Daily Archives: February 26, 2025
Imposter captain steals Westport fishing boat with crew onboard
An imposter stole a fishing vessel — with the crew still on board — from a dock in Westport, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police. WDFW Sergeant Alexander was reportedly patrolling in Westport when he “heard a radio call for a vehicle theft in progress; not the usual car or motorcycle theft, but an eight-million-dollar, 80-foot commercial fishing vessel, the Jamie Marie.” According to police, the imposter had boarded the boat, awoken the crew, and informed them that they needed to get underway. The newer crew who didn’t know the captain didn’t argue, thinking he was perhaps an alternate operator or sent by the real captain. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:09
Commercial Fisherman Mason C. Evich, 28, of Fairhaven died February 20, 2025. He was a devoted son, brother, and loyal friend.
He was everything wonderful. If you were lucky enough to know Mason, you LOVED him. A beacon of kindness, with a gentle soul that touched everyone he met, the pain we feel in losing him is indescribable. Born in Seattle, Washington, Mason was the loving son of Dagne (Sovik) Evich and the late Adam Evich. Mason’s love for fishing was passed down from his father, a lifelong commercial fisherman. Each summer, Mason accompanied his dad to Bristol Bay, Alaska, where they salmon fished together on the family’s fishing vessel. After graduating from Fairhaven High School, Mason attended the Northeast Maritime Institute, where he earned his associate degree and captain’s license. He later worked as a mate on commercial fishing vessels out of Cape May, NJ, and New Bedford, MA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:28
Lofstad v. Raimondo: Government Accountability and Constitutional Fidelity
Commercial fishing is a tough way to make a living. The industry is highly competitive; revenues from year to year can be highly variable; the work is physically demanding and dangerous; and fishermen find themselves at the mercy of severe weather and choppy waters on a daily basis. But even those challenges are less taxing than going up against the federal administrative state. But that’s exactly what two commercial fishermen did in Lofstad v. Raimondo. They won a decision in September from the Third Circuit that dealt a blow to a controversial fishing regulation promulgated by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The plaintiffs, Raymond Lofstad of Long Island and Gus Lovgren of New Jersey, are small-business owners who make their living fishing off the northeast Atlantic Coast, as three generations of their forefathers did before them. But in 2022, both Lofstad and Lovgren found their businesses besieged by new catch regulations promulgated by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council which is responsible for overseeing federal waters off the coast of the Mid-Atlantic region, from New York to North Carolina. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:52
FEDERAL SCALLOPS: February 27th at Maine Fishermen’s Forum; Scallop Strategic Plan Visioning Session
Notice to all Federal Scallop interested parties: The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking input for the development of a Scallop Strategic Plan. One of four sessions is scheduled to take place during the Maine Fishermen’s Forum. Rockport, Maine: Thursday, February 27, 2025, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Samoset Resort, 220 Warrenton Street To help staff with logistics, the public can respond to an attendance form. The full press release, corrected with working links, can be found 
here. 11:00
Commissioner Sid Miller backing Texas Rep Louderback’s proposal urging Federal Intervention to Save the Gulf Shrimp Industry
“The Texas and U.S. shrimp industry in the Gulf of America is facing a catastrophic crisis that threatens its survival. Our industry has faced years of devastation due to the influx of inferior, farm-raised, and foreign-imported shrimp, posing an existential threat to hardworking Gulf shrimpers. I stand with Representative A.J. Louderback (District 30, Texas House) in his effort to protect our Texas Gulf shrimp industry. His bill, HCR 76, urges the federal government to limit the mass importation of foreign shrimp, safeguard Gulf Coast shrimpers from unfair competition, and ensure consumers are protected from substandard shrimp that does not meet U.S. health and safety standards. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:11
Judge sides with DFO in elver quota dispute
A judge has refused to overturn a decision made last year by a federal fisheries official to maintain the total annual quota for the Maritime juvenile eel fishery at 9,960 kilograms, a number that hasn’t budged for two decades. A group of commercial licence holders have argued there’s science that backs up their push to increase the total allowable catch, which they say would encourage more people who are fishing without authorization to enter the legal system. The case was in Federal Court earlier this month. In a Feb. 21 decision, Justice Richard Southcott sided with the federal government, ruling the reasons underpinning the quota decision were “comprehensible and rational.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:37
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 50’x18′ Dixon Lobster/Scalloper, John Deere Diesel, Permits available
To review specifications, information, with 2 photos, >click here<. To see all the boats in this series >click here< 06:18
