Monthly Archives: April 2024
NCFA Weekly Update for March 11, 2024
Advisory Comities Meet This Week to Discuss Shrimp Trawl Area Closure The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) is proposing closing shrimp trawling in dozens of areas from Kitty Hawk to Sneads Ferry to protect submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). Thousands of acres that include a multitude of areas traditionally worked by small shrimp boats. more, >>click to read<< 10:19
Newfoundland and Labrador: Crab Harvesters Demand Fair Share
The crab fishing season officially started on Saturday, April 6th, yet all harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador stayed tied up demanding their fair share. The Blackwood Report, commissioned by the province, demonstrated a fair-sharing arrangement for fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador. Harvesters refuse to fish for any formula that undersells their slice of the pie. What are harvesters demanding: more, >>click to read<< 09:24
Something Is Starting to Smell Fishy About the Global Seafood Supply Chain
The past half year has seen a steady stream of disturbing reports about serious human rights abuses tied to industrial fishing. The story about conditions at the shrimp plant in India come against a broader backdrop. The same week that the whistleblower documents were published, the Corporate Accountability Lab, which is an advocacy group of lawyers and researchers, released a report detailing severe cases of captive and forced labor as well as environmental concerns often tied to wastewater at a variety of other shrimp plants in India. It’s worth remembering the history here. Labor abuse tied to seafood is not a new problem. And yet, here we are again: the seafood problems previously highlighted in Thailand are now being widely revealed in China and India. more, >>click to read<< 08:05
Scots fisherman who sold langoustines to Queen, Gordon Ramsay and Simon Cowell up for prestigious award
Ian Wightman, who brings in his catch at Largs Pier, North Ayrshire, has made a name for himself in the sector by specialising in pioneering sustainable methods. He’s now been nominated in the Under 10 Metre Fisherman of the Year category for the 2024 Fishing News Awards, which spans the UK and Ireland. Ian works the Eilidh Anne GK2 vessel with his main catch being Scottish langoustines. The prize is awarded to a UK or Ireland-based fisherman in an under-10m vessel who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the industry. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:36
SLO County fishermen sue Coastal Commission, offshore wind companies. ‘We’ve got rights here’
The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization and the Port San Luis Commercial Fishermen’s Organization are suing the California Coastal Commission, State Lands Commission, three offshore wind development companies and environmental consulting company CSA Ocean Sciences Inc to stop the approval of permits for site surveys, according to a complaint filed in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Feb. 29.The lawsuit asks the court to block state agencies from issuing site survey permits until a statewide plan is developed to protect fisheries from offshore wind development. links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:31
Time to save the Right Whale from the Green-Left
Back in the sixties and seventies, “Save the Whales” was the exclusive domain of the political left. As Bob Dylan might say, “The times they are a changin.” Three major “conservative” organizations – the National Legal Policy Center, Heartland Institute, and my organization, the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow – recently filed a major lawsuit in a Washington, D.C. federal court to save the Right Whale from facing potential oblivion. Why aren’t the larger Green groups, unlike the grassroots ones, rallying around the efforts of these organizations to save Right Whales? Good question. Whales are being threatened by the Biden Administration’s fast-track plans to hurriedly place 30,000 MW of wind power generation off the Eastern coast, and doing so without the proper sort of environmental impact assessment they might otherwise perform for, say, offshore oil. more, >>click to read<< 11:11
Storm Kathleen ties up Irish trawlers amid lucrative prawn fishery
It is the first weekend of April and the lucrative prawn fishery on the Porcupine Bank closes in three weeks for Irish trawlers. The bank is 200km off the west coast. Porcupine prawns are a prized catch, a delicacy. Irish trawlers should be flat out, but Storm Kathleen has forced them to tie up in ports like Castletownbere. Around 40 Irish boats fish for prawns on the Porcupine Bank. This weekend, two dozen of those trawlers are tied up in Castletownbere in west Cork. The remainder are taking shelter in other ports along the west coast. Video, Photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:35
‘I’m a fisherman in East Lothian and I am fighting for my survival’
An East Lothian fisherman has warned that his industry could ‘disappear’ if governments do not address funding issues. Barry Brunton, 49, who was born and bred in the fishing town of Dunbar, has said fishermen feel let down, angry and fed up at the treatment they have experienced from both Holyrood and Westminster. Despite this, Barry argues that financial support has been non-existent from politicians and he fears that if it is not forthcoming then Scotland could lose one of its oldest industries. “We are fearing for our future. There are four boats that are up for sale in Dunbar since storm Babet which is unheard of. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:42
