Monthly Archives: August 2021
While cargo shipments boom, ship strikes imperil whales in California and worldwide
Earlier this year, horrific photos of two fin whales pinned to the hull of an Australian naval ship gained worldwide attention. The vessel had been conducting exercises in the waters near San Diego. The two bodies, one 65 feet long, the other just 25 feet, were draped over the hull. “Anywhere you have major shipping routes and whales in the same place, you are going to see collisions,” said Russell Leaper, an expert with the International Whaling Commission. “Unfortunately, that’s the situation in many places.” While gray whales and humpbacks make up 70% of the reported strikes in the government’s database, it’s the endangered and threatened populations such as North Atlantic right whales and the gargantuan Pacific blues that concern scientists the most. For those whales, each death comes with a risk of population or species extinction. >click to read< 12:06
Lobster Fisherman Is New Brunswick’s Newest Millionaire
Atlantic Lottery says Clovis Roussel heard someone in his community had won and found out it was him when he went to the store. Roussel says his five children are also in the lobster fishery and one of his sons couldn’t believe he was a winner. “I walked in and told my son that I was going to buy myself a new truck and pay for it in cash,” Roussel said. “He didn’t believe me, so I told him it was because I had won $1million.” “’You’re lying,’ he says! Congratulations, Clovis! >click to read< 10:31
Humpy harvest pushes Prince William Sound catch to 39.8M
Purse seine fishing for pink salmon continues in earnest in Prince William Sound, with the humpy catch alone through Wednesday, Aug. 11 reaching nearly 36 million fish and an overall commercial salmon harvest at 39.8 million fish. That’s up from 31.9 million pinks and an overall Prince William Sound harvest of 35.7 million fish as of a week earlier. Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials noted that the purse seine fishery in the eastern section of Prince William Sound alone had harvested over 21 million humpies, while in the northern section the humpy catch was 4.9 million fish. >click to read<08:49
Louisiana sues NMFS over ‘devastating’ rule for its shrimpers
Louisiana has sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in New Orleans federal court to stop it from implementing a regulation that obliges certain shrimp fishermen to install devices that keep endangered sea turtles out of their catch. In a Wednesday complaint, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said the rule that took effect on Aug. 1, about a week before the beginning of the state’s shrimping season, will have “devastating consequences” on the fishermen’s already thin profit margins, and has sowed confusion with fishermen unable to find enough suppliers of so-called turtle-excluder devices for their fishing nets because the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the supply chain. >click to read< 19:38
What Happened To the F/V Saga? Here’s what’s going on.
“Deadliest Catch,” is currently knee-deep in its 17th season and rapidly approaching the 300 episode mark. In that time, the series has taken viewers on expeditions across the Bering Sea,,, For the first few episodes of “Deadliest Catch” Season 17, The Saga was nowhere to be found. Some fans questioned if Captain Jake Anderson’s vessel finally sank, and others pondered whether or not it was merely being repaired for unknown reasons. All of this speculation was put to bed when it reemerged in the episode “Restricted Zone,” which aired on May 25, 2021, with its absence never fully explained. >click to read< 15:43
Former Senator Scott Brown to return to the political arena
New Hampshire Primary Source has confirmed that Scott Brown, the former Massachusetts US Senator who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate from New Hampshire in 2014, has reactivated his political action committee and intends to help Republican candidates from New Hampshire and elsewhere who share his desire to end partisan gridlock in Washington. That’s according to a letter of resignation Brown sent Wednesday to New England Law-Boston, where Brown had served as president since 2019, when he returned from New Zealand and Samoa, where he served the Trump administration as ambassador. “In the months ahead, I look forward to re-engaging in the political arena in support of candidates and causes who share my vision of rebuilding the Republican Party,” Interested in your position on offshore wind farms, Scott! >click to read< 13:59
Fishermen Protest Upcoming Bid for Wind Farms in New York Bight
