<
SPECIAL REPORT: Winds of change Part II – Windfalls! With more windfalls to come!
Energy efficiency projects and third level scholarships, sports clubs, active retired groups and local festivals were just some of those to benefit from almost €3.5m dished out by the developers of Irish windfarms in 2019.,,, One local firm that sees the danger of alienating the fishing industry is Green Rebel Marine, the Cork-based business established to service the future needs of offshore wind farms. In January it announced what it called ‘a new strategic partnership’ with a company, formerly based in Cobh, but which will now be working out of Green Rebel Marine’s offices in Crosshaven, called Fisheries Liaisons Ltd. Fisheries Liaisons staff will negotiate with fishing interests on Green Rebel Marine’s behalf, thereby smoothing the way for developers who are planning offshore windfarms. >click to read< 13:22
Public comments of residents and officials reiterate concerns about Ocean Wind offshore wind farm off Atlantic City
Rick Robinson likens the idea of building up to 98 wind turbines on the ocean horizon to placing them on the rim of the Grand Canyon.,,, Saying offshore wind farms will “forever reshape our Eastern Seaboard,” U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, joined representatives of the fishing industry and tourism interests in asking for changes in the way wind farms are approved. “I have spoken with many fishermen, and they continue to feel disenfranchised in this process by both their government and the corporations that now own their established fishing grounds,” >click to read< 11:26
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