Monthly Archives: June 2021
Shrimp boat collision in Aransas Pass, Texas
In Aransas Pass, a shrimp boat crashed into a motorboat in the Aransas Pass harbor. The shrimping boat was the one to run over the smaller watercraft. Thankfully, no one was hurt. AP police said they do have a marine unit to patrol the harbor. If you find yourself in an emergency, dial 911. >click to watch video< 20:45
Morro Bay’s offshore wind farm is the new bullet train to nowhere
News outlets breathlessly reported the great news that California and the feds will build a 399 square mile floating wind farm to generate electricity. The farm will be located 17 to 40 miles offshore west and north of Morro Bay, and will generate a whopping 3 Giga Watts (3 GWh) of power, enough to power a million homes. Politicians and advocates trumpet this progress,,, Unfortunately, this is just another big sack of steaming, stinking, rotting BS that politicians hope to sell to Californians. Meanwhile, plans proceed to decommission Diablo Canyon in 2024, a plant that produced an average of 44.3 GWh/day in 2019 – that’s 14.8 wind farms, at 400 square miles each, for the greenies among us. Internet searches claim Diablo Canyon provides 10% of California’s daily electricity needs, which further searches list at somewhere between 450 and 800 GWh/day. >click to read< By Barry Hanson 16:03
Minister Jordan issues statement on cooperative path forward with Potlotek First Nation moderate livelihood fishery
“I am pleased to announce today that we have reached an understanding that will see Potlotek First Nation fishing for a moderate livelihood and selling their catch starting Saturday, June 5, 2021.” As an interim measure, we will be recognizing those harvesters designated under Potlotek’s plan to be authorized to fish 700 jakej (lobster) traps without adding additional access and during the established season underway in Lobster Fishing Areas 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31a – which is within the Unama’ki region and aligns with Potlotek’s identified traditional district. The Unama’ki region is one of the seven Mi’kmaq districts in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, and spans Cape Breton Island. >click to read< 14:19
High Court rules SFPA breached law withholding approval of new industry owned and operated conveyor/fish-weighing system
The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority had argued it had not refused, but rather “deferred”, approval for the weighing system, known as a flowscales, last December after the European Commission informed it the use of an industry-owned, operated and maintained weighing system would not be appropriate and the system must be owned, operated and used by a public body. In a judgment, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said there was no legal basis for the “ownership” concerns raised by the Commission about the system and it was significant the Authority had not sought to argue otherwise in the proceedings. >click to read< 12:48
Copper River District: As stocks decline, veteran harvesters want more answers, better enforcement of regulations
The harvest for the three openers to date totaled an estimated 60,127 fish, including 5,259 Chinook, 52,752 sockeye and 2,116 chum. All this comes as little surprise to veteran fishermen like Bill Webber, now in his 54th year as a commercial harvester. Why the run of the oil rich Copper River sockeyes and Chinooks has been so troubled in recent years has prompted a lot of speculation. The situation has a lot of fishermen in the Cordova area pondering what possible role Northern Edge military exercises in the Gulf of Alaska, climate change and other fishermen upriver, particularly near spawning grounds, are playing. >click to read< 10:55
The Last Watermen
In April 2002, the city ordered Alexander “Skip” Parkinson, a crabber, to leave his permanent slip under its first-come, first-served docking policy, making him the last waterman, and his boat the last workboat, at City Dock.,, One Saturday last August, I paddleboarded from Spa Creek in Annapolis to Back Creek in Eastport, landed on Cap’n Herbie Sadler Watermen’s Park,, There, I met Pat Mahoney, Jr., the “last waterman of Annapolis.” Mahoney not only owns Wild Country, along with his father, Pat Mahoney Sr., but he catches the seafood they sell and takes great pride in keeping the “last waterman” title in the family. For him, the word means more than just making a living from the Bay. “It’s about keeping a tradition alive, adapting to challenges, and loving the water,” says Mahoney. >click to read< 10:15
William S. Maloney, affectionately known as “Cow Farmer”, has passed away in Port Clyde
William S. Maloney, 56, died peacefully in Port Clyde, May 22, 2021. Billy had many interests. His work ranged from dairy farming and gardening, to logging, forestry, and many things in between. In 2001, Billy completed a firefighter training with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Billy loved flying planes and worked at the Rutland airport. For the last seven years Billy worked with lobsterman Justin Thompson of the “Ruthless” in Port Clyde, Maine where he was affectionately known as “Cow Farmer.” >click to read< 08:50
