Al Townsend was introduced to salmon fishing in Newport by his Grandfather, Clarence Faulkner. By 1980, he had begun his career as a commercial salmon fisherman in Newport. He was the owner/operator of the F/V Sunwest. After the total closure of salmon fishing for the year 2006, he became one of the first participants in the NOAA CROOS program, and for several years was one of the top providers of salmon DNA and scale samples for scientists studying the migration patterns of Chinook Salmon along the Oregon coast. . >click to read< 10:06
Monthly Archives: May 2021
Joe Biden’s Offshore Wind Farm Mirage – a scam. The costs and impacts are enormous.
The only existing U.S. offshore wind operation features five 6-MW turbines off Rhode Island. Their combined capacity (what they could generate if they worked full-bore, round the clock 24/7) is 30 MW. Mr. Biden is planning 1,000 times more offshore electricity, perhaps split three ways: 10,000 MW for each coast. While that might sound impressive, it isn’t. It means total wind capacity for the entire Atlantic coast, under Biden’s plan, would only meet three-fourths of the peak summertime electricity needed to power New York City. Again, this assumes the blades are fully spinning 24/7.,, How many millions of tons of steel, copper, lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, concrete, petroleum-based composites (for turbine blades), and other raw materials would be required to manufacture and install the turbines and undersea electrical cables, especially where deep-water turbines are involved? How many billions of tons of ore would have to be mined, crushed,,, not very green, these things! >click to read< 14:43
Two North Atlantic Right Whales detected in the Gulf of St. Lawrence cause a season long fishing area closure
As a result, an area east of the Iles-de-la-Madeleine is closed to fishing activities until Nov. 15, while some surrounding areas will close at 5 p.m. on Saturday until further notice. DFO provided a 72-hour notice because of the weather forecast and to allow time for fishing gear to be removed. The crab fishing area known as 12F, east of the Iles-de-la-Madeleine, remains under a 15-day closure that began after the first whale of the year was spotted in late April. >click to read< 13:22
F/V Nicola Faith: Family of fishermen who died on sunken vessel donate £11,500 to RNLI
Family members of Carl McGrath, the skipper of Nicola Faith presented the gift to staff at Llandudno Station. The £11,500 was raised by family and friends of the three crew members who all died when the boat went missing off the coast of Conwy in January. The family met some of the volunteers who helped search for Carl and his two crewmates Ross Ballantine and Alan Minard. Llandudno RNLI volunteers, along with Rhyl, Conwy, Beaumaris and Hoylake RNLI crews collectively spent over 90 hours searching for the missing vessel. On Wednesday 5 May, Carl’s mum Julie, sister Lauren and partner Jake Cox said a personal thank you to the crew whilst handing over the donation. >video, photos, click to read< 10:17
CRASH, BANG, SCALLOP! – Warships off the coast! French trawler rams UK boat as Jersey fishing stand-off escalates
Britain and France have both dispatched warships to the Channel island of Jersey Thursday amid concerns of a possible blockade of the island by French boats, a dramatic escalation in a row over rights to fish in the waters post-Brexit. >click to read< – French trawler rams UK boat – The British ship owned by Jonathan Ruff was hit by the French vessel Lasgot as he went out to sea as a blockade of French boats arrived near St Helier marina. Fisherman Josh Dearing described the appearance of the French boats, some letting off flares, as “like an invasion” and he welcomed the presence of Royal Navy ships in the region. video, photos, >click to read< CRASH, BANG, SCALLOPS – Jonathan Ruff’s boat was bashed in the stern by the French vessel Lasgot as he bravely went out to sea to face the group of 100 “invaders”. Video, photos, >click to read< 09:04
Taking a Pause – Ropeless fishing gear bill gets put on hold
The legislative push for ropeless gear in the Dungeness crab fishing industry is taking a pause after the Assembly bill’s author was sworn in as California’s 34th attorney general. Authored by Assembly member Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) in collaboration with Social Compassion in Legislation and the Center for Biological Diversity, the bill argued that fishermen use antiquated trapping gear that harms marine life. California Coast Crab Association President Benjamin Platt said the Center for Biological Diversity “lobbied hard to find somebody else to carry that bill. Platt calls the pause on the Whale Entangle Prevention Act a “David and Goliath moment for California fishers.” >click to read< 07:46
Kona fisherman snagged by large hook credits Coast Guard with saving his life, shows his gratitude
Kenton Geer says he was hauling gear aboard his boat the F/V Vicious Cycle last Tuesday when he was snagged by a massive hook and dragged across the deck. The 39-year-old commercial fisherman has worked on the water more than two decades. He says without the help of the Coast Guard he might not have made it back to shore alive. “I think that there was a real possibility, I could have bled to death,” Geer said. “Or be talking about not having a hand.” A helicopter trip to the hospital is a ride no fisherman ever wants to take. After five days at Honolulu’s Queen’s Medical Center 
and two surgeries, the fisherman is back in Kona and on the mend. But before going home, he made an important stop to thank the Coast Guard crew who saved him. >video, click to read< 14:50
Windfarms: Fishermen don’t want them, but Wheat Farmers do!!!
