Monthly Archives: June 2021
Lobster prices are through the roof!
As the country reopens post-pandemic, increased demand for lobster and a squeezed supply caused by a state ban on lobstering to protect right whales has resulted in a price spike of about 60% per live lobster. “If there’s no lobsters coming in, then the demand isn’t being met. Those are the cards,” said South Shore Lobsterman Association President John Haverland. According to business publisher Urner Barry, the retail price of a live, one-and-a-half-pound lobster increased from $5.47 a year ago to $9.05 on June 7 this year. >click to read< 08:41
Selvåg Senior: New LNG-Powered Purse Seiner/Trawler cuts GHG 42%
Capable of both trawling and purse seining, the 79.5- x16.2-m vessel will have a molded depth of 6.9 m. The RSW holds, in the DNV-GL classed vessel, will have a total volume of just under 2550 cu. m.. The main propulsion engine will be a medium-speed Wärtsilä 8V31DF, producing 4,800 kW at 750 RPM. The main auxiliary genset will be powered by a Cummins QSK60 generating 1,724 kWe/3×440 VAC/60Hz at 1,800 RPM. The QSK60 engine will be fitted with IMO Tier 3 compliant SCR after treatment systems. She has a 15-knot design speed and accommodation for up to 14 crewmembers. >click to read< 08:05
N.J. fishing industry to get another $9.5M for Coronavirus relief
An incoming tide of federal dollars aims to lift a few boats, bait shops and seafood markets in the Garden State. New Jersey is set to receive another $9.5 million in COVID-19 relief money for the state’s fishing industry,,, The influx of cash comes from the $900 billion relief package passed by Congress and signed by former President Donald Trump in December. The money will be given to New Jersey by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, after the state Department of Environmental Protection gets a spending plan for the money approved. The DEP plans to submit its plan in coming days. >click to read< 17:50
Canada adds warm-water fish to list of species monitored in DFO summer trawl survey off East Coast
Several warm-water fish species were added to the annual summer research vessel survey off the coast of Eastern Canada in 2020.,, Monitoring for the blackbelly rosefish, john dory, trigger fish, tilefish fish, dusky shark and others was included in the DFO summer trawl survey along the Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy for the first time last year. It was done at the request of the commercial fishing industry, which is capturing them accidentally, called bycatch, but cannot land them because they are not included in any Canadian commercial fish licence conditions. That doesn’t make sense to Alain d’Entremont, president and CEO of Scotia Harvest,,, “I think that if they are groundfish species and we are catching them as part of our regular fishing, then there should be mechanisms for us to be able to land them,,, >click to read< 16:55
Lloyd Earl “Bucky” Chatham of Seadrift, Texas, a retired commercial fisherman has passed away
Lloyd Earl “Bucky” Chatham, 78, of Seadrift, passed away May 31, 2021. He was born April 8, 1943 in El Paso to Charles P. Chatham and Mary M. Chatham. Bucky had many passions in life, hunting, fishing, traveling, diving, rowing many years in the Texas Water Safari, volunteering at the Calhoun County Humane Society, his family and many friends he met along the way. He was blessed to have worked doing what he loved and retired as a commercial fisherman. >click to read< 15:05
Rigid Sail Fitted as Demonstration on First Fishing Vessel
A Spanish registered fishing boat has become the first to be fitted with a new generation of auxiliary wind-assisted propulsion technology. The project, which was funded by the EU, is seen as a demonstration of the technology as the first step toward the installation of rigid sail technology on larger commercial ships. The 20-year-old fishing vessel Balueiro Segundo, which measures 135 feet in length, recently completed testing and commissioning of the eSail system,,, >photos, click to read< 12:40
Lobster wars: Norfolk fisherman says too many people cashing in, lobsters being overfished
A Norfolk fisherman with more than 40 years of experience has raised fears that the region’s shores are being overfished of lobsters. David Chambers said bad weather had recently affected lobster supplies. But Mr Chambers also blamed too many people coming into the industry and crowding the waters with their pots on the decline in lobster supplies and the hike in prices. It comes as the seabed from Weybourne to Happisburgh, off the Norfolk coast, was designated a Marine Conservation Zone in 2016.”There are an awful lot of pots and I know some people with big boats who are giving up because there’s too much gear out there, the younger fishermen have no respect, it’s just crazy. >click to read< 11:39
5 miles of seals: Newfoundland fisherman’s video fires up more debate about pinnipeds
Fisherman Jason Branton was steaming home after a crab fishing trip a week ago when he saw something he’d never witnessed before. The 45-ft longliner Gracie’s Adventure was about 60 miles out from Baccalieu Island, in Trinity Bay, on May 30 when Branton and the crew noticed seals all around them. They had encountered a large herd of seals, a patch about five miles wide,, adding this is also the time when capelin begin migrating inshore. Branton and his crew rely mainly on crab, capelin and cod for their fishing income. The question of the impact of seals on fish and shellfish stocks has been debated for years and become more heated in recent years,,, video, >click to read< 10:23
