Monthly Archives: June 2021
US Embargo Hits Mexican Shrimp Industry Hard
The United States has suspended certification of wild-caught Mexican shrimp, preventing producers from export part of their production to the USA. Already financially weakened Mexican shrimp exporters are confident that the decision will be reversed soon, but have concerns about the severe economic consequences. US inspectors identified non-conformities in the turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in dozens of fishing gears inspected at Sonora, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Campeche ports. News of the embargo was received with concern by the shrimp fishermen all over Mexico. ‘But we haven’t felt any impact yet, given that we had already exported all stocks and we’re now waiting for the next shrimp season to start in September,’ >photos, click to read< 13:13
Doctors and experts are skeptical, doubt lobster diver’s being “swallowed by a whale” claim
A lobster diver has been accused of lying about being swallowed whole by a humpback whale he says spat him back out because it didn’t like how he tasted. One doctor at Cape Cod Hospital, where self-described whale swallowing victim Michael Packard, 56, was treated, said Michael Packard should have suffered hearing loss following the freak accident.,, Other fishermen were also wary of Packard’s whale encounter. ‘People who are in the fishing industry, and people who know whales, are finding this hard to believe. It’s a first-ever that this would happen,’ said another lobsterman. photos, >click to read< 09:50
End of the line? How Brexit left Hull’s fishing industry facing extinction
It was a Wednesday morning and it had been touch and go whether all of them would be able to get time off from their day jobs to make the trip. Seven hours later, they stood on the quayside at Greenwich, as Princess Anne swung a bottle of champagne at the looming yellow hull of the UK’s newest and biggest whitefish trawler. Many of the people gathered that day had voted for Brexit in the EU referendum and hopes were high that it would usher in a new era for a British industry that had been dwindling for years. The Kirkella was the larger of two new boats built by the private company UK Fisheries in 2018, at a combined cost of nearly £59m, landing fish at Hull for the first time in a decade. The Princess Royal summed up the optimistic mood on the quayside when she offered her congratulations “to the owner for their investment in the future of fishing”. As the bottle smashed against the boat, the players launched into a lung-busting rendition of Hearts of Oak. >click to read< 09:02
Fox News, and Maine lobsterman Kristan Porter brings Right whale “conservation” issue to the American public
Jun. 13, 2021 – Cutler, Maine lobsterman Kristan Porter explains how a federal whale conservation push could have a massive effect on the lobster industry >click to watch< 07:50
Here is another nail in our Commercial Fishing coffin. Offshore wind farms.
Our fisherman are having enough problems as it is, starting with NOAA, Monument area’s, Monitoring, SK Grant money not going to our fishermen, closed fishing grounds to save the whales, and politicians that are ignoring the issues of the fishermen, all of the fishermen, including the boots on deck fisherman that earns only a share for his skills, loyalty, and labor. The proposed Vineyard Wind 1 area off of Cape Cod is about 18,000 acres of rich fishing grounds. Fishermen from Maine to Rhode Island fish on those grounds. The President and Governor Baker are for it, but it still needs to go to Congress. Together we could stop this. >click to read< Thank you, Sam Parisi, Gloucester, Mass. 18:33
San Mateo County Harbor District considers a new permit and fee program for off the boat seafood sellers
The Harbor District met June 10 to discuss fee program options, with a potential tiered fee system proposed for fishermen who do off-boat sales, allowing the Harbor District to maintain public pier spaces and create a more equitable fee system for businesses, restaurants and fishermen. Off-the-dock sales 20 years ago were minimal, but now around 50 boats sell on Johnson Pier, bringing in lots of people on the weekends to Pillar Point Harbor, Frank Sousa, a Half Moon Bay fisherman, said prioritizing local fishermen who sell yearly on the dock and rely on local customers was necessary for fee consideration. >click to read< 13:10
UNITE TO FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE – On 23rd June, Irish fishermen plan to take their campaign to Dublin
A flotilla of over 60 fishing vessels steamed into Cork City last month to protest over quota cuts, the Brexit Deal, SFPA failures and the disastrous EU Common Fisheries Policy. The flotilla consisting of boats from Dingle, Castletownbere, Baltimore, Union Hall, Ballycotton, Kinsale, Dunmore East, Crosshaven, Kilmore Quay and other fishing communities steamed in single file from Roches Point, at the mouth of the harbour, to the docks in Cork city centre for a rally that was attended by nearly a thousand fishermen, friends and family. On 23rd June, Irish fishermen plan to take their campaign to raise public awareness of the plight of the industry to Dublin, building on the profile raised by the recent Cork Show & Tell demo by increasing the number of fishermen and families involved to include more inshore vessels and community groups from around Ireland’s coastal communities. >photos, click to read< 12:12