With the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management preparing to open more lease areas on the Continental Shelf to wind farm developers by the end of the month, the fourth and last meeting between fishermen and BOEM officials took place Aug. 6 in New Bedford, Mass. with fishermen calling for a halt to leasing until more science on potential environmental impacts could be completed. The New York Bight is a triangle in the ocean between Montauk Point at the end of Long Island and Cape May at the southern tip of New Jersey. A total of eight leases will be for sale there. The larger portion of the lease area is located 35 miles off New Jersey and can’t be seen from shore, but it does pose hazards for fishing ships transiting the area and impacts the quahog, surf clam, squid and scallop fisheries. >click to read< 12:02
Potter’s Seafood carries on the “historic heritage” of Southport
The small yellow building tucked in the corner of Southport’s Yacht Basin represents what’s left of the once prominent and bustling seafood industry in the town. The building is home to Potter’s Seafood, an institution in Southport that’s been selling local seafood since 1899. Royce Potter is carrying on the family tradition as the fifth generation of Potters to catch and sell seafood along the waterfront of Southport. The town, located at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, once revolved around the fishing industry but now relies on tourism and Potter’s is the last of its kind. Video, photos, >click to read< 10:22
New Zealand: Reparation sought for family of man who died on Sanford factory trawler
New Plymouth man Steffan Antony Stewart, 26, was discovered fatally injured on the factory deck of the San Granit on November 14, 2018, after becoming trapped in a piece of machinery aboard the New Zealand-registered deep-sea factory trawler. The deckhand immediately raised the alarm, but after Stewart was removed from the accumulator the ship’s medic found no signs of life. The 67-metre vessel, which had been trawling 102 kilometres east of Banks Peninsula, immediately returned to Timaru’s port, arriving about 4pm that day. Representatives of Maritime New Zealand and Sanford appeared before Judge Tony Couch in the Timaru District Court on Thursday. >click to read< 09:25
Converted Great Lakes Fishing Tug makes fishing possible for the disabled
A specially designed boat is connecting those with physical challenges to the joys of fishing on the water. “It’s amazing. I can’t believe it took so long for someone to come up with this idea,” Sean Ferry of Erie said about At The Lake Ministries in Erie. The nonprofit group converted a former commercial ship into a fishing boat that accommodates wheelchairs.,, Now they have a large ship that can handle groups of people who are facing similar challenges and spend a day outdoors.,, Volunteers, including some who are trained welders, electricians and painters, worked to convert the 53-foot ship into a passenger watercraft. It was built in 1980 and was the last commercial fishing vessel built by Paasch Marine Services (200th hull). The ship was formerly owned by the Munch family of commercial anglers and they named it the Jo-Ann M in honor of the family’s matriarch. Wilson said it’s only fitting the name stays with the ship. Video, photos, >click to read< 08:08
Wing Slashes Shrimp Trawling Fuel Costs and By-catch Rates
Randy Skinner’s Wing Trawl System has been through a few generations of development, each tested and put through its paces on board his own shrimper, the 65′ (19.80m), twin-engine F/V Apache Rose, working across the seasons to try out the Wing Trawl under all weather conditions as well as across the range of depths the shrimp fleet operates. He set up Environmental Trawling Solutions as a company to continue to develop and produce the WTS. ‘There are no drawbacks that I’ve been able to find,’ he said. The results have been startlingly successful, as the Wing Trawl has 
returned lower fuel costs – plus a significant reduction in by-catch, demonstrated in a comparative trial carried out with the University of New Orleans. The drop in by-catch is a major advantage that hadn’t been anticipated at the outset, as his initial goal was to develop gear that would be more economic to run. photos, videos, >click to read< 20:42
This Wing Will Fly! Wing Trawling System Wins Ocean Exchange Neptune Award – October 21, 2017, The winner of the Ocean Exchange Neptune Award in the amount of $100,000 USD is Wing Trawling System or WTS (USA-AL). >click to read<
Canada implements the $20M Whalesafe Gear Adoption Fund
The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, announced the new $20 million Whalesafe Gear Adoption Fund, to help harvesters in Atlantic Canada and Quebec adopt whalesafe gear into their commercial fishing operations. Over the next two years, this funding will be available to support Indigenous and non-indigenous harvesters, not-for-profit organizations, academia and other partners to purchase, test and refine existing whalesafe gear, such as low breaking strength rope and ropeless gear technology, with the goal of making them operational by 2023. The Whalesafe Gear Adoption Fund will also provide support to Canadian manufacturers to encourage domestic supply of commercially-ready whalesafe gear by 2023. >click to read< 14:53
Haaland, politicians visit Humboldt Bay to discuss offshore wind farms that will create jobs and stuff!
