Monthly Archives: January 2023
‘There are only so many last straws a man can take — but going home wasn’t an option’
“Would you like some bacon and spuds?” asked the skipper cheerily. Not having dared move around the boat since the Atlantic storm began, let alone attempt the perilous expedition to the galley below, I reluctantly accepted his offer. I was reluctant because, since the storm began, I had only found safety when sitting with my back to a cupboard on the floor of the bridge. Just standing up, I had quickly discovered, was a tortuous endeavour. I quietly gulped at what I had just agreed to do. As he bolted out the door of the bridge and stepped lightly down the wrought-iron staircase through the hatch to the lower deck, my hands shook uncontrollably as I tried to lock the two buckles of my life jacket. >click to read< 08:34
The Informal Strike. Bering Sea cod fisherman fight for better catch price
The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery has been closed for two years, and along with it, Bering Sea snow crab have abruptly disappeared, So when a group of Bering Sea fishermen recently heard they’d be getting paid less than they hoped for cod this winter season, they figured they couldn’t afford to just sit by. But that’s exactly what they did. Rather than head out right away to the fishing grounds and set their gear like they usually do on the New Year, nearly 30 boats dropped their anchors or docked up in port, waiting on better news. “Trident posted a substantially low price for cod this season, but no other processors would post anything,” said Chris Studeman, captain and co-owner of the 104-foot fishing vessel Kevleen K. “And they all expected us to just go fishing with the good faith that they’ll make it right in the end. And you can’t really run an operation with the hope that somebody will make it right in the end.” >click to read< 20:49
Oregon Crabbers demand opening of season
Small-vessel crabbers demand that state regulators commence Oregon’s Dungeness crab fishery, condemning the thrice-delayed season as a scheme by big operators to depress dock prices and control the $90 million market. A Jan. 3 letter by the “consortium” of crab fishers addressed to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife blasted the “deeply misguided and extraordinarily harmful” decision by the agency last month to postpone the opening until at least Sunday, Jan. 15, due to concerns over meat quality and presence of domoic acid in some of Oregon’s 12 crab-fishing zones. “This group has strong incentives to prioritize a fast, high-volume harvest and reaps an enormous benefit from reduced competition that results from a delayed start,” the letter charged, explaining how prices plummet 50-75 percent following the primary holiday markets. >click to read< 16:42
SEA-NL condemns FFAW-Unifor election; union credibility spent
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) condemns the election Thursday of FFAW-Unifor president Greg Pretty, saying the corrupt process undermines faith in democracy, and the union’s ability to hold governments to account. “The election reeked of hypocrisy, and the FFAW’s credibility in this province has been spent,” says Merv Wiseman, a local expert on organizational governance and a member of SEA-NL’s board of directors. “The FFAW cannot hold the federal or provincial governments to account for fisheries management when the union’s own governance is a joke to the very industry it represents.” >click to read the rest< 14:37
Simple solution found to reduce number of whales getting caught in fishing gear
A working group has come up with a simple solution to use heavier sinking rope connecting fishing creels, which will in turn reduce entanglements. At the moment, creel fishermen often use rope that floats, in which whales, dolphins and other marine animals can become entangled in. Creels, also known as pots, are connected by ropes, which are set around Scotland’s coasts to catch prawns, crabs and lobsters. During the project, commercial creel fishermen from all around the Scottish coast were interviewed and their contribution allowed the researchers to better understand the nature and extent of entanglements in Scotland’s waters. The findings have been published in the journal Endangered Species Research. >click to read< 12:11
Angry and frustrated
‘What was delivered in terms of additional fishing opportunities and control over access was very far from what any self-respecting coastal state might expect,’ an NFFO representative commented. All the same, the NFFO remains certain that ‘escaping the dead clutches of the overcentralised and cumbersome Common Fisheries Policy’ is regarded by many as a major positive – ‘although a huge amount of work remains to be done to realise the benefit of this new framework, especially through the development and implementation of fisheries management plans, it is a huge opportunity.’ The NFFO states that against this background, it is disappointing that the promised agility of the new framework to deliver effective and timely outcomes has been thwarted by the UK’s own legislative systems. >click to read< 10:14
