Daily Archives: December 23, 2024
From fish traps to factory trawlers — A ‘back to the future’ look at Seattle’s fishing industry
An advertiser-sponsored article in the Seattle Times gushed “Wild Alaska pollock’s fishing fleet is based right here in Seattle although all of the fish are caught in U.S. waters off of the coast of Alaska. This fishery benefits the economic growth of the entire region, including the North Pacific Fishing Fleet.” That includes 300 commercial fishing vessels of which 226 fish in Alaska. Many of the boats are huge catcher-processors — factory trawlers — that target pollock, cod, rockfish, flounders and other “groundfish” species. Alaska pollock alone is a 3 billion-pound fishery worth roughly $2 billion. And every year, the Seattle trawlers take home up to 76% of the value of ALL groundfish caught in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. It’s not a new scenario. Starting in 1885 and until Alaska became a state in 1959, Seattle companies used big traps to catch salmon throughout the territory. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:55 By Laine Welch
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Chapter 25.76 Lobster Minimum Size
This proposed rule-making incorporates the minimum lobster size required by Addendum XXVII: Increasing Protection of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Spawning Stock that was originally approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in May 2023. In October 2024 Addendum XXXI postponed the implementation of certain measures from Addendum XXVII to July 1, 2025. For compliance with the current Interstate Fisheries Management Plan, this regulation implements changing the minimum size of lobster from 3 ¼ inches to 3 5/16 inches, effective July 1, 2025. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:43
Tragedy avoided by ‘narrowest of margins’ after Irish trawler collided into oil tanker
A tragedy was narrowly avoided last year when an Irish trawler ran into the side of a large oil tanker in the Irish Sea around 90km off the Waterford coast, according to an official investigation into the collision. A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board found that the standard of look-out on both vessels was “wholly inadequate” and the “root cause” of the incident. The MCIB said the collective failure of both vessels to keep a proper look-out had led to a loss of situational awareness which made a collision inevitable. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:44
Cod is king in Portugal at Christmas
Salt cod has long been a national staple in Portugal, where it is said there are as many recipes for this humble fish as there are days in the year. And at Christmas the dried and salted fish is central to meals at family gatherings in Portugal, the world’s biggest consumer of “bacalhau” as it is called here, just as turkey is at Thanksgiving in the United States. The most traditional way to prepare salt cod is to bake it in the oven and serve it with boiled potatoes. But it can also be grilled, turned into fritters or even used to replace meat in a lasagna. When I’m asked to come up with a menu for Christmas, I am bound to suggest a salt cod recipe,” said chef Ricardo Simoes of the Federico restaurant located at a luxury hotel in central Lisbon. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:18