Maine Man Pleads Guilty to Making Hoax Distress Call
On December 3, 2020, while at the Spruce Head Fisherman’s Co-op, Nathan Libby, 31, communicated a false distress call for a vessel and crew reportedly taking on water in the vicinity of Spruce Head. In response, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search lasting more than five hours, which included the use of a local Coast Guard vessel, a Maine Marine Patrol vessel, and a helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. Further investigation identified Libby as the caller and the search was suspended as a hoax call. >click to read< 07:39
RI Coastal Resources Management Council backs South Fork Offshore Wind Farm, fishermen object
The vote by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council in favor of the wind farm was made over the objections of fishermen, who argued that a mitigation package agreed to with developers Ørsted and Eversource would fall well short of adequately compensating them for losses caused by the installation and operation of the project’s 12 turbines. Certification that the wind farm is consistent with state coastal policies also came despite concerns raised by Save The Bay and others about the council’s permitting process for the wind farm, which would be built in an area called Cox Ledge in Rhode Island Sound that is home to a rich diversity of fish, including species of tuna and Atlantic cod. >click to read< 16:29
Vessel owner ordered to pay €170k ($206,193) to release trawler
Today skipper of the Punta Candieira, Vicente Meitin Sanjuan, appeared before Midleton District Court. State solicitor John Brosnan said charges were being brought under Sections 8 and 10 of the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006. The charges include unlawful fishing and being on board a vessel, which had unlawfully entered the waters of the State. He said a bond of €200,000 should be paid by the owners to release the vessel as there was valuable gear and a significant catch of hake on board. >click to read< 15:35
Whales Are Shrinking. Scientists Blame Commercial Fishing Gear
The findings, published today in the journal Current Biology, reveal that when fully grown, a North Atlantic right whale born today would be expected to be about one meter shorter than a whale born in 1980. The stunted growth of the whales coincides with an increasing rate of entanglements. A 2012 study from the New England Aquarium revealed,,, Researchers acknowledge that entanglements do not explain all of the reduced growth. Other factors might be climate change, collisions and noise from ships, and the shifting availability of tiny crustaceans called copepods, their primary food source. >click to read< 13:30
Australian lobsters back on the Chinese menu as ‘grey trade’ fires up again
Australian lobster fishermen shut out of mainland China appear to be selling millions of dollars’ worth of crayfish to the once-booming market via unofficial “grey channels”, trade experts say. Commercial fishers across the country were left reeling in November when China appeared to impose an unofficial ban on Australian lobster exports that had been worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The suspension effectively stopped the trade with China, which had been buying more than 90 per cent of lobsters exported from Australia. >click to read< 11:48
Fire it up! Can Lobsters Get High? A team of scientists tested one restaurateur’s theory
A team of scientists at the University of California San Diego have written a paper in pre-print (meaning the work has not been published or peer reviewed yet), which looks at the effects of THC, the main compound in cannabis that gets you high, on lobsters. The scientists devoted their research hours to these questions in response to a 2018 media storm, started by restaurateur Charlotte Gill. At the time, Gill, owner of Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster Pound in Southwest Harbor, Maine, wanted to find a way to cook her lobsters more humanely. So can lobsters get high? >click to read< 10:52
Seafood favorite? Division of Elections launches mock election to help Alaskans learn how to vote confusing ballot in 2022
With Alaska’s new Ballot Measure 2 having passed in November, confusion reigns about how the elections will be conducted in 2022. Ask the average Alaskan who voted for Ballot Measure 2, and you’ll get a mangled description of how it actually works. But the Alaska Division of Elections has set up an easy-to-use mock election that can help Alaskans better understand how they’ll be voting in the primary, and then how they’ll vote in November, 2022. The commenters there are not impressed! >click to read< 09:28
Spanish trawler captain to appear in Cork court
A Spanish fishing captain is due to appear before a court in County Cork this morning on charges relating to alleged breaches of fishing regulations. The Irish Naval vessel LÉ Róisín detained the Punta Candieira 95 nautical miles off the Cork coast on Monday. The vessel is from Galicia in Spain and using the long line fishing method to catch hake. The Naval Service said that the arrest, the fifth this year,,, >click to read< 08:34
08:00 – Commercial Shrimp Season is Now Open in South Carolina!
