February 17, 2023 – fisherynation.com

Daily Archives: February 17, 2023

USCGC Winslow Griesser Winslow Griesser’s commanding officer relieved of command

February 17, 2023 National, South Atlantic

Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Williamsz was relieved of duties as the commanding officer of USCGC Winslow Griesser (WPC 1116), Friday. Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, effected the relief due to a loss of confidence in Williamsz’s ability to effectively command the cutter. Williamsz was administratively reassigned to shore duty at Coast Guard Sector San Juan immediately following a collision at sea on Aug. 8, 2022. Cutter Winslow Griesser and the fishing vessel F/V Desakata collided while underway off the coast of Dorado, Puerto Rico, resulting in the death of one of the Desakata crewmen, injury to the other, and the loss of the fishing vessel. No Coast Guard personnel were injured in the collision. >click to read< 18:58

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A new push to stop NJ offshore wind development

February 17, 2023 Mid Atlantic, National

As debate continues over what is causing so many dead whales to wash ashore along the New Jersey and New York coastline, New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, R-4th District, has introduced legislation requiring what he terms “an immediate, comprehensive investigation” into the environmental approval process for offshore wind projects. Meanwhile, New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd District, announced on Friday in a statement that he will be holding a hearing on March 16 regarding offshore wind projects. The time and location were not available at the time of his announcement. >click to read< 16:19

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Save The Whales rally planned at Point Pleasant Beach after 9th whale found dead

February 17, 2023 Mid Atlantic, National

A rally is planned for this Sunday at Point Pleasant Beach near Jenkinson’s Aquarium after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released preliminary findings of a dead whale found in Manasquan on Monday. Officials from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center and Atlantic Marine Conservation Society say there is evidence of a vessel strike on the ninth whale to wash up dead on New Jersey and New York beaches since December. The Save The Whales rally will be held on the boardwalk at Point Pleasant Beach and is scheduled on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. >click to read< 13:40

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After Deadly Man Over Board, Norway Requires Crab Boats to Improve Deck Safety

February 17, 2023 International, International News

On January 30, a Latvian crewmember went over the side of the Norwegian crabber F/V Hunter while fishing for snow crab in the Barents Sea. Despite a heroic search effort, the body was never found, and the individual is presumed dead. An initial inquiry by the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority found that the crew member may have gone over the side with the crab pot lines while setting gear. The Board particularly cited MOB hazards related to the location of stored bait and the process of setting lines on the pot before deployment. Going forward, the Norwegian Maritime Authority wants operators to “eliminate” the risk of going overboard, “including being dragged overboard with the equipment [crab pots].” >click to read< 10:58

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Ballard Oil closes after 85 years in Seattle, where oil and water no longer mix

February 17, 2023 Pacific

Since 1937, Ballard Oil had been a fixture on the Lake Washington Ship Canal just east of the locks, providing fuel, lubricants and a few parts to Seattle’s commercial fishing boats, tugs and other vessels. Warren Aakervik Jr., 79, the second of four generations to run the company, cites a long list of reasons for the closure. Among them, costly regulations, rising taxes, a shortage of workers, a dwindling customer base and, most famously, the possibility that the city of Seattle might run the Burke-Gilman Trail though Aakervik’s industrial backyard. “It’s death by a thousand cuts,” says Aakervik as he stands with his grandson, Brandon Millard, on the company’s now-deserted fueling dock. “You keep on, keep on, keep on — and then finally, you just say, ‘Why am I beating my head against the wall?’” >click to read< 09:12

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‘This is the war’: New Bedford at center of conflict between fishing, wind industries

February 17, 2023 National, New England

New Bedford is the top commercial fishing port in the country, but it’s also emerging as an epicenter of conflict between the fishing industry and the growing wind industry. “This is the war, and we’re going to lose,” said Cassie Canastra, director of operations at Base Seafood, an electronic seafood auctioning company that her father and uncle founded in 1994. Canastra called it “defeating” to watch various wind farm projects expand into vital fishing grounds. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said he wants the city to be both the top fishing port and the No. 1 hub for wind energy nationwide, though he recognizes tensions between the two industries need to be addressed. Video, >click to read< 07:45

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Ocean Resource Privatization

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The New England groundfish debacle (Part III): who or what is at fault? Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet

It took me a while to decide how to most accurately describe the situation that has been visited upon the New England fishing communities that are and since colonial times have been dependent on the groundfish fisheries.

NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?

While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here

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