Monthly Archives: December 2023
CHRISTMAS CRACKER CREWS
Christmas was a time of conflict within Hull’s trawling industry. The clash was between love and money. Trawlermen loved to be at home over the festive season, living it up with their family and friends. The trawler owners, however, wanted their vessels at sea in order to land fish on the market for early January. The price of fish was always extremely high around 1 January, because all Scottish fishing ports were closed for the Hogmanay celebrations north of the border. The ships’ runners bore the brunt of this conflict of interests. They were employed to crew the ships (each firm had its own runner). It was a difficult job at the best of times, but especially during the run-up to Christmas. They did their job by fair means or foul. Different strategies were used to get the ships away. One was to sign men who had been on a ‘walkabout’ or were ‘blackballed’. A man who had been disciplined by the owners would be keen to ‘get shipped up’ and work his way back into the industry. Christmas was his best chance. Another devious method, when scraping the bottom of the barrel,,, photos, more, >>click to read<< 15:18
Euclid Fish Co. pledges to use 100 percent of Great Lakes fish caught
A Mentor-based company has made a commitment to increasing the value and usefulness of fish caught in the Great Lakes. Euclid Fish Co. has signed on to the “100 percent Great Lakes Fish Pledge,” publicly committing to using 100 percent of each commercially caught Great Lakes fish productively by 2025, according to a corporate news release. As part of the pledge, Euclid Fish will explore and implement innovative applications for fish byproducts including fertilizer, protein, marine collagen, leather and other new, high-value products. According to the release, the Great Lakes are home to a sizeable commercial fishery, but only the fillets of these fish are usually eaten while the remaining 60% of the fish is relegated to inexpensive animal feed or discarded. more, >>click to read<< 09:34
Bad weather? Rough seas? No problem for Florida fishermen looking for their money catch
When low pressure followed by a strong cold front crossed Florida with tropical-storm-like conditions this past week, you would think boat ramps would be completely empty. No one is crazy enough to head out when seas are calling for 6 to 10 feet, are they? But for generations of local families, these conditions are what is needed to start money rolling in as they head out to fill boats with one of the most commonly seen Florida fish. “Two of my buddies had two boatloads a day during this past front,” says angler Trever Flathman, who is a full-time commercial fisherman. A boatload could be 3,000 to 6,000 pounds depending on the size of the boat. What Flathman and others are looking for this time of year are roe mullet. Usually after Thanksgiving, mullet head offshore in giant schools to spawn. more, >>click to read<<08:12
Santa Claus is coming to town, and this tracking agency can tell you when!
The joint US-Canadian military monitoring agency has continued its decades-long tradition of tracking Santa’s whereabouts, helping children around the globe find out when his reindeer-powered, present-filled sleigh is coming to town. A 3-D, interactive website at www.noradsanta.org showed Santa and his reindeer on their imagined worldwide delivery route, allowing users to click and learn more about the various cities along the way. The Santa tracker presented by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) dates to 1955, when a Colorado newspaper advertisement printed a phone number to connect children with Santa but mistakenly directed them to the hotline for the military nerve center. more, >>click to read<< 13:51
Denmark pays out Brexit compensation
Compensation totaling DKK1.2 billion has been paid out to Danish fishing operators to mitigate the adverse effects of Brexit on the country’s fishing industry, including the loss of access to UK waters. The full payments have now been made within the EU deadline of 31st December 2023. Funding comes from the EU Brexit Reserve, of which the Danish share was roughly DKK2 billion. Of this, approximately DKK1272 million was allocated to the fishing sector and the local areas. The funds were distributed to different parts of the sector by political agreement between all Parliamentary parties in December 2021. more, >>click to read<< 09:38
A nostalgic memoir recounts a fishing life, from Southeast Alaska to Bristol Bay
As a teenager in 1964, the adventurous Upton lighted out from his east coast home to Iquique, “a small dusty town on the desert north coast of Chile” and signed on to work on a tuna boat for local wages. There, he met an old-timer who’d fished in Bristol Bay’s sailboat days and filled him with stories — stories he recounts in the book’s first pages. The hook was set. The young man found a boat headed to Seattle and then, like so many others at the time, walked the docks looking for a way north and “just by chance…stumbled into an epic Alaska fishing job: the shady skipper, the grumpy cook, the green deckhand, and the old Alaska salt as mate.” That mate, Mickey Hanson, to whom the book is dedicated, became his good friend and mentor. That summer Upton worked as the engineer on a salmon tender based out of Metlakatla, buying salmon all up and down the Inside Passage. more, >>click to read<< 07:42
Fishermen look to give back with warm chowder for Christmas
To give back to those without the luxury of a warm holiday season, a handful of fishermen headed to Portland to serve up some fresh-caught haddock chowder for the holiday weekend. Hosted by the New England Fishermen Stewardship Association, teamwork from about a dozen volunteers made it possible to create a mini-food drive for people living underneath the Casco Bay Bridge. “The association was created to bring all fishermen together all across New England and all different fisheries, and so we just kinda came up with the idea,” COO Dustin Delano said. Video, more, >>click to read<< 06:45
Coast Guard rescues six people from two disabled fishing vessels 70 miles east of Venice, La.
