Monthly Archives: October 2024
Fishermen, fleet owners hope Trump helps their industry
New Bedford fishermen fly many flags. There is the American flag, the skull and crossbones flag. There are flags expressing resistance to offshore wind development. And there are many — many — flags for former President Donald Trump. But one flag is rarely hoisted on the New Bedford waterfront. “I have yet to see a Harris-Walz flag on a fishing vessel,” said Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney representing the industry’s Sustainable Scalloping Fund. The vast support for Trump among fishermen boils down to a few main points, some specific to the fishing industry, some not. Trump has said that he would overturn the ban on commercial fishing in Marine National Monuments, which was first enacted by the Obama administration, repealed by Trump and then re-established under President Joe Biden. There are frustrations with immigration policy and with inflation, especially with gas and food, which have an acute impact on the profits of a fishing trip. But no issue has swayed the politics of the fishing industry more than offshore wind development. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:50
Pollock trawl closure sends economic ripples across Kodiak as fishermen adapt
Cole Hockema has been fishing since he was a teenager growing up in Oregon. Hockema captains the F/V Pacific Storm, a 100-foot trawler based out of Kodiak, which his father owns. The vast majority of the Central Gulf of Alaska trawl fleet is made up of local boats like his. According to the trade group Alaska Groundfish Data Bank, 19 boats were fishing in the Central Gulf of Alaska when the pollock fishery closed on Sept. 25. 15 of those are homeported in Kodiak. Normally, fishermen like Hockema would be out on the water until early November, when the Gulf of Alaska’s pollock B season typically closes. But this fall season ended just three weeks into fishing, when two vessels incidentally hauled in approximately 2,000 Chinook salmon, which exceeded the fishery’s annual bycatch limit. Hockema said the Pacific Storm was offloading its catch on Sunday, Sept. 22 when they first got the news about the bycatch and he knew the fleet would need to stop fishing immediately. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:27
B.C. environmental groups lose bid to stop Alaskan fishery’s sustainable certification
A coalition of Canadian environmental groups has lost its latest bid to prevent Alaska’s salmon fishery from being labelled as sustainable by an international certification body. The groups, including the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and Watershed Watch Salmon Society, say an adjudicator has upheld the Marine Stewardship Council’s decision to certify the Alaskan fishery despite what they call “unsustainable” fishing practices that intercept British Columbia’s migrating salmon. Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game says it is pleased that the adjudicator “affirmed the sustainability of Alaska’s fishing practices” based on “sound science,” adding that the salmon fishery in question “has the most robust and comprehensive” assessment program on the Pacific seaboard. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:41
50 years plus: Sheigra SY 7
John Watt started building his boats in 1940 at Gardenstown, in a partnership with his two sons, before taking over the Stephen’s yard in Banff in 1954. Then, in 1966, they acquired the boatbuilding yard and engineering facilities of the Macduff Engineering Company when the previous owner retired. This allowed them to build bigger vessels up to 80ft in length. The name of the business was changed to the Macduff Boatbuilding and Engineering Company – the forerunner of today’s Macduff Shipyards. Lots of photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:54
Top ten RNLI record breakers
The RNLI has amassed a treasure trove of extraordinary stories and fascinating facts during its 200 years of lifesaving. So it’s no wonder our charity and people have notched up a raft of remarkable achievements along the way too. Here are just ten of our favourite record-breaking facts … The rescue of Suevic in 1907 holds the record for the largest number of people saved in a single RNLI operation. On 17 March, the 12-tonne steamship ran aground on a rocky reef off Lizard Point in Cornwall. Sixty RNLI volunteers from Cadgwith, Coverack, The Lizard and Porthleven rowed back and forth in a violent gale for 16 hours to rescue the 456 passengers and crew. Not a single life was lost. Six of the rescuers, including two Suevic crew members, were awarded RNLI Silver Medals for their heroic actions. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:37
Fewer fish spills reported after Louisiana pushes pogy boats from coast
