Daily Archives: April 29, 2024

Useless unless worn

Great efforts have been made by all to produce meaningful, practical projects and help develop wearable floatation equipment in conjunction with fishermen and the manufacturers of floatation equipment, according to RNLI fishing safety manager Frankie Horne. He said that this has led to some real improvements in Personal Floatation Device (PFD) products. ‘As the saying goes, Useless Unless Worn, and it’s so true. We can talk about how things were done in the past, but as they say, the past is where things were done differently. Unfortunately, this attitude is why we keep seeing preventable fatalities in the fishing industry. In fact, some of the most vulnerable fishing activities have the worst PFD wear rate,’ he said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:01

Scientist, legislators voice opposition to fisheries procedures

A scientist and two legislators joined the state commercial fishing lobby in state commercial fishing lobby the procedure planned by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission for possible changes in regulation of the summer flounder harvest. The fishery, which brought $4.8 million in dockside value to N.C. fishermen last year, is the top commercial fin fish in the state. The North Carolina Fisheries Association held a Monday morning press conference at Union Point Park in New Bern to challenge the use of a supplement approach to the management plan for the flounder. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:21

Fishers to be remembered at services in north and north-east

Maritime charities the Fishermen’s Mission, The Seafarers’ Charity and Stella Maris have joined forces to support a new annual National Fishing Remembrance Day. It has been launched to honour those who have lost their lives while fishing at sea. Memorial services will take place at locations throughout the UK, including in Cairnbulg, near Fraserburgh, and Wick, on Sunday May 12. People are being invited to gather at the fishing wife statue on Shore Street, Cairnbulg, at 3pm. Details of the memorial service in Wick are yet to be confirmed. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:34

Video: New Bedford fishing pier collapses, forces vessel relocation and equipment retrieval

Part of a New Bedford fishing pier collapsed Friday afternoon, according to police. Scott Carola, Asst. Deputy Chief and public information officer for the New Bedford police, said officers responded to the Eastern Fisheries Pier off Hervey Tichon Avenue at around 3:30 p.m. after the outer section collapsed. Four vessels that were against the pier had to be moved and some equipment fell into the water. Photo, Video, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:56

It’s Been a Brutal Year for Offshore Wind — Despite Analysts’ Best Guesses

Since the start of 2023, approximately 60% of all contracts signed by American offshore wind developers have been cancelled, according to E&E News. Ørsted, a Danish company and one of the world’s leading offshore wind developers, backed out of two major planned projects in New Jersey in 2023, while other players like General Electric, British Petroleum (BP) and Equinor attempted to renegotiate with state governments as economic headwinds eroded projects’ profitability. Similar developments have played out to start 2024, with developers up and down the east coast backing out of deals to sell power from their projects as the same fundamental economic problems persist despite the projections of some market experts and media outlets. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:57

NCFA WEEKLY UPDATE for April 29, 2024

From the start, several recreational committee members made it clear that they had no respect for the commercial fishing industry or it’s contributions to the states food supply and economy. They referred to themselves as “conservationist” and “public fishers” claiming that they, and only they, have the right to fish. They labeled commercial fishing as a limited privilege that can be taken away if, in their view, it impacts their ability to catch a fish. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:06

Maine fishing pier damaged in January storms put up for sale

Kent’s Wharf has been listed for sale through an open-ended online auction. A minimum bid of $1.4 million has been set for the property, which includes two wooden piers and assorted buildings on approximately 1.25 acres. However, the suggested value is more than double that, at $2.9 million. While the reasons for the potential sale are unclear, it comes as advocates for Maine’s working waterfronts worry that some private pier owners may give up on repairing expensive storm damage and instead try to sell their properties, to the detriment of the overall fishing industry. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:41