Daily Archives: January 12, 2022
Alaska Commercial Fisherman Paul Richard Harder has passed away
Paul Richard Harder died unexpectedly at home in Hawai’i on Dec. 13, 2021 of a heart attack. Paul was born Aug. 22, 1951, in Seattle to Ole and Mary Harder. Paul started commercial fishing in Alaska with his father at 12; they were shipwrecked four days his first season but that didn’t deter him. He was a successful fisherman throughout Alaska. One of his Kodiak seining highlights was making a set of more than 40,000 pounds of red salmon; he had to radio his dad to load both of their boats. Paul’s big smile and sense of humor will be greatly missed. Paul’s Celebration of Life is deferred to a later date. >click to read< 21:15
Approval granted for removal of grounded American Challenger
The U.S. Coast Guard’s top commander has authorized use of federal dollars from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to dismantle a 90-foot, decommissioned fishing vessel grounded on the rocks off the Marin Coast since last March. But the long-awaited consent means little until rough winter ocean conditions subside long enough to make salvage operations safe, officials said. The salvage “is approved, so it’s just a matter of time now,” said Eric Laughlin, a spokesman for the California Fish and Game Department’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, which is handling communication for Unified Command. >click to read< 19:02
Newlyn: Grimmy Mike RIP.
There are, or rather were, two well-known skippers called Mike in Newlyn, both referred to by their ports of origin, Milford Mike and Grimmy Mike. Whilst Milford Mike is currently a contender for the oldest working fisherman in the port, sad news has reached Newlyn that Grimmy Mike has gone to the big wheelhouse in the sky. For those who are not aware, Mike Mahon, better known as Grimmy Mike became something of living legend in 
Newlyn and beyond. The photo above epitomises Grimmy’s political fishing career – the little guy steaming ahead, singlehandedly trying to champion his beloved fishing industry battling against the full weight of legislation in the form the much-hated Common Fisheries Policy. Grimmy’s finest moment came when he sought the support of Canadian Fisheries minister, Brian Tobin who flew to Newlyn for the 1995 Fish Festival. photos,>click to read< 14:47
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 70′ Steel Clammer/Scalloper with Mass. Surf clam permit
To review specifications, information, with 60 photos, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 12:15
Offshore Wind Farms: Why Wind Power Expansion Plans Don’t Add Up
Akin to pushing on string, you can keep building these things ad infinitum and add nothing in terms of meaningful power generation capacity. It doesn’t matter whether a wind power fleet comprises a hundred, a thousand or a million wind turbines, when the wind stops blowing, they will deliver an almighty, collective doughnut. And it’s their frequent zero output efforts that bring us to the current net-zero madness. And despite the colossal failure of wind power to deliver during 2021, those pushing net-zero targets are pushing zero reliability targets, too. The UK ‘must build equivalent of worlds biggest wind farm every 10 weeks for next 20 years’ to hit net zero targets >click to read< 10:49
How to make the most of Dungeness crab season on the Sonoma Coast
Shawn Patterson, who fishes wild Pacific king salmon during its local season, has established Lisa Lu Fishery LLC and formed a partnership with Adam King. They recently acquired the crab boat F/V Susan E from a Bodega Bay fisherman. Lisa Lu Fishery is selling live crab for $10 a pound directly to consumers and $8 a pound to restaurants. Prices are higher than they often are, but that’s the case with almost everything during the pandemic. He expects to stay in the water until the state closes the season, after the bigger boats have pulled their pots and concluded their season. “We expect to have plenty for direct-to-consumer sales and farmers market sales,” >click to read< with some nice recipes! 09:47
Massachusetts: ‘Pioneer’ lobstermen want to use ropeless fishing gear during seasonal closure
A group of five commercial lobstermen who call themselves “The Pioneers for a Thoughtful Co-Existence” are seeking state permission to use “ropeless” fishing gear in state waters during a seasonal closure that was designed to protect critically endangered right whales from entanglement. If approved by the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries (DMF), it would mark the first time in years that lobstermen could fish in state waters during the seasonal closure. At a virtual public hearing on Wednesday at 6 p.m., the state will seek feedback from lobstermen, scallopers, clam dredgers, and others who may be affected by the authorization. >click to read< 07:55
Federal Court rules on the side of fishermen on Class B licence policy
At the end of December, the Federal Court of Canada ruled a judicial review of the decision prohibiting the sale of a Class B licence, in a court case initiated by Newfoundland fisherman Donald Publicover, would be allowed. Upon hearing the news that the wheels of justice had acted in the fishermen’s favour, and that change to the policy applied to Class B licences may be afoot, James MacDonald, a lifelong fisherman who currently holds a Class B lobster licence, said, “That’s tremendous and I think we deserve that … we were told, ‘Oh, if the time comes that you want to get your Class A licence back, you can get them.’ But, if we can get that, we can either hand down or sell the ones we have, that’s better than letting them die with us.” >click to read< 07:20