Ship strikes: Saving the Whales is Something the Shipping Industry Needs to Address Immediately
It is a little known fact that up to 20,000 whales die each year because of lethal collisions with vessels. When presented with the sight of one of the great mammals lying dead on the bows of a container ship as shown above the message comes home, but for most of the stricken animals they are fated to die unseen beneath the waves.,, Whale ship strikes have now become a significant threat to big cetaceans. Collisions kill 20 times more whales than the controversial practice of whale hunting or whaling. >click to read< 08:50
A fundraiser is established for a memorial to remember fishermen who died off Newhaven coast
The family of a fisherman who tragically died when his ship sank off the coast of Newhaven are raising funds for a new memorial to remember those lost at sea. Robert Morley and Adam Harper lost their lives after their boat, the F/V Joanna C, sank in November last year. Captain Dave Bickerstaff was pulled from the water by lifeboat crews, after he was found holding on to a lifebuoy almost four hours after the tragedy. Now, months after Robert Morley was laid to rest, his family are fundraising for a memorial to placed in the harbour to remember those who have lost their lives at sea. photos, >click to read< Memorial for our lost fisherman – Thanks to everyone for donating and sharing, we are receiving amazing support this is obviously close to our hearts as it is to Adams and Darren’s families , this memorial will also stand as a tribute to all fishermen and women a memorial for Newhaven is long overdue, >click to read, and please donate if you can< 07:49
Mediterranean Fishing Fleet Stops In Protest Of EU Quotas
The regulation threatens the activity of 600 Spanish ships and more than 17,000 jobs, between direct and indirect. Fishermen reject Brussels limiting trawling to 120 days a year in 2025. The Spanish Mediterranean fishing sector has stopped this Friday en bloc (trawling, seine and small gears), to protest against the management plan for this sea imposed by the European Union on the fleet that operates in these waters and that, according to the fishermen , leads them to their practical disappearance, as reported in a statement. >click to read< 21:55
Green investors don’t see the damage they inflict on the environment
Sometimes you have to step back and take stock of what you are doing to address certain problems,,, The approval of Viking Energy appears to have kickstarted the use of Shetland and its surrounding seabed as an industrial development site for government subsidized offshore wind farms, covering some of the most productive fishing grounds in Europe. Covering the seabed with wind farm anchors, cables and associated debris, causing the exclusion of Shetland’s fishing fleet from their traditional fishing grounds both East and West of Shetland would potentially wipe out much of what is left of our local fishing industry. >click to read< By William Polson, Whalsay18:37
The North Face gets a ‘pie in the face’ for virtue signaling without understanding their own products
In the news today is a hilarious case of lack of self-awareness and hypocrisy,,, The North Face refused to make jackets for an oil and gas firm, saying the company’s products “didn’t align with its brand standards.” This shows an amazing lack of awareness because their outdoor wear fabrics are almost entirely created from oil. “They told us we did not meet their brand standards,” Innovex Downhole Solutions CEO Adam Anderson said. “We were separately informed that what that really meant is was that we were an oil and gas company.” In fact, a whopping two-thirds of our clothing is made from petroleum derived synthetic fibers. The North Face’s rank hypocrisy has been called out in a short video by Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Oilfield Services, >click to read/watch<16:04
Russian crew member held over collision that killed three on Japanese vessel
Pavel Dobrianskii, 38, was in charge of the 662-ton Russian ship Amur on May 26 at the time of the collision with the Hokko Maru No. 8 crewed by five, according to the Monbetsu Coast Guard Office. The crew aboard the 9.7-ton Japanese boat, which belonged to a fishery cooperative based in Monbetsu, were catching hairy crabs when the collision occurred at around 6 a.m. The Hokko Maru crew was quoted by the coast guard as saying they were unable to maneuver the boat away as they were catching crabs by rope and the Russian ship collided with their vessel. >click to read< 13:39
Fed Right whale plan could mean lobster industry changes – a reinvention of the fishery as we know it