The bright lights of shrimp trawlers have been visible against the offshore horizon each night this week, which can only mean one thing, shrimp season is about to open in full in South Carolina. Commercial shrimp trawling will open in all legal South Carolina waters at 8 a.m. on Thursday. Georgia officials have not yet set an opening date for trawling season in their state waters. “After a slightly cooler start to spring, things now look pretty normal for this time of year,” >click to read< 07: 50
‘Ropeless’ Crab Gear Would Put Whales At Greater Risk
Advocates for proposed crab gear legislation in California, AB 534, often cite misleading information in support of policies that would destroy California’s iconic and sustainable trap fisheries, while doing nothing to protect whales. The main argument is that existing crab gear is responsible for most whale mortality off the California coast, and that “ropeless” or “pop-up” gear would reduce the risk to whales from fishing gear. But the reality is that commercial fishermen share the goal of minimizing interaction between marine mammals and fishing. >click to read< By Ben Platt 17:44
Britain, EU reach agreement on 2021 fishing rights
The European Union and Britain on Wednesday (June 2) reached an agreement on fishing rights for 2021, the European Commission said. The accord was finalised in a phone call between the EU’s Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius and British Secretary of State for the Environment George Eustice. “This agreement provides predictability and continuity for our fleets with definitive TACs (trade and cooperation agreements) for the remainder of the year. >click to read< 16:39
The Sipekne’katik First Nation has indefinitely postponed the start of a communal lobster fishery
The band said it was concerned for the safety of its fishermen and lacked resources to launch the fishery in St. Marys Bay. “The reality is that we would need to provide our own security and police our own gear getting seized and it feels like a costly prospect for our community after all that we have lost,” Chief Mike Sack said in a news release. The decision to postpone came following an emergency meeting of fishermen at Sipekne’katik on Wednesday morning. >click to read< 14:06
In partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project, ‘Wicked Tuna’ honors wounded veterans
A special episode of the National Geographic show ‘Wicked Tuna’ showcased six wounded veterans alongside their cast of boat captains in an effort to give back to the veteran community. One veteran who participated in the episode, Jeffery Nunez, served over five years in the Marine Corps and he believes his time on board the boat was part of his healing from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Captain Dave Marciano, featured on the show, has been particularly involved with WPP. Following season one of ‘Wicked Tuna,’ he partnered with WPP and began to take veterans on his boat for yearly charter fishing trips. >click to read< 12:46
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 49’x16′ Scalloper, Cat 3406, with Federal Permits
To review specifications, information, and 12 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here<11:14
A Fundraiser has been Established for stabbing victim Maximus Julian
Max Julian was in his last semester at the University of Rhode Island for business, and was about to graduate with high honors. His family has suffered a tragic loss. . Outside of school, he loved to ride BMX. Max also loved to go fishing, and worked on a commercial fishing boat out of Sakonnet Point in Little Compton, RI. Max was a shining light in the world, and will forever be remembered as being full of generosity, life and love. The Julian family has had to overcome great hardship in the past few years, including spending months in the hospital due to various medical emergencies, and suffering a large fire to their property. >click to read< , Fundraiser for Funeral Services for Maximus Julian – Click to read, please donate if you can. Thank you. 10:05
Copper River closed again amid low counts
This year’s Copper River sockeye run is starting out a lot like last year’s, which is bad news for most everyone, except for maybe the fish that are showing up. Alaska Department of Fish and Game managers closed the famed early season drift gillnet fishery for a second consecutive opener May 31 due to poor sockeye counts at the department’s Miles Lake sonar upriver from the fishery. Just 54,154 sockeye had been counted at Miles Lake through May 31, compared to the approximately 132,000 fish needed by that date to meet the department’s,, >click to read< 08:58
Share, and Share Alike! 35 Penniless fishermen strike gold.