The Coast Guard rescued six people from two disabled fishing vessels Saturday approximately 70 miles east of Venice, Louisiana. Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders received a report from a good Samaritan Friday at approximately 6:30 p.m. of fishing vessel F/V Georgia P being disabled approximately 70 miles east of Venice, Louisiana. Fishing vessel Seahorse responded to the tow of fishing vessel Georgia P. During the tow, the Seahorse also became disabled. Due to the captain aboard the Seahorse not having enough medication to get through the night, degrading weather, and poor communications, all crew members aboard agreed to be removed from their vessels. more, >>click to read<< 20:34
David Rainer: Plash has ‘Gotta Go’ shrimping despite low prices
Doug Plash really can’t help himself, but you can blame it all on his roots. When he’s sitting at home on Plash Island on the banks of the Bon Secour River, the urge to head out in his boat and harvest the tasty crustaceans that are plentiful along Alabama’s Gulf Coast is overwhelming. “There’s a boat across the river named ‘I Gotta Go,’” Plash said in the wheelhouse of his shrimp boat named after his daughters, Melissa, Jennifer and Kristi. “I probably should have named my boat that.” Plash Island came into existence when the Intracoastal Canal was dug in the 1940s, separating the land that is surrounded by the Bon Secour River on the other sides. He is the fifth generation of Plashes to live on the island with his grandfathers buried on the island. One grandfather owned a freight company that used five schooners to haul beer from the Jax Brewery in New Orleans and hauled freight to Mobile. The semi-truck eventually left the schooners at the dock. photos, more, >>click to read<< 13:15
Executive order bars imports of Russian fish that is processed in other countries
Russian seafood will no longer be legally allowed in U.S. markets after it is processed in China, under an executive order issued Friday by President Joe Biden. The action seeks to close a loophole that the Russian seafood industry was able to use to skirt import sanctions put in place in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The ban is now extended to any seafood caught in Russian waters or by Russian-flagged vessels, “notwithstanding whether such products have been incorporated or substantially transformed into other products outside of the Russian Federation,” the executive order says. While the executive order affects other products, including alcoholic beverages and diamonds, it provides special relief to an Alaska seafood industry that has been struggling with competition from a flood of Russian fish, Alaska’s U.S. senators said. more, >>click to read<< 11:03
Fisherman’s Challenge to Windfarm Explorations Referred to EU Court
The High Court case is being brought by fisherman Ivan Toole, who says the windfarm developments will have a direct bearing on the Wicklow fishing fleet and will damage all marine life in the area. Mr Toole has asked for a preliminary ruling concerning the interpretation of an EU direction about the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. His case has been taken against the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority. Judge Humphreys said he would stay the finalisation of Mr Toole’s case, while he referred a number of questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union. more, >>click to read<< 09:33
Bering Sea trawl fleet files lawsuit over new halibut bycatch limits
A trade association representing the Bering Sea bottom-trawl fleet filed a lawsuit this week in federal court, arguing that new halibut bycatch limits are unfair and unlawful. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council in December 2021 approved a new halibut bycatch quota system based on annual surveys of the valuable flatfish. Instead of the current fixed limits, a new abundance-based system means that when halibut stocks are low, bycatch caps could be cut by up to 35%. Based in Washington state, Groundfish Forum — representing five companies and 17 bottom-trawl vessels — sued the National Marine Fisheries Service on Tuesday in response to the new limits, which are set to go into effect Jan. 1. Attorneys argue that the trawl fleet was unfairly singled out by the new rules that could result in “drastic economic consequences.” more, >>click to read<< 08:04
Dramatic moment US Coast Guard rescues fishermen from struggling boat off Cape Cod after it lost its steering capabilities during fierce East Coast storm
