Monthly Archives: February 2023
Man dies after going overboard while fishing off Donegal coast
A man in his late 20s has died after he went overboard while fishing for crabs off the coast of Donegal last night. Malin Head Coast Guard said it responded to a distress call from a fishing vessel 70 miles north of Árainn Mhór last night which had several people on board at the time. The alert was made at around 8.30pm and rescue helicopter 118 and Arranmore Lifeboat were dispatched to the area. The operation was stood down after crew members on board the vessel managed to take their colleague from the water. >click to read< 10:01
Pleas to pause wind farm plans over whale deaths have fallen on deaf ears: ‘Reeks of hypocrisy’
The mayor of Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., Paul Kanitra, has a theory on what may be behind the mysterious string of whale deaths that has left officials speechless. Since offshore wind energy development began in December, the region has witnessed 18 whale deaths – a severe uptick that is not a “coincidence,” the New Jersey mayor argues. “In a normal year, the Jersey Shore coast and in the tri-state area, we have one, two, maybe three whale deaths. Since they started doing this sonar testing, which started in December, we’ve had eight whale deaths off our coast, and that seems a lot more than a coincidence to us,” Kanitra said on “America’s Newsroom,” Friday. >click to read< 09:00
55 years on, brother remembers skipper, 26, lost in the Triple Trawler Tragedy
The St Romanus went down in the North Sea, where, is still not known. Vic was 22 and fishing, but at home with a crushed finger, over the weeks the tragedy unfolded. He recalls the “numbness” that set in and the fading hope that the ship’s radio had broken down. “As time goes on and the life raft is found and a life ring, you do realise that the end was there,” he said. Vic, the vice chairman of fishing heritage charity Stand, says the loss of his brother is “still very raw”. Jim “like any older brother (was) a role model and hero”. >click to read< 07:55
Artist and fisher chronicles life on one of the last southern New England trap fishing boats
Corey Wheeler Forrest is a third-generation fisherwoman. Her family owns the last trap-fishing business in southern New England. Forrest loves the work, and quite often is taken aback by the beauty she sees out in the open water. Several years ago, she started taking pictures of her surroundings, her family, and the tools of her trade, and posting them on Instagram. During fishing season, Forrest, along with her brother, 76 year-old father, and quite often her daughter get up early, load up their boats and head out to one of several traps in nearby waters. Photos, video, >click to read< 18:04
The check is (almost) in the mail
Active lobstermen are being advised to open mail from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in the coming months, because the envelopes that arrive just might contain a check for up to $3,500. Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher told members of the Lobster Advisory Council at their January 18 meeting that the checks—meant to partially offset the expense of gear modifications required by 2021 North Atlantic right whale protections—will be issued by ASMFC and should arrive this spring. “These are checks that will be distributed to a lot of harvesters,” Keliher said. “The Commission will be writing the checks, so make sure you don’t see the envelope and throw it away.” >click to read< 14:21
Dulac shrimper Jonathan ‘The King’ Guidry retains his heavyweight boxing crown
Dulac shrimper Jonathan “The King” Guidry recently defended his heavyweight boxing title during a match in Miami. And on the same night in Thibodaux, seven local MMA fighters won their matches. Guidry, 33, retained his North American Boxing Association’s Gold Title against Bermane “B. WARE” Stiverne. Stiverne, 44, is a former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion. The fight took place at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai in Miami, and Guidry won by unanimous decision after a full 10-round match. Back home, Guidry said he’s been doing a bit of crabbing lately, but the season is slow because of the frequent weather changes. Because of the slow season, he’s been spending more time training. >click to read< 11:41
Lobster 207 racketeering lawsuit inching toward trial
A lawsuit alleging racketeering brought by Lobster 207 against the family it purchased a lobster wholesale business from will likely be decided at trial, attorney Thimi R. Mina, the Portland lawyer representing Lobster 207, said Jan. 27. The suit alleges Anthony and Josette Pettegrow, who sold Lobster 207 their wholesale lobster concern, and their son Warren Pettegrow embezzled nearly $2 million over roughly two years, in a price-fixing arrangement that included BJ Co-op manager Stephen Peabody. Peabody, the Pettegrows’ lobster business Poseidon Charters LLC and their Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound were named as co-defendants. >click to read< 10:26
Trident Seafoods marks 50th anniversary
A major seafood processing company that began with a single vessel operating out of Kodiak in 1973 marked its 50th anniversary on Jan. 31, celebrating all those who helped Trident become the largest vertically integrated seafood firm in the nation. “At our core, we are a people business, and what sets us apart is how we care for each other,” said Joe Bundrant, chief executive officer of the company, and son of the late Chuck Bundrant, who would have celebrated his 81st birthday on Jan. 31. Starting back in 1973, Trident set a new precedent for the crabbing and fishing industry by catching, processing and freezing king crab onboard the same ship. >click to read< 09:36
