Daily Archives: March 21, 2023
Obituary: Commercial Fisherman Ron Ellis
Our friend, fellow fisherman, brother Ron Ellis, was lost to the ocean on February 20th, while swordfishing off San Diego. His fishing vessel, Defiance, was found drifting at idle, by another fisherman, with no one on board. Ron has spent much of his commercial fishing career in Santa Barbara, initially as a deckhand, then as a top producing skipper in the crab industry. He pioneered the experimental Box Crab fishery, establishing a new fishery, while providing data and research, yet was then denied access to this important fishery by CA F&W. >click to read< 17:13
Solutions to the Bycatch Blame Game
The issue of bycatch has grown more important as some fisheries get smaller and those who depend on the fish for their livelihood or survival find that there are not enough fish to go around. This raises the question of whether bycatch is at the root of the problem or if other issues facing fisheries must be addressed. Bycatch is monitored in a combination of ways, through at-sea observers, electronic monitoring, seafood processing plant observers, logbooks, and fish tickets. “In the Bering Sea, approximately 94 percent of all catch is observed, including 99 percent of all trawl catch,” Bush explains. “In the Gulf of Alaska, 40 to 50 percent of all catch is observed across all gear types.” Photos, >click to read< 12:26
Dunbar: Call to report unlicensed fishermen selling stolen shellfish
Residents and businesses from throughout the county are being urged to report unlicensed fishermen who have been stealing from creels and selling stolen shellfish caught in and around Dunbar. The town’s harbour is home to nearly 30 fishing vessels ranging from six to 15 metres long. In recent years, it has experienced thefts from crab and lobster creels, as well as fishing equipment being stolen. The issue has been made worse by the poaching of undersized crabs and lobsters, as well as egg-laden queens, by unlicensed fishermen. >click to read< 10:49
Thanks for the support
On behalf of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those involved in the recent fundraiser held at Robinson’s Wharf to benefit the Save Maine Lobstermen’s Legal Defense Fund. A huge thank you to everyone at Robinson’s who made this event so successful, with a special thank you to Craig Slater and family for hosting the event at the “Wharf,” and for the generous donation of 100% of the proceeds to the cause. I would also like to thank all of the sponsors for their support. The MLA started the Legal Defense Fund in order to raise money to fight back and sue the National Marine Fisheries Service, who are not using the best available science to base new lobstering regulations to save the North Atlantic Right Whales. >click to read< 09:52
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for 3/20/2023
Last Two Speckled Trout Scoping Meetings This Week, Legislative Update, 3/20/2023, Memorial for Susan West. On Sunday a memorial was held for Susan West in Hatteras who passed away last fall. NCFA Board member Dewey Hemilright, Thomas Newman and I attended. I will write more about the memorial and about Susan’s advocacy for commercial fishing families later. As is always the case for something like this, you get to see many folks that you haven’t seen for quite a while. It was good to see so many familiar faces at a very fitting tribute for Susan. Jerry. >click to read< 08:30
Crews refloat boat that capsized near Crescent Harbor on Saturday
A fishing vessel that overturned just outside of a Sitka harbor this weekend was refloated early Monday morning. Around 1 p.m. on Saturday, the Coast Guard responded to a vessel that had capsized at the entrance to Crescent Harbor in downtown Sitka. Coast Guard Marine Science Technician Allysia Helton was at the scene. She said all four passengers on the F/V Ocean Cape managed to quickly get off the boat. No injuries were reported. “There were quite a few members of the community that were there on scene immediately after it happened, and they helped the crew get off the vessel and make sure everything was okay,” >click to read< 07:25
