Daily Archives: May 4, 2025
Sea lion attacks surge at B.C. fish farms, prompting requests for rubber bullets
A number of B.C. fish farms have seen a spike in attacks from sea lions, prompting multiple companies to request the use of rubber bullets as a deterrent, internal government communications reveal. Sea lions “have breached the system and are being aggressive to staff,” wrote Krista Sandberg, regional manager of aquaculture environmental operations at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, describing the situation at a fish farm run by the aquaculture company Mowi near Port Hardy. “[They] have requested to [use] rubber bullets to gain control of the situation.” It was the second use of aggressive sea lion deterrents at the facility this season, said Sandberg, whose emails — including the one dated Feb. 5 — were released under federal Access to Information and Privacy Laws. Elsewhere off B.C.’s coast, Sandberg told colleagues this has been the “worst sea lion season to date” at a fish farm in Clayoquot Sound’s Fortune Channel. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:35
No One Would Take Me Fishing, So I Stowed Away on a Commercial Boat
Fourteen years old and goggle-eyed with excitement, I was fresh from a farm on the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound, and I’d crept aboard the Hilda, a plodding trawler crusted with spray. Rangy, rugged Jake Brannon, a commercial fisherman who moored the Hilda in a tidal river near our village, was the skipper. Though I was aboard the vessel without his consent, Jake and I weren’t strangers. Most of my experience in saltwater fishing up to then had come because I’d helped him pull lobster pots and beam-trawl nets, tong for quahogs, and handle lines for blackfish, fluke, weakfish, and bluefish. I never thought of such activities as work-like hoeing corn and pitching hay. The sea and fishing fascinated me. Jake’s gift for spinning yarns was partly to blame for my stowing away. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:45
Fishermen hold the key to solving Kenai setnet fishermen crisis
Last summer, a quiet revolution unfolded on the shores of the Kenai Peninsula. A group of setnet fishermen — barred and facing economic ruin from their traditional fishery to protect dwindling king salmon — stepped into a new role: scientific collaborators. Testing set-beach seines as an alternative to gillnets, they proved something remarkable. Not only did they catch abundant sockeye; but, without exception, every king salmon encountered swam away unharmed. This wasn’t just conservation — it was partnership. These fishermen didn’t just follow protocols; they refined them in real time, applying generations of knowledge about tides, fish behavior, and gear mechanics. The results? A resounding proof of concept that protecting kings and harvesting sockeye need not be mutually exclusive. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:17
Anchored in advocacy: Blaine Braddock champions menhaden industry while balancing family, career and community
Blaine Braddock fulfills several roles on a daily basis. The Belle Chase resident and professional financial advisor at Nielsen Investments is also a mother to two young girls and the wife of James Braddock, a captain on one of the dozens of menhaden fishing vessels that work in the Gulf for months at a time each year. After a decade-long career in Nuclear Medicine, Blaine joined her father at Nielsen Investments in 2022. She focuses her business on faith-based investing and has a reputation as a trusted financial advisor in her community. Community involvement has always been a priority, which is why you will find her serving on many local boards and panels within Plaquemines Parish. Inspired by the dedication of her own husband as well as other captains, Braddock is also a vocal advocate for the menhaden industry in Louisiana. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:57
