Daily Archives: October 1, 2021

What Happened To Andy Hillstrand From Deadliest Catch?

Discovery Channel crab fishing reality TV series “Deadliest Catch” chronicles real-life expeditions by various boating crews in the Bering Sea, based out of a port located in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Longtime series regular Andy Hillstrand, however, left “Deadliest Catch” completely, leaving some fans wondering what happened to the former series mainstay. Initially, Andy’s departure coincided with the retirement of his brother Johnathan Hillstrand, with whom he essentially shared captain’s duties on their boat, the FV Time Bandit. >click to read< 18:11

Scientists point to longfin squid for Maine’s prized shrimp fishery collapse

Maine shrimp were long a regional delicacy fishermen and diners alike looked forward to each fall,,, But in 2012, their population collapsed, federal regulators closed the fishery, and they haven’t recovered since. Maine was always at the southern edge of their range, and the crash coincided with an extreme marine heat wave that warmed the Gulf of Maine’s waters to the highest temperatures since the 1950s. But some thought there had to be more to the shrimp’s disappearance than just heat-sensitivity. “After I saw this I remembered a fisherman saying to me ‘it’s the damn squid.’ He was saying there had been squid all over the place that spring,” Richards said. >click to read< 16:22

In Memory of Norbert Stamps

The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation and fishing community grieve the passing of our beloved friend and board member, Norbert Stamps. Norbert had a love for the ocean, the environment, and the people who made their living from the sea.  Even in his final year of life, Norbert was able to see his ban of mass balloon release come to fruition. Fair winds and following seas captain! We will miss you! Please keep Norbert’s family in your thoughts and prayers as they go through this difficult time. >click to read< 11:17

The Politics of Division

It is not that difficult to exploit divisions in the fishing industry. We are a complex, multi-faceted, diverse industry, targeting a wide range of different species. We operate inshore and offshore with a bewildering range of gears, fishing from different ports, in vessel sizes that range from under 8 metres to over 100 metres.,, Enter Greenpeace. There are and always will be in our industry the gullible or the cynical who can see advantage in associating with the playground bully. Not for them concerns for the livelihoods or lives of other fishermen. They are prepared to line up with a criminal body which endangers the lives of other fishermen by dumping boulders on fishing grounds. That, for them, is an OK thing to do. >click to read< 10:16

Preserve The Heritage Of Maryland’s Seafood Industry

A newspaper article published last month reported that Maryland comptroller and announced candidate for governor Peter Franchot promised, if elected governor, to phase out the centuries-old wild commercial oystering industry, likely starting with a moratorium. The article also quoted Franchot saying he would rather “properly compensate” watermen for losing their jobs than find a bipartisan solution. I can guarantee that if this happens, you will eventually destroy the entire seafood industry as we know it. I find this to be a knee-jerk reaction by someone who has spent little time trying to help the industry over his many years in politics but has obviously spent a great deal of time counting votes promised by environmental groups. >click to read< By Ron H. Fithian  08:52

Vineyard Wind and Crowley to Turn Salem, Massachusetts Into Offshore Wind Port

Vineyard Wind said Thursday it has partnered up with the City of Salem, in Massachusetts, and Crowley Maritime Corporation to create a public-private partnership aimed at establishing Salem Harbor as the state’s second major offshore wind port, alongside a similar site in New Bedford. Vineyard Wind estimates that the project, which is still contingent on approval by the state of Massachusetts, would create up to an estimated 400 full-time equivalent yearly jobs during the revitalization of the port and up to another 500 full-time jobs over the first five years for construction and staging and also day-to-day port operations, for a total of 900 full-time equivalent jobs. >click to read< 07:52

U.K. Fishing industry ‘on course to lose £300m post-Brexit’

Chief executive Barrie Deas said the best opportunity in years to boost the sector had been “squandered”, He said: “From reviewing these findings, the NFFO’s conclusion is that there are very few winners and a great many losers.,, “The best opportunity in a generation to revive the UK’s fishing industry and support our coastal communities has been squandered and we must act swiftly to learn from these lessons and support the sector in future negotiations.” UK Fisheries, which operates Hull’s last distant water trawler Kirkella, said they were “60 per cent down” on what they had been able to catch previously. >click to read< 07:32

Fishermen Are Making Their Last Stand Against Offshore Wind. Really? When?!! I don’t want to miss it!

U.S. Fishermen Are Making Their Last Stand Against Offshore Wind – In Massachusetts, the fishing advocates who sued BOEM say that the federal government ignored their requests for more rigorous scientific study of offshore wind turbines’ effect on fishing, as well as their concerns over wind turbines making it harder to traverse to fishing grounds, among other grievances. “This project is really important because it is the first one,” says Annie Hawkins, executive director of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), the coalition suing the federal government. “We need to make sure that the government and the offshore wind industry aren’t just paying lip service to other ocean users.” >click to read<  Lip service? How about fighting instead of nuzzling, aligning, and political pandering?!! Read about Joes bird protection’s, but never once mentions the wind farms. >click< 06:00