FFAW elects Greg Pretty as new union president
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) has a new president. In a secret ballot Thursday at the Comfort Inn in St. John’s, Greg Pretty walked away with the top job. “Thanks to everybody in the room today, particularly those who put their faith in me and chose me to be the leader of this incredibly historic, important union,” Pretty said during his victory speech. “I bring experience and gumption to get things done. But most importantly, I have a robust network of dedicated individuals behind me.” >click to read< 09:26
Shrimpers and environmentalists oppose growth of LNG export facilities
LNG export facilities are heralded as good things to come and economic game changers, but there are still fishermen and environmentalists who fight the massive industry. They went before the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force on Wednesday. Many local commercial fishers and environmentalists remain firmly against the LNG facilities and they took their fight to the task force. Fisherman Travis Dardar said in Cameron they are surrounded. He said he lives within four hundred feet of Venture Global. “The areas I’ve got marked in red are where we fish. They built on top of all our fishing grounds out here. The little red ‘X’ on this side is where I live. Now conveniently, Cameron has no zoning, so they don’t have to buy us out. They can absolutely build around us,” Dardar said. >click to read< 08:50
Daniel Rigolet: the inventor of the survival suit
Although he was not well known, it is interesting to look back at the life of this man who saved many lives at sea. Born in the Paris region in 1930, Daniel Rigolet was already a seasoned sailor and oil tanker captain in 1971 when he came up with the idea of the survival suit. After starting out as a midshipman in sardine fishing, he trained until he reached the position of captain. That year, the tragic sinking of the cargo ship Maori in the Bay of Biscay occurred. Out of a total of 39 sailors, only one survived. He was saved from the cold November waters by the idea of putting on his diving suit. By keeping him warm, it saved his life. photos, >click to read< 07:55
Fishing plan can rebuild long lost cod stock by 2033
Most of the cod now sold in the U.S. comes from overseas because many American fishermen avoid the fish-and-chips staple altogether. But the regulatory New England Fishery Management Council has approved a new strategy that it said has a 70% chance of rebuilding the stock by 2033. The proposal, which is awaiting final approval from NOAA, would use 10 years of low catch limits to try to rebuild the cod population in the Gulf of Maine. But some fishermen are unconvinced cod are ever coming back. Fishermen have grown used to choking quotas on cod catch and have moved on to other species, said Terry Alexander, a longtime fisherman from Harpswell, Maine, who targets haddock and monkfish these days. “I would like to have my codfish back, for sure. We could make some money on them. But that’s never going to happen,” >click to read< 16:02
New halibut catch share plan included in federal bill
Charter operators in the Gulf of Alaska will soon be able to buy halibut quota from willing commercial fishermen. That’s after funding was included for a new catch-sharing program in the federal omnibus budget bill, passed at the end of last month. Seward’s Andy Mezirow is on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and has been a champion of the program for a while. He said it’s a long time coming. The program was vetoed by President Donald Trump in his final weeks in office and had to go through the Congressional approval process — twice. >click to read< 14:37
Captain Peter Parisi of Gloucester, Massachusetts, has passed away
Capt. Peter Parisi, 64, of Gloucester, passed away on Thursday, December 29, 2022, in the comfort of his home. He was the former husband of Michelene (Parisi) Mina. Born in Gloucester on March 23, 1958, to a large fishing family, Peter grew up on the family fishing boats which led him to begin fishing for his father in the seventh grade. This was the beginning of his life as a fisherman. Peter had much love and respect for the ocean as he knew the ocean floor better than he did land. Peter took great pride in fishing and supporting his family. He eventually owned his own fishing vessel and named it after his daughter the F/V Tanya Lynne. Peter loved spending time with his family and especially enjoyed making his famous fish cakes that he would hand deliver to his brothers and sisters-in-law. Peter always gave a helping hand to all that needed it and underneath his weathered, rugged shell was a man with a huge heart that cared very much for others, while always giving and never expecting in return. >click to read< 12:45
Regulated revenue: New rules, delayed season cut into local crabbers earning potential
