Daily Archives: September 24, 2023
Century-old Devon fishing boat sets sail after restoration
A 108-year-old fishing boat restored over a decade has set sail once more in Devon. The Britannia was relaunched at Exeter Quay earlier after it was spotted “in a bad state” by its previous owners in Brixham Harbour in 2013. Vicki Samuels and her husband Sam formed a charity and have been restoring the boat with a team of volunteers ever since. Mrs Samuels said she was “really emotional” and had “a few tears”. Now returned to its former glory, the restoration has also been a learning experience for the young people who volunteered to help, Mrs Samuels said. Photos, >>click to read<< 18:52
FFAW asks for quota increases, full northern cod assessment following 2023 stewardship fishery closure
The FFAW-Unifor is calling on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to prioritize the province’s northern cod fishery. Jason Spingle, FFAW secretary-treasurer, said the catch rates for northern cod this year have been high despite the slow start, landing the entire quota in six weeks lasting only a few days into the fall season. “Our union requested a modest increase to this year’s quota that would be in line with the increasing stock, however, the minister at the time instead proceeded with a quota rollover,” said Spingle. “The result is a fishery where many harvesters only managed a handful of trips and when compounded with the employment insurance pressures this year. It’s truly a crisis situation for many people.” >>click to read<< 12:37
Sea change – Major study links pink salmon and ocean chaos
Pink salmon and the hatcheries helped boost their numbers to never-before-seen highs were Thursday singled out for disrupting the ecosystem of the North Pacific Ocean to the detriment of other species of salmon, seabirds, whales and more in a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Serices (MEPS). The study titled “From diatoms to killer whales: impacts of pink salmon on North Pacific ecosystems” concluded that “the evidence is consistent and strong that pink salmon can exert competitive dominance for common-pool prey resources shared by four forage fish species, all five species of Pacific salmon and steelhead trout, and 11 species of seabirds. “It further indicates that pink salmon can have a strong influence on ecosystem structure and function by, for example, initiating pelagic trophic cascades.” >>click to read<< 10:20
Scottish Port Feels Force Of UK Fishing Storm
In Peterhead, a major port in northeast Scotland and Europe’s largest wholesale market for white fish, Brexit was supposed to offer “a sea of opportunity” for locals. Instead they have suffered a wave of complications and added financial costs in recent years, even before the impact of surging inflation. “Careful what you wish for, it hasn’t turned out as they promised,” Mark Addison says in front of his trawler, the Benarkle II, which is moored just behind Peterhead’s fish market. “It’s been the hardest three years,” he tells AFP. “Brexit followed by the (Ukraine) war was just a double whammy.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent prices soaring worldwide, with the fishing industry hit hard by rocketing fuel prices and large cost increases for key equipment such as nets. Photos. >>click to read<< 08:34
