Monthly Archives: January 2022
Five Aveiro fish auction officials and five shipowners charged with corruption
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against five employees of the Aveiro fish auction and five ship owners suspected of being involved in a scheme to alter data relating to sales at electronic auctions, the Porto Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office said on 21 January. In a statement published on the Internet, the PGR-P said that by order of 4 January charges were brought against 10 defendants,,, >click to read< 18:49
Harwood grad becomes Alaska salmon boat captain
Jessica Normandeau bought a boat. And not just any boat, a 32-foot Bristol Bay gillnetter, designed for salmon fishing. After graduating from Harwood Union High School in 2010 and getting a degree in creative writing and fine art from St. Lawrence University, Normandeau was looking for a break from academia. She grew up in Waitsfield, loves to ski and wanted to find a job that allowed her to work in summer and ski all winter. She found herself out west to ski and spent her summers as a deckhand on a salmon fishing boat in Bristol Bay, Alaska. >click to read< 16:23
A Rockland schooner
One of the first vessels produced by Cobb and Butler was the 1890 three-mast, square rigged schooner Nathan F. Cobb. In December 1896, the Nathan F. Cobb departed Brunswick, Georgia, for New York with a load of timber and crossties. Winter weather in the Atlantic can be difficult and this proved true for the schooner. For four days the weather stayed bad, and the vessel drifted 375 miles southward. On the morning of Dec. 5, 1896, the Nathan F. Cobb grounded on a near shore sandbar, roughly 1,000 feet off Ormond Beach, Florida. This is a good story! photos, >click to read< 14:52
First freezing #FishyFriday this year in Newlyn!
The sight of an ill-fitting hard hat three sizes too small earlier in the week provided a first glimpse of the big Padstow man himself in this celebration of skippers-to-be in the Swordfish circa 1985 cuddling a very young Billy Bunn, alongside another big skipper-to-be, Don Liddicoat and (seated) skipper/owner of the Ocean Harvester, Mervyn Mountjoy, sadly now no longer with us,,, Lots of fishy photos, >click to read< 10:32
Commerce Determinations Clear the Way for Alaska Fisheries to Receive Relief Funds
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today welcomed determinations from the Department of Commerce that fishery disasters have occurred in numerous Alaska fisheries, allowing Alaska fishermen to receive critical relief funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The funding can be distributed to fishermen and their crews, seafood processors, and research initiatives in the impacted regions. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo today issued determinations that fisheries disasters occurred in fourteen different fisheries->click to read< 09:30
As lobster population booms off Canada, tensions rise between Indigenous and commercial fishermen
Under the close watch of federal officers on surrounding patrol vessels, Robert Sack navigated his old boat toward his clandestine traps in the cold waters that his people have fished for centuries, expecting to be arrested at any moment.,, Each trap had a special tag belonging to their band of the Indigenous Mi’kmaw people, who insist that a 269-year-old treaty grants them the right to fish when and how they want. But the government has rejected their assertion, and officers have seized their traps, confiscated their boats, and even arrested some of their fishermen. >click to read< 07>14
Recreational fishermen get bigger cut of fluke
Changes have been made to the fluke quotas that will mean slightly more fish for recreational anglers. One of the last joint actions of the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Marine Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission was to shift 5% of the quota to the recreational side. The move won’t go into effect until 2023. When it does the new harvest allotment will be divided up 55% commercial to 45% recreational. Previously, the commercial sector was given 60% of the coastwide harvest of fluke, an allocation that was set in the mid-1990s. >click to read< 19:13
Video: Road to Disaster – Voices of Maine Lobstermen
In the first installment of this series, we get a bird’s-eye view of the current status of Maine’s lobster fishery, which is under assault on two fronts. In this episode, we only hear from lobstermen and their advocates. (If you want to hear more of the opposing views of wind lobbyists, just read any given corporate media outlet’s coverage of this subject.) Upcoming episodes will bring in additional perspectives…there are a total of 20 different interviews that I conducted in 2021, so you will not want to miss these. Video by Jason Joyce >click to watch< 17:07
Couple Arrested for Stealing $2.5M from Keys Commercial Fishermen
