Daily Archives: June 4, 2024
A STAR is Reborn: Fishing boat’s long journey back to original condition, family
When Paul von Goertz first heard that a boat built by the historic Kivela Boatworks Company was being used as a lawn ornament, he knew he had to do something. The “STAR” was built by Jacob Kivela in 1934, for fisherman Sivert Andewson. It was built with the intention of being used to fish the waters of Isle Royale, and so required some special design. “My guess is that Sivert and Jacob Kivela collaborated on the design for the special needs of fishing the exposed waters of Isle Royale,” von Goertz explained. “It was built as a double ender to break following seas, with the beam of the boat forward of amidships so the bow would pop up in a following sea. One does not want to get buried in a following sea as the next wave would push the boat sideways into the trough and from there into a capsize. Pretty smart boat designers!” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:38
Maine Lobstermen’s Association letter to ASMFC reiterates its call to delay any gauge increase
Dear Ms. Starks: The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) strongly supports the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) recommendation to NOAA Fisheries proposed in Addendum XXX “that as changes to the minimum gauge size in LCMA 1 are required by Addendum XXVII, the smallest minimum size for foreign imports would match the smallest minimum size in effect for the US industry.” MLA has raised concern with ASMFC through previous comments and letters that the lack of clarity in Addendum XXVII regarding the import of undersize lobster from Canada smaller than the minimum possession size has created significant confusion and angst amongst Maine lobstermen who worry that the import these lobsters would have a significant negative impact on the U.S. boat price. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:06
Low-Lying Tangier Island to Get $2.3 Million to Safeguard Fuel Oil Supply for Watermen
The town of Tangier Island, Va. has been awarded a $2.5 million grant to ensure the town’s watermen can keep getting the fuel they need to run their boats, and that fuel supply will be kept safe from an environmental disaster. The $2.5 million from the Virginia Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) will provide funding to create safe storage of fuel and continued supply of fuel and fuel oil to the island. “The owner of the fuel plant was going to close it down,” said Mayor of Tangier, James “Ooker” Eskridge. “If the fuel plant closed down, that would have been catastrophic to our community. We would not have accessible fuel to run our boats and fuel oil to heat our homes.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:20
In wake of Mississippi seafood scandal, Alabama is set to enact mandatory disclosure of origin
On the tail end of a high-profile seafood fraud case in Mississippi where a restaurant admitted to selling mislabeled imported fish as local Gulf seafood, a new Alabama law will go into effect on October 1, 2024 to prevent similar deception. Alabama State Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island) introduced a bill requiring Alabama restaurants disclose whether the seafood they serve is either domestic or imported. Governor Kay Ivey signed that bill into law, and later this year, it will go into effect. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:17
Sonoma County Offers Marina Fee Waiver As Salmon, Crab Seasons Nixed
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is offering a lifeline to the local commercial fishing community devastated by the canceled salmon and shortened Dungeness crab seasons, Sonoma County Regional Parks announced Monday. The board authorized the Bodega Bay Marina Temporary Fee Waiver Program, which provides monthly dock fee waivers at three marinas operated by the county. Waivers are offered to active commercial fishermen and charter fishing vessels who can show evidence of six commercial landings between 2021 and 2023. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:09
Retired truck driver’s life savings sunk with fishing boat after grounding on Farewell Spit
Eddie Lockington is now bankrupt at age 74, with only a car to his name – and he had to refinance that – after his boat, the Scorpio, was left in pieces from the events of two years ago and the insurance company refused to pay out. The boat was eventually cut up by the local council, which salvaged it, and skipper Simon Dunjey has now been sentenced to community work for operating a ship in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk and operating a ship without the right number of crew. Lockington sold his house in Greymouth to buy the $35,000 boat in 2019 and had planned to go fishing after retiring from a life on the road, but then got cancer so decided to hire a crew to run the boat. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:41
Coddock? Sea sleuths work to uncover mystery of new cod-haddock-like fish
Last summer, I wrote about a very interesting fish, showing up in the Gulf of Maine and promised an update. Well, here it is. We nicknamed it a “coddock” due to its strange shape and coloration. It has the head of a haddock, the lateral line of a cod, the pectoral fin of a cod, and the meat flaked in large pieces like cod. The body shape is that of haddock, and all the other fins look like haddock fins, but it was missing the “thumbprint of God,” which is a large black spot just behind the operculum (gill plates) and above the pectoral (side fin). It also had spotted skin that looked more like a cod than the silvery skin of a haddock. This was abnormal and deserved some investigation. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:37