The US Coast Guard rescued a 65-foot lobster boat and its crew after it lost all steering and was adrift in the waters southwest of Nantucket. Crews from Station Brant Point in Nantucket and Air Station Cape Cod responded to a call by the vessel named Two Dukes around 9.30 am earlier this week. Four crew members and a dog were rescued. The captain was found with facial injuries after a window got blown out in the heavy seas and left him with lacerations. The captain and first mate remained onboard to assist in towing Two Dukes. I couldn’t be more proud of this crew. First heavy weather SAR case of the winter season. Fifteen to 20-foot seas, shoals all over. The fishermen were extremely grateful.’ photos, video, more, >>click to read<< 07:10
Fish about to be plundered off coast of UK as EU about to strike major deal with Iceland
A non-EU country may soon be allowed to fish in waters just miles away from UK shores thanks to the European Union, sparking fury among fishermen closer to home. Fishing officials in Ireland are worried that they have not been consulted on the negotiations, which could be nearing the final stages of approval. Iceland reportedly wants to strike a deal so that they can catch blue whiting which are common in Irish waters but cannot be found near the Nordic nation. Concerns are now growing that fishing will become unsustainable as Irish fishermen worry for their livelihoods. CEO of the Irish Fish Processors Organisation Aodh O’Donnell told GB News: “We fear that this give away of more foreign access to Irish waters is being agreed behind closed doors. There is a lack of clarity and Christmas is upon us, and we are very concerned. more, >>click to read<< 14:26
Darwin fisherman Daniel Schoolmeester charged after allegedly holding workers captive on his boat
A Darwin man who allegedly lured workers to his boat, forced them into labour and held them captive against their will with minimal food or water, has appeared before court. Daniel Schoolmeester, 47, appeared in the Darwin Local Court on Friday afternoon, charged with deceptive recruitment, causing a person to remain in servitude and forcing labour. It’s alleged he posted deceptive job advertisements on Gumtree and his social media account calling for deckhands and coxswains to work on his fishing boat. Workers allege once on board, Mr Schoolmeester made them work extensive hours without pay, denied them food, water and sleep, and subjected them to cruel and degrading treatment. Video, >>click to read<< 11:36
A unique partnership connects Lowcountry fishermen with people who don’t have enough to eat
Daniel LaRoche watches as his crew, who’s just returned from nearly two weeks at sea, hoists dozens of giant swordfish from the belly of a boat. Some are real whoppers, weighing more than 200 lbs. LaRoche owns Cherry Point Seafood on Wadmalaw Island, just south of Charleston, selling fresh fish and shrimp from his dock. But making a living, he says, has never been harder. He wrestles daily with the rising costs of fuel, boat repairs and lures. LaRoche says he must sell even more shrimp to compete with imports as he struggles to keep up. Now, a new program promises help, by providing monthly pre-paid orders for 160 pounds of his shrimp and swordfish. So, who’s picking up the tab? The South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston. photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:12
Scallop season is underway
In pitch-black morning, the scallop draggers start heading out Penobscot Bay to be ready one-half hour before the sun rises in Augusta to drop their drags overboard and begin a day’s work. Daylight here already broke the horizon as the scallop fishery opens for the day in the Gulf of Maine. “When the season opens, it’s like the first day of school,” said David Tarr, a scalloper off Naskeag Point and a member of the state’s scallop advisory council. Now two weeks into the season, and Tarr says, “I think it’s been a good opening. Boats are keeping local. Whether dragging or diving, the daily limit is 15 gallons of meat that sells anywhere from $12 to $23 per pound, depending on its size. 8 photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:55
Family of shrimp boat captain found dead in Tampa hopes to get body back to Virginia
The family of a shrimp boat captain who was found dead after a powerful Gulf storm blew through over the weekend is looking for help from the community. Curtis Lee Cowling lived on the shrimp boat full time and his body was found onboard the submerged boat around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Tampa Police Department. Now, his family is trying to get his body back to Virginia. A GoFundMe page was made to help with funeral and memorial costs as well. There’s a goal of $11,000 to be raised. Video, more, >>click to read<< 06:37
Fishermen and community leaders react to Trident announcement to sell a third of its Alaska plants