Local crabbers and fishermen struggle to make ends meet due to stormy weather, a delayed fishing season, and a new state mandate. On Dec. 26, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that fisheries stretching roughly from Bodega Bay to Point Conception would finally open on Dec. 31, but now under one condition, crabbers and fishers are required to limit the use of crab traps and gear they throw in the water by 50 percent. Longtime Morro Bay crabber Jeff French said the new rules set by the Department of Fish and Wildlife put crabbers and fishers at a disadvantage. “Our costs are going to be basically the same, except that now we’re expected to make a living on half of our normal gear allotment and we have to pay for tags or licenses every other year for our traps,” >click to read< 12:12
Police investigation into sunken L’Ecume II trawler launched
An independent investigation into the sunken L’Ecume II trawler has been launched by the States police to establish any criminal culpability. Andy Shearwood, a former detective chief inspector with Thames Valley Police, has been appointed as the senior investigating officer for ‘Operation Nectar’ and will work alongside Detective Inspector Christina Maclennan, former head of the Criminal Investigation Department at the States police. The States police will also be supported by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The L’Ecume II, skippered by Michael Michieli, sank after colliding with Condor’s Commodore Goodwill freight ship off Jersey’s west coast at about 5.30am on Thursday 8 December. >click to read< 09:45
Commercial Fisherman Frederick “Fred” Warren Benson of R.I. has passed away
Frederick Benson, 80, passed away peacefully at the Scandinavian Nursing Home, Cranston, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was the husband of Susan (Schwartz) Benson. Born in Providence, he was the son of the late Paul and Charlotte (Morse) Benson. He attended Brown University and then was drafted and served in the army as a military police officer in Vietnam. After returning home, he continued his college education and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in Fisheries and Marine Technology. His non-conformist tendencies and entrepreneurial spirit led him to a life as a commercial fisherman and he purchased his own fishing boat, the Lucky 13, which he ran successfully for many years. He was a man that always was determined to act in a way that was consistent with his principles. He will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and others that sought him out for his knowledge and advice. >click to read< 08:23
Canada, U.S. fail to reach agreement on quota for shared haddock stock in 2023
Canada and the United States have, for the first time, failed to agree on a shared quota for the transboundary haddock stock on the Georges Bank fishing grounds off southern Nova Scotia. The two countries have jointly managed the haddock fishery and two other straddling stocks, since 2000, but were unable to reach a consensus for the 2023 haddock quota. “While Canada and the U.S. tried to negotiate a shared haddock total allowable catch … our countries will be setting our own total allowable catch independently of the other,” The disagreement centred on the size of the quota cut. >click to read< 07:25
FFAW Declares Long-Time Critic Ineligible for Presidency
The FFAW has come out swinging in response to its decision not to accept the candidacy of Jason Sullivan for president of the union. Sullivan, a long-time critic of the union and one-time member of the rival union FISH-NL, calls it a dark day for Newfoundland and Labrador, and for democracy. That leaves current FFAW negotiator Greg Pretty and west coast businessman Dave Callahan as the only two candidates. The executive committee favours Pretty to succeed Keith Sullivan as president. >click to read< 22:37
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 76′ Steel Dragger/Federal Permits, Detroit 12-V-71
To review specifications, information, and 28 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 13:09
One wharf to be ready by spring at Red Head Harbour
When fishers at Red Head Harbour assessed the damage to the north side port after Hurricane Fiona in September the outlook appeared grim. But work that is set to begin in the new year should have one wharf ready for the 2023 spring lobster season, said Harbour Authority president David Sansom. The east wharf, which was the least damaged infrastructure at the harbour in Morell will be addressed first. Repairs were necessary following an unprecedented tidal surge inside the bullpen. There are 32 lobster fleets and up to eight mussel and oyster boats that call the harbour home. >click to read< 11:27
Nice People. Mainers Come Together to Save Fox’s Life After Months with Crab Vent Around Its Neck