Investigators followed up on a lead. Couple on hook for $1,400 bucks for selling recreational caught crab
An eastern Oregon couple has been sentenced to pay $1,200 in restitution after illegally selling recreationally caught crab on the commercial market in Hermiston, according to the Oregon State Police. Shawna and Gerald Wilson of Hermiston also will pay $100 each to the Turn In Poachers Line fund, and they are barred from obtaining a fishing or shellfish license for three years, the East Oregonian reported. State Fish and Wildlife troopers began an investigation after receiving a call on the TIP Line reporting crab advertised for sale on Facebook. >click to read< 10:26
F/V Catherine Lane: North Carolina shrimp boat remains stranded on the rocks north of Amelia Island
Efforts are being made to remove the shrimp boat that crashed into the jetties north of Amelia Island on Wednesday. The U.S. Coast Guard has said contractors were able to remove fuel from the boat, though thousands of gallons have leaked from the vessel named Catherine Lane. It’s licensed out of North Carolina. On Friday, the Coast Guard said the responsible party hired contractors and removed 1,050 gallons of diesel from the boat. But Nassau County Emergency Management has said 3,200 gallons of fuel and oil has spilled into the water. >video, click to read< 09:37
Exciting times, eh, commercial fishers? BOEM kick-starts New York Bight offshore wind farm auction
The Biden-Harris administration published a preliminary sale notice today for a wind auction off the coasts of New York and New Jersey. The proposal includes provisions to help commercial fishers, vocal critics of offshore development, including the designation of large lanes to ease navigation for fishing boats. “The Biden-Harris administration recognizes the urgency of this moment, and the development of renewable energy resources is an important piece of addressing this reality,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. >click to read< 08:27
Fisheries Survival Fund: Change Offshore Wind Farm Areas to Protect Scallops
The Fisheries Survival Fund , is requesting that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is responsible for leasing areas for offshore development, incrementally change its lease plans for the New York Bight. Currently, two BOEM Wind Energy Areas, Hudson South and Central Bight, are located in particularly sensitive areas for scallops. In their current form, these areas, including hundreds of thousands of acres of ocean, will have a serious negative impact on the fishery. BOEM’s proposed eastern-most lease areas in Hudson South are directly adjacent to the Hudson Canyon Scallop Access Area, one of the most important scallop grounds in the Northeast. >click to read< 19:06
Commercial Lobster diver caught in the mouth of a humpback whale off Provincetown Friday morning
A commercial lobster diver was seriously injured Friday morning when he was caught in the mouth of a humpback whale feeding off Race Point, his sister said. Michael Packard, 56, of Wellfleet, is in stable condition at Cape Cod Hospital with at least one broken leg, Cynthia Packard said. “He was swallowed by the whale, he was in his mouth for about 20 seconds,” Cynthia Packard said in a phone interview Friday morning. Packard spoke with J ‘an J crewman Josiah Mayo, who relayed some of the details to her. >click to read< 14:46
SEA-NL up and running as ‘distinct’ voice of owner-operators; membership sign-up has begun
For Immediate Release – The Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc. >(SEA-NL)< has been formed to serve as the distinct voice of the province’s more than 3,000 licensed, commercial inshore fish harvesters — with membership signup officially starting today. “It’s high time independent owner-operators were recognized as a distinct group within the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery, with a say on all decisions that impact their enterprises,”,,, >click to read< 13:18
Fishermen oppose offshore wind farm, opposition to construction on fishing grounds continues,,,
The construction of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm with 62 wind turbines, each with an 8mW generating capacity, began on the 3rd May this year, while the fishing industry continues to voice its opposition to the project. The Normandy fishermen held a demonstration both on shore and on the water, while others in the Hauts-de-France region and elsewhere, demonstrated in solidarity with their colleagues in Brittany. In a demonstration of anger, on 7th May fishermen took their protests against the construction out to the offshore site. 70 fishing boats surrounded the Aeolus installation vessel in the Bay of Saint-Brieu,,, photos, >click to read< 11:40
Sundance Award-Winning Film CODA Filmed in Gloucester
Paul Vitale of Gloucester has been fishing off his boat, the F/V Angela Rose for 24 years. Most of the time, these days, he heads out to sea alone. Then, in the summer of 2019, a movie crew came to town. “All of a sudden you have the actors, the interpreters, the producers, the cameramen—all these people are on the boat,” Vitale says. “It was a little overwhelming, but not in a bad way.” Vitale and his boat weren’t the only locals to find their way onto the screen. The city harbormaster appeared in the film, as did local businessman Sam Parisi. The state fish pier, a city elementary school, and a popular harborside watering hole all served as shooting locations,, The movie’s title is an acronym for “child of deaf adults,” >click to read< 10:28
