Daily Archives: August 16, 2023
Fish Factory Vessel Leaking Ammonia in Tacoma
A 77-year-old fish factory vessel with a checkered history is reportedly leaking ammonia in Tacoma, Wash. The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it is responding to the incident on board the U.S.-registered Pacific Producer, a 169-foot-long seafood processing vessel with a long string of health and safety violations. Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology crews in HAZMAT suits are currently working to locate leak. The vessel poses no immediate threat to the public, and air quality is being monitored, the Coast Guard said. Pacific Producer usually works in the Alaskan fishing industry but has been docked in Tacoma for about a year following a number of serious violations. >click to read< 17:35
“Wicked Tuna” and lucky number 13
Number 13 is a fortuitous number for National Geographic’s hit reality television series “Wicked Tuna.” The show is now shooting its 13th season. And it is a lucky number for Gloucester Capt. T.J. Ott of the vessel Hot Tuna who won the title of G.O.A.T. — Greatest of All Time — at the conclusion of season 12 by hooking a total of 13 fish valued at $70,148. He edged out by $218 Beverly’s Capt. Bob Cook who caught a dozen fish valued at $69,930. The hit show, based out of Gloucester, America’s oldest seaport, chronicles a competition among fishermen and fisherwomen in search of giant bluefin tuna. 7 Photos, >click to read< 16:24
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 49’11”X19’ Seiner with Ma Menhaden Permit, Cat 3406
To review specifications, information, and 25 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 12:40
Federal grants will replace tunnels under roads that allow water to pass through but not fish
The Biden administration announced nearly $200 million in federal infrastructure grants on Wednesday to upgrade tunnels that route streams under roads but can kill fish that get trapped trying to get through. “We inherited a lot of structures that were built in a way that just didn’t think through the effect they had on fish,” US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You don’t have to be a fish lover or an ecologist to care about this. It is very important for livelihoods, the economy and the way of life in many parts of the country.” Some of the 169 projects included in the first batch in a $1 billion initiative to be rolled out over five years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 would upgrade or replace the culverts with bridges to make water — and fish — more free to let flow. >click to read< 11:36
Feds ask for public comment on two Oregon Coast sites slated for floating offshore wind farms
Two sites off the southern Oregon coast could soon be home to the state’s first floating offshore wind farms. But first, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will meet with residents and stakeholders in coastal towns, some of whom are concerned about impact to the fishing industry and marine ecosystems. Officials from the ocean energy bureau announced Tuesday that they had identified two ideal “wind energy areas” near Coos Bay and Brookings. The two areas are 20 or more miles from land, collectively encompass about 344 square miles of ocean and could host enough floating wind turbines to generate 2.6 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power about 195,000 homes. >click to read< 10:29
This Fisherman’s Catch of the Day? A Kangaroo Stranded in the Ocean.
What’s the last thing you’d expect to reel in while out on a fishing boat? A kangaroo! But that’s precisely what one fisherman encountered while out on his vessel. Kangala Wildlife Rescue received a call from said fisherman, who was heading back to shore to deliver the exhausted animal into their care. The trouble was, the kangaroo was beginning to wake up… and you certainly don’t want an angry kangaroo bouncing around your boat! Rescuers had to act quickly to sedate the roo, and then transport it back to their wildlife center to evaluate its health. Photos, >click to read< 09:44
Fall fishery finally gets underway
On calm waters on a beautiful August morning, the fall lobster season in LFA 25 finally opened on Sunday following several delays due to weather conditions. The fall fishery was scheduled to open on Aug 9, but last Monday the Department of Fisheries and Ocean (DFO) decided to delay the opening until at least Aug 10 because of unfavourable forecasts. On Aug 11, it was confirmed that the LFA 25 fall lobster season would open at 6 am on Sunday, but only to set the gear. An agreement was made there would be no lobster fishing on Sunday. Photos, >click to read< 08:44
Del Norte Fishermen Are Pissed About Nearshore Groundfish Fishery Closure
Del Norte County fishermen say a California Department of Fish and Wildlife decision to close the nearshore groundfish fishery in the north part of the state starting next week could economically devastate the community. At least seven appeared before the local Fish and Game Advisory Commission on Monday, urging commissioners to send a letter to the agency as well as state representatives Mike McGuire and Jim Wood. The information CDFW scientists used to close the near-shore groundfish fishery comes from the recreational estimated catch of quillback rockfish as well as estimates from the commercial fishery within the Northern Groundfish Management Area, she said Tuesday. The Northern GMA stretches from about Cape Mendocino to the California-Oregon border. >click to read< 07:46