Federal officials recently released plans,,, But it’s the risk reduction target, an aggressive 98 percent, that Maine Department of Marine Resources officials said means only one thing, “a complete reinvention of the fishery as we know it.” The conservation framework, an addition to the 582-page biological opinion, creates a four-phased approach to all but eliminate the death and serious injury of the whales in federally managed fishing grounds. The first phase calls for a 60 percent reduction in right whale deaths and serious injuries this year. Patrice McCarron, Maine Lobstermen’s Association, fears the industry can’t sustain that level of change. “If you look at the changes we’ve made over the last 25 years, there’s not a lot left to give,”, >click to read< 10:27
Canadian Coast Guard destroys man’s boat, then sues to cover $8,500 bill
A Campbell River man is being sued for over $8,500 in federal court after he says the Canadian Coast Guard destroyed his boat without his knowledge. Tom Puglas, 76, of the Mamalilikulla First Nation, said it all began on a 2017 salmon fishing trip. When his 39-foot wood-hulled gillnetter broke down, he moored it along the outside finger of a dock in Port McNeill. According to federal court documents, the Canadian Coast Guard was called in on Aug. 22, 2017, after reports Puglas’s vessel was sinking and discharging oil. The documents claim the Coast Guard contacted Puglas, who said he would remove the vessel from the water and make any necessary repair. Puglas denies that ever happened. >click to read< 09:17
Bait Masters alternative bait got a bump in inquiries after mackerel quotas were cut in May
“We’re just two guys, so there’s going to be some logistics.” A P.E.I. company is getting ready to scale up production as word of its alternative bait spreads across North America, and a cut in the quota of traditional bait leaves fishermen looking for options. Bait Masters started producing their bait sausages in the $1.4 million facility in Nine Mile Creek, P.E.I.,,, Co-owners Mark Prevost and Wally MacPhee embarked on creating a new alternate 
bait,,, In 2020, a UPEI researcher released his analysis based on field trials of the new bait in P.E.I. bays in the summer of 2019. It found that the new bait sausage created by Bait Masters catches as many lobster as traditional baits, such as herring and mackerel. >click to read< 07:55
New agreement between Potlotek and DFO off to rocky start
Craig Doucette had a lukewarm reaction to his first weekend fishing under a new arrangement,,, The experienced lobster fisher from Potlotek First Nation said fisheries officers followed him closely on Saturday morning as he set his 20 traps for the day. “They’ve never come after me like that before. They’ve never followed my boat, they always wait till I leave,,, On Sunday morning, Doucette took in his catch and said none of his traps had been seized. Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs each issued a statement on Friday saying the two sides had come to an understanding >click to read< 21:42
Victoria takes on Tassie in the scallop pie stakes with Victorian scallops
“These are our best pies yet!” announces Apollo Bay Bakery owner Sally Cannon,,, While famous for its curried and mornay variety scallop pies, it was not until last week that Apollo Bay Bakery could use Victorian scallops. Cannon has previously relied on Chinese-grown scallops and Tasmanian,,, However, the discovery of a massive new scallop bed off the shores of Lakes Entrance in East Gippsland will lead to a fresh wave of Victorian scallops,,, 
A huge swath of seabed is estimated to hold nearly 8000 tonnes of scallops within 20 nautical miles of the coast. Lakes Entrance fisher Andy Watts expressed the town’s excitement. “The fleet is ready to rock and roll and head out fishing early next week,” >click to read< 20:11
Deadliest Catch Captain Keith Colburn: “It’s a shitty job”
Deadliest Catch is already in its 15th year. The reality series about the crab fishermen on the Bering Sea near Alaska is still very popular. One of the protagonists in the Discovery series is Keith Colburn. The captain was one of the first to go to Alaska with nothing and 30 years later owns one of the largest ships: F/V Wizard.,, He can’t fish right now, because he is still struggling with the consequences of the coronavirus. “It was especially weird, “Despite corona, there was still a danger that we know all too well from the other seasons of Deadliest Catch: the sea. A huge wave hit The Wizard, damaging the iconic ship. photos, video, >click to read< 14:50
Half Male – Half Female Chesapeake Blue Crab
This crab, known as a bilateral gynandromorphism, is about 4.5 inches long and is estimated to be in its third year. It has both blue and red claws at the tip and an apron (lower abdomen) split in the middle. Typically, male gazami crabs have blue toes and a T-shaped apron, while females have a red tip and a wide apron. Gynandromorphic crabs have not been reported on the East Coast for at least 15 years. Gynandromorphism does not occur in mammals, but has been observed in lobsters, crabs, snakes, butterflies, bees, chickens and other birds. Video, >click to read< 10:19
A dramatic rescue off the Maine coast changes the course of many lives
Russie Lane describes himself as a “reluctant storyteller.” All his life he has stuttered, and about fifteen years ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He prefers to be in the background. The story he set out to research had always been part of the Lane family history. Something they all knew about and remembered – but rarely spoke about. They referred to it simply as “the rescue.” All he had was one single newspaper article confirming what had happened that summer day off the coast of Maine. video, >click to read< 09:04
