Monthly Archives: September 2024
Coast Guard urges preparedness ahead of Tropical Storm Francine
New Orleans – The Coast Guard is preparing, Monday, and will respond to impacts from Tropical Storm Francine as it is expected to strengthen to a hurricane and make landfall along the Louisiana coast on Wednesday. The Coast Guard’s ability to conduct rescues can be diminished or unavailable at the height of a storm. As soon as it is safe to operate after a storm, the Coast Guard, along with our local first responders and federal partners, will provide the life-saving support needed in storm-stricken areas. This includes reconstitution of ports as it becomes safe to do so. The maritime community and boating public are strongly urged to track the storm’s progress and take action to protect themselves and their vessels. Extremely high seas, heavy rains, and damaging winds that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes present serious dangers to the public. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:45
Fisheries enforcement ongoing in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
Recently, there has been much speculation and public discussion about the state of enforcement in Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Maritimes Region, encompassing Southwest Nova Scotia, Eastern Nova Scotia and Southwest New Brunswick, in light of an ongoing job action. For absolute clarity, fisheries enforcement activity in the Maritimes Region is active – to suggest otherwise is false. Fishery officers throughout the region continue to patrol by sea, land and air. They continue to conduct investigations and to work with other policing agencies, the provinces and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to enforce the law. They are highly trained professionals and their dedication to their work is evident now, as it is every day. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:46
End of an era? Lahaina fire delivers big blow to already declining commercial fishing industry
The Lahaina Small Boat Harbor was like a second home for Donnell “Andy” Tate, who for decades served as its weighmaster. But those good old days memories of the harbor for Tate, now 73, are clouded by the fire of Aug. 8, 2023, when he fled his Lahaina Shores home with only his camera gear and could only watch from a distance through a black wall of smoke as the town, the harbor, most of the boats and his life as he knew it went up in flames. The commercial fisherman and sportfishing charter operations at the harbor had suffered during COVID-19, when Lahaina became a ghost town for more than six months, forcing some fishermen out of business or to move to bluer waters. But the fire — which badly damaged the 99-slip harbor, destroyed all but 13 boats and left the nearshore waters a mess, filled with oil and debris — has been an even bigger, and perhaps more permanent blow. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:02
FWC charges three for multiple fishing net violations
Three veteran Franklin County fishermen, two of whom have been cited in the past for violating Florida’s so-called net ban, have once again run afoul of the law. On Aug. 25, in a boat under 20-feet long, captain William D. Sorenson, 82, of Eastpoint, and passengers Johnny D. Johnson, 59, of Carrabelle, and Donnie G. Nichols, 59, of Eastpoint, were arrested by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers for multiple violations pertaining to the possession, use and size of monofilament and gill nets, and the possession of commercial quantities of fish. The three were harvesting fish with four separate nets over Florida’s legal size of 500 square feet. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
My skipper husband thought he was indestructible
Fishermen are being warned they are putting themselves at risk of preventable illness and even death by delaying seeking medical advice. Amanda Nithavrianakis, whose skipper husband John died of cancer at the age of 52, believes his attitude of self-reliance and toughness contributed to the delay in his diagnosis and treatment. “There’s this mentality, especially among fishermen,” Amanda says. “They’re rufty-tufty. “They think nothing goes wrong with them. But it’s just not true.” John was the captain of a fishing boat based in the south of Scotland town of Kirkcudbright. In March 2016, he began struggling to swallow but delayed seeking medical help, prioritising his work over his health Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
No one stopping Maine fishers from poaching N.B. lobster: group
