Monthly Archives: July 2021
New Bedford mayor unhappy with Baker pick for council pick
Plymouth resident Michael Pierdinock was named to a seat representing Massachusetts on the New England Fishery Management Council, a panel that sets rules for the fishing industry such as catch limits. It is one of eight such regional councils nationwide. Pierdinock will replace former state Rep. John Quinn, a Dartmouth resident and longtime member who had years of expertise regarding commercial fishing issues in Greater New Bedford. “When it comes to commercial fishing in Massachusetts, New Bedford should be top of mind, not an afterthought,” Mitchell added. >click to read< 09:46
Bristol Bay Fisheries Report: July 1, 2021
More than 1.9 million sockeye returned to the Nushagak District, the fleet hauled in its largest single-day harvest ever of 1.773 million fish. The timing isn’t a surprise, but the sheer size definitely is. A commercial fisherman has died after a vessel sank in the south end of Nushagak Bay on Thursday morning,,, Nushagak District fishermen caught the most fish ever in a single day in the history of the district. Josh Crozby owns and operates the tender Icelander. He and his crew were on the south line of the Nushagak River, about 25 miles downriver from Dillingham. Crozby said the huge swell of salmon caught them by surprise. Audio report, >click to listen/read< 08:28
Commercial fishing reforms come into play across South Australia
South Australia’s much-anticipated $24.5 million reform of the marine scalefish fishery officially went into effect on July 1. The state government says changes will strengthen the long-term financial and ecological sustainability of the commercial fishing industry. Changes include a trading system where fishers can exchange and bid for quotas to catch certain species, as well as new zones and other regulatory changes. The changes have not come without some disruption, as the government bought out licence holders. For example, as many as half of Kangaroo Island’s commercial marine scale fishermen decided to surrender their licences. Late last year, applications for nearly 130 commercial fishing licence surrenders had been received in the state government’s reform of the marine scalefish fishery. >click to read< 07:44
1 fatality, 2 survive sinking of a commercial fishing boat in Nushagak Bay
Alaska State Troopers said one person is dead after a commercial fishing vessel sank toward the south side of Nushagak Bay on Thursday morning. Two additional people on board survived the incident, according to an online dispatch report,>click here<, and declined medical attention after being saved by Alaska Wildlife Troopers patrolling the area.,,, Troopers arrived and helped one person out of the water, while two commercial fishing vessels at the scene pulled the other two mariners out. “The Alaska Wildlife Troopers would like to thank the F/V Fortress and F/V Last Frontier for their assistance during the rescue operation,” >click to read< 18:26
Ireland’s fishermen and farmers fight the Brexit fallout
Ireland’s fishermen and farmers took to Dublin to protest what they feel are unfair regulations. They are not happy with the Irish government either, which they say is failing to stand up for them. The issues involved for our fishermen and farmers are different, of course, but they go back to the same roots, as we will explain in a moment. First the fishermen. In the middle of last week, a huge flotilla of fishing boats sailed up the Liffey,,, It was the most picturesque protest we have seen here in a long time. >click to read< 18:12
Of family and fishing, ‘The Nunans of Cape Porpoise’
A new book, “The Nunans of Cape Porpoise,” tells a story in words and photographs of the Nunan family, immigrants from Ireland, who settled in the village in 1861 and began fishing. Eight generations later, there are many members of the Nunan family who continue the hard work of pulling their living from the sea. Some family members fish and some are also otherwise engaged in the lobstering industry; “The Nunans of Cape Porpoise” is a book about a family, and more. It is a book about a way of life,,, photos, >click to read< 16:32
James (Jimmy) Omegna, a retired commercial fisherman. has passed away in Tacoma, Washington
James (Jimmy) Omegna 04-05-1946 to 02-21-21 – Jim was born in Tacoma, grew up in the Fife Valley and lived his whole life in Washington State. Jim was an avid fisherman, bird hunter, journeyman plumber, entrepreneur, and boat captain; the best father and a kind and generous friend and neighbor to many people, from Alaska to Baja, Mexico. Jim was a popular and successful charter captain based in Westport, WA where he operated his boats the Cold Spaghetti I and II during the 70’s and 80’s. As the industry declined, he switched gears to commercial fishing in Bristol Bay, AK during the summer herring and salmon seasons. When not in Alaska, he fished the San Francisco Bay herring runs and worked The Great Salt Lake brine shrimp season, he was never one to sit still. >click to read< 14:45
