Monthly Archives: November 2024
Past lobster season opener hits and misses in southwestern Nova Scotia
The majority of time if the scheduled opening day of the lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia doesn’t go according to plan, it’s because the weather and safety concerns have forced a postponement. The lobster season is always slated to open the last Monday of November. Strong winds are preventing that once again from happening on Monday, Nov. 25 for the start of the 2024-25 season. Tuesday, Nov. 26, has been identified as the more favourable option with industry weather calls happening the morning of Monday, Nov. 25 in LFAs 34 and 33 to confirm the season opening. While weather is always the culprit for a season opening delay, through time there have been other issues that have also had impacts on season starts. Here’s a look back at past season openers. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:57
Commercial Fisherman/Vietnam Veteran Ronald Raymond Rust of Kenai, Alaska, has passed away
He spent his younger years living in Fairbanks. Ron and his wife Kathy moved their family to Kenai in 1981, where he lived until his passing on October 14, 2024 with his son Daniel at his side. Ron was a decorated Vietnam Veteran with an E-5 ranking in the Army. Ron was a commercial fisherman in the Cook Inlet for 59 years. His boys grew up fishing with him on his boat the “FV TIGER”. Ron also drove a school bus for over 10 years, while doing so he participated in many bus rodeos where he took championship awards for several of those years. He was an avid dart thrower. Rons greatest pleasure in his last years was to drive to the canneries and visit with his fisherman friends. and share pictures and generally sharing stories about the past with them. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:25
Newfoundland and Labrador recorded its highest lobster landings ever this past season
And so, this past spring, when I was hearing so much about the abundance of lobsters in our waters, I wanted to find out what was going on. I called around to several harvesters in various parts of the province to find out about their catch rates. The thing is, when lobsters are plentiful, lobster fishermen can be a tight-lipped bunch. I knew after a few phone calls, it would be hard to get anyone to go on camera for a Land & Sea show to brag about their bounty. And that was confirmed for me by Fortune Bay fisherman Alfred Fitzpatrick, who fishes out of Garnish on the Burin Peninsula. “Fellows will tell you they poached a moose before they tell you they caught a lobster. If you hauled 200 pots and you got 10 lobsters, and your brother asked you, you’d say, ‘Boy, I got five,'” explained Fitzpatrick. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:14
“Everything helps”: Local shrimpers happy for foreign shrimp tariffs
The U.S. International Trade Commission has found that the U.S. Seafood industry has been suffering due to foreign frozen warmwater shrimp. “It’s going to take time it’s not going to be a quick fix,” Miss Caylee Seafood Co-Owner, David Bryan said. Bryan has been shrimping for nearly his entire life but says the shrimping industry in South Mobile County is getting dangerously scarce. “Some days you break even and some days you make a little money and some days you have exceptional days,” Bryan said. The battle of cost between foreign shrimp and domestic shrimp has made it harder for shrimpers to pay their bills to keep business going. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:10
Solar energy and more: Seeking to improve energy efficiency, sustainability in the fishing fleet
Through two provincially funded programs, Nova Scotia’s fishing fleet is becoming more energy efficient and sustainable. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Energy Efficiency Innovation Fund (FAEEIF) offers $6.5 million over three years in incentives to help prepare the commercial fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Nova Scotia to reduce their energy use and mitigate climate change impacts. The Nova Scotia Seafood Innovation and Technology Adoption Program (NS-ITAP) provides non-repayable financial assistance to Nova Scotia commercial entities in the fishing, aquaculture, marine plant harvesting, and seafood buying and processing sector to increase productivity, competitiveness, quality and sustainability. The Brazil Rock 33 34 Lobster Association has been busy helping its members fill out applications for the two programs. “We’re going for a second run,” says Dan Fleck, executive director of the association. The off-grid energy systems keep the vessel’s batteries charged, the bilge pumps working, and a heater running when it is berthed at its home port without running the main engine or connecting to shore power. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:37
Nova Scotia: Safety Top Priority as Lobster Season Begins
With the lobster season about to start, fishing crews in southwestern Nova Scotia are reminded to make safety a top priority. Dumping Day, as the first day of the season is known, will see thousands of lobster traps dumped along the south and western shores in lobster fishing areas 33 and 34. The start in both areas is weather dependent but is expected to be Monday, November 25. The Province urges fishers to take the time and necessary steps to stay safe. Fishing crews preparing to head out each day should: monitor the weather, assess their boats, check all vessel safety equipment to ensure it is inspected and accessible, prepare for emergencies. Occupational health and safety laws require all crew members to wear a life jacket or other personal flotation device. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:06