Amanda Johnson, executive director of the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association, says a border boundary dispute has long seen U.S. fishermen sneaking across from Maine to set traps inside Canadian waters. But she says it’s now not being stopped as Canadian fisheries officers aren’t conducting enforcement patrols. That has Johnson worried about overfishing ahead of the New Brunswick south shore’s November lobster fishing season, but also for the safety of New Brunswick fishers fearing the potential for looming confrontations on the water. “Right now, the main issue is that there are no fisheries officers patrolling the water in southwest New Brunswick,” Johnson said. “They are kind of on strike, same as they are in southwest Nova Scotia, and DFO isn’t really disclosing who is on strike and who isn’t. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:15
Fishermen Taking Aim At Offshore Wind Projects Across Texas
Fishermen are taking aim at offshore wind projects across Texas and the United States. On the same day that the Biden Administration pulled the plug on the second lease auction of a major proposed offshore wind project near the LA-TX border, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that it had been approached by “Hecate Energy Gulf Wind LLC (Hecate Energy) to acquire commercial wind energy lease(s) on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of Mexico.” This potential project would transform thousands of aquatic acres into a wind farm. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:04
Very few sockeye have passed Chilcotin River landslide area: DFO
While sockeye salmon have been able to migrate past obstructions from the Chilcotin River landslide, the run is projected to be far lower than average. At the end of July, a landslide across the Chilcotin River at Farwell Canyon, about 285 kilometres north of Vancouver, blocked the flow of water. More than a week later, built-up debris and a pulse of water surged over the slide and down the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers. Now, a fraction of the average sockeye run has been observed past the slide area. A report from the Pacific Salmon Commission says higher-than-average temperatures and obstructions from the slide are hindering salmon migration up the Fraser and Chilcotin rivers. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:11
Low export prices prompt seafood industry to push more tiger prawns into Aussie markets
Australians are being urged to eat more wild-caught tiger prawns, as fishers move away from sending their produce overseas. It’s been a slow start to the season in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Queensland; catches are down but fishers are also facing challenging international markets amid tough economic conditions. Austral Fisheries is one of the largest commercial fishing companies in Australia. Northern prawn division operations manager Bryan Van Wyck said due to an oversupply on the international market, they could not get the prices they were accustomed to. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:46
Opinion: Policymakers in search of sound science need to listen to fishery by Jerry Leeman
Fishermen are gravely concerned that regulators are stealing our futures with baseless cuts to landing quotas. Rep. Jared Golden is taking positive steps to fix this problem. It often happens that government regulators, who lack deep knowledge of what it takes to catch fish in the Gulf of Maine, reach conclusions about the state of our fish stocks that do not match what fishermen are seeing and what we know from being on the water every day. The obvious objection whenever we raise this concern is that “anecdote is not the plural of data.” The doubters ask: Why would an individual fisherman know more than a government agency with a dataset? That’s a fair question. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:02
Community steps up after family loses father in Alaska fishing accident
Cheyenne Hoy keeps her husband’s shoes and hat in their bedroom. The camouflage-patterned Crocs and ball cap have become some of the most important and precious items for her. They were what Clayton Hoy, 36, was wearing when he fell overboard from his salmon fishing vessel early on the morning of July 25 near Egegik, Alaska, on the east side of Bristol Bay. He wasn’t wearing a life jacket at the time and his crew heard the splash when their captain hit water. The crew of the F/V Warmaster radioed for help at 2:45 a.m. and the United States Coast Guard, Alaska Wildlife Trooper and Good Samaritan boats searched the water for a day and a half before the search was suspended, according to KDLG, the public radio station in Bristol Bay. “We were all very hopeful, but it didn’t turn out that way,” Cheyenne said. Clayton’s shoes were found a few days later in a mudbank by local volunteers who were searching by boat and by foot for the fisherman. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:46
Wondering where the fish have gone
Howard Kantner watches for hits on the net.
