Tag Archives: commercial fishing
U.S. International Trade Commission votes in favor of antidumping, countervailing duties on shrimp imports
Southeast Texas fishermen are celebrating a win after the U.S. International Trade Commission voted in favor of antidumping and countervailing duties on shrimp imports from four countries. On Wednesday morning, the U.S. International Trade Commission voted in favor of antidumping and countervailing duty petitions filed by the American Shrimp Processors Association against imports of frozen warm-water shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. As a result of the commission’s vote, duties ranging from 2.84% to 221.82% will be imposed on imports of shrimp from the four countries. “We are thrilled with the outcome of today’s vote,” said Trey Pearson, president of ASPA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:19
Commercial lobster fishers want total catch cut to help save WA fishery
Commercial fishers in Western Australia’s $285 million lobster industry say warning bells are ringing for the sector’s future sustainability, despite reassurances from state government scientists that stocks are at healthy levels. The commercial lobster industry is concerned due to the number of baby lobster, known as puerulus, being found along the coast, along with falling catch rates and revised economic modelling. As a result, the industry has requested its total catch be dropped next season from the current limit of 7,300 tonnes to 6,800 tonnes. Cervantes based fisher Michael Thompson supported the catch reduction and said it could have gone lower. “Our puerulus since 2007 till today is 50 per cent lower than what we used to receive back to the coast to our collectors,” he said. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:02
The fate of Shelter Island commercial fishing: Ideas, views and information shared at forum
The Thursday, Nov. 14 Reporter Community Forum at the Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall, had a panel of two baymen, a local chef, and an official with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) taking questions on the topic: “Commercial Fishing on Shelter Island.” Views, suggestions and opinions were aired and personal stories related at the event sponsored by Dime Bank, but perhaps most interesting of all was the idea that hope for a successful future was a strong possibility for baymen and those who work our waters for a living. There was also reiteration of news about reseeding the bays with scallops, introducing new strains that are stronger and more resistant to die-offs. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:50
Coast Guard investigating death on fishing boat
The US Coast Guard is investigating the death of a 61-year-old man linked to an injury onboard a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico, and Justice of the Peace Joseph Guillory II says the crew reports the man became entangled in some fishing equipment. The Coast Guard spokesman tell KFDM/Fox 4 News Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston requested a medevac early Sunday morning from the fishing vessel “Lucky Aaron” about 85 nautical miles southeast of Sabine Pass in Louisiana waters. There was a reported injury, according to the Coast Guard. The man was unconscious, and the crew couldn’t detect a pulse. The vessel was en route to Sabine Pass at 3:30 a.m. It arrived late Sunday morning. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:29
Pacific Seafood Halts All Processing in Eureka, Laying Off an Undisclosed Number of Employees
Pacific Seafood, the processing and distribution giant based in Clackamas, Ore., has halted all processing activity at its Eureka plant, dramatically scaling back its operations there and laying off an undisclosed number of local employees. The seafood getting unloaded here in Eureka is now being shipped north for processing at Pacific Seafood plants in Oregon, Ogan said. The 83-year-old company has nearly 40 locations across the country — from Kodiak, Alaska, to Miami, Fla. — and employs somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 people nationwide. Local fisherman Mike Cunningham, who has been selling his catch to Pacific Seafood for 35 years, said the company has removed much of its processing equipment and shipped it north to plants in Oregon, where it anticipates more abundant crabbing. “They are going to continue to buy crabs here, and they have some residual processing capacity,” Cunningham said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:37
Lack of fishing prohibitions in ‘grey zone’ could pose risk for right whales, expert says
One marine conservation expert has questions about the efforts on the part of Fisheries and Oceans after North Atlantic right whales were detected in the Bay of Fundy in recent weeks, including in an area where both Canadian and American fishermen catch lobster. In October, Fisheries and Oceans announced several temporary prohibited fishing areas as the whales were detected in multiple fishing spots across the Maritimes, including in the bay. Some fishing prohibitions for parts of the Bay of Fundy started on Oct. 25 and included the fisheries for crab, herring, mackerel, groundfish, hagfish and lobster. The so-called “grey zone” is an area of disputed water near Grand Manan. Both Canada and the United States have claimed sovereignty over the area, so fishers from both countries harvest there. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
