Monthly Archives: July 2022
F/V Villa de Pitanxo: “this is very similar to the Alvia, the Yak-42 and Spanair, politicians who do not assume their responsibilities”
The families of the 21 deceased in the Villa de Pitanxo traveled this Friday to the Sub delegation of the Government in Pontevedra to read a manifesto in which they show their discomfort with the central Government of Pedro Sánchez for failing to fulfill its commitment to “do everything possible and impossible” to investigate what happened. The promise was made by the president on the night of February 21, when the nine bodies located in Terranova arrived by plane to Santiago de Compostela, and almost six months later they remind him that “he does not fulfill his commitment.” Kevin González, son of one of those killed in the shipwreck, read the statement on behalf of the 21 families of those killed in the shipwreck, accompanied by a small representation of relatives and two banners with the faces of the sailors who did not survive the sinking and with their claims. Photos, >click to read< (you may need to click translate)16:27
Ship Strikes: Ships must slow down more often to save whales, feds say
Vessels off the East Coast must slow down more often to help save a vanishing species of whale from extinction, the federal government said Friday. Efforts to save the whales have long focused on fishing gear, especially that used by East Coast lobster fishermen. The proposed vessel speed rules signal that the government wants the shipping industry to take more responsibility. “Changes to the existing vessel speed regulation are essential to stabilize the ongoing right whale population decline and prevent the species’ extinction,” state the proposed rules, which are slated to be published in the federal register. Fishermen are unfairly being held accountable for whale deaths that occur due to vessel strikes, said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, which is the largest fishing industry association on the East Coast. >click to read< 11:33
Vietnam Veteran, Commercial Fisherman Guadalupe G. Zamora has passed away
Guadalupe G. Zamora, a TX native, and U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran, entered eternal rest on July 27th at the age of 78 at his residence in Los Fresnos, TX. Guadalupe is an Army Veteran that served from 1967 to 1970. He was a heavy vehicle driver and attained the rank of Sergeant during the Vietnam War. He was very proud of his service to our nation, and we were very proud of him as well. Guadalupe Zamora was born in Brownsville on June 7, 1944 and raised in both Brownsville and Port Isabel. He grew up with 3 brothers and 5 sisters. He was a natural born carpenter, and one of his many projects included a large front porch of which he was very proud of and spent many afternoons at. He was a commercial fisherman and a Texas history buff, especially of the Alamo. >click to read< 09:48
Fishing boat strikes Norwegian Pearl cruise ship east of Nantucket
Passengers aboard a cruise ship that sails weekly out of Boston awoke to a jolt early Saturday morning when the massive vessel was struck by a fishing boat. The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report of the collision involving the Norwegian Pearl at 2:25 a.m. A spokesperson said a fishing boat, F/V Gabby G, struck the Pearl’s midsection about 41 nautical miles east of Nantucket. The vessels were operating in rainy conditions at the time of the collision. Coast Guard officials said damage to the cruise ship was minimal, but the fishing vessel was significantly damaged. One person aboard the Gabby G suffered a laceration. Video, >click to read< 08:01
Cruise Ship Hits Fishing Boat – A cruise ship bound for Bermuda was delayed after striking a fishing vessel off the coast of Nantucket on Saturday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Norwegian Pearl was “thoroughly assessed” and given clearance by the Coast Guard to continue on her seven-day voyage as planned, the spokesperson said. The Gabby G, however, reported some damages to the bow and was towed to New Bedford, arriving around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, >click to read<
‘Alaskan Bush People’ get the cold shoulder while looking for land in Southeast
Reality TV stars from the long-running Discovery series “Alaskan Bush People” made a brief stop in the Southeast community of Petersburg earlier this month. The famous Brown family tried to buy land after living in Washington the last three years. But locals, including Mark Hofstad, did not welcome them as neighbors. Hofstad said he first noticed a boat belonging to the “Alaskan Bush People” at Petersburg’s South Harbor in early July. The harbor is home to many large commercial fishing boats, including Hofstad’s boat called the Norseman. Hofstad said when he saw staff from the “Alaskan Bush People” walking around, he started bugging the harbor master to move them someplace else. “Just cause I don’t want to look at ‘em,” >click to read< 13:50
