Daily Archives: May 17, 2025
Fishing ban on crayfish floated for east coast from Auckland to top of Northland
An “urgent marine crisis” could see crayfish from Northland’s east coast off the menu for at least three years. Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is considering banning commercial and recreational fishing of spiny rock lobster, known as crayfish, from the north’s entire east coast. Consultation is needed before any ban can go ahead, but a precedent has already been set with a three-year closure of spiny rock lobster fishing in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, which Jones announced earlier this year. The move comes after the High Court rejected the Government’s revised quota management plan for crayfish in Northland, finding it did not do enough to “address an urgent marine crisis” in the eastern part of the zone. The court ruling earlier this year found the area is plagued by kina barrens, where the urchin populations have exploded due to a lack of predators, decimating kelp forests which are a nursery for other sea species. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:02
Nelson A. “Sonny” Lash of Friendship, Me. has passed away
Nelson A. “Sonny” Lash, 89, of Friendship died May 13, 2025 at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Sonny was born November 29, 1935 in New Bedford, MA to Nelson J. Lash and Marie King Lash. Sonny’s family moved from New Bedford to Friendship when he was a young boy. He attended local schools and graduated from Waldoboro High School. Sonny was a hard-working man. He worked all his life beginning as a lobsterman and boat builder. Sonny made his “impossible dream” a reality by opening his own boat shop in Friendship, Maine, where he became a boat builder for many years. He also worked at the Button Factory in Waldoboro for a brief time. He worked for Steel-Pro for the last twenty years of his work life. He was a smart man who applied his skills to any work challenge. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:36
Peterhead trawlerman Jimmy Buchan on bringing hunter’s instinct to business
Jimmy Buchan became a household name in the mid-2000s as one of the stars of Trawlermen, the hard-hitting BBC documentary that offered a rare glimpse into life aboard the North Sea’s fishing fleet. As viewers watched him battle fierce storms in search of the perfect catch, Jimmy became, for many, the face of Scottish fishing, much loved for his grit and good humour. But long before the cameras rolled, and long after they stopped, Jimmy was a mainstay of Peterhead: the skipper of his own trawler, a familiar figure in Europe’s largest whitefish port, and a lifelong advocate of the industry he entered at just 14 years old. Today, at 64, he’s still immersed in the trade, though no longer at sea. Jimmy now runs Amity Fish Company, a quayside business supplying premium Scottish seafood to customers across the UK and internationally. It’s a different kind of challenge, he admits, but for a man who spent his life chasing the next catch, the competitive instinct remains sharp. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:46
Nadine Robinson: Claws up, Canada! Shell out for lobster
Are your elbows still up? How about your crusher and pincer claws? Atlantic Canada’s fishermen need our help, and this is a cause I can get cracking on immediately. Atlantic Canada’s lobster industry is in hot water (well, cold actually). Between global tariffs, plummeting prices, and colder-than-usual seas, our iconic crustacean and the hard-working folks who catch it are facing a pinch. As Canadians, it’s time we show some shellfish solidarity and support this vital industry by shelling out for more lobster—preferably with both hands and a bib. You may think lobster is a luxury item best saved for special occasions, but with wharf prices dropping dramatically, it’s never been more affordable—or more needed. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:39
