Daily Archives: June 21, 2022

Inland Fisheries: Can Illinois turn Asian carp into Chilean sea bass? State to announce new name

A new name for the much-maligned fish will be announced Wednesday by state officials who hope the rebrand will shed the negative image of a muddy tasting bottom-feeder and inject the truth — they’re top-feeding plankton eaters that taste quite good. The “Big Reveal” will be hosted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources,,, State officials hope the rebrand will lead to more people eating the fish, which would lead to more commercial fishing operations to pull them from the Illinois River and, ultimately, decrease their numbers and the risk that Asian carp could eventually make their way into the Great Lakes. >click to read< 17:37

Grimsby man whose house was full of model boats sells 400 of them at auction

Pete Dixon, 75, who spent 40 years of his life working on trawlers as a cook, acquired an incredible 600 model boats over the years which he kept around his rented home on Heneage Road. From floor to ceiling, Pete’s home was full of the boats – he even kept some in the bath because he ran out of space. But on Sunday, the time came for him to sell the majority of these at Prestige Auctions on Orwell Street in Grimsby – and people as far away as Australia, New Zealand and America were keen to get their hands on Pete’s boats. “Pete’s house still has boats in it, but they are going to be coming to Prestige Auctions in the coming weeks. There’s still about 100 boats that are going to be going to auction. His memorabilia collection will be coming in soon – that’s his Grimsby trawlers, paintings, life rings off the old trawlers – there’s a hell of a collection, and we need to sell all of that as well. >click to read< 14:41

Management Plan Released for Atlantic Herring in Southwest Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy

Atlantic herring is a vital species in Atlantic Canada. As one of the largest commercial fisheries in Atlantic Canada, the Southwest Nova Scotia / Bay of Fundy herring stock directly or indirectly employs more than 1,000 people in rural Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and contributes over $140 million to the local economy. Atlantic herring is also an important source of bait for other commercial fisheries, such as lobster and snow crab. Despite a number of measures taken in recent years to encourage rebuilding, the Southwest Nova Scotia / Bay of Fundy Atlantic herring stock remains in the critical zone. Stronger sustainable management actions are needed to protect this important species and return it to abundance. >click to read< 13:29

Boaters clobber rare Right whale and calf, but they avoid legal consequences

There’s nothing like a good shipwreck story. The crash happened near dusk on Feb. 12, 2021. A captain and seven passengers were aboard the 54-footer. They were returning from a day of competing at the Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout. The boat was doing about 21 knots, 24 mph if you’re a landlubber, as it headed for the Conch House Marina in St. Augustine. Nearing their destination, in the St. Augustine Inlet, the boat smacked into something — hard. The boat stopped dead in the water. So did whatever it had hit. Suddenly the “About Time” didn’t have much time. Both its twin engines shut down and the damaged boat began sinking fast. When a pair of Florida wildlife officers showed up, the owner of the boat, Dayne Williams of New Smyrna Beach, blurted out, “I think we hit a whale. I saw fins and blood.” Biologists immediately identified it as an endangered North American right whale. >click to read< 12:34

Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship: Memories of working and playing hard on Arctic Corsair as restoration progresses

Two of Hull’s cherished ships have had decades-old paint and rust blasted away in the latest stage of a major restoration project which will ultimately see them displayed to the public. The Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship are being power-cleaned this week by special tools used to remove old paint, corrosion, and muck clinging to the ships’ hulls.  >click to read<

Waking up to find a huge cod alongside him in his bunk was an experience young Pete Forytarz never forgot. – The third generation fisherman, 70, is one of a dwindling band with memories going back to the days when hundreds of boats, big and small, operated out of Hull. He did two trips to the White Sea on board Arctic Corsair back in 1973 for cod and haddock. and now acts as a guide on board on the sidewinder trawler, which is being restored as part of the £30m Hull Maritime project. In dry dock the vessel’s elegant lines are revealed, her slim hull and raked bow. “She is going to look beautiful,” said Pete, his face lighting up. >click to read< 10:46

Hundreds of workers flown home to Pacific despite fishing firms’ pleas

Tongan, Samoan and ni-Vanuatu horticulture workers have been redeployed or flown home, to the disappointment of the country’s biggest fishing companies who had asked for help filling hundreds of jobs in their processing plants. Between 200 and 500 workers still had time left on their Recognised Seasonal Employer visas, at the end of fruit-picking season in Nelson and Marlborough. Sealord and Talley’ wrote to the immigration minister asking that workers be given the chance to transfer over to better-paid seafood jobs, to help address a big labour shortage at the start of New Zealand’s lucrative hoki season. >click to read< 09:32

Taylor’s Blue Eyed Girl wins fastest working lobster boat

Andrew Taylor of Southport, owner of Blue Eyed Girl, defended his title as the Fastest Working Lobster Boat, at the Charles Begin Memorial Lobster Boat Races in Boothbay Harbor on Saturday, June 18. Forty boats competed in the first race of the Maine Lobster Boat Racing season. Taylor’s boat defeated three other competitors in the Fastest Working Lobster Boat race. His time was just over 47 mph. Taking second was Gold Digger, Heather Thompson, at 44 mph. Below are the results as provided by Jon Johansen, president of Maine Lobster Boat Racing. >click to read<, and review 64  excellent photos from Raceday! 08:12