Fisherman rescued after falling overboard in the early hours of Sunday morning
Hartlepool RNLI lifeboats were launched at 02:43 by Humber Coastguard following a report that the man had gone overboard from a 10m fishing vessel. However by the time the rescue service reached the incident the stricken man had been recovered from the water by the fishing boat’s skipper and was back onboard their vessel. A crew member from the RNLI team was placed aboard the boat to assess the casualty. >click to read< 07:33
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 04, 2021
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 20:46
Lobstermen Protest Offshore Wind Farm in the Gulf of Maine
An ambitious wind power project in the Gulf of Maine could, years from now, make these family lobster dinners less frequent. Local lobstermen believe offshore wind will significantly disrupt the ecosystem and displace fishermen. Supporters say a project will provide clean energy for the region.,, “When you think of Maine, lobster’s the first thing that comes to mind,” Dustin Delano, a fourth-generation lobsterman and the Vice President of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, told me a story about fishermen from the United Kingdom coming to Maine a few years ago to discuss the windmill arrays which had been recently installed where they fish. One Mainer asked, “What would you do if you were us right now?” An English fisherman leaned over the table and said, “Fight it with everything you have, because you have everything to lose and absolutely nothing to gain.” >click to read< 17:04
Break Up of DV North Pacific Pending
The rusting hull of the former fishing vessel North Pacific is aground near the west-end launch ramps, awaiting dismantling. Homer Council member Heath Smith asked City Manager Rob Dumouchel about the boat’s situation at last week’s city council meeting. “The derelict vessel will be there for some time. It’d going to be there for the summer and dismantled,”,,, Dumouchel added that the method salvagers used to ground vessels reached its limit in rolling the North Pacific ashore. >click to read< Ports across Alaska are home to a ghost fleet of derelict vessels. Many are abandoned, left to rot dockside, to become hazards to the environment or navigation. >click to read< 13:08
Everything You Didn’t Know About Andrea Gail, The Fishing Vessel Lost In ‘The Perfect Storm’
In the fall of 1991, a catastrophic storm swept the northeastern coast of the U.S., wreaking havoc along the coast of Massachusetts. The storm would strike the coast with no name, afterward only gaining the title of the ‘perfect storm’ and inspiring a movie of the same name. It made landfall suddenly with no one anticipating its hurricane-strength devastation, with those on land feeling its effects but those at sea having a first-hand account of the strength of its winds and rain. The Andrea Gail set out of Gloucester on what was meant to be a month-long fishing trip off the coast of Newfoundland, covering a total of 900 miles,,, What they didn’t know is that the storm heading up the coast would take the lives of 13 people and causing millions of dollars in damage from Florida all the way up to Nova Scotia. photos, >click to read< 10:20
Fishing vessel busted with €250m ($304m) worth of drugs first spotted by Irish naval officers weeks ago
Three men were arrested this week when the ‘Odyssey 227’ shipping trawler was seized with 22.1 tonnes of hash on board after the Irish tip-off to authorities in Spain. The ship, which originated in Morocco, was intercepted last Tuesday before the hash was recovered and three men arrested. The capture is one of the biggest ever seizures of cannabis in European waters. photos, >click to read< 09:01
Sipekne’katik fisherman says delay in fishery launch the smart decision for now
Robert Syliboy, a member of the Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia, said his community’s decision to delay the start of its own fishery this week was the smart thing to do for now. “,, Sipekne’katik Chief Mike Sack said concerns over safety is the main reason he and council members decided to postpone the start of the First Nation’s fishery for the time being. Lobster Fishing Area 34 in St. Mary’s Bay is currently closed to commercial fishing until the last week in November. >click to read< 08:07
North Carolina: Public Comment Opens for Shrimp Fishery Management Plan
The public has until June 30 to submit comments on proposed shrimp fishery management changes aimed to further reduce bycatch of nontarget species and minimize ecosystem impacts, the state Division of Marine Fisheries announced,, Draft amendment 2 to the shrimp fishery management plan contains a suite of management options that range from current management practices to a complete closure to shrimp trawling of all inside waters, including Pamlico Sound, according to the division.,, Draft shrimp amendment 2 also includes a shrimp trawl bycatch information paper,,, There are three ways to comment on draft shrimp amendment 2, >click to read< 12:51
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