It was the summer of 1978. Then-12-year-old Mike Kalaman approached the captains of two lobster boats on a pier in Westport. This was a common activity for Kalaman, whose father, a mechanic, secured him a job at a family friend’s fish market to keep him out of “trouble.” The Norwalk teen would run down to the boats tied up near the Westport market and fire away questions about the crustaceans that would be sold that day. “You want to see how this is done?” a captain finally asked him. That was the first day of Kalaman’s nearly 50-year career as a lobsterman. “You could go down to any beach anywhere in the state of Connecticut, at low tide, turn over rocks and find baby lobsters. That’s how prolific they were,” he recalls. Then came the die-off. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Monthly Archives: June 2024
Retired commercial fisherman Hiram Allen Gerrish of Winter Harbor, Me. has passed away
Hiram Allen Gerrish, 85, of Winter Harbor, passed peacefully at home June 20, 2024. He was born July 3, 1938, in Gerrishville, to parents Gib and Lillian (Hamilton). Hiram attended Winter Harbor schools and first worked as a teenager at Milt Torrey’s sawmill and egg farm. He then pursued his love for the ocean and went seining, lobster fishing, shrimping and scalloping. He met and married Nancy Ray, and they were together for 63 amusing years. Together they raised four unique children, Pam, Bonny, Allen and Kevin. Hiram was a founding member of the Winter Harbor Co-op and an active member of the fire department. He was very passionate and dedicated to town government. In 1977, he started working for the Dixon family until his retirement in 2016. Many of his local friends and neighbors relied on his knowledge, expertise and assistance with fishing gear, motors, electrical problems, welding and building projects. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:07
New Bedford State Pier proposal makes fishing a destination attraction.
It’s a joint proposal from Buyers and Sellers Exchange seafood and New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. They say their $15 million proposal will promote economic growth and education, wrapped up in a destination-style attraction. BASE, the seafood auction house founded in New Bedford in 1994, would off-load the incoming catch at the Pier, and then hold its daily seafood auctions before the scallops and fish are sent on their way to myriad outlets. All in view of the visiting public. There will be a seafood market, as well, for folks who want to bring home that night’s dinner along with their experience. 8 photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:44
New Chair and Vice-Chair of Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association
Alex Wiseman has retired as chair of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association (SPFA) after 15 years of dedicated service, with former vice-chair Richard Williamson elected as the new chair and Alexander (Ally) West becoming the new vice-chair. Tributes were paid to Alex Wiseman at a recent board meeting of the SPFA, who has led the Association with real commitment for a considerable period, ensuring that the voice of Scottish pelagic catching sector was heard at all levels of government. The new chair, Richard Williamson, who is the co-skipper of the Shetland vessel, Research, said: “Alex has been a superb chair and everyone in the Association would like to thank him for excellent work in looking after the interests of our sector for so many years. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:37
Copper River continues lead in PWS commercial salmon harvests
With ice essentially gone from river systems, the sockeyes continued to weigh in heavier than through the same period a year ago, said fisheries biologist Jeremy Botz, in the Cordova office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The Bering River and Coghill districts were also open for 36-hour commercial runs on Monday, and the Eshamy district for a 24-hour period. Montague District opened for purse seiners for 24 hours, and the Southwestern district for 48 hours, also for seiners. Even with other wild Alaska salmon fisheries opening for the season, Copper River sockeyes were holding their own in Anchorage restaurants, with entrees of Copper River reds offered at $49 at Simon and Seafort’s and $32 for the entree at Orso. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Police seize 3,000 pounds of illegal haddock from New Bedford seafood plant
Massachusetts Environmental Police seized more than 3,000 pounds of illegally harvested haddock from a New Bedford processing plant on Thursday in the first commercial scale bust of the groundfish season, MEP officials said. MEP said it is not releasing the name of the vessel that caught the illegal fish or the processing plant until charges are formally filed. But industry sources confirmed Monday that the illegal fish was caught by the F/V Fisherman, an 82-foot trawler based out of New Bedford and owned by M & P Fishing Corp. Business filings list Mario Ribeiro and Pedro Cura as owners of the company. The name of the captain was not released. Col. Moran said the illegal fish was offloaded late Wednesday night at BASE Seafood Auction, after which it was sold to the unnamed processing plant. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:47