Back in March, Chris Wiley passed a long day in his tractor sowing wheat. He had the controls set to automatic steering and scanned social media. He did not like what he found. In post after post, people raged about a renewable energy project that would put wind turbines and solar development in the Horse Heaven Hills where he farms.,,, “This is a community of survivors, forgotten by the world and ever shrinking, but not going anywhere anytime soon. And lately we are feeling rather betrayed by our neighbors in the Tri Cities,” Wiley wrote. “Shame on you for condemning construction on a ridge while hoping to someday build a mansion on the very same hill. Shame on you for being this upset about something that, at very most, would be a slight change to your backyard view. Because this same thing would be an absolute, life-changing blessing to your neighboring community.” >click to read< 11:44
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 57′ Single Dredge Steel Scalloper, Ed Gamage built, offers encouraged
To review specifications, information, and 13 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here<– 10:46
Counting the Staggering Cost of Biden’s Offshore Wind Power Plans: Power Costs Set to Double
With Joe Biden and the Squad in the White House, American power consumers should strap themselves in for a very wild ride. Under his plans to spear or anchor 10,000 or more giant industrial wind turbines into the seafloor off America’s Atlantic coast, it’s not just the marine environment and fishermen who will suffer the phenomenal cost of Biden’s trillion dollar boondoggle. Power consumers in the States are about to be treated to the kind of punitive power prices suffered by wind and solar powered Germans, Danes and South Australians. >click to read< 10:06
DFO: ‘tubbing’ can continue for the commercial prawn fishery 2021 season
“Our goal is, and always has been, to see our Pacific prawn fishery continue to thrive. Working in partnership with the Pacific Prawn Fishermen’s Association, we have agreed on a process that will allow harvesters to freeze their catch at sea this season, just as they’ve done for years. Size limits remain a critical part of a sustainable prawn fishery, and we will work with industry to develop viable, alternative practices for the long-term. But with the season fast approaching, it’s important that British Columbians understand they can, and should, continue to purchase delicious, frozen Pacific prawns.” >click to read< 07:35
Yankee Fishermen’s Co-op had banner 2020. Does it have to pay back Coronavirus relief funds?
Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative weathered the Coronavirus pandemic and then some. The cooperative at Seabrook Harbor grossed more revenue in 2020 than 2019, according to president Jim Titone. He said he is concerned the cooperative will have to return the grant partially or in full, because on paper, it appears as though they were more prosperous, despite the pandemic, even though many of the facilities and equipment are at least 30 years old and are due for replacement, Titone said he would like to use the Main Street Relief monies to upgrade the cooperative, including installing a new 20,000-gallon lobster tank to accommodate the additional Maine lobstermen who joined the cooperative during the pandemic, and to build a new ice house. >click to read< 07:54
France threatens to cut off the power to Jersey as leverage point in fishing rights dispute over UK water access
Responding to questions in the national assembly, Annick Girardin, the minister for maritime affairs, said she was “revolted” by the UK government’s behaviour over its waters and France was ready to retaliate. The British crown dependency of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, relies on “the transmission of electricity by underwater cable”, Girardin said as she was questioned by assembly members, raising the supply as a point of leverage. “I would regret it if we were to get there,” the minister said, but “we will do so if we have to.” >click to read< 22:44
L.D. 101: Commercial fishermen and their supporters seek total ban on offshore wind farms
The bill would prohibit any state agency from permitting or approving any offshore wind energy project regardless of its location. It was introduced by Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, a commercial fisherman,,, The testimony on L.D. 101 from lobstermen, their families and town officials from fishing communities drew a clear line in the sand,,, In his testimony, Rep. Faulkingham said offshore wind was the worst kind of green energy, calling it up to five times more expensive than market prices, a threat to sea birds and mammals that would eventually take up an area four times larger than Casco Bay and enrich foreign corporations with taxpayer money. Nuclear power and Canadian hydro are better options,, >click to read< 19:23
Video: Spring lobster season officially underway on P.E.I.