KOTZEBUE — It’s raining again, the wind rising and waves sloshing over the grass. I’m yanking at corkline, struggling to stack my salmon nets into old army totes, to protect them from mice and weather for another winter. Commercial fishing in Kotzebue Sound is closed, over before it really started. A complete bust, exponentially worse than any in the past 51 years I’ve participated in this fishery. Catches were dismal in July and many of us assumed — or tried to believe — that the run was late. Rumors swirled around town: about beluga whales, killer whales, warm water, cold water, and villagers up the Noatak and Kobuk rivers catching runs we’d allegedly missed. I didn’t believe it and kept hoping the dearth of fish was tied to changes some of us have noticed over the decades: how the peak of the run has been arriving later and later in August. Our last best season, two years ago, was slow in July, and in August more salmon flooded in than we’d seen before. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:05
Miraculous Survival: Lost Fisherman Rescued After 2 Days Adrift, Saved by Floating Debris
In a remarkable story of survival, a fisherman who fell overboard was rescued after floating adrift at sea for two days and one night, relying on floating debris to stay alive. The incident, which took place off the coast of Satun province, has been hailed as nothing short of a miracle. On the morning of September 3, Sunthorn Khaosom, 56, a crew member aboard the fishing vessel ‘R. Chai Navi’, accidentally fell into the sea about 10 nautical miles off the coast of Satun. Despite immediate efforts by the vessel’s captain to notify authorities and begin a search, Sunthorn could not be found. It wasn’t until the evening of September 5 that the Third Naval Area Command was alerted by staff at the Koh Bulon Mai Phai National Park in Satun, who reported finding the missing fisherman on the island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:17
Cleanup, investigation underway after fishing boat sinks at Stokes Bay
The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed Friday that a diesel spill is being cleaned up after the Coast Guard responded to a report of a fishing boat sinking at Stokes Bay dock on the Bruce Peninsula. Pollution containment equipment encircles the vessel, while crews are working to remove pollutants using specialized equipment, the Coast Guard said by email in response to Sun Times questions Friday afternoon. The vessel was reported sinking Thursday. “The size of the spill and plan for vessel recovery are yet to be determined. The CCG conducted a helicopter overflight for aerial pollution observation, and CCG personnel remain on location today to monitor the spill site.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:55
Mass. and Rhode Island pick 3 new wind projects, with less power than originally sought
Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced the winners of their joint offshore wind auction on Friday. While this total is less than half of what the states originally sought to procure, it helps bring them closer to their legally binding offshore wind targets. Friday’s news comes after nearly two years of economic tumult in the industry, when developers up and down 
the East Coast canceled contracts for wind projects, saying they could not make them financially viable because of inflation, higher interest rates and supply chain problems. Still, not everyone is celebrating the news. Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, said he was “shocked” that the New England states are awarding more contracts less than two months after a blade broke off a Vineyard Wind Project turbine. In mid-July, the blade sent tons of fiberglass and foam debris into the ocean. Much of it washed up on the south side of Nantucket, and several beaches had to close while the material was cleaned up. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:20
DFO defends cut to herring quota that company claims forced N.B. layoffs
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is defending its July decision to reduce the herring quota in the Bay of Fundy, after a major New Brunswick employer blamed the decision for major layoffs. “We recognize the economic impacts this decision will have on the families and communities that rely on income from fishing and processing herring,” said Lauren Sankey, DFO spokesperson, in an emailed statement late Friday afternoon. Connors Bros., a herring processing company in Blacks Harbour, near St. George, announced this week it’s laying off 20 per cent of its workforce, which is estimated to be about 100 people. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:22
Liberals call on province to up enforcement of illegal fish buying
Liberal MLA Ronnie LeBlanc says the people he represents in Clare along Nova Scotia’s French Shore are growing more and more concerned about the violence and illegal lobster fishing they’re seeing in their community — and the lack of action by the provincial and federal governments to do anything about it. LeBlanc was a fisherman before he entered provincial politics. He said people in the Saulnierville area with boats tied up awaiting the start of the commercial season in November are worried about the safety of their vessels and what could happen to stocks if thousands of pounds of unauthorized lobster continue to be removed from the water without oversight. “They’re feeling that it’s turning into a lawless place because nobody’s on the ground,” he told reporters at Province House on Friday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:21
Our ocean, communities not for sale – Fishers
