Daily Archives: January 16, 2025
Video: Coast Guard, others rescue 2 fishermen near Kodiak, Alaska
The Coast Guard rescued two fishermen after their vessel capsized near Kodiak Wednesday afternoon. Watchstanders at the 17th Coast Guard District Command Center received a distress alert from the fishing vessel F/V Tanusha’s emergency position indicating radio beacon at 9:48 a.m. Wednesday. Watchstanders directed the launch of a helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak and requested assistance from the Alaska State Troopers. The watchstanders also made attempts to contact vessels near the location of the distress signal via radio. Crewmembers aboard the fishing vessel F/V Victory received the request for assistance and navigated towards Tanusha’s last known location. The crew of the Victory located the Tanusha capsized and two fishermen in a life raft. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew hoisted the two fishermen with the help of the Alaska State Trooper vessel Stimson, and transported them to awaiting emergency medical services personnel in Kodiak in stable condition. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:38
Trump to Rescue Maine’s Lobstermen
The end is coming for overregulation – including fisheries. Good ideas can become excessive, necessitating curtailment, and a restoration of balance. Maine’s lobstermen – pounded by regulations – represent a shocking example of industry overregulation. Trump is about to save them. Even before last week, Maine’s lobstermen were suffering. In my youth, growing up in Maine limits on who, how, and where one lobstered were largely self-set, lobstermen knowing well where they put their traps, respecting others, one trap per line, and no overfishing. The reason for respect among lobstermen, no overfishing, limits what was kept (no breeders, no shorts), how many traps, when seasons started and finished, was self-preservation. Boats were handed from fathers to sons, sometimes daughters, with respect for the sea. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:21 By Robert Charles
Crane barge set to lift and recover fishing boat wreck in Kawau Bay
A barge crane will recover a fishing boat which sunk off Moturekareka Island in Kawau Bay. The boat was returning home when its skipper reported the vessel taking on water off Moturekareka Island, in Kawau Bay north of Auckland. The fishermen turned the vessel towards land to investigate but the boat sank before they could do any more. Auckland Harbour Master Andrew Hayton said a crane barge is on its way to the wreck and is expected to recover the vessel later today. “A wreck buoy was placed above the location of the sunken fishing vessel in Kawau Bay on Wednesday morning to mark its position to passing vessels so they can keep clear,” he said. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:31
Shoaling in Montauk Inlet an ‘Emergency’
Right after Tuesday’s East Hampton Town Board meeting, at which Councilman David Lys once again spoke of the urgent need to dredge the shoaling Lake Montauk Inlet, he got an assist from Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, who that day wrote to Col. Alex Young of the United States Army Corps of Engineers asking him “to utilize emergency funding to dredge the Montauk Inlet and deepen the channel to at least 17 feet.” “While dredging is scheduled for the inlet sometime in the future, the problem is now,” the county executive wrote. “Some of the Montauk fishing fleet have been landing their catch in Port Judith, R.I., rather than risk the passage of the Montauk Inlet. This has economic consequences for New York State. Currently Montauk is the state’s largest fishing point. Landing fish in Rhode Island could result in New York State getting lower fishing quotas.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:41
NEFSA defeats menace to iconic Maine lobster
Lobstermen in Maine are breathing a sigh of relief after regulators walked back a plan that would have put many fishermen out of business. The state of Maine will not cooperate with a dangerous regulatory proposal to raise minimum allowable catch size for lobster after a spirited hearing on January 9th. The size increase would have deprived lobstermen of their most popular products, further straining their multi-generational businesses and historic communities. “Lobstermen everywhere are relieved that the Maine Department of Resources stepped back from the brink,” said NEFSA COO Dustin Delano, a fourth generation lobsterman. “Raising the minimum catch size would have driven countless lobstermen off the water and opened our market to foreign competitors.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:10
Proposed federal whale rule that would have devastated NC businesses has been withdrawn
A federal rule proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) that would have dealt a devastating blow to businesses and tourism along the East Coast from Massachusetts to Florida and including North Carolina, has been withdrawn by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) Vessel Strike Reduction Rule, proposed by NOAA, would have restricted vessels greater than or equal to 35 feet (10.7 m) and less than 65 feet (19.8 m) in length to 10 knots (roughly 11 mph) along much of the Eastern Seaboard during the whales’ migration and calving season, from November to May. NMFS said it withdrew the proposed rule in light of numerous and ongoing requests from the public for further opportunities to review and engage with the NOAA on the proposal. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:43
Local fishing boats depart for Alaska
A number of the larger commercial fishing boats that call Newport’s Yaquina Bay their home headed out last week for the annual trek to Alaska’s Bering Sea. It can take eight to 10 days for them to make the journey up north, depending on the weather. Boats from Newport will be docking either at Dutch Harbor or Kodiak, where they will be based while fishing for pollack and cod, a fishery that generally lasts for several months. The Port of Newport’s International Terminal was hopping with activity last week as boat owners and their crews made final preparations. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:32
