Daily Archives: October 11, 2023
“Squid Fleet” Takes You Into the Opaque World of Chinese Fishing
In February, 2022, I invited the documentary filmmaker Ed Ou to join me at sea, boarding Chinese squid ships. For the past four years, I have been visiting these ships as part of an investigation into the use of forced labor by the global seafood industry. China has the world’s largest distant water fishing fleet, catching billions of pounds of seafood annually, the biggest portion of it squid. The fleet is rife with labor trafficking, abusive working conditions, and violence. But China publicly releases little information about its vessels, and most stay at sea for more than a year, making them difficult to track or inspect. To see the fleet up close, Ou and I travelled to fishing grounds near the Falkland Islands and the Galápagos. We chased boats, interviewed crews by radio, and, when permitted, boarded ships. My goal was to talk to crew members and chronicle their working conditions. “Squid Fleet,” the film that Ou produced, offers something deeper. Ou and his co-director, Will N. Miller, made a hybrid documentary, combining fictionalized narration with real footage from the trip to capture a strange world that few outsiders get to see. 13:45 Video trailer, >>click to read<< 21:36
Marine Constructor/ Commercial Shrimper Arnold Roland Melton of Wilmington, N.C. has passed away
Arnold Roland Melton, 67 of Wilmington, NC affectionately known as Bimbo, quietly sailed away on Monday October 9, 2023, leaving behind a wake of laughter and cherished memories. Born in Wilmington, North Carolina on August 9, 1956, Bimbo was a true saltwater soul, forever tied to the shores and seas that he loved. Bimbo’s career spanned various marine adventures, from his days in Marine Construction to his time as a Commercial Shrimper. He rode the waves with a spirit of determination and grit, always ready to conquer whatever obstacles lay before him. When Bimbo wasn’t busy conquering the high seas, you could find him cheering on his favorite NASCAR drivers with a cold brew in hand. His passion for speed and competition was unmatched, and he took great pride in sharing his love for the sport with his family and friends. >>click to read<< 14:50
Another Bering Sea snow crab season closure brings more financial hardships for fishermen
“This is something that’s in our blood,” said Gabriel Prout, the owner and a deckhand of the 116-foot F/V Silver Spray. However, now his passion and family tradition is in jeopardy. On Oct. 6, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced it was closing the 2023-24 Bering Sea snow crab season for the second season in a row. “The stock is currently at all-time low levels from the survey time series,” said Ethan Nichols, the ADF&G acting area management biologist for the Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands region. “So, the threshold for opening is that total mature male biomass has to be at least 25% of long-term average. And in 2023 total mature male biomass is estimated to be between 15 and 19% of the long-term average.” The news felt like a punch to the gut for Prout, whose family relies on the season for 80 to 90% of its revenue. Video, >>click to read<< 11:40
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 35′ H&H Osmond Beal Lobster Boat, Cummins QSL9 Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 14 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 10:23
Against the wind
Visiting southern New Jersey this summer, I kept seeing yard signs that read “Stop the Windmills—Save Our Coast.” The posters were rallying opposition to the massive Ocean Wind 1 power project 15 miles off the Jersey shore near Atlantic City. That constellation of 853-foot-high wind turbines is supposed to start construction any day now, although delays and financial uncertainties have hampered the project. Ocean Wind 1 is planned to be one of more than two dozen huge wind projects off the East Coast from South Carolina to Maine. If it ever gets built. Which it won’t if the residents of South Jersey have anything to say about it. >>click to read<< 08:56
Louisiana elected officials seek to protect local fishermen from imported shrimp
Louisiana elected officials are rallying to find solutions to help protect the state’s shrimp fishermen from cheap foreign shrimp that critics say is depriving shrimpers of their livelihood and undermining public health. Last month, the state Legislature’s Seafood Safety Task Force met to consider ways to stem the influx of shrimp from China and other nations amid concerns that the imported seafood may contain impurities that pose risks to the health of Louisianans. In addition, Gov. John Bel Edwards has requested that the U.S. secretary of commerce declare an emergency disaster declaration to provide assistance to shrimp fishermen. The Florida-based Southern Shrimp Alliance is also urging governors of Gulf and southeastern states to request federal relief funds for shrimpers. >>click to read<< 07:29
