Daily Archives: March 25, 2025
NOAA slowdowns and new science delay the usual ‘scramble’ to set fishing catch limits
The start of this year’s commercial fishing season could be a bust for fishermen who catch groundfish species like cod, haddock and flounder. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has yet to approve new catch limits for the season slated to open May 1. People in the fishing industry said the annual process has been delayed by changes to the science used to measure cod populations, and the Trump administration’s cuts to the agency. The fishery is in the final week of the current season, and if the regulations aren’t finalized in time for the new season to begin, the fishery may close. That would deal a blow to many fishermen who already struggle to make a living.” People’s livelihoods and businesses depend on it,” said retired groundfish fisherman Frank Mirarchi of Scituate. A delay would be especially hard coming off a brutal winter that Mirarchi said hurt many fishermen’s bottom line. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:29
Shrimp bill hits rough waves in Georgia Senate
With little more than a week remaining in this year’s meeting of the Georgia General Assembly, a bill to help protect the livelihoods of Coastal Georgia shrimpers from the deluge of imported foreign shrimp has run into uncertain waters. The culprit, says Coastal Georgia shrimp advocate John Wallace, is the restaurant industry. The measure, introduced in January by Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah) and co-sponsored by Al Williams (D-Midway), Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick), Buddy DeLoach (R-Townsend), and Lehman Franklin (R-Statesboro), would require restaurants and other food service establishments to inform customers of the origin of their shrimp and other seafood. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:51
Raising the sealing: Central Newfoundland Conservative candidate promises to revive beleagured seal hunt
The incumbent Member of Parliament for Central Newfoundland is vowing to bring back the seal hunt in the province. In an announcement made via a social media video post from outside the closed seal processing plant in Fleur de Lys on the Baie Verte Peninsula, Conservative candidate Clifford Small said restoring the seal harvest would bring balance to the ocean ecosystem and protect harvesting jobs and a way of life that has fallen by the wayside in recent times. Small — who was first elected in 2021 to represent the riding formerly known as Coast of Bays-Central-Nortre Dame — alleged the Liberal government has been trying to end the harvest. For the last decade, he said, the Liberal government has refused to listen to workers in the fishing industry and to evidence that showed unchecked seal and sea lion populations were depleting fish stocks. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:14
Retired Commercial Lobsterman Arthur Francis Smith of Charlestown, R.I. has passed away
Arthur Francis Smith (81) passed away on March 22, 2025, in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Arthur was born on April 8, 1943, in Providence, Rhode Island. Arthur attended LaSalle Academy and Hope High School before embarking on a career as a machinist at Brown & Sharpe. In 1979, he transitioned to commercial lobster fishing, a profession that became his life’s work until his retirement ten years ago. His time on the water reflected both his skill and deep connection to the sea. Arthur is survived by his devoted wife, Solveig B. Smith, who lovingly cared for him at home during the last 16 months of his life. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:14
Carney calls NL ‘a model for the country’ during campaign stop in Gander, promises changes to fishery
Mark Carney’s brief tour through Newfoundland and Labrador resumed on Tuesday, March 24, in Gander. Standing in the famed International Lounge at the Gander International Airport, the Canadian Prime Minister warned the United States against any transgressions, tariff or otherwise, and touted the work his party has done over the last nine days, just as he had in St. John’s a day earlier. “It’s entirely right that the harvesters were there yesterday,” he said. “The Minister of Fisheries met with some of the representatives last evening. I understand their frustrations, given the situation in the water. more, >>CLICK TO READ<<07:20
Louisiana Shrimpers Are Fighting To Preserve A Historic Gulf Industry
It’s hard to nail down Dino Pertuit. I finally catch the Louisiana seafood legend early in the morning, and we chat while he drives back from a shrimping expedition, the phone call dropping at least three times along the way. His rich Cajun accent and the rumblings of his truck in the background make it hard for me to decipher everything he’s saying. But one sentence stands out crystal clear: “I’m going to do it until I die,” he says of shrimping. And at 57 years old, he’s one of the younger ones who keep it going. A third-generation shrimper, Pertuit has watched as prices for his Gulf catch have stagnated, but the hard work of harvesting it has stayed the same. He says his shrimp commanded about $3.50 a pound in the 1980s and today they still hover around that price—while the costs for everything else, like fuel and boat insurance, have only gone up. His product remains highly coveted; he supplies shrimp to many of New Orleans’ top restaurants, including Herbsaint and Cochon. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:29