Our ocean, communities and our sociocultural wellbeing are not for sale. This statement formed part of the declarations made by FishNet Alliance, a network of fishers across the coast of Africa, at the close of its General Assembly and Conference held on Thursday, August 22, 2024, in Durban, South Africa. Themed: “Ocean, Extractivism and Renewable Energy”, the gathering was attended by members of the Alliance from South Africa, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria, Mozambique, including new members from Uganda, South Sudan and Cameroon as well as Oilwatch Africa and Oilwatch International members and allies from 20 countries. “We denounce and reject any form of grabbing of our waters for the production of so-called green hydrogen,” submitted the fishers, adding that all deltas and protected areas in Africa must be declared no-mining and no-exploitation zones. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:54
An Unlikely Sea Animal Saved F/V Time Bandit’s ‘Deadliest Catch’ Season
Aboard F/V Time Bandit, Captain Johnathan Hillstrand was struggling. For each Captain, a profitable trip out in the Bering Sea is determined by the catch they bring in. For one journey, it seemed the Time Bandit would return to the dock virtually empty-handed. Captain Jonathan Hillstrand was a bit dejected as this recent trip was seemingly like a bust. Having been out at sea for years, working as a crabber, he had been no stranger to dismal catches. But despite any hope and positivity, unless a miracle was about to happen, it would be just another failure on the list. With only hours to go before reaching the harbor, 250 miles away, Captain Johnathan encountered a miracle. In a scene almost straight out of a movie, he saw some dolphins swimming around the ship. The crew knew that wherever they were heading, there were bound to be some crabs lurking. Because the dolphins would be attracted to the bait like the crabs, it might be a prosperous moment after all. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:39
States to announce Friday if New England is ready for more offshore wind farm
The Captain Les Eldridge used to chase bass and tuna out of New Bedford. Now, the vessel has a new role in the nation’s emerging offshore wind industry. Anthes-Washburn said Coast Line Transfers lost a similar contract with another offshore wind farm last summer, during an industry wide contraction in the U.S. that saw planned wind farms scrapped up and down the East Coast. On Friday, Anthes-Washburn will find out if southern New England is ready to rebuild that pipeline of canceled offshore wind projects. Officials in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut are expected to announce whether they are ready to move forward with a series of proposed offshore wind farms that developers submitted through a tri-state solicitation process in March. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:52
Biden – Harris Administration Approves Nation’s Tenth Offshore Wind Project
The Biden-Harris administration has approved the Maryland Offshore Wind Project, the nation’s tenth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project to receive federal approval. The Maryland Offshore Wind Project, developed by US Wind, could generate over 2 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy, potentially powering over 718,000 homes on the Delmarva Peninsula. The project is expected to create nearly 2,680 jobs annually over seven years during its development and construction phases. “BOEM’s Record of Decision brings us another step closer to securing final approvals later this year and getting steel in the water,” said US Wind CEO Jeff Grybowski. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:19
FFAW Rotted with NL Liberal MPs’ Support for Return of Draggers
The FFAW says documents filed by Ottawa to defend reopening of a commercial cod fishery show all Liberal MPs supported the feds’ decision. The reopening once again gives local processors and NAFO countries access to the resource with offshore draggers, while the stock remains in the cautious zone. Pretty notes there was a promise for the first 115,000 metric tonnes of the 2J3KL northern cod quota to be allocated to inshore harvesters and Indigenous groups. He calls the actions of the six Liberal MPs — Gudie Hutchings, Seamus O’Regan, Joanne Thompson, Churence Rogers, Yvonne Jones, and Ken McDonald — “a total betrayal.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:01
Layoffs at Connors Bros. seafood plant ‘punch in the gut’ for community
Connors Bros., a leading supplier of canned herring and a major employer in southwestern New Brunswick, is laying off 20 per cent of its workers, the company announced Thursday. The plant in Blacks Harbour, near St. George, employs up to 450 people, depending on the season. A Connors spokesperson did not respond when asked exactly how many people had been laid off. A news release from the company blames the federal government’s July decision to cut the herring quota in the Bay of Fundy. “We’ve been operating in this community for over 130 years and this is a heartbreaking decision, but it’s necessary to keep our plant viable moving forward,” Connors Bros. general Manager Chad Baum said in the release. A southwest New Brunswick fishing association is warning of tumble-down effects on the lobster fishery this fall after the herring quota reduction. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:00
PWS, Cook Inlet sockeye catch exceeded harvest projections