Struggling Valley shrimpers receive good news on new import measures
In an industry where bad news is the norm, shrimpers in Texas and elsewhere in the United States finally have a sliver of good news. The U.S. International Trade Commission, or ITC, on Tuesday determined that the U.S. shrimp industry is being “materially injured” by imports of frozen warm-water shrimp from Indonesia that the U.S. Department of Commerce says are being sold in this country at less than fair value, and also by shrimp imports from Ecuador, India and Vietnam that the Commerce Department says are being subsidized by the governments of those countries. As a result of the ITC’s determinations, the Commerce Department will issue “countervailing duty orders on imports of this product from Ecuador, India and Vietnam and an anti-dumping duty order on imports of this product from Indonesia,” the ITC announced Tuesday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:57
Exploring the impact of offshore wind on whale deaths
In the winter of 2022–2023, nearly a dozen whales died off the coast of New Jersey, near the sites of several proposed wind farms. Their deaths prompted concern that related survey work being conducted in the area somehow contributed to their deaths. The increased presence of these turbines in coastal waters, along with the noise from construction and surveys, has led to concerns of their impact on marine life. In particular, cetaceans such as whales and dolphins are likely to be sensitive to the noises and increased marine traffic brought by these turbines. However, the Marine Mammal Commission, a federal oversight agency, states there is no evidence linking the whales that died in the New Jersey region in the winter of 2022–2023 to wind energy development. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:35
Two Dominican nationals sentenced for smuggling endangered juvenile eels from Puerto Rico
On Nov. 14, U.S. District Court Judge Aida M. Delgado-Colón sentenced Simón De la Cruz Paredes, 56, to 24 months in prison and two years of supervised release. On Thursday, Saúl Enrique José De la Cruz, 39, received the same sentence in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Court documents revealed the pair spent months harvesting the juvenile eels in rivers near Levittown, Puerto Rico. The eels were kept alive using specialized oxygenation equipment while the defendants prepared a boat for the trip back to the Dominican Republic. On Feb. 21, they departed Puerto Rico with 30 kilograms of glass eels valued at $132,000, a handgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the vessel about 40 miles from Puerto Rico after the men refused to comply with an order to stop. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:27
Dumping Day won’t be Monday in LFA 33/34
Dumping Day is delayed once again. It’s the day that hundreds of lobster fishing vessels head out to set their traps, marking the start of the commercial lobster fishery. Port representatives from Lobster Fishing Area 34, which includes Digby around Yarmouth to Shelburne County, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans held a weather call Saturday morning to look at a potential opening for Monday. Due to high winds, the decision was a ‘no go’. more, >>CLICK TO READ<<08:46
California’s Dungeness Crab Season Delayed Again, But Could Open in Time for Holidays
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have delayed the commercial Dungeness crab season statewide for the second time this year and extended a ban on recreational use of certain traps. There’s still a chance the commercial season for Bay Area crabbers could open earlier than the past few years, though, just in time for holiday dinners. Officials said they plan to reevaluate the region’s waters, which had been scheduled to open on Dec. 1, early next month. The restrictions are due to increased whale populations and their entanglement in crabbing gear. If the whales have finished passing through on their way south to winter breeding grounds, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said it could open the commercial season — and lift the recreational restrictions — statewide on Dec. 15. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:08
With More Scallops But Fewer Fishermen, Select Board Raises Bushel Limit For Commercial Fleet
There are more adult scallops in Nantucket Harbor than at any time since 2012, according to the town’s Natural Resources Department. That year, the island’s commercial fleet harvested more than 18,000 bushels, far beyond what fishermen have caught in recent years. That should be good news. But the problem is that today, there are approximately 75 percent fewer fishermen out on the water scalloping. So, on Wednesday, acting on a recommendation from the Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board, the members of the Select Board voted unanimously to increase the bay scallop bushel limit for commercial scallopers from five bushels to six bushels per commercial license for the remainder of the 2024-2025 bay scallop season. “The amount of adults in the harbor this year from our surveys is equivalent to what we had in 2012,” said Tara Riley, the town’s shellfish and aquatic resource manager. “In 2012, we had around 200 permits with around 97 people actively fishing, and we pulled out around 18,000 bushels. Right now, we have 25 boats going. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:57
