Daily Archives: August 21, 2023
Lobsterman finds body off Down East coast
A Jonesport lobsterman on Monday found a body in the ocean near Addison. The Maine Marine Patrol has recovered the body, and it is being transported to the Maine medical examiner’s office in Augusta for identification, Maine Department of Marine Resources spokesperson Jeff Nichols said. Nichols declined to comment on whether the body may be that of Tylar Michaud, a Steuben lobsterman who went missing on July 21 after he went out to haul traps near Petit Manan Island. Charles Kelley, a Steuben lobsterman and pastor at a local church who led Sunday’s service for Michaud, said that while an official identification of the body has not been made, people close to the family and who were involved in the extensive search believe it is Michaud. >click to read< 17:41
‘Alarm bells should be going off’: P.E.I. fishers reflects on low prices, poor weather throughout 2023 spring lobster season
Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the P.E.I. lobster marketing board, wants answers as to why the price of lobster per pound was so low throughout the 2023 spring season. According to McGeoghegan, the price of lobster was $13.50 per pound up until the start of the season when it suddenly dropped by more than six dollars. As a result, fishers in the province lost more than $300 million in revenue, as the yield last year was more than 47 million pounds. “Alarm bells should be going off with the province as well, that’s a lot of revenue,” said McGeoghegan. Lobster fisher Art MacDonald of Souris said he’s had a hard time remembering a colder and wetter fishing season. >click to read< 17:07
Scientists at Work: Uncovering the Mystery of When and Where Sharks Give Birth
If you have a toddler, or if you encountered one in the last year, you’ve almost certainly experienced the “Baby Shark” song. Somehow, every kid seems to know this song, but scientists actually know very little about where and when sharks give birth. The origins of these famous baby sharks are still largely a mystery. Many of the large iconic shark species – like great whites, hammerheads, blue sharks and tiger sharks – cross hundreds or thousands of miles of ocean every year. Because they’re so wide-ranging, much of sharks’ lives, including their reproductive habits, remains a secret. Scientists have struggled to figure out precisely where and how often sharks mate, the length of their gestation, and many aspects of the birthing process. >click to read< 13:51
‘We were never alone, the Coast Guard was always there with us’ — City celebrates Station Gloucester
As Gloucester 400+ committee members and speakers honored the long service of Coast Guard Station Gloucester during an Appreciation Day at the station Friday morning, rain and wind lashed the windows of the mess deck where the ceremony took place. As the squall intensified, the wind drove water under the outside door and onto the floor as if the small boat station on Harbor Loop were taking on water. Some said this symbolized the way Coast Guard Station Gloucester has been watching over Gloucester’s fishing fleet and boaters caught in storms since 1901. and station members appreciated being a part of America’s oldest seaport. Photos, >click to read< 11:52
Shortage of workers and housing causing perfect storm of problems at Makkovik fish plant
The operator of Makkovik’s fish plant says a shortage of workers, and a shortage of places for workers to live, has left the plant unable process crab as normal this season. Keith Watts, general manager of the Torngat Fish Producers Co-op, which operates plants in Makkovik and Nain, says operations in Nain went smoothly this season but work in Makkovik has been limited due to a lack of workers. Watts said the community has an aging workforce and the plant’s remote northern location limits the number of workers it’s able to attract. He’d like to be able to attract temporary foreign workers to work at the plant, he said, but he knows there would be nowhere for them to live. Barry Andersen, Makkovik’s AngajukKak, or mayor, said he knows housing is a real concern in the region, especially when it comes to rentals and other spaces available for booking, like hotels. >click to read< 09:55
Japan PM Fumio Kishida to meet fishermen on Fukushima water release plan
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will meet fishermen as soon as Monday to seek their understanding of the government’s plan to release radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific. Getting the tacit approval of organizations representing the fisherman is considered the final hurdle for the plan to release the treated waste water, a move the government says it wants to begin this summer. The plan to release 1.3 million tons of water from the tsunami-destroyed plant as Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) runs out of storage space, has been opposed by local fishing unions, caused concern among shoppers in South Korea and sparked import bans of Fukushima food products China. >click to read< 09:00
Maine lobsterman lost at sea remembered for dedication to family and friends
A Steuben teenager and lobsterman was collectively remembered for his positive attitude, wisecracks, blue eyes and bushy eyebrows when several hundred people gathered Sunday for a memorial service in a Sullivan school gymnasium. Nearly a month after Tylar Michaud, 18, went missing at sea while hauling lobster traps, and roughly 10 weeks after he graduated from Sumner Memorial High School. Michaud’s extended family, friends and members of the community gathered for a celebration of his life at the school. Michaud’s sense of humor, dedication to his family and friends, and his love of the outdoors figured prominently in their remarks. >click to read< 07:29