Multi-million dollar capelin fishery is a bust for eastern Newfoundland
The Lone Wolf is lying idle at the wharf in Hickman’s Harbour, Trinity Bay. The only sound is the lap of water against hull, the occasional screech of sea gulls flying past, hunting for food. Earlier this year the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) set a quota of around 15,000 metric tonnes for fishing zones from the south coast (area 3Ps) to the North East coast (2J, 3K and 3L zones). Inshore licenses, like the one the Marshes have, grant them just 12,000 pounds of crab. “This year we landed $82,000 worth,” she said. And that’s not a whole lot of money to pay a crew and cover the expenses of running a boat. “Last year I could fuel up my boat for $800,” she noted. “This year it costs $1600.” Capelin could have added another $30-40,000 to their seasonal revenue, making it the second most important fishery for their enterprise. But they’re not fishing it. Why not? It’s complicated. >click to read< 11:05
Dredging by fishing vessels for scallops has been banned along the Northumberland coastline
A new byelaw introduced by the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA) brings the rule into immediate effect. The NIFCA district covers the sea area from the Scottish Border to the midpoint of the River Tyne and six miles out to sea. NIFCA chairman Les Weller, explains: “Following an extensive public consultation with stakeholders including the commercial fishing industry and careful consideration, looking at all available options and taking stakeholder comments into account, the authority made this decision to ensure the long-term protection of the marine environment in the NIFCA district and the security of the local potting industry regarding crab and lobster stocks. >click to read< 08:55
A day in the life of a Cohasset lobsterman
Cohasset lobsterman Adam Donovan grew up in town and got his start with Matt Marr, who retired from lobstering in 2019 after 47 years on the ocean. Growing up, Donovan’s family was close friends with the Marr family, so it came as no surprise when Marr asked Donovan to work for him on his boat during the summer of 2002. He accepted the invitation. “The best part about having Adam [onboard] was that he learned various skills after one try,” he recalled. Photos, >click to continue reading< 07:34
It’s time to end the era of billion-dollar ‘sealords’ and heed the fishermen
The recent New Bedford Light/ProPublica investigative report, revealing how a billionaire Dutch family currently operates as the largest New England fish-quota owner, confirms what fishermen have been warning lawmakers for decades: that replacing independent fishermen with outside investment firms will undermine economic, social and environmental goals. However, these warnings extend well beyond New England. The report outlines how Bregal Equity, a multi-billion dollar private equity firm based in the European Union, maximizes fishing profits from their New England quota holdings by slashing costs and reducing income to captains and crew. Catch share programs have been implemented in Alaska, the West Coast, and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as internationally, where the next generation of independent fishermen are being systematically replaced by non-fishing, outside investors who follow in the wake of Bregal. >click to read< By Captain Ryan Bradley 15:57
Stonington: Bringing back tradition: Fallen fishermen to be honored at 69th Blessing of the Fleet
For the past two years, organizers of the annual Blessing of Fleet have kept long-standing traditions alive in a less social sense, hosting more abbreviated events and forgoing large crowds and booklet ad sales to be a good, safe community partner amid a global pandemic. The community pride and selfless efforts did not go unrecognized, and as the town prepares for the 69th annual Blessing of the Fleet in Stonington Borough on Sunday, organizers Georgia and Mike Crowley said the outpouring of support has been tremendous, leading to what is expected to be one of the largest and most attended programs ever. Photos, >click to read< 13:27
Rainstorm spells end for F/V Tiki