A Miami couple was arrested in Miami-Dade County Friday on warrants related to the theft of an estimated $2.5 million from a Stock Island fish house and multiple commercial fishermen. Marianela Armenteros, 40, was charged with multiple counts of grand theft over $100,000. Yamir Gonzalez-Betancourt, 49, was charged with one count of grand theft over $100,000. Both suspects worked for a fish house on the 6000 block of Peninsular Avenue owned by the Valero-Duran Corporation. Armenteros worked as a general manager, while Betancourt was the assistant general manager. >click to read< Photos at this artice, >click to read< 15:18
Offshore Wind: Nantucket project faces lawsuit that could impact Skipjack, U.S. Wind projects
Environmentalists are concerned about impact to sea mammals, such as whales and dolphins, The American Coalition for Ocean Protection has been created by the Caesar Rodney Institute to push back against offshore wind development, and they have joined the Vineyard Wind legal case as technical advisors. The case against Vineyard Wind could set a precedent for legal action to be taken locally, where Orsted and U.S. Wind have already secured OREC approvals to begin offshore wind development. The Vineyard Wind case claims there could be environmental harm to the threatened right whale from the project. A coalition in Cape Cod, Mass. the Nantucket Residents Against Turbines, in August filed a suit that calls for delay in the development of 2,000 wind turbines off Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard. >click to read< 12:31
Inslee issues emergency order for green crab infestation, a danger to clams, Dungeness crabs, and salmon
Gov. Jay Inslee has issued an emergency order urging immediate action and legislative funding to address the population growth of the invasive European green crab after the Lummi Nation reported 70,000 counted in its sea pond in 2021 and the Makah reported a count higher than any since 2017. The emergency order issued Wednesday is aimed at eradicating the invasive species, which competes with native life and preys on juvenile clams, to prevent its permanent establishment in the state. >click to read< 10:54
Veteran Waterman Kenley “Sonny” Tilghman Hampton, Jr. has passed away
Kenley “Sonny” Tilghman Hampton, Jr. of Centreville, MD passed away on January 11, 2022. Locally known as “Sonny Boy”. He was 89. After his father’s passing at a young age, Sonny gave up his education to help care for his mother and siblings. Well known as a Veteran waterman, first starting in our own backyard, him and his brother, Abby, were the first waterman to introduce diesel engines on their work boats. Whether it be advice or lending a helping hand he was always willing and ready to help within his community. A community in which he will be deeply missed. >click to read< 09:58
Furious Fishermen Take On Offshore Wind Industry Wrecking Atlantic Fishing Grounds
The offshore wind ‘industry’ has been given a lesson by Atlantic fishermen: don’t mess with another man’s livelihood. Which is precisely what’s been happening up and down the Atlantic coast for years now. An Italian owned outfit, US Wind has been infuriating local fishermen for years. In one of its recent outrages, its survey ship managed to destroy one local fishermen’s gear, despite his efforts to intervene. Not only did Jimmy Hahn lose his precious pots, ripped up by US Wind’s survey vessel, the fact that a quarter of them were destroyed or damaged meant that he lost the opportunity to fish and earn income. >click to read< 09:14
Tsunami: Widespread Fishery Damage from Tonga Eruption Reported across Japan
Fishery damage from a tsunami triggered by the recent eruption of an undersea volcano off the southern Pacific islands of Tonga has been reported in 10 prefectures across Japan, the Fisheries Agency said Friday. The agency is examining the amount of the damage, including the capsizing of fishing boats and the mass death of horse mackerel. >click to read< 08:29
Traditional fishermen in despair over Peru oil spill – Callao, Peru: Hundreds of traditional fisherman living just outside the Peruvian capital fear their livelihoods are ruined following an oil spill caused by a volcanic eruption thousands of miles away. >click to read< 10:31
Handsome Crabber Taking Shape at Gasp’ Yard
With the regulated catch quotas of contemporary fisheries, design versatility for a fishing vessel can be important. A new 19.81 by 7.31-metre combination crab trap and groundfish trawler designed by Navanex for building by Chantier Naval Forillon, both based in Gaspé, Quebec, is a clear example of this. The owners, Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government, anticipate accepting delivery in April of 2022. The steel-hulled vessel will have a raised fo’c’sle design with an aluminium pilot house. Photos, >click to read< 20:50
Video: Save the Gulf of Maine – The Maine Reset
Upcoming documentary scrutinizes plans to industrialize the Gulf of Maine and highlights the perspectives of the Mainers most affected. At the foreground of the conversation are Maine lobstermen. In later episodes, scientists and ecologists also weigh in. The result is a thought-provoking primer on an issue that could result in the fundamental transformation of the State of Maine. >click to watch<, 17:36 It’s only the beginning! You can support this project at www.igg.me/at/ProtectMaineWaters – Please, also watch the first video installment of >Road to Disaster – Voices of Maine Lobstermen, click here<
Vessels collide near Sunshine Skyway Bridge
