Daily Archives: November 3, 2022
Adrift fishing boat rescued by Coast Guard off Hatteras
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a fishing boat that went adrift off Hatteras on Tuesday. The U.S. Coast Guard says its crews were told a 75-foot fishing trawler, F/V Ilha Do Corvo, drifted away southeast of Hatteras. They say they went to the boat’s last known location, but the trawler had drifted into the Gulf Stream and had been pushed north toward Rodanthe. WITN is told that even with limited communications with the boat, the rescuers from the station in Elizabeth City were able to locate it. The Coast Guard did not say how many people were on board at the time. Photos, >click to read< 15:14
Canceled crab season could devastate Unalaska
As the top fishing port by volume in the nation, fishing runs in the veins of Unalaska. Officials say that nearly everyone in the city relies on the robust seafood industry. “Our only industry is our fishing industry. So everything that goes on in communities are related,” said Frank Kelty, the Fishery consultant for the City of Unalaska. “In 2019, we had the quota of 45 million pounds. Then last year, we were down to 25 million pounds,” Kelty said. This year, that industry came to a drastic halt. “You know 60, 70 boats not buying fuel. Not buying groceries. It adds up pretty quick,” Kelty said. “Those boats aren’t fishing, they are not buying groceries every five days when they come in for a trip, Video, >click to read< 13:42
Fishermen fight back on imported shrimp
A big part of Louisiana is the shrimp industry, but the Louisiana Shrimp Taskforce worries they will not survive due to the overwhelming amount of imports. “We are Louisiana, I don’t care how you look at it. When you talk about Louisiana, there’s only a couple of things you talk about, and fishing is one of them. You don’t want to come to Louisiana and eat Indonesia shrimp, you want to eat Louisiana shrimp,” says Acy Cooper chairman of the Louisiana Shrimp Taskforce. Cooper says they have gotten the numbers, showing the United States imported billons of shrimp from foreign countries like Indonesia, Peru, Thailand and Vietnam. Video, >click to read< 11:44
Skipper fined after boat collides with 266m container ship
The 19.5-metre-long vessel collided with the Kota Lembah container ship in July 2021. Skipper Mike Te Pou was on board with two crew members and an MPI observer at around 3.15am when he saw the Kota Lembah on his radar. The crew were setting out longlines for fishing and Te Pou decided to help them, despite seeing the container ship on his radar. Investigations Manager Pete Dwen said: “He remained away from the wheelhouse for 40 minutes. Didn’t check on the location of the Kota Lembah and at 3.55am; the two vessels collided. >click to read< 11:15
Prosecutors say Half Moon Bay crab fisherman set traps in MPA
A commercial crab fisherman is facing charges for unlawfully setting crab traps in a Marina Protected Area off the coast of Half Moon Bay, prosecutors said. The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office filed charges Monday against George Jue, who operates a fishing vessel, F/V Take Time. The District Attorney’s complaint alleges that on January 8, California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens saw five buoys located inside the Western boundary line of Montara State Marine Reserve. >click to read< 10:27
Coast Guard: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Efforts
To improve safety in the extremely dangerous commercial fishing industry, Coast Guard examines fishing vessels’ documents and safety equipment, and conducts outreach to fishers, among other efforts. But, Coast Guard hasn’t fully implemented 17 of 22 statutory requirements to improve commercial fishing vessel safety. For example, Coast Guard hasn’t developed a training program for commercial fishers or re-established an advisory committee on industry safety issues. In addition, Coast Guard doesn’t have a detailed plan to guide their efforts to fully implement the outstanding statutory requirements. Our recommendations address this and more. >click to read< 09:12
Local banks give to lobster group
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is getting a significant boost from two local banks to help fishermen on land and at sea. The funds come at a time when the MLA is working to represent the state’s lobster fishermen in a years-long legal battle with the federal government over its whale protection plan. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, which has been in business for more than 135 years, and Machias Savings Bank, with 15 locations including Ellsworth and Bar Harbor, separately donated sums totaling more than a half million dollars to the nonprofit, fishery-focused organization during the last week. For the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, those donations, $325,000 from BHBT and $250,000 from MSB, represent the largest one-time donations that the association has received. >click to read< 08:11
