Monthly Archives: March 2023
Whale death confusion abounds, and some is deliberate
Press coverage of the tragic whale deaths is a supreme study in confusion, especially the foolish attempts to somehow exonerate offshore wind development. Here are some prominent examples. The evergreen New York Times wins the race for worst coverage by claiming to explain the numerous recent whale deaths as due to online shopping. I am not making this up. Their headline promises an explanation: “Why 23 Dead Whales Have Washed Up on the East Coast Since December”. The primary reason claimed is that East Coast shipping has increased due to people buying lots of stuff post Covid, especially online, and ship strikes account for a lot of the deaths. >click to read< 13:11
Scots salmon boss accused of spying is key player in plan for ‘UK’s largest fish farm’
According to Companies House, Craig Anderson is a “person with significant control” of AquaCultured Seafood Limited, which submitted early stage plans for a £75m onshore salmon farm in the English town at the end of last year. Anderson was the chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) who asked a private investigator to compile an ‘intelligence report’ on the anti-fish farming campaigner, Corin Smith, as first revealed by The Ferret in November 2021. The intelligence report included analysis of Smith’s movements and behaviour, searches of his financial and legal history, and pictures of his house. One environmental group said at the time that the SSC had used “Big Brother levels of corporate snooping” against Smith. >click to read< 10:45
Louisiana denounces federal rule for shrimp boats at Fifth Circuit
The small shellfish are big business in Louisiana with 15,000 residents employed in the industry, which has an annual economic impact of $1.3 billion for the state, according to its Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. But Louisiana shrimpers who followed their fathers and grandfathers into the trade say it is dying as wild-caught and farm-raised imports from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India into the U.S. have exceeded 1 billion pounds annually in recent years. Since 1987, the National Marine Fisheries Service has required shrimp trawlers in some circumstances to install turtle excluder devices, which separate sea turtles, sharks and other large bycatch so they can escape through an opening in the netting. >click to read< 09:52
Oregon fishing season called off due to dwindling salmon populations
An extremely low “abundance” of California Chinook salmon stocks and projected low spawning escapements has led to the cancellation of the upcoming commercial and recreational salmon fishing season along most of the Oregon coast. Thursday’s announcement came in two parts from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, with both actions canceling fishing seasons between March 15 and May 15, 2023. According to Fish and Wildlife, the action applies to all commercial ocean troll salmon fishery seasons from Cape Falcon to the Oregon-California Border. Meanwhile, recreational salmon fishing has been canceled in ocean waters between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain off the Oregon coast. >click to read< 08:45
Biden’s Budget More Than Doubles Funding For Offshore Projects, Potentially ‘Putting American Fisherman Out Of Business’
Biden’s budget allocates $60 million to expand the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) offshore wind permitting activities, an initiative fishermen say will damage their businesses and environmental groups warn could be killing whales. Experts warn that wind projects disrupt the whale’s habitats and generate disorienting noise, factors that could be contributing to a recent increase in whale deaths. So far, their requests for the Biden administration to investigate have been fruitless. Fishermen are also sounding the alarm on offshore wind efforts. “Offshore wind will put American fishermen out of business,” said commercial fisherman Jerry Leeman. >click to read< 08:02
Human waste may end oyster harvesting on the May River. Can Bluffton clean it up?
Larry Toomer’s business depends on the May River. On a cold January morning, he stood on the boat ramp outside the Bluffton Oyster Co. with a paper cup of steaming gas station coffee in hand. A lifetime of wrestling shrimping nets has left him with a sturdy build. His rose-colored face is in stark contrast with his ghost-white hair. Behind him, dense clouds of powdery fog swallowed the river, giving his shrimp trawler the illusion of flight. The well-worn ship is easily two stories tall. “Daddy’s Girls” is painted in black-and-blue block lettering on the side. Named for his three daughters, the trawler has become the unofficial town seal. When a home is on a septic system, he said, everything that is flushed down the drain goes into a tank below the house. The solids are filtered out and held in the tank. The liquids go into a drain field below. “Do you understand what I’m saying?” Toomer said, elaborating on the path of human excrement. “Every day, right out the toilet.” >click to read< 15:41
ASMFC Public Hearing on American Lobster Draft Addendum XXVII
The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through New York have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum XXVII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster, which considers measures to increase protection of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank (GOM/GBK) spawning stock. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar. Additional details on participating in the webinars can be found later in this release. Massachusetts Virtual Hearing on March 15, 6PM The public hearing details are as follows: >Click to read< 12:17
A year after record-breaking catch, value of Maine lobster landings are lowest in a decade
Maine lobstermen hauled in the least valuable lobster catch in a decade last year, when a decrease in price per pound and higher operational costs gave them less incentive to get out on the water. The $389 million haul, a 47% drop from 2021’s record-shattering catch,,, The size of the haul, 98 million pounds, was nearly identical to the 10-year low hit in 2020, when lobstermen also scaled back operations, then because of the closure of traditional markets as a result of the pandemic. Kristan Porter, a lobsterman from Cutler and president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, laid the blame for the drop in price per pound squarely on the economy. >click to read< 11:06
