Daily Archives: April 10, 2023
Maine: Protect Downeast files court appeal re: Jonesport’s decision to move forward with industrial scale fish farm
Protect Downeast, comprised of lobstermen and women, marine harvesters, businesspeople, and concerned environmentalists released its court appeal today of the Jonesport Planning Board’s decision to allow the industrial scale Kingfish project to move forward. The appeal asserts that the Board erred as a matter of law by misinterpreting the Jonesport Land Use Code to find that “functionally water-dependent uses” supersede the Land Use Code’s prohibition of “commercial structures” and “industrial structures.” Attorney Beth Boepple from Murray Plumb and Murray said, “The good people of Jonesport sought guidance from the state on this project but at every turn, the state failed them. >click to read<, with full complaint. 15:51
F/V Kodiak Enterprise: Shelter-in-place remains in effect as fishing boat fire continues to burn
A massive fishing boat fire in Tacoma just northwest of Chinook Landing Marina continues to burn Monday. On Monday morning, smoke from the fire continued but had visibly lessened. The fire on the 276-foot vessel Kodiak Enterprise started at around 3:30 a.m. Saturday while the boat was moored at Trident Seafoods in the Hylebos Waterway. Trident Seafoods said there were three people on board the ship when the fire started but they made it out safely without any injuries. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Photos, >click to read< 11:42
FFAW wants mackerel fishery re-opened
On Thursday, Mar. 30, 2022, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) issued a release announcing there would be no directed commercial or bait fishing for southern Gulf spring herring and the closure of the Atlantic mackerel commercial and bait fisheries in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. Now in 2023, Fish, Food, & Allied Workers (FFAW) is calling on the government to reopen the Atlantic mackerel fishery, stating that Newfoundland and Labrador communities shouldn’t bear the burden of this decision. “The biggest problem is that the fishery was closed when it should not have been,” said Courtney Glode, Communications Officer with FFAW. The U.S.A. announced in March that they will proceed with the commercial fishery in 2023, on the East Coast stock shared with Canada; however, an announcement on whether or not the moratorium will be lifted in Canada has not yet been made. >click to read< 10:07
Maine’s seafood harvest has fallen 120M pounds since 2012
At 197 million pounds for all commercially harvested marine species, 2022 was the first time since 1975 that Maine’s reported annual seafood harvest has fallen short of 200 million pounds. In fact, the cumulative volume of Maine’s commercial fisheries dropped by more than 120 million pounds between 2012 and 2022, state data show. Patrick Keliher, head of the state’s Department of Marine Resources, said there are myriad reasons why fishery landings have declined — some regulatory, others environmental. Meanwhile, landings of lobster, which remains the state’s dominant fishery despite looming restrictions to better protect whales, have dipped in recent years but still are much higher than they were prior to the 1990s. >click to read< 09:12
Ship Strikes: Thousands of whales are being killed by passing ships. Can we save them?
A collision with a vessel is one of the main threats to whales and if the whale does not die on impact, it is usually only a question of time. In Moon’s case, Wray knows she made the 3,000 mile migration to Hawaii. “We’re actually hoping that she has passed,” says Wray. She has not been seen since December. With potentially thousands of whales hit every year, and with the number of ships rapidly increasing across the globe, the problem is only getting worse. But as the recent UN high seas treaty shows, there is increasing political will to protect the world’s oceans and their inhabitants. The question is whether it is even possible to save the whales from dying at the bows of ships. New technology suggests yes – but it’s going to take all hands on deck. >click to read< 08:01
