Tag Archives: Coronavirus
Deadliest Catch Captain Keith Colburn: “It’s a shitty job”
Deadliest Catch is already in its 15th year. The reality series about the crab fishermen on the Bering Sea near Alaska is still very popular. One of the protagonists in the Discovery series is Keith Colburn. The captain was one of the first to go to Alaska with nothing and 30 years later owns one of the largest ships: F/V Wizard.,, He can’t fish right now, because he is still struggling with the consequences of the coronavirus. “It was especially weird, “Despite corona, there was still a danger that we know all too well from the other seasons of Deadliest Catch: the sea. A huge wave hit The Wizard, damaging the iconic ship. photos, video, >click to read< 14:50
Home in Maine, Fisherman Taylor Strout reflects on the Alaska commercial fishing industry during the pandemic
From Maine, it takes him a good 24 hours and four airports to get where he is going. Taylor Strout is a mate aboard the Fishing Vessel F/V Northern Defender which was tied up at the dock in Dutch Harbor. As the crow flies, he is more than 4000 miles away from home. What is the draw? “It’s kind of a different level of fishing out here. And it was something that I’ve always wanted to do and try back when I first got into it. I had the opportunity to do it, and to try it, and I didn’t just try it, I ended up kind of falling in love with it. And continue to do it since. I love the rotation of it. You know, you go to work, you work hard, you put it in there, and then when it’s time to go home and focus on your family you get to come home and just be Dad and take care of the family that way too,” says Taylor. >Video, click to read< 12:50
Wedgeport Boats’ sales buoyant
Wedgeport Boats, a builder of commercial fishing boats in Yarmouth County, is thriving during the pandemic due to a surge in demand for recreational boats and the rental of space in one of its buildings. “There’s definitely been an increase on the recreational side of almost 100 per cent,” says Wedgeport general manager Fraser Challoner. Such boats are usually a small part of Wedgeport’s total sales and still are. But the boatyard’s doubling of those sales in the past year has definitely helped it stay afloat. >click to read< 09:30
An oysterman’s new worry: Will state’s coastal plan wash out his business?
Terry Shelley has spent his entire working life as a commercial fisherman. Before he was a full-time oyster farmer and harvester, he spent the first part of his career harvesting shrimp and reef fish. He’s seen a lot, but not a pileup of challenges like now. Back in September, Hurricane Zeta rumbled over small-town Port Sulphur, Louisiana, where the family’s oyster farm and processing center are based. The Shelleys lost half their cages, and they only managed to retrieve about half of that. Already by then, the Coronavirus pandemic had temporarily halted the supply lines Shelley Farms uses to sell its oysters. Now, after losing most of his oyster crop last year, Mr. Shelley has another worry on his mind. Louisiana coastal planners are pushing a $2 billion project proposal designed to fight back against the trend of persistent coastal erosion. >click to read< 15:24
Church offers “Do It Yourself” blessing kits for faithful fishermen
This year, the Rev. Michael Kim is offering a special service for Coronavirus conscious Catholics: a “do-it-yourself” kit that fishermen can use to bless their own boats and gear. The blessing kits distributed by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church include the text of a prayer to be read aloud, and holy water in a bottle designed for easy sprinkling. Parishioners hoping for abundant catches or for protection from stormy weather sometimes ask for blessings, Kim said. However, the coronavirus pandemic has made close interpersonal contact more complicated. So, Kim readied 15 kits in preparation for the 2021 fishing season. Kim said he was ready to prepare more kits if demand should increase during the fishing season. >click to read< 09:39
Yankee Fishermen’s Co-op had banner 2020. Does it have to pay back Coronavirus relief funds?
Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative weathered the Coronavirus pandemic and then some. The cooperative at Seabrook Harbor grossed more revenue in 2020 than 2019, according to president Jim Titone. He said he is concerned the cooperative will have to return the grant partially or in full, because on paper, it appears as though they were more prosperous, despite the pandemic, even though many of the facilities and equipment are at least 30 years old and are due for replacement, Titone said he would like to use the Main Street Relief monies to upgrade the cooperative, including installing a new 20,000-gallon lobster tank to accommodate the additional Maine lobstermen who joined the cooperative during the pandemic, and to build a new ice house. >click to read< 07:54
New York: $6.7 million in Coronavirus relief to marine fishing industries
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $6.7 million in relief aid is being distributed starting today to New York’s seafood, marine commercial, and for-hire fishing industries after excessive business losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New York State will distribute an additional $5.7 million in the coming months, for a total of $12.4 million, through the Marine Fisheries Relief Program, which administers federal funding provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. >click to read< From ny.gov, >click to read< 11:40
Multiple challenges hamper commercial Dungeness crab season
The commercial Dungeness season in California opened late because the state’s Risk Assessment Mitigation Plan (RAMP), which is in full-force for the first time this season,,, “It’s a little bit tough right now,” said Dick Ogg, who has fished commercially out of Bodega Bay for more than 20 years. “That’s kind of an understatement.” Ogg is a member of the Dungeness Crab Gear Working Group, which contributed to the RAMP. Ogg says he and other vessel operators have come up with a variety of strategies to reduce the chances of migrating whales or endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtles getting tangled up in gear. Ogg pulled his crab gear out early this year, deciding to put his energy into prepping for the salmon season. But he said for the vessels still at it, the higher market prices made up for low catches. >click to read< 14:08
A push to boost commercial fishing industry, post-Coronavirus on Long Island
