Monthly Archives: September 2021
Thirteen year old Fisherman home after seven weeks of tuna fishing with his dad
After much pleading, Liam Deasy’s mother, Monica said she and his father, Niall, agreed to allow him to travel from Killybegs to Union Hall on board the F/V Ocean Pioneer. ‘We thought he’d be happy with that but he talked us ‘round,’ said Monica. Liam joined his dad, his cousins, and a reliable crew, when they went tuna fishing on June 28th. ‘He was only meant to go for two weeks. I was supposed to collect him when they made their first landing, but he enjoyed it so much he didn’t want to come home,’ said Monica. Liam’s grandfather and father are all fishermen, which would account for his abiding interest in all things maritime-related. >click to read< 09:59
About that “seat at the table”,,, New England Aqua Ventus Monhegan project a concern for fishermen
Boothbay region fishermen and community members are expressing concern over the New England Aqua Ventus project, a floating offshore wind turbine to be built two miles south of Monhegan. NEAV is a partnership between Maine Prime Technologies – a business arm of the University of Maine – and wind industry giants Diamond Offshore Wind, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, and RWE Renewables.,,, “Now I sit on this panel and I’m being asked ‘How can we do this better’ even though I’m being told it’s still going to happen … Boothbay lobsterman Eben Wilson, “People have been telling me it’s such a great opportunity to have a seat at the table, and I’m like, a seat at the table? For what? To tell them how to cut my throat better? Or how to cut it slower?” >click to read< 09:02
Southern Louisiana bayou fishing community left tattered by Hurricane Ida
Chad Portier of Faith Family Shrimp, a fishing operation in Chauvin, La., stands inside his 80-foot-trawler, the F/V Jenson Joseph, where he and seven family members and neighbors rode out Hurricane Ida. The wind damage of Hurricane Ida has left small fishing vessels scattered and destroyed along Bayou Little Caillou in Chauvin, La. With the scattered debris, sunken ships and damaged lock systems along the coast in southern Louisiana, locals fear it could be months before the fishing industry can make a full comeback. 11 photos, >click to read< 07:29
Plymouth fisherman stuck at sea after falling overboard ‘lucky to be alive’
Paul Reed was only rescued thanks to a vital piece of equipment which sent a distress signal to the emergency services. Paul was heading towards Salcombe on the morning of Friday 3 September when the boat he was on, the Sidney Rose, hit a patch of rough weather. He tripped and fell overboard, becoming stuck in the water with no chance of swimming to shore. But his decision to put on his lifejacket would prove crucial. >video, click to read< 21:23
Massachusetts man rescues woman from burning Rowley home
A Massachusetts man who lost his wife and two young children in a fire 20 years ago is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a neighbor from her burning home in Rowley. Commercial fisherman Mark Collum says he heard a woman screaming for help at about 5 a.m. Sunday. He ran outside and noticed his neighbor’s house on Wethersfield Street was on fire, which prompted him to call 911. He then ran into the home and was able to get his neighbor, Deb Shanahan, out of the fire. Shanahan was hurt, but her injuries are not believed to be serious. In January 2001, Collum’s wife, Lisa, and their two daughters, 4-year-old Lindsay and 5-month-old Carly, died after a fire ripped through their Ipswich home. >Video, click to read< 17:50
American Aquafarms salmon farm anxious to explain its vision. pssst, Eirik. No one wants it.
