Daily Archives: April 17, 2024

Head of seafood processors’ association says he faced threats over crab dispute

The head of the Association of Seafood Producers says he and his family faced threats in recent weeks during the conflict over snow crab. “There has been threats against me for the last 30 days, and I have been in regular contact with the [Royal Newfoundland Constabulary],” ASP executive director Jeff Loder told Radio-Canada Tuesday. “They were directed toward my personal safety, directed towards my credibility, directed towards our members, directed towards our office. And it was really, really inappropriate. I understand this is an emotional time, I understand that this is about people’s livelihoods. This is a serious issue…. However, making threats is entirely unacceptable.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:48

 

Atlantic fisheries body confirms cyber incident after 8Base ransomware gang claims breach

A fisheries management organization for the East Coast is dealing with a cyber incident following claims by a ransomware gang that it stole data. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) — an 80-year-old organization created by Congress and made up of officials from the Atlantic coast states — said this week that its email system is down. The organization was forced to create a temporary email address and provide a phone number people can use to contact the information. Tina Berger, director of communications for ASMFC, told Recorded Future News that they are currently “responding to a cyber incident affecting our systems” but did not respond to further questions about whether they are dealing with a ransomware attack. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:04

Mayor Mitchell advocates for scallopers

Mayor Jon Mitchell is advocating for the New England Fishery Management Council to open the Northern edge scallop grounds to New Bedford commercial fishermen. In a letter to Chairman of the Board, Eric Reid, Mitchell said that making these areas available would benefit the industry greatly and create a “key new source of scallops.” “While there are multiple species that are harvested by New Bedford fishing vessels, scallops are the prime drivers of economic activity within the Port of New Bedford,” Mitchell wrote. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:54

Three fishermen forced into life raft as trawler starts sinking

RNLI teams from Exmouth and Torbay carried out a joint rescue mission after three fishermen found themselves in peril when their trawler began sinking. At 9.32pm last night, Tuesday, April 16, HM Coastguard requested the launch of both the Exmouth and Torbay RNLI lifeboats, having received an urgent mayday call. The brevity of the desperate plea was spine-chilling as the message simply stated: “fishing vessel sinking”. This alarming report was quickly followed by a 999 call confirming that all three crew had taken to the vessel’s life raft. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:36

Alaska delusions – The great takeover of federal waters

Oh if only the facts were as a trio of Alaska House legislators would like their colleagues to believe. They’ve drafted a resolution calling on Congress to extend state waters to 15 miles off the coast of Alaska because this would serve the state’s interest in supporting a “seafood industry generat(ing) over $163,000,000 in revenue for state and local governments.” All those zeros make that look like a great deal of money, but in terms of state revenue, $163 million is chicken feed. The state’s now fading oil industry is forecast to produce $3 billion in fiscal year 2024 or almost 20 times more, according to state projections. Worse though, the claim to $163 million in state revenue from the fishing industry comes from a report compiled for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) that is badly outdated, and the resolution now based on that report lacks the context which even the seafood sales promotion organization felt compelled to add. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56

Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 57′ Aluminum Dragger, Cummins KT-1150, State and Federal Permits

To review specifications, information, and 25 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 07:18

Fishermen Feeding Mainers awarded $750K in federal funds

Fishermen Feeding Mainers, a program of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, will be receiving $750,000 in federal funding thanks to an appropriations request submitted by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine). The successful request will provide funding for the program through Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine. The Fishermen Feeding Mainers program began in October 2020 in response to the collapse of local markets and rising food insecurity in Maine. Initially funded by an anonymous foundation, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association partnered with Good Shepherd Food Bank to distribute donated fish to food pantries, meal sites and additional hunger-relief organizations located throughout the state. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:25