Monthly Archives: November 2024
3Ps Stock Assessment Update Highlights Need to Ban Offshore Draggers and Address Seal Predation
11/5/2024 – Today’s technical briefing by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on the 3Ps cod stock assessment delivered news that the south coast species has not experienced much growth in recent years, leaving harvesters concerned for the stock’s future and the impact the offshore dragger fishery is having on the stock’s recovery. FFAW is once again reiterating the need to ban factory draggers from all cod species in Newfoundland and Labrador, citing the continued and lasting damaged caused by draggers fishing on pre-spawning aggregations. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:57
Jersey fisherman hopes new lobster label could help keep island’s fishing industry afloat
A Jersey fisherman hopes his new lobster label will raise public awareness about the island’s crustaceans in an attempt to increase demand among consumers. Last month, Ian Syvret won the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) ‘Fishing Hero of the Year’ award for creating a new single-use label which includes the name of the fisher who caught the lobster. The blue label is attached to the lobster so it can be released alive and safe rather than clipping or marking the creature’s body. Ian’s award means that lobsters caught in Jersey can now be sold commercially with MSC eco status, which means he can now sell lobster to whoever he wants. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:08
Court open to upholding US fishing monitor rule even without ‘Chevron’ doctrine
Lifelong Commercial Fisherman Jonas R. Porter of Woodville, Florida, has passed away
Jonas R. Porter, 86, of Woodville, passed away November 3, 2024. Jonas was born in Sopchoppy and remained a life-long resident of this area. He was a Commercial Fisherman all of his life and was a true fishing storyteller; you never knew if it was the truth or not and he always got a good laugh. Jonas has always been a voice for all fishermen; he stood for what he believed in. He also was a Handyman and enjoyed building things, also enjoyed music, singing and playing the guitar. Jonas loved his family and friends and spoiled his grandkids; he loved people. He would want you to know that he supported Trump. more, >>CCLICK TO READ<< 05:56
Redfish harvesters call on Ottawa to reverse decision requiring observers for each trip
Fish harvesters on the west coast of Newfoundland are calling on Ottawa to overturn a decision they say could keep them from fishing for redfish and brought their concerns to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans office in Corner Brook on Monday. Dwan Street, president-elect of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union, said harvesters face the requirement of an at-sea observer, which ensures compliance with fishery guidelines on every trip they take. Observers must also be paid for by harvesters, with DFO saying those who benefit from the resource should assist in paying for its management. A crowd of around 60 people took calls for change to the DFO office in Corner Brook Monday, which was closed before protestors arrived. For fishermen like Conway Caines, the issue boils down to two main factors: Not enough observers are available, and it’s another added expense crews might not be able to handle. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:36
Sweden says no to 13 offshore wind farms
The sea-based wind power makes it more difficult to defend Sweden, says the Swedish Armed Forces. Now the government is stopping 13 planned parks in large parts of the Baltic Sea. On Monday, the government decided on 14 wind farms. Only one gets the go-ahead, while 13 planned parks will not get permission to build. The parks in the Baltic Sea, which were supposed to be located outside Åland in the north along the entire east coast down to the Sound, are now rejected. The government believes that it would lead to unacceptable consequences for Sweden’s defense to build the current projects in the Baltic Sea area, says Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) at a press meeting with Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) and Energy and Industry Minister Ebba Busch (KD). more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:54
Saskatchewan ‘s cold-water fish is making waves on the European market
Once the temperature drops, the fishing industry heats up in a small village in northern Saskatchewan thanks to the tullibee and after five years it’s still going strong. “They are saving the Pinehouse fishing industry,” said Lionel Smith, commercial fisherman from his home on Pinehouse Lake. The tullibee, also known as a northern cisco, lake herring or chub, is a small roughly two-pound fish found in northern cold-water lakes. Once, commercial fishermen in Pinehouse would cast the petite fish from their nets in favour of much larger and tastier fish. But food connoisseurs across the ocean have changed that narrative. The once seemingly undesirable fish is harvested for its roe and is a rare delicacy in Europe. As a result, the tullibee is providing a lucrative income for fish harvesters. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:09
Opposition to seal ban grows within EU, where hunters alliance is optimistic rules will change
