Daily Archives: July 5, 2022
Massachusetts lobstermen back in water facing new challenges
Lobstermen in Massachusetts are back in the water and facing a variety of challenges. Fishermen were grounded due to right whale protections. The battle now is a combination of high fuel costs and lower prices at fisheries, raising the cost of fishing operations. “If the fuel price doesn’t get lower and the price of lobster doesn’t get into a stable – I’m not even going to say high price but a stable price – things are going to be tough,” >click to read< 21:10
Bristol Bay Fisheries Report: July 4, 2022
Messages to the fleet – Happy July 4thto Captain Mike “Fishhead” Fourtner and the hard-working crew on the newly christened “Twin Tuition” on he first season earning her way on the bay! Every challenged faced in making this season’s opener in time showed how fisherman and the industry rallied to help. Have a great season, be safe and watch that line. Take baby pictures! From the crew of the Deborah Ann – Charleston SC. To Lewis and Joanna on Coffee Point – call home. Happy 4th of July. Audio reports, lots of updates. >click to read< 20:01
Dutch farmers and fishermen block roads and port to protest new emissions rules
At the heart of the protest are targets introduced last month to halve harmful nitrogen compounds by 2030. It is the latest attempt to tackle a problem that has plagued the country for years. Dutch fishermen have joined farmers in protesting nitrogen emission targets. In Harlingen, they blocked the port with trawlers meaning ferries to the islands of Terschelling and Vlieland could not leave for hours. Shrimp fishermen in particular fear that they will run into problems due to the government’s emission targets. As of next year, they will need to apply for new fishing permits. Without the necessary adjustments to their trawlers, the permits could be withheld. It would mean they would no longer be allowed to do their jobs., Video, >click to read/watch< 16:51 An aside. Human sewage can introduce disease-causing pathogens and nitrogen into the ocean, potentially impacting human health as well as coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them for such purposes as fishing. Interesting facts, and graphics. >click to read<
NLGIDC concerned with the recent announcement regarding Northern Gulf Cod
Similar to many NL fishing industry associations and the Province of NL, The Newfoundland and Labrador Groundfish Industry Development Council (NLGIDC) is also concerned with federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murry’s decision to place a one-year moratorium in the Northern Gulf Cod stock. “This was a small fishery, however the total closure will have negative impacts on harvesters and processors as well as coastal communities on the west coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Lower North Shore of Quebec,” says Jim Baird, the Chair Person of the NLGIDC. >click to continue< 15:29
Silver Bay Seafoods agrees to pay fine for illegal dumping in the Naknek River
Sitka-based Silver Bay Seafoods earlier this month agreed to pay a fine of $467,469 for illegal dumping at its Naknek River facility in Bristol Bay. The company has also agreed to address violations of its state permit to discharge pollutants. The state Department of Environmental Conservation said in a press release that Silver Bay “repeatedly discharged significantly more fish waste into the Naknek River than permitted” in 2017 and 2020. State inspectors also found numerous violations at the facility during a scheduled inspection last year, like discharging bloody water. >click to read< 12:11
Low prices, low catch wraps up P.E.I. spring lobster season
With global demand and lobster prices reaching record highs in Nova Scotia in the weeks leading up to P.E.I.’s spring season – around $17.50-18.50 a pound – many Island fishers were looking forward to a promising start to their season. “Typically, it drops a bit before we start because there are more boats in the water at that time, so we didn’t expect anywhere near that price,” said Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the Lobster Marketing Board. “However, we did expect to start off where we left off last spring, which was in the $11-12 range.” That combined with the price of fuel being double what it was and bait being up 30 per cent, we thought maybe once we get a few weeks in, the price will get better. That’s what it did last year.” Instead, the prices dropped again by another $1.50 a pound, said McGeoghegan. Photos,>click to read<– 09:14
Sunken fishing trawler is raised from the depths of a West Cork harbour
The busy West Cork fishing port of Union Hall has seen the last of the MV Sceptre, the 23m fishing trawler that sank at its dock in February of this year, prompting a major operation to contain any possible pollutants. The operation to raise and remove the old trawler, which sank at the berth she had not moved from for over 5 years, was captured on camera by Cork County Council, documenting the precise and skilled work needed to successfully deal with the sunken hulk. Video, >click to watch/read< -07:58
