Daily Archives: March 12, 2024
Tensions run high as crab harvesters call on N.L. government to introduce outside buyers
More than 150 fishermen led an anger-fueled protest on the steps of Confederation Building on Tuesday, calling on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to free up the fishery and allow harvesters to sell their product to outside buyers. Under the current rules, harvesters are only allowed to sell their catch to processors in the province at a price agreed upon by the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union and the Association of Seafood Producers. Harvesters are calling on the province to give them more control over where they can sell their catch and how much they can sell it for. “The plants are telling us when to come and when to go and how much crab to bring…. So we need some free enterprise to be able to go as we please and fish as we please,” said Dwayne Maher, a crab fisherman of more than 30 years from Salvage. Photos, video, more, >>click to read<< 20:52
How fishing was gutted by Brexit
Nigel Farage launched a poster campaign in Grimsby in 2015 and, notwithstanding the fishing industry accounting for a mere 0.03 per cent of the British economy (around half the size of the UK biscuit industry!), it became totemic in the Leave campaign. Half of England’s fishing quotas had been sold to foreign interests, and two thirds were in the hands of just 25 extremely wealthy owners. Even so, the idea was pushed that Brexit would benefit the small fishing villages, with their families of cheery, bearded Captain Bird’s Eye characters. And despite Britain being a net importer of fish (importing nearly twice as much as we exported), British waters not containing the sort of fish British people like to eat, and nearly 40 per cent of all British fishing happening in foreign waters, Brexiters clamoured for us to ‘take back control’ of British waters for British fisherman. So how has Brexit affected the British fishing industry? more, >>click to read<< 18:39
Five Maine fishermen plead guilty in herring scheme
The trial of five fishermen accused of a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records ended Monday when the defendants all pleaded guilty to lesser offenses. No sentencing date has been scheduled. The plea agreements call for a maximum sentence of a year in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, and up to one year of supervised release. The defendants, however, may end up with no jail time. Fifty-nine counts against the five defendants were dismissed in exchange to the pleas on lesser charges. The trial began last week in U.S. District Court in Portland and was expected to last nine days. The five defendants who pleaded 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; and Western Sea, Inc. more, >>click to reads<< 16:20
Fisherman tried to kill co-worker, suspect’s dad attempted to cover it up: Astoria police
A man accused of trying to kill his co-worker on a fishing boat was arrested Monday, four days after Astoria officials began searching for the suspect. Newport man Dylan Campana, 28, was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first and second-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be coming, according to police. Officials say they began investigating the attempted murder of 23-year-old Tristan Dockins on Thursday, March 7. Dockins and Campana worked together on the F/V Tommy John. links, more, >>click to read<< 13:11
Maine lobstermen will not be scapegoated over right whale
New England fishermen are bracing themselves for another salvo of regulation and activist pressure after the tragic entanglement death of a right whale that washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard. While the future of our fisheries is uncertain, 2023 showed how much resilience and determination there is in our maritime communities. My organization – the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association – and our many partners are prepared to ward off any attempt to scapegoat Maine lobstermen for the declining population of the majestic right whale. Regulators and out-of-state agitators are together impugning one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world for right whale deaths. Their claims are baseless and contradicted by their own data. As agencies and NGOs ponder next steps, they might consider the fighting spirit this last year has showcased among fishermen. more, >>click to read<< by Dustin Delano 12:06
Pacific Fishing magazine stops publication
Pacific Fishing, a Seattle publication serving the North Pacific commercial fishing industry from Alaska to Hawaii for more than 40 years, has stopped publication, it was announced Sunday by editor Wesley Loy. “The owner and publisher of Pacific Fishing magazine is retiring. We are actively pursuing a new owner to carry on the publication,” the magazine announced, according to Loy’s Deckboss.com blog. He said the magazine’s last issue was in December. The daily Fish Wrap news service also will be suspended, Loy said. more, >>click to read<< 10:33
Storm Doors and Zenith Trawl – a Perfect Match
When Whitehills skipper David Lovie took delivery in 2020 of the 34-metre trawler Endeavour V, he opted for a pair of Vónin’s Storm trawl doors. “The Storm doors have proven to be powerful, highly durable and robust. Unlike our previous doors that required replacement every 12 months, we were able to use these for a remarkable 31 months before considering a replacement. Last year he travelled to Hirtshals with Vónin to observe a variety of fishing gears streamed in the flume tank, and immediately liked the look of the Zenith groundfish trawl. The outcome was an order a Zenith 572 trawl, which has met all of his expectations – and he described the Zenith trawl and 4.50m3 Storm doors as “a perfect match.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 08:57
Deep sea fishermen join activists at the Boston Seafood Expo to demand Wi-Fi on all boats
Indonesian fisherman Susanto says he was on a Taiwanese commercial fishing vessel in the Pacific Ocean in 2022 when a fishhook flew out of a fish and embedded in his eye. On Sunday, Susanto was in Boston at the Seafood Expo North America demanding that industry leaders hear what happened to him and help provide internet access to fishermen far from home. “That’s why we campaign for Wi-Fi. We need Wi-Fi so we are not being isolated,” he said through an interpreter at the event at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center during North America’s largest seafood trade exposition. “When we have a severe accident like this, I can connect to people to ask for help.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:40
2024 Maritime elver season officially cancelled
The federal government has carried through on its threat to cancel the 2024 season for baby eels, also known as elvers, in the Maritimes admitting it is unable to manage the lucrative — but increasingly chaotic — fishery. In a statement on Monday, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Diane Lebouthillier cited “significant quantities of elvers being fished illegally” and “harassment, threats and violence between harvesters and toward fishery officers.” “In the light of all these considerations, it is clear that without significant changes, the risks to conservation of the species cannot be addressed and orderly management of the fishery cannot be restored,” she said. more, >>click to read<< 06:39
