Daily Archives: November 3, 2023
Canadian Coast Guard ‘rolling the dice’ with offshore search and rescue coverage: SEA-NL
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) says the Canadian Coast Guard is rolling the dice with maritime safety with only a single primary offshore search and rescue (SAR) vessel dedicated to covering the province’s entire offshore area. “In a maritime environment where every minute could be the difference between life and death in SAR incidents, there is no room for any compromise in response capabilities,” says Merv Wiseman, a member of SEA-NL’s executive, and outspoken advocate for stronger SAR services and fishing-vessel safety. “My question is not just why SAR standards have been lowered, but for how long and whether this is the new normal? >>click to read<< 15:56
Galloway fisherman to lodge Police Scotland complaint after being targeted in huge operation
A Galloway fisherman claims he was “victimised” in a major police operation linked to people trafficking. Port William man Paul Maguire had his boat temporarily impounded and guarded, his crew house raided and quayside lobster shed searched. Police also raided his parents’ home in nearby Mochrum while his mother was celebrating her 90th birthday. According to witnesses at the scene, armed officers forced entry to the lobster shed shouting a warning. Police Scotland confirmed they had warrants to search the premises. The operation began when a UK Border Force vessel pulled alongside Mr Maguire’s boat in Luce Bay at 1pm last Wednesday. >>click to read<< 14:35
Northern Shrimp fishing: DFO proposals do not pass muster in the industry
Northern shrimp fishermen from Quebec and the Atlantic wholeheartedly reject the new precautionary approach presented by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientists to protect stocks. The fishing associations of Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, industrialists and DFO scientists were gathered during two days for the advisory committee which ended Wednesday in Quebec. Northern shrimp stocks in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence are not likely to improve, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. >>click to read<< 11:47
Commercial Fisherman Scott Allan Fulford of Peabody, MA, has passed away
Scott Allan Fulford, 69, of Peabody, MA, passed away peacefully on October 31, 2023 at the Kaplan House with his family lovingly by his side. Scott was born on July 26, 1954 in Gloucester, MA to Robert and Mary “Mairi” (Sylvester) Fulford. It was here that his true love for the water began. He grew up in East Gloucester, learning all the ins and outs of the commercial fishing industry. He began working alongside his father at the age of 12. He would work in the family business before and after school. Fishing was the Fulford way of life. It was all that they knew. It has been said that Scott never needed maps; he intuitively navigated the waters. After graduating from Gloucester High School in 1972, he went on to carry out his high school goal of owning his own fleet of fishing vessels. He was the proud Captain of Lisa Marie, Sea Hag, The Rolling Stone II and Step Two. Like so many other fishermen, and his dad before him, he worked on the infamous Phyllis A. >>click to read<< 10:47
Cornish Gem vessel master ‘disregarded the law’ while fishing scallops illegally
The master and owner of a vessel has been fined for illegal scallop fishing in Cornish waters. The actions of Mark Manning and Sarah-Jane Fishing Ltd “disregarded the law in the interests of their short term gain”, said Cornwall Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority (IFCA). On November 2, at Truro Magistrates’ Court, Cornwall IFCA successfully prosecuted Mark Manning, 59, from Plymouth and Sarah-Jane Fishing Ltd, the respective master and owner of the fishing vessel Cornish Gem PH 819, which appears to be based out of Falmouth. Manning had previously entered guilty pleas to the court in respect of three counts of using a dredge to remove scallops from the Cornwall IFCA district at a prohibited time of day in December 2022 and in February 2023. >>click to read<< 10:11
Nantucket’s Commercial Scalloping Season Opens With “Cautious Optimism”
Nantucket’s 2023-24 commercial scalloping season began Wednesday under cloudy skies, along with some wind and rain, as the hunt for the island’s prized shellfish was renewed. About 15 scallop boats were out in Nantucket Harbor, along with another five in Madaket Harbor Island fish markets set the wholesale price paid to scallopers at $15 to $18 per pound, down from the start of last season, and the retail prices ranged from $20 to $25 per pound. But all of that – the number of boats out fishing, the prices, and the demand – will be fleshed out and subject to change as the first week of fishing rolls along, said Samantha Denette, executive director of the Nantucket Shellfish Association. “It’s always cautious optimism and trying to be optimistic,” Denette said. “We’re not looking at a banner year but we’re not looking at a dud either. I feel good about us being in the middle. But we can’t make the call on day one if it’s going to be either/or.” >>click to read<< 08:55
House Republicans rebuff move by Golden to block offshore wind in Gulf of Maine lobster area
Majority Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives rejected an attempt by Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, to use federal spending to block offshore wind development in a lobster fishing area of the Gulf of Maine. Golden, who tried to amend 2024 appropriations legislation for the Department of Interior, said he will try again to bar offshore wind development in what’s known as Lobster Management Area 1. His measure sought to prevent funding to lease, license, permit or provide any authorization to develop offshore wind energy that could jeopardize lobster fishing. “Offshore wind development in the Gulf’s most productive fishing grounds is a threat to Maine fishermen’s way of life,”>>click to read<< 07:28
