Tag Archives: commercial fisherman
Chandler, Arizona man missing at sea; Coast Guard calls off search for 6 fishermen on crab boat
A Valley man is believed to be one of six people on board a missing fishing boat in the Bering Sea off of Alaska. Kai Hamik, of Chandler, is a commercial fisherman who neighbors say loves his job. “I see him off and on, depending on the season,” said Gabriel D’Zordo, who lives right next door to Hamik. “Sometimes he tells me the season is bad so he comes back early. He loves it. He loves it. He always tells me he loves it.” The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska said the crew sent out a beacon alert 2 miles northwest of St. George, Alaska, on Saturday morning. The boat, a 98-foot crab boat named “Destination,” had six people on it and is owned by a company based in Seattle. D’Zordo had no idea Hamik might be lost at sea. He said he will stay hopeful. “My goodness, my prayers. Every time he goes out I always say a pray because I know what he does,” D’Zordo said. Read the story here 12:23
The early shift: New Jersey People working while you’re still asleep
The early bird may catch the worm. But it certainly isn’t catching enough zzz’s. That’s the moral of the story for those who work during the wee hours. We caught up with a few New Jersey residents who regularly rise before the sun – a commercial fisherman, a waitress and an ER nurse – to chat about the challenges that come with working while the rest of us are in bed and find out why they stick with it. To make a profit as a commercial gillnet fisherman, you’ve got to sacrifice sleep. For 35 years, Kevin Wark’s schedule has been roughly the same: two nights at sea, one on land. But no matter how many times he toils through his 30-hour shifts, with little more than a 15-minute nap, Wark’s body has never grown accustomed to the effects of sleep deprivation. Read the story here 09:25
John Corbin, commercial fisherman and crabber, describes the challenges of the business
Delivering tasty crustaceans to crab lovers has been John Corbin’s life work. He’s been involved with fishing one way or another since he was a high school student in Astoria. In 1989, he and three friends started a commercial fishing business—Buck & Ann Fisheries—with crab as one of its main pursuits. Although Corbin spends most of his time in an office these days, he describes the typical scene on a crab boat. When the season starts in December or January, a boat drops 900 wire mesh crab pots throughout the ocean. Each is marked with a buoy and tracked by GPS. “In the beginning of the season, we just kind of throw them out in different places,” he said. “You have your favorite spots, spots where you did well last year or think you might do well this year. Then, as you start picking them up, you find you’re totally wrong. You move to where you’re doing well, or you just go to another beach somewhere and lay them out.” Read the story here 16:01
Commercial fisherman turns low-grade fish into healthy, tasty pet treats
No commercial fisherman ever wants to throw away or waste a fish he’s worked hard to catch. The reality is, though, some species demand very little interest among consumers and consequently, provide little or no return. But an enterprising fisherman in Mission Beach in far north Queensland believes he’s overcome the problem by transforming his low-grade fish products into high-value dog treats. Glen Murray said his ‘light bulb moment’ came when one of his own dogs was diagnosed with arthritis and the vet recommended fish oil tablets as a treatment. The beauty of his dog treat concept was not only finding a market for fish he traditionally struggled to sell, but the fact the manufacturing process utilised the resource more effectively. Read the story here 08:46
$1.25 Million Judgment Awarded to Injured Fisherman
Attorney Matthew Shaffer obtained a $1.25 million dollar judgement from a federal district court in Galveston, Texas for his client, a commercial fisherman. The 54-year-old worker from Palacios, Texas was tying lines on a commercial fishing boat when he became trapped in marsh wetlands. He injured his knees and legs trying to free himself, but his boat and Captain abandoned him in the wetlands. Attorney Matthew Shaffer filed suit on behalf of the worker against the vessel owner and employer, alleging negligence under the Jones Act and failure to provide maintenance and cure benefits. “This worker was literally abandoned by the boat and its owner,” says Shaffer. “They left him injured and alone and failed to assist him in any form after he was injured. The employer has failed to pay for medical treatment or even pay for meager daily maintenance to keep a roof over our client’s head and food in his belly. We are so pleased that the Court ruled in his favor. We will continue to use all our efforts to obtain justice for this deserving worker.” Link 11:25
Luke L. Gurney- lived life to the fullest and was the “best’’ husband, father, son and friend