It took 8 months and a lot of dedicated pros, to finally rescue a red fox on Long Island, Maine that had its head stuck in a crab vent. Maine Wildlife Transport, Wilderness Miracles, Saco River Wildlife Center and the Long Island Community banded together to try to rescue the female red fox that was spotted with the crab vent tightly around its neck back in the spring. They made multiple trips to the island trying to find the fox which is not an easy task when they need to cover an island that is 33.5 square miles in size.In case you’re wondering, a crab vent is a small hole in a trap that let’s lobster and crabs that are too small to be harvested, escape. This fox likely was curious and snooping around a trap somewhere on the island and got stuck, pulling the entire escape off of the trap and had been living with it for 8 months. Lots of fox photos, >click to read< 10:22
The Hairy Bikers hailed as ‘brilliant’ as they visit family-run fishing business in Ayrshire
A sixth generation fishing family from Ayrshire will shine a spotlight on Scottish seafood as they share the screen with celebrity chef collective The Hairy Bikers in a new series. Troon’s Spes Bona Superior Seafood, run by brothers Donald and Robin Gibson, will feature alongside Si King and Dave Myers in their new BBC Two series. The fishing firm have waited patiently for over a year and a half to see what Si and Dave create with their catch as filming took place in May 2021. Dad-of-three skipper Donald, who has worked in the industry for over 30 years, said: “We got a phone call out of the blue and I thought it was a customer so I was asking them what they wanted. “They said ‘no it’s for a TV show, we’re looking to get some guys out on your boat’. >click to read< 09:26
Lobstermen welcome reprieve on new federal fishing rules but wonder what comes next
The last-minute rider on the federal budget is an unexpected gift to lobstermen and the fishing industry, the kind that can’t be wrapped with a bow and placed under a holiday tree. But for some local lobstermen, the regulatory pause is just a pause, and one more link in the federal chain of regulations targeting lobstermen over right whale entanglements. But Hancock lobsterman and Zone B Council member Zachary Piper said he still gave a sigh of relief at the news.“I gave a sigh of relief, but there’s way more to come,” he continued. “Until they get science to figure out what’s going on and not hide behind an agenda, we’re going to be fighting the same things. This is just a relief from that.” >click to read< 07:46
‘Dark day for democracy’; FFAW rejects Jason Sullivan’s candidacy for president
Bay Bulls fisherman Jason Sullivan calls the rejection of his nomination for president of the FFAW-Unifor by the union’s election committee a dark day for democracy. “Some of those South American countries must be drooling at the FFAW election process,” said Sullivan, who was notified by e-mail of the rejection earlier today, two days before the scheduled Jan. 5th vote. Two candidates are left in the race — including FFAW staff-rep Greg Pretty, the leading candidate who was endorsed by the union executive board on Dec. 1, the same day former President Keith Sullivan unexpectedly resigned — and Dave Callahan, a west coast fisherman. >click to continue reading< 21:48
Dungeness crab season closure has ‘cut off a key economic lifeline to small coastal fishing communities’
A group of Oregon Dungeness crab fishers comprising nearly 10% of the state’s permitted commercial fleet sent an open letter this morning to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife strongly criticizing the Department’s failure to open the Dungeness crab season along approximately half of Oregon’s coast in areas where crab have exceeded meat quality thresholds for several weeks. As the delayed opening enters its second month, the fishers’ letter describes in detail how the Department’s refusal to open the season has cut off a key economic lifeline to small fishing communities up and down the Oregon coast. The letter also takes sharp aim at the Oregon Dungeness Crab Advisory Committee, which the fishers describe as an “echo chamber” made up of special interests including major processors that benefit from lower prices that predominate after the end of the peak-demand holiday season, at the expense of mom-and-pop businesses and Oregon consumers. >click to read< 17:24
The Bugaled Breizh, sunk in 2004, will leave the Brest arsenal to be dismantled
On January 15, 2023, it will be nineteen years since the trawler Bugaled Breizh of Loctudy (Finistère), sank in less than a minute off Cape Lizard (United Kingdom), a shipwreck that had resulted in the death of the five sailors on board. Since July 2004 and the refloating of the ship for the purposes of the investigation, the wreck is stored out of sight on the naval military base of Brest. Legal proceedings are extinguished on both sides of the Channel. In France, a dismissal order was issued and confirmed in 2016. In Great Britain, the justice concluded in 2021 to a fishing accident to explain the sinking. A thesis firmly refuted by relatives of the victims, who maintain that a submarine would be at the origin of this fatal shipwreck. photos, external links, >click to read< 15:46
Baffling find made on seafloor 100 miles off Maine, NOAA says. ‘What are the odds?’
