Daily Archives: March 16, 2022
Commercial fishing out of Wheatley Harbour is like ‘farming on the water’
On a foggy March 9, I followed the 15-mile-long County Rd. 1, the Wheatley Road, due south from Tilbury. Except for two bends, that skinny ribbon of two-lane asphalt shoots arrow-straight and pancake-flat across the see-forever farmlands connecting Tilbury to Lake Erie’s north shore and to Wheatley, the world’s largest commercial, freshwater fishing port. So it was with Lady Anna II. I heard the low purr of a slow-turning diesel engine before I saw her. When I first spotted her, she looked like a small, grey box suspended over Lake Erie. And, before I knew it, her bow slicing the glassy-smooth water at a cruising speed of nine knots, Lady Anna II was at the mouth of Wheatley Harbour. >click to read< 22:00
An Update on Canadian Lobsterman Lex Brukovskiy in Ukraine
Though the air raid sirens shatter his rest, Canadian fisherman Lex Brukovskiy says he’s feeling a sense of calm being back in Ukraine to help his war-ravaged homeland. “Sitting back home and watching it, it was hard,” he said in an interview on Monday. And on Tuesday, he said in a followup telephone interview he’s been assigned a van to drive in a convoy that will make its way to besieged cities in eastern Ukraine with humanitarian supplies before bringing refugees back to safety. “I feel a lot more useful here.” “I’m just doing my part, helping out. He estimates that he’s currently working with about US$20,000 in donations that has come in from friends, fishers and acquaintances, many of them from Meteghan. >click to read the article< 17:55
Brighter Hope for fishermen as they take ownership of boat
Two young brothers and their friend have taken ownership of the Copious and renamed her Brighter Hope (LK98). Tom Robertson, 33, and Ross Robertson, 30, along with George Jamieson, 36, have acquired the 19m vessel. Brighter Hope is named after Mr Jamieson’s grandfather John James Fullerton’s 45ft boat Brighter Hope (LK 502), which was bought in the early 1950s. New skipper Tom Robertson said: “We hope to start fishing within the next two weeks after doing some upgrades and sorting the paperwork. >click to read< 14:43
Aging fleet, broken parts force DFO to cancel northern cod stock assessment
As the 30th anniversary of the cod moratorium approaches, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it can’t complete research on northern cod stocks because of broken parts on an aging vessel. Mechanical issues on a Coast Guard survey ship has forced DFO to cancel the assessment of Newfoundland and Labrador’s northern cod stock for this year. The department said it had to make changes to data collection in 2021 due to offshore weather and the condition of its research vessels. The situation is also affecting research on the province’s capelin stock, which will see an update this year rather than a full assessment. >click to read< 14:23
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 78′ Steel Longliner, 400HP Twin Cat 3406 Diesels
To review specifications, information, and 40 photos’, >click here<, A turn key vessel in excellent condition. To see all the boats in this series >click here< 12:30
Fisherman forced deckhand to swim across crocodile-inhabited Queensland river
A Far North Queensland fisherman has denied claims he forced a deckhand to swim across a river known for crocodiles, starved him and locked him in a freezer. Yarn Garrick Ward is on trial at the District Court in Cairns, accused of torturing his former worker, George Jelef, in a remote river system near Karumba in June 2019. Mr Ward has pleaded not guilty. “He said he was going to break my legs … I thought he was going to bash the shit out of me,” Mr Jelef told the court. >click to read< 11:25
Changes to Sitka commercial herring fishery don’t get board support
Several proposals to make changes to the commercial sac roe herring fishery in Sitka Sound failed to win support from Alaska’s Board of Fisheries over the weekend. Two of those would have made a permanent move away from a competitive fishery. Another would have allowed permit holders to opt for an alternative way to harvest herring eggs for market. Two proposals sought to end the competitive purse seine fishery in Sitka Sound for sac roe and replace it with an equal share fishery. >click to read< 10:51
Lobster prices on the rise
If you want lobster for dinner tonight, you’re going to pay dearly for it. The prices for lobster are right through the roof. “A year and a half ago fuel was about $1.60 a gallon. Now we’re paying almost 5 dollars.” Mike Theiler’s been lobster fishing these waters for 33 years. “No matter what we do with our fish and lobsters its predicated-on Diesel fuel,” Theiler said. A lobster fisherman’s daily cost includes fuel at 20 gallons per hour or $100 an hour, then add the cost of bait for the pots, and crew. Video, >click to read< 10:05
Galway Hooker Lit in Ukrainian Colours
One of Galway’s fleet of traditional craft has been lit in Ukrainian national colours in support of the people of Ukraine The Naomh Cronán is decked out in yellow and blue on Galway’s Claddagh basin each evening after sunset. The 40 foot Naomh Cronán was built to the design of the traditional craft once used for fishing and turf-carrying along the Atlantic coast. “We were preparing lights for our fleet for St Patrick’s day on March 17th, and decided to light one of the vessels for Ukraine,” Peter Connolly of Bádóirí an Chladaigh, the Claddagh Boatbuilders, said. >click to read< 08:52