Luke Leonard Luscomb Gurney passed away on June 20, 2016. He lived life to the fullest and was the “best’’ husband, father, son and friend that anyone would want. Since 2009 he has fished commercially for whelk (conch), sea bass and scup in waters surrounding the Vineyard and Nantucket. He has lived on the Vineyard since 1994 but to anyone who knew him he was a “born and bred islander.” He had a passion for fishing and was the best at it according to his peers. However, more than fishing he loved his family with all his heart. His wife, Robyn Gurney and his two sons, Jacob and Sam loved him and will miss him dearly. He is also survived by his parents John and Linda Gurney, his sister Mary Gurney-Sylvia and her husband David Sylvia and their children, Grace, Luke, Meredith and Mairwen, his brother Joshua Gurney, his children Sophie and Elliot. With our deepest sympathy, Read the rest here Help Support Luke Gurney’s Family In The Days To Come, click here 19:37 This is a very nice article about Luke Gurney. Islanders Mourn Fisherman, Father and Beacon of Light click here 20:56
A massive coastal wind farm off Long Island will please pretty much no one
Election year is the season to channel more money into renewable energy resources because it tends to carry some significant sway with the liberal base. With that in mind, the green light has been given (yet again) to plans for a truly massive “wind farm” in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island. But the usual liberal caveat of NIMBY (“Not in my back yard”) is always in play when such plans come close to fruition and this one is no exception. Some of the chief opponents to this forest of turbine towers are the fishermen who make their living in the targeted waters. Read the rest here 11:05
A dream becomes a nightmare
When Dick Garbowski, a commercial fisherman in Green Bay, snagged an expensive net on an unknown obstruction in Lake Michigan in 1967, he probably did not know that he would set events in motion that would culminate in crushed dreams and a demolished schooner with a historical designation. Garbowski called an experienced diver and friend, Frank Hoffman, to help him free his $1,400 fishing net. The two originally kept their problem a secret, because as V.O. Van Heest writes in “Lost and Found,” “Garbowski had kept quiet about the predicament worried that someone might hear about it and try to abscond with the $1,400 net. Hoffman, too, had kept quiet because he knew that news of a new wreck could bring out other divers intent on looting.” was not until the summer of 1968 that the net was finally freed and Frank Hoffman realized he had an almost intact shipwreck to explore. The shipwreck was the Alvin Clark. Read the story here 16:42
Grand Isle commercial fisherman high on drugs, sentenced to 20 years for his sixth DUI conviction
44-year-old Rockey Burnham, 44, was convicted as charged of his second fourth-offense DUI on April 20. Fourth-offense DUI is the most serious offense available to prosecutors under Louisiana law. Burnham was arrested on April 28, 2015, after he crashed a boat into moored vessels and the shrimp dock owned by Dean Blanchard Seafood. The U.S. Coast Guard investigated the boat wreck, while the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries handled the DUI investigation. The state agents concluded that Burnham did poorly on the field sobriety test, leading to blood work that yielded the presence of diazepam, nordiazepam and methamphetamine, according to evidence presented at the trial. His last conviction before this year’s was in 2011, for an arrest a year earlier for driving a trawler without authorization while under the influence of alcohol and crystal methamphetamine, crashing it into a dock. Read the story here 15:24
A fisherman’s doubt, and his love of the sea
He is up before the dawn, and, a creature of steady habits, he heads for the seashore. It’s dark when Frank Mirarchi jumps into his black pickup truck, and dark still when he reaches Scituate Harbor. He parks on the town pier and stares at the ocean. But his 55-foot stern dragger is no longer moored there. Actually, the boat is there. But it’s no longer his. It was renamed last June after he sold it — a poignant punctuation point to Mirarchi’s half-century career as a commercial fisherman. Read the rest here 15:01
Capt. Jack Hansen of Morro Bay
Captain Jack Hansen, 85, a long-time Morro Bay commercial fisherman, crossed the bar peacefully on August 22, 2015, at the home of his daughter, of whom his cherished boat, “The Darlene,” built with his own hands, was named after. At his side, of course, was his beloved cat and best friend, Morris. While fisherman and friends cheered him on, Jack regretfully left his boat for the last time just days ago, refusing assistance and stating, “By God, I’ve done it all these years, I can do it one more time!” As he was leaving, he placed his hands on the stern, and expressed gratitude for his boat aloud, “Thanks for the wonderful life, providing for my family and keeping them safe.” Read the rest here 09:48
Coast Guard Medevacs Commercial Fisherman 50 Miles Off Ocean City, Md. – Video
An aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., performs a medevac from an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter Sunday, June 7, 2015. The Dolphin crew medevaced a 20-year-old man who was suffering from respiratory issues aboard a fishing boat about 50 miles offshore from Ocean City, Md. The crew of the F/V Apollo contacted Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay watchstanders in Philadelphia at 3:36 p.m. to report the man was in need of immediate medical assistance. Read the rest here Watch video here 15:23
I want to be a commercial fisherman. What will my salary be?
