Daily Archives: February 28, 2025
Maine: Commercial fishery value increases by $75M in 2024
Commercial seafood landings earned Maine harvesters $74 million more in 2024 than the year before, according to preliminary data the Maine Department of Marine Resources released Thursday. The higher value of Maine lobsters — a year-over-year increase of $46 million — helped drive $74 million more in earnings for commercial harvesters across the board. “During a year shaped by unprecedented storms and damage to our working waterfronts, Maine’s commercial fishermen, aquaculturists, and seafood dealers once again delivered a major economic benefit to our state,” said Gov. Janet Mills. Even though in 2024, Maine’s commercial lobster fishery rose in value, about 10 million less pounds of lobsters landed on the docks. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:24
Debris and diesel spill from Bermagui shipwreck prompt beach closures
Beaches at a popular New South Wales Far South Coast tourist town have become littered with debris after a commercial fishing vessel ran aground this week. The 19-metre-long fishing longliner washed onto the rocks near the Bermagui Headland around 5am on Thursday morning. Wallaga Lake resident Deborah O’Connell said debris was scattered across the region’s beaches after a “big swell” overnight left the boat “completely broken up”. The four people aboard the timber longliner made their way to shore by clambering over nearby rocks and wading through water after the collision. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:06
Sleeping with the fishes: It’s time to resurrect accountability in U.S. fishery regulation
If you’re expected to comply with hundreds of federal rules and regulations that affect your livelihood, wouldn’t you like to know that those rules come from people accountable to you in some way? That’s how our laws are made, after all. They come from Congress, which is accountable to the people through the democratic process. Yet much of what we call federal law comes in the form of rules that are not written by Congress but by unelected bureaucrats in hundreds of federal agencies. To make sure even bureaucrats are accountable, the Constitution usually requires them to be appointed by the president, with Senate confirmation if they have significant authority, like the power to issue rules with the force of law. Unfortunately, Congress often side-steps the Constitution by giving the job of appointing certain officers to someone else. A good example is the regulation of marine fisheries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:40
Four Lafayette seafood restaurants found potentially noncompliant with Louisiana shrimp labeling laws
A recent study by SeaD Consulting found that four Lafayette-area seafood restaurants are misrepresenting their shrimp menu items to the public. SeaD Consulting partners with the seafood industry and academic and governmental institutions to conduct genetic testing of seafood species, in order to uncover labeling and substitution fraud in restaurants. On Feb. 27, SeaD released the results of their investigation into the Lafayette-area market. After conducting random genetic testing on shrimp dishes from 24 local restaurants, the group found that 33% of the sampled restaurants are serving farm-raised imported shrimp. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:26
Most Maine lobstermen have resisted alternative fishing gear. A new initiative hopes to change that
Brooke Hachey of the Sunrise County Economic Council is leading a demonstration of a kind of “on demand,” sometimes called “ropeless” lobster fishing gear. In a bid to protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction, many scientists are promoting this kind of alternative lobster fishing gear that minimizes the risks of entanglement. While some lobstermen in Massachusetts have agreed to use this new gear in exchange for accessing closed areas of Cape Cod Bay, most Maine lobstermen have been reluctant — if not outright resistant — to the new technology. The state, along with a coalition of other partners, have launched a new gear testing and lending program in effort to — at least — change the conversation. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:54
Remembering Mason Evich: GoFundMe set up for Fairhaven man killed in head-on crash
Friends and family of 28-year-old Mason Evich remember him as someone who will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. The commercial fisherman tragically lost his life in a head-on crash on the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge on Feb. 20, and heartfelt tributes are flooding in to honor his memory. A GoFundMe, Honoring Mason’s Life with Love, was started by Ryley Santos as a tribute to Evich. To date it has raised more than $58,000, exceeding the initial $25,000 goal. A group of friends got together and wrote a tribute to Evich on GoFundMe. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ 06:53