Gerry Cobban Knagin is a commercial fisherman. She and her family have fished around Kodiak and sold their harvest to Trident Seafoods, one of the largest seafood processors in the country, on and off for decades. But on Dec. 12, the company announced it’s selling off about a third of its Alaska processing plants, including their year-round facility in Kodiak. She said the announcement was a huge shock for almost everyone on the island. “Speaking with [Trident] management, there wasn’t any heads up for anyone,” Knagin said. “And they decided, according to management, that they wanted full transparency so that the fleet would know.” Photos, more, >>click to read<< 20:44
Trident Seafoods announces plan to streamline, modernize operations
Trident Seafoods, a corporate giant among North American seafood processors, is looking for potential buyers for four of its shoreside plants in Alaska as part of a restructuring plan announced on Tuesday from its headquarters in Seattle. Such bold action is necessary to deliver fair value to fleet, communities and all stakeholders into the future, said Joe Bundrant, CEO of the company built by his father, Chuck Bundrant, starting more than 50 years ago with a single fishing vessel. Bundrant said he remains confident overall of the Alaska seafood industry and Trident’s role in it. He acknowledged these significant changes and said the company is focused on treating its impacted employees and communities with the respect and compassion they deserve. more, >>click to read<< 13:43
Army Veteran/Retired Lobsterman Terry O. Brewer of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, has passed away
Terry O. Brewer, 88, passed away peacefully with his family by his side after a long courageous battle with dementia. He passed away the evening of Dec. 17, 2023 in his home in Boothbay Harbor that he purchased in 1958 and resided in until his passing. He was born in Boothbay Harbor on Jan. 29, 1935, the son of Norman Brewer Sr. and Mary Doyle Brewer Pinkham. Terry grew-up spending summers on Fisherman’s Island, where his mother and stepfather resided seasonally. He began his love for working on the water while being a stern man for his stepfather. Terry attended Boothbay schools and graduated in 1954. Following graduation he enlisted in the Army, serving overseas in South Korea. After serving in the military, he returned to Boothbay Harbor where he began his career as a lobsterman. Later, he worked at Bath Iron Works as a pipe fitter for a decade, while continuing lobstering. He retired from lobstering at the age of 77. more. >>click to read<< 12:10
Commercial Lobster Boat Stranded on Rye Harbor Jetty
Crews are working on a plan to move a boat off the jetty in Rye. The boat washed up on the inner jetty near Ocean Boulevard. Geno Marconi, Director of Ports and Harbors for the New Hampshire Port Authority, said the boat got pushed onto the rocks during high tide Monday. Marconi said the boat had been attached to a mooring that failed during the storm, causing it to float away. “It’s only as good as the equipment you put in there, but the equipment, everything mechanical is subject to failure,” Marconi said. Marconi said the owner of the commercial lobster boat has already been in contact with his insurance, and they have a plan to get it back into the water safely. Video, more, >>click to read<< 09:43
A New Rod For Gramps
Young Cris had been going fishing since he was old enough to walk. Gramps, as he had called him, was raising Chris as best he could, living on a fixed income. Cris’ parents were taken from him in a car crash wen he was only six months old, and his Gramps was just like a dad to him. Gramps had lost his wife to cancer a year before Cris was born, so the two of them needed each other very much. Living within a mile of one of Texas’ largest bays, Cris enjoyed the time he and his grandfather spent on its shores. Gramps had spent many hours schooling him in the finer art of angling for redfish and he always admired the pretty copper-colored battlers that his gramps caught and later cooked for dinner. more, >>click to read<< 08:39
Trial date set for fishermen charged with fraud, violation of herring laws
The trial for the fishermen and seafood dealers who were indicted in 2022 with conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records will begin Jan. 3 and is expected to last eight days. The defendants who were indicted in January 2022 in U.S. District Court were Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; Dustin Reed, 41, of Waldoboro; Glenn Lawrence, 70, of Owls Head; Samuel Olson, 73, of Cushing; the Western Sea, Inc. of Rockland; New Moon Fisheries, of Waldoboro; and Sam’s Seafood of Cushing, according to the court document. more. >>click to read<< 07:47
