Monthly Archives: February 2022
I’m facing a ‘life sentence’ of debt because I was sold a ‘defective’ trawler
A former fisherman has told how he’s been handed “a life sentence” after he was left €2 million in debt when he was sold a trawler, which he claims was defective. CJ Gaffney, from Arklow, Co Wicklow, bought the Mary Kate WD30 in Germany in 2009 and at the time the vessel was deemed safe by German authorities, who had stamped its EU papers. But when the boat almost capsized on two occasions with four crew on board, nearly 20 tonnes of steel was discovered when they carried out their own independent safety checks. He claims this extra weight made the 24m boat completely unstable and too dangerous for the water. >click to read< 08:18
Video: Coast Guard rescues two fishermen from sinking vessel near Sitka
The Coast Guard rescued two fishermen from their sinking vessel, Monday in Islet Passage, near Sitka, Alaska. A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew hoisted the two fishermen at approximately 9 p.m. from the 40-foot fishing vessel, F/V Glory, approximately nine miles south of Sitka. The aircrew lowered a rescue swimmer to assess the vessel that was taking on water. The fishermen were unable to secure the source of the flooding and the rescue swimmer advised the fisherman to abandon ship. Video, >click to read< 18:39
‘Once in a millennium’ rogue wave recorded off Ucluelet
A giant wave off Ucluelet in 2020 is the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded, says a group of Victoria scientists. The 17.6-metre swell. as high as a four-story building, was recorded with sensor buoys at Amphitrite Bank, about seven kilometers off Ucluelet. The wave recorded by MarineLabs off Ucluelet was 17.6 metres in a sea state with wave heights of six metres, so it was nearly three times the size of the waves around it. Video, >click to read< 16:15
Alabama: Seafood bill raising questions about tax breaks pitched to lawmakers
For Ernie Anderson, the legislation that passed out of the Alabama House last week will help a dwindling number of commercial fishermen save costs while purchasing equipment to do their jobs. Problem is, no one seems to know how much that is. The bill, HB10, allows the entire commercial fishing industry similar tax exemptions and reduced tax obligations like those offered to farmers, who pay 1.5% on sales taxes. Commercial fishermen, excluding commercial shrimpers, currently pay a 4% sales tax rate whenever they purchase equipment like netting and bait. >click to read< 14:01
Fishermen sue to end industry funded monitoring program
A group of fishing companies in New England is bringing its bid to try to end industry-funded monitoring programs to federal appeals court. The companies are part of the industry that harvests Atlantic herring, which are heavily fished off the East Coast. The federal government requires herring fishing boats to participate in, and pay for, at-sea monitoring programs. >click to read< 13:30
Photo’s: Monday morning in Newlyn – a misty start to the day.
A nice selection of photos from Lawrence Hartwell. >click to review< and click on the photos to enlarge them! Thank you, Lawrence! 13:01
Judge advances lawsuit over California drift gillnet ban
A federal judge has advanced a lawsuit against a California state law that bans the use of swordfish catching gillnets,,, Two fishermen sued the state two years ago, arguing that because they obtained federal permits to use gillnets, California cannot pass a law that deprives them of those federal rights. The fishermen, Joseph Abad and Austen Brown, asked for a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the state law, but a federal judge denied that request. >click to read< 10:17
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for February 07, 2022
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had quite a few calls regarding the information we’ve shared about the disinformation surrounding the management of Southern Flounder. After last week’s newsletter, I received a call from a gentleman who was obviously an avid supporter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and Coastal Conservation Association. The caller, a recreational angler, was concerned with my articles because he felt I was blaming anglers for “overfishing” the Sothern Flounder stock. 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< 08:50
Maine wants whale protections delayed
Maine’s governor and congressional delegation are calling on the federal government to push back new fishing rules designed to protect whales so fishermen can comply with them. New lobster fishing rules require fishermen to start using weakened rope or special inserts to weaken existing rope beginning in May in some waters. They said a lack of compliant gear is making it hard for harvesters to comply with the rules. >click to read< 07:27
Captain, crewman remembered 15 years after F/V Lady Luck’s sinking
Fifteen years after their tragic deaths in the sinking of the dragger Lady Luck, Capt. Sean Cone and his crewman Daniel Miller are still fondly remembered by their families and friends. Cone, 24, born and raised in North Andover, and Miller, 21, of North Hampton, New Hampshire, were lost when their 52-foot, steel-hulled vessel sank rapidly in the late hours of Jan. 31, 2007, about 30 miles southeast of Portland, Maine, in water more than 500 feet deep, according to a U.S. Coast Guard investigation. The two fishermen were returning to Newburyport from Portland. Years later, their loved ones continue to celebrate their lives. >click to read< 17:47
