Daily Archives: July 24, 2023
Spanish mackerel fishery changes force anglers to leave livelihoods with no compensation
For decades, Lisa Putzka’s life was governed by wind and tides. Mrs. Putzka and her husband Walter made their living catching Spanish mackerel off the North Queensland coast. But everything changed in 2022 when Mr. Putzka was diagnosed with brain cancer and given less than two years to live. At the same time, a major shake-up of the east coast Spanish mackerel fishery was announced, sending shockwaves through the fishing community. From July, the entire commercial catch quota was slashed from 578 to 165 tonnes, a reduction of more than 71 per cent. Among them is 67-year-old Trevor Purkis, who had planned to fish his way into retirement onboard his beloved Trevanna. Instead, he is preparing to sell his boat at a loss and leave the industry. “It’s going to break my heart,” Mr Purkis said. “Forty-three years I’ve been going to sea on this boat.” Photos, >click to read< – 20:49
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for July 24, 2023
How Well Is the CCA Mindset Working? Last week I showed you just one of the many tricks the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina (CCA) uses to sway public perception of our fisheries in North Carolina. Another trick CCA has mastered is simply not answering questions. If you watched the interview last week maybe you noticed this trick as well. I will link the interview again if you care to rewatch: >click to read, with reference links, videos< 19:22
IAMPE Honors Capt. Geno Marconi with Lifetime Achievement Award
The International Association of Maritime and Port Executives is pleased the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Captain Geno Marconi, Captain Marconi is the Director of the New Hampshire Port Authority, which is a Division of the Pease Development Authority. The award recognizes the profound impact that Captain Marconi has had in the port and maritime industries. A native of the New Hampshire seacoast, Captain Marconi grew up working in the commercial fishing industry with his family. He has owned and operated commercial fishing vessels engaged in the harvest of lobster, ground fish, and northern shrimp. He began his career in service of the marine industries as the Portsmouth Harbor Master in 1975 and expanded the position in 1979 to include management of the state-owned Portsmouth Commercial Fish Pier. >click to read< 17:50
Newfoundland sisters continue family’s lobster legacy
It’s raining heavily and the waves are high near Bonne Bay, but Julia Crocker and Josie Hann are full of smiles as they work. The Newfoundland sisters are lobster fishing outside the tiny village of Curzon, near Woody Point. Ms. Crocker navigates the boat, while Ms. Hann pulls in the traps. Ms. Crocker and Ms. Hann have been fishing since they were teenagers. Their father, Morris Brake, needed crew members for his enterprise and both girls seized the opportunity. For Ms. Crocker, it’s now close to 20 years and for Ms. Hann, it’s nearing six. “We’re the only female lobster crew here in the area,” Ms. Hann proudly says. Photos, >click to read< 16:07
How foreign private equity hooked New England’s fishing industry
The 85-foot trawler, deep green and speckled with rust, was returning from a grueling fishing trip deep into the Atlantic swells. As sunrise broke over New Bedford harbor, the fish were offloaded in plastic crates onto the asphalt dock of Blue Harvest Fisheries, one of the largest fishing companies on the East Coast. About 390 million pounds of seafood move each year through New Bedford’s waterfront, the top-earning commercial fishing port in the nation. Leeman and his crew are barely sharing in the bounty. On deck, Leeman held a one-page “settlement sheet,” the fishing industry’s version of a pay stub. Blue Harvest charges Leeman and his crew for fuel, gear, leasing of fishing rights, and maintenance on the company-owned vessel. Across six trips in the past 14 months, Leeman netted about 14 cents a pound, and the crew, about 7 cents each — a small fraction of the $2.28 per pound that a species like haddock typically fetches at auction. Photos, >click to read< 12:04
Search Continues Today for Missing Steuben Lobsterman
The Maine Marine Patrol will continue to search today for Tylar Michaud, 18 of Steuben, a commercial lobsterman who was reported missing Friday night at 5pm after failing to return from a day of hauling and setting his traps near Petit Manan Point. The search is focusing on the waters near Petit Manan Point where Michaud’s unoccupied boat was found Friday evening by a local fisherman. Today’s search will involve Marine Patrol boats and the Maine State Police/Marine Patrol Underwater Recovery Team. An aerial search will also be conducted by the Marine Patrol, Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and Maine Forest Service. >link< 09:52
Watching my brother-in-law build his lobster traps by hand taught me the value of old ways
As a kid, I remember lying across the seat of a white rowboat in the hot sun during my summer holidays. In 2006, what seemed like a lifetime later, I was having one of my first quick chats with my future brother-in-law, on the weekend that he and my sister Kathy were getting married. Michael Sullivan is a lobster fisherman. Wearing his preferred black ball cap and sporting a chevron mustache, he catches enough lobster and fish to make a living. He told me about his greatest heartache, that the lobster fishery is a disaster, with catches getting smaller and smaller. But two daughters and 11 years later, things had taken a surprising turn. Michael had been upping his catch, substantially, every year. He had gone back to the “old ways” — building his own wooden traps. Photos, >click to read< 09:01
Letter: Pleas for help from Louisiana shrimpers fall on deaf ears
The Louisiana shrimp industry is in crisis; putting our 15,000 jobs and $1.3 billion industry at risk. During the legislative session, hundreds of shrimpers, dock owners and processors marched on the State Capitol to call out unwanted competition from imported shrimp. Louisiana plays a significant role in the U.S. shrimp market, accounting for 25% of the nation’s demand. But imports from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Ecuador are flooding U.S. markets, resulting in distressed prices for our product. >click to read< 08:06