Workers respond to a fishing boat that ran aground in Homer Harbor
Quick action by salvage crews last Wednesday, June 2, prevented a Homer fishing boat from flooding and sinking when it ran aground on the wood grid in the Homer Harbor. The 40-foot F/V Redoubt heeled over after the boat got stuck on the edge of the grid as the tide went out.,, “With the tide flooding, without those bags it would have filled the boat,” Hawkins said. “”He (the boat owner) was so fortunate in that everybody and everything was in place to make it work so they could save his boat.” >photos, click to read< 09:16
Lobstermen And Conservationists To Closely Watch Right Whale Court Case
Conservationists and fishermen will be closely watching a federal court case closely over the next 12 days. “Arguably, the existence of the Massachusetts lobster fishery is at stake today,” The case is being pushed by activist Max Strahan, who wants a judge to ban Massachusetts from authorizing fisheries that use vertical ropes that can entangle and kill North Atlantic right whales. >click to read< 08:07
A group of Indigenous Fishermen want to take the Government of Canada to court with a class action lawsuit
Cody Caplin is frustrated. “They just keep taking away from me and my family,” he says. “The “they” he’s referring to are officers from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, who Caplin alleges keep him under surveillance. He says these officials are often around when he comes back to the wharf from fishing. “If we go drop traps, they’ll park their vehicle, walk on down to our boat, and say ‘you guys can’t put those traps in the water without tags.’ [And I’ll say] ‘well, actually, we can,’” he says. That’s why Caplin is part of a group of Mi’kmaq fishermen from across Atlantic Canada looking to launch a class action lawsuit against the Canadian government, claiming that their rights are not being respected. >click to read< 20:33
California: New regulations shut down Commercial Dungeness Crab season early
After a particularly hard start to the season, commercial Dungeness crab fisheries closed several weeks early on June 1. June 7 marked the start of the Lost and Abandoned Gear Program, which incentivizes retrieving and turning in leftover fishing gear. Both the closure and the gear removal program aim to protect migrating humpback whales and other marine life from getting tangled in fishing equipment. The Center for Biological Diversity sued the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) after a fishing season with 71 whale entanglements in 2016. New regulations imposed after the settlement allow officials to shut down the season when the risk of whale or leatherback sea turtle entanglements is high. >click to read< 17:37
Plan to removal Snake River dams should be supported
As a commercial fisherman, I have never felt more abandoned or frustrated by the elected officials I voted into office. The governor and senator say that they care about local jobs. They would do well to remember this: Washington’s fleet of coastal commercial salmon fishermen has gone from 3,041 in 1978 to 102 people fishing in 2018. >click to read< By Tele Aadsen
“We’ve been sitting on the beach for 16 days” – Copper River salmon fishery reopens
“We are back to getting into the goal range,” said Jeremy Botz, finfish area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Cordova. “I think we are seeing a late compressed run. I still feel it is a relatively small run, but higher than in 2018 and 2020.”,, While eager to be fishing again, veteran Cordova harvesters felt they should have been allowed out on the grounds earlier to get a better handle on what the run, albeit late and maybe compressed, was really stacking up to be.,, Cordova harvester John Renner said the fleet should have been used earlier to collect data, to see if the run was weak or strong, rather than just waiting for the sonar count. “We’ve been sitting on the beach for 16 days,” >click to read< 14:15
In North Carolina, an ambitious goal – Cooper seeks to ignite offshore wind farm projects
The governor issued an executive order directing his Commerce Department to create a task force that would seek to advance projects and boost their economic benefits, and to name a clean energy economic development coordinator. Cooper’s order also sets a electric production goal for offshore wind energy of 2.8 gigawatts off the North Carolina coast by 2030 and 8 gigawatts by 2040. Meeting the 2040 goal would be the equivalent of powering roughly 2.3 million homes,,, >click to read< Gov. Roy Cooper has set ambitious goals for wind energy off the North Carolina coast over the next two decades as part of his plan to fight climate change by shifting away from fossil fuels. >click to read< 11:08
3 rescued from shrimp boat that crashed onto jetties off Fernandina Beach
A group of shrimpers was rescued Wednesday by a good Samaritan vessel off the coast of Fernandina Beach, according to the Coast Guard. The shrimp boat hit the north jetties near Fort Clinch State Park about 9:30 a.m. when the rocks were underwater. Capt. Alan Mills, with AC Charters, rescued the three crew members from the shrimp boat, which was taking on water. Mills happened to be on the water at the time and heard their mayday call. Before the Coast Guard arrived, Mills said, the shrimpers were pretty shaken up. “They were relieved. They laid right here. They were in shock for a while. video, >click to read< 09:51