In 2022, a menhaden fishing ship and its net boats spilled about a million fish off the Louisiana coast, leaving the floating mass to rot in the summer sun. A few months later, another spill blanketed Louisiana beaches with an estimated 850,000 dead fish. The two incidents pushed the state’s leaders to enact the first significant restrictions on the Gulf of Mexico’s largest but least-regulated fishery. Starting this year, catchers of menhaden, a foot-long fish with a host of industrial uses, must stay a half mile from much of the Louisiana coast and a mile from three ecologically sensitive areas. But the menhaden industry says better nets rather than bigger buffers have played a far bigger role in reducing spills. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:44
Photographer Urs Buhlman captures the ‘dangerous’, ‘dying’ profession of commercial fishing up close
It is an industry that operates in boats kilometres from shore when most people are fast asleep back on the mainland. Now one photographer’s interest in the commercial fishing industry has shed light on the intimate details of this rarely-seen profession and the rugged process it goes through to feed people. Eden commercial fisher John ‘”Jarvo” Jarvis has witnessed big changes during his 44 years in the game. Climate change, fish quotas, stringent environmental laws, government buy-backs of fishing licences, and a lack of willing hands are just some of the challenges he grapples with daily. “Everything in fishing is expensive,” Mr Jarvis said. Comparing the industry to how it looked two decades ago, he said it was “chalk and cheese”. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:19
Four offshore wind-power sites in Gulf of Maine auctioned for $22M
Two energy companies have won leases for 327,096 acres of federal waters off Maine and Massachusetts and hope to install floating wind-power turbines there. On Tuesday, four of eight available lease areas were sold to provisional winners in an auction by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The sales resulted in winning bids of over $21.9 million. The leases include commitments to workforce training and building a domestic supply chain, which would include an offshore wind port and supply chain facilities, according to a separate news release. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:56
WHALES DECLARE BOEM IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION COMMITTING GENOCIDE By Jim Lovgren
In a press release issued today by the AAA, an aquatic coalition of many different marine creatures, it was declared that the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management was a terrorist organization intent on the extermination of all marine mammals and other sea life. The National Marine Fishery Service was named as a co-conspirator, for standing by and watching, instead of doing their legally required job of protecting endangered species. The AAA, Aquatic Animals Association, is a newly formed coalition of different marine species including Whales, Dolphins, Turtles, fish, clams, and scallops. Despite the vast disparity in their abilities to communicate with each other, they have combined each other’s unique communication forms into one voice in hopes of saving themselves from extinction. From Harvey Haddock, President, Aquatic Animal Association. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:14
‘It’s in Our Blood!’ Blount Boats Celebrates 75 Years
Seventy-five years in business is no small feat, especially in an industry that is tougher than most: shipbuilding. Blount Boats is celebrating the impressive milestone this year. Established in 1949, the Warren, R.I. shipbuilder is led today by founder Luther H. Blount’s daughters: president and CFO Marcia Blount and executive vice president / human resources Julie Blount, who see their roles as more than a career. “It’s our vocation,” Julie said. “It’s in our blood!” the sisters said nearly simultaneously. An entrepreneur and inventor by nature, Luther H. Blount formed Blount Boats after building a small twin hull raft built of 55-gallon drums used for transporting oyster and clam shells across Narragansett Bay, prompting requests to build larger steel vessels. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:43
New Orleans shrimp festival passes genetic test confirming Gulf Coast origin
Recent genetic tests have revealed that two major Southern seafood festivals served imported, farm-raised shrimp instead of the Gulf-caught varieties they advertised, sparking concerns among local commercial fishermen and seafood advocates. SEAD Consulting, at the request of regional shrimpers, used its RIGHTTest genetic testing technology to identify the origins of shrimp labeled as Gulf-caught at these events. Results showed widespread mislabeling at both the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in Morgan City and the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Ala. Not all festivals failed the test, however. At the Louisiana Shrimp Festival & Shrimp Aid in New Orleans, which was also tested, every vendor passed the RIGHTTest, proving that all shrimp served at this event was authentic, wild-caught Gulf shrimp. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:48
