Daily Archives: February 15, 2024
New fisheries co-op incorporated; Fisheries Protective Co-operative
A new for-profit fisheries co-operative has been incorporated to protect and advance the economic interests of the province’s independent inshore enterprise owners. To be known as the FPC, the Fisheries Protective Co-operative Newfoundland and Labrador was created over a period of several months by a steering committee of inshore harvesters from around the province, spearheaded by fishery activists Ryan Cleary and Merv Wiseman. The idea behind the FPC is to give independent owner-operators freedom over their inshore enterprises and commercial licences, and ensure a fair, transparent, and more consistent return on their investment. The long-term goal of the FPC is to become self-sufficient in all aspects of seafood operations — including harvesting, processing, marketing, and sales. The plan for the upcoming 2024 fishing season is to pool the collective quotas of members, and either hire independent companies to process fish for a per-pound fee or sell them product directly. more, >>click to read<<17:30
Champlain Seafood blames lack of lobsters for permanent closure of Meteghan, N.S., processing plant
A lobster processing plant in Meteghan, N.S., is shutting down permanently saying there are “not enough lobsters to sustain current processing capacity.” In a news release sent out on Tuesday, Champlain Seafood announced Riverside Lobster International (RLI) will not reopen for the upcoming spring season and will close permanently. The company said the closure will not impact its New Brunswick processing plants, notably Cape Bald Packers and Captain Dan’s. “The reason for the temporary shutdown was due to lower lobster landings and overall product availability,” said Champlain Seafood spokesperson Rachelle Gagnon. “The lobster processing industry in Atlantic Canada is continuing to see an unprecedented situation.” more, >>click to read<< 15:07
Captain Jimmy Ruhle Honored Posthumously with New Cooperative Research Award
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council named Captain Jimmy Ruhle as the first recipient and namesake of a new award that recognizes outstanding contributions to cooperative fisheries research in the Mid-Atlantic region. His son, Captain Robert Ruhle, accepted the award on his father’s behalf during the Council’s meeting last week in Arlington, Virginia. Jimmy Ruhle was a lifelong commercial fisherman, a former Council member, and a trailblazer in cooperative fisheries research. He had an instrumental role in the creation and success of the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) Mid-Atlantic/Southern New England trawl survey, a cooperative fishery-independent survey of coastal waters from Cape Hatteras north to Cape Cod. Since 2007, the survey has been conducted biannually aboard Jimmy’s vessel, the F/V Darana R, by a team of Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) researchers working in partnership with Jimmy and his crew. more, >>click to read<< 13:11
Eric’s Heroes: The 50-year journey of fisherman Pete Knutson
A fisherman with long, gray hair looks out at this beautiful place and takes a sip from his coffee mug. The fisherman is Pete Knutson. The place is Fisherman’s Terminal. Each has left their mark on the other. Don’t be fooled by how gorgeous it is. Fisherman’s Terminal, plopped right in the middle of a major metropolitan city, is a place for men and women who understand work. People who fish for a living. “It always felt RIGHT,” he says. “It always felt like a place that I was comfortable. I like the people. I’ve always liked the people in the fishing. They’re really direct, you know? It’s honest work.” Pete has been a fisherman for 50 years. He’s gone to Alaska to ply his trade, four or five months every summer, for half a century. Video, 17 photos, more, >>click to read<< 10:46
Hull people petition for Arctic Corsair to be permanently berthed in St Andrew’s Dock, not ‘concreted into city centre’
The historic vessel, Hull’s last sidewinder trawler, is set to be a dry-berthed visitor attraction at the currently developing North End Shipyard, off Dock Office Row, in the city. She is expected to be open to the public, restored to her former glory, in early 2025. The petition calls for the placing of Hull’s heritage ship Arctic Corsair at St Andrew’s Lockpits. The introduction to the petition says: “Hull Trawler Heritage – Hull City Council plan to berth the Arctic Corsair, Hull’s heritage museum vessel, on the River Hull near Hull city centre. “We the petitioners believe she should be permanently berthed in Hull’s St Andrew’s Dock Lockpits, her natural home. Sign this petition immediately if you believe she should be brought home to Bullnose before she gets concreted into the city centre.” more, >>click to read<< 09:40
Crew safe after fishing boat stranded on Newfoundland’s south coast
The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed Thursday morning that the crew of a fishing boat that ran aground off the coast of Fortune on Newfoundland’s south coast have been safely evacuated from the vessel. The ship, called the Cape Cordell, ran aground just outside Fortune Harbour on Wednesday as a blustery winter storm hit much of Newfoundland and Labrador. more, >>click to read<< 08:46
Warren, Markey and Keating demand answers from Blue Harvest owners
“After years of putting private equity profits ahead of workers and small businesses, Bregal Partners — which owned and stripped Blue Harvest of its assets — owes the community an explanation,” wrote Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep Bill Keating. They each signed the joint letter addressed to Gene Yoon, managing partner of Bregal Partners, which owned 89.5% of New Bedford-based seafood giant Blue Harvest Fisheries prior to the company declaring bankruptcy in September of 2023. “Bregal’s actions with respect to Blue Harvest have left local small businesses and workers holding the bag after your firm spent years price gouging, mistreating workers, saddling consumers with junk fees, and stripping assets,” the letter continued. “Your actions have harmed New England’s fishing industry and left over 1,000 independent contractors, businesses, and other creditors saddled with debt.” more, >>click to read<< 07:18