Alumnus John Genther ’23 saved man from waters in Long Island Sound
The Coast Guard awarded John Genther ’23 the Meritorious Public Service Award for saving a man’s life, just nine months after he graduated from Furman. It was late one November afternoon, and Genther, working as a commercial whelk fisherman, was hauling in traps or “pots” of the edible sea snails from the cold waters off Long Island Sound. Something blue, about a half mile away, caught his eye. Genther sped over to check out what appeared to be the underside of a small skiff. When he came alongside the overturned vessel, he saw an older man, not wearing a life jacket, barely holding on. The man could scarcely talk in the 55-degree water. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:40
Western Alaska tribes, outraged by bycatch, turn up the heat on fishery managers and trawlers
Earlier this spring, Maurice McGinty, a tribal leader from the village of Nulato, pulled out his last mason jar of smoked Yukon king. “We have no more now,” said McGinty, 80. He added: “They are pushing us, and our traditional way of life, into a hole.” Imagine hearing and reading versions of McGinty’s story dozens of times, told by Indigenous people who live along the Yukon and another iconic subsistence river in Southwest Alaska, the Kuskokwim. That’s the reality this week for the policymakers on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the federal commission that regulates commercial fishing in the American waters of the Bering Sea. On one side are tribal leaders from the Yukon and Kuskokwim, On the other side are representatives for the trawlers, more, >>click to read<< 13:51
Federal Funding Allocated for Salmon Fishing Disaster
On April 6, 2023, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) acted unanimously to recommend a full closure of California’s 2023 commercial and recreational ocean salmon seasons due to extremely low population estimates for Sacramento and Klamath river fall Chinook salmon. Within hours of the recommendation, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his administration’s request for a federal fishery disaster declaration to support impacted communities. Looking ahead to the 2024 season, the PFMC will consider the alternatives for the 2024 salmon seasons at its meeting April 5-11 in Seattle. This meeting is open to the public. more, >>click to read<< 11:45
Coastal Georgia Shrimping: A new season of uncertainty, possibilities and hope
In a word, “difficult,” said Dee Kicklighter of their most recent shrimping season. Kicklighter, who has worked with Mathews for about eight years, has seen first-hand how the unpredictability of the business can be costly. “You plan for something to be one price, and then the next week you come back, and it could be potentially thousands of dollars more, depending on what you’re dealing with,” he said of fluctuating prices, including fuel. Over the years, Mathews said the ever-changing cost of fuel has taken a toll on the number of shrimpers in the industry. It’s not just Georgia shrimpers contending with the negative effects from imports. North Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and other coastal states are also feeling the friction of narrowing profit margins that threaten their way of life. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:15
Walmart, Aldi linked to contaminated shrimp from India
NBC News, in partnership with The Outlaw Ocean Project, has released a knee-buckling report on a shrimp factory in southern India that distributes products to stores like Walmart and Aldi here in the U.S. At the center of the story is the former manager of Choice Canning Joshua Farinella, who worked at the factory for four months and left after discovering the company had allegedly engaged in several abhorrent practices, including the use of “peeling sheds” that were offsite and unsanitary, using antibiotics with shrimp in violation of U.S. food safety law, and mistreating workers. The revelation from Farinella has the attention of Congress. In mid-March ranking Democrats in the House Committee on Natural Resources wrote a letter calling for documents related to Farinella’s claims. more, >>click to read<< 15:11
First, the lights flickered. Then the internet disappeared – 400,000 without power as deadly Nor’easter slams New England
When the power and internet went out, they would flicker back on and off, and when it did, the power stayed on, letting the furnace run, and with a semi normal life, with the exception of our internet provider, who finally came back on last night. A deadly Nor’easter storm left hundreds of thousands of people without power into Friday morning while floods and heavy snow disrupted travel. More than 280,000 people remained without power in Maine and another 111,400 in New Hampshire as of early Friday morning, according to poweroutage.us. more, >>click to read<< 06:21
Putting the Cart Before the Redfish
This was supposed to be a good-news story. In Atlantic Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence, redfish have returned from the brink. Nearly 30 years after the fishery was closed, redfish populations have rebounded. Fishers, who have suffered through years of fisheries closures and widespread stock declines, have been eagerly eyeing the reemergence of the resource. But in early 2024, when Canadian fisheries minister Diane Lebouthillier declared that the redfish fishery would reopen later this year, keen observers received the announcement with apprehension. And now, as the reopening draws near—the tentative start date is June 15—conservationists and fishers say that climate change, shifts in the Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem, and unfavorable market conditions mean the fishery is unlikely to be the boon many are anticipating. This change of perspective hinges, in part, on research by scientists with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that shows redfish have stopped growing. more, >>click to read<< 12:38