NCLA Challenges WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife’s Illegal 24-Hour Surveillance of Crabbing Boats
The New Civil Liberties Alliance has filed a lawsuit against the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Electronic Monitoring Program using GPS technology to constantly track the location and movements of every state-licensed boat that fishes for Coastal Dungeness Crab, whether they are crabbing or not. The Department sustains the program by forcing fishermen to pay for electronic monitoring systems that they must install on their boats or else face criminal sanctions. Representing local crab fishing boat Captains Sara Franey, Brent Young and Mark Young, NCLA asks the Washington Superior Court to stop this unconstitutional surveillance regime, which does not improve upon cheaper, less intrusive existing methods for monitoring crab stocks. links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:05
Fishermen still impacted by Long Island Sound’s lobster die-off
For decades, the crustaceans were caught off the coast of Connecticut. But, in the late 90s, things changed drastically. When the lobster die-off happened 25 years ago, it sunk many who made their living on the sea. But there are still some local lobstermen who have found a way to keep their businesses afloat. “We went from doing 500-600 pounds of lobster a tide, some guys were doing a thousand a tide, to a hundred,” said Walter Roderick, who keeps his lobster boat the Stacey Geal at Stonington Dock, the home of the last commercial fishing fleet in Connecticut. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:42
Norwegian fishermen snagged U.S. nuclear-powered submarine
“We had just emptied the nets and put them out again and was on our way back to shore at Sommarøya when we were called by the Coast Guard on channel 16 on the VHF-radio,” says Harald Engen (22) to NRK Troms. Engen is captain on Øygutt, the 10 meters small fishing vessel. The Coast Guard could inform that a submarine had sailed into the net and dragged it two nautical miles north where it was cut off. The incident occurred outside Malangen, west of Tromsø on the coast to the Norwegian Sea. The submarine was the USS Virginia, a nuclear-powered 115 meters long attack sub. Such submarines are in recent years more frequently surfacing in the sheltered fjords outside Tromsø. Norway’s Coast Guard are assisting in bringing onboard supplies or new crew members. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:12
Lawmakers demand review of U.S. Government Accountability Office’s oversight of shrimp imports
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., and U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, are calling on the U.S. Government Accountability Office to scrutinize whether the U.S. Treasury Department is fulfilling its legal obligation to protect American industries, including the shrimping sector, from international competition. The representatives voiced concerns in a letter sent to the GAO, suggesting that the Treasury may be neglecting statutory requirements that compel the department to oppose foreign economic assistance projects that could harm U.S. industries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:17
Marine Rescue NSW crew rescue two people from sinking fishing vessel near Ballina
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Rodney Page said a fishing trawler reported it was taking on water and sinking approximately eight nautical miles (15kms) east of Lennox Head. “In the early hours of this morning Marine Rescue Port Macquarie, the region’s 24 hour communications hub, received a call from the skipper of a fishing trawler. “The skipper advised the vessel was taking on water and experiencing engine failure. “A volunteer crew from Marine Rescue Ballina were deployed on board Ballina 30 just after 3.00am. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:40
America’s Least Desired Job: Being a Commercial Fisherman, According to Survey
While being a Hollywood actor in California, an investment banker in New York, or an outdoor adventure guide in Colorado may top the list of America’s most coveted careers, we often overlook the jobs that people least aspire to. The survey revealed some interesting results. Among Americans, the job they would least be willing to do, even if offered double the salary, was that of a commercial fisherman. Commercial fishing is one of the most hazardous jobs in America. Here are some of the other least desired careers among Americans: more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
MLA calls for fishing industry to have mandatory WCB insurance coverage