Maine: Judge dismisses case against the state challenging lobster boat tracking rules
A federal judge has ruled against a group of five lobstermen that sued the state in attempt to stop electronic boat tracking requirements that went effect almost one year ago. The rules require lobstermen with federal fishing permits to install monitors on their boats that track their location on the water. The fishermen argued that they should not be subject to monitoring at all times. They often use their boats for other purposes beyond commercial lobstering, which Woodcock acknowledged. The boat tracking requirements will stay in place for now. But in his decision, Woodcock said the lobstermen had raised important Fourth Amendment questions and encouraged them to appeal the case. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:21
Enormous sardine resource identified in Bass Strait but fishers have wanted to set up a fishery for more than a decade
Off the north-east coast of Tasmania, could be one of the largest fishery resources in the country. Commercial fisher Stuart Richey knows it’s there. He’s spent more than a decade advocating for it to be set up. “Our family has been in aerial fish spotting for 50 years in Tasmania, and we were noticing more and more sardines along beaches, which is a little bit unusual,” Mr. Richey, who owns Richey Fishing, said. Along with fellow fisher Allan Barnett, Mr. Richey estimates he has spent about $400,000 on equipment, nets, research and trips to another sardine fishery, in South Australia, in his push for a potential Tasmanian fishery. The Tasmanian department responsible for fisheries, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), says it is in “the early investigation stage of considering if a fishery for Australian sardine can be developed”. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:52
TSB says harsh weather, lack of contingency plan contributed to fatal vessel sinking
A fatal fishing vessel incident near Canso, N.S., in 2022 was caused in part by severe weather conditions and a lack of contingency planning for towing disabled vessels, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. The board on Thursday released its investigative report into the rescue operation of the F/V Mucktown Girl, which resulted in the death of one of the halibut boat’s crew members and injuries to two Canadian Coast Guard crew. The Mucktown Girl, a 15-metre vessel with five people on board, was around 160 kilometres southeast of Canso when it experienced electrical problems and lost power late in the night on March 11, 2022. The crew contacted the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax and the coast guard ship Jean Goodwill arrived the next morning. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:08
Commercial Fisherman Chris Hamilton Captures Life on the Water
One can only imagine what kinds of things true men of the sea witness while out on the water, their livelihood dependent on making good catches – quite a different sight from the landlubbers seeing traffic lights, stop signs, strip malls and so on. But Chris Hamilton, a lifelong Greenport resident and commercial fisherman, removed the need to imagine when he found a passion for photography aboard his father’s boat one morning. “Being a commercial fisherman on a trawler gives me a very unique perspective,” he says. “It’s not something 
that is widely viewed. It’s a pretty private lifestyle. It really was just being in the moment and kind of just realizing how lucky I was to spend some of those moments on the water with my dad. Fishing is hard, man; it’s a really hard way to make a living, especially these days. You’ve got to be really dedicated. There’s a reason why we do it, and it’s because it’s a beautiful lifestyle. You get to experience nature and in a real way that’s different from other types of work, being on the water. Water is probably the biggest inspiration for me in terms of my art.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:01
Safety board calls for changes two years after Nova Scotia fisherman’s death at sea
An investigation into how the Canadian Coast Guard responded to a Nova Scotia vessel in distress two years ago raises questions about why one fisherman died after a towing operation went awry. In an investigation report released Thursday, the Transportation Safety Board says the fishing boat F/V Mucktown Girl was returning to Canso, N.S., with five crew aboard on March 11, 2022, when it was disabled by electrical problems. The captain called for a tow from the coast guard as a storm was closing in. After a seven-hour voyage, the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Jean Goodwill reached the drifting boat and attached a 300-metre tow line to the smaller vessel’s bollard. But as the weather turned rough, the bollard broke off six hours into the recovery mission. At that point, the decision was made to let the fishing crew ride out the storm aboard the F/V Mucktown Girl rather than attach another tow line that could damage the boat. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:40
Commercial Dungeness crab season delayed until at least Dec. 16
Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab season is delayed coastwide until at least Dec. 16, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today. Pre-season testing shows Dungeness crabs are too low in meat yield in some ocean areas and have elevated domoic acid in crab viscera (guts) in two areas on the south coast. Targeted to open Dec. 1, Oregon’s ocean commercial Dungeness crab season can be delayed so consumers get a high-quality product and crabs are not wasted. The next round of crab meat yield and biotoxin testing will occur in the coming weeks. Results help determine if the season opens Dec. 16 or is further delayed or split into areas with different opening dates. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:28
California’s Squid Fishery: The Largest in the U.S. and an Economic Powerhouse
California holds a unique distinction in the United States as home to the largest squid fishery by both volume and revenue. While most Americans might think of squid as a side dish or appetizer at seafood restaurants, in California, market squid fishing has a deep-rooted history and serves as a significant contributor to the state’s commercial fishing economy. California’s market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens), commonly known as opalescent squid, not only drives revenue and jobs in the fishing industry but also exemplifies how sustainable practices are becoming integral to modern fisheries. From humble beginnings to MSC-certified status, California’s squid fishery is a fascinating example of how one invertebrate species has created waves in the fishing world. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:21
Future Canadian Coast Guard rescue boat hits the water
Quebec shipyard Chantier Naval Forillon (CNF) has floated out a new search and rescue (SAR) boat slated for the Canadian Coast Guard. The future CCGS Cascumpec Bay belongs to a series of 20 vessels built for the coast guard by CNF and Hike Metal Products of Ontario. Named after Cascumpec Bay off Prince Edward Island, the aluminium-hulled SAR boat was built to a design by naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) in compliance to Lloyd’s Register’s Special Service Craft rules. The RAL design is itself an improved variant of the Severn-class lifeboats operated by the UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:50
After a dramatic decline, lake trout have recovered in most of Lake Superior
After decades of work, fishery managers say lake trout have fully recovered in most of Lake Superior after the invasive, fish-killing sea lamprey decimated their numbers. The Lake Superior Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, which is made up of state, tribal and Canadian natural resource managers, announced the population’s recovery Wednesday. The lake trout population in Lake Superior dropped to dramatically low levels during the mid-1900s due to overfishing and an invasion of sea lampreys, eel-like parasites that suck the blood of their hosts. The parasitic fish spread to the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean, invading Lake Superior by 1938. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:03
Long Island Sound Lost Its Lobster Fishery. Is Cape Cod Bay Next?
Catches in Cape Cod Bay were good for many years, and prices were good, too. But lobstermen here started worrying in the late 1990s when the fishery collapsed in Long Island Sound. And that worry hasn’t gone away, because environmental changes here resemble those that were affecting Long Island Sound back then. In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Floyd in August 1999, the lobsters in Long Island Sound started coming up dead or lethargic, not making it back to the docks alive. Fall landings for all Connecticut ports dropped between 91 and 99 percent that year, according to a joint report of the state’s dept. of environmental protection and marine fisheries office published in 2000. Fast forward 25 years: hopes for a Long Island Sound population rebound have not panned out. A December 2021 report in the Portland Press Herald introduced Michael Grimshaw this way: “Grimshaw is believed to be the last full-time commercial lobsterman in Connecticut.” His traps used to bring in up to a few thousand pounds a day, wrote reporter David Abel. A good day was now getting him 50 pounds, Grimshaw told him. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Capt. Mike Rathgeber 08:40
Fishing Boat Raised From the Deep and Docked in Point Pleasant, But Will Be ‘Re-Sunk’
Crews from Northstar Marine led the effort to re-float the Susan Rose, which ran aground Nov. 17, 2023, after its captain missed a turn into Manasquan Inlet and ended up in the surf in Point Pleasant Beach. Salvage crews attempted to tow the boat to deeper water in the days that followed, however uncooperative weather and a broken tow line led to it sinking in about 100-feet of water a few thousand yards off the beach. Though rumors circulated that the Susan Rose, owned by The Town Dock Inc. of Narragansett, R.I., would be dismantled and sold for scrap, it will remain intact and ultimately be transported back to the ocean where it will be re-sunk. “The vessel owners are planning to donate [the boat] to the New Jersey Artificial Reef Program,” said Hajna. “The vessel will need to be cleaned and meet specific criteria before that can occur.” Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:56
Video: Resolve Marine Raises the Wreck of the Susan Rose