Scientists often find oddities on the seafloor, but NOAA researchers were baffled when a camera dropped off Maine landed on top of a large propeller 100 miles from shore. No shipwreck, mind you. Just the propeller “lying among the rocks, sea stars, and sea anemones.” The mystifying discovery was made in the Gulf of Maine, as the fishing vessel Mary Elizabeth was participating in a NOAA Fisheries seafloor survey. The intact propeller was 3 feet across, which means the vessel was at least 50 to 60 feet long, he said. That’s the same length as the Mary Elizabeth, Captain Phil Lynch noted. photos, >click to read< 13:26
Lessons learned: Personal flotation devices with personal locator beacons save lives
On a a bright, fresh autumn morning, a small trawler left harbour for a day’s fishing with a skipper and crewman on board. Once past the breakwater, the skipper handed over the watch to the crewman and went below to rest. The crewman was wearing light clothing and a personal flotation device (PFD) and carried a personal locator beacon (PLB). During the passage to the fishing grounds, with the vessel under autohelm steering, the crewman left the wheelhouse to prepare the fishing gear on deck. As he was leaning over the transom to rig the trawl wires, the crewman lost his balance and fell into the sea. >click to read< 11:27
Rocky: The Largest Lobster Ever Caught in Maine
There are approximately 75 species of lobsters, split into two types: clawed lobsters and spiny/rock lobsters. Typically, these sea animals have long bodies and muscular tails. It’s unlikely you will see one while swimming in shallow water since they inhabit deep burrows. They live in cold waters, have eight walking legs, and two large edible claws. Scientists believe lobsters live up to 50 years in the wild, but it’s hard to estimate their age. The largest lobster ever caught in Maine weighed an impressive 27 pounds! Although Rocky was an impressive catch, he wasn’t the largest lobster in the world. Instead, that title goes to a 44-pound 6-ounce lobster caught in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1977. >click to read< 09:55
Offshore wind farms threaten New Jersey’s shellfish industry. Should fishing communities be compensated?
Earlier this month, New Jersey announced it would join eight other states that are seeking a regional approach to compensate fishing communities for the impending losses. “Are we going to be allowed to fish inside of them (the wind turbine fields)?” asked Kirk O. Larson, a scallop fleet owner and mayor of Barnegat Light, New Jersey. “Why did (the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) put a wind farm right inside of a scallop area, the most productive scallop area pretty much on the East Coast, not counting Georges Bank.” Shellfish harvesters like Larson are expected face serious financial damage from offshore wind development projects. “I’m not looking for compensation,” said the scallop fleet owner. “I’m looking for work, so I’m not really looking for welfare.” >click to read< 07:43
Markey, Moulton push for national fund to compensate fishermen for losses due to offshore wind >click to read<
Commercial Fisherman Thurlow Carl “Butch” Brewer of East Boothbay, has passed away
Thurlow Carl “Butch” Brewer of Murray Hill Road, East Boothbay died Dec. 29, 2022 after a short battle with cancer. He was born March 11, 1943 in Damariscotta, son of Carl “Bo” and Carrie Thompson Brewer. He was educated in the local school system, served in the U.S. Navy and spent nearly all of his life as a commercial fisherman. He served as captain on several sardine company purse seiners, including Homes Packing Company’s Ocean Delight, P. Borealis and Wave Guide. In 1978 he had a 56-foot boat built named the Sarah B which was used mostly as a dragger/purse seiner, he later captained the purse seiner Eva Grace. He traveled the coast stop seining for sardines and also spent many winter months based out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. In the more recent years, he was captaining lobster boats Sea Horse and Why Bother. His favorite job was his last to date which was filling in as sternman on his grandson’s boat Papa’s Pride. He had a lifelong passion for tuna fishing and took home trophies in the Boothbay Harbor Tuna Club’s annual competition. >click to read< 18:35