Election Jitters, Industry Headwinds Undermine Biden’s Final Offshore Wind Auction
A U.S. auction of offshore wind development rights in the Gulf of Maine on Tuesday drew bids for only half of the eight offered leases, for a total of just $21.9 million in high bids, in the latest sign of deep industry malaise. The sale was a stark display of the lack of industry appetite for new investment after a year of high-profile setbacks that include canceled projects, two shelved lease sales in Oregon and the Gulf of Mexico and a construction accident at the nation’s first major offshore wind project. The auction was the last before President Joe Biden, a Democrat, leaves office in January. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:25
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45’x20′ Novi Lobster Boat, John Deere Diesel with Permit
To review specifications, information, and 25 photos’,>click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<. 06:19
Lifelong Commercial Fisherman Army Veteran Theodore “Ted” Reed Merrell III, of Juneau, has passed away
Theodore “Ted” Reed Merrell III, 76, died at his Fritz Cove home on October 16, 2024 after a long struggle with Progressive Supranuc Palsy (PSP). Ted and Lucy were engaged while Ted was on R&R in Hawaii and after discharge, they were married in Minnesota. They headed to Juneau as soon as Lucy graduated, driving Ted’s hot orange 1970 stick-shift Dodge Charger R/T. Ted soon got his own boat–an open 19-footer –and began a lifelong career in commercial fishing. Other boats followed: Diamondtooth (an ancient wooden gillnetter), Onni (a fast bowpicker with troublesome twin Volvo engines), Invictus, and for most of his career, the 45-foot Dundas. Ted had permits in many fisheries and tried crab, herring, and salmon gillnetting and finally settled into longlining and trolling, often accompanied by his son, Nelson. He fished all over the Northern Panhandle and especially liked downtime with friends in the fishing village, Elfin Cove. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:44
Fishermen Fight Bureaucrats to Defend Their Way of Life
Fishermen are going to court in Portland, Maine, on Tuesday to protect their businesses and communities from an unconstitutional regulatory commission that is a menace to our iconic industry. Overregulation has taken the joy out of fishing, and the prosperity too. That inevitably follows when powerful bureaucrats aren’t accountable to anyone, as is the case with the unconstitutional regional management councils that set policy for our fisheries. America’s fishing fleet is steadily retracting. Fishing is a generational trade passed within families. Many fishermen I know are vectoring their sons and daughters away from the family business. There are many reasons for that, but overregulation is one of them. By Jerry Leeman. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:21
Scallop war reignites as British fishing trawler is seized by France
A British fishing boat has been seized by France after a French captain accused UK trawlers of plundering their resources in the latest ‘Scallop War’ flare-up. The Scottish fishing boat, named the Star of Jura, was seized off the coast of Calvados, in the Normandy region of northwestern France on Monday, after the vessel was ordered into the Channel port of Le Havre on suspicion of catching undersized scallops. The skipper, who has not been named, took his 19-metre scallop dredger into the port on Saturday while being escorted by a maritime police boat after an inspection uncovered an illegal catch, French authorities revealed. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:45
Crew saved from North Sea as Fraserburgh trawler sinks in SOS emergency
Six crew members have been saved from a sinking Fraserburgh-registered fishing boat. An urgent plea was issued for vessels to assist in the search and rescue operation of the Odyssey FR70 trawler. The beacon was answered by a nearby boat, which headed to the Odyssey’s location. The crew were then transferred to the other vessel via life raft. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:22
Clifton Thomas continues 40-year lobster trapping legacy
Clifton “Fluffy” Thomas has found a lucrative career as a lobster fisherman. For nearly 40 years he’s provided BVI hotels with fresh lobster from his more than 50 traps, and ahead of the season opening on Nov. 1, he and his son Clevan, better known as “Tito”, are prepping to begin their daily lobster hauls. Prior to the season closing in June, the pair pulled their traps from the sea to begin inspecting them and have been busy making repairs here and there. Thomas, 62, was a marine mechanic prior to his decision to be self-employed in 1985. He sells his lobsters for $9 a pound and recalled once that in a single haul he had 120 pounds of lobster. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:38
How a death spurred change for a SouthCoast fleet