Sipekne’katik First Nation granted a temporary adjournment to allow for mediation with the Crown
A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has granted a joint request from the Sipekne’katik First Nation and the Attorney General of Canada to adjourn trial dates that would have aimed to settle treaty fishing rights disputes. The court has decided to give the involved parties until December 12, 2024, to have a defined and active mediation process in place, if not, proceeding with litigation would be re-examined. The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFCA), which represents the interests of its members who are commercial fishers in the Gulf and Maritimes regions, asserts that the courts must finally decide the scope of Marshall rights for Indigenous Peoples. “The fact that the Sipekne’katik First Nation is attempting to settle treaty fishing rights issues outside of court is a historic precedent considering the court system has been at the center of Indigenous claims to the fishery and rights in particular for decades,” said Colin Sproul, President of the UFCA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:25
Christopher Bell takes the checkered flag on rain tires in the NASCAR Cup race at New Hampshire
Christopher Bell raised a broom over his head and clutched a 24-pound lobster in victory lane all because he earned his third Cup win of the season in an outcome that would have been impossible before this NASCAR season. Heck, it still looked pretty grim for most of Sunday at a rainy track. Once the skies cleared, NASCAR busted out its latest creation it had saved for a rainy day — wet weather Goodyear tires that allowed the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to continue all the way to a thrilling end. Bell mastered the Cup Series’ first race that ended with cars running on rain tires and pulled away after a 2-hour, 5-minute weather delay to beat darkness and the field and win Sunday at New Hampshire. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:44
NCFA WEEKLY UPDATE for June 24, 2024
MD, VA and NC Public Hearing on Atlantic Cobia Draft Addendum II – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) staff will be presenting Atlantic Cobia Draft Addendum II and having opportunity for public comment. This Draft Addendum considers recreational allocation, harvest target evaluation, and the timeline for setting management specifications. Although this may not directly apply to all readers, I think it is an interesting exercise that will apply to many more of our fisheries in the future. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:19
How Brixham fishermen rescued 70 after U-boat attack
This feature is dedicated to William Pillar – Captain of a fishing smack out of Brixham who, with three crew and two boys, saved seventy Naval personnel from a watery grave in the First World War after their Battleship sank. It was on New Year’s Day 1915 at 2am that the battleship HMS Formidable was patrolling in Start Bay on the Devon coast when a German U-boat spotted her and, having fired two torpedoes, ensured the Formidable then sank. With the watertight doors closed, most of the crew luckily assembled on deck while scrambling for the lifeboats. There had been 790 sailors aboard the Battleship but only 201 would survive and of these 71 would be rescued by Provident, a fishing smack out of Brixham under the command of Pillar and a small crew. The lucky sailors had been adrift for 12 hours when the “smack”, returning to Brixham, spotted their small Navy cutter. Captain Pillar knew of the dangers he now faced, yet on his fourth attempt he successfully had a line aboard the cutter despite huge seas and the dangers to all men. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:27
Scottish Government Discusses Cetacean Deaths from Fishing Line Entanglements
The Scottish Government has engaged in discussions with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) regarding their research into reducing cetacean deaths caused by fishing line entanglements. This issue was highlighted during a parliamentary session, where Kenneth Gibson (SNP) inquired about the government’s actions on the matter. Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform, and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, acknowledged the importance of the research and the government’s commitment to addressing the issue. She emphasized the government’s intention to work with stakeholders to minimize bycatch and entanglement of sensitive marine species through the future catching policy. This effort aligns with Scotland’s broader goal of ensuring sustainable fisheries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
A new report acknowledged the ongoing damage done by dams on the Columbia River. But that’s only part of the story.
