Daily Archives: December 17, 2023

Tampa Police searching for missing boat Captain

At approximately 7:42 a.m. on Sunday, December 17, 2023, the Tampa Police Department received multiple reports of a shrimp boat being submerged underwater in the 2600 block of Causeway Boulevard. Tampa Officers arrived on the scene and located a 63 ft vessel named “Miss Jordi” underwater. The vessel also leaked thousands of gallons of diesel fuel into the water. The boat’s captain, Curtis Lee Cowling, was last seen on 12/16/2023 at 11:00   p.m. Cowling is now listed as “Missing and Endangered.” Currently, officials are unable to confirm the captain’s whereabouts.  more, >>click to read<< 13:39

An 89-foot fishing tender helped Haines’ wrestling team reach the state tournament in Anchorage

The Haines wrestling team hadn’t even arrived at the state tournament yet, and it already had its back to the mat: Pinned down by a blizzard and unable to leave Haines, the Glacier Bears were in jeopardy of being disqualified from competing at state. But a local fishing boat owner offered to get the team to Juneau and, despite some choppy seas, helped deliver the Haines team to state. Brent Crowe, whose son is an eighth-grade wrestler in Haines, heard about the team’s difficulties. He offered to shuttle the team to Juneau on the Pavlov, his 89-foot tender. The team got the OK from school administrators and took the trip overnight into Thursday morning. Winds were still high but the team and coaches left around 6 p.m., traveling overnight in what was about a 12-hour voyage. The Pavlov encountered some high winds and 6- to 7-foot waves, and one wrestler experienced a little seasickness, according to Hale, but the team made it to Juneau in time to catch a flight. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 12:27

CHAMPION DELIVERS THE GOODS

‘Champion is an exciting new concept in trawl door manufacture, and we are thrilled that it has performed so well during fishing operations,’ said Morgère’s managing director Pascal Reverseau, describing the new Champion doors as being among the most powerful demersal on the market, providing excellent spread, good fuel economy and ease of operation. ‘This is a door that offers many benefits – and skippers particularly like its ease of operation, which is particularly important when fishing in challenging sea conditions,’ he said, adding that skippers fishing with these new doors have been delighted by the performance, praising its stable operation and simplicity in use and setting up. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:39

Federal fisheries managers hold Bering Sea pollock quota steady

The total amount of pollock allowed to be scooped up by trawlers in the Bering Sea will stay the stotal allowable catchame in 2024. In its Dec. 9 meeting in Anchorage, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council moved to keep the total allowable catch for pollock at its current level of 1.3 million metric tons, a move that has generated criticism from conservationists, tribes, and the trawling industry alike. Alaska’s pollock fishery is responsible for the vast majority of salmon bycatch in the region. And amid alarming declines in returns of multiple species of salmon to Western Alaska rivers, the pollock trawl fishery has faced increasing criticism for its perceived role driving the crisis. But federal fisheries managers and the trawling industry pushed back, asserting that the claims are unfounded. more, >>click to read<< 08:12

Pollack fishing: Setting quota to zero ‘damaging’ to South-West industry

A decision to set the pollack catch quota to zero will be “damaging” to the fishing industry, those working in South-West England have said. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said the quota had been reduced to preserve stocks. It said it recognised the “impact” the decision “may have” and was working to “explore potential mitigations”. Ben George, who fishes from Sennen Cove in Cornwall, said he never once “dreamed it could be a total ban”. “It’s particularly damaging for the small inshore fisherman, because they can’t diversify easily now to anything else,” he said. more, >>click to read<< 06:19