Daily Archives: January 31, 2022
Despite threats from fellow fishermen, Mass lobstermen press to allow ropeless fishing in closed areas
The lobstermen viewed themselves as trailblazers, even calling themselves “Pioneers for a Thoughtful Coexistence”. In an effort to prove that there’s a way for their industry to resume fishing in coastal waters where Massachusetts banned lobstering to protect endangered whales, they have asked regulators to allow them to set their traps without vertical buoy lines. “I’ve been trying my best to get our guy’s back fishing,” said Michael Lane, 46, a lobsterman who fishes 800 traps out of Cohasset. But when Lane’s group presented at a recent public hearing their proposal to fish with experimental rope less gear, which would use remotely triggered inflatable balloons or other devices to surface the traps, they were pilloried by their fellow fishermen. >click to read< 19:20
Southeast Alaska’s upcoming tanner crab fishery could be the best in decades
The upcoming tanner crab fishery in Southeast Alaska is looking very promising. The fishery starts on Feb. 11, and the harvest and price could be historic. State crab managers haven’t seen this kind of encouraging preview for Southeast’s tanner fishery for a few decades. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has tracked the tanner population through annual surveys since the late 1990s. “What we’re seeing is kind of historically high levels,” said Joe Stratman. He says the numbers look like they did when the surveys first started. It’s not only the harvest that looks good but also the price. >click to read< 17:08
The Oysterman, the Pirate and Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands
Maurer was in a bind. Hurricane Ida had decimated the supply chain. The storm swept through the heart of Louisiana’s $2.4bn seafood industry, which supports one out of 70 jobs in the state, leaving him with no roads, no power, and very little seed. He decided he needed to find “new routes to market, whether by boat or by land. Go pirate on them.” He meant this literally. As he looked for a solution among the lingering chaos of the hurricane, he thought of the notorious pirate Jean Laffite, who once operated out of Grand Isle. Maurer decided he would follow the same route: He bought Les Bons Temps to see if he could bring his catch to town directly, bypassing the wrecked roads and bridges. photos, >click to read< 15:12
The story of the Maine fishing boat sunk by a torpedo off North Carolina
F/V Snoopy was a wooden scallop dragger whose home port was Portland, Maine. In May of 1965, while dragging for scallops off the coast of North Carolina, she was sunk by a German torpedo. One night, just after 9 PM, the crew of the Snoopy, one of about 40 scallop vessels in the area that night, pulled in their nets. Looking at the catch, they noticed something that did not belong: a German G7e torpedo! The weapon was massive. That particular type of torpedo was over 20 feet long and it weighed in at over 3,500 pounds. Despite the potential danger of bringing an unexploded torpedo aboard, the crew made the decision not to just cut it loose. >click to read<, and >click here< 12:53
Maine considers fund for lobster fishermen/gillnetters hurt by whale rules
Maine is by the far the most significant lobster fishing state in the country, and members of the state’s industry have warned they will suffer because of the new rules. A proposal from Democratic Rep. Holly Stover of Boothbay would create the fund, which would provide grants for lobster fishermen as well as some fishermen who harvest other species with gillnets. “The lobster industry is an economic driver of our local economy, hands down,” Stover said. “This is not a fisheries disaster, this is an economic disaster.” >click to read< 11:18
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for January 31, 2022
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been taking a close look at a few, of the many, false claims, regarding the management of the southern flounder fishery, made by the NC Wildlife Federation. This week we’ll be looking at one of the most audacious statements they’ve made to date. The Wildlife Federation claims that “Amendment 2 is the first known effort to effectively reduce harvest in the commercial southern flounder fishery in history. Continue reading at the update. >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 10:03
It could have been worse. Commercial fishing boat metres from crash impact
A commercial fisherman says his family’s vessel, the Dell Richey II, was fortunate not to get caught up in the crash involving cement carrier Goliath and two tugboats at the Devonport wharf. Mr Richey said his son John the skipper of the Dell Richey II, was on board when it happened, along with some of the crew members. “When he saw what was happening, he started the engine. The crew on board got the lines off. They managed to get the boat away from the wharf before getting tangled up in the wreckage,” he said. Mr Richey said it could have been even worse if it happened 24-hours earlier. >click to read< 08:54
Digging out at the Stonington Town Dock
Fishing boats tied up at Town Dock are blanketed in snow after the blizzard that buried the region over the weekend. A deckhand aboard the F/V Heritage clears snow from the decks on Sunday, January 30, 2022. Area residents began the process of digging out from the blizzard that buried the region on Saturday. four photos, >click to view< 07:43