Vietnam Veteran/Commercial Crab Fisherman John Randolph Staffanson of Bow, Washington, has passed away
Randy died peacefully at home in Bow, Washington, on March 20, 2024. He was born in Burlington, Washington, in 1949 to John Staffanson and D. Joanne (Denis) Staffanson. His parents predeceased him. Randy enlisted in the U.S. Army, and after attending Boot Camp at Fort Lewis, Washington, served with the 82nd Airborne Division, as a Ranger. He served for a year in the Vietnam War. Randy was a commercial crab fisherman for most of his life, fishing in the Bering Sea in Alaska, and the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia. more, >>click to read<< 10:49
Canada, Alaska suspend fishing of Yukon River chinook salmon for 7 years
In a bid to help the recovery of the Yukon River chinook salmon run, the federal government and the State of Alaska have agreed to implement a seven-year moratorium on fishing the species. The suspension, in effect for one full life cycle of a salmon, includes commercial fishing and recreational angling in the Yukon River mainstem and its Canadian tributaries. Representatives from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game signed the agreement on Monday. The number of chinook salmon crossing the international border into Canadian waters has for years plummeted, with the last two years yielding some of the worst tallies recorded on the Yukon River. more, >>click to read<< 09:06
Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association awarded funding for decarbonization
An organization that supports Alaskan small boat fishermen will be getting more than half a million dollars to help them deal with the challenges of climate change, and decrease the fishing industry’s carbon footprint. The money is an appropriations award from U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. The funding is going to Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, or ALFA. But the group isn’t just made up of longliners. Members include all kinds of commercial fishermen. Linda Behnken is executive director. She says that instead of using the money to upgrade processing plants and boats, they plan to use the money to identify ways they can support the fishing industry. more, >>click to read<< 07:58
Irish MEP Calls for “Use It, or Lose It” Principle for EU Fishing Regulations
Following the announcement by EU Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius that he has ordered a “full evaluation” of the Common Fisheries Policy and reports that 43,000 tonnes of fish were uncaught by Member States, other than Ireland, European fishing regulations under the CFP should have a “Use It, or Lose It” principle according to MEP, Billy Kelleher, whose constituency includes coastal communities in Munster and South Leinster. . more, >>click to read<< 06:52
Fishing Trawler Copious: Fishing boat refloated after running aground in Lerwick harbour
A local whitefish trawler has been refloated on the rising tide in Lerwick Arbour after running aground earlier this afternoon (Wednesday). Coastguard teams, Lerwick lifeboat and Lerwick Port Authority’s pilot boats Knab and Kebister all rushed to the scene after the Copious LK985 became stuck on rocks near the town’s power station. Shetland Coastguard confirmed a short while ago that the Knab, Kebister and the lifeboat managed to get her afloat and assisted her alongside Mair’s Quay. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 19:01
Jersey fishing community’s fight for revival after storm
Members of a Jersey fishing community have told of their path to recovery after the “worst weather conditions in 25 years” wreaked havoc on their bay. A storm in late February caused extensive damage to boats and boatowners’ huts at Bonne Nuit Bay. Nigel Carré said two of his boats on the breakwater were damaged by gusts of up to 60mph (96km/h) and high seas. Neil Cotillard, from the Bonne Nuit Boat Owners’ Association, said at the time that the “worst weather conditions in the bay in 25 years” had caused “utter carnage”, with five fishermen’s huts ripped off their foundations. Among the floating casualties was Mr. Carré’s boat Helen of Lee. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 16:34
Fishing boat runs aground in Lerwick harbour
A rescue operation is underway this afternoon (Wednesday) after the local whitefish trawler Copious LK985 ran aground in Lerwick harbour. The incident happened in the shallow waters between the fishing industry hub at Mair’s Pier and the town’s power station. The Copious has seven crew on board. It is understood the the 25 metre vessel, which was delivered only last year, is not taking on water. Coastguard, Lerwick Lifeboat and the Lerwick Port Authority are all at the scene assessing what best to do. Photos, more to follow, >>click to read<< 11:45
Crab harvesters refusing to fish under current pricing formula, union wants right to strike
