Daily Archives: November 10, 2022
Fishermen take case against paying for monitors to SCOTUS
“Making these vessels pay to have the observer coverage on them just decreases hardworking fishermen’s wages and makes it less attractive for vessels to continue,” said Wayne Reichle, president of Lund’s Fisheries of New Jersey and an owner of two of the boats that are plaintiffs in the case. “In some cases, it prevents them from fishing.” The fishermen have made the case that Congress never gave federal regulators the authority to require the expense of paying for the monitors. The price of at-sea monitoring, and who must pay for it, is a longstanding source of tension between commercial fishermen and regulators. >click to read< 21:01
Southampton makes $1.5 million in renovations to Shinnecock Commercial Dock
The Town of Southampton says it has made major renovations to the Shinnecock Commercial Dock to support the fishing industry on the East End. A total of $1.5 million was spent to repair the second largest commercial fishing fleet in New York. Hampton Bays fishermen say the commercial pier needed some work – from crumbling docks, deteriorating bulkheads and parking lots with potholes. Video, >click to read< 19:52
Nova Scotia lobster fishery braces for a downturn as inflation hits
Fishermen are seeing the downside of a cyclical industry at a time when inflation has sent their input costs skyrocketing. Geordy Bennett, a lobster boat captain in Riverport on Nova Scotia’s south shore, said he just spent $2,900 to fill his boat, Ava Brianne, with diesel at $2.03 per litre. “And it will probably be more next time,” Bennett said. Interest rates and the cost of bait and traps are also up. “It’s phenomenal. It’s doubled and we haven’t left the wharf,” Bennett said on a blustery day preparing traps for the upcoming season. >click to read< 18:10
Maine Lobstermen’s Association Files Opening Brief in Appeal of Burdensome Federal Regulations
The fight to save Maine’s iconic lobster industry has reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) filed its opening brief in a challenge to the federal regulations poised to crush workaday fishermen. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is implementing a rule that requires fishermen to reduce the risk of right whale entanglement with lobster gear by 98 percent. The overwhelming majority of Maine lobstermen are unable to afford compliance with the draconian risk reduction plan, that according to the NMFS, will not even recover the whale population. The plan will likely result in a corporate takeover of the remnants of Maine’s fishery, destroying the culture, charm, and most importantly, the families and communities who have responsibly fished Maine lobsters for generations. >click to read the press release< 11:38
The Hansen Legacy On Deadliest Catch All Started With The Opilio Crab
The latest spinoff of Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch,” titled “Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns,” heavily emphasizes the family and history of series regular Sig Hansen. Fans of the series will know him best as the longtime captain of the F/V Northwestern, and “The Viking Returns” follows Hansen as his journey across the globe comes full circle, returning him to his family’s homeland in Norway in an attempt to establish his own crab-fishing empire. >click to read< 10:53
Poll shows overwhelming numbers of the public support local fishing
Overwhelming numbers of the public believe the government should not be allowed to squeeze fishing communities out of our seas, a fishing body has said. In polling carried out for the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) by JL Partners, 78 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement: “governments should ensure that fishing communities are not squeezed out of our increasingly crowded seas”, with only four per cent disagreeing. The survey follows a report for the SFF and National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), published this year, which showed that more than half of Scottish waters could be closed to trawling by 2050. >click to read< 10:14
Bill introduced to ban controversial fishing method in Virginia
A bill has been introduced for the next session of the Virginia General Assembly to place a two year moratorium on Atlantic menhaden reduction fishing in Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay. State Delegate Tim Anderson is sponsoring the bill. Menhaden are a baitfish that serve as forage for a wide number of larger and sportfish species. The method of fishing has been criticized by sportfishing and conservation groups. Omega Protein operates a fishing fleet that targets menhaden. Critics say menhaden numbers have been driven down in the Chesapeake because of it, and that sportfish numbers have dropped as a result. Video, >click to read< -09:37
Workers rescue Bella Coola fishing boat jammed under a pier in Bella Coola harbour
Two pile drivers are being hailed as heroes after they rescued a fishing boat that was jammed under a pier in the Bella Coola harbour on Monday, Nov. 7. The risk of the situation was heightened by the fact there are seven fuel pipelines connected to the Columbia Fuels dock at the pier. Had the boat hit them, it could have been a disaster, the operations supervisor for the Bella Coola branch of Columbia Fuels Jordan Prong said. At around 8:30 a.m. Monday, the Algoma 2 fishing boat was under the dock and ramming into the pilings, said its owner’s husband Carl Schooner. “We did not know what to do.” Video, >click to read< 07:58
SEA-NL: Seal summit fails to produce action plan
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador says while federal officials maintain Ottawa has changed its tune regarding the negative impact of seals on East Coast fish stocks, there is still no plan to address the problem. “A change in tone remains just talk without a plan to back it up,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. “Until Ottawa produces a game plan with clear objectives and timelines to deal with the rising seal population, events like this week’s Seal Summit in St. John’s must be seen as window-dressing.” A two-day seal summit wrapped up Wednesday in St. John’s with an open call by federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joyce Murray for proposals to study seals in the marine ecosystem. >click to read< 07:11
