Daily Archives: March 4, 2023
Too Cool for Dinner! White Dungeness crab caught near Seaside is a 1 in 2 million find
A rare all-white Dungeness crab caught off the Oregon coast was spared the dinner plate and donated to the Seaside Aquarium, where staff have fittingly named him … Sour Cream. The crab isn’t actually albino: He has black eyes. Rather, Sour Cream has a rare genetic condition called leucism, which causes a partial loss of pigment. Tiffany Boothe, assistant manager at the Seaside Aquarium, said Sour Cream appeared in a local commercial fishing boat’s crab pot about a month ago. “They kept him separate because it was such a unique crab, and they hadn’t really seen one before,” Boothe said. “When they got in, they just gave us a call to see if we’d be interested in him. They thought he was too cool for dinner.” >click to read<17:26
Facing Dismal Salmon Population Forecast, Fishermen’s Groups Call for Immediate Closure of Season, Request Disaster Assistance
Facing some of the worst salmon fishery numbers in California’s recorded history, a coalition of sport and commercial fishermen’s groups is calling on state regulators to immediately cancel the 2023 fall salmon season. The request comes two days after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s annual pre-season salmon informational meeting, where agency personnel delivered a dismal 2023 abundance forecast. From the press release, Today, leadership of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the Golden Gate Fisherman’s Association, and the Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association are calling for an immediate closure of the 2023 salmon season and requesting [that] Governor Newsom, the State Legislature, and state agencies seek Federal and State disaster assistance funding for affected ocean and inland commercial operators. >click to read< 12:53
Drone scours half of WA coast in search of missing fisherman
A drone with a camera last weekend flew over 109 miles of Pacific coastline, from the mouth of the Columbia River to the Quinault Indian Reservation, but found no sign of Bryson Fitch, the missing crab fisherman who was lost at sea almost one month ago when his vessel capsized near Willapa Bay. Since then, meticulous beachcombing efforts by the Willapa Bay community have discovered parts of the F/V Ethel May, including the hull, stern, wheelhouse and other miscellaneous equipment, on beaches from Long Beach to Westport, but Fitch has yet to be found. Drone images from the most recent search revealed similar pieces from the broken fishing vessel, but most had already been discovered, according to drone pilot John Jones. >click to read< 11:40
Maine lobstermen snipped by inflation as 2022 results fall nearly 50%
Fishers of Maine lobster, one of the most lucrative seafood species in the U.S., had a smaller haul during a year in which the industry battled surging fuel and bait prices, rebukes from key retailers and the looming possibility of new fishing restrictions. Maine lobster has exploded in value in recent years in part due to growing international demand from countries such as China. The industry brought about 98 million pounds of lobster to the docks worth about $389 million in 2022, Maine regulators said Friday. That was more than 11% less than the previous year, in which they harvested more than 110 million pounds of lobster worth more than $740 million. The value of lobsters also fell to a little less than $4 per pound at the docks, the lowest since 2017, a year after setting a record of more than $6.70 in 2021. >click to read< 10:33
Boris accused of ‘throwing the fishing industry under a trawler’ as huge Brexit row erupts
Former Prime Minister Mr Johnson had previously insisted “taking back control” of fishing was one of the prizes of ending Britain’s 47-year membership to the EU. But more than three years on from that agreement being signed, furious UK fisherman feel “betrayed” by the Government over the post-Brexit deal they have been dealt – with many struggling to even fish in their own coastal waters. “The UK Government has absolutely thrown the fishing industry under a trawler.” Those in fishing ports, in the South West of England, Cornwall, Devon, around the Scottish coasts and islands – they can see it for themselves. There is a widespread feeling of everything from disappointment to betrayal. >click to read< 09:33
In class action lawsuit, Massachusetts lobstermen fight efforts to ‘red list’ their catch
Four Massachusetts lobstermen have filed a class action suit against the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Marine Stewardship Council, groups that urged distributors and grocery stores to avoid purchasing lobster because of the fishery’s impact on North Atlantic right whales. “We’ve always been like the punching bag for, like, the whale people. So I’m glad we’re finally striking back,” said plaintiff Jarrett Drake, a lobsterman who fishes out of New Bedford, “because it gives us a chance to try to at least defend ourselves.” “When [Montery Bay Aquarium] chooses to tag a product as one to be avoided (“red-list”) on Seafood Watch, it acts with near certainty that the companies it collaborates with will immediately discontinue that product,” the plaintiffs say in their complaint. >click to read< 08:35