Seattle-based seafood giant Trident reaches half-century mark – In the summer of 1973, Trident Seafoods co-founder Chuck Bundrant went to a Tacoma shipyard to launch the Billikin, a 135-foot steel boat able to operate for more than a month offshore, catching and processing crab with a crew of 16. Back then, Trident was a new startup working out of a couple of trailers in Seattle’s Ballard waterfront. Chuck Bundrant took the Billikin north to the Bering Sea, where he was able to earn an early fortune tapping into red king crab stocks that surged through the ’70s. >click to read< 2/5/2023
New Coast Guard swimmer saves man’s life after wave rolls yacht
A newly minted Coast Guard rescue swimmer saved a man’s life Friday at the mouth of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington state just after a giant wave rolled the yacht he was piloting and threw him into the surf. The agency was able to triangulate roughly where the call was coming from, and Coast Guard crews on vessels and in a helicopter who happened to be training nearby responded. The rescue swimmer who was on his first rescue just after graduating from the Coast Guard’s rescue swimmer program, was lowered from the helicopter by a cable. As he neared the vessel, the man on board climbed onto the stern, preparing to get into the water. Video, >click to read< 08:17
Vyborg Shipyard is building trawlers under investment quotas programme
Vyborg Shipyard will build three trawlers of KMT02 design for the companies of FOR Group. The Dmitry Kozharsky trawler is the first large factory freezer trawler in the series intended for bottom trawling. The ship laid down on 1 November 2018 was launched on 19 June 2020. The Ice3 trawler with a hull of Arc4 is intended for bottom trawling with further processing and freezing the fish on board. The equipment freezing capacity is up to 105 tonnes of fish per day. The holds capacity is 2,375 cbm. 5 photos, >click to read< 21:45
Commission releases halibut quotas
The International Pacific Halibut Commission has released the quotas for the 2023 season, and they seem to be more aligned with reality than the increases the past two years, with the IPHC describing the overall biomass as being at “historic lows.” Quotas are down across the board in Alaska and Canada, especially in Areas 3A and 4A. Area 2B, British Columbia, also took a hit, with a quota of 5.03 million pounds, down 11.75%. Fishermen are becoming distrustful in the IPHC process, according to fisherman and fisheries advocate Buck Laukitis. “The IPHC management process is more political than science-based,” he said via text. “Long-time fishermen and those interested in having something to catch a generation from now are losing confidence in an overly complicated and very political process.” >click to read< 18:11
Scots fisherman died after getting caught in gear and dragged overboard
A Scots fisherman who had more than 40 years of experience died after getting caught in fishing gear and dragged overboard, a probe into his death has found. Peter Gray was alone on his creel boat, Saint Peter, catching crab and lobster when the accident occurred on May 2, 2021, near Torness Point, Dunbar. Peter, 63, was accidentally pulled overboard by his ankle when trying to free tangled creels at some point between 8.30am and 10.30am, marine investigators found. The skipper was unable to reboard his vessel and spent up to 10 hours in the water, suffering a fatal heart attack at some point. >click to read< 11:27
P.E.I. fishermen getting more time to start using breakaway lines that protect right whales
When the deaths of dozens of right whales made headlines in 2017, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans took notice. It saw that whales were getting tangled in fishing gear and dying when they couldn’t escape. So, the department set a deadline for Canadian fixed gear (trap) fisheries to begin using breakaway lead lines that would allow anything weighing 1,700 pounds or more to break free. That deadline was extended last year until 2023, and last month it was extended for another year, said Melanie Griffin, a marine biologist with the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association. >click to read< 10:48
Watermen form Shore-wide caucus
With the appointment of a well-known environmental leader to the top natural resources position in Annapolis, Eastern Shore watermen decided it’s time to gear up to defend their livelihoods. About 50 commercial fishermen, along with a handful of local lawmakers, formed the nucleus of the new Eastern Shore Watermen’s Caucus to fund lobbying efforts in Annapolis and educate the public. Queen Anne’s County waterman and farmer Robert Newberry, chairman of Delmarva Fisheries Association Inc., organized the meeting, along with members of the DFA board of directors. Concerns about the new administration’s potential policies as well as the appointment of Josh Kurtz, Maryland Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, as Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, prompted Newberry to invite watermen to form the caucus. photos >click to read< 09:40
Banner Bay Scallop Year Not All Good News for Fishermen