In the summer of 2021, a Mayday call went out from the captain aboard a fishing vessel who needed Narcan to help save a life due to an overdose on board. There happened to be another vessel in the vicinity that was able to respond, and they tossed a box of the over-the-counter drug on board. The captain administered one dose, but nothing happened. He gets back on the radio. A second vessel was carrying Narcan and tossed it on board. The captain, after the fourth dose, sent his crew member back onshore alive. “That day there were three fishermen first responders that saved a life at sea,” said Debra Kelsey, with Fishing Partnership Support Services. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:53
Baffin Fisheries’ new ship stranded in Athens after engine fails on maiden voyage
Crew members aboard Baffin Fisheries’ Inuksuk II have spent more than 14 days docked in Athens, Greece after an engine failure stalled the fishing vessel on its first voyage. “We are very disappointed. This was entirely unexpected,” Baffin Fisheries CEO Chris Flanagan said in an interview. “We knew there would be some break-in period and glitches with a brand-new vessel. There always are and that’s expected. But we didn’t expect anything like this to happen.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:12
Ocean City, fishing clubs and Thrasher’s French Fries sue federal government over offshore wind project
Ocean City, Maryland, neighboring towns, counties, sportfishing groups, hotels, amusement parks and boardwalk staple Thrasher’s French Fries have filed a lawsuit against the federal government for approving a massive wind farm approximately 10 miles off the tourist town’s coast. Last month, on Sept. 5, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a division of the U.S. Interior Department, announced the approval of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project. It’s the nation’s 10th commercial-scale offshore wind energy project, according to the Biden Administration. The list of plaintiffs includes the mayor and city council of Ocean City, the mayor and town council of neighboring Fenwick Island, Delaware, and commissioners of Worcester County, Maryland, where Ocean City is located. Other plaintiffs include developers, hotels, commercial fishermen and seafood markets, the parent company for Ocean City’s Jolly Roger at the Pier amusement park, the Save Right Whales Coalition and the parent company for Thrasher’s French Fries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:42
Fire heavily damages fishing boat at Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham
A 68-foot fishing boat was heavily damaged by fire early Sunday as it was moored in Squalicum Harbor. Bellingham’s fireboat the Salish Star is moored in the marina nearby and poured water on the blaze, Michaelis told The Bellingham Herald in a phone call. “The Salish Star made the initial attack and its crew was able to get it mostly out,” he said. The boat, called the Alaskan Girl, suffered heavy damage to the top deck, cabin and galley, Michaelis said. It remained afloat. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:51
“A Total Shock” – Japanese Sardines Detected in U.S. Waters
Genomic sequencing of Pacific sardines in 2022 and 2023 uncovered the presence of not just one, but two distinct sardine species in the California Current. When research scientist Gary Longo first reviewed the results of his genomic analysis of sardines, he thought he must have mixed up his samples. Besides the Pacific sardines common on the West Coast, many of the fish appeared to be another species. “It was a total shock,” he said. Then he compared their genetic code to other known species. “That was the ‘aha moment’ when we realized we were looking at a second species of sardine.” The analysis shows that of the 345 sardine samples collected during NOAA Fisheries’ 2021 and 2022 Coastal Pelagic Species Surveys, all of the fish in 2021 were Pacific sardines, but those collected in 2022 were a mix of Pacific sardines and Japanese sardines. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:50
Could offshore wind plan hurt scallop fishermen? New Bedford official has ‘grave concerns’
New Bedford Port Authority Executive Director Gordon Carr has “grave concern” for the scallop fishing industry in the face of a potential new call area to be leased out to offshore wind projects. The 13,476,805-acre area off of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, dubbed the “Central Atlantic 2” call area, encompasses a large portion of key scalloping grounds, Carr wrote. Scalloper Keith Uzzell, who’s fished out of New Bedford and Fairhaven for 16 years, says he and others that frequent fishing grounds around the northeast started noticing “more survey boats, more offshore wind vessel activity” around the same time they noticed an uptick in things like dead whale sightings and empty scallop shells. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:46
Why are we so fixated on offshore wind?
