Daily Archives: May 3, 2021

New build Amanda of Ladram in Newlyn.

Waterdance’s latest vessel to join  their ever-expanding fleet is PW-6, the Amanda of Ladram, skippered by Jonathon Walsh. The largely Padstow based skipper and crew will operate mainly from Newlyn targeting mainly MSC Certified hake. the boat is currently fishing north of the Scillys, and, like all the vessels in the fleet she will overland her fish from Newlyn to be sold on the market at Brixham. >click to watch< a 9:46 video tour, and a 62 image photo gallery by Lawrence Hartwell, Through the Gaps  22:34

Choppy Weather and Fishing Limits gets California salmon season off to slow, expensive start

Commercial fishing boats may only fish south from Pigeon Point on the San Mateo coast, instead of in the typical area open all the way to Mendocino County this time of year. Strict limits on this year’s salmon season were set by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council in consideration of what’s expected to be a smaller population of adult king, or chinook, salmon in the ocean this year. The geographic limitations and conditions are keeping local fishing boats in Monterey Bay for now, but some of the fish are making their way to the Bay Area. Sarah Bates came down to Monterey Bay from San Francisco with a crew member on her boat, F/V Bounty. “Everybody is in the bay because it’s the only place to hide from the afternoon wind,” The limited season means they don’t have much of a choice, Bates said. “We feel pressure to fish in bad weather where there’s so few days,” she said. “We’re pretty much going to go fishing no matter what.”  photos, >click to read< 21:09

RCMP investigating gear slashing near Petit-de-Grat, Potlotek lobster traps seized for a ‘variety of reasons,’ says DFO

A dispute in a Cape Breton fishing community is being investigated by the Nova Scotia RCMP. Police described it as a case of “mischief,” and estimated the total financial loss for the traps and lobster is approximately $10,000. RCMP confirm there is no connection between this incident and reports of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans seizing traps from nearby Potlotek First Nation. >click to read< Potlotek Chief Wilbert Marshall   says federal government failing to accommodate treaty rights – A Mi’kmaw chief in Nova Scotia says a lobster fisherman whose traps were seized last week was fishing in accordance with his treaty rights. The seizure took place on April 30, the first day of the Potlotek First Nation’s spring lobster season. DFO said the removal of gear in St. Peters Bay was part of routine inspections to ensure the individual was compliant with the Fisheries Act. >click to read< 18:55

Obituary: Nathan Fuller, World War II – Korean War Navy Veteran, Lobsterman has passed away

Nathan Fuller, 94, passed away peacefully at Pen Bay Medical Center, with family by his side. Born in St. George June 24, 1926, he was one of four children born to Seymour and Elvie Chaples Fuller. In 1942, Nate lied about his age and enlisted in the Navy. On Dec. 30, 1957, he married the love of his life, Thelma Alley, and they enjoyed 63 happy years together. The second love of his life was lobstering. During his lobstering career, he had seven lobster boats built, and on the day his last lobster boat was sold and picked up by the new owner, he offered to “buy it back” for a higher price. >click to read< 16:25

Nordic Aquafarms pushes forward with onshore fish farm in Humboldt County

Humboldt County has given Norway-based seafood company Nordic Aquafarms the green light to move forward,,, “We also expect the discharge draft permit to be sent out for public comments by the (Water Quality Control Board) soon,” said Marianne Naess,,, “Fishermen and the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association as a whole really have environmental concerns about the Nordic project,” Fisherman Jake McMaster told the Times-Standard. “Concerns from sucking 10 million gallons of water out of the bay every day as well as fish escapes. >click to read< 12:54

A family’s heartache and the frustrating push to talk more about workplace deaths in Nova Scotia

Ryan Durling was 21 when he was crushed in a garbage truck while working in Port Williams, N.S. Durling’s death was one of 44 acute workplace fatalities in Nova Scotia in five years. Among those who died while working were RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson and Kristen Beaton, a Victorian Order of Nurses community health worker. But there are other fatalities that the media never covered,,, The largest workplace event in 2020 in Atlantic Canada was the loss of the six men who were on board the scallop vessel the Chief William Saulis.,,, Durling’s parents hope that their son’s death will  prompt some change, and his mother hopes other families who suffer a workplace loss are supported as they press for answers. “The more we talk about things and be aware of things and issues and things that arise and that, you know, will bring in awareness and maybe preventative measures,” Pam Durling said. >click to read< 10:39

Video: Coast Guard medevacs crewman from fishing vessel 46 miles offshore Cameron, Louisiana

The Coast Guard medevaced a 60-year-old man from a fishing vessel 46 miles offshore Cameron, Louisiana, Sunday morning. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watchstanders received a medevac request by radio from the fishing vessel F/V Jennifer and David stating a crewmember had been severely injured. Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and consulted with the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. >click to read/watch<

Honouring Whitby’s first female skipper Dora Walker

She was the first woman to fly as a passenger on a plane, and 11th in Britain to drive a car. When her brothers went to war, she followed to the frontline. And when she was told she needed sea air, she defied tradition to become the North East’s first female skipper, sailing the seas with a pistol on her hip and an Army issue tin hat. More than three decades after her death, Whitby Civic Society is to remember skipper Dora Walker, author and museum curator, with a blue plaque to honour her remarkable feats. >click to read< 08:26