Resolve Marine has raised the wreck of the grounded fishing vessel Susan Rose, removing a navigation hazard just south of Asbury Park. The 77-foot trawler Susan Rose ran aground on Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey in November 2023. Four people abandoned ship into the surf, with assistance from the local authorities, and all emerged unscathed despite the dangerous circumstances. Photos, Video’s more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:25
U.S. International Trade Commission votes in favor of antidumping, countervailing duties on shrimp imports
Southeast Texas fishermen are celebrating a win after the U.S. International Trade Commission voted in favor of antidumping and countervailing duties on shrimp imports from four countries. On Wednesday morning, the U.S. International Trade Commission voted in favor of antidumping and countervailing duty petitions filed by the American Shrimp Processors Association against imports of frozen warm-water shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. As a result of the commission’s vote, duties ranging from 2.84% to 221.82% will be imposed on imports of shrimp from the four countries. “We are thrilled with the outcome of today’s vote,” said Trey Pearson, president of ASPA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:19
Dwan Street says FFAW won’t shy away from a fight as first woman to lead union takes reins
In a fiery introduction speech in front of members of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union, new leader Dwan Street said Tuesday her presidency also marks the start of a new era in the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery. “One where our voices will become louder. Where we are not afraid to rattle cages. And from what I’m hearing, there are a few rattled right now,” Street said in Gander. Street, originally from Spillar’s Cove on the Bonavista Peninsula, was elected in July as the first woman to lead the union that represents about 15,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador. She replaces former president Greg Pretty and takes the leadership as a time when the FFAW — a force in Newfoundland and Labrador labour, industry and politics for more than five decades — has been accused of not being tough enough in speaking up for members’ interests. High-profile protests earlier this year, for instance, were organized from outside the union’s leadership. Video, more >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:20
Commercial lobster fishers want total catch cut to help save WA fishery
Commercial fishers in Western Australia’s $285 million lobster industry say warning bells are ringing for the sector’s future sustainability, despite reassurances from state government scientists that stocks are at healthy levels. The commercial lobster industry is concerned due to the number of baby lobster, known as puerulus, being found along the coast, along with falling catch rates and revised economic modelling. As a result, the industry has requested its total catch be dropped next season from the current limit of 7,300 tonnes to 6,800 tonnes. Cervantes based fisher Michael Thompson supported the catch reduction and said it could have gone lower. “Our puerulus since 2007 till today is 50 per cent lower than what we used to receive back to the coast to our collectors,” he said. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:02
‘Dumping Day’ for southwest N.S. lobster season fast approaching
Lobster fishers in southwestern Nova Scotia are ‘gearing’ up their boats. Dumping Day for fishing areas 33 and 34, which stretches from Digby around to Halifax is scheduled for Monday. Dan Fleck with the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association says weather calls with port reps and DFO begin this Friday. “Any winds greater than 26 knots in any direction within the area, DFO will implement a closure for the day. It’s also possible port reps can open or close it, depending on what is safest for all, as safety is most important,” said Fleck. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:04
Bam! Scientists study wind farm construction noise impacts on lobsters… by making big noises
Thirteen feet below the surface of Woods Hole harbor, a lobster shelters under a plastic shield in a wire cage. An experiment is happening: every seven seconds on the dock above, a pile driver pounds a long, steel post deeper into the muddy harbor bottom nearby. The experiment happening here at this dock is designed to replicate, at small scale, the pile driving necessary to construct an offshore wind farm. The goal is to understand how a variety of marine creatures, not only lobsters, but other fish-market-friendly species like scallops, flounder, black sea bass, and squid respond to the noisy, intensive work of building an offshore wind farm. It’s something fishers and regulators are especially interested in. Already, the WHOI team’s earlier studies have shown that squid, which detect sound through vibration, responded dramatically to pile-driving noise — at least, at first. But it’s a different story for scallops, one of the highest value fisheries in the U.S. As soon as scallops were exposed to pile driving noise, they clammed up. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:59
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 52′ Steel Day Scalloper, Cummins NT-855 MI
To review specifications, information, with 36 photos’,>click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<. 06:28
