Tag Archives: commercial fishing
Photo Article: Dean Bradshaw Proves Blue Can Be Bleak Aboard a Fishing Trawler
It’s fascinating to follow a photographer’s epic adventures through their photos, not only to get a glimpse of their experiences but also their interpretation through choices in creative elements like color, composition, and mood. A perfect example is the cinematic documentary Icelandic Fishing series of Dean Bradshaw, where he shows us what went down during the 12 hours he spent aboard a fishing trawler in Iceland. If you’re looking for inspiration for documenting your next adventure, this set is certainly worth a look. “It was about 5:30 am when we boarded the fishing trawler. Plenty of photo’s! >click to read<13:46
EDITORIAL: Change tack to save lives
At this time of year, we tend to focus our attention on road deaths, particularly the role drinking and driving plays in them. But as a province and a region surrounded by oceans and dotted with lakes, it is also vital to consider the dangers that lurk on the water as opposed to roads. The fact is, quite a few people die while working or enjoying leisure time on waterways. In its annual report, the Canadian Red Cross released unofficial numbers showing that there were 39 water-related deaths in Atlantic Canada in 2018. Nova Scotia’s share of that total was 16. Some of the deaths were related to commercial fishing while others occurred while people were involved in recreational fishing, boating and swimming at lakes and on beaches. >click to read<07:17
Letter: Celebrate efforts to make commercial fishing safer
I appreciated seeing Colin Murphey’s photography feature showing our local commercial fishing crews engaged in safety training on Nov. 30 (“Fishing — the Most Dangerous Game,” The Daily Astorian) >click to read<. However, the headline struck me as somewhat inappropriate for the content. The Coast Guard holds a drill conductor training here in Astoria three to four times a year, and Oregon Sea Grant helps get fishermen signed up. Amanda Gladics >click to read<08:49
A Woman at Sea
“I don’t really know that many women who do it,” Lauren Brady admits, looking out across the calm waters of Yaquina Bay on a rare sunny day in September. She has been commercial fishing since April, working on crabbing, shrimping, black cod fishing, and most recently tuna fishing boats. Brady agreed to meet with me to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of the few women who choose this career. >click to read<09:27
Do seals affect your commercial fishing activity?
Seals eat approx 7% of their body weight when they eat – say 24lbs. Unfortunately, seals don’t necessarily eat the whole fish that they pick from fishermen’s nets – they tend to take a single mouthful from each fish – often to get at the liver – especially with fish like hake. To this end the NFFO are carrying out a survey and encourage all those fishermen who have been affected to take part. This survey is for commercial fishermen in England about their experiences of interactions with seals (seals feeding on catches, damage to gears and entanglement). Your responses will help us better understand the extent of seal–fishery interactions around the country and identify options for non-lethal measures to reduce these interactions. Participation in the survey is voluntary. Video, >click to read<08:58
Commercial fishing in Igushik again closed due to fuel spill from F/V Pacific Knight
Fuel from the wreckage of the F/V Pacific Knight has reached the Igushik Section of the Nushagak commercial fishing district. That’s according to reports the Alaska Department of Fish and Game received today at 4 p.m. that people in the area smelled fuel and saw a sheen on the water. After the entire Nushagak District was closed in response to the fuel spill on Thursday, the Igushik Section only was reopened Friday. The Igushik Section will now close again at 6 p.m. today. >click to read<10:45
The Factory Trawler – Akamalik
Akamalik is not just a fishing boat. This 280-foot floating factory pulls in up to 20 tons of shrimp per mission, all of which is sorted, boxed, frozen, and prepared for shipping. But it’s not easy. Reaching the haul means facing the ice-choked waters of Greenland in the dead of the arctic winter, where icebergs, sudden storms, and blinding fog are a daily reality. For the crew, their paycheck depends on the size of catch, and risking their lives is just part of the job. Forty five minute video >click to watch<10:56
Commercial Fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone – What was being caught and where back to 1950
What is the status of commercial fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, the waters from 3 to 200 miles off our coastline? Generally speaking – something that the “bureaucrats in charge” have developed a great deal of facility in doing – it’s pretty good. Since the National Marine Fisheries Service started getting serious about tracking commercial landings (or at making those landings readily accessible) in 1950, the total weight of our domestic landings has increased from 4.9 billion to 9.8 billion pounds. The value of those landings, when corrected for inflation, has increased from $3.3 billion to $5.2 billion, almost as good. Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet USA >click to read<17:03
New Bedford again grieves for its sons lost to the sea
The loss of two fishermen in the sinking of a clamming boat this week stunned this port city long familiar with the dangers of the sea. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called the Misty Blue tragedy “a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in commercial fishing,” adding that it “underscores the respect and appreciation we have for those who make their living at sea.” He said the city pledges its support for the families of the lost crew members of the Misty Blue — Jonathan Saraiva and Michael Roberts. click here to read the story 11:38
