Daily Archives: November 13, 2023
SME universe | The multi-fishing boat that will make a difference
Engineers Hubert Simard and Jean-Nil Poirier Morissette, from the naval architecture firm Navanex, spent ten days in the North Atlantic in January 2023 as crew on a fishing vessel of their design, in order to fully immerse themselves in life on board. “We had a good understanding of how fishermen fish,” says Hubert Simard, project manager at Navanex, “but we decided to do a field experiment to really understand and feel it. They felt. Ten days of labor and Gravol. Winds of 55 knots. Swells up to 7 meters. And they learned. A lot. “It took us a couple of days to get over it, but after that we knew what we were talking about. >>click to read<< 16:40
Commercial Fisherman William ‘Buzz/Buzzer’ Alexander Ropes III, of Round Pound, has passed away
On the evening of Oct. 26, 2023, Buzz Ropes passed away peacefully. Buzz was born Feb. 27, 1948 in Montclair, N.J., to Bertah Whitney “Bud” and William A. Ropes II “Bill.” Shortly after, Bill introduced his wife and son to his beloved state of Maine, driving from New Jersey in a model T Ford. Buzz spent his childhood in Round Pond with his sisters, Susan and Claudia. After graduating, Buzz spent the majority of his time on the water. His mentor, Cheever Prentice, instilled a passion for fishing and lobstering. He learned much from “Cheevah” while working as his sternman aboard F/V Harmony. It was this experience that shaped his future on the water. Buzz had a very successful career as a commercial fisherman spanning over 37 years and three boats: F/V Karen R., F/V Great Spirit, and F/V Harmony..>>click to read<< 14:34
The Fleet fights back: Fishermen unite to curb shrimp dumping
Mount Pleasant’s Economic Development Committee met on Nov. 6 and voted in favor of the proposed economic disaster declaration from the South Carolina Shrimper’s Association and Southern Shrimp Alliance that asserts the Mount Pleasant shrimping fleet can’t sustain itself due to the harmful impacts of shrimp dumping, or the flooding of the market with imported, non-domestic shrimp. Mount Pleasant is the second municipality in South Carolina to declare a state of economic disaster for the domestic shrimping industry. Bryan Jones, vice president of the South Carolina Shrimper’s Association, said the declaration is more than symbolic — it’s one crucial part of a fight that is bringing fishermen from across the Southern United States together to defend their businesses, livelihoods and the shrimping industry as a whole. >>click to read<< 12:40
Tragedy at Sea: Celebrated Fisherman Travis Myer Loses his Livelihood
Ask any restaurateur along the coast from here to San Francisco who Travis Meyer is, and they’ll likely tell you he’s the halibut whisperer. He supplies restaurants from Isla and Crudo e Nudo in Santa Monica to Laquita in Santa Barbara, Industrial Eats in Buellton, Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos, Full of Life Flatbread in Los Alamos and several in Paso Robles. His halibut, sea bass, and bluefin tuna are the stuff of legend in an increasingly competitive world of commercial fishing. “Travis has connected us directly to the pristine marine life that surrounds the Channel Islands,” Jason Paluska, when we first met, he delivered a beautiful California halibut that was dispatched using the ike jime method. It was hands down the freshest and cleanest bite of raw fish that I had ever tasted.” That all changed about a week ago on a midnight run to Hollister Ranch, when Meyer lost his boat, his livelihood and nearly his life. Here, the seasoned fisherman tells the tale in his own words: >>click to read<< 11:31
Fishermen threaten to ‘stop fishing’, take legal action over massive block of offshore wind farms
Fishing boat owners in the north are threatening to stop fishing, and file injunctions with Europe, over the proposed creation of a massive block of offshore wind farms, which they have claimed will turn rich fishing areas into comparative deserts. The situation is that six new windfarms are planned for the areas off Sines, Ericeira, Figueira da Foz, Leixões and Viana do Castelo, where a small offshore wind farm has been operating since 2020, with three turbines that have already produced clean energy to serve the equivalent of 60,000 people but have also shown fishermen how fish have effectively ‘vanished’ from the waters. Earlier this year, 15 associations went public with the warning that if two wind farms are sanctioned off Viana do Castelo (as is the plan), authorities may as well issue “a death certificate for fishing”, as all the fish – on which hundreds of boats/ families and local businesses depend will disappear. >>click to read<< 10:08
Survival and grief: The story of the Ross Cleveland tragedy
Fifty-five years ago last month the public inquiry into the loss of the Hull trawler Ross Cleveland and the deaths of 18 men began at Hull City Hall. It was the last time Harry Eddom ever spoke publicly about how he survived the disaster that claimed the lives of the rest of the ship’s crew eight months earlier. During the three-week inquiry, his dramatic witness testimony was only rivalled by evidence given by Len Whur, skipper of another Hull trawler Kingston Andalusite, the nearest vessel to the Ross Cleveland at the time of the tragedy. Whur was desperately trying to save his own ship after being caught in the worst storm experienced off the north-west Icelandic coast in living memory when he received a radio message from his cousin Phil Gay, skipper of the Ross Cleveland. Photos, >>click to read<< 08:26
Atlantic Enterprise: Large Shrimp and Halibut Factory Trawler for Ocean Prawns Canada Operations
Clearwater Ocean Prawns Venture (COPV), a joint venture formed by Danish fishing company Ocean Prawns and Canada’s Clearwater Seafoods, has expanded its fleet with the recent acquisition of a new deep-sea-capable factory trawler designed by Norwegian naval architecture firm Skipsteknisk. The DNV-classed, Polar Coded trawler Atlantic Enterprise measures 83.2 by 18 metres and is equipped primarily for catching and processing shrimp and Greenland halibut in Arctic waters. The freezer hold has a total capacity of 3,000 cubic metres across two decks and includes space for pallets. Ocean Prawns said the vessel will be capable of landing around 1,200 tonnes of pre-packaged, sea-frozen coldwater prawns each trip and around 2,500 tonnes of halibut per year. Photos, >>click to read<< o7:06