The spring lobster season on P.E.I. officially got underway Tuesday after a four-day delay due to weather. Boats in Lobster Fishing Area 26A, the southeast, left at 6 a.m. while those in LFA 24, on the North Shore, started at 9 a.m. Many fishing captains hire extra help on setting day, when the boats are loaded with traps. They will begin pulling the traps on Wednesday. Erin Bagloe, who fishes out of Red Head Harbour, said he prefers to get going at 6 a.m. but agreed with the decision to delay. Video, >click to read< 15:55
Energy giant to hold forum with fishermen over cross-Sound cable route on Wednesday
The meeting, which is closed to the media, will address concerns by some fishermen,,, The route, as proposed by Equinor, the Norwegian energy giant, will extend more than 150 miles from windmills in the waters off Massachusetts to an electrical station in Astoria, traversing the entire Long Island Sound. Some fishermen saying the buried cable is unlikely to pose problems. The company says the route was hammered out after meeting with individual or small groups of fishermen over the past half year. Arthur Kretchmer, a Mattituck fisherman who operates a trawler on the Sound, said he had not become aware of the planned cable until a few weeks ago. “Anything they put in the water is a problem,” he said. He’s opposed to wind turbines on the water, which could force impacted fishermen to compete in the Sound. “I’m asking them not to put these windmills up.” >click to read< 13:54
#OpposeOceanIndustrialization: Floating structure design for offshore solar plant
Norwegian independent research organization Sintef has been tasked by Norwegian energy giant Equinor, and Vollsveien-based engineering specialist Moss Maritime, a unit of Italian gas contractor Saipem, with testing a model of a prototype of an offshore floating solar plant that Equinor and Saipem want to bring to offshore waters.,,“If we succeed here, we can succeed anywhere,” said, in January, Hanne Wigum, the head of Equinor’s solar and wind tech unit. >click to read< 12:14
Fishermen accuse wind farm giant of bullying in compensation row
North Norfolk fishermen say they are fearful for their future, after Ørsted, the Danish energy giant behind Hornsea Project Three took out a High Court injunction to prevent them from temporarily fishing in certain areas while it carried out surveys. The energy giant says it has always aimed to “work collaboratively with fishermen” held numerous discussions with the fishing community and legal action was a “last resort.” ,,, John Davies, chairman of the NNFS, who had been involved in talks with Ørsted on behalf of the society said: “We’re just pushed and sidelined out the way by the big multinational company. >click to read< 09:10
Nova Scotia lobster dispute. New year, new dispute
A Supreme Court ruling noted that Indigenous peoples have an inherent right to hunt and fish to earn a “moderate living” although what that phrase meant was never determined. In Nova Scotia, Indigenous groups have said the ruling means they can fish whenever they want. Commercial fishers say the established limited seasons must be respected for conservation reasons and are angered at the out of season fishing by Indigenous groups. Often not mentioned is the addition to the Supreme Court ruling which noted that the Indigenous rights were not absolute and limitations could be made for conservation needs and other limited “compelling and substantial public objectives”. >click to read< 07:38
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
A combination of record prices and bigger quotas driving excitement in N.L. crab fishery
“I think this will be the best year ever for the crab fishery,” Bussey said recently, standing on the deck of his 65-foot fishing vessel, the Eastern Princess II.,, “For me and my wife this is a good way to put in another good year and a successful one for us,” said veteran harvester Wayde Gillingham. “It will help us get through the year and be financially stable for a year,” added crewmate Jonathan Boone. A combination of record prices and bigger quotas is setting the stage for the best ever season in the Newfoundland and Labrador crab harvest, with insiders predicting that the landed value could exceed $500 million. But while harvesters are celebrating, the companies and buy and process crab are not. In a statement released late Friday afternoon, the executive director for the Association of Seafood Producers said the price is too high, and that the model used to set prices is broken. >photos, video, click to read< 19:50
Weather Delay: Spring lobster seasons in parts of three Maritimes provinces to open on Tuesday.
The decision came after the Lobster Advisory Committee met with DFO Sunday morning. The seasons for LFA 23 in northeastern New Brunswick, LFA 24 in northern P.E.I. and LFA 26A in southerneastern P.E.I. and northern Nova Scotia were originally scheduled to start April 30, but were delayed due to poor weather. “Safety is paramount,” Ian MacPherson, executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association,,, >click to read< 14:35
Council Comment Cancel Culture – NPFMC, citing profanity, tightens public comment policy
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council says recent profane comments had prompted the move. Some fishermen and community organizers say that’s a bunch of bull. For all the controversy and emotion that can accompany fisheries debates, the federal council that manages fisheries in the North Pacific says it hadn’t ever received public comments with explicit language, until last month.,, Linda Behnken, says she’s never seen the council move so quickly. “I mean, never seen them bring something up, take action, boom, done without more opportunity for meaningful engagement,” >click to read< 11:42
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