Zinke backs shrinking more national monuments and shifting management of 10
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday called on President Trump to shrink a total of four national monuments and change the way six other land and marine sites are managed, a sweeping overhaul of how protected areas are maintained in the United States.,,, He also would revise the proclamations for those and the others to clarify that activities such as grazing, motorized vehicle use and commercial fishing should be allowed. The additional monuments affected include Northeast Canyons and Seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean; both Rose Atoll and the Pacific Remote Islands in the Pacific Ocean; New Mexico’s Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande Del Norte; and Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters. click here to read the story 16:50
Inland Fisheries: DNR proposes a study on the effect of commercial gill nets on Lake Michigan
The Department of Natural Resources has proposed a study of the impacts of commercial gill netting on non-target sport fish such as chinook salmon and brown trout in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan. Commercial fishers in Zone 3 have lobbied the agency for the ability to use large mesh gill nets to catch lake whitefish. The gear has been prohibited in the zone, which covers the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan south of Bailey’s Harbor, to prevent bycatch and mortality of sport fish as well as user conflicts. However, large mesh gill nets are allowed for commercial fishing in northern Lake Michigan and part of Green Bay. Commercial fishers have requested the same opportunity in Zone 3. click here to read the story 15:11
Southern Cape May County’s commercial fishing industry is worth $85 million
Southern Cape May County’s commercial fishing industry is worth $85 million, according to a recently released federal report. The combined port of Cape May and Wildwood is the ninth largest commercial fishing port in the United States and the second biggest on the East Coast, measured by dollar value. In a county known as a tourism hub, commercial fishing — and especially the scallop trade — is a big part of the area’s economy, those in the industry say.,,Fishermen need to buy fuel and groceries for every trip and hire welders and electricians to repair their boats, which creates additional jobs, Laudeman said. click here to read the story 10:22
R.I. commercial fishing landed $93.9M in 2016
Approximately 82.5 million pounds of seafood were commercially landed in Rhode Island in 2016, an increase of 9.1 percent year over year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries of the United States 2016 report Monday. The year’s haul in the Ocean State was worth a combined $93.9 million, an increase of 14.7 percent… Rhode Island caught 22.5 million pounds of squid in 2016, 16 percent of the national supply and second most in the country to California. click here to read the story 07:21
Sea Change – The Struggle for Safety in Fishing, Canada’s Deadliest Industry
Despite safety gains in many other industries, fishing continues to have the highest fatality rate of any employment sector in Canada. Even as the long lists of the dead continue to grow, regulators and policy-makers are challenged by the grim fatalism that pervades a world in which generations of fishermen have gone out into the sea and, all too often, not come home. In the tidy port town of Lunenburg, N.S., near the ocean’s edge, a touching memorial lists the fishermen who have lost their lives at sea since 1890. “Dedicated to the memory of those who have gone down to the sea in ships,” says the inscription on a slab of black granite, and to those who “continue to occupy their business in the great waters.” click here to read the story 12:29
Another chance to prosper
It began quietly, this year’s white shrimp season, on Friday. If you know how to look for the rhythms of the bayous, you could see the boats heading out, some Thursday night, some even earlier. On those vessels large and small ride the cultural lifeblood of this region, one of the things that makes us different from everywhere else. Commercial fishing is seen by many as a relic of the past, but the dollars that it pumps into the local economy is anything but yesterday’s news. The boats are so much more than boats. They are in essence the equivalent of family-owned stores. click here to read the story 17:16
Environmentalists Spend Big Money to Put Commercial Fishing People Out of Work
In an industry where commerce depends solely on the catch, commercial fishing is one of the most volatile professions in the country. From market prices to weather patterns, there are many factors that could result in poor landings and scant pay check. On top of these factors, an environmental group has proposed drastic rule changes for the trawl industry that could shut down a the NC shrimping business completely. And they’re spending big money to do it. While they claimed the rules would have an impact on the captains and crews, the environmentalists left out the many jobs generated by the trawl industry. From the shrimp headers and dock hands, to the welders and marine mechanics, to the transport drivers and seafood distributors, as well as the administrative employees, North Carolina stands to lose big bucks if fresh shrimp is taken from our tables. Even bigger, the tourism industry – which is has been a huge economic supporter in distressed coastal communities – would certainly take a financial hit.A fishermen can never clock in and be assured of a good paycheck, but environmentalists sure can. According to John Hopkins University there is huge money in being an environmentalist. In 2016, a it was reported a “chief sustainability environmental executive” will earn an average of $166,000 annually, while a general operations managers will start at $95,150. Read the complete article here 14:41