It has been a bountiful season for the Vineyard’s bay scallop fishery, one of the last places left where fishermen are still able to pull in semi-consistent harvests. But scallopers have struggled to take advantage of the strong season because the spike in supply stressed a distribution network atrophied from years of uncertainty. “The market just closed down, three out of the four main buyers in Edgartown just totally shut down,” said Arno Ewing, who works on John Conlon’s Sengekontacket-based scalloping boat. “I don’t think I’ve seen prices this low in five years.” While earlier in the season scallopers could count on getting $27 per pound for their catch, fishermen on-Island are now only getting around $15. The situation was even more dire last month, when fishermen were hard-pressed to find any buyer at all, said Net Result fish market manager Mike Holtham, who sells scallops locally and to regional distributors. >click to read< 08:03
Fears Brexit will cause 1,200 job losses in Irish mackerel sector
Ireland’s mackerel sector will lose more than 1,200 jobs by 2030 because of Brexit, according to fishing industry representatives. The economic cost to the industry in lost revenue and impact on the local economy is also estimated to be more than €800m. This is according to an analysis of the impact of Brexit on the sector which predominantly centres around mackerel, blue whiting, and herring catches. In three years, from 2021 to the end of 2023, pelagic fishers will, for example, have lost a total of 37,508 tonnes of their mackerel quota, the amount the EU says they can catch. >click to read< 20:20
SEA-NL calls on Ottawa to lift mackerel moratorium; at least match U.S. quota for 2023
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador is calling on Fisheries and Oceans to lift the moratorium on Atlantic mackerel in 2023 and set a quota at least equal to the total allowable catch set this week by the United States. “It’s a senseless sacrifice for Canadian mackerel fishermen to remain under a moratorium when their U.S. cousins have never stopped fishing,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. The CBC reports that earlier this week the United States set the 2023 TAC for Atlantic mackerel at 3,639 tonnes, a 27% decrease from that country’s 2022 quota of 4,963 tonnes. Meanwhile, Canada slapped a moratorium on the same Atlantic mackerel stock last year, and Ottawa has yet to announced whether there will be a commercial fishery this year. >click to read the rest< 15:33
Untold Stories of a Remote Village
I have just finished my 11th season of commercial fishing in Bristol Bay. Specifically, in a little village within this bay called South Naknek. For context, South Naknek has a total population of 67 people who live there year round, averaging about one person per square mile, according to the 2020 Alaska Peninsula Corporation census. There is no grocery store in this town, small amounts of electricity, and very few bathrooms that have indoor plumbing. Most of the cabins that are scattered on the bluff or across the tundra have no insulation and are heated by a wood stove. The nearest medical clinic is a long drive (or short flight in a bush plane) across the frozen river. >click to read< 14:52
New rules to tackle unlicensed commercial fishing in Guernsey
Regulations have been changed to protect commercial fishermen from unlicensed competition. It brings Guernsey in line with the UK. The States said it was important for the “ongoing viability and sustainability of the local industry”. Unlicensed fishermen will now be prevented from circumventing fishing rules following changes to regulations. Deputy Neil Inder, of the Committee for Economic Development, said it would stop “unfair competition”. The States says licensed commercial fishermen adhere to controls such as those relating to undersized fish and other species. >click to read< 12:21
100 MPH Process: Fisherman Dewey Hemilright of Wanchese, NC on Wind Energy
“Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so entrenched in this stuff,” commercial longline fisherman Dewey Hemilright said. “It’s hard to turn my mind off.” Hemilright, who fishes out of the northern Outer Banks village of Wanchese, serves on the federal Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council as well as numerous advisory committees. Lately he has turned his attention to offshore wind energy and its potential impacts on fisheries, including commercial, recreational, and for-hire charter businesses. “I don’t think people understand the magnitude of these wind energy areas from Maine to South Carolina, a massive amount of acreage if you add it all up, and what a disruption to the seafood industry this could be,” he said. “And the leases are going for such huge amounts of money I worry that the commercial fishing industry will amount to a grain of sand on Jockey’s Ridge.” Hemilright calls the recent acceleration in ocean bottom leasing a “100 mile-per-hour process.” >click to read< 10:29
Arrival of the new F/V Copious the ‘ultimate expression of confidence’
Lerwick’s jarl squad had just revealed its beautiful galley to the public for the first time on Tuesday morning when another, even more impressive, new build sailed into Lerwick Harbour for the first time. It took Mark Anderson and his crew 17 days to complete the journey from the Croatian Tehnomont shipyard to Lerwick’s Mair’s Quay. At 24.9 metres in length and fitted with a 588kw engine, both Copious and her sister vessel Prolific have been designed to be more eco-friendly and as such more economical. Designed by Macduff Ship Design, the two new vessels have a beam of nine metres and provide accommodation for up to 12 crew members. Anderson said they would have a crew of eight when fishing. >click to read< 09:45
NOAA pleads for urgency in right whale conservation, lobster gear changes