The ‘last 20 miles’: Real estate boom, new demands threaten Maine’s working waterfront
Rockland – The potential sale of three commercial waterfront properties has the potential to bring new development and tax revenue, but also great change to the town’s character. The properties are being marketed as development opportunities for hotels, restaurants, retail or office space, residential or marine usage and are listed for sale for $13.9 million, according to the New England Commercial Property Exchange. “We expect that whatever we do will be controversial,” Ed Glaser, mayor of Rockland. Elsewhere in Rockland, the nonprofit Island Institute has been sounding the alarm about shrinking coastal frontage still available for commercial use by fishermen, boatbuilders, marinas and so on. Of Maine’s 5,300 miles of coastline, just a fraction, 20 miles, is still available for working waterfront, according to the nonprofit’s 2014 report, “The Last 20 Miles.” >click to read< 13:32
GoFundMe and the Nag’s Head Light: How Crowdfunding Has Become The Latest Battleground Over Free Speech
GoFundMe’s suspension of millions to support protesting truckers in Canada shocked many, particularly when the company initially announced its intention to distribute the money to other charities.,, In the Carolinas, locals would sometimes tie a lantern under the head of a horse to lure ships to their doom. Thinking the light was a ship in deep water, the ships would unwittingly sail into the shore rocks where they would be stripped of their cargo. That is how the resort town Nag’s Head, North Carolina got its name. GoFundMe is the ultimate Nag’s Head operation. >click to read< 10:18 Our pages of GoFundMe fundraisers here, >click to read<
Fishermen blast ‘algal bloom’ crab death finding as ‘utter rubbish’ as marine expert blames ‘chemical’
A marine expert has disputed the findings of a government report into what caused mass crab and lobster deaths along the Teesside coast. Government department Defra blamed the strange occurrence on algal bloom following a four-month investigation and extensive testing. But Tim Deere-Jones, an independent marine pollution consultant, says the cause is linked to a specific chemical called pyridine, quantities of which he says were more than 70 times higher in some crab samples taken from Saltburn and Seaton. >click to read< 09:46
Search suspended for Captain Michael Ramirez of F/V Lady Nora
The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a missing shrimp boat captain who fell overboard near Port Aransas, Texas, Sunday. Coast Guard crews searched approximately 1,416 square miles for over 32 combined hours. Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders received a call on VHF-FM channel 16 at about 7 a.m. stating the Captain of the shrimp boat F/V Lady Nora had slipped and fallen overboard 7 miles northeast of the Port Aransas jetties. >click to read< 07:54
Fishing vessel joins international scientific expedition to study salmon
When the chartered fishing vessel the Raw Spirit pulls out of Port Alberni this month, it will join three other vessels in an international expedition to understand the lives of salmon in the North Pacific. More than $1 million was raised privately by B.C. scientists Brian Riddell and Richard Beamish to cover the cost of the fishing vessel joining the 2022 Pan-Pacific Winter High Seas Expedition. This past week, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Bell M. Shimada sailed out of Port Angeles to head north. The Canadian Coast Guard’s Sir John Franklin, built in North Vancouver, and Russia’s R/V Tinro are also part of the expedition. The venture follows the 2019 and 2020 International Gulf of Alaska expeditions, also tasked with understanding salmon in winter in the North Pacific. >click to read< 16:22
The search is on for overboard shrimp boat captain in the Gulf
The Coast Guard is searching for a 40-year-old man who fell overboard a commercial shrimping vessel near Port Aransas, Texas, Sunday. Missing is Michael Ramirez, who is 6-feet tall, 180 pounds and was last seen wearing a black jacket and boots. Ramirez was not wearing a life jacket. Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders received a call on VHF-FM channel 16 at about 7 a.m. stating the captain of the shrimp boat F/V Lady Nora had slipped and fallen overboard 7 miles northeast of the Port Aransas jetties. >click to read< 14:30
Opinion: Fighting whale-safe gear rules won’t ‘save Maine lobstermen’
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association has stepped up an advocacy campaign to “#Save Maine Lobstermen.” They and their political allies claim that new regulations to make fishing gear safer for right whales will put the lobster fishery out of business. Where is the evidence? Massachusetts and Canadian lobster fisheries are already investing in changes that the Maine Lobstermen’s Association claims are impossible. Indeed, Canada has invested $20 million to transition its trap fisheries to whale-safe gear by 2023. Digging in for a fight means that Maine lobstermen fall behind the competition. >click to read< 10:03
This Gig Harbor fishing vessel is almost 100. Here’s the latest on its next life.
