Daily Archives: February 10, 2023
Fundraising Appeal for Young Family of Fisherman Who Died off Donegal
A fundraising appeal has been issued for the family of the fisherman who died off the Donegal coast last weekend. Madis Lētsārs (37), from the Baltic States, lost his life after falling from the deck of a crab vessel north of the Donegal Island of Árainn Mhór last Saturday evening (Feb 4). His crewmates on the Séimí recovered him from the water and made efforts to revive him but he did not survive. The young crewman was the father of two children, and his cousin Janis Miklasovs has set up a GoFundMe page on behalf of Madis’s wife Liene. >click to read<, and please donate if you can. 20:04
Van Drew and Desiderio Pursue Answers on Whale Deaths, Wind Farm Issues
Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Cape May County Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio said they will work together on issues surrounding the proposed wind farms off of Cape May County. The Ocean Wind One project off Atlantic and Cape May Counties has petitioned the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to take decision-making authority away from the elected officials of Ocean City and Cape May County and give it to the owner of the project. “It was irresponsible to take home rule away from our towns and counties when it comes to decisions related to the wind farms,” Van Drew said. “Now, an unelected state board is going to push aside the representatives the voters elected. This is a terrible power grab.” >click to read< 17:08
Agents Cite Three Men for Commercial Fishing Violations in Plaquemines Parish
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement agents cited three men for alleged commercial fishing violations in in Plaquemines Parish on Feb. 7. Agents cited Thanh Dang, 45, and Khai Bui, 62, both of Biloxi, Miss., and Phong Thai, 53, of Gautier, Miss., for taking commercial fish without a commercial fisherman’s license. Agents were on patrol when they boarded a vessel with the three subjects on board in the Mississippi River near Pilottown for a commercial license and turtle excluder device inspection. Upon boarding the vessel the Captain, Thanh Dang, produced commercial fishing licenses for another person who was not on board the vessel. Agents also found that none of the men possessed non-resident commercial licenses for the 2023 fishing year. >click to read< 14:24
Major Investment in Shrimp Fishing
Canadian factory trawler American Enterprise has been sold to Norwegian owners, who see opportunities in fishing for shrimp across northern waters. Now renamed Karine H, the trawler has a 1000m2 factory deck and it’s currently at the Karstensen yard in Skagen to be prepared for fishing for its new owners, the newly-established Halstensen Prawn AS. This is in turn owned by Nye Halstensen Holding AS, owners of pelagic vessels Manon, Slaaterøy and Gardar, and 82 metre factory trawler Granit. Photos, >click to read< 12:33
Frustration to embarrassment to shame, patience lost with DFO science: SEA-NL
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) says continued cancellations and delays of critical assessments that survey the health of major fish stocks like northern cod have turned Fisheries and Oceans science into a Canadian shame. “We’re past the point of frustration and embarrassment with DFO science; it’s now Canada’s shame,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. DFO’s science director for the province released a letter Thursday afternoon informing fishing industry representatives that the Canadian Coast Guard science ship Alfred Needler has been deemed “beyond repair” and decommissioned. >click to read< 09:01
‘This injustice must be reversed’: N.B. lobster Class B fisherman, family make plea for rule change
Michel Arseneau’s family would say his relationship with the ocean is a love story. He has been a fisherman for as long as his granddaughter, Maryse Arseneau, can remember. He bought his first lobster fishing licence in 1953. In 1976, his licence was made a Class B by the federal government in an effort to improve sustainability and conservation. It came with strict limits on the number of traps that can be set and the licence cannot be transferred or sold. He isn’t the only one fighting against the decades-old policy. A law firm, Cox and Palmer, is representing the remaining 70 Class B fishers in the Maritimes, who have taken the federal government to court. >click to read< 08:36
Blue Harvest doubles down on groundfish, after selling off scallop fleet
Blue Harvest Fisheries announced this week that it has purchased a new trawler, expanding its groundfish operations as the company sells off the last of its scallop fleet. The 91-foot trawler, originally called the Francis Dawn, will be renamed the Nobska. It replaces a different Blue Harvest vessel, also named the Nobska, which burned at sea in 2021. The charred and gutted vessel has been tied to the company’s dock on Herman Melville Boulevard in New Bedford ever since — declared a total loss at an estimated $2.4 million. >click to read< 07:18
