Daily Archives: December 3, 2021
California: Dungeness crab season opens on time, but it’s off to slow start
Dan Schmidt has been fishing off Ten Mile Beach for the past six or seven years. The F/V Condor harvested a fraction of what it normally gets for the first pull of the season on the first day of Dungeness crab season Wednesday. With fuel and bait costs, it wasn’t very lucrative, and Schmidt said he’s shifting to black cod and lingcod, which are more cost-effective, unless the season picks up later. “I’ve talked to a lot of other guys that have fished from up here to Shelter Cove and it’s kind of the same scenario,” Schmidt said. “Apparently Crescent City and Eureka have some good volumes of crab, but down here it’s not the same.” >click to read< 16:53
Supreme Court denies lobstermen’s bid to halt Gulf of Maine fishing restrictions
The Supreme Court on Friday denied a request by lobster fishers to halt environmental protections that restrict fishing in a large swath of the Gulf of Maine. The application, filed earlier this week by a lobster fishers’ union and two lobster fishing companies, was rejected without comment by Justice Stephen Breyer, who handles emergency matters arising from the region. >click to read< 13:13
Judge dismisses case to ban lobster lines, but opens door to future right whale protections
A federal judge may have delivered the legal roadmap to ban lobstermen from using vertical buoy lines in a long-awaited ruling this week. The case centered around concerns that the lines, authorized by the state of Massachusetts, entangle and kill critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. But Judge Indira Talwani dismissed the case because, she wrote, the plaintiff Max Strahan, a controversial whale advocate, had questionable credibility in some instances and failed to prove that he has a personal stake, or standing, in the case, a critical component of the lawsuit. >click to read< 12:37
Netherlands to ban live boiling of lobsters, crabs
Minister Carola Schouten of Agriculture wants to ban the live boiling of lobsters and crabs. She will also look into what can be done in the Netherlands to ensure that the animals are not cooked alive.,, This follows a recent study commissioned by the British government that found strong scientific evidence that crabs, lobsters, and octopuses can suffer and experience pain. Britain, therefore, added them to the animal protection legislation. Animal welfare organizations want the Netherlands to do the same. >click to read< 11:38
FFAW Calling on DFO to Cease Plans with Weak-Rope Policy
The FFAW is once again calling on DFO to immediately cease its plans to implement a weak-rope policy for harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador. The policy is being introduced across Atlantic Canada to help save rare and endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement. The whales are surface feeders and are prone to ship strikes and drowning after becoming entangled in fishing gear. The weak-rope policy is being brought in to allow the creatures to break free. >click to read< 10:55
Inquest recalls fishing disaster – Wexford fishermen’s trawler sank “extremely quickly”
Two fishermen drowned after their trawler capsized and sank “extremely quickly” while they were hauling scallops on board in January of last year, an inquest has heard. Verdicts of accidental death as a result of drowning have been returned in relation to the deaths of William Whelan (41) and Joe Sinnott (65) whose trawler, the Alize, sank while returning to the south Wexford coast on 4 January 2020. The two men had been fishing for scallops since the previous morning, an inquest in Wexford heard today. >click to read< – Inquest recalls fishing disaster which claimed two lives off the Wexford coast – Just a few weeks from the second anniversary of the fishing disaster which claimed their lives, the families of Wexford men Joseph ‘Joe’ Sinnott (65) of Seaview, Kilmore, and William ‘Willie’ Whelan (41) of Gurteens, Saltmills, arrived at Wexford Courthouse today (Friday) for the finalisation of the inquests into the fishermen’s deaths. >click to read< 10:04
Gloucester fisherman get shout-out at Gotham Awards
Gloucester and one of its fishermen received a shout-out at the 31st Gotham Awards, the annual New York independent film celebration that serves as a boozy kickoff to Oscar season. “First off, I’m absolutely handless right now,” Kotsur said through sign language, shaking his hands, when his win was announced. “Everyone from Gloucester Massachusetts, that entire community was so involved and supportive of our movie and helped make it happen.” “And thank you to Paul, the fishing boat captain on the boat that we used in ‘CODA’,” he continued, referring to Paul Vitale and his dragger Angela & Rose. >click to read< 09:05
Oregon: Dungeness Crab season begins
Newport crabbers were treated to great weather, a rare on-time start and a high opening price as they kicked off what will likely be a historic Dungeness crab season this week. The season opened Dec. 1, the first on-time start in six years, with a starting price of $4.75 per pound at the Newport docks. Good weather also let many of the smaller fishing vessels set out at the same time as the large ones, allowing many to bring in their first hauls late Wednesday night and Thursday morning. >click to read< 07:44