A previously unscheduled appearance before the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council gave the opportunity for NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit to advocate for the necessity of adapting to new lobster and crab trapping gear to save both North Atlantic right whales and the lobster industry. A deal cut by Maine legislators in a recent congressional spending bill delayed new right whale protections for six years, so the agency is looking to have its new rules set up and ready to go when that period expires. In the meantime, there’s options open to expand on-demand fishing gear so there are fewer large ropes suspended in the water. The bill allocated $26 million to ASMFC for ropeless, on-demand gear, along with monitoring and cost recovery. >click to read< 08:09
U.S. announces reduced East Coast commercial mackerel quota for 2023
The United States will proceed with a commercial fishery of the depleted East Coast mackerel stock it shares with Canada in 2023. The U.S. quota was released this week, putting pressure on Canada which has yet to decide whether it will continue a total moratorium it imposed in 2022 to help rebuild the population. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. equivalent of the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), announced on Tuesday a total allowable catch of 3,639 metric tonnes. It was 27 per cent cut from 2022 in recognition that the transboundary stock remains in trouble and is overfished. >click to read< 19:01
Ilwaco, Washington: Crabbers pinched
“Last year we got a good price. This year we’re probably not getting a very good price,” said F/V Cutting Edge owner Brian Cutting, upon returning to port for his second load of pots on Sunday morning. “We haven’t heard numbers out of here, probably when we bring our first boatload of crab, but we’ve heard numbers out of other places. It’s going to be unknown here, we’re not sure yet,” Cutting said. Cutting, now entering his 39th season as a vessel owner, said this season would likely be a short one for him and his crew due to the price of crab combined with rising fuel and expense costs. 12 photos, >click to read< 16:59
Westport and Tokeland drop their crab pots in anticipation of today’s commercial crab opener
At 8 a.m. this past Sunday, “Dump Day” took over the ports at Westport and Tokeland. The pots have been “soaking.” Commercial crabbers were allowed to pull pots they dropped on Sunday, starting at 8 a.m. today, Wednesday, Feb. 1. Jeremy Hammond, 50, Tokeland, is a deckhand for the Southern Cross, a fishing boat moored in Tokeland. His dad was a Bering Sea captain. He spent 12 years fishing the Bering Sea, an inhospitable water full of wind and waves and severe cold. Fit as a fiddle, this past Saturday he manhandled the crab pots as he filled the hull and then the deck of the Southern Cross. Hammond has a softer side, playing guitar, writing his own songs. He has a baby grand piano in his living room. But his essence is as a fisherman. “I’m excited to go out there and make a paycheck,” he said. >click to read< 13:36
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 80′ Steel Shrimper with Freezer Hold, Cat 3406
To review specifications, information, and 10 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:50
Left-over inventory and inflation could take a bite out of N.L. snow crab prices this year
Trevor Jones has been in the fishing business long enough to know you can’t predict the success of any year until the last pot is hauled and the nets are stored. Jones owns a 65-foot longliner, F/V Samantha Nathan, carrying on the family business that was started by his father. These past few years, snow crab has become the most important catch. Last year crab accounted for just over half the revenue for his enterprise. The record high prices, even with a drop to $6.15 a pound from $7.60 at the start of the season, helped buffer against the cancellation of the mackerel fishery and the no-go for capelin. >click to read< 10:10
Biden admin faces blowback over wind farm construction threatening marine life: ‘Put whales over woke!’
Activist groups like the Protect Our Coast NJ, Save Right Whales, and others have voiced concerns that coastal wind turbines built amid a Biden administration push for green energy are hurting an already endangered species. The Washington Post reported how if President Biden hopes to archive his renewable energy goals, the undertaking would require “massive” amount of offshore wind turbines to be installed. “Dead whales and tough economics bedevil Biden’s massive wind energy push,” the Post wrote. Environmentalist and author Michael Shellenberger wrote a Twitter thread about how construction can hurt the local whale population in a variety of ways. “Industrial wind projects ‘could have population-level effects on an already endangered and stressed species,’ concluded the NOAA scientist, Sean Hayes,” Shellenberger tweeted. “What are ‘population-level effects?’ In a word: extinction.” >click to read< 08:53
Fishing industry gets hooked up again after Santa Barbara harbor was closed by sand
With the weekend reopening of the Santa Barbara harbor, the fishing industry is getting back on schedule, and some are calculating losses. While weather conditions are always a variable, the sand blockade was said to be one of the biggest and fastest hits to the harbor entrance in recent memory. The commercial fishing industry saw many boats docked instead of out in the Santa Barbara Channel. Island Hooker boat owner Robert Church was asked about the harbor issues while working on his vessel in a harbor slip. “Nobody likes to see the sandbar shutting anyone out. There’s a lot of commercial fishermen in the harbor and it affects everybody who is a commercial fisherman.” >click to read< 07:53