A fishing boat and a barge collided Tuesday near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the Coast Guard reported. In a tweet, the Coast Guard said a patrol vessel from the St. Petersburg station responded to the collision. Both vessels had minor damage. No injuries were reported. The fishing boat was towed to the Tampa shrimping docks for repair. Photos, >click to read< We will update when we get more info! 14:25
Rhode Island: Calamari Market Leader Town Dock Relaunches Retail Offering
With a 40-year commitment to overseeing its product from eco-friendly catch to delicious cuisine, The Town Dock solidified itself as a market leader in foodservice calamari. It announces an expanded and redesigned retail product line rolling out throughout winter and spring, allowing more consumers to find that same restaurant-quality product online and retail stores across the nation. A family-owned company, The Town Dock is one of the largest calamari suppliers in the United States and a key player in the international marketplace. For more product information, and where to purchase, nationwide, >click to read< 13:29
MAIB report reveals drama of the moment a WWII bomb exploded under a fishing boat
The shocking details of an explosion off Cromer which left a fishing boat’s crewmen with life-changing injuries have been laid bare in a new report. A German bomb had lain dormant on the seabed since the Second World War 80 years ago until it was disturbed by crab-pot string from the Galwad-Y-Mor, just over two years ago. The bomb detonated, triggering a shockwave and gas explosion that threw the boat out of the water and left the crew nursing a string of serious injuries, including broken arms and legs, and the loss of sight in one crewman’s eye. photos, >click to read<,–>click for related stories< 11:08
History repeating itself?
The Scottish Government have recently published a report with the headline Just Transition: A Fairer, Greener Scotland. A win-win situation one might think, profits for the government and a greener future to appease their Green Party colleagues in government. However, where there are winners; someone usually has to lose, so what is to be lost in this transaction and for whom? The loss here will be to every fishing community on the periphery of Scotland, with residents that harvest the bounty that nature annually provides from the seabed around our shores. That ability to harvest the seabed is now being stolen from the fishing communities, as it is being sold off to the highest bidders; by the new Crown Estate landowners, our own Scottish Government in Edinburgh. >click to read< By William Polson 09:55 – Scotland’s offshore wind sector gets $951 million boost as parts of seabed leased out – The Scottish offshore wind sector received a boost this week after a program to lease areas of Scotland’s seabed for wind farm developments raised just under £700 million (around $952 million). >click to read< 12:29
Lobstermen fear offshore tracking data would be used against them
An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is considering implementing the tracking requirements on federally-permitted lobster and Jonah crab fishermen in order to collect data on where and how they fish. “As these uses are developing in their discussions about how to divvy up that ocean space, it will be really critical to understand where the important fishing grounds are for the U.S. lobster fishery so those can be maintained,” said Caitlin Starks, a fishery management plan coordinator at the commission. >click to read< 08:22 What bullshit this is.
Lifelong trawler says success comes to those who love the craft
Local trawler Blake Badeaux said he doesn’t know how much longer the local seafood industry will survive in southeast Louisiana due to tough prices and competition from imports. But he plans to be on the water as long as he’s physically able to keep going. Badeaux said he’s been on a trawl boat since he’s 6 months old, and he’s going to keep on going as long as he can, calling a life on the water a labor of love. When asked why he believes fewer younger people are getting into the profession, he said that he believes manual labor is a factor that is likely pulling people away. “There’s not many young people nowadays who like the hard manual labor that comes with trawling,” >click to read< 19:55
UFCA President Says Important Days Coming In Court
The group representing 2,000 commercial fishing stakeholders in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have been granted intervener status in several Indigenous court cases. The latest came in December in a notice of application brought forward by the Sipekne’katik First Nation to the Supreme Court of Canada. The band’s application is against the federal government, challenging their regulation and enforcement of Indigenous fisheries. UFCA President Colin Sproul says these are the most vital court cases since the Marshall Decision. He says the UFCA’s goal is to have one set of rules for all fishers, within established seasons, and they are committed to a peaceful solution with all parties involved. >click to read< More UFCA >click< 14:26
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 64’x19′ Fiberglass Longliner, Price Reduced!