A group of penniless fishermen found £1.1 million worth of “whale vomit” in the carcass of a mammal. The rare treasure, known as ambergris, is a highly sought-after substance used in the perfume industry. The 35 fishermen from southern Yemen spoke of their joy after the lucky discovery in the Gulf of Aden which lifted them out of poverty. The profits from the ambergris were divided equally among the fishermen and they also gave money to some people who needed help in the village. One fisherman said the huge amount of money also,,, photos,>click to read< 07:59
Time to hit the brakes on offshore wind farms
2017, offshore wind generation appeared to be a dead issue in Maine. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) had just completed an extensive study that deemed it too expensive for ratepayers. Now it is moving again at the speed of light. What I would like to know is, why haven’t we started an independent study on the environmental impacts of offshore wind development? We have been told that we need to move quickly given the Governor’s ambitious goals. I have heard this repeatedly and from many people in the Legislature, the bureaucracy, special interest groups and from high-paid lobbyists working for foreign corporations. Where did these goals come from, and why are we using these goals as a target? >click to read< 16:55
Ottawa reneged on 2019 commercial fishing licence for Listuguj over electoral, industry concerns
The Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government (LMG) is asking a Federal Court to review a decision by DFO after it withdrew its consent to allow harvesters to sell lobster from its Fish, Social and Ceremonial (FSC) fishery in 2019.,, The negotiations between Listuguj and DFO go back to March 2017 where the community “sought to engage with DFO to address issues related to the implementation of Listuguj’s Treaty Right, particularly as it relates to the lobster fishery,” according to the records. By early September, negotiations seemed to be over. DFO agreed to a change “in principle,” to LMG’s Fall licence meaning it could sell lobster to cover its costs, according to the documents. >click to read< 13:32
Fishing industry ‘sold down river’ by Brexit
When I read that those fish and chip shops supplied by our trawler fleet some years ago are now being supplied by Norwegian trawlers, I have to ask myself…how in heaven’s name did we allow this to happen? And when I read in the same article that good quality fish, caught by our own fisherman, were left rotting on the quayside, almost mirroring fish caught by British fishermen having to be thrown back although dead, but perfectly fit to enter our food chain, I considered both a criminal act, and if they weren’t they should have been. >click to read< 11:55
Sipekne’katik Social and Ceremonial Fishery Delayed To June 3rd
The start of a first nations lobster fishery in St. Mary’s Bay has been delayed. The Sipekne’katik First Nation planned to launch a food, social and ceremonial fishery tomorrow, but that will now begin June 3rd. The band says public health guidelines will see greater flexibility for community members to prepare, and ensure a safe and secure start to the season. The decision is a step back from a planned self-regulated moderate livelihood fishery. >click to read< 10:50
Biloxi 2021 Blessing of the Fleet and Shrimp Festival is ‘a sign of hopefulness’
The 92nd Annual Blessing of the Fleet and Shrimp Festival event took place this weekend and celebrated Biloxi’s culture, heritage and legacy. A $1,000 cash prize was awarded to the first place best decorated boat, the Kenny B. The second-best decorated boat, the Barbara K, was awarded $500, as was the participation of working boat winner, My Sons. The tradition of blessing the fishing fleet began in 1929, and marks the beginning of the fishing season for shrimp fishermen. >click to read< , and >click here< 10:09
Spanish trawler allegedly fishing illegally in Irish waters has been detained
It follows an incident in which a Spanish trawler was involved in a confrontation with Irish fishermen last Friday. That vessel is alleged to have been operating illegally within the waters of Bantry Bay, which is within Ireland’s 12-nautical mile limit. The limit gives exclusive rights to Irish-registered fishing vessels to fish in those waters. “This is the fifth vessel detained by the Naval Service in 2021. The Defence Forces conduct at-sea fishery inspections in line with the service level agreement with the Sea Fishery Protection Authority, as part of its delivery of government services to the state.” It is not clear if the detained vessel is the same one involved in Friday’s incident. >click to read< 09:15