New Hampshire: Skull of extinct Atlantic walrus on display at Explore the Ocean World Oceanarium
Tom Testaverde was fishing his stern trawler, the fishing vessel, F/V Midnight Sun, in about 50 fathoms (300 feet) of water along Race Point off Provincetown, Massachusetts, in the Gulf of Maine. He hauled in the “bag” of fish, concentrating on the catch and the species as the bag opened and spilled onto the deck, when he saw what looked like a middle finger sticking out of the mesh between the fish.,, The skull resided in his garage for many years, but is now on loan to the Oceanarium. Seeing the tusks in person is a real treat and one I love to share with visitors.,,, Many thanks to Tom and the crew of the Midnight Sun for the generous loan of this great piece of natural history. >click to read< 12:22
S.C. Lawmakers set aside $3.2M for projects. Where the money’s going? Some to Port Royal’s shrimp docks
A handful of local projects will see at least $3.2 million in state tax dollars, thanks to money earmarked by Beaufort County legislators in the state budget was approved over objections from S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster. Among the projects receiving the money are Port Royal’s shrimp docks,,, In the state budget, lawmakers designated a total of $900,000 for repairs and redevelopment of a town-run shrimp dock in Port Royal, where seafood processing operations will be suspended after years of financial losses. “It’s the only publicly owned shrimp dock on the eastern coast of the United States,” said Rep. Shannon Erickson, a Beaufort Republican who sponsored the earmarked money. >click to read< 11:03
100s of offshore wind farm turbines greenlighted for New Jersey coast – Groucho Marx is all in!
Two wind farm projects were approved, and would provide enough power for 1.1 million homes,,, sure they will! The two projects are a 110-turbine wind farm by Atlantic Shores, which is owned by European power companies Shell New Energies US and EDF Renewables North America, and a 82-turbine farm by Ørsted called Ocean Wind 2. Atlantic Shores’ farm will be located about 10.5 miles off the coast of shore towns north of Atlantic City. Ørsted’s Ocean Wind 2 will be nearly 14 miles off Cape May. >click to read< – If Wind Farm Is Constructed You May Soon Forget It Is There – I’m going to have to buy Groucho Marx glasses, complete with a large nose, mustache and huge eyebrows, to dare show my face on LBI after writing this column. But stupid or brave, here I go. I support the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind proposal,,, Better wind than fossil fuels or nuclear. Natural gas pipelines can blow up; as for nuclear, I have only six words – Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. Do you remember when the Ocean County Health Department used to distribute potassium iodide pills in case of an incident at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station? Stupidity abounds. >click to read< Bill Gates says you’re all wrong! Game Changer: Bill Gates Backs Safe & Reliable Next Generation Nuclear Power Plants – >click to read<
Retired Commercial Fisherman Leon “Bud” Francis Champlin Sr., of Narragansett, RI, has passed away
Leon “Bud” Francis Champlin Sr., 98, of Narragansett, passed away Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Born in North Kingstown, he was the son of the late Leon Mayfield Champlin and Madeline (Dillion) Champlin. He was the husband of the late Madeline Jane (Whaley) Champlin. Bud served in the Merchant Marines during WW II. After his return home, he laid out plans for an eastern rig dragger to his father-in-law, Cliff Whaley, a local ship builder and third generation of Point Judith Lighthouse keepers. Bud and his family assisted Cliff in building his 48-foot fishing boat, “Jane Lorraine”. In December of 1948, Bud, while fishing with Cliff Whaley and his brothers John and Kenny, dragged up a live bomb leftover from WW II. Just before the net reached the surface, the depth charge exploded. The boat and crew were towed back to port and assisted by Babe and Howard Whaley, Jack and Chet Westcott, Norman Gilbert and Dub Barrows. The fishing community was a close tight knit group of men, always there for one another. After repairs and adding a 12-foot piece to the middle of the “Jane Lorraine”, she continued to fish for another sixty + years with Bud as her captain, finally retiring at age 86. >click to read< 07:20