After 60 years at sea and a previous narrow escape from flooding, luck has run out for the fishing boat Tiki. Tiki was one of two boats swept from their moorings in Karitane on Tuesday during the downpour that caused disruption throughout the South. Both boats ended up on nearby Waikouaiti Beach. Retired fisherman Roger Bartlett said Tiki had “split open like a hard-boiled egg” and was beyond salvaging. During a flood in the same location in 1980, Tiki had been the only boat not swept out to sea. >click to read< 12:42
New Proposed Vessel Speed Regulations and New Draft Ropeless Gear Roadmap to Boost Protection of North Atlantic Right Whales
Today, NOAA Fisheries announced two important steps in a series of actions the agency is taking to protect and conserve North Atlantic right whales. We announced proposed changes to federal vessel speed regulations to further reduce the likelihood of right whale deaths and serious injuries that result from collisions with vessels. We also announced a new draft Ropeless Roadmap: A Strategy to Develop On-Demand Fishing. Both of these efforts are part of our North Atlantic Right Whale Road to Recovery, a strategy that encapsulates all of our ongoing work across the agency and in collaboration with our partners and stakeholders to conserve and rebuild the North Atlantic right whale population. >click to read< 11:03
Turf War – Newburyport fisherman ordered to stay away from counterpart
A “turf war” between two commercial fishing boat captains over dock space along the city’s waterfront has resulted in one being ordered to stay away from the other, according to Newburyport District Court records. Dean Holt, 55, of Pine Street, Newburyport, admitted a judge or jury could find him guilty of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery during his appearance in court July 23. Holt, according to court records, threw the other captain to the ground and kicked him during a scuffle in October. The altercation was the culmination of a lengthy disagreement between the two men over dock space. >click to read< 09:31
Local organization set to help fish harvesters switch to whalesafe gear
A Halifax-based organization has received $4.4 million from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Whalesafe Gear Adoption Fund to establish a program aimed at fish harvesters transition to safer equipment. The not-for-profit Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) received the funding to establish the CanFish gear lending program to help recover the North Atlantic Right Whale while sustaining commercial fisheries. Among its trial gear is rope on-demand which, according to their website, can be “used to leave something on the ocean floor and retrieve it at another time without leaving a persistent line in the water column.” >click to read< 08:15
Brussels approves plan to fund scrappage of trawlers
The European Commission’s plan to encourage some Irish trawler owners to scrap their fishing vessels has been described as “a necessary evil” by Irish fishing organisations. The commission has approved a €80 million Irish scheme that would help owners badly affected by the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union to quit the industry. In order to qualify for the grant, which will be calculated on the gross tonnage of the fishing vessel, owners will not only have to stop fishing, but also to surrender their licence and scrap their boats. Some of the grants will have to shared with trawler crews, and crews will also be able to claim some tax reliefs. >click to read< 07:29
Maine’s fishermen and farmers are under assault – When a flag is more than a symbol
With the livelihoods of both Maine’s fishermen and farmers under assault, Sam Patten talks about the importance of keeping the traditional state flag. In the event this should come up again, (Last year, the Maine Legislature shot down a bill,) I’d go a step further and suggest that changing the state flag is anti-human, and anti-Mainer. Does this take the question to the extreme? Maybe, but it matters. Right now, both fishermen and farmers in Maine are under assault. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has put in place restrictions on the lobster fishing industry in an ill-
conceived effort to save the endangered right whale. Science does not support NOAA’s finding, but well-heeled environmentalists do. So does the wife of the chief-of-staff to the president of the United States. Meanwhile, the question of “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, has already spelt ruin for some Maine farmers whose soil was contaminated,,, >click to read< 15:47
Remembering Gosta “Swede” Lovgren
