Daily Archives: March 28, 2025
DFO claims it can and will enforce law on First Nations fishers
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is claiming that it has the authority to enforce fisheries laws on two Nova Scotia First Nations, and that it can and will send officers into First Nations to enforce its regulations. In a March 18 letter to Sipekne’katik Chief Michelle Glasgow, DFO’s Maritimes region director general Doug Wentzell refuted claims that a series of court rulings deprived his department of authority to manage First Nations fishers.“The courts have repeatedly upheld the Crown’s role in regulating the fishery, as well as the use of licensing as part of fisheries management, even when regulating the exercise of Aboriginal or Treaty rights,” reads Wentzell’s letter, obtained by The Chronicle Herald. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:52
NOAA Hired an Anti-Wind Activist as Its Top Lawyer
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has hired a new general counsel who was, until recently, pursuing legal challenges to offshore wind farms on behalf of the fishing industry, Heatmap has learned. NOAA’s Fisheries division, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, regulates species protection within U.S. waters. Activists have sought to persuade the Trump administration to review the division’s previous and future approvals for offshore wind projects that interact with endangered marine life, which would be a huge win for the “wind kills whales” movement. Enter Anne “Annie” Hawkins, NOAA’s new general counsel, who comes to the agency after serving for years as the executive director of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, an organization founded in 2017 that has fought offshore wind projects on behalf of the fishing industry. Hawkins stepped down as RODA’s executive director last fall, shortly after Trump won the presidential election. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:22
Lobster landings fall to 15-year low; higher prices offset decline
the smallest total catch in 15 years, Maine’s lobstermen saw the second-highest price per pound ever paid at the dock in 2024, according to figures released by Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR). The year’s total catch of 86.1 million pounds was nearly 11 million pounds less than the 93 million pounds reported for 2023. By comparison, from 2010 through 2019, the state’s lobstermen caught more than 100 million pounds every year, with a record catch of 132,604,691 pounds in 2016. Offsetting the decline in the total catch numbers, the price per pound that lobstermen received at the dock rose to a near-record $6.14 from just $4.97 for the previous year, trailing only the $6.71 paid in 2021. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:28
Cod War captains meet for first time since clash
Some of the 43 trawler captains who were on opposite sides in the Cod Wars have met for the first time since the conflict to discuss how to commemorate the battle. Between the 1950s and 1970s, the UK sparred with Iceland over fishing rights in the North Atlantic, in what became known in the British press as the “Cod Wars”. The Icelandic ex-fishermen visited their British counterparts at the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre on Wednesday to learn how to mark the dispute in their native country. Jerry Thompson, chairman of the heritage centre and former fisherman, said: “We had three Cod Wars with Iceland and at the end of the day we are still absolute partners.” Photos, more. >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:30
Maine town celebrates as its oldest resident turns 104 years old
Edgar Post isn’t used to hearing applause in his honor. After a lifetime working as a lobsterman and then a quiet retirement, Edgar isn’t what most would consider a celebrity. But in the small village of Spruce Head, he is very much a person to be celebrated. Edgar Post, who has spent all but three years of his life here, just turned 104 years old. So, when he walked into the Community Hall on a recent Saturday, Edgar received a standing ovation from a sizeable crowd of old friends and neighbors. “He’s the oldest man in town” is how Edgar’s nephew, Buzzy Kinney, explains his uncle’s popularity. But it goes beyond that, he says: “Well, he’s got a good reputation in town.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:57
Hawaiʻi longline fishers experience ‘all-time low’ in profits
Hawaiʻi’s longline fishers are facing record lows in profits, according to a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For years, NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center has collected data on fishing trip costs and earnings for Hawaiʻi’s commercial longline fishery and surveyed 60 fishers to get data for 2022. PIFSC found that the average fishing vessel made around $808,000 in gross revenue that year. Of that, 54% went to trip costs like fuel, ice and bait, and 22% went to labor. After other costs, boat owners took home an average of 5%. Adjusted for inflation, that’s an average of about $44,000 in profit. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:51
Nantucket officials, group challenge 3 offshore wind projects
On Thursday, the town sued the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, requesting that the government “set aside” its record of decision approving SouthCoast Wind. Nantucket wants the government to restart its environmental review — a process that took more than three years to complete and culminated in key permits allowing the project to move forward with construction. Meanwhile, the Nantucket-based ACK for Whales (formerly known as Nantucket Residents Against Turbines) is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to rescind permits it granted to Vineyard Wind and New England Wind to construct and operate their offshore wind farms. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:37