Nova Scotia’s deadliest industry slowly becomes safer
It is one of the most mundane tasks on a fishing boat: tying up the bumper balloons that prevent the vessel from crunching into the wharf when it docks. But for fisherman Mitch MacDonald it proved life-altering. For 10 years he fastened them with little problem. That is until last May, when his boat pitched unexpectedly and a balloon fell overboard, the rope sawing through his left index finger. “It pretty much burnt right through my finger and took the end of my finger off overboard,” he said. MacDonald has not regained the full use of his hand. The injury cost him thousands of dollars in lost income as he had trouble holding onto things and couldn’t work the rest of the fishing season. He is not alone. In 2016 there were 224 injuries on fishing boats, according to the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, but good news is the numbers are declining. Six years ago 351 injuries were reported. Read the story here 08:37
“Fire in the Water” – Book about history of commercial fishing in Florida published
Through firsthand accounts, “Fire in the Water” chronicles an exciting and unique slice of early Florida coastal history that might have otherwise been lost. It was written by Terry L. Howard and Donald E. Root, and was released by Adventure in Discovery, Jupiter, on Nov 7. Howard and Root will be at Vero Beach Book Center, 392 21st St. Vero Beach, on Nov 28 at 6 p.m. for a book signing. Using rare historical photos and firsthand accounts of five survivors, this book chronicles waterfront and commercial fishing life on Florida’s east coast and along the Indian River Lagoon. It centers on Cape Canaveral and Fort Pierce from early in the 20th century to the 1994 Florida net ban. It is filled with colorful sea stories and memories of earlier times. Howard and Root draw from their own commercial fishing experiences. Read the rest here 13:36
Sport Fishing Industry Voices Concern With Possible Offshore Sanctuary Idea; Official Provisions Sought Before Designation Considered
On the same day the National Aquarium announced it was seeking an Urban National Marine Sanctuary designation for the Baltimore Canyon off the coast of Ocean City, aquarium officials attempted to reassure the sportfishing community a successful designation would not impact the fertile fishing grounds. When the National Aquarium announced on Monday it was seeking the nation’s first Urban National Marine Sanctuary designation for the Baltimore Canyon off the coast of Ocean City, the knee-jerk reaction from the resort’s sportfishing community was fear of gradually losing more and more of the heart of the multi-million fishing industry. The overriding fear, and there is precedent for it, is that once the federal government gets its foot in the door, more and more regulations would be forthcoming and access to the canyon for recreational and commercial fisherman would be gradually chipped away. However, National Aquarium officials later on Monday attempted to allay those fears. According to spokesperson Corrine Weaver, the National Aquarium is keenly aware of the importance of the recreational and commercial fisheries in the Baltimore Canyon and seeking an Urban National Marine Sanctuary designation would not impact those industries. Read the rest here 21:24
‘These are the risks that we take’
Walking the floor boards with worry and praying for a miracle. It’s a sadly repeated ritual in Newfoundland where the sea gives life and, just as swiftly, takes it away. “We live that life and that’s who we are,” said Johanna Ryan Guy, as the search for two of four men who went missing from a capsized fishing boat continued Thursday near St. John’s. The search was later changed to a recovery mission as hopes of finding the two remaining fishermen alive dwindled. Bodies of the other two men were recovered after the seven-metre craft was reported overturned Tuesday night near Cape Spear. All were from the close community of Shea Heights, where grieving residents say it’s beyond tragic that three generations of one family were on that boat. A team of investigators with the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is now looking into the deadly incident. As in all maritime communities, dangers in the waters off Newfoundland are real and unpredictable. Read the story here 08:17
Aquarium scientist helps lead effort to designate Marine National Monument
An effort being led in part by Mystic Aquarium Senior Research Scientist Peter Auster is working to get President Barack Obama to designate a 4,000-square-nautical-mile area of ocean off Cape Cod as a Marine National Monument, which would be the first in the Atlantic Ocean. Located 150 miles southeast of Cape Cod, it is also a place that Auster said companies are beginning to show interest in mining the seamounts for precious metals. Designation of the area as a national monument would prevent “commercial extraction activities” such as mining, oil and gas drilling, as well as commercial fishing. Activities such as recreational angling, whale watching and boating would be permitted. Working with environmental groups, they are working to get the designation request to Obama to sign before he leaves office. Read the rest here 10:28
Freedom, danger is in R.I. fisherman’s wheelhouse – Mark Patinkin
