Daily Archives: September 14, 2024
New Brunswick fishermen fill St. Andrews Wharf Saturday as they call for change on the water
It’s not what you expect to see in St. Andrews but mixed in amongst the whale watching boats and small vessels, dozens of lobster fishing boats docked along the wharf Saturday. Local fishermen from Lobster Fishing Area 36, which covers waters from Alma to the American boarder including Deer Island and Campobello Island, and their families filled both the water and the wharf as they called for change out on the water. The protest is against what they believe is inaction by the government and a collective call for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Diane Lebouthillier, to resign. “We believe that she is not capable of protecting our fishery and protecting our resource,” said Fundy North Fishermen’s Association executive director, Amanda Johnson. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:26
Ready for the future
Den Helder fisherman and industry activist Dirk Kraak remains optimistic for optimistic. The family business recently had one of its vessels, HD-66, completely refitted to meet the latest demands. ‘We can now go forward for at least another ten years,’ he said. Both his grandfathers fished for shrimp and herring, his father for flatfish. So for third-generation fisherman Dirk, a future in fishing was the obvious choice. At sixteen he joined Jac Bakker en zonen, fishing on Ennie en Appie HD-24, as he wanted to gain experience outside the family business. ‘We fished with a beam trawler for sole and plaice in the German Bight. I learned a lot there. I still use that knowledge today.’ Photos, 2 parts, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:55
Tributes to heroic ex-Grimsby skipper James ‘Jim’ Gamble following his death aged 97
Tributes have been paid to a heroic ex-Grimsby trawler skipper and tugmaster following his death at the age of 97. During his long career at sea, James “Jim” Gamble was awarded for outstanding seamanship demonstrated in the rescue of 14 trawlermen from a stricken Grimsby vessel off the coast of Iceland in 1955. Jim was the then 28-year-old skipper of another Grimsby vessel, the Viviana, when he fought a force 10 storm and mountainous seas to bring her alongside the drifting 380-ton Barry Castle so that crew members could jump aboard. The 455-ton Viviana rescued ten crew within seven minutes. Four men who fell between the two trawlers were picked up by other vessels and four other men who were down below, tragically perished as the Barry Castle sank on November 1, 1955. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:41
Broken blades, angry fishermen, and rising costs slow offshore wind
The collapse of a giant wind turbine blade off the Massachusetts coast confirmed Peter Kaizer’s worst fears about the dangers a new clean energy business could pose to fishermen like him. Jagged pieces of fiberglass and other materials from the shattered blade drifted with the tide, forcing officials to close beaches on Nantucket and leaving Kaizer worried about the threat the fragments might pose to his vessel and other fishing boats, especially at night when the debris would be harder to avoid. “All these small boats could be subject to damage,” Kaizer said. “Everyone wants this green legacy, but at the cost of what?” Full article. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:58
Maryland Catfish Trail hopes to control invasive species
It’s early afternoon on a comfortable Sunday when Keith Bradfield and his brother Ray pull up to the Smallwood State Park dock after a long day of fishing. And they’ve been successful. Very successful. The Fairfax, Va., resident pulls up the lid of the cooler to reveal it stuffed with invasive blue catfish up to about 30 pounds each. Bradfield, who shows an image of his sonar lit up like a Christmas tree signifying the invasive species, said he looks for the fish in the deepest holes of the river, “but they’re pretty much everywhere.” And the blue catfish’s population has become such a problem that the state recently initiated a Maryland Catfish Trail where anglers can target fellow invasive flathead catfish and snakeheads in an attempt to help lower their numbers. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:39
