A fishing boat carrying 2,600 gallons of fuel sank off the western shore of San Juan Island on Saturday, releasing an oily sheen that spread for 2 miles in critical habitat for the Northwest’s endangered orcas. The crew aboard the F/V Aleutian Isle radioed for help Saturday, saying they were taking on water. They abandoned their sinking ship and clambered into the skiff they normally use to maneuver the boat’s purse-like net to capture salmon. Two other salmon-fishing boats, the F/V Marathon and the F/V Intruder, rescued the five-person crew before the U.S. Coast Guard arrived. The 58-foot F/V Aleutian Isle sank to the seafloor in more than 100 feet of water about 2 p.m. How much of the boat’s fuel spilled is unknown. >click to read< 07:55
Daily Archives: August 15, 2022
Jimmy Buchan: energy costs will drive fish processors out of business
Mr Buchan has sent a letter to the two candidates vying to become Prime Minister, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, ahead of their campaigning visits to Scotland tomorrow. In the letter Mr Buchan, the chief executive of the Scottish Seafood Association, warned that on top of Brexit and Covid, escalating fuel costs were having a “devastating impact on our ability to remain viable”. Meanwhile, the body representing the fishing industry has also issued an open letter to the prospective PMs. Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, highlighted the need for “fairer decision making” over use of the seas in order to prevent fishing becoming “collateral damage” ahead of the spansion of wind farms. >click to read< 15:21
Maine: Updates to Lobster Industry from Commissioner Keliher
As has been the case over the past several years, there is no shortage of issues facing the lobster industry. I am keenly aware what all the uncertainty around right whales does to both the people and businesses in this industry, and I am afraid that an end to that uncertainty does not seem to be in sight. However, major changes could be identified soon, depending on what a federal judge decides this fall. In addition to right whales, there have been continued discussions at ASMFC about whether there are further management changes needed to protect the resiliency of the lobster stock. Finally, the market challenges and resulting price impacts this summer have generated a lot of calls and questions to my office about what DMR can do to improve this situation. I wanted to provide updates on all these topics, to keep you as informed as possible as these situations evolve. >click to read< 13:57
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for August 15, 2022
In our last update I asked our readers to evaluate the factuality of the CCA’s messaging and let us know how many misleading statements, half-truths, and outright lies they could find. Not surprisingly, we didn’t get many of our readers to take us up on our request. The truth is, I was surprised that one, Raynor James, did write up a response and a very good one at that! (Attached below) I was surprised because the point I was trying to make is, that most people know very little about our commercial fisheries and have neither the time nor desire to do their own research and attempt to separate fact from fiction. A fact the Coastal Conservation Association is certainly aware of, which is why they are so comfortable misleading North Carolinians. >click to read< 12:27
Candidates for governor, AG, tackle fishing industry concerns
Representatives of the Gloucester fishing industry caught the ears of Democratic candidate for governor Attorney General Maura Healey, and a Democratic candidate for attorney general, Andrea Campbell, during a meeting at the Gloucester House Restaurant on Rogers Street around noon before a campaign canvass kickoff. The pair heard concerns about the high cost of fuel and offshore wind, among others. “The price of fuel is killing us right now,” said fisherman Joe Orlando, president of Northeast Fishery Sector II. “I can’t even imagine. How much does it cost?” Healey asked. Orlando said the cost went from $2,000 to $6,000. Healey said it is important for the state to support the fishing industry economically, culturally and historically. >click to read< 10:38
SEA-NL Calls for Crackdown on Foreign Overfishing
SEA-NL is calling on Ottawa to address foreign overfishing. The organization says the fact that a Faroese longliner with six accusations of fishing violations within the past year was allowed to return to fishing shows that the enforcement regime outside Canadian waters is a “horrible joke”. Executive Director Ryan Cleary says the joke is on Newfoundland and Labrador as it makes no difference if the province conserves commercial stocks in their own waters when fish who leave the 200 miles are being picked off by foreign vessels. >click to read< 09:02