As we await the finalization of Gov. Maura Healey’s new offshore wind contracts, the Massachusetts Interagency Offshore Wind Council has requested public comments on these plans to implement offshore wind in Massachusetts. Many residents, especially from Cape Cod, have registered strong opposition. Eco-Nuclear Solutions is concerned that the reliance on offshore wind will deprive the Commonwealth of more reliable, affordable, and ecologically acceptable sources of electricity. There are also still many unanswered questions about offshore wind. Construction costs have massively increased, and we seem captured by this one technology. Why aren’t we assessing other energy solutions? When will we know the total costs, including transmission and delivery, of offshore wind and the total amount of subsidies? more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:48
Do you know where your fish comes from? It’s probably not Hawaiʻi
Fish is a significant part of Hawaiʻi’s food culture, and residents eat up to three times more of it per capita than the rest of the U.S. But where does all that fish come from? That’s information local commercial fishers and their advocates want more people to know. In Hawaiʻi, there’s a growing push to require stores and restaurants to label fish as locally caught or imported, including the country of origin. “I think a major misconception is what is portrayed as locally made (or) freshly made, but it’s not, and the fish is not from Hawaiʻi,” said Eric Kingma, the executive director for the Hawaiʻi Longline Association. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:48
Classic Boat Review: Frey CT 137
Launched as Boy Ken TT 70, this Noble’s stalwart was built for scalloping – as well as prawn trawling and herring and sprat pair-trawling – and 52 years later, she’s a fixture of the Manx scallop fleet. Being a west coast sort of person, there is always a sense of allegiance in writing about those very few boatbuilding yards on the west coast. In the postwar era of fishing vessels, you can almost count the west coast yards building in wood on one hand. And always it is the Girvan yard of Alexander Noble that stands out as the leader of the field. By Mike Smylie, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:34
The 10 Wildest ‘Deadliest Catch’ Moments, Ranked
Since its premiere in 2005, Deadliest Catch has thrilled audiences by pulling back the curtain on the perilous world of Alaskan crab fishing. The icy waters, unpredictable weather, and extreme physical demands show how the Bering Sea can be one of the most dangerous workplaces in the world. The grueling nature of the show, therefore, has produced some of the wildest moments ever caught on camera over the years. Episodes featuring deadly waves, boat fires, and catastrophic sinkings like that of one of the F/V Destination serve as grim reminders of what working at the sea can be like! more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:04
2024 Maine Scallop License Lottery Winners Announced
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has announced the latest winners of the state’s scallop license lotteries. Each winner is responsible for applying for a license within 30 days of notification. The new licenses are the result of a limited entry system established by the legislature and implemented through regulation in June 2018 that allows someone who did not hold a scallop license in the previous year to be eligible for one. This year there were 74 entries for dive licenses and 1,095 entries for drag licenses. With $35 of each lottery entry fee deposited into DMR’s Scallop Research Fund, a total of $40,915 was raised to support scallop research and management. The winners include the following. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:24
New Federal Report: Offshore Wind Farm Construction Can Harm Whales, Birds, Fisheries
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Monday released a new report that said whales, dolphins, birds and more can indeed be harmed — and killed —by offshore wind farms. BOEM also warned commercial fishing could be disrupted by wind farms. The report is an environmental impact statement BOEM was required to conduct of these six existing wind farm sites that were previously approved off New Jersey/Long Island. Wind turbine construction actually does increase the risk of injury to whales, particularly the underwater noise from pile-driving during construction, the federal report found. Turbine construction can permanently damage whales’ hearing. Turbines can also lead to an “increased risk of individual injury and mortality due to vessel strikes” and entanglement in fishing gear. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:36