After a North Lake lobster fisher was killed this summer, Green MLA Peter Bevan-Baker is pushing for more to be done to compensate injured workers in the P.E.I. fishing industry. “The nature of the job is such that it’s an inherently very, very dangerous situation,” he said Thursday. “I think there’s a limit to how much can be done. I think absolutely we should be doing everything we can to make sure that conditions onboard boats are as safe as they possibly can be.” But when safety procedures don’t prevent injuries or deaths, fishery workers don’t have the same access to compensation as employees in other sectors, he said. That’s because paying premiums into the Workers Compensation Board (WBC) insurance system is optional for fishing industry employers. Bevan-Baker is calling on the provincial government to change that and make coverage mandatory. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:12
Skipper retires after 64 years at sea
A Whalsay fisherman has reflected on his lifetime at sea as he retires after almost six and a half decades. Davie Hutchison, 79, known locally as “Davie A Skaw”, had been skipper of the 75-metre pelagic trawler Charisma. He has now called time on his career after 64 years. Mr. Hutchison’s first job at the fishing was in 1960 on the 53-feet seine-net vessel Brighter Morn where he worked as the cook. Throughout his career, Mr. Hutchison witnessed countless changes to the industry, including the introduction of radars. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:45
Charting a course toward seafood independence for Alaska’s vulnerable food systems
As a commercial fisherman based in Sitka and the executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), I’ve spent decades navigating Alaska’s challenging waters and the headwinds facing our fishing communities. Alaska’s coastal residents are resilient, but they are up against a new magnitude of challenges. The loss of fishing access and community-based processing capacity, along with a dearth of local markets for seafood, are straining once vibrant fishing economies up and down our coastline. I recently contributed to a fisheries access report commissioned by the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT), which highlights the outmigration of fishing access in Southeast Alaska. Communities with historically robust local fishing fleets now see few active vessels based in town. This trend is acute in communities such as Kake, which has lost its local processor — and with it, a viable market for resident fishermen. Through interviews and in-person engagement, ASFT’s report found that a common concern among fishermen was the loss of a local fish buyer. When this happens, resident fishermen often sell their permits or abandon fishing altogether. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Linda Behnken 12:05
Iconic fishing boat listed for sale after serving the Lakeshore for decades
The owners of the iconic Susie Q fishing boat are hoping the vessel will be able to get a new lease on life, after serving the Lakeshore for more than six decades. “My dad would probably be a little upset, because that was the main ship of the fleet – the Susie Q. That’s where we got the name of the fish market and everything. He was very proud of it. It’s a nice boat,” said Susie Q Fish Company owner Paul LeClair. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:25
Southern Shrimp Alliance Welcomes NOAA Fisheries’ Confirmation that U.S. Wild-Caught Shrimp Is the Sustainable Choice
Last week, NOAA Fisheries published an on-line resource with facts regarding wild-caught American shrimp, explaining what makes it a sustainable seafood choice. Shrimp is, far and away, the most popular seafood in America. As NOAA Fisheries explains, “now about one-quarter of the seafood Americans eat is shrimp.” Yet, despite Americans’ love of shrimp, the U.S. shrimp industry is struggling. NOAA Fisheries notes that despite the fact that landings volumes were roughly the same in 2023 as they were in 2022, preliminary data from the Gulf of Mexico show that the industry sold $329 million of wild-caught shrimp in 2022 and that revenue dropped to $204 million in 2023 – a 38 percent drop.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:29
3Ps Stock Assessment Update Highlights Need to Ban Offshore Draggers and Address Seal Predation
11/5/2024 – Today’s technical briefing by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on the 3Ps cod stock assessment delivered news that the south coast species has not experienced much growth in recent years, leaving harvesters concerned for the stock’s future and the impact the offshore dragger fishery is having on the stock’s recovery. FFAW is once again reiterating the need to ban factory draggers from all cod species in Newfoundland and Labrador, citing the continued and lasting damaged caused by draggers fishing on pre-spawning aggregations. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:57
Saskatchewan ‘s cold-water fish is making waves on the European market