Suffolk farming family decide to sell ‘beloved’ farmhouse to fund fishing fleet
In October, the Simper family put their 110-acre asparagus farm with stunning views of the River Deben at Ramsholt, near Woodbridge, on the market through agents Landbridge. But they were originally planning to retain their farmhouse at Lodge Farm with about 38 acres of farmland and woodland – including a 10-acre asparagus field. The family has always combined farming with sailing and fishing, but Harry Simper – the youngest generation – elected early on to devote himself fully to a fishing career. He began it 12 years ago at the age of 16 and by 2019 the venture had grown to a fleet of four small commercial fishing boats. photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:38
VIDEO RELEASE: Coast Guard rescues 2 after vessel sinks 34 miles offshore Charleston
A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah helicopter crew rescued two men, Tuesday, after their 30-foot fishing vessel capsized 34 miles offshore of Charleston. Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center watchstanders received a mayday call at 10:30 p.m., via VHF-FM channel 16 from a crew member aboard the fishing vessel stating their vessel was sinking. Watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Charleston boat crew and an Air Station Savannah helicopter crew to assist. Utilizing direction finding technology to triangulate the last known position, watchstanders were able to identify the vessel’s approximate location. Once on scene at the vessel’s last known position, the helicopter crew immediately located a life raft with two people aboard. Video, more, >>click to read<< 19:30
CDFW Opens Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery in Northern Management Zone, Continues Commercial Fishery Delay in Central Management Area.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will open the commercial Dungeness crab fishery from the Oregon state line to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (Fishing Zones 1 and 2) under a Fleet Advisory beginning Jan. 5, 2024 at 12:01 a.m. with a 64-hour pre-soak to begin on Jan. 2, 2024 at 8:01 a.m. The commercial fishery will remain delayed from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border (Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6) until at least the next risk assessment due to elevated numbers of humpback whales resulting in increased entanglement risk. CDFW is also continuing the temporary recreational crab trap restriction from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to Lopez Point, Monterey County, more, >>click to read<< 17:29
“Heroic” Rescue Off Nantucket: Station Brant Point Tows Disabled Fishing Boat In Rough Seas
With the sea still raging from the coastal storm that hammered the East Coast this week, a crew from Coast Guard Station Brant Point on Tuesday rescued a disabled fishing vessel southwest of Nantucket amid 15 foot waves and dangerous shoals. The call came in around 9:30 a.m. The 65-foot fishing vessel F/V Two Dukes had lost all steering and was adrift in the waters southwest of Nantucket, near Tuckernuck Island, with four crew members and one dog on board. To make matters worse, the captain was injured after a window got blown out in the heavy seas, leaving him with lacerations on his face. A four-man crew from Station Brant Point suited up and set out to take part in the rescue aboard the 47-foot motor life boat. After the long transit to the waters southwest of the island, the crew located the disabled fishing vessel as a Coast Guard helicopter hoisted two people off the boat, leaving behind the captain and one other crewman. photos, more, >>click to read<<-13:40
Galveston shrimpers being run out of business due to low prices, overseas imports
Captain Jerome Kunz
Texas Gulf shrimpers are going out of business during what many are calling the worst period in the history of the industry. “You’ll see numerous boats up and down this dock and most of them are just set here,” Nikki Johnson-Kunz said as she stood along Pier 19 in Galveston. Pier 19 was once a bustling hub for Galveston’s shrimping fleet — from the same spot a few years ago, one could watch dozens of shrimp boats running back and forth to the Gulf and then to the seafood markets along the docks to sell their catch. Johnson-Kunz married into a Galveston family that’s been fishing the waters for shrimp for more than a century. They said business has never been as bad as it is now. “Our prices that we get paid per pound are under a dollar,” she said. “It’s sickening.” Video, >>click to read<< 10:52