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory were joined by Huffman and California Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas. The foursome stood in front of the fisherman statue, with Humboldt Bay at their backs and a breeze blowing in from offshore. “Since the first days of this administration, President Biden has been committed to confronting climate change, creating thousands of good-paying union jobs and paving the way for the nation’s transition to a cleaner energy future,” Haaland said, adding that offshore offshore wind is a critical component of that agenda. >click to read<, and the press release, >click here to read< 13:18
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 52′ Steel Trawler, Cat 3406, with Federal/State Permits
To review specifications, information, and 13 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here<-11:27
Tribal fisheries advocate Lorraine Loomis of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has passed away
Loomis spent the last about 40 years serving the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, most recently as chairperson. She began her career in fisheries working in fish processing in 1970, and then became fisheries manager for her home tribe following the 1974 Boldt decision that reaffirmed tribes’ treaty-protected fishing rights.,, Chairperson of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission is the lead negotiator for tribes in the North of Falcon salmon fisheries planning process with the state of Washington. Loomis was also involved in developing the Pacific Salmon Treaty between the U.S. and Canada, served on the Fraser River Panel that manages sockeye and pink salmon, and encouraged local restoration and research for salmon and shellfish. >click to read< 09:13
Fishing times they are a changing!
A new strategy for the fishing industry in Cornwall is set to be created as the value of fish landed continues to rise. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has been working with the Cornwall Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO) to draw up the new strategy looking at how the industry can be prepared for the future. Paul Trebilcock, chief executive of the CFPO, told the LEP board this week that fishing was part of the “social fabric” of Cornwall. He explained that the fishing industry in Cornwall was bigger than that in Wales and Northern Ireland in terms of fish landed and fishermen. >click to read< 08:27
Misinformation Tension – DFO moving fishery officers into area from across Nova Scotia and Canada
Federal fishery officers from across Canada are being moved to southwestern Nova Scotia as tensions rise again over an Indigenous lobster fishery underway in St. Marys Bay. The top enforcement officer at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans blames misinformation for aggravating the situation, asking both Indigenous and commercial fishermen and their supporters, to step back. “What I want to say to people is to give the fishery officers space to do their jobs. They are doing their jobs.,,, McCready said she is worried the dispute is becoming even more polarizing because of misinformation. One recent claim, she said, is that DFO officers “colluded” with commercial fishermen and cut lines on Indigenous-owned vessels. >click to read< 07:18
A virus that flourishes in fish farms is now threatening wild populations.
Wild salmon in British Columbia are in trouble. According to one estimate, some populations have dropped by as much as 93 percent since the early 1990s. Lately, the situation has grown dire.,, Last year, the number of sockeye returning to spawn in the Fraser River crashed to a record low. It’s hard to say exactly why this is happening, though logging, climate change, and overfishing all seem to play a role. Among the most controversial potential factors, however, is the virus Piscine orthoreovirus, or PRV. The virus isn’t necessarily fatal, but infected fish may be weakened and unable to swim as fast, making them more likely to be eaten by predators or fail to migrate upriver in order to spawn,,, Not everyone agrees. Among the dissenters is Fisheries and Oceans Canada-DFO,,, >click to read< Killing Sea Lions to Save the Salmon, February 1,1925, Dorothy G. Bell, >click to read< 19:39
Grant: Researchers to find ways to prevent injury in the Dungeness crab fishery
The grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, totaling $895,000 over the next three years, will allow OSU professors Jay Kim and Laurel Kincl to build on existing research with the Dungeness crab fishing industry, where workers suffer high rates of both fatal and non-fatal injuries. For their upcoming study, Kim and Kincl will look specifically at the configuration of the “block,” the mechanized winch that pulls up the line of crab pots out of the water and swings them into the boat; and the crab sorting table, where crabs are sorted after being brought up from the water. >click to read< 18:18
Whitby fisherman saved by “strength and determination” after dramatic rescue
A Whitby fisherman’s mental and physical strength saved his life after a dramatic rescue. The fisherman was pulled into the water by his fishing gear and sustained a broken arm after being in the water for some time. He was rescued by a nearby pleasure boat called the Summer Queen, who responded to a mayday call put out by another passenger on the fisherman’s boat. “The outcome to this could have been very different, I would like to praise the fisherman for his strength and determination keeping hold of his lobster pot end despite having substantial injuries. >click to read< 15:36
Racing Pigeon News! Lost racing pigeon gets lift home to Ireland on Cork trawler
Lady Ann’s owner thought she was lost forever when bad weather made her fly off course during a 405-mile race,,, However, the pigeon landed on a trawler fishing for prawns 180 miles of the west coast of Ireland where she stayed with the crew for two weeks. Patrick Diver, skipper of the ‘Alannah Reilly’ boat, says the crew grew very attached to the pigeon,,, “We are based out of Castletownbere and there were nine of us out on a 26-day fishing trip for prawns, about 180 miles from the coast. “The pigeon landed on the boat and was quite cheeky in that she’d make her way inside the wheelhouse anytime she’d see the door open. >click to read< 09:37
Five Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations demand fishing rights
“Our 5 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations demand reconciliation and recognition of their rights as affirmed in the constitution and declared by the Courts. They can not wait any longer for Canada to work with them on fishing plans and will be fishing under the authority of their Ha’wiih and asserting their rights as they have done since time immemorial,” said Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council President Dr. Judith Sayers,, The joint-statement demands that the five Nations have the right to fish and sell fish and adds that that right is “second only to conservation and has priority over the recreational and commercial sectors.” >click to read< 08:50
‘We’re quite happy’ P.E.I. fall lobster fishery has ‘higher demand than we’ve ever seen before,’
Fall lobster fishing in western P.E.I. seems to be off to a good start amid talk demand could be as high as it’s ever been in the season. On Monday morning, fishermen started setting their traps in Lobster Fishing Area 25, located at the western end of the Northumberland Strait between P.E.I. and New Brunswick. Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the P.E.I. Lobster Marketing Board, says the sector has benefited recently from a considerable rise in demand for live lobster within Canada, as more people decide to cook at home due to the pandemic. “This year it seems there’s a higher demand than we’ve ever seen before, which we’re quite happy about.” >click to read< 08:19
Fish galore on Monday morning’s market in Newlyn!