Once the temperature drops, the fishing industry heats up in a small village in northern Saskatchewan thanks to the tullibee and after five years it’s still going strong. “They are saving the Pinehouse fishing industry,” said Lionel Smith, commercial fisherman from his home on Pinehouse Lake. The tullibee, also known as a northern cisco, lake herring or chub, is a small roughly two-pound fish found in northern cold-water lakes. Once, commercial fishermen in Pinehouse would cast the petite fish from their nets in favour of much larger and tastier fish. But food connoisseurs across the ocean have changed that narrative. The once seemingly undesirable fish is harvested for its roe and is a rare delicacy in Europe. As a result, the tullibee is providing a lucrative income for fish harvesters. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:09
Valley shrimping companies looking for a way out
Rio Grande Valley shrimpers say they’re ready to sell off their fleets. For years, they’ve faced big losses, and they’re still waiting for help. At the Port of Brownsville, the dock owned by Reyes Trawlers Inc. is one of the few shrimping companies still running most of its boats. The shrimping industry has faced several years of high fuel prices, problems getting worker visas and competition from cheap imports. For many, it’s time to get out of the business. “I 
am almost 73 years old, been doing this since I was 17 years old, and yes I would like to get out today. There’s no profit anymore. I’m just here just because, I’m losing money. For the last three years I’ve lost money,” Reyes Trawlers Inc. owner Carlton Reyes said. Reyes is running five out of six vessels, while many other shrimpers have their fleet docked and unable to work. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:14
Scallop Boat Virtual Tour
New Bedford, home to fishing of nearly all types, is the most valuable commercial fishing port in the United States, and the world’s sea scallop capital. The two largest fisheries in the harbor are divided between the ground-fishermen and those who scallop, with hundreds of vessels of each type operating out of the port. F/V Huntress, built in 1979, is typical in both size and layout for the scalloping fleet in the area, and her trips to sea last between five and fourteen days. Take the tour! more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:19
South Carolina shrimpers are in troubled waters. Here’s how the industry is seeking relief
South Carolina shrimpers are in a fight for their industry’s future. Facing pressures from foreign countries shipping in cheap, frozen catches in abundance, domestic shrimpers have been unable to compete. Bryan Jones is a first-generation shrimper in McClellanville. Before his life became centered around nets and saltwater and fresh catch, he was a vice president of a wealth management firm in Florida. The work is exhausting and the days on the deck of his trawler, the Pamela Sue, are long, Jones said. There are risks involved with shrimping — financial, environmental, physical — but he saw an opportunity to create a livelihood for his family and couldn’t resist. He joins at a time when fishermen are struggling, and more are deciding to leave the trade altogether. “The average age of a shrimp boat captain, I believe, is 65,” Jones said. “What we need is an injection of youth in the industry to sustain it.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:21
‘A friend to everybody’: Sitka man killed in bear mauling remembered by colleagues
Tad Fujioka was an avid outdoorsman whose love of fishing led him to trade the engineering field for the commercial trolling one. But Fujioka, whose body was found Wednesday north of Sitka following search and rescue efforts, the victim of a bear mauling, is being remembered less for what he did and more for the type of person he was. “I mean, everybody that knew him, liked him,” said longtime friend and colleague, Norman Pillen, president of Seafood Producers Cooperative (SPC) in Sitka. Fujioka was the board chair for SPC and a big advocate for the commercial fishing industry. He was a strong family man and man of many talents, Pillen said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:04
Nantucket Commercial Scalloping Season Opens; Fisherman Getting $12 Per Pound
Nantucket’s commercial scalloping season opened Friday morning with roughly 20 boats returning to the water as temperatures hovered in the 60s. But how was the scalloping itself on opening day? Naturally, it depends on who you ask. “It wasn’t that great,” said Marty Mack as he was unloading his catch at Straight Wharf. “I thought it would be a lot better because of the seed we had last year. I’ve seen a lot worse. But I’ve seen a lot better. It’s below average I’d say, I’ve been doing it 41 years and it’s nothing great right now. Where’d all that seed go? I don’t know if some of it died.” Kona Hosier and Ron Janes were getting back to the Boat Basin with their limit around the same time. “I’d say it was great,” Hosier said. “The efforts that were put forth (referring to the seed), we’re reaping the benefits now.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:49
Is U.S. Wild-Caught Shrimp Sustainable? The Short Answer Is Yes
