Monthly Archives: July 2023
‘Reckless’: Richmond fishing firm fined $755K for ammonia release
A Richmond-based fishing company has been fined $755,000 related to the handling and discharge of ammonia in 2017, a Vancouver Provincial Court judge ruled July 19. Judge Ellen Gordon heard earlier the ammonia was taken from the Viking Enterprise trawler, stored on the Reagle wharf and then transported to the company operations near Jacombs Road and Cambie Road. The events took place Oct. 15, 2017 to Nov. 24, 2017, starting with the removal of ammonia from the trawler as its refrigeration systems were being worked on. It was stored in a tank on the dock. It was determined the ammonia was contaminated and the company received an $819,000 quote for disposing of it. The company decided to look at other options. This is quite a story! >click to read< 20:27
RI Energy rejects plan for nearly 1000MW offshore wind project
Rhode Island Energy, formerly known as National Grid Rhode Island, announced Tuesday it’s ending a long-term power purchase agreement proposal with offshore wind companies Orsted and Eversource. The plan would have allowed the energy group to move forward with a plan to create 600 to 1,000 megawatts of offshore wind generation as part of a project dubbed Revolution Wind 2. “The economic development benefits included in the proposal were weighted and valued appropriately by our evaluation team, but ultimately it was determined those features did not outweigh the affordability concerns and other [state law] standards,” Rhode Island Energy president Dave Bonenberger said in a statement. >click to read< 16:38
The ‘very liberal’ doctor, the pro-GOP car dealer and the movement against offshore wind
This story is based on interviews with a dozen people who are organizing efforts to oppose offshore wind projects, as well as scientists and environmentalists. E&E News also reviewed tax documents, regulatory filings and emails obtained under New Jersey’s Freedom of Information Act. The wind opponents are gaining traction. Some Republicans in Congress have called for a moratorium on offshore wind projects. In New Jersey, where the debate has been particularly fierce, more than 40 mayors organized by a D.C. lobbyist called for a wind moratorium, and a recent poll found that more residents support halting wind projects (39 percent) than building them (35 percent). Wind detractors have packed public meetings in Rhode Island, and opponents have filed lawsuits in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey to halt projects. >click to read< 14:49
Government boost for Scottish fisheries
A financial injection of £18.7 million is going into ten projects across Scotland through the Infrastructure Scheme, aiming to improve ports, harbours, processing and aquaculture facilities. A further £2.1 million is being routed to four Scottish projects through the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme to provide vital research that will inform fisheries management. These projects are supported by in excess of £74 million in match funding from alternative private or public contributions. Funding is also available for the catching sector across the UK to replace or modernise engines to reduce emissions, improve reliability and enable new technologies to be tested. >click to read< 12:38
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ X 16’3″ Novi Scalloper/Lobster, 450HP, Cummins QSMII Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 35 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:35
Fishermen ask Harbor District to gut slip fees
At a public meeting hosted by the San Mateo County Harbor District on Thursday, many fishermen and stakeholders at Pillar Point Harbor pleaded with staff not to increase berthing rates while local business remained at a standstill. In late June, the Harbor Commission voted to increase most of its rates and fees by 5.6 percent to keep up with inflation, except for slip and berthing rates for commercial fishers. At the time, some commissioners suggested a discount should be given to owners of commercial vessels who lost money due to shortened crab and canceled salmon seasons. Capt. William Smith, who goes by “Capt. Smitty,” said boats should be getting a reduction in their rent as many operators are losing between 50 to 70 percent of their income due to the loss of salmon season. >click to read< 10:35
Federal fisheries service agrees to deal aimed at curbing whale entanglements in fishing gear
A legal agreement finalized Tuesday over the protection of humpback whales is expected to help the threatened animals thrive while maintaining the ocean’s health. The deal stricken between the National Marine Fisheries Service and Center for Biological Diversity will create a team to reduce the number of whales that get tangled in a West Coast federal fishery. The service will form the team by Oct. 31, 2025, a press release stated. A federal court in March sided with the center after it filed suit last year against the fisheries service. The center argued the service failed to protect Pacific humpback whales from getting entangled in sablefish pot gear off the California, Oregon and Washington coasts. >click to read< 09:33
Poor weather cuts Cape Breton spring lobster fishers’ catch
Combined with cooler temperatures, harvesters around Cape Breton said this year wasn’t as good as the past two — which were stronger than usual. “It definitely wasn’t a banner year,” said Ingonish harvester Michael Barron. Also the president of the Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association, Barron said the season was “on par” with the average season for most fishers, rather than a bad one altogether. However, Barron said the average catch in the association’s area, Cape Breton’s east coast from Bay St. Lawrence to Gabarus, was down between 15 and 20 per cent this year. This season, lobster prices remained similar across most of Cape Breton. They didn’t see many fluctuations either. >click to read< 09:05
