Daily Archives: July 17, 2023
Despite whale detection, western Cape Breton crab fishers will complete quota in days
Part of Snow Crab Area 19, Cape Breton’s largest crab fishing zone in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, has been restricted for at least 15 days by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). That comes after a North Atlantic right whale was detected last week by an acoustic sensor near Pleasant Bay. As a result, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has ordered fishers with traps in Area 19 to move them to the far north or south parts of the zone by Monday evening. While it is extra work to move the traps, most fishers anticipate almost no impact on the overall catch. “Catches are good, so a lot of the boats will be finished up in the next couple of days,” said Sandy Doucette, who fishes out of Cheticamp. >click to read< 20:00
Right whale’s decline worse than previously thought, feds say
The North Atlantic right whale numbers less than 350, and it has been declining in population for several years. The federal government declared the whale’s decline an “unusual mortality event,” which means an unexpected and significant die-off, in 2017. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released new data that 114 of the whales have been documented as dead, seriously injured or sub-lethally injured or sick since the start of the mortality event. That is an increase of 16 whales since the previous estimate released earlier this year. The agency recently completed a review of the whales using photographs from researchers and surveys to create the new estimate, said Andrea Gomez, a spokesperson for NOAA. >click to read< 17:51
Fishermen File Supreme Court Opening Brief Challenging Chevron Deference
July 17, 2023. A group of New Jersey herring fishermen today filed opening arguments asking the Supreme Court to strike down an unlawful federal regulation that could force them to surrender 20 percent of their earnings to pay for at-sea monitors. The regulation, argue the fishermen, is not supported by law. Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement and lawyers from Cause of Action Institute represent the fishermen. They hope the justices will use the case to overrule Chevron deference, a legal doctrine that requires federal courts to defer to agency interpretations of law, even in the absence of expressed congressional authorization. >click to read the press release< 16:04
Entangled North Atlantic right whale spotted in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A North Atlantic right whale has been spotted entangled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, near Lamèque in northeastern New Brunswick. A research vessel saw the whale, a 13-year-old male known as EG No. 4042, east of Lamèque and northwest of Prince Edward Island, on Saturday, Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced Monday. He appears to be carrying a “long trailing line, with no visible buoys,” according to a news release. Groups who respond to marine mammals in distress planned to attempt to disentangle the whale on Sunday morning but couldn’t because of the weather. >click to read< 13:47
£20.8 million funding boost for the Scottish fishing industry
The UK Government today (Monday 17 July) announced the latest Scottish projects to receive investment from the £100 million UK Seafood Fund. A total of £18.7 million is being awarded to 10 projects across Scotland through the Infrastructure Scheme to improve capability at ports, harbours, processing and aquaculture facilities. In addition, £2.1 million is being allocated to four Scottish projects through the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme to provide vital research that will inform fisheries management. >click to read< 11:41
Energy industry uses whale activists to aid anti-wind farm strategy, experts say
One night in late March, J Timmons Roberts, a professor of environmental studies at Brown University, stepped in to a high school gymnasium in a small seaside town in Rhode Island. He was there to speak at a town hall aimed at allaying concerns about a local offshore windfarm. In the front row, he noticed a woman dressed as a whale, holding a sign that read “Save Me!” The woman in the front row was Mary Chalke, co-founder of the Save Right Whales Coalition (SRWC), a group of organizations across the east coast that oppose offshore wind projects, arguing they pose an existential risk to the endangered North American right whale. That night at the town hall, Roberts also spotted Elizabeth Knight, who founded Green Oceans earlier this year, another anti-wind organization in Rhode Island. Roberts said he felt compassion for Knight. “She thinks a train wreck is coming,” said Roberts. >click to read< 10:17
The Maine Lobster Industry Debuts First-Ever “Celebrate the Maine Lobster Roll,” an Impactful Twist on This Iconic Summer Dish
Lobster lovers, listen up. This summer, the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative (MLMC) is partnering with local restaurants and nationwide distributors to debut a new special: the “Celebrate the Maine Lobster Roll.” The “Maine Characters” campaign will spotlight the broad impact the fishery has on the state of Maine and will feature the stories of the individuals behind the industry – from the fishermen to the processors, dealers, trap builders, restaurants owners and more. The “Celebrate the Maine Lobster Roll” will give diners a taste of the impact with custom materials including toothpicks, placemats, sandwich paper and postcards that feature these individuals, along with a QR code to the “Maine Characters” digital hub to learn more. The best part? Every roll sold will help support the fishery. >click to read< 08:29
City to Sell F/V Windwalker
The Morro Bay Harbor Department was slated to auction off a local fishing boat after the owner fell behind on slip payments to the department. Harbor Director Ted Schiafone told Estero Bay News that the F/V Windwalker, a federal registered vessel, was seized by the City last year and is set for auction at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 13 at the Harbor Office. Windwalker has been sitting at the North T-Pier with stickers on the window of the wheelhouse indicating it had been seized by the U.S. Marshal’s Service. According to the auction website, Windwalker is a schooner-hulled steel vessel, built in 1984. It’s 64-feet long and 18.5’ wide and has a steel hull. She’s rigged to fish using traps or pots or troll lines, long lines of baited hooks that trail in the water behind the boat. >click to read< 07:39