Officials representing a controversial salmon farm proposed for Frenchman Bay hope to meet with the public in the coming weeks to explain their vision amid vocal and visible opposition. Ten days ago, a flotilla of boats showed their opposition to the project in the water surrounding Acadia National Park. Company vice president Eirik Jors said American Aquafarms wants to open a U.S. location to help meet the growing demand for 
salmon. “The U.S. imports about 90% of its seafood,”,,, Save it, Eirik. National Park Service blasted the proposal in July., Other groups, including Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage and Frenchman Bay United, are worried about the loss of fishing grounds for lobstermen and others. James West, a fourth-generation fisherman from Sorrento, said the lease site is too big and he’s worried about impacts on lobsters and fish. >click to read< 15:39
Tasmanian fish farms wreck pristine wilderness area’s, producing a toxic product we believe healthy
Enlightenment is dawning, but very slowly.,,, The latest shock is the discovery that a staple of the Australian diet, fresh salmon, is not as healthy as we hoped, but terribly polluted. We are told it is rich in essential fatty acids like Omega-3, anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals. But there is something fishy about this succulent, pink delicacy. Most salmon consumed here is non-native Atlantic salmon, farmed in the warming waters off Tasmania, and a Tasmanian has lifted the lid on the can of worms. Novelist Richard Flanagan’s latest book, Toxic, subtitled The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry, leaves a nasty taste but makes compelling reading. >click to read< 13:03
SEA-NL: Province to review foreign investment in fishery
SEA-NL is encouraged by news that the province has finally commenced a review of its policies related to foreign investment in the fishery, with consultations planned for this fall. “Our message now is for complete transparency,,, Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Minister Derrick Bragg wrote SEA-NL on Friday, Sept. 3rd, to reveal his department has begun work on a review of its policies regarding foreign ownership in the fishery. Bragg advised that consultations with industry stakeholders are scheduled for late October-November. The minister’s letter was in response to one written by Cleary to Premier Furey on Aug. 23rd requesting the province investigate foreign control/corporate concentration in the fish processing sector. >click to read< 10:29
American Seafood Corp. Fights Giant Jones Act Penalties
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has stirred up a storm in the Alaska pollock fishery by issuing Jones Act penalty notices totaling about S350 million. According to a lawsuit filed by an affiliate of factory trawler giant American Seafoods Corporation, the fines could raise the price of pollock and even lead to shortages in the eastern U.S., the region affected by the enforcement action. Through the operations of its Alaska Reefer Management affiliate, American Seafoods routinely delivers Alaskan fish to customers on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard using chartered foreign-flag vessels. These ships are loaded in Dutch Harbor, then transit through the Panama Canal and around the East Coast to the port of Bayside, Canada. At Bayside, the cargo is offloaded into truck trailers for delivery to the Eastern United States. >click to read< 09:18
A lifetime at sea
Retired skippers John Arthur Irvine and Willie Williamson have more than 100 years of fishing between them. Both played a key roll in progressing Whalsay’s pelagic fishing industry to what it is today. Here they share some of their stories with Cloe Irvine. They worked close to shore and learning from the older hands of how to navigate using fishing ‘meids’ was essential. When the first Decca navigators came in they helped a bit but they were a far cry from the satellite navigation that is the standard today. Recalling those early fishing trips to John Arthur, now 77 years old, said it had been vital to take on board the lessons that the older generation had passed on. “We didn’t even have a radar when we first went to Aberdeen, with stacked mist half of the time. >click to read< 08:11
Boats Become Homes after Hurricane Ida
Shrimp boats that line the bayou are damaged but still afloat after Hurricane Ida. “Oh, we have Lowrance, plotters, GPS…”, says Carey Chauvin. The major hurricane force winds completely destroyed homes in bayou towns like Chauvin. Now residents are forced to seek shelter elsewhere until they are able to rebuild. Growing up we endured every storm on this boat. Named after my mom, the F/V Lady Melissa. Photos, Video >click to watch< 18:49
New Brunswick: 4 rescued from sinking herring boat off Miscou