Early last summer the fishing industry lost one of their loudest voices from the early years of federally managed fisheries when Gosta Lovgren of Lavallette New Jersey passed away less than two months after his wife of 55 years, Carol, died. He was born December 9 th 1938 and lived in Ocean County all his life. Affectionately known as “Swede” he was one of the first fishermen to understand the politics of the fishing industry and knew that if the industry did not become aware of, and fight, what was going to happen to them through management measures supposedly to save the fish, then they would be doomed. >click to continue<, By Jim Lovgren and Nils Stolpe 12:05
Fishery regulators will discuss possible rise in minimum lobster size
Fishing regulators will gather in Virginia next week to talk about the potential of raising the minimum size lobsters need to be in order to be harvested by New England fishermen. The Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission’s lobster management board is meeting on Tuesday to discuss the implications of a proposal that would install new minimum size limits and other regulations for the crustaceans, either gradually over time or triggered by lobster populations dipping below a certain level. The proposal was drafted to protect the lobster population as surveys show indications of potential future decline. The idea has rankled many Maine lobstermen,,, >click to read< 09:25
Alaskan Fishing Boat Captain/Pro Skier…McKenna Peterson Is One Badass Woman
Meet McKenna Peterson, Alaskan fishing boat captain and professional skier. Captain McKenna spends her summers at the helm of her family’s fishing boat catching Alaska salmon with her siblings and winters shredding lines that she scopes while she fills up the live wells. Certified badass. Video, >click to watch< 08:35
Brixham is celebrating after being named Port of the Year
The prestigious award has capped off a remarkable year at the port despite the pandemic and the challenges of Brexit. In 2021, £43.6million worth of fish was auctioned by Brixham Trawler Agents at the port which is currently on course to hit this year’s target of £45 million. BTA directors Adam Mudge and Neil Watson went to Aberdeen and to the Fishing News Awards for 2022. Adam says: “We were delighted to accept the Fishing News Port of the Year Award for 2022 on behalf of Brixham. >click to continue reading< 07:39
He had 48 hours left to live. So he married his girlfriend of 17 years
Earlier this summer, 35-year-old Billy Burgoyne got the worst news anyone could receive: doctors told him that his long fight with cancer was soon going to end because he only had a short time to live. When he went for another appointment on July 14, the timeline was much worse. “He was told he had about 48 hours left to live,” said Nikita Mahar, his longtime girlfriend. Burgoyne and Mahar had been a couple for almost 17 years. Immediately after the appointment, they decided they would officially tie the knot. He and Nikita both worked in the commercial lobster fishery. Billy also worked on herring fishing crews and recreational fishing was another of his great loves in life. >click to continue reading< 20:46
Alaska fishermen haul in monster halibut
Three local commercial fishermen caught what is likely to be the biggest halibut hauled in by a Haines skipper this season, weighing 425 pounds and measuring 91 inches in length. “It was just an epic fish,” said fisherman Cole Thomas, who hooked the fish with his father and captain Bill Thomas and friend Jeff Wackerman. “This one is a lot more special than most.” The three caught the halibut in Icy Strait, near Point Adolphus, with a commercial longline using cod and humpy salmon heads as bait. “I could see the line was going straight down. That means something big’s coming. I was telling my friend (Jeff): It’s going to be a big one, get ready,” Cole Thomas said. >click to continue reading< 14:34
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 44’11″x 18’6″ Fiberglass Novi Scalloper,122A Volvo Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 32 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:49
French and Jersey fishermen meet for first time since Harbour blockade
The meeting this month was the first since Norman and Breton fishing vessels blockaded the Harbour in May last year in a protest over post-Brexit fishing rights. Relations deteriorated to such an extent last summer that the UK sent two naval vessels to Jersey in response to the blockade and some French politicians threatened to cut off the Island’s electricity supply. The president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, Don Thompson, said the meetings were an important first step in improving relations with their French counterparts. ‘We invited the French fishermen and representatives to Jersey for this first meeting,’ Mr Thompson said. ‘We are working for solutions. Typical of fishermen, the meeting was very forthright. We got right to the point and did not hold back.’ >click to read< 10:20