“No Industrial Scale Fish Factory in Frenchman Bay” – American Aquafarms reps, critics take sides
Longtime South Gouldsboro lobsterman Frank Hammond has fished for decades in “The Hop,” an area northwest of Long Porcupine Island, where one of American Aquafarms’ sites would be located. He estimates about 15 to 20 lobstermen fish there from South Gouldsboro, Hancock, Sorrento and Lamoine. “I am dead against it. There is nothing to gain from this,” Hammond said at Saturday’s event. “The fishermen will never go for it if they’re going raise the fish in The Hop.” Another South Gouldsboro lobsterman, Jerry Potter, echoed Hammond. >click to read< 08:34
Mississippi shrimp season opens, fishermen hoping for the best
Brian Chester has had good luck in the open waters south of the Intercoastal waterway, where success can be elusive. “It’s been OK,” he said. “It’s not been bad.” It’s kept him in business, but when state waters open, he’s hoping to have even more shrimp for more dockside customers lined up at his boat, Lady Sariah. “It just means more areas of shrimp,” he said. “We might be able to catch more shrimp and people actually know and they can come out and purchase the fresh seafood.” So far, 375 commercial shrimp licenses have been issued. That is down compared to last year’s 473 and 493 in the 2019-2020 season >click to read< 07:31
The Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative – $647M to protect Pacific salmon
Record federal spending to try to save the Pacific salmon population marks the beginning of a new chapter,,, Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan and Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson outlined the principles that will guide how $647.1 million announced in the last budget will be spent over the next five years. The Pacific salmon population is drastically declining due to a combination of climate, habitat and harvesting pressures, the government said in a news release. “A generation of Canadians have seen salmon populations decline, some up to 90 per cent in their lifetime,”,,, “There is no quick fix and no one single solution to save this species. This will require patience and all hands on deck.” >click to read< 19:33
Elda Curtis Henry, followed in his Commercial Fisherman fathers footsteps, has passed away
Family and friends are mourning the loss of “Curt,” since he passed away in Eureka in the presence of his family.,, After graduating Arcata High School in 1964, he married Eloise Henriksen of Fortuna. Curt followed in his father’s footsteps to become a commercial fisherman, and when his father retired, he and Eloise also took over the family business of Henry’s Crab Traps. Curt continued to fish for Dungeness crab, salmon and tuna along the entire West Coast from as far as Tahiti to Alaska. Over the many years of his career, he owned and operated the Cavalier, Early Dawn, Compass Rose and The Jewel. He taught his older sons, Rodney and Jeffrey, along with his nephew, Raymond, to fish when they were in their teenage years. In 1991 Curt met his second wife, Carolyn. Together they ran a successful bed and breakfast at East Brother Light station in Point Richmond, Calif. After some time, he returned to fishing, and they also divorced. >click to read< 17:02
Sri Lanka: Plastic, chemicals and a devastating environmental hit for commercial fishermen and their communities
The X-Press Pearl is lying half sunken off the coast of Sri Lanka. Images of the ship burning for days have gone around the world,,, Tons of tiny plastic pellets have already washed up on the local beach nearby. Aside from the environmental threats, there are also devastating consequences for the 
local communities, fishermen who overnight lost their livelihoods and will likely suffer for years to come. Plastic pellets, also called nurdles, are tiny round pieces of plastic, used to make nearly all plastic goods. They will wash up on beaches or end up in the guts of fish and other ocean animals. “More hazardous than the plastic are the chemicals,” >Video, photos, click to read< 14:35
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 36′ Northern Bay Lobster Boat, 375 HP John Deere 6081 Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 15 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here<11:15
North to Alaska: family fishes for salmon off Sitka Island
It’s a long commute from Plymouth to Sitka, Alaska, but Tracy Sylvester plans to make that trip this summer. The Cape Cod native and her family will be fishing for wild salmon just off the island,,, Sylvester’s catch is sold right here at the Plymouth Farmers’ Market, which is where you will find her this Thursday and again this fall. She and her partner Jesse Remund ply the waters off Sitka for salmon and other fish, often accompanied by their two children, Lilly and Eddy. The fish are knocked out, gutted and bled as soon as we catch them, then packed in ice to be flash-frozen at the processing 
plant.” Right now, Sylvester is selling fish caught by other members of the cooperative. They will head back to their home in Port Alexander on Southern Baranof Island, near Sitka Island, in July to catch salmon from their 42-foot wooden boat F/V Faithful. >click to read< 09:52