The wooden vessel, built in 1925, is looking better today. Now at the Harbor History Museum, it’s taking shape as a permanent exhibit that will tell the story of the boat and also the history of Gig Harbor’s commercial waterfront. The Shenandoah was built in the Skansie Shipyard. The Janovich family started fishing the boat in about 1967, and owner Tony Janovich donated it to the museum in 2000. Their largest catch was about 8,600 sockeye. The purse seiner was hauled out of the water in 2003, and crews have been restoring it since. Video, >click to read< 08:29
Newport Rhode Island’s commercial fishing industry faces challenging times
“Different? How are things different? Just look at it.” Gazing out over the water toward downtown Newport from a dock on Long Wharf, Denny Ingram, the burly captain of Blue Moon, is answering my question with a question. “Nothing’s the way it used to be. Nothing.” We’re standing on the last remaining pier dedicated to the city’s commercial fishing industry. The view is crowded with pleasure boats, mid-rise condos and high-end hotels. When Ingram started fishing nearly 40 years ago, the scene was quite different. Today, all of the businesses serving the commercial fishing industry have evaporated. You can’t even get ice locally. >click to read< 17:21
Florida governor to investigate GoFundMe over Canada trucker donations
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday it was fraud for GoFundMe to “commandeer” $9 million in donations sent to support protesting truckdrivers in Canada and that he will investigate what he called “deceptive practices” by the website. GoFundMe took down the so-called Freedom Convoy’s page on Friday, saying it violated its terms of service. It said donors had two weeks to request a refund, then remaining funds would be disbursed to “credible and established charities.” >click to read< 11:44
Plans underway by mother, Yarmouth for memorials to six Nova Scotia fishermen lost at sea
Plans are underway by a mother and the town of Yarmouth, N.S., for memorials to six fishermen who died when their scallop dragger sank off the province’s southwestern coast 14 months ago. Lori Phillips, Aaron Cogswell’s mother, has ordered a stone monument to be installed in the Delaps Cove area as a place to remember her son, and it also has the names and images of the other fishermen on it. She used funeral funds provided by the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, and some of her own money, to pay the $6,000 cost of the stone monument, which was delivered at a reduced price. On the stone is a photo of the dragger and photos of all the crew, and it is written, “these six men held important roles in the lives near and dear to them.” >click to read< 10:26
Salmon runs: Remove sea lions
Breaching the Snake River dams will not guarantee an improved salmon run. A better suggestion might be to remove the sea lions from the Columbia River and severely restrict fishing as our Canadian neighbors are doing for their Fraser River run. It is difficult for more salmon to get upstream when they are being overfished, and each sea lion consumes 15 to 40 pounds of fish per day. By John Crawford >click to read< 09:21
Graves seeks Federal Fishery Disaster Determination for Louisiana
U.S. Rep. Garret Graves recently urged the Biden Administration to declare a Fishery Disaster Determination that would provide targeted relief to one of Louisiana’s most impacted sectors and help both commercial and recreational fishers begin to recover from myriad disasters. “Our fishermen have taken a pounding over the last several years. Hurricanes, floods, unfair trade practices, over-regulation, and a global pandemic have delivered a major blow to our workforce and consumer demand,” Rep. Graves wrote in a Jan. 20 letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Under law, only the Commerce Secretary can make this determination,,, >click to read< 08:18
Coast Guard medevacs commercial fisherman 90 miles east of Cape Ann
The Coast Guard medically evacuated an injured fisherman 90 miles east of Cape Ann, Massachusetts, Thursday. Coast Guard Sector Boston watchstanders received a notification from the fishing vessel F/V Sea Rambler, reporting that a crewmember had severely injured their arm in a hatch, and were requesting assistance. Video, >click to read< 12:50
Not Green: Offshore Wind ‘Industry’ Destroying Fishing Grounds, Birds & Marine Life