Though many Canadians enjoy sport fishing, only a select few licensed and trained fisherman, operating in a limited number of regions across Canada, make a living from their catch. For such professionals, there are only a few seasonal windows when they are permitted to fish for certain species in certain locations, ranging from a few months to as little as a few days a year. As such, fishermen spend much of the off-season ensuring that they’re prepared for anything when that window opens. Read he rest here 07:40
SAFETY FIRST! Southampton commercial fisherman charged with exceeding state fluke limits
A Southampton commercial fisherman charged last week with exceeding state fluke limits by 630 pounds had informed authorities of his need to return to port because of bad weather, and will fight the charges, his lawyer said Wednesday. Bill Reed, who owns two commercial fishing boats at the Shinnecock Commercial Dock in Hampton Bays, said he encountered bad weather during a Jan. 6 fluke fishing trip 50 miles from the Long Island, and made a decision to return home. Read the rest here 20:18
Singing the halibut blues – Buck Laukitis, commercial fisherman
Why is more of the halibut resource wasted in the Bering Sea than landed and sold? Thirteen out of 14 fish in the Central Bering Sea will be wasted next season. Overall, the entire Bering Sea will only have 2.4 million pounds of halibut that can be sold in 2015, while more than 6 million pounds will be killed and thrown overboard as bycatch. Read the rest here 14:10
Maine women welcome a sea of opportunities
A blue lobster caught off Pine Point last month grabbed headlines for being a one in 2 million find. But the breed that appeared nearly as rare, in fact, was the person who caught it: a 14-year-old girl named Meghan LaPlante. Females make up a small minority of Maine lobster fishermen. Just 4 percent of the state’s 5,171 commercial lobster licenses are held by women, a number that has remained steady for about a decade,,, Read the rest here 09:47
Steve Urbon: Fisherman finds his way through industry morass
Willis “Bill” Blount calls himself “the poster child for struggling fishermen” in the hyper-regulated Northeast fishery. Blount was the sole fishing permit holder to attend a three-hour help session in the city for those applying for a slice of the fisheries disaster money, according to Kevin Creighton, fiscal officer for the Mass. Division of Fisheries. Dozens of others have already filed their paperwork, he said. We ran this article on Aug, 6, 2014 Read more here 11:59
Conversation with – Capt. Carl Snow
For almost 50 years, Capt. Carl Snow has been plying Cape Fear’s waters as a commercial fisherman and charter boat captain. His extensive experience has earned him the reputation as the captain who puts fish on the dock among the locals in Carolina Beach. Read more here 15:33
Pilot Point, Alaska – 1 fisherman dies, 1 missing after skiff overturns
PILOT POINT, Alaska (AP) — A commercial fisherman died and another is missing after a skiff overturned on the Ugashik (oo-GA’-shik) river near Pilot Point on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. Read more here 14:16
New Bone Removing Machine Introduced – The Pinbone Wizard
The University of Alaska Fairbanks has a new bone removal machine receiving patents. Larry Kozycki invented the Pinbone Wizard in the 1990’s. But when Kozycki died,,,“The way the machine works is the guts of the machine are a series of opposing discs that are each handed about 5 degrees and when they come together it’s almost like a pair of needle nose plyers that pulls the bone. Read more here Video here 20:49:01
Blockade of the prawn fishery could ruin fishermen – Lance Underwood skipper of Justin Time II and Quicksilver Girl
I am a commercial fisherman from Cowichan Bay. I run a commercial prawn and crab boat, and the local spot prawn fishery is incredibly important to my family and I. I live in a modest home with my beautiful wife and amazing six-month-old son. I pay our bills, provide food, and pay our mortgage through my income which I earn during our short prawn season. Read more here 14:22