I got to wondering what it’s like these days for commercial fishermen so I drove to the Point Judith docks, walked up to the trawler Elizabeth & Katherine and asked the captain, Steven Arnold, if I could come aboard. It was at 11 a.m. and he’d already put in a long shift with plenty more to go — he’d steamed out for squid at 4:30 a.m. He was back because his net tore on rocks while dragging the bottom of Rhode Island Sound so the crew had come in to repair it. I climbed over the rail and followed Arnold, 52, to the wheelhouse. He wore jeans, boots, a sweatshirt, hadn’t shaved for a few days and seemed to belong there in the captain’s seat. Squid is his biggest species but that morning, they weren’t there. He mostly had scup when the net came up torn. You have good days and bad, Arnold said, but he still loves fishing for the same reasons that first drew him to it after a childhood in South County and two years at New England Tech. Read the story here 11:01
Goldfish – A lucrative Great Lakes commercial catch
Whenever Dave DeLong brings in one of his Maumee Bay seine nets, there’s almost always one or two distinctive bright orange fish swimming around the writhing mass of bullhead, catfish and carp. DeLong, a Lake Erie commercial fisherman, makes a living hauling live fish to the Luna Pier Harbor Club, where his catch is weighed and sold. He’s been fishing for 45 years on Lake Erie and goldfish have been part of that catch every year.”We used to throw them away,” he said. Not anymore. Goldfish — larger versions of the species found in household aquariums — have been a part of the Great Lakes ecosystem for a long, long time. While that’s really no secret, most would be surprised to learn just how many actually inhabit the bi-national waters. Photo gallery, Read the rest here 13:16
By the Numbers – Forum convinces many commercial fishing is sustainable
Those attending the forum, sponsored by The Providence Journal, Leadership Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Mystic Aquarium, were given electronic remote controls that allowed them to vote anonymously on multiple-choice questions. At the start of the program, 69 percent of audience members said commercial fishing is sustainable. At the end, that had risen to 78 percent. When broken down by groups, 88 percent of the people who said they were in the industry also said that the industry should regulate fishing, while 35 percent of recreational fishermen agreed, as did 43 percent of the people who identified themselves as consumers of fish. Read the rest here 07:41
Commercials get nine hours to fish lower Columbia on Tuesday
Nine hours of commercial fishing for spring chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River will begin at noon on Tuesday. The Columbia River Compact today approved the commercial fishery, which will be from the mouth of the river to Beacon Rock using 4.25-inch mesh nets. Robin Ehlke, assistant Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the net fleet is expected to catch about 1,200 spring salmon. That number is projected to include 900 upper-Columbia-Snake chinook and 300 from the Willamette and other lower Columbia tributaries, she said. Read the rest here 10:12
No One in Alaska Died Commercial Fishing in the Past Year
Commercial fishing has been getting safer for decades, for a lot of reasons. The U.S. Coast Guard recently announced a milestone: No one in Alaska died commercial fishing in a vessel-related incident in the past year, for the first time. That’s the federal fiscal year, Oct. 1 2014 through Sept. 30 2015. Although six commercial fishing boats sank in the summer of 2015, no one was killed. Between 1980 and 1988, an average of 31 fishermen died in Alaska each year. Read the report here 15:45
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge biologists hope commercial fishing will end carp invasion
Say what you will about the invasive common carp in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. They’re ugly. Unappetizing. A bane on the Eastern Oregon ecosystem. But don’t say they’re not resilient. Managers at the migratory bird sanctuary south of Burns have tried dynamite. They’ve tried poison. They’ve tried suffocating the fish by draining water from lakes and ponds. They’ve put screens across waterways to keep the carp from finding new territory. Read the article here 13:56
ADF&G Releases Yukon Salmon Season Report
There were a total of 44 commercial fishing openers for coho and chum in the Yukon River, most of which were held in the lower river districts. Commercial fisherman harvested approximately 190,00 chum and a record breaking almost 130,000 coho salmon, raking in a total of almost $1.5 million. That was part of the findings by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game who just released the 2015 season summary for the Yukon River salmon fishery. Read the rest here 12:04
Bi Partisan push to stop East Coast Oil/Gas Exploration
U.S. Rep Mark Sanford and nearly three dozen fellow House members increased pressure Thursday to curtail the search for oil and gas off the Atlantic coast because of environmental and economic concerns. In a letter Thursday to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s director, the House members said using seismic testing “is an enormously disruptive activity in the ocean’’ that could hurt both and endangered whales. Read the article here 15:26
Prospects unclear in ‘crab country’; state committee to discuss delay’s impacts
Being the sole proprietor of his commercial fishing operation for the last three years, Eureka resident Bob Borck said one of the important skills of the job is being able to live with uncertainty. While he’s seen delays in the Dungeness crab season caused by price disputes or meat quantity requirements, Borck said the indefinite delay caused by the presence of a potent neurotoxin along the entire West Coast is making the prospects of this season unclear. “We’ve never been here before,” he said. “There is no real way to tell.” What Borck does know is that he still needs to pay the bills — not only for moorage and insurance for his fishing vessel,.. Read the article here 08:34