A group representing hunters in the Nordic countries says it’s more optimistic than ever that the European Union will lift a longtime ban on trading seal products. The regulation, implemented in 2009 after a highly successful campaign from animal rights groups, deprived Canadian sealers of their primary market. “Our hope and expectation is that the ban will be reversed, and that trade can be possible again,” said Johan Svalby, senior advisor for international affairs at the Nordic Hunters Alliance. Since beginning its review of the current regulations, thousands of individuals and organizations have participated in consultations, including the Canadian, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut and Northwest Territories governments, which argued for removing the ban. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:27
Scallop Boat Virtual Tour
New Bedford, home to fishing of nearly all types, is the most valuable commercial fishing port in the United States, and the world’s sea scallop capital. The two largest fisheries in the harbor are divided between the ground-fishermen and those who scallop, with hundreds of vessels of each type operating out of the port. F/V Huntress, built in 1979, is typical in both size and layout for the scalloping fleet in the area, and her trips to sea last between five and fourteen days. Take the tour! more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:19
Fisheries Minister Rejects Opposition’s Approach to Processing Controversy, Hints at ‘Significant’ Regulatory Changes
Provincial Fisheries Minister Gerry Bryne is hinting that some “significant changes” could be coming in relation to fish processors who run afoul of the regulatory process. Royal Greenland, which owns Quin-Sea, is currently before the Labour Relations Board after the Association of Seafood Producers filed an urgent application against the company. According to the FFAW, Royal Greenland failed to provide sales data on 5-8 ounce sections of crab delivered to Boston as required for a third-party review of 2024 snow crab sales. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:25
New partnership delivers locally caught seafood to San Diegans in need
San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group (SDFWG) and Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank have established a partnership to provide fresh fish caught by local fishermen for families and individuals experiencing food insecurity in San Diego. Through February 2025, the collaboration will expand the Food Bank’s offerings, ensuring that more San Diegans have access to nutrient-dense seafood. “We want all San Diegans to enjoy locally sourced seafood, and partnering with the San Diego Food Bank creates that opportunity,” said Pete Halmay, president of the SDFWG and longtime San Diego commercial fisherman. “Our hardworking fishermen look forward to supporting the community with healthy, sustainable food for their families. Plus, buying local seafood leads to a shorter supply chain, reduces our carbon footprint, and provides the healthiest fish.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:28
South Carolina shrimpers are in troubled waters. Here’s how the industry is seeking relief
South Carolina shrimpers are in a fight for their industry’s future. Facing pressures from foreign countries shipping in cheap, frozen catches in abundance, domestic shrimpers have been unable to compete. Bryan Jones is a first-generation shrimper in McClellanville. Before his life became centered around nets and saltwater and fresh catch, he was a vice president of a wealth management firm in Florida. The work is exhausting and the days on the deck of his trawler, the Pamela Sue, are long, Jones said. There are risks involved with shrimping — financial, environmental, physical — but he saw an opportunity to create a livelihood for his family and couldn’t resist. He joins at a time when fishermen are struggling, and more are deciding to leave the trade altogether. “The average age of a shrimp boat captain, I believe, is 65,” Jones said. “What we need is an injection of youth in the industry to sustain it.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:21
Historic Cortez Fishing Village continues work despite hurricane damage
The Cortez Fishing Village has weathered a lot, but Hurricanes Helene and Milton put them to the test. “I’ve seen other storms that hurt us in different ways, but this one hurt literally thousands and thousands of people,” said Kent Nixon, a stone crab fisherman who has been part of the Cortez Fishing Village for decades. Docks were damaged during Hurricane Helene and are now being replaced. Milton also damaged the roof of the A.P. Bell Fish Company’s fish house. Clean-up continues all around the fishing village as crews and boats work on the water. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:05
‘A friend to everybody’: Sitka man killed in bear mauling remembered by colleagues
Tad Fujioka was an avid outdoorsman whose love of fishing led him to trade the engineering field for the commercial trolling one. But Fujioka, whose body was found Wednesday north of Sitka following search and rescue efforts, the victim of a bear mauling, is being remembered less for what he did and more for the type of person he was. “I mean, everybody that knew him, liked him,” said longtime friend and colleague, Norman Pillen, president of Seafood Producers Cooperative (SPC) in Sitka. Fujioka was the board chair for SPC and a big advocate for the commercial fishing industry. He was a strong family man and man of many talents, Pillen said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:04
