Daily Archives: August 11, 2022
Captain of Faroese longliner cited 6 times in under year for halibut fishing violations on Grand Banks
For the sixth time since September, 2021 the captain of a Faroe Islands longliner has been issued a “notice of infringement” for an illegal fishing violation on the tail of the Grand Banks just outside Canadian waters. The notices were issued by DFO Fishery Officers during six separate inspections, once at sea and the remainder when the ship unloaded halibut in Bay Roberts. The “notices of infringement” against the captain of the Bordoyarnes were issued on Sept. 3rd and 16th, 2021, as well as May 17th, May 23rd, June 2nd, and July 1st of this year. DFO only recently updated its website on the most recent four infringements. The notices were all categorized as “serious” as they relate to the misreporting of catches (the four this year involved failing to maintain a logbook; the two from 2021 related to not properly recording discards) while the longliner was fishing halibut in fishing zone 3N on the tail of the Banks. After each inspection the longliner was allowed to return to the fishing grounds. photos, >click to read< 15:22
‘Leave us alone’, pleads Northumberland fishing industry over proposed MPA
Fishermen in the North East fear a proposed fishing ban could jeopardise one of the region’s key industries. The plan to introduce highly protected marine areas (HPMA) off the coast of Northumberland, around Lindisfarne and north east of the Farne Islands, is currently under consultation. The areas are among five across the UK put forward for the pilot, which Defra says will protect 850 species of seabirds, fish and marine life. However, some believe the decision will put businesses that contribute millions of pounds to the local economy under threat. >click to read< 13:28
My Favorite Job Posting of All-Time. “Long journey on an old wooden boat to the worst place on Earth.”
Nothing highlights the difference between now and 100 years ago quite like this advertisement from Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton: “Long journey on an old wooden boat to the worst place on Earth. The trip is going to be super dangerous and terrible. In fact, you’ll probably die and if you don’t die you will definitely be miserable the entire time.” Imagine scrolling through craiglist and seeing an ad like this in 2022. I feel like the internet would take it down for safety reasons and then the people would get back to their video games and porn. Back then…that sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime. Fuck safety. Nothing beats a little glory and a call to adventure. The story of “Endurance” and Ernest is one of my absolute favorites. >click to read< 11:22
Commercial fishers and wild salmon advocates celebrate large returns to B.C. waters
Mitch Dudoward has worked in the salmon industry for more than 40 years and says fishing on the Skeena River in northwest B.C. has never been better. “This is the best season I can recall in my lifetime with the numbers we are catching,” said Dudoward, who recently completed a big sockeye haul aboard his gillnetter Irenda. Meanwhile, Bob Chamberlin, chairman of the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance, said thousands of pink salmon are in Central Coast rivers after years of minimal returns. The strong run comes two years after the closure of two open-net Atlantic salmon farms in the area. “We got them removed and two years later we went from 200 fish in the river to where we have several thousand to date. In our mind and knowledge that is a really clear indicator.” >click to read< 10:41
Oil spill in Terrebonne Bay on opening day of shrimp season causes grief for fishermen
A Terrebonne Bay oil spill on the first day of Louisiana’s inshore shrimp season has taken a toll on some local fishermen, who say they received no warning of the incident until many hours after it occurred and as a result ended up with fouled nets and oiled boats. The Coast Guard said it was notified through the National Response Center at 3:01 a.m. Monday that a tank platform collapsed at the Hilcorp Caillou Island facility in Terrebonne Bay. “I went out on the opening and I kept pushing all that night,” said Terrebonne Parish shrimper John Sophin. “I didn’t know about the spill, nobody warned me, I didn’t know where it was at.” >click to read< 08:54
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strategy to Reintroduce Sea Otters is Flawed
The USFWS study fails to estimate costs to taxpayers; impacts to key local fisheries such as Dungeness crab and sea urchin; neglects to fully examine the impacts to local port and harbor activities and fishing communities and fails to directly clarify to impacted Tribal Nations that no ceremonial and subsistence uses – or control of otter populations negatively impacting other important Tribal resources – are permitted under current Federal law. For Oregon and California coastal communities dependent on Dungeness crab, sea urchin, and other shellfish, reintroducing sea otters in an area where they have been absent for more than 100 years will spell big trouble. Yet, a recent report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) concludes it is “feasible” to reintroduce them to Southern Oregon and Northern California. >click to read, with links< 08:19
