Daily Archives: March 6, 2023
Mount Pleasant to celebrate shrimping season with annual Blessing of the Fleet
The Lowcountry will gather to celebrate the local shrimping and fishing industries during the annual “Blessing of The Fleet” on April 30. The Blessing of the Fleet is a tradition local shrimpers have been a part of for years. The annual event will feature a boat parade, seafood samplings, shag and shrimp eating contests, and local artists and food vendors. >click to read< 17:35
Quitting While on Top
There aren’t many skippers still at the top of their game after half a century in the job behind them. One such is Jóhannes Ellert Eiríksson – best known as Elli – skipper of Brim’s fresher trawler Viðey, who has just completed his last trip. This spring it’ll be 52 years since he joined the crew of sidewinder Thormóður Góði, owned by Bæjarútgerð Reyjavíkur (BÚR) and skippered by Magnús Ingólfsson. Now approaching seventy, he’s decided it’s 
time to call it a day and step back from fishing – although he’s certain he has a busy retirement ahead of him. He has long been one of Iceland’s top skippers, consistently landing big trips of groundfish and has smashed 10,000 tonnes in some years. All the same, he says there’s no secret behind this success. Photos, >click to read< 13:57
Whale that washed up on Jersey Shore beach had fractured skull, propellor wounds
A deceased 30-foot humpback female whale that washed up on the beach in Seaside Park last week had propeller wounds and a fractured skull, according to preliminary findings by experts. The whale was “in good body condition,” but had internal and external injuries, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which performed the necropsy Friday on the beach. In addition, the whale had bruising on her head, sections of fractured skull and sharp force trauma “consistent with propeller wounds,” on the right lateral side, according to the MMSC. >click to read< 12:38
Lobstermen earn majority of commercial fishing haul
Maine’s commercial fishermen earned about half of what they did last year, according to preliminary data released on Tuesday by the state’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR). But while the total of $574 million pales in comparison to 2021’s historic high value of $907 million, it is in line with data from previous years. Maine’s lobstermen brought in the majority of that haul with 97,956,667 pounds, contributing $388,589,931 to the overall commercial harvest total. >click to read< 10:34
Quota transfer to Maritime First Nations prompts Federal Court challenge
Commercial licence holders in the lucrative Maritime baby eel fishery have launched a Federal Court challenge over the decision to take 14 per cent of their quota and give it to Indigenous groups in 2022. The quota of baby eels, or elvers, was worth millions of dollars. It was reallocated without compensation to fulfil First Nation treaty rights to fish. The elver redistribution raises broader questions about what licence holders in other commercial fisheries can expect if their allocations are cut in favour of First Nations. >click to read< 09:23
Best Medium Trawler – Celestial Dawn – Macduff Ship Design
An up-to-the-minute take on a very traditionally styled Scottish trawler, this vessel was designed for a very experienced owner who operates in a very challenging part of the world. The trawler is brutally efficient but manages to combine that with a certain elegance. The company said that the vessel’s design is the latest stage of several years of collaboration and development. Striking the right balance with these improvements and retaining both ease of operation and layout, which has been refined over decades within the local fishing fleet, was key to ensuring a successful vessel. >click to read< >read more with more photos< 07:49