Nantucket Commercial Scalloping Season Opens; Fisherman Getting $12 Per Pound
Nantucket’s commercial scalloping season opened Friday morning with roughly 20 boats returning to the water as temperatures hovered in the 60s. But how was the scalloping itself on opening day? Naturally, it depends on who you ask. “It wasn’t that great,” said Marty Mack as he was unloading his catch at Straight Wharf. “I thought it would be a lot better because of the seed we had last year. I’ve seen a lot worse. But I’ve seen a lot better. It’s below average I’d say, I’ve been doing it 41 years and it’s nothing great right now. Where’d all that seed go? I don’t know if some of it died.” Kona Hosier and Ron Janes were getting back to the Boat Basin with their limit around the same time. “I’d say it was great,” Hosier said. “The efforts that were put forth (referring to the seed), we’re reaping the benefits now.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:49
A major fisheries advocate, Sitkan Tad Fujioka found dead in apparent bear mauling
The call that Tad Fujioka was overdue could not have come at a worse time. On the evening of October 29, Sitka and the outer coast of Southeast were being lashed by a windstorm, with some gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour. Fire Chief Craig Warren says Air Station Sitka launched a helicopter, nevertheless, equipped with Forward-Looking-Infrared (FLIR), to search an area about ten miles north of Sitka in Nakwasina Sound. Fujioka was believed to be returning to an area where he had shot a deer on Monday in much better weather and had cached part of the carcass. The shock reverberated quickly around Sitka. Norm Pillen is the President of Seafood Producers Cooperative, where Fujioka was board chair. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:47
Is U.S. Wild-Caught Shrimp Sustainable? The Short Answer Is Yes
U.S.-harvested shrimp is nutritious, delicious… and sustainable! The shrimp fishery has also historically been a culturally important economic engine. It provides a livelihood for thousands of U.S. commercial fishermen. U.S. shrimp are a sustainable seafood option, and the United States sets a global precedent for shrimp trawl bycatch reduction. But our nation’s shrimp industry is struggling to stay afloat and there’s confusion about its sustainability. Here are the facts about U.S. wild-caught shrimp. Most U.S. shrimp are caught in the Southeast from Texas to North Carolina. Three species—white shrimp, pink shrimp, and brown shrimp—make up the vast majority of the shrimp caught. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:22
New Report Suggests “Whale Psychiatrist” Trump May be Right About Wind Farms and Whales
US Bureau of Ocean Management report says whales, dolphins, birds and bats can all be injured by wind turbine construction, and offshore fishing harmed. Trump has been an advocate for keeping America clean and healthy. He has not advocated for the anti-carbon push based on pseudoscience and the rush into green energy projects put forth by environmentalists. Admittedly. the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has officials saying they have found no evidence linking offshore wind turbines to whale deaths. However, a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has just released a new report that said whales, dolphins, birds and more can be exposed to “unavoidable adverse impacts” by the construction of offshore wind farms. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:50
New Federal Report: Offshore Wind Farm Construction Can Harm Whales, Birds, Fisheries – >>CLICK TO READ<<
Owner of fishing trawler which sank off West Cork coast disputes finding of official investigation
The owner of a fishing trawler which sank off the West Cork coast has disputed the findings of an official investigation into the incident which concluded the sinking was due to a series of failures relating to faulty equipment, crew training, safety management and poor regulatory compliance. Instead, Wexford-based firm, R&E Fish Limited, blamed the sinking of its 24-metre vessel, Ellie Adhamh, off Bull Rock on March 28, 2021, on a collision with a naval patrol ship which was attempting to attach a towline to it on the previous evening. A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) listed 12 different factors which contributed to “a very serious marine casualty” which had put the lives of the vessel’s seven crew and rescue personnel at risk. more, CCLICK TO READ<< 07:52
Maine lobstermen worried about cuts to how much herring they can catch for bait
Fishermen in Maine say they’re dealing with a new setback: a nearly 90 percent cut in how much herring they can bring in to bait lobster. Congressman Jared Golden says he’s opposed to the limit, which would reduce the herring catch by 89 percent over three years. “What was troubling with this decision is there was no impact study done to us as fishermen, just an environmental study that was based on essentially one year of a proper study, to have implications to destroy an entire economic sector of Maine,” fisherman Ryan Raber said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:19