As the sockeye salmon harvest season comes to a close, only Bristol Bay, Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet surpassed their pre-season predictions, with harvests of 31.1 million, 3.1 million and 2 million reds respectively. Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound were also the only two regions to show year-over-year growth and exceeding harvest projections, says Simon Marks, a research analyst for McKinley Research Group in Juneau, who writes the weekly in-season commercial wild Alaska salmon report on behalf of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. While Bristol Bay has already surpassed the pre-season sockeye prediction by 19%, year-to-date harvest remains 23% behind 2023, Marks said on Aug. 27. Initial predictions for the 2025 season indicate an expected harvest of 32.4 million fish, a 2.8% gain if realized. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:26
Icelandic fishing company Thorbjörn, based in the volcano-stricken port of Grindavík, to split up
The company operates two factory trawlers and one fresher trawler, as well as having a new vessel under construction at a Spanish shipyard. Thorbjörn’s shore-based processing was halted this summer to the situation on Grindavík, with intermittent volcanic activity taking place sometimes within metres of the town’s outskirts. Grindavík was evacuated earlier this year, and residents have moved to other communities in Iceland, although some commercial activity remains in the town and around the harbour areas, subject to restrictions. According to the company, the aim of this restructuring is to put the focus on vessel operations, and to make more effective use of operational finance and fishing opportunities. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:21
Turbine blade fails on Dogger Bank installation
Reports of the failure of a 107m long wind turbine blade during commissioning of the Dogger Bank wind farm – the world’s largest – have been confirmed by the operators. They remain tight- lipped, however, about any detail of the incident. The blade was built by GE Vernova, and is of the same design as the one that failed spectacularly in the Vineyard Wind development off the east coast of the USA in July, where thousands of sharp fragments of the blade washed up on nearby tourist beaches, leading to them being closed for several days during an emergency clean-up. Last week’s incident on the Dogger Bank was the third for this particular type of blade in three months. An earlier failure at the same site in May was, said GE Vernova at the time, ‘the result of an installation failure’. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:44
All NL MPs Supported Breaking Historical Agreement for Northern Cod, Injunction Documents Show
Documents submitted by the Government of Canada as part of the federal injunction filed by FFAW-Unifor in July show that all Liberal MPs in the province supported breaking the longstanding agreement on Northern cod to allow offshore draggers access while the stock remains in the cautious zone. “Documents are quickly coming in from DFO staffers via the federal court process. What we’ve seen thus far is a Liberal caucus of NL politicians who supported breaking the 40-plus year agreement to our province – and while it’s certainly not shocking at this point, it should be a real eye opener to the people of our province who elected these individuals to office,” says FFAW-Unifor Greg Pretty. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:30
Bluffton mayor’s shrimp boat saved after capsizing off coast of Hilton Head Island
Larry Toomer was guided by a feeling when he sailed his shrimp boat off the coast last weekend. “It was a feeling that I needed to go there, and I was right,” Toomer said. “We found the shrimp.” Then misfortune found the longtime shrimper and mayor of Bluffton. A cable snapped Sept. 1 as Toomer and his friend lifted a heavy net of shrimp and jellyfish onto their boat, the Red Baron. The shrimp had to be thrown back to sea before the 25-foot fiberglass boat could sail onward. Toomer had just pushed the last of the haul off the side when a large rogue wave hit and overtook the vessel’s stern. There was too much water for the two men to bail out. Their only option was to get the boat as close to the Hilton Head beach as possible even as it began to capsize. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:23
Safety Warning Issued After Fatal Incident onboard F/V Kingfisher
A safety warning has been issued to fishing vessel owners and crew following a tragic incident aboard the potting vessel Kingfisher (DH110), resulting in the loss of one life. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released a bulletin urging those involved in the fishing industry to reassess deck risk assessments, particularly focusing on the hazards associated with shooting or recovering creels. On 12 July 2024, the crew of Kingfisher were engaged in manually shooting a string of creels when a deckhand became entangled in a creel’s leg rope. On 12 July 2024, the crew of Kingfisher were engaged in manually shooting a string of creels when a deckhand became entangled in a creel’s leg rope. The entanglement caused the deckhand to be pulled overboard. Upon entering the water, his personal flotation device (PFD) inflated as designed. The crew swiftly used the vessel’s hauling winch to recover the submerged deckhand within seven minutes.more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:07
Corrected: Waldoboro Man Summonsed for Operating a Vessel Under the Influence
The Maine Marine Patrol has charged Jared Larsen, 32, of Waldoboro with operating a watercraft under the influence. Marine Patrol received a report at approximately 7:00 a.m. this morning of a boat that had run aground on Seal Ledge on the southwest side of Vinalhaven in Penobscot Bay. Marine Patrol Officers arrived on scene at approximately 8:00 a.m. to find the vessel, the Holly and Abby owned by lobster dealer Fox Island Lobster Company, laying on its side and taking on water. Marine Patrol Officers were able to locate Larsen at the Rockland Fish Pier and transported him to Knox County Jail more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:24