Gloucester Fishing industry reps raise concerns about wind energy areas
Commercial fisherman Al Cottone, executive director of the Gloucester Fisheries Commission, and Angela Sanfilippo, executive director of the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership and president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, outlined the fishing industry’s concerns with offshore wind development. “First of all the construction process, the areas that are going to be used will probably be lost forever for commercial fishing,” Cottone said. “There are going to be a lot of losers when it comes to activity within these areas. You are not going to be able to find an area to put these arrays where someone is not going to lose their ability to fish and make a living,” Cottone said. He said this was a critical time for the local fishing industry. >click to read< 07:46
Australian man, faithful pup rescued by Mexican ship after months at sea
An Australian sailor finally touched dry land on Tuesday in the Mexican port city of Manzanillo, capping off months spent adrift at sea with his dog until a surprise rescue by a Mexican fishing ship. The castaway, 54-year-old Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, was spotted by a fishing boat owned by seafood group Grupomar with his 
hound, Bella, on a catamaran in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico, the company said Monday. The sailor and his pup originally set sail in April from the Mexican coastal city of La Paz bound for French Polynesia about 3,728 miles (6,000 km) away. “I’m just so grateful. I’m alive,” said Shaddock, sporting a bushy beard and long hair topped by a hat featuring the logo for “Tuny,” a Grupomar tuna brand. >click to read< 19:46
Trial for fishermen netted in federal probe set for September
The trial of six fishermen, two seafood dealers, along with corporations they own, who are charged in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records, has been scheduled for September. The postponement from August was made by the court as it considers a motion to reconsider an earlier judge’s ruling to deny suppressing statements made by a defendant to Marine Patrol officers. Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Andrew Banow, 37, of Rockport; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; and Western Sea, Inc., were named in a 35-count indictment issued in January 2022. A superseding indictment was issued by a federal grand jury in October 2022 which included those defendants as well as Duston Reed, 41, of Waldoboro; New Moon Fisheries of Waldoboro; Glenn Lawrence, 70, of Owls Head; Samuel Olson, 73, of Cushing; and Sam’s Seafood of Cushing. >click to read< 15:29
‘It’s Just Not a Fair Fight’: Supreme Court to Hear Case that Could End Bureaucratic Rule
“There’s going to be plenty of trips where that monitor will make more than myself or my crew,” said Stefan Axelsson, a commercial fisherman. He and other herring fishermen from Cape May, New Jersey sued over the rule and their case will be heard by the Supreme Court next term, where it will be argued by famed appellate lawyer Paul Clement. “When you have the federal government regulating small businesses it’s just not a fair fight,” Clement recently told The Hugh Hewitt Show. However, instead of just hearing the specifics of this case alone, justices have chosen to take on the bigger issue by reviewing the power of the entire federal bureaucracy. Specifically considering one of the most important, and powerful, principles in the world of bureaucratic rulemaking known as the “Chevron doctrine.” >click to read< 14:02
Leonard Woolsey – Decline of shrimping industry a jumbo problem
The threat to the local shrimping industry is jumbo-sized. In recent weeks, members of the local shrimping industry have taken action to raise awareness of the critical challenges they face in keeping their business afloat. And the economic impact on the Galveston County is significant. “The price of diesel and the falling price of shrimp has made it hard to break even,” said deckhand Cliff Dunn, who last week was at work with Capt. Trey Branch getting a boat ready for the Gulf season’s start. “The price of diesel and the falling price of shrimp has made it hard to break even,” said deckhand Cliff Dunn, who last week was at work with Capt. Trey Branch getting a boat ready for the Gulf season’s start. >click to read< 12:00
Endangered right whale movements ‘totally different’ in Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2023
“What we saw this year was totally different compared to other years,” said Marcel Hebert of the Acadian Crabbers Association in Shippagan, N.B. “The North Atlantic right whale were found in very shallow waters, under 20 fathoms. It’s the first time we saw that since 2017 when we started to watch.” Their first appearance in the Gulf was a disastrous surprise for a species on the brink of extinction and the people who earn their living in those waters. Twenty of the whales died in the Gulf between 2017 and 2019. In Atlantic Canada, a single right whale detection closes a 2,100 square kilometre area of open water for 15 days and in the Gulf for the entire season if they keep showing up or stay. “Let’s be honest, this is hard for harvesters,” Gilchrist said. >click to read< 09:47
Coast Guard, F/V Ocean One rescue 3 after boat capsizes off Freeport, Texas
The Coast Guard and good Samaritans rescued three adults after their vessel capsized off the coast of Freeport, Texas, Sunday. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watchstanders received a call at 5:05 p.m. on VHF-FM channel 16 from the captain of the fishing vessel Ocean One that a pleasure craft had capsized 10 miles off the coast of Freeport. All three boaters were in the water and wearing life jackets. The crew of the F/V Ocean One pulled all three boaters from the water. >click to read< 08:55
