Daily Archives: September 28, 2021

Listuguj Mi’kmaq can legally sell fall lobster catch for the 1st time – Not everyone is happy

“Everyone’s excited,” said Denny Isaac, associate director of fisheries for the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government. “Monday was the first harvest, the first haul of the traps. Everyone’s excited ’cause…it’s also the first day the community gets a feed of lobster.” In April, Listuguj signed a five-year rights reconciliation agreement with Canada’s Minister of Fisheries Bernadette Jordan and in August, the two sides came to terms on a licensed fall commercial lobster fishery.,, “Not everyone in the region is happy about the new commercial harvest. “Commercial fishermen who have always been at the forefront of conservation deplore DFO’s decision to transform what was previously supposed to be a small fall lobster fishery into a full-blown, unchecked commercial fishery,” >click to read< 19:15

Search called off for missing Mary’s Harbour fishermen

The RCMP is calling off search efforts for two missing fishermen in Mary’s Harbour after 10 days and 9,460 square nautical miles of area covered.,, “All known areas of interest or abnormality have been explored with the use of trained spotters in the air, a side-scan sonar device, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and other specialized underwater equipment,” the RCMP said.  “The two men and their vessel remain missing.” The missing men are Marc Russell and Joey Jenkins, who were on board their vessel, the Island Lady. They were last heard from around 4 p.m. on Sept. 17. >click to read< 13:31

Pandemic economy brings record Southeast Dungeness crab prices

Southeast’s summer Dungeness crab season ended up being worth $13 million. That’s about double the $7.52 million average over the last decade. The summer fishery brought in just over 3.09 million pounds of Dungeness crab.,, the average price paid for Dungeness crab this summer was a record breaker at $4.21 per pound. “That’s a record high price for the fishery, said Joe Stratman,“This summer, in terms of total value and average price, it vastly exceeds the recent 10-year average,” >click to read< 12: 48

Reducing Ship Strikes: House of Representatives Important New Protections for Whales

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted in support of a slew of new protections for whales and marine mammals. These protections include measures to reduce vessel collisions with large whales and new programs aimed at reducing chronic underwater noise from vessels. If enacted, they would amount to the most substantial new legislative measures for marine mammals in years. >click to read< 10:59

Ex-lobbyist enlists former Fish & Game official to fight charges of illegal seining

The 12-hour purse seining opener began at 7 a.m. on September 2, 2021 in Silver Bay. Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited five people on four vessels for allegedly fishing in closed water. Robert Thorstenson Jr., who goes by Bobby, was among a group of seiners cited on September 2 during a 12-hour opener in Sitka’s Silver Bay Terminal Harvest Area. “The last thing I wanted was a ticket,” the Juneau-based fisherman said. “So I call the trooper to me and I asked him where I could legally fish, and he told me where I could legally fish. So I went over there and set there, and then he came over and wrote me a ticket.” >click to read< 09:16

A day in the life of a Georgia shrimper

Capt. Eddie Poppell, 61, arrives with his crew, sons Bubba, 40, and Jake, 24, to start outfitting the F/V Sea Fox for a day of shrimping in the shallow coastal waters of Georgia. Ice is shoveled into bins that are dragged from the fish house to the Sea Fox in anticipation of the boat’s refrigerator-sized coolers being filled with shrimp by day’s end. They throw some provisions for the day onto the boat — snacks, water, sodas and cigarettes — and do a routine systems check. The three men go about their tasks quietly, but with the sureness only countless trips can hone. photos, >click to read< 08:03 Additional COVID financial relief is available to members of Georgia’s marine fishing-industry>click to read<

Mills Administration Granted Intervenor Status to Support Maine’s Lobster Industry in Lawsuit

Governor Janet Mills announced today that a federal judge has granted her Administration’s motion to intervene in the pending litigation Center for Biological Diversity v. Ross in the U.S. District Court in the D.C. Circuit. “Intervening in this case is a critically important step in the state’s efforts to support Maine’s vital lobster industry,” said Governor Mills. “A court decision in the plaintiff’s favor could close Maine’s lobster fishery altogether – a completely unacceptable outcome that would be devastating to our lobstermen and their families and devastating to our coastal communities and our economy. We will fight tooth and nail to prevent that from happening.” >click to read< 07:09