Taking wind turbines out to sea not only escalates the cost of the occasional power they produce, it destroys coastal landscapes, birds and other marine life. Millions of birds of battered out of existence by these things every year. And offshore turbines are driving puffins and other threatened species to the brink of extinction. Wind turbine noise has been proven to disrupt whales’ sonar guidance and communication systems, creating another threat to the already threatened North Atlantic Right Whale. The damage done by offshore wind farms to fishing grounds is met with practiced contempt by wind power outfits and malign indifference by their political enablers. >click to read< 11:21
Bering Sea snow crab deemed ‘overfished’
After a sudden decline in the stock last year, federal managers have officially designated Bering Sea snow crab as overfished and are working on a plan to rebuild the stock. In October, the National Marine Fisheries Service determined that with its current low numbers, the stock of Bering Sea snow crab, also known as opilio crab, is officially overfished. However, the stock is “not subject to overfishing,” according to a report submitted to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on the issue. That’s because the fishery removals aren’t above the level considered to be sustainable, rather it’s because the stock dropped for other reasons that scientists and managers aren’t entire sure of yet. >click to read<
Wastewater Treatment Plants: Cocktail of drugs taint bonefish in Biscayne Bay and Keys, study finds.
A cocktail of prescription drugs, from blood pressure medications to opioids, has found its way into the flesh of South Florida’s population of bonefish, one of the state’s most sought-after game fish, according to a study released this week. “The source of this contamination is human waste and a wastewater infrastructure that has been pressed beyond its technological capability and capacity, at least to meet the demands of today,” The culprit is a sewage system designed to filter out fecal matter and other pollution, but not pharmaceuticals, researchers at Florida International University and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust say. >click to read< 09:07 Read more about wastewater treatment plants, >click to read<
Commercial Fisherman medevaced 80 miles west of Tampa
The Coast Guard medevaced a 37-year-old man from a commercial fishing vessel. F/V Swordfish, 80 miles west of Tampa, Thursday. An MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater flew the man to Tampa General Hospital in stable condition. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders were notified by the fishing vessel captain of the man’s critical medical condition. A Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended the man be brought ashore. Video, >click to read< 07:14
WWII Veteran, Commercial Fisherman Stanley J. Dykovitz of Southampton has passed away
Born on Christmas Eve 1921 to parents Stanley and Sophie Dykovitz, Stanley was raised in East Marion. He graduated from Greenport High School and liked to tell people he attended “Corn Cob College.” He was a proud U.S. Navy veteran and could vividly recall stories of his time in the Seabees during World War II (or as he called it, “The Big One”). He was a commercial lobsterman on his boat, the F/V Hazel E out of Montauk. He transitioned to conch fishing on the F/V Miss Stephanie in the Peconic Bay, though he was always a lobsterman at heart. >click to read< 16:43
ACK Residents Against Turbines not aligned with fossil fuel money
The Jan. 21 article by Doug Fraser, “Nuclear and Fossil Fuel Advocates, Wind Foes Among Backers of Right Whale Protection Suits,” misleads the public by attempting to draw a false link between ACK Residents Against Turbines, which opposes development of industrial-scale wind farms off the coast of New England, and other groups associated with the fossil fuel industry. Some groups oppose industrial offshore wind development because it will harm pristine ocean views enjoyed by all; others are opposed to the dramatic increase in electric rates experienced by countries that have adopted it or to the devastating impact it will have on commercial fishing. These are all valid concerns. ACK Residents Against Turbines is opposed to the industrialization of our ocean because the turbines, massive offshore substations, and vast undersea high voltage cable systems will damage the fragile marine ecosystem. >click to read< 15:12 By Vallorie Oliver President, Nantucket Residents Against Turbines