To review specifications, information, with 15 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:47
The Blue Economy: A lawyer and Blue Colonialism.
Nathalie Ros is a lawyer, professor at the University of Tours she is Vice-President and Secretary General of the International Association for the Law of the Sea. In the context of the conference on the oceans to be held in Brest on February 11 and 12, her reflections allow us to measure the stakes of this meeting especially for fishermen. She has developed analyses and concepts which support our own reflections. She thus denounces the privatisation of the oceans in various forms such as transferable quotas, but also the seizure of marine spaces by multinationals in the name of Blue Growth, or the creation of large MPAs banned from fishing in the name of conservation. All this is being done at the expense of fishing: ” the fishing sector, perceived as an obstacle if not a competitor by the new marine industries, is too often seen today as a scapegoat, in defiance of the efforts made by some and reduced to nothing by others. At the same time: “Private actors, often foreigners, can thus benefit from exclusive rights over large parts of the national maritime space, in addition sometimes located very offshore”. >click to read< 10:38
U.S. puts restrictions on Mexican boats over illegal fishing
The U.S. government is putting restrictions on Mexican fishing boats entering U.S. ports over allegations that the Mexican government has failed to prevent illegal fishing in U.S. waters. Starting Feb. 7, all Mexican fishing boats in the Gulf of Mexico will be prohibited from entering U.S. ports. “This is an example of how rampant illegal fishing is in Mexico,” said Alejandro Olivera with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Mexican fisheries enforcement has been weakened since the start of this administration.” >click to read< 09:50
Supply chain issues? Maine lobstermen can’t find gear to comply with new federal regulations
David Tarr, a Brooklin lobsterman, has called around to supply stores and they’re not sure when the gear is supposed to come in, possibly in a couple months. “We can’t get the things that will meet their criteria,” he said. The Maine Department of Marine Resources has received numerous reports that there isn’t a sufficient supply of approved ropes or weak links, a spokesperson said. The department plans to share the reports with federal regulators so they’re aware of the potential challenges with fishery-wide compliance. >click to read< 07:55
Catch-App: “Government are going to make us criminals,” fear English fishermen
English fishermen are deeply concerned that new regulations regarding the enforcement of Catch-App will turn them into criminals. Fishermen across England are deeply concerned as the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) the Government’s fishing regulator in England, sets the date of 28 February 2022 for the enforcement stage of the Catch-App which could leave them facing prosecutions they cannot avoid. Leading fisheries solicitor Andrew Oliver, partner of Hull based firm Andrew Jackson questioned the legal implications of the regulations. “This is a clear breach of human rights. It is against public law principles to create a criminal offence for which it is impossible to comply with. >click to read< 07:06
Another nail in the coffin of Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishing villages
I realize for many years now, I am sounding like a broken record regarding my almost daily ritual of trying to persuade government officials, both provincially and federally, how the rules regarding fishing enterprise transfers are killing coastal communities. Our outport communities exist as fishing villages and we are in the eleventh hour of the existence of many simply because the fishers in those villages, strung around the coast, are in their sixties and seventies and their days on the water are numbered. >click to read< opinion by David Boyd 20:24
Work stoppage by Sea Fisheries Protection Authority officers to cause disruption
Barring last-minute efforts to resolve issues, the stoppage is expected to cause disruption in designated fishing harbours around the coast. Lack of consultation with staff over the implementation of a new strategy and organisational changes are among the key reasons cited for the industrial action. The union served notice last week of 24-hour work stoppage by all Fórsa members from midnight Wednesday, January 19 to midnight Thursday, January 20. This may be followed by a 48-hour work stoppage by all Fórsa members from midnight Tuesday,,, >click to read< 17:38
