Daily Archives: November 23, 2022
SF fishermen say Bay Area crab season may never again start before Thanksgiving
It’s going to be harder to find local crab this Thanksgiving, and possibly for many Thanksgivings to come. For the fourth year in a row, the start of San Francisco’s Dungeness crab season has been delayed, and local fishermen say a later crab season may now have shifted for good. “I think it is the new normal,” Max Boland, the vice president of sales at Safecoast Seafoods, a wholesale fishing company on Fisherman’s Wharf, John Barnett, a commercial crab fisherman and the president of the San Francisco Boat Owners Association, agrees. Video, >click to read<16:39
How Much Does a Crab Boat Cost? – Average Price
So how much does a crab boat cost nowadays? To begin with, you’ve got to have loads of dough if you’re aiming for the best crabbing boat. We’re talking about ceilings of $2,500,000, which can reach a little less than $3,000,000 or even $5,000,000. Even so, you can still bag a small crab boat for $10,000. Expect seesawing prices because of various factors. The cost of a crab boat can be as fickle as the sea because there are many factors that affect cost. Average-sized commercial crab boats (those that span at least 39 feet) start at $185,000. A large crab boat built for the same purpose is, of course, a different beast. These are the ones that fetch millions of dollars, especially if they reach sizes of 100 to 200 feet. Video, >click to read< 13:14
Smooth sailing not expected during lobster season off southwestern Nova Scotia
Southwestern Nova Scotia’s largest employer is gearing up for another season, however, this upcoming commercial lobster fishery comes with much uncertainty over what lies ahead for harvesters and the industry. Lobster shore prices have been down in other fishing districts ahead of the opening of this next commercial season and the cost of diesel and fuel prices, along with other expenses, is up. Lower prices for the catch, coupled with higher expenses to catch it, is not a great combination to be on the minds of fish harvesters as a new season gets underway. Photos, >click to read< 12:14
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 85′ Steel Shrimp Trawler, Caterpillar 3412
To review specifications, information, and 12 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 10:56
Canadian Coast Guard can’t retire old fisheries science vessels on East Coast
Canada is extending the life of its two aging offshore fisheries science vessels on the East Coast as the Canadian Coast Guard struggles to bring their replacements into service. The transition has floundered because of breakdowns, unplanned maintenance and refits on both new and old fisheries science vessels. In response, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has now postponed the planned retirement of 40-year-old CCGS Alfred Needler on Dec.31 and 34-year-old CCGS Teleost set for March 2023. >click to read< 09:18
Young Fishermen Are Struggling to Stay Afloat
Lucas Raymond has been working as a deckhand on a boat that catches monkfish, pollock, hake, and occasional cod out of New Hampshire’s Rye Harbor for the last decade. His fishing trips often involve navigating rough, stormy waters and typically last two to three days, but the 30-year-old enjoys doing physical work outside. “Even at the end of a very hard day, it’s rewarding,” Raymond says. Like many sectors, commercial fishing is facing a worker shortage, with too few young fishermen coming in to replace the aging workforce. The average age of groundfish and lobster captains in New England is 55 years old, >click to read< 07:52