Algrie heads away from the gaps past the Mount on a fine morning passing the Irene at anchor in Gwavas Lake, hopefully those wet looking clouds will dissipate throughout the day,,, plenty of fish and photos, >click to read< 22:20
A citizen writes: More discussion needed on offshore wind farm energy
Regarding the recent Press editorial, “State preempting local roadblocks to wind energy helps NJ, especially Ocean City”: The editorial is full of many of the misperceptions about the 100 planned (in the first phase),, seems to assume that everybody is for green energy, On a website, 10,980 people have signed a petition to stop this specific project. The Ocean City Council has done its homework. That is why they are pushing back on the state of New Jersey stripping them of their right to govern themselves in this matter. >click to read< by Ed Roland 19:07
Delcambre Shrimp Festival, Blessing of the Fleet Set for August 18th – 22nd
From shrimp to sugar and gumbo, Iberia Parish is getting ready for the busy fall festival season with three major festivals to be held in person this year. Shrimp rules at the Delcambre Shrimp Festival, which celebrates the town of Delcambre’s local shrimping industry with a street fair, delicious dishes and top notch entertainment. This year’s festival is set for Aug. 18-22. >click to read< For more information and the complete schedule of events, visit ShrimpFestival.net or email [email protected]
British Columbia: Pollution expert aims to create ‘water champions’
Peter Ross, an internationally recognized expert in water pollution, looks out over the sparkling waters of Burrard Inlet and sees something others do not. Invisible chemicals tend to be out of sight and out of mind, says Ross. But they leach into watercourses and into the marine food chain, creating “an invisible crisis.” “There are 500,000 chemicals on the global marketplace,” he said. Many of those will surreptitiously make their way into the food chain. Salmon heading up the Fraser River are also “basically running a gauntlet,” said Ross, “past wastewater treatment plants, past farms, past pulp mills, past refineries and storm drains.” Pollution is also an issue in drinking water,>click to read< – A global problem? 6PPD quinone: The environmental contaminant killing Coho salmon-An everyday chemical has been found to be highly toxic. Contamination of waterways is responsible for what had been the unexplained mass deaths of Coho salmon. We take a look at 6-PPD quinone, >click to read<14:39
Rockport, Maine: A day at the wharf
“Go ahead, but stay out of their way,” the man running the wharf tells me, as I head down July 20 to get some photos of the lobster being unloaded from incoming boats. “They’ll knock you over!” There is enough humor in his voice to let me know he is friendly,,, The wharf is not spacious for the amount of work is being done there. Lobster is being loaded from boats into crates that are lifted by a little crane to be loaded onto the trucks. While two sternmen on one boat are quickly unloading, another vessel pulls in nearby to fuel up. Lot of photos of hard working people. >click to read< 11:28
Fishing boat sinks after catching fire off the Hartlepool coast
Both Hartlepool RNLI lifeboats were paged at 10.26 am on Monday, August 9, following a request by Humber Coastguard after reports that flares had been fired from a boat off Hartlepool. Both Hartlepool RNLI boats launched at 10.35 am and were alongside the stricken vessel within a few minutes. On arrival at the scene, a lifeboat crew member from the inshore lifeboat was placed aboard the second fishing boat that had taken the skipper to provide casualty care although none was required. photos, >click to read< 10:11
