Daily Archives: February 20, 2025
Snow crab quotas way up for some Cape Bretoners, way down for others
Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab fishermen are learning who’ll be winners and losers when quotas are divided up for the 2025 season. At a meeting with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in Moncton this week, the commercial fishermen in Area 19 (near shore in western Cape Breton) learned they’ll get a 42 per cent quota increase. That’ll offset quota cuts in the past two years that equaled about the same. The much larger Area 12 fishery, which covers the central Gulf of St. Lawrence all the way to New Brunswick, meanwhile, can expect to see an over 20 per cent cut to their quota. Demand for snow crab is high in the United States, where 85 per cent of what’s caught in the southern Gulf goes. Prices were around $4 a pound last year and it was hoped to be higher this season. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of a 25 per cent tariff could hurt everyone’s bottom line. “We’re waiting on Trump, like every industry from forestry to mining,” said MacLean. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:22
‘Save our Science’ rallies – with some of the best protest signs so far – bring fight against Trump cuts to Montlake Blvd E
Montlake Blvd E above 520 isn’t where you might typically see a protest in Seattle but a “Save our Science” demonstration there Wednesday morning caught the city’s attention. Workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are raising alarms over looming job cuts they say threaten critical scientific research, fisheries sustainability, and the livelihoods of coastal communities. Speaking anonymously out of fear for their jobs, employees at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Alaska Fisheries Science Center are calling attention to the far-reaching consequences of federal funding and staffing reductions. 13 Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:38
Large fishing boat overturns and leaks near Bella Bella; fishermen rescued
A 58-foot fishing vessel, the Western Gambler, has run aground near Napier Point, about three kilometres south of Bella Bella. Early in the morning on Feb. 19, the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) received a report that a craft was taking on water and tilting to one side. The Bella Bella lifeboat station crew responded quickly to help with the situation. “The CCGS Cape Farewell and our Bella Bella Fast Rescue Craft arrived on-scene and rescued the four fishermen onboard,” said the Canadian Coast Guard on behalf of the Unified Command group formed to respond to this incident The Unified Command group is a consortium of local and federal agencies including the CCG and DFO. No human injuries have been reported. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:46
Commercial Fisherman Norman E. Carter, better known as “Pepa” of Waldoboro, Maine. has passed away
Norman E. Carter, better known as “Pepa,” passed away Jan. 18, 2025, in Bremen from his battle with cancer. He was born in Damariscotta on Nov. 19, 1961, the son of Fernald and Carrie Sanborn Carter. He was a lifelong resident of Waldoboro and attended Waldoboro schools; he began his career as a fisherman. Norman went to New Bedford, Mass. and worked on a scallop boat. He made many trips there. When he was home, he was a hard worker and took care of his family as a clamdigger, lobsterman, shrimping, elvering, and other jobs. He cut his own wood and hauled it to keep his family warm; family was everything to him. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:12
Lobster dealer released from custody in southwest N.S. extortion case
A 65-year-old lobster dealer from southwest Nova Scotia accused of multiple counts of intimidation has been released from custody pending trial, following a hearing Wednesday in provincial court. Eric David Thibault had been in custody since early February when he, along with his son and another man, were accused of trying to extort $10,000 from a former fisherman at his home near Saulnierville, N.S. Judge Chris Manning released both Thibault and his son, Zacharie David Thibault, 32, on Wednesday. Details of the hearing in Annapolis Royal provincial court, including the reasons cited by the judge, are banned from publication. The Crown was seeking to keep the pair in custody before their trial and to have their bail revoked on earlier charges related to their arrests in December in another alleged intimidation case. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:18
California Fish and Game Commission approve emergency regulations for coonstripe shrimp fishery, EFP to test longlining gear
The California Fish and Game Commission announced the adoption of emergency regulations for the commercial coonstripe shrimp fishery. In addition, the CFGC also announced the approval of an experimental fishing permit (EFP) to test longlining gear in the Dungeness crab fishery, among other action affecting California’s natural resources during their February 12 and 13 meetings in Sacramento. Officials say that the emergency regulations were adopted for the commercial coonstripe shrimp (Pandalus danae) fishery in order to reduce the risk of whale entanglement in the fishing gear. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:30