“Retired” Commercial Fisherman Carroll Richard Johnson of Fortuna, has passed away
Carroll Richard Johnson passed away unexpectedly on January 27, 2023. Carroll, the oldest of three children, was born on August 17, 1953, to Shirley Irene Swall and Richard Leonard Johnson. Carroll grew up in Fortuna. At the age of nine, Carroll started working in the fishing industry, and spent summers and weekends fishing on his dad’s commercial boat. In 1973, at the age of 20, he married his high school sweetheart, Lynne Dorris, and together they bought their first fishing vessel, the Helen Marie. Later, they were partners with a friend in owning and operating the Ocean Fresh Fish market in Fortuna and had three daughters together. Carroll fished commercially for salmon, tuna, and crab with the Helen Marie, Lettie M, and Belle J II, and also trawled with the Clara G, High Sea, and Stormbringer. His most recent fishing vessel was the Rian Faith, which he fished while living his “retired” life. >click to read< 09:43
Union files petition in Ottawa to stop foreign ownership of fishing licences and quotas
The union representing commercial fishing industry workers has filed a petition with the House of Commons to put a formal end to further ownership or beneficial interest in Canadian licences and quotas by foreign interests. “If you’re a young entrant or been fishing for a long time and desire to become a owner-operator, you’re in direct competition from foreign interests,” said Orr. “In the socio-economic view on a broader scale, we’re already seeing the dismantlement of the infrastructure that supports the fishing industry on our coast. Fewer and fewer fish processing sites, fewer boat repair shops. >click to read< 08:56
Fed Official: Offshore Wind Will Adversely Impact North Atlantic Right Whale
Ahead of his March 16 hearing on offshore wind at the Wildwood Convention Center, Congressman Jeff Van Drew is challenging the federal government and offshore wind companies to prove they have nothing to hide when it comes to negatively impacting the environment. “Hearings are critical,” he said in a statement released last week condemning President Joe Biden’s administration for “its continual lack of transparency with the American people – this time about the correlation of offshore wind development and the death of endangered whales.” Van Drew’s latest comments follow the release of a May 13, 2022 missive from Sean Hayes, chief of protected species for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. In the letter to Brian Hooker, lead biologist for Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Hayes laid out how offshore wind development in New England would negatively affect the North Atlantic right whale. >click to read< 08:04
Alaska Halibut Season Opens March 10
Pacific halibut season opens Sunday, March 10 statewide in Alaska. NOAA Fisheries filed notice of their effectiveness in the Federal Register today, which will publish March 7, 2023. The regulations, adopted at the annual meeting of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) in January, took effect when the Secretary of State accepted them, with the Secretary of Commerce’s concurrence. Included in this season’s federal regulations are the catch limits established by the IPHC and basic regulations for the commercial and sport halibut fisheries. >click to read< 18:03
Fate of NJ Fishermen in the Hands of Supreme Court
New Jersey herring fishermen asked the Supreme Court in a final brief to rein in regulators that rely on judicial deference to circumvent the will of Congress. The fishermen are challenging the lawfulness of a regulation that could force them to hand over 20 percent of their pay to third-party at-sea monitors they must carry on their boats—a mandate that Congress never approved by statute and did not give the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) the authority to require by regulation. The U.S. Solicitor General recently filed a brief with the Court urging the justices to ignore the checks and balances of the U.S. Constitution in order to preserve the controversial doctrine of Chevrondeference. >click to read the press release< 15:22
‘The season where hope comes back:’ Praying for a good catch on Lake Erie
George Gibbons understands that saying a prayer over his fishing nets may not guarantee a good catch or keep him and his fellow commercial fishermen safe on Lake Erie’s choppy waters. But it can’t hurt, either. “We’re a superstitious lot,” said Gibbons, who has been a regular at the blessing of the nets ceremony at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Port Dover since the early 1970s. The annual church service is dedicated to the fishing families of Port Dover, which was once a bustling freshwater port and still retains a small fleet of commercial tugs that will return to the water in March. >click to read< 13:37
PD Editorial: Listen to fishermen: Skip salmon season
When people call for action that goes against their own short-term interests, something bigger must be at stake. The public should pay attention. So, it is with three associations of West Coast fishermen that have called for a shutdown of this year’s California salmon fishing season. Members of all three associations know that a closure will cost them dearly, but they understand that this year’s pain is the best chance for long-term survival. But the people who know salmon best and rely on them most — members of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association and the Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association — say that it’s time for a pause. >click to read< 11:44
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 60′ Duckworth Steel Longliner with Federal permits, Cat 3406T
To review specifications, information, and 24 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 10:31
Island Town Deploys ‘Save the Whales’ Message Boards As Officials Call for Offshore Wind Pause