The Biden administration released a report this week acknowledging “the historic, ongoing, and cumulative damage and injustices that the federal dams on the Columbia River have caused and continue to cause to Tribal Nations.” In government documents from the 1940s and 1950s, obtained by OPB and ProPublica, officials openly discussed what they called “the Indian problem” on the Columbia River. At times, they characterized the destruction of the last major tribal fishery as a benefit of dam construction. The documents reveal that the government’s 1950s era of dam-building on the Columbia was marked not by a new report, but rather by a well-informed and intentional disregard for Native people. “These documents shine a spotlight on a historic wrong” U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, said in a statement. “The government’s actions wiped out tribal communities, houses, villages, and traditional hunting and fishing sites with thousands of years of history.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 21:10
Mass mortality: A fish scientist follows a tip about die-offs at B.C. salmon farms
A tipster had told Proboszcz, a fisheries biologist at Watershed Watch Salmon Society, that salmon farms off the coast had been experiencing mysterious and massive die-offs and nobody was saying anything about it. “Yeah, it was a little crazy,” said Proboszcz of his decision to make the long trip. “But he didn’t know why they were dying.” Before Proboszcz left, a colleague had tracked a number of boats that were allegedly bringing fish all the way around the south end of Vancouver Island and into the Nanaimo area. But the boats had nearly finished shuttling all the fish, according to the anonymous source. Desperate, Proboszcz had tried to hire a skiff and even a helicopter to see what was going on. But nothing worked out, and so he decided to take matters into his own hands. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:25
Nearly $12 million headed to Alaska in latest infusion of fishery-disaster aid
The aid money is for disasters declared for the 2022 chum salmon failure on the Kuskokwim River and the 2021-2022 sockeye salmon failure that affected Upper Cook Inlet setnet fishers. Aid for the Kuskokwim River disaster totaled $331,920, while aid for the Upper Cook Inlet sockeye disaster totaled nearly $11.5 million, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is a branch of the Commerce Department. Alaska is not the only state affected by poor salmon returns. Along with Friday’s announcement of aid for those affected by the Alaska salmon disasters, the Commerce Department announced $403,978 in aid for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s 2021 Puget Sound fall chum and coho salmon fisheries in Washington state. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:50
Market conditions continue to pressure seafood processors and fishermen
Consumers think of seafood as a premium purchase, which is not a good image when household budgets are tight and shoppers are worried about inflation. “The problem is not the fish,” said Jeremy Woodrow, executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institue. “The challenge is in the global marketplace.” Woodrow in February called the 2023 market for Alaska salmon “rock bottom” with low prices and weak demand, though maybe the industry was coming off that rocky bottom, he said then. Still, the pain is not gone. “A lot of buyers are barely holding on,” Woodrow said. “Our processors lost a lot of money the past year or two.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:40
Letter: Dear BOEM
Your project of installing a wind power farm off the coast of Southern Oregon is in total disregard for the environment, economics, and people therein. The vibrations of the offshore turbines will alter the fishing grounds and the migration of whales, tuna, and salmon for years and destroy commercial fishing that feeds millions of people. The turbines will have to be in restricted waters. That will be followed by restricting the waters where the cables are laid (can’t have nets, anchors, et cetera dragged through). Next, your $$$moneymen will have to find land to bring the cabled power on shore thus trashing even more of the scenic coast of Oregon. And where will you house all the needed labor considering the critical housing shortage at this location? Confiscation via eminent domain perhaps? more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Raymond J Van Eck 07:11
Family who lost loved ones on Spanish fishing vessel help unveil new N.L. monument
A new monument honouring 21 lives lost on a Spanish fishing boat that sank off the coast of Newfoundland in 2022 was unveiled in St. John’s on Friday by a Spanish delegation that included family of the deceased. The 50-metre-long fishing boat, called the Villa de Pitanxo, operated out of northwest Spain’s Galicia province. It sank at around 2:30 a.m. NT on Feb. 15, 2022. The crew was made up of 16 Spaniards, five Peruvians and at least three Ghanaians, and is the largest fishing disaster in Galicia in the last 50 years. Nine bodies were recovered from the water and repatriated to Spain, but the remaining 12 were never found. “The memorial is very important for the families. and all people from the sea. Fishermen, our families of the sea,” said María José de Pazo Friday. She lost her father, Francisco. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:36
P.E.I. lobster harvesters seeing low prices despite strong catches