Herring fisherman Steven Hughes was the first person to arrive at the scene. He said he and his crew were alerted around 05:00 that a boat was taking on water. “There was water over the engines and the engine stalled, so they had no more power for it to advance,” he said. “The water was coming up to the battery, so basically their radio, stuff like that, there was a time limit on that usage.” Hughes said they then called the coast guard and decided to tow the boat. >click to read< 17:41
‘If we hadn’t cut the nets we would have gone down’
One spring day in 2015, Paul Murphy was out fishing for langoustines in the Irish Sea on his trawler, the Karen. The weather was good, the sea calm, and when the Karen suddenly shuddered to a violent halt, he thought its nets had simply snagged the seabed. Then, to his horror, the ship was dragged backwards at high speed as if the nets had caught some monster of the deep. Murphy quit fishing in the wake of the incident, hoping to put it behind him. But it all came back last week when he and his wife chanced to watch Vigil, the new BBC murder-mystery drama set on one of Britain’s Trident-armed nuclear submarines,>click to read< ,, April 16, 2015, Irish Trawler Karen dragged backwards, by submarine – Ardglass-based trawler Karen was almost 20 miles off the coast on Wednesday at around 4.20pm when skipper Paul Murphy discovered that his nets had been snagged and it was being dragged. “It happened that quickly, we kept our heads, we kept calm, the crew were straight to the winch to release the wires, so we knew what we had to do. >click to read< 14:44
Small Fishing Vessel Code enters into force – Updated vessel inspection requirement
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency Code of Practice for Small Fishing Vessels now includes a requirement for fishing boats to be inspected both in and out of the water every five years. Previously, the requirement was only for fishing boats to be inspected in the water when first joining the UK Ship Register and after that inspected either in or out of the water once every five years. Between 2012-2020 there were 52 fishing fatalities which translates to a figure of 50 fishermen in every 100,000 losing their lives at work. There are about 12,000 fishermen and 5,400 fishing vessels in the UK fleet. >click to read<12:39
Hurricane Ida: Coast Guard Probing 350 Reports of Oil Spills in the Gulf of Mexico
The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was probing nearly 350 reports of oil spills in and along the U.S. Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Hurricane Ida’s 150 mile per hour winds wreaked havoc on offshore oil production platforms and onshore oil and gas processing plants. About 88% of the region’s offshore oil production remains shut and more than 100 platforms unoccupied after the storm made landfall Aug. 29. The Coast Guard has been conducting flyovers,,, Flights on Sunday found evidence of a new leak from an offshore well and reported another leak responsible for a miles-long streak of oil was no longer active. >click to read< The U.S. Coast Guard is working with Houston-based oil company Talos Energy to respond to a large spill off the coast of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. >click to read< 10:04
Fisherman Catches Rare One-in-two Million Blue Lobster
Catching a rare blue lobster is the chances of which are said to be two-million-to-one. The 47 year old fisherman Ricky Greenhowe, engaged in fishing since he was a teenager but he didn’t find such rare blue lobster before and said it was his first such find. After he caught the lobster he had to pinch himself that he had found a rare blue lobster. After he caught the rare lobster he has decided not to sell it but would offer the lobster to an aquarium or put it back in the sea. >click to read< 08:50
Safety Bulletin 17: Safety concern over lifting operations on fishing vessels
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency are issuing this safety bulletin to remind owners, employers, skippers and crew of UK fishing vessels of their responsibilities regarding health and safety following a number near misses, accidents, and a fatality – during lifting operations. Although applicable to all fishing vessels it is scallop dredgers that are of immediate concern. >click to read< -22:27
Parish to parish: The latest on what we know a week after Hurricane Ida
It’s been one week since Hurricane Ida made landfall off the coast of Southeast Louisiana. The past week, residents have been waiting for flood waters to recede, power to return, and the green light to return home from evacuation. Keeping up with the latest resources and updates in your parish may be difficult. Here’s what we know is happening in your parish. >click to read<, with lots of information 19:32
“We felt safer on the boat” – Families on Bayou Grand Caillou left homeless after Hurricane Ida
