Daily Archives: April 26, 2022
Jobi Allemand says being a trawler isn’t for everyone, but he loves what he does
Allemand is a local commercial shrimper who has been on the water his whole life. “Being a commercial shrimper is a job I take pride in and truly love,” he said. “To make it as a trawler, you have to put in your time and work for what you catch,” Allemand said. “You can’t expect to go out and load the board the first day. Sometimes, it will take a few days just to find something to work on. There were times where things were breaking and you’re not making money, and it seemed easy to throw in the towel, but if you want to make it as a trawler, you have to put your head down and get back at it harder because if not, it will try to tear you down. For all of my successes, I owe a lot to my Dad and thank him for teaching me the in’s and out’s of being a commercial fisherman.” >click to read< 18:55
The Federal Competition Act
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to include fish pricing in the Federal Competition Act with planned amendments to the legislation. “The only industry in Canada excluded from the Federal Competition Act is the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery, and the inshore fleet pays the price in terms of less money for their fish,” says Ryan Cleary, Executive Director of SEA-NL. In the federal budget released earlier this month, the Trudeau government revealed plans to make amendments to toughen Canadian competition laws. >click to read< 15:42
DFO: ‘no plan’ to cut commercial lobster catches to implement treaty fishery
The issue has swirled through Maritime coastal fishing communities since the federal government relaunched a voluntary commercial licence buy-back program last year to make room for more Mi’kmaw access, so far without success. The departmental statement followed a response from Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray to Conservative fisheries critic Rick Perkins during Question Period Monday. “DFO sources tell me the minister was about to expropriate 15 per cent of lobster traps from licence holders, without compensation, to give to First Nations,” Perkins said Monday. “This would be devastating for these fishermen. >click to read<13:43
Fishermen urge Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to revisit regulations
Several local commercial fishermen have asked the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to reconsider Columbia River fishing regulations. During the public forum section of the commission’s meeting in Astoria on Friday, commercial fishermen and those connected with the industry asked the commission to revisit gillnetting regulations and salmon buyback options. Jim Coleman, a fisherman from St. Helens, asked commissioners to add gillnetting to a future agenda or to work with Washington state to ensure the option of a 6-inch gillnet in the fall. “The gillnet-caught Copper River King salmon is flown from Alaska to Seattle on a chartered jet with great fanfare, demanding $70 to $80 a pound, while commercial fishing on the Columbia River is a political football,” >click to read< 12:18
Killybegs Fishermen’s Organization calls for Immediate Action on Russian Trawlers
A fleet of Russian midwater freezer trawlers are currently operating in a zone shared between the UK and the Faroe islands – having been issued licences by the Faroes. CFO boss Sean O’Donoghue has slammed the move. He said “What is most galling about this is that the Faroese are not just facilitating the access of the Russian boats, but they are also using their excessive blue whiting quota as a trade-off to ‘print currency’ or purchase cod quota from Russia. “It appears that the Faroese are swapping the fish in an area they share with the UK for cod quota in Russian waters,” said Mr O’Donoghue. >click to read< 10:17
High fuel prices have Texas shrimping industry at virtual standstill
The price of diesel is so high right now that many Texas shrimpers are struggling, not making money, fearing that they’ll lose their crews if they’re docked much longer. “The majority of the vessels in the gulf, I would imagine they’re either tied up at the dock right now or they’re headed back to the dock, because they’ve run out of the cheap fuel,” said Andrea Hance, executive director of the Texas Shrimp Association. “And it [fuel prices] jumps around every day. If you do the math on that, that comes out anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 just to fill up one of these boats for maybe a 60-day trip. We will not be able to make money on that.” Video, >click to read< 09:13
Nova Scotia: Wharf price for lobster has plunged in April
Lobster prices paid to fishermen have plunged between 37 and 42 per cent in Nova Scotia this month. The decline, from $17.50 a pound on April 3 to $10 and $11 on Monday, comes as the lobster fishery is set to open in more locations in Nova Scotia and the Maritimes. What made the drop in the shore price more unusual in 2022 were the historic highs that preceded them. >click to read< 07:56