U.S.-harvested shrimp is nutritious, delicious… and sustainable! The shrimp fishery has also historically been a culturally important economic engine. It provides a livelihood for thousands of U.S. commercial fishermen. U.S. shrimp are a sustainable seafood option, and the United States sets a global precedent for shrimp trawl bycatch reduction. But our nation’s shrimp industry is struggling to stay afloat and there’s confusion about its sustainability. Here are the facts about U.S. wild-caught shrimp. Most U.S. shrimp are caught in the Southeast from Texas to North Carolina. Three species—white shrimp, pink shrimp, and brown shrimp—make up the vast majority of the shrimp caught. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:22
New Report Suggests “Whale Psychiatrist” Trump May be Right About Wind Farms and Whales
US Bureau of Ocean Management report says whales, dolphins, birds and bats can all be injured by wind turbine construction, and offshore fishing harmed. Trump has been an advocate for keeping America clean and healthy. He has not advocated for the anti-carbon push based on pseudoscience and the rush into green energy projects put forth by environmentalists. Admittedly. the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has officials saying they have found no evidence linking offshore wind turbines to whale deaths. However, a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has just released a new report that said whales, dolphins, birds and more can be exposed to “unavoidable adverse impacts” by the construction of offshore wind farms. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:50
New Federal Report: Offshore Wind Farm Construction Can Harm Whales, Birds, Fisheries – >>CLICK TO READ<<
Owner of fishing trawler which sank off West Cork coast disputes finding of official investigation
The owner of a fishing trawler which sank off the West Cork coast has disputed the findings of an official investigation into the incident which concluded the sinking was due to a series of failures relating to faulty equipment, crew training, safety management and poor regulatory compliance. Instead, Wexford-based firm, R&E Fish Limited, blamed the sinking of its 24-metre vessel, Ellie Adhamh, off Bull Rock on March 28, 2021, on a collision with a naval patrol ship which was attempting to attach a towline to it on the previous evening. A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) listed 12 different factors which contributed to “a very serious marine casualty” which had put the lives of the vessel’s seven crew and rescue personnel at risk. more, CCLICK TO READ<< 07:52
Maine lobstermen worried about cuts to how much herring they can catch for bait
Fishermen in Maine say they’re dealing with a new setback: a nearly 90 percent cut in how much herring they can bring in to bait lobster. Congressman Jared Golden says he’s opposed to the limit, which would reduce the herring catch by 89 percent over three years. “What was troubling with this decision is there was no impact study done to us as fishermen, just an environmental study that was based on essentially one year of a proper study, to have implications to destroy an entire economic sector of Maine,” fisherman Ryan Raber said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:19
Pollock trawl closure sends economic ripples across Kodiak as fishermen adapt
Cole Hockema has been fishing since he was a teenager growing up in Oregon. Hockema captains the F/V Pacific Storm, a 100-foot trawler based out of Kodiak, which his father owns. The vast majority of the Central Gulf of Alaska trawl fleet is made up of local boats like his. According to the trade group Alaska Groundfish Data Bank, 19 boats were fishing in the Central Gulf of Alaska when the pollock fishery closed on Sept. 25. 15 of those are homeported in Kodiak. Normally, fishermen like Hockema would be out on the water until early November, when the Gulf of Alaska’s pollock B season typically closes. But this fall season ended just three weeks into fishing, when two vessels incidentally hauled in approximately 2,000 Chinook salmon, which exceeded the fishery’s annual bycatch limit. Hockema said the Pacific Storm was offloading its catch on Sunday, Sept. 22 when they first got the news about the bycatch and he knew the fleet would need to stop fishing immediately. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:27
Photographer Urs Buhlman captures the ‘dangerous’, ‘dying’ profession of commercial fishing up close
It is an industry that operates in boats kilometres from shore when most people are fast asleep back on the mainland. Now one photographer’s interest in the commercial fishing industry has shed light on the intimate details of this rarely-seen profession and the rugged process it goes through to feed people. Eden commercial fisher John ‘”Jarvo” Jarvis has witnessed big changes during his 44 years in the game. Climate change, fish quotas, stringent environmental laws, government buy-backs of fishing licences, and a lack of willing hands are just some of the challenges he grapples with daily. “Everything in fishing is expensive,” Mr Jarvis said. Comparing the industry to how it looked two decades ago, he said it was “chalk and cheese”. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:19