Ida’s intense winds pushed the home mother-to-be Mauldin shared with her boyfriend and his family from its 4-foot concrete pillars onto the ground. The foundation broken and metal roof peeled away, the house appeared to be a complete loss. “Hopefully we can rebuild and start all over,” Verdin said. “I’ve been here forever. This is the first storm for us as homeowners that was this bad.” The family of six rode out the storm in a shrimp boat. Verdin’s husband, Manson Falgout Sr., has been a commercial shrimper for 30 years and captain of the F/V My Dad Whitney for at least a decade. “We felt safer on the boat,” Verdin said. “It’s all iron, and if the water rises, it floats. Thankfully we didn’t stay home. We lost our home.” Photo’s, >click to read< 11:14
Brexit Tie-up Scheme for Fishing Fleet is Announced – Trawler owners to be paid not to fish
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has announced the launch of a Brexit Temporary Fishing Fleet Tie-up Scheme. The scheme will help mitigate the impacts of quota cuts on the fishing fleet arising from the Trade and Cooperation Agreement agreed in December between the European Union and the UK. >click to read< Trawler owners are to be paid up to €88,700 to not fish – He said that under the deal, these boats would tie-up at the quayside and cease all fishing activity for that month. In return, the vessel owner would receive a payment compensating for the lost fishing income. The vessel owners will in turn be required to distribute one-third of that payment to crew. >click to read< 09:52
Decaying Anna anchors a boatload of visions in Cape Vincent
“It was quite an adventure,” he said, recalling the trip Anna took to Cape Vincent. “The hull was always leaky. There were constant bilge pumps going and checking on the boat. It got here. It was a hell of a trip for an old girl like that. In many ways, I’m surprised it wasn’t more of an arduous or unsuccessful trip. But there she is.” He’s witnessed the growth of her legend and has seen visitors stop by for photos with her. “To be honest with you, I’m shocked at how this whole thing has gotten so popular and so many people are talking about it and are interested,” he said. photos, >click to read< 08:45
Dunston’s will restore city’s historic Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship
A Hull-based ship repair firm has been appointed to restore two of the city’s most historic vessels. Dunston’s (Ship Repairs) Limited will carry out the work on the Arctic Corsair and the Spurn Lightship after being awarded a £4.78m contract by Hull City Council following a competitive tendering process. Based at William Wright Dock, the firm will now play a major role in the £30m Hull Maritime project which is being jointly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the council. It has been based in the city for over 100 years and normally carries out repairs, conversions, lengthening and maintenance on sea-going vessels. >click to read< 22:16
Life Long Scalloper Daniel Jean Joseph Lareau has passed away
New Bedford – Daniel Jean Joseph Lareau, 64, went to meet our Lord on Monday, August 30, 2021. Daniel’s love of the sea was only surpassed by the love for his children, Danielle and Eric Lareau. A life long scalloper, he spent his final years with his grandson Ocean James, who was the light of his life. Daniel was know for his massive heart, he was the type of man who would give the shirt off his back, a man who bought the entire neighborhood ice cream, pack the car full of his nieces and nephews on a hot summer day and go on adventures. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, September 11,,, To leave a note of condolence, and details, >click to read< 20:32
Prince William Sound harvest tops 67M salmon
Commercial harvesters wished they could have had more fishing time at the beginning of the season, but by the end of the season it certainly wasn’t a disaster, said Chelsea Haisman, executive director of Cordova District Fishermen United. “Overall, we are very happy with the way the seine season went,” she said. “Pink catches were very high. We are grateful and hoping for a strong finish with the cohos.” Still, the same amount of fish early on in the season holds much higher value, said Haisman, echoing the refrain of gillnetters who did not get openers for the famed Copper River sockeye salmon early on in the season when prices were higher. “Especially considering we exceeded the (Alaska Department of) Fish and Game in-river goal by over 100,000 fish,” she said. “We lost economic opportunity for the community.” >click to read< 18:14
$350M Bering Sea fish fight could hinge on a miniature Canadian railroad
