Daily Archives: October 25, 2021
Commercial Fisherman Stephen Witwicki, 58, of Boothbay, Maine, has passed away
Stephen Witwicki, 58, of Boothbay, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021, surrounded by his loving family and friends after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. There wasn’t a commercial fishing job he didn’t do, but lobstering was his calling. He owned his own boat, which he named Pearl, and worked for himself, as well as working for Shafmasters out of Portsmouth, N.H., on and off for many years. If a there was a job on the water, Steve wanted it. Steve even went swordfishing out of Gloucester, Mass., on the Hannah Boden,,, >click to read< 21:52
Oregon: State regulators rushing to catch up on market squid fishery
If Joe Mulkey could fish for market squid year-round, he would. The emerging Oregon fishery ticks a lot of boxes for the commercial fisherman from Reedsport: the use of seine gear and electronics, and, of course, the recent profitability. In the past five years, the market squid fishery has moved from almost nonexistent to booming. Now boats that would normally fish for squid in California’s Monterey Bay have headed north and Oregon fishermen are seeing new opportunities in local waters, hunting the small, short-lived animals. >click to read< 18:55
Daughter continues work of father lost at sea on Maine fishing boat
In January 2020, the 42-foot fishing boat Hayley Ann sank 50 miles southeast of Portland. The Coast Guard never determined what happened. No distress call was sent. Only an automated emergency beacon alerted them to the tragedy. The disaster claimed the lives of Capt. Arnold “Joe” Nickerson, 60, of Arundel and his crewman, 44-year-old Christopher Pinkham of Boothbay Harbor. >click to read< 15:58
SEA-NL calls on Premier to draw line in sand for province’s inshore fleet over Gulf redfish
SEA-NL is calling on Premier Andrew Furey to take a stand for the province’s inshore fleet to ensure the sector is the primary beneficiary of the adjacent and exploding redfish stock in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. “Redfish could be to the inshore fleet what Hibernia was to the oil industry, but Premier Furey must draw a line in the sand to get us there,” says Ryan Cleary, interim Executive Director of Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. >click to read< 13:17
Where to, struggling small-scale fishers? – “Fishing communities are in crisis”
Ousted from their homes in District 6 during the apartheid era, many of South Africa’s fishing families were re-located to places like Saldanha, Gansbaai and Kalk Bay to continue their craft. One such family were the Fortunes, now headed by Ishmael Fortune, a third generation fisherman,,, Up until 1994, quota systems regulated who got what, with expensive resources set as a condition on which allocation rights would be distributed. On September 1, 1998, the Marine Living Resources Act came into operation. Although having the right intentions, several contestable issues were highlighted, like a “balance between the rights of the individual rights-holder and those of the State.” >click to read< 12:27
U.S., Canadian Coast Guards respond to container vessel near the Strait of Juan de Fuca
The U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard responded to a container vessel that lost 40 containers during heavy weather Friday 40 miles from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received notification from Prince Rupert Marine Communication and Traffic Services at 12:49 a.m. Friday that the shipping vessel Zim Kingston reported losing approximately 40 containers overboard when the vessel heeled 35 degrees in heavy swells 38 miles west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The lost containers were initially reported to be general containers with no dangerous cargo. >click to read< 11:15
A year ago violence erupted in the lobster fishery, “moderate livelihood” fishery status unresolved
One year ago, confrontation and violence upended the normally business-like commercial lobster season in St. Mary’s Bay and Lobster Fishing Area 35 in southwest Nova Scotia. Tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishermen in the bay had erupted in several dangerous boat-ramming incidents.,, But a full year later, as the wheels of justice turn ever so slowly, none of those charged have entered a plea. Before we examine how that happened, it’s worth noting some updates in the troubled fishery. >click to read< 10:07
How much have things not changed?!! BIG BOAT vs small boat
I really dislike the issues of big boat vs small boat, and single boat owner vs multi boat owner. Were it only that simple!,,, Lately for many, it’s become a simple wish for survival. For some others, it’s a case of how much of it can I own or control? When it comes to big and small boats all fishermen know, and should be the first to admit; that when at sea in a storm, there is no such thing as a “big” boat. At least not at that point in time! It’s often said that size doesn’t matter, but in the case of the NE Catch Shares/Sector (CS) program it does seem to be a factor in the early period of this ill-conceived management plan. By Jim Kendall, Oct. 18, 2011 >click to read< 08:57