Bristol Bay bust – Bristol Bay salmon prices hit rock bottom
Prices paid commercial fishermen for their catches of wild, Bristol Bay sockeye salmon have just set a modern record low of 50 cents per pound. That’s only three cents per pound less than the average price paid for a Southeast Alaska pink salmon – or humpy as Alaskans usually call the smallest and blandest tasting of the Pacific – in 2018, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game data. With a correction for inflation, that old humpy would now be worth 8 cents more per pound than a Bristol Bay sockeye. The last time the Bay saw anything like this was more than two decades ago when the sockeye price hit 42 cents per pound. Once inflation adjusted, however, those fish had a value of 70 cents per pound – 20 cents more than what Trident Seafoods and other processors are now offering. >click to read< 07:53
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
Seafood’s Inflated and Leveling Prices, Revisited
We decided to revisit the “Why Seafood Prices Are So Inflated” story and those whom we had interviewed to see where prices have landed in the summer of 2023, post-pandemic and post-historic inflation. Generally, the first place one goes with this topic is up to Viking Village, the docks of our working commercial fishing fleet in Barnegat Light, which holds a fleet of 40 boats up to 110 feet long. Viking Village states that its mission is to work only with U.S.-based fishermen and practice sustainable harvesting. In 2021, Viking Village General Manager Ernie Panacek primarily talked about the price of scallops, which were more affected by catch quotas than by the pandemic. Scallops were a hot topic then, and they’re still relatively expensive, but like two years ago, it has little to do with the pandemic and everything to do with those quotas set by the Fisheries Management. >click to read< 20:30
If these stories aren’t told right
George Olsen passed away Saturday night. The following story includes an interview with Olsen in 2014, and is running this week in honor and celebration of his memory.
The Olsen’s home is across from the new elementary school built just above Main Street. If you follow the road down its steep decline, you’ll reach the harbor where the docks are lined with fishing boats and the gulls squawk mercilessly lured to the salty stench of the day’s catch being hauled in. The fishermen, he says, are worried about next year’s salmon runs with the low water levels. He used to be one. A fisherman, that is. “Was your father a fisherman too?” I ask. He scrunches his brow and cocks his head ever so slightly, staring at me as if I had just asked him whether the ocean was filled with water. “Of course,” he enunciates, making clear the stupidity in asking such a question. >click to read< 11:16
‘The Bad Day’: Two maritime disasters that shook the Shetland Islands
By a terrible grim coincidence, this week sees the anniversary of two of the worst disasters ever to happen in the Scottish fishing industry, and on both occasions it was the Shetland Islands which were afflicted by the tragic calamities that took place almost 50 years apart and cost the lives of 163 men. On both occasions, wild storms caught fishermen out at sea and led to the destruction of fishing boats, often with the loss of all on board. The first disaster took place 191 years ago today on July 16, 1832, in the midst of what became a summer of mourning on Scotland’s northern archipelago. >click to read< 09:54
N.H. Lawmakers pass bill to address abandoned fishing gear, with limitations
New Hampshire’s marine wildlife may soon be rescued from “ghost gear” haunting coastal waters, thanks to a bill passed by the Legislature last month. But it won’t be by individuals working on their own to find and remove abandoned gear this summer, as some House members had hoped. The version of House Bill 442 that passed last month directs Fish and Game to report to lawmakers by September with a strategic cleanup plan for derelict fishing gear, traps, and nets that have been abandoned by their owners but continue to ensnare fish, lobsters, and other marine organisms, leading to their death. Some House members hoped to allow individual divers to remove gear on their own, in addition to a larger effort by the state. >click to read< 09:09
Viking Village Is A Uniquely Jersey Shore Experience
Viking Village seems like a place where time has stood still at the Jersey Shore and gives visitors a glimpse of what life was like during a time when fishing dominated the scene, long before tourism became the driving factor at the shore. The Viking Village, initially known as the Independent Fish Company, was founded as a lobster fishing co-op by first-generation Norwegian fishermen. As the lobster population began to decline, the fishermen adapted their gear and turned to sea bass fishing, which proved to be prosperous until the 1950s. Over the years, the fishing practices at the Viking Village evolved, incorporating scallop, gillnet, and longline fishing, which remain the backbone of its operations today. >click to read< 08:07
Aussie sailor rescued after surviving two months lost in the the Pacific with his dog Bella by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater
Tim Shaddock and his dog Bella were picked up by a tuna trawler off the coast of Mexico after a helicopter accompanying the ship spotted their catamaran. The Sydney man left La Paz in Mexico in April bound for French Polynesia but a few weeks into the journey a storm destroyed the electronics on his vessel. Mr Shaddock said he was forced to drift for two months with only his dog for company with the pair eating raw fish and drinking rainwater to stay alive. Video, photos, >click to read< 22:16