The quickly escalating saga involves hundreds of millions of dollars in fines, and a miniature Canadian railway,,, American Seafoods’ shipping subsidiary and an affiliate company, Kloosterboer International Forwarding, sued U.S. Customs and Border Protection in federal court Thursday,,, The Jones Act, a century-old federal law, typically requires American-flagged ships to move cargo between American ports. But the legislation contains an exception known as the “Third Proviso,” ,,Vessels flagged in countries like Singapore and the Bahamas first pick up frozen seafood products in Dutch Harbor, then travel to the Canadian port of Bayside, New Brunswick, just across the border from Maine. From Bayside, the seafood would be trucked to a Canadian train, loaded and moved 20 miles between two stations,,, >click to read< 14:10
Scotland: Funding for fishing businesses and marine organisations after Brexit and Covid impact
Fishing businesses and marine organisations in Scotland have been awarded funding to mitigate the impact of the “reckless” Brexit deal and help the sector recover from effects of Covid-19. The financial support of almost £800,000, part of the £14 million Marine Fund Scotland, was announced by rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon during a food and drink debate in the Scottish Parliament. Opening the debate ahead of Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight, Ms Gougeon said: “Our producers, farmers and fishermen showed tremendous spirit as they navigated the pandemic and now face the stark realities of a new operating landscape brought about by a reckless Brexit deal. “Daily, we hear of new and emerging challenges,,, >click to read< 12:37
Hurricane Ida: Leaves Toxic Chemicals, Oil Spills, And Sewage Swirling In Her Wake
Days after the storm swept through the region, the environmental aftermath is emerging in a petrochemical corridor packed with hazardous-chemical plants and refineries. In some areas, the chemicals are mixing with raw sewage released from treatment plants that lost power.,, Nearly 100 spills and other episodes have been reported to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality as of Thursday afternoon, raising concerns among environmentalists and public health officials about toxic discharges. >click to read< 10:47
Cod outnumber rats and mice in the UK – Ministers urged to ignore ‘nonsense’ talk on North Sea cod
It comes after an influential body of marine scientists recommended a 10.3% cut in annual quota for the species – a staple of fish suppers in many parts of the UK, although haddock tends to be the preferred choice of consumers in Scotland. But the same scientists at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Ices) have also admitted that doubling the quota would mean an increase of 24% in the size of the stock by 2023. And Ices’ own figures suggest there are now around 285 million cod in the North Sea, up from 180m in 2018. SFA executive officer Simon Collins said: “There are many more North Sea cod than there are rats and mice in the UK, and almost four times more than the most common land mammal, the field vole. “And yet green NGOs (non-governmental organisations) constantly go around describing cod as ‘threatened’ or ‘endangered’ or at risk of ‘extinction’. “They should be ashamed of themselves for peddling such nonsense.” >click to read< 09:48
‘Everything is Gone’ New Jersey’s Largest Dairy Devastated by Hurricane Ida
The National Weather Service has confirmed five tornadoes touched down in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania Wednesday evening during the fierce thunderstorms that were triggered by the leftovers of Hurricane Ida. The Eachus family owns and operates Wellacrest Farms, home to 1,400 Holsteins cows. The family says they are still trying to process what quickly unfolded and the damage left behind. >click to read< This isn’t just a job. It’s our lives. Tornado ravages New Jersey’s largest dairy farm – The blue skies and chalky clouds above Wellacrest Farms resemble illustrations in a children’s book. But the destruction on the ground evokes images more akin to a horror film. “It’s hard to believe that, for about one minute of time, so much destruction could happen,” said Eric Eachus, a third-generation co-owner of the farm his grandparents built in 1943. >click to read< 08:45
Video: Coast Guard medevacs shark attack victim with partially amputated leg, overboard from commercial fishing vessel
The Coast Guard medevaced an injured crew member from a fishing vessel after a shark attack approximately 35 miles southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, Friday. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call at 12:51 a.m. via VHF-FM channel 16 from personnel aboard the fishing vessel F/V Moon Glow stating a 64-year-old male crew member had been attacked by a shark and sustained a severe leg injury. The man had reportedly been untangling fishing nets from the vessel’s propeller when he fell overboard and was bitten by a shark of an unknown size and species. Crew members aboard the Moon Glow applied a tourniquet to the man’s partially amputated leg and radioed for help. photos, >click for video< 17:19