Mixed start in Monterey Bay for commercial salmon season opener
Santa Cruz >> Martin Towne said he considered himself lucky when he landed 18 salmon on the first day of commercial salmon season Thursday. Towne docked at the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor shortly after 4 p.m. and quickly sold his haul. He was part the fleet of commercial fishermen that took to the water for the first day. Read more here 09:40
A king without a crown: Chinook vulnerable to ocean forces
Editor’s note: This is the ninth in the Morris Communications series – “The case for conserving the Kenai king salmon.”Alaska’s long-lived monarch — the king salmon — has fallen from its throne. The species, which once thrived as a fabled ruler in state waters, was sought-after by fisherman from all over the world. Their massive presence in rivers like the Kenai, the Yukon and the Taku, to name only a few, brought sport and commercial fisherman to banks and river mouths for a chance to harvest this mighty resource. Read more@alaskastar 08:48
Sad news from Point Judith – The Passing of Harold A Loftes Sr, Commercial Fisherman
December 31, 1917 – October 20, 2013 Harold A. Loftes, Sr., 95 of Normandy Rd., Wakefield, passed away Saturday, October 20, 2013. He was the husband of the late Virginia May (Bossard) Loftes. Born in Providence, he was the son of the late Alvin and Sigred Loftes. Mr. Loftes was builder, owner, operator of many fishing vessels and a commercial fisherman out of Pt. Judith all of his life. He was a founding member of the Pt. Judith Fisherman’s CO-OP and a member of Hope Lodge #25 AF & AM, Wakefield. He was the father of Harold Loftes Jr. and his wife Mary of Wakefield; father of the late Bruce Loftes and his wife Connie; grandfather of Brian, Brent, Amanda and Kevin Loftes and great grandfather of six. Funeral services and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers donations in his memory may be made to The Pt. Judith Fisherman’s Memorial Foundation, Box 3315, Narragansett, RI 02882. 19:11
The Clam House in Palmetto is the Last of Its Kind
Brinkley isn’t making buggy whips, he’s a commercial fisherman and a successful one at that. But over the last decade, commercial fishing has changed and due to government regulations, Brinkley has to keep coming up with new ways to make a profit. In his mind, the commercial fisherman is nearly extinct and he is one of the last of his kind. @bradentonpatch
“If the choice has to be between fish and mining, we choose the fish. Our challenge is to prove that the two can coexist.” Pebble Partnership CEO John Shively
TheHuffingtonPost. 
Alaska Pebble Mine Clash Heats Up – Kevin McCambly was born and raised in Dillingham, Alaska, just downstream from the proposed Pebble Mine, a massive copper and gold mining project that is pitting corporate interests against commercial fisherman, conservationists and local residents. Last week, he and many others demanded answers from Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) at a town hall meeting in Anchorage. continued
Eckel’s Diesel Service, Lower Township, NJ repair shop keeps commercial fisherman afloat
LOWER TOWNSHIP — Working as a mechanic is a study in crisis management. That is especially true when the engines being serviced are aboard commercial fishing boats. When these break down, time lost on the water can cost their crews and owners thousands of dollars per day. Bud Eckel, owner of Eckel’s Diesel Service in Lower Township, has become expert in making fast, efficient repairs to clamboats, scallop boats and sport-fishing boats. continued
New salmon plan would restrict gill-net fishing on lower Columbia
The state Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to approve phasing out commercial gill nets on the lower Columbia River, except in a few spots. While winning praise from sport fishermen, the plan is strongly opposed by gill-netters. Read more
End of era for Naples fishing industry? Commentary by Tom Marvel, commercial fisherman, Naples
Share this post