With only a few weeks left in lobster season on Prince Edward Island, fishers are seeing lower prices. New London, P.E.I., lobster harvester Peter Pidgeon said harvesters were hearing about the big prices in Nova Scotia and getting excited for the season. He said prices are currently sitting a little lower. “This year it’s a little lower. We’re at $6.25 a pound and $6.50 a pound right now.” Nat Richard, the executive director of the Lobster Processors Association, said the association is in the midst of the largest catch year ever in Canada. “The cost to hold inventory just went through the roof. That’s always a concern when you have an imbalance in terms of the supply and demand picture and that’s very much what we are dealing with this year,” he said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:32
Illegal fishing vessels intercepted west of Torres Strait
ABF’s Maritime Border Command, in partnership with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, detected and apprehended the Indonesian vessels, which were found to be allegedly fishing illegally in the vicinity of Deliverance Island, also known as the Warul Kawa Indigenous Protected Area. The illegal fishing crews, which included 14 men and one juvenile were conveyed to Darwin and placed in fisheries detention while the incident was investigated, and prosecution considered. Before being transported to Darwin, the fishers were loaded into a vehicle at Seisia wharf in the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) on 21 June. MBC Commander Rear Admiral Brett Sonter said the interception should serve as a warning for other illegal fishers attempting to enter Cape York and Torres Strait waters. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:56
State and federal fisheries concerns addressed at Peltola public meeting
U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, held a fish-focused telephone town hall meeting on Thursday, June 20, during which people from across the state voiced concerns related to both state and federal fisheries. Those who called into the meeting, identified by first name only, provided both questions to Peltola and general comments. Callers expressed frustration with what they said were mixed messaging in fisheries management, the lack of understanding among elected officials, and the need for bipartisan work in addressing these issues. H.R. 8508, sponsored by Peltola and two others, authorizes National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reauthorize their Bycatch Reduction and Engineering Program. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources in May. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:17
What does a California ban on salmon mean for the livelihood of fishermen?
This time of year, Ben Hyman of Wild Local Seafood would like to be out on a boat, fishing for salmon. But for the second year in a row, federal fishery managers have closed all salmon fishing in California. The decision has devastated the state’s fishermen. “The Sacramento River system and the various rivers that stem from it are major producers of king salmon. Some of the largest runs in the world, and especially on the West Coast, have [come] from this river system,” Hyman says. “A lot of the fishing seasons are determined by how many fish make their way up the rivers. “Last year’s closure cost California fishermen approximately $45 million, with some sources saying that is only a fraction of the loss. Hyman says many of his colleagues have left the industry, including third-generation fishermen and those in the business for more than 50 years. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:42
Agreement reached in fishermen’s suit against Golden Ray
Federal lawsuits filed by commercial fishermen and charter fishing captains against the owners and operators of the Golden Ray were dismissed after an agreement was reached by all sides. A joint stipulation of dismissal filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court’s Southern District of Georgia said the “parties have resolved this litigation.” Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The Golden Ray capsized on its port side in the early hours of Sept. 8, 2019, while heading to sea with 4,161 vehicles and an estimated 380,000 of fuel in its tanks. Shrimpers like Johnny Bennett, captain of the Dora F, told The News in September 2022, when the lawsuit was filed, that he and his peers had been pulling up car bumpers and other parts from the water in their nets after the shipwreck. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:17
Florida Fisherman Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion
A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday to evading taxes on income he earned from commercial fishing in Massachusetts. According to court documents and statements made in court, Christopher Garraty, of New Port Richey, and formerly of Newport and East Greenwich, Rhode Island, worked as a commercial fisherman and deckhand for fishing companies operating out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Despite earning substantial income working as a fisherman, Garraty did not file until 2012 any federal income tax returns for tax years 2002 through 2011. When he filed the delinquent returns, he reported that he owed a total of approximately $234,497 in taxes for those nine years. But even after reporting that he owed taxes, Garraty did not make any payments to the IRS. In addition, Garraty did not file returns for 2015 through 2018 despite earning approximately $600,000 in fishing income across those years and owing approximately $179,382 in taxes. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:07
Highway Funds Illegally used for Floating Wind Factories
The Biden Administration is illegally redirecting hundreds of millions of dollars in highway grant money to fund construction of floating wind manufacturing facilities. The funding mechanism is the INFRA Grant Program in Biden’s Transportation Department. To begin with, here is how the website describes the Program: “What is the INFRA program? INFRA (the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects program) awards competitive grants for multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas.” Projects typically range from as little as $8 million up to $200 million. Here is their list of eligible projects, which is pretty clear and simple,,, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:36
