Daily Archives: March 15, 2025
As Alaska’s crab industry struggles, herring fishermen are losing their market
Captain Dan Veerhusen and Jan, his wife, run the F/V Taurus, one of the few remaining boats that still fish herring in the Bering Sea. Last summer, in Sand Point, the couple were preparing the 58-foot seiner for what would be Veerhusen’s 30th-or-so season. He’s been fishing herring since 1988, when Unalaska’s Port of Dutch Harbor was at the center of a multimillion-dollar crab boom. “I love herring fishing. It’s real fishing.” he said. “It was a regular, competitive fishery back then. But these days, there’s ourselves, another boat, maybe three boats out there.” The herring fishery in the Bering Sea boomed in the early 20th century but struggled after World War II as Americans lost their appetite for the fish. Demand increased again in the 1970s when the Bering Sea crab industry took off, creating a demand for herring as baitfish. links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:50
Fishermen could face stricter catch limits as Trump slashes NOAA
On a recent Wednesday, many crews on New Bedford’s fishing piers were doing gear work for their next trip, as Eric Hansen repaired the cabinets in the galley of The Intrepid, one of his two scallop boats. People on the docks have known for weeks about the mass firing at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but Hansen said most people don’t realize how it will affect them yet. “Some are welcoming the cuts, saying that the government has been their downfall and there’s too many regulations,” Hansen said. “And I don’t share that opinion.” Hansen, a former captain from a fishing family where five consecutive generations entered the industry, said that’s because he remembers when the scallop fishery hit rock bottom. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:54
A woman in a (lobster)man’s world
At 81, Susan Michaud is a lifelong lobsterman, born into a family deeply rooted in the trade. “My father had three girls, and I happened to be the middle child, so I became the son,” she said. When Michaud started high school at 14, her father found a unique way to support her financially — by putting her to work. He made it clear he wouldn’t be giving her any spending money, but he did provide her a 16-foot wooden Amesbury skiff, 50 traps, bait and a crate. He told her he would sell the lobsters she caught and give her the money. Michaud had already joined the Atlantic Lobstermen’s Co-Operative, which allowed her to sell them directly. “For four years, I went lobstering with my 50 traps. It was fantastic,” she said. “I saw a girlfriend the other day, and she said, ‘You know, you were the only one in high school who had money. You were the only one who had their own car.” photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:46
At N.C. Marine Fisheries meeting, commercial fisherman voice frustration with regulation
Facing skeptical and sometimes fiery comments from commercial and recreational fishing interests from Beaufort to the Outer Banks, the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission met at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk on March 12 and 13 for the first quarterly meeting of 2025. It was the first time since November of 2018 that the commission has met on the Outer Banks. More than 30 speakers addressed the commission, consistently calling out what they criticized as questionable science and data and the effect it has had on the commercial fishing industry. “Over-regulation has been the default course, and commercial fishermen have borne the front of it,” Joe Romano, a commercial fisherman from Wilmington told the commission. “We called it a death by a thousand cuts, one rule after another, reducing access, increasing cost, driving more water men out of business. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:58
How the Alabama Seafood Labeling Law is affecting Gulf Coast industry
Almost a year after being signed into law, residents should be beginning to see impacts the Alabama Seafood Labeling Law is having on the local industry. The Seafood Labeling Law was signed into law in May 2024, requiring in-state food establishments, such as grocery stores, restaurants, food trucks and in-store delis, to disclose and label whether any seafood being served was imported or domestically produced, as well as whether the seafood was farm-raised or wild-caught. Sellers are encouraged, but not required, to disclose the country of origin of imported foreign fish or shellfish. It also requires seafood suppliers who sell to these establishments within the state to disclose the country of origin so the retailers can accurately inform customers. It does not apply to ingredients in processed food. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:47
Hitting pause: Talks to set price for 2025 snow crab season in NL on hold
There’s still no deal, but both sides trying to hammer out a new pricing formula for Newfoundland and Labrador’s snow crab fishery have agreed to pause talks until March 19. That will be one day after Seafood Expo North America, the major annual seafood show in Boston, where this year’s provincial delegation will be looking to convince American buyers that tariffs placed on Canadian exports, including seafood, are not a good thing for the sector. The negotiators from both FFAW-Unifor, the union that represents fish harvesters and plant workers, and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), which represents fish processing companies, have met several times since the middle of January to try to hammer out a snow crab price for the 2025 season. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:38