An island community has made no bones about its position on calls to place a moratorium on offshore wind development research until experts can determine whether the offshore soundings have interrupted whale communication patterns. Officials have said a rash of nearly 20 marine mammals, mostly humpback whales, have been discovered deceased, washed up on beaches or floating offshore. The calls for a moratorium center on research mapping taking place offshore prior to wind turbine construction. As it currently stands, no turbines have been built off the New Jersey coast, nor are any under construction. Crews, however, are performing geological seafloor mapping and surveying using acoustic equipment that some have argued could send marine mammals off their migration tracks or disable them in the wild. >click to read< 08:40
Extended Va. Oyster Season Poised for Largest Harvest In 35 Years
With Virginia watermen enjoying their most bountiful wild harvest in 35 years, state fisheries managers have agreed to extend the season by two weeks. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) voted unanimously to allow wild oyster harvests for an extra 10 working days in areas where commission staff judged the bivalve populations abundant enough to withstand additional fishing pressure. “We’ve had a great oyster season, and it’s still going strong,” said J.C. Hudgins, head of the Virginia Waterman’s Association. “It’s been good everywhere we go.” Looking back, it’s quite a turnaround. >click to read< 07:36
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for March 06, 2023
Southern Flounder Update Leads to More Questions Than Answers – During the February 2023 quarterly business meeting of the NC Marine Fisheries commission(MFC), the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) provided the Commission a with very informative update on their efforts to manage the Southern Flounder fishery. While informative, there were portions of the presentation, which sparked concern for the NCFA, causing us to seek clarification from the DMF, which is why these issues were not included in last week’s newsletter. >click to read< 16:45
Months before season begins, state closes most Cook Inlet king salmon fishing
Parts of the Kenai River are still frozen over. But the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has already closed the early and late king salmon runs to sport fishing — also shutting down the beleaguered Cook Inlet east side set-net fishery before fishermen can gear up. “This is my 53rd year coming up as a set-netter, and I have never experienced this,” said Ken Coleman, vice president of the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s Association. He said he’s never seen the fishery close completely this early. Fish and Game does release a preseason forecast for the early king salmon run every winter, to give guides and fishermen a sense of what to expect before the summer starts. >click to read< 15:09
Shrimp industry is under threat, fishermen tell the king
A group of North Sea fishermen have urged king Willem-Alexander to step in and help the Dutch fishing industry which they say is being threatened by government and EU policy. In total, 400 skippers and fishing industry companies signed the letter as well as 45 Belgian and German trawler operators who fish in Dutch waters. The fishermen are particularly concerned about new emissions targets for trawlers operating in Natura 2000 areas. The new motors which trawlers need to meet the targets by October 1 cost some €100,000 and only half of that can be covered by government subsidies, they say. >click to read< 12:47
John Moran of Tiverton, R.I., has passed away
A native of Tiverton, John Henline Moran, 86, died on Friday, February 24, 2023. He was the son of the late Charles and Helen (Henline) Moran and the husband of Sue-Ann Constance and the late Elinore (Moloney) Moran. He attended Babson College and was a self-employed commercial fisherman, union carpenter, and millwright rigger. John’s love of the water and the environment was evident in his local civic volunteerism. John was a former chairman of the Tiverton Conservation Commission, and a member of Governor Garrahy’s original Narragansett Bay Commission. As a member, John was focused on a cleaner Narragansett Bay for commercial fishing and recreational uses. He was past president of the RI Shellfisherman’s Association and deeply involved in the founding of Save the Bay in 1970. >click to read< 11:50
Heroic Devon fisherman dies two years after bomb blast
Tributes have been paid following the sudden death of a 39-year-old Devon fisherman who was hailed a hero after rescuing his crew when their boat was blown up by an unexploded World War II bomb. Lewis Mulhearn, 39, suffered head injuries, three broken vertebrae, a broken sternum, knee damage, a broken orbital bone and multiple facial lacerations after the Galwad-Y-Mor fishing boat he was on board sailed over a 290-pound explosive, which had lay dormant for 80 years, 20 miles north of Cromer, Norfolk, on December 15, 2020. Despite his injuries, the fisherman and captain of the ship coordinated the rescue of his six crew mates, who were also badly hurt. He also ensured he was the last man off the vessel. Photos, >click to read< 10:30
Seismic survey debate returns to south-west Victoria after national talks with fishers break down
Lobster fisher Gary Ryan believes the public ought to know more about seismic surveying. The technique involves shooting loud airwaves at the ocean floor to uncover subterranean oil and gas reserves. “I just believe that if this was happening on land and the public could see the damage it was causing there would be an uproar,” Mr Ryan said. When energy giant Origin Energy decided to survey off the coast of Warrnambool in Victoria’s south west in 2017, the community had little option but to accept it. “At the time, we were compensated and it seemed like a reasonable figure,” Mr Ryan said. “But we accepted it because either we took it or we were going to get nothing.” >click to read< 09:12
Coast Guard medevacs crewmember from fishing vessel 180 miles south of Pensacola, Florida
The Coast Guard medevaced a 45-year-old man approximately 180 miles south of Pensacola, Florida, Monday. Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders received a call at 10:26 a.m. from a good Samaritan vessel reporting that the crew of the 70-foot fishing vessel F/V Kim Nhi was requesting a medevac for a crewmember reportedly experiencing a medical emergency. Video, >click to read< 08:16
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
