Daily Archives: August 2, 2022
Lobster Fishermen in Mexico’s Yucatán Organize to Protect Their Catch
For the last four months, fishermen in the community of Río Lagartos, Yucatán, have operated as a vigilante group to protect lobster populations on local fishing grounds, according to a report (photos) by newspaper Milenio. The group is made up of five fishing cooperatives, who stated that a sharp rise in illegal fishing had led to a rapid decline in lobster stocks. The fishermen reported that on July 1, the first day of the open season, which usually yields the largest lobster hauls, the catch was two-thirds lower than usual. Where each boat would normally catch 60 kilograms of lobster a day, they barely made it to 20 kilograms this year, Milenio reported. >click to read< 19:14
Russian fishing trawler “Mekhanik Maslak” catches fire in St Petersburg shipyard
The Russian fishing trawler “Mekhanik Maslak,” caught fire while reportedly under construction at the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg. The fire covered more than 800 square metres of the hold. Footage of the incident was shared on Twitter, with one user posting, “The Mekhanik Maslak, a fishing trawler under construction, has caught fire at the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg. The fire is being extinguished from both shore and water.” short videos, >click to read/watch< 16:34
Fire ignites on factory trawler under construction in Saint Petersburg, Russia – Russian media reports that a fire broke out on a large fishing vessel still under construction at a shipyard in the city of Saint Petersburg on Tuesday, August 2. >click to read<
Bluefin Blowout Back in Action With Big Fish and Even Bigger Fundraising for Alzheimer’s Association
Thousands of pounds of tuna were caught and hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised for the Alzheimer’s Association last week as the Bluefin Blowout tournament returned to Gloucester, the United State’s oldest fishing port, following a two-year hiatus forced by COVID. “We had great weather and really wonderful fishing conditions,” says Warren Waugh, managing partner of event sponsor and organizer Lyon-Waugh Auto Group. “We had good crowds, we had very competitive captains and crews, and the fish cooperated. The giant bluefin tuna were in abundance.” The winning fish weighed in at 688 pounds, earning Gloucester-based crew of the F/V Easy Scrapin’, a cash prize of $125,000,,, >click to read< 14:54
Don’t Cage Our Oceans: Fish farming may threaten rare Gulf whale
The site approved for the Velella Epsilon fish farm in federal waters west of Venice is one of just three potential aquaculture opportunity areas under consideration off Florida’s Gulf coast. There are six others — three in the central Gulf south of Louisiana and Mississippi and three east of Texas — as well as 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. It’s part of a collusive effort between fish farming companies and the federal government to divide up national waters for profit, James Mitchell, legislative director of Don’t Cage Our Oceans, said. >click to read< 13:49
Greenpeace Seizes (Steals) Longline Fishing Gear to Highlight Threat to Sharks
Greenpeace is warning of the effects of industrial longline fishing on shark populations after its activists confiscated fishing gear from two vessels in the North Atlantic, one of which was operating in a Marine Protected Area. The NGO announced that its activists aboard the Arctic Sunrise operating in the North Atlantic waters confiscated 30 kilometers of industrial fishing gear and 286 hooks from two European industrial longline fishing vessels, Segundo Ribeland Siempre Perla. The longliner vessels from Spain were fishing for sharks and swordfish. >click to read< 11:18
How the blue economy will shape the future of Canada’s oceans and coastal communities
The words “blue economy” will soon shape the future of Canada’s oceans, from the fiords and straits of British Columbia to the rugged coastlines of the Atlantic to the vast seascapes of the Arctic. But what is a blue economy? And what makes it different from business as usual? The term blue economy was first championed by small island developing countries, including Fiji, Bahamas and Palau, to bring more local benefits from ocean industries. Developing a blue economy means establishing ocean spaces and industries that are socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically profitable. Canada has been a key player in these efforts, including by supporting the first global conference on a blue economy, held in Nairobi in 2018 with over 18,000 participants. Now Canada is bringing the blue economy to its own waters. >click to read< 10:12
North Haven boy continues generations-long family tradition of lobstering
If his sandy blonde hair and freckles don’t give it away, eight-year-old Argyle MacDonald loves spending time on the ocean. Born and raised on the island of North Haven off the coast of Rockland, Argyle has the saltwater in his blood — and that blood runs generations deep. Since he was four years old, Argyle has been going out to sea with his Dad, Jason MacDonald, who has been lobstering for 40 years and counting. Jason was also born and raised on the island and started learning the craft around Argyle’s age. Now, Argyle is following his Dad’s footsteps. Video, >click to read< 08:26
New Bedford Man Shares Experience on Cruise Ship Struck By Fishing Vessel
The U.S. Coast Guard determined that the New Bedford-based F/V Gabby G, a 92-foot fishing boat, slammed into the midsection of the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship 41 nautical miles east of Nantucket early Saturday, as passengers were awakened by a loud boom. New Bedford lawyer Paul Santos and his wife were in a cabin above where the collision occurred. “It’s about 2:30 in the morning when I got up because nature called. I had just made it into the restroom, when this enormous ‘bang’ sound broke the nighttime quiet and the cruise ship started vibrating from the core, >click to read< 07:29
