Daily Archives: February 23, 2024

European fishermen furious as Britain ‘breaks Brexit deal’ to block them

The EU is facing pressure from Denmark and Sweden to take action against the UK in the latest dispute over fishing post-Brexit. The UK has banned catching sand eels on Dogger Bank in the North Sea – a move which could lead Denmark’s fishing industry facing a potential annual loss of €18million (£15.4million). The sand eel is crucial for the economies of both Denmark and Sweden for their uses in pig feed and fish oil. Discussions over how the EU should respond have even included imposing tariffs on UK exports if the dispute escalates to a breach of the on Dogger Bank. Other coastal states are also understood to have backed the demand by Copenhagen for the EU to stand up to London. More, >>click to read<< 16:37

Maine Fishermen’s Forum returns Feb. 28

The Maine Fishermen’s Forum comes to the Samoset Resort on Thursday, Feb. 28 to kick off the 49th annual event. “The Forum brings together fishermen, sea farmers, gear suppliers, state and federal scientists and regulators, and other stakeholders for education, collaboration, commerce, and more,” according to mainefirshermensforum.org. For three days the forum takes over the Samoset with fishing industry group meetings, educational seminars, a trade show with more than 130 exhibitors, children’s activities and social evening happenings. more info, >>click to read<< 15:14

Hull Lifesaving Museum to host bestselling author, fishing boat Captain Linda Greenlaw

Although the 43rd annual Snow Row takes place next weekend (Saturday, March 2), the world- famous rowing race is not the only large-scale event on the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s winter calendar. Greenlaw, the only female swordfishing boat captain on the East Coast who was featured in “The Perfect Storm” by Sebastian Junger (and in the film based on the book), will discuss her remarkable career on Saturday, March 9 at in the auditorium of the Memorial Middle School. Greenlaw wrote three best-selling books about life as a commercial fisher: “The Hungry Ocean,” “The Lobster Chronicles,” and “All Fishermen Are Liars.” She now lives on Isle au Haut, Maine, where she captains a lobster boat. more, >>click to read<< 13:01

Wicklow TD Calls For Ministers To Compensate Wicklow Fisherman

Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady speaking at the Dáil Petitions Committee following evidence given by Arklow Fisherman CJ Gaffney, has called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to intervene directly in the issue of the MV Mary Kate in order to cut through the wall of obfuscation constructed by Ministers Charlie McConalogue and Eamon Ryan. Following years of frustration and false leads and unnecessary roadblocks put in place by government Ministers CJ Gaffney continue with the fight to find justice for their case. more, >>click to read<< 11:46

Canadian scallop quota valued at $200M sells to 3 Nova Scotia companies

In a blockbuster seafood deal, St. John’s-based Ocean Choice International (OCI) has sold its Canadian offshore scallop quota, worth an estimated $200 million, to three Nova Scotia companies. Ocean Choice held 16.77 per cent of the offshore scallop quota, which is fished mostly on Georges Bank off southern Nova Scotia. A key driver in the sale was the sinking of the company’s factory trawler Atlantic Destiny on Georges Bank in March 2021. CEO Martin Sullivan says they opted not to replace it. “We were looking at our options and we talked to these three Nova Scotia companies that have been industry partners of ours for a long time.” more, >>click to read<< 08:08

War On Maine’s Lobstermen?

If you want an emblem of the “man’s man,” larger than life, daring and doing, self-reliant, depend-on-nature, a make-it-happen guy, who rises with the dawn, works hard, asks little, wants little, values independence, and will never fly a desk… that’s the Maine lobsterman or woodsman. Now, they are being scapegoated for wind farms – or some other cause – apparently killing Right whales. Go figure. A more cynical irony is hard to imagine. The wind subsidy crowd, sure they will make money off the taxpayer-funded “green wave” with gold at the end of a government-funded rainbow, has decided – in Washington and “activist cells” around America – to hit Maine’s lobstermen. Wrong. more, >>click to read<< by Robert B. Charles 07:17

Russia pointlessly rips up deal allowing British fishermen access to their waters

Fishing boss Mike Cohen poked fun at Russia over the “outlandish” claim that 40 percent of the diet of the average Briton consists of fish. Vladimir Putin has pulled the plug on a decades-old deal which allows British fishermen access to its seas in response to the UK’s decision to impose sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. However, a spokesman for the British fishing industry has pointed out that no British crews have worked the icy waters of the Barents Sea since the 1960s – dismissing the move as “domestic political theatre” “I cannot see any way in which this will affect British fishermen or British consumers.”. more, >>click to read<< 06:23