Sipekne’katik First Nation, federal government to begin mediation in effort to settle fishing dispute
Litigation scheduled for next year that could have helped settle outstanding questions about treaty fishing rights related to the Marshall decisions will no longer happen, after a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge granted a joint request from Sipekne’katik First Nation and the Attorney General of Canada to instead focus on mediation. The decision stems from a lawsuit Sipekne’katik filed in 2021 that wanted a declaration from the court that the federal Fisheries Act and regulations infringe on the treaty right to fish lobster for a moderate livelihood. That includes the prohibition on catching and holding lobsters without a licence and fishing outside of a commercial season. The trial was to start in May 2025, but this April, just as witness discovery was set to begin, the two parties served notice to the court that they’d reached an agreement to focus instead on mediation. They filed a joint request to have the trial dates and all other pretrial milestones adjourned. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:37
Wild-Caught Chesapeake Blue Catfish Phenomenon Booming: Thank Goodness
Buena Vista Seafood in San Francisco deals in high-end seafood from all around the world. European blue lobsters, Kambatia Reef Fish from Kenya, California Purple Urchins, and Icelandic Arctic Cod, to name a few. Now, the company has added wild-caught Chesapeake Blue Catfish to its list of offerings. “Chesapeake blue catfish check all the boxes,” says Polly Legendre,,, Legendre said the blue cats check the sustainability box because they’re an invasive species,” insanely prolific in terms of reproduction. Targeting them for harvest will help ease the toll they’re taking on the rockfish and blue crab populations, both iconic value species that have built the Chesapeake reputation. Tilghman Island Seafood’s processing capacity and dedication to quality control give their filets a long shelf life and are the reason we can get them from the East Coast to the West Coast in great condition. So they’re a sustainable and reliable fishery. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:16
Governor urged to use ‘Oregon way’ in ocean wind energy development
Oregon’s state seafood commodity commissions have expressed their concerns in a letter to Kotek over federal offshore wind energy development plans proposed for the southern Oregon coast. The letter emphasizes what the commission states are adverse effects on the ocean environment and Oregon’s sustainable seafood industry. Oregon Trawl, Oregon Dungeness Crab, Oregon Albacore and Oregon Salmon Commissions urged Kotek to prioritize Oregon’s own planning process under the auspices of the state official “Roadmap” initiative, intended to guide responsible offshore wind energy development in Oregon. The Oregon groups opposing the development said the offshore wind facilities will be built in the pristine ocean ecosystems that support remarkable marine biodiversity, including many protected species. No environmental studies have been performed to assess the risks of large-scale offshore wind energy production which risks overwhelming this unique remote ocean region, according to the opponents. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:32
Why retired officer says Marine Police guarding the Chesapeake Bay are being ‘wasteful’
Andrew Cortez cares deeply about the Chesapeake Bay. “The Chesapeake Bay is our natural heritage,” Cortez said. “A healthy bay helps everyone.” The retired law enforcement officer was an investigator for 36 years, working to keep the Chesapeake in check with different agencies as a special agent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife. He now has concerns about the group meant to do just that: the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which oversees Virginia Marine Police. “One of the things that really struck me is the amount of money they’re spending on what I would consider to be toys, unnecessary squandering of public money,” Cortez said. Photos, video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:38
“Wicked Tuna” Star Opens Gloucester Fish Market
Reality television personality Dave Marciano opened his new fish market on Gloucester’s waterfront Thursday. Angelica Seafood Market, 52 Rear Commercial St., sells locally caught fish and merchandise from the show Marciano is known for, National Geographic’s “Wicked Tuna.” Despite his star power, Marciano said his market will work toward Gloucester’s greater good just like any other business. “Tourism is part of the fabric of the Gloucester community now,” Marciano said. “So anything, like the many other businesses, that we can add to get people into this town is all a positive.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:09
Seafood industry groups unite to oppose bill that would limit bottom trawls
A bill introduced last month in the U.S. House of Representatives that could place limits on trawling by fishermen and shrimpers is drawing the fire of seafood industry groups from Alaska to Florida. House Resolution 8507, the Bottom Trawl Clarity Act, would require the nation’s eight regional Fisheries Management councils, some of which allow fishing trawls to scrape the bottom, to define the terms “substantial” versus “limited” contact of the bottom. The bill is authored by U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, who said in a summary of the legislation that “limiting the areas where bottom trawling is allowed will help enhance marine health, diversity, and resilience, strengthening the ocean ecosystem that Alaska fishermen depend on.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:15