Video: Maine fisherman catches monster wolf fish, here’s what happened next
A fisherman recently caught a monster wolf fish, gave it a lobster to eat and then threw it back into the ocean. Maine fisherman Jacob Knowles posted a video of himself catching the giant fish on Instagram. At the start of the clip, the wolf fish could be seen lying on the floor of the boat. As the fish growls and thrashes around, Knowles could then be seen picking up the creature and holding it up to the camera. The reel, that has got more than 8,000 views on Instagram so far, shows Knowles saying that the wolf fish killed everything in the trap. He added that wolf fish is a rare found. “We let them go as soon as we get them. I guess we’ll give him a snack seeing as he’s already killed everything,” Video, >click to watch/read< 09:28
The Big Fish
Whoever said that nothing good ever happens after midnight has never hung out at Pier 38 during the early morning hours. That’s the time when a number of commercial longline fishing boats begin pulling into Honolulu Harbor with crews eager to unload their sizable catch for anyone present to see. And what good things harvested from waters around the Hawaiian Islands do they bring into port? Tens of thousands of pounds of bigeye and yellowfin tuna (‘ahi), striped marlin, mahimahi, pink snapper (‘ōpakapaka), wahoo (ono) and more. Supervising all of this activity while waiting to ring the traditional brass bell, the signal that announces the start of each day’s bidding, is Honolulu Fish Auction manager Michael Goto.>click to continue reading< 08:06
F/V Miss Katie Briefly Threatened to Sink to the Bottom of the Woodley Island Marina
While Woodley Island harbor staff were out doing their regular “dock walk” this morning, a daily check-up to make sure everything is as it should be, according to Harbor District CEO Larry Oetker, their practiced eyes noticed something up on F Dock. Or something down, rather. The Miss Katie, a commercial fishing vessel, was sinking. An oil sheen could be seen on the water, so the staff rushed to retrieve and place portable booms to contain and soak up the pollutant. Then they got on the horn and started calling people,,, >click to continue reading< 18:42
Louie Rivers
Louie Rivers was among the finest men I’ve known, and times spent aboard the Miss Sandy are my best memories on the water. Our days began before the sun, walking dark Provincetown streets to the pier. This was the 1980s. Young men ending their adventures, as we were starting ours, made lewd comments about this odd pair, a young long-haired bearded guy alongside a squat older man with arms like thick oak limbs. Louie would just laugh. In all our years I never saw him get into an argument or fight, a rare thing among fishermen. Miss Sandy was tied up at MacMillan Wharf like a dog waiting to get off leash. >click to continue reading< 16:17
Fisherman hooks lifesaving Bariatric Surgery and sheds over 100 pounds
Michael Franklin, 45, of Palm Beach Gardens, had been struggling with his weight for more than half of his life. In his 20s, he stayed fit by surfing, but at 25 a shoulder injury put an end to riding the waves. That’s when Franklin began adding on an average of 10 pounds each year. As a commercial fisherman, Franklin is accustomed to working long hours under sometimes physically grueling conditions whether on land or at sea. But chronic back pain had become a constant drain on him physically and mentally. While at work he was also on his feet, so his ankles and knees were under a tremendous amount of pressure from the excess weight. >click to read< 13:23
Cook Inlet fishermen sue over set-net closures
Days after they were ordered to take their nets out of the water, Cook Inlet set-netters are suing the state over the fishery’s closure. In a case filed in state court last week, the Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund, representing Cook Inlet fishermen, said the state is mismanaging the east-side set-net fishery to the benefit of other user groups. It’s asking the state to immediately reopen the fishery this season to its 440 or so permit-holders, to pay fishermen back for what they lost and to revise the plan that closed it in the first place. Due to restrictions linked to the sport fishery, the east-side set-net fishery in Cook Inlet closes when king salmon abundance on the Kenai River is low. The set-netters were shut down early this year for the fourth year in a row. >click to read< 11:12
