Daily Archives: July 3, 2025
Winkler Booted From Montauk Commercial Dock
East Hampton Town has ordered Christopher Winkler, a Montauk fisherman who was convicted in 2023 of falsifying records in order to sell fluke and black sea bass in quantities that vastly exceed legal limits, to vacate the slip at the hamlet’s commercial dock where his trawler, the New Age, has been docked for around 40 years. Mr. Winkler was sentenced to 30 months in prison following his October 2023 conviction on five counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice for filing false reports to federal regulators. The government asserted that the fish he harvested illegally were worth between $750,000 and $900,000 and had sought a sentence of four to five years in federal prison as well as restitution of $750,000. He surrendered to the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, N.Y., in November. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:20
NEFMC Votes to Pause Work on Multiple Existing Groundfish Priorities and Resubmit Amendment 25 to the Northeast Multispecies Plan
After extensive deliberation at the June meeting, the New England Council voted to resubmit Amendment 25 (A25), which would replace the current Atlantic cod stocks in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank with the newly identified cod stocks in Eastern Gulf of Maine, Western Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Southern New England. The resubmission will include the Council’s previously recommended cod measures from Framework 69 (FW69). The Council’s decision was based on NOAA’s disapproval of A25 in May due to procedural issues. NOAA’s disapproval letter detailed that A25 lacked critical management elements including reference points, accountability measures, and catch limits, but noted that the revised stock structure, with four cod stock units, is the best scientific information available. The “missing management elements” noted in the disapproval letter were included in the parallel action, Framework 69 (FW69), which is currently under NOAA review. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:25
Spring fishery saw improvement over second half of season
Lobster fishers in the region saw an improvement to the latter half of the spring season as they prepared for Landing Day. “We came close to last year’s catch,” said Blair Matthews, who fishes out of Northport. “We were catching up all the time, like the catches stayed consistent. It was a little slow there to start, and the cold, up and down, but they hung on pretty good.” The first month of the season was a challenging one, which saw low catches down by roughly half from the same time last year. Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the Lobster Fishers of PEI Marketing Board, said the first month of the season also saw fishers dealing with what felt like non-stop northerly winds, which affected catches for a lot of harbours on the north side. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:59
State Rep. Chip Brown expresses frustration after seafood labeling law fails to be enforced
State Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollingers Island) is voicing strong frustration over what he describes as a failure by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) to enforce a law requiring restaurants and grocery stores to disclose the country of origin for seafood sold in Alabama. The legislation, House Bill 66, was passed and signed into law in 2024. The bill, sponsored by Brown and State Sen. David Sessions (R-Grand Bay), mandates that food service establishments and retailers label whether seafood is wild-caught or farm-raised and whether it is domestic or imported. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:15
Local Docks to Big City: Christine Tomasco Deep Dives Into Sustainable Seafood
“The first fish I ever caught was a striper,” said a reflective Christine “Chrissy” Tomasco, reminiscing on her childhood spent in Barnegat Light. “I was only 6 years old, and I want to say it was about 29 inches,” she added. “I remember my uncle Rob had to run over and help me reel it in because I was too small, physically, to do it myself. Then, just to mess with me, he said, ‘That was the biggest fish I’ve ever caught!’” Of course, she took the joke to heart, having grown up in a fishing village where all take pride in their catch. Tomasco grew up in a family of commercial fishermen, admittedly taking for granted that a typical weeknight supper was a tuna filet or handful of scallops that her Aunt Anne (Greacen) pulled out of the freezer for a quick, easy meal. “Most families were eating Hamburger Helper, and here I am rolling my eyes at a plate of scallops,” she said with a laugh. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:32
Surf and turf: Baby eels wade into more battles over treaty rights, fisheries and the law
Above a river south of Halifax, the sky darkens to a deep indigo – a signal to millions of baby eels to emerge from under the rocks and crevices of the brackish water. They wriggle near the surface like spermatozoids, pushing against the current. Making it this far was a feat. They drifted thousands of kilometres as larvae on ocean currents from the Sargasso Sea, landing on the eastern coasts of Canada and Maine. By then, they had transformed into baby eels, or elvers, translucent but for two black specked eyes. Soon, they will pigment and journey up the river to adulthood – if they don’t meet the net of a harvester such as Stanley King. Mr. King strides into the river on this chilly April night in neoprene waders and merino wool long johns. Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:01