In a news release Tuesday night, the Fish, Food & Allied Workers said its members cannot fish under the price formula chosen by the province’s price-setting panel. That formula was put forward by the Association for Seafood Producers and sets a floor price of $2.60 per pound. The union held a meeting on Tuesday afternoon with more than 40 crab committee chairs from across the province, and said the message was clear. “Crab harvesters fully understand the importance of their business to their families and their communities. This injustice must be corrected, and we expect that harvesters will support leadership’s position to not fish,” FFAW president Greg Pretty said in the release. more, >>click to read<< 10:04
Grindavík’s Harbor Sees First Trawler Return Since October
The first trawler to dock in the town of Grindavík since October 24, when the town was evacuated due to a powerful swarm of earthquakes, arrived in the harbour yesterday morning. In an interview with RÚV, Sigurður Jónsson, captain of the freezer trawler Tómas Þorvaldsson, stated that it was important for the town’s spirit to see life in the harbour, as the fishing industry was the lifeblood of the community. He admitted that he had gotten “dust in his eyes” as he sailed towards Grindavík. The vessel was fishing for just under four weeks. more, >>click to read<< 08:45
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 78′ Steel Shrimp Dragger, 45,000 lb. freezer hold
To review specifications, information, and 18 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 07:34
Mi’kmaw fishers say DFO officers left them to walk for hours at night after seizing boots, phones
Two Mi’kmaw elver fishermen say they were forced to walk in sock feet for hours along a rural Nova Scotia highway in the middle of the night last week after they were detained by federal fisheries officers who took their boots and phones before releasing them. Blaise Sylliboy and Kevin Hartling, who assert they have a treaty right to fish for the lucrative baby eels despite this year’s season being cancelled, were joined Tuesday morning by dozens of protesters outside the Department of Fisheries and Oceans building in Dartmouth, N.S. “When we were walking, there’s times I’m like, ‘Man, if we stop, we’re going to die,’ because our feet were just soaked,” said Hartling. more, >>click to read<< 06:22
Crab harvesters will lose out on $30M because price-setting panel sided with processors, says Efford
With the time-sensitive snow crab season set to begin in a few days, fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are once again talking about tying up their boats due to the price of crab. One vocal critic says the new decision will cost harvesters as much as $30 million from a lucrative fishery that has become the economic mainstay in the industry since the cod collapse of the early 1990s. The province’s price-setting panel sided with the Association of Seafood Producers on Monday evening, setting a price floor of $2.60 per pound with the ability go up as market factors change. John Efford, the Port de Grave fisherman who led protests throughout March, said when he heard the price setting panel had chosen the ASP formula his first reaction was one of disbelief. Photos, Video, more, >>click to read<< 16:35
Fishermen challenge fishing ban, Antiquities Act abuse
Fishermen in New York and Vermont have filed a lawsuit against President Biden and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) challenging a ban on commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, as well as the unlawful creation of the monument itself. “President Obama abused his authority when he created this monument in 2016, President Biden abused his authority when he reinstated it in 2021, and now NOAA has abused its authority with this fishing ban,” said Frank Garrison, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation. “We’ve now seen three Supreme Court Justices express interest in taking a case on presidential abuse of the Antiquities Act. This case is another example of the presidential abuse that has the Justices’ attention.” more, >>click to read<< 14:36
Mount Pleasant invests in improved safety, functionality of shrimp boat docks
Much needed upgrades are coming to an important part of Mount Pleasant’s legacy. Town leaders are allocating money to renovate its shrimp boat docks in preparation for a busy shrimping season. “The more boats, the better the dock needs to be,” Rocky Magwood, President of SC Shrimpers Association said. The process of bringing shrimp from the deck to the table is a vision that’s coming to life as the Town of Mount Pleasant’s budget for shrimp boat docks will allocate funding for an updated look and safety upgrades. Magwood says that the docks are wearing out and it’s necessary for a refresh. Video, more, >>click to read<< 13:01
FFAW blasts price-setting panel after it sides with ASP on crab-pricing formula
With the time-sensitive snow crab season set to begin in a few days, fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are once again talking about tying up their boats due to the price of crab. The province’s price-setting panel sided with the Association of Seafood Producers on Monday evening, setting a price floor of $2.60 per pound with the ability go up as market factors change. The panel rejected a formula proposed by the Food, Fish & Allied Workers union, which was closely tied to the formula suggested by an independent report at the end of last season. “There was a better way to do this,” said FFAW president Greg Pretty. “The work was already done by Glen Blackwood in his report. The Blackwood formula provided a way for harvesters to be paid a fair market share, but that was tossed aside for a formula that is not tied to information harvesters can trust.” more, >>click to read<< 11:26