With the pandemics, the industry suffered on Long Island as restaurants all but shut down, wiping away an important client base for commercial fishing. As the economy continues to reopen, Suffolk County has launched a survey aimed at developing a real-time snapshot of the Long Island commercial fishing industry, which officials say has been “especially hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a press release from the county. The survey is available here. The information and data collected through the survey will highlight the needs of local fishermen and will guide and assist agencies in providing the resources necessary to continue to support a viable and sustainable fishing industry. >click to read< 11:48
They’re Ready! P.E.I. 2021 spring lobster season – ‘Things look a lot more positive this year than they were a year ago’
Last spring, as uncertainty due to Coronavirus, reined worldwide and the lobster industry struggled with a two-week delay to the season, securing workers and keeping them safe, and getting a fair price for harvesters. “Plants weren’t ready to start production, they didn’t have PPE for the workers in the plants, they didn’t have enough workers for the plants,,, “The plants are ready, they have the workers in place for the most part, the PPE and the changes to the plants have already been done,”. McGeoghan said demand is high from China, Europe is opening up again and the U.S. demand is “steady.” >click to read< 10:14
Brexit: how it started, how it’s going
The European Parliament votes Tuesday on the EU’s divorce settlement with Britain, the 1,246-page Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The deal averted tariffs or quotas on almost all goods produced in the UK and EU. The new standards and attendant bureaucracy are having an impact on trade. UK exports of live mussels, cockles, oysters and other shellfish are no longer allowed to enter the EU. Most come from Scotland, and the industry says it is staring at collapse. Britain’s government, however, says the coronavirus pandemic has been the bigger factor affecting trade since the Brexit deal took effect. >click to read< 07:32
Cornish fisherman can’t swim on Brexit, Coronavirus. and 50 years at sea
Coronavirus for the shellfish export capital of the UK Newquay, hit pretty hard, Phil Trebilcock said, but thanks to a wave of ‘buy local’ sentiment, they were kept going. “It has not been too bad for us, because what this Covid has done is a lot of people, I’ll give the public their due, have been supporting locals. Brexit, for Phil, has not hit as hard as other fishermen, some of whom accused the government of turning its back on them with the withdrawal agreement. After starting out in 1964, aged just ten, he caught his first mackerel and crabs to sell at Newquay Harbour. photos, click to read<15:40
The Blessing of the Fleet in Lafitte returned Saturday!
The blessing of the fleet in Lafitte returned Saturday April 24, 2021, after taking a year off because of the coronavirus pandemic. A boat-blessing tradition started in the ’40s returns to Lafitte after a pandemic-year pause >click<. The Boss Man shrimp boat gets into position to be blessed by 
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond during Lafitte’s blessing of the fleet in the Industrial Canal Saturday, April 24, 2021. The archbishop assisted Rev. Luke Nguyen, of St. Anthony Catholic Church, in blessing the fleet. “This is the first time Lafitte has an archbishop to bless the boats,” Nguyen said. lots of photos!, >click to review< 09:57
“It’s time for our community to get back together,” Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival
A day filled with seafood snacking and shag dancing can only mean one thing – the 2021 Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival which will celebrate fishers and shrimpers in typical Mount Pleasant fashion. The daylong festival is April 25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park. There will be a variety of activities throughout the day with the boat parade and blessing beginning at 1 p.m. After taking a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival is “back in business.” Schedule, details, >click to read< 10:54
‘Deadliest Catch’ Captain Hospitalized
Captain Keith Colburn has been hospitalized with Coronavirus. Colburn announced in a video posted from his hospital room that he’d had the virus for at least 20 days. He maintains he went 10 days without needing any medication while he self-quarantined, but he still wound up needing to seek medical attention. While the virus has worked its way out of Colburn’s system, he claims he’s still dealing with its after-effects. He’s now battling a case of pneumonia as a result of his coronavirus diagnosis that’s left him in the hospital for the last eight days. Andy Hillstrand was another cast member to contract the virus, Video, >click to read< 17:44
Cranberry Islands communities get second round of vaccine via lobster boat
For Maine’s island residents, getting vaccinated isn’t as simple as driving to a vaccination site and getting in line. It takes a complete community effort, and vaccine administrators needed some extra help to move from island to island. Enter Captain Richard Howland, of the Fishing Vessel Victoria. Normally he’s hauling lobsters on his boat. Friday, it was the vaccine. “They needed a big, safe, comfortable boat. It’s blowing about forty easterly, so… I got a big boat.” Video, >click to read< 08:29
U.S. Seafoods apologizes to Unalaska following coronavirus exposure at the Norwegian Rat Saloon
A Seattle seafood company has issued an apology to Unalaska after crewmembers from one of its vessels at port in the island community breached isolation protocols to visit a crowded local bar last weekend. The resulting widespread exposure forced the city to move from the “medium” to “high” coronavirus risk level after nearly a month and a half at the lower threshold. Dozens of locals who visited the Norwegian Rat Saloon have been asked to quarantine and test said Dave Wood, U.S. Seafoods’ chief operating officer. “We regret that these individuals made terrible decisions, put a lot of people at risk and harmed a lot of people. We are as outraged as you are.” >click to read< 22:55
Bering Sea Fishermen likely had Coronavirus and went to the bar, locals have to quarantine
Unvaccinated people who visited Unalaska’s Norwegian Rat Saloon late Saturday are being asked to quarantine this week, after officials say they shared the space with fishermen who broke their company’s own quarantine plans,,, The Norwegian Rat is a popular spot for both fishermen and locals, with pool tables and shuffleboard, and it’s the closest bar to the docks used by many large fishing vessels. Saturday was margarita and taco night. >click to read< 07:50
Prince Edward Island lobstermen struggle through uncertain 2020 season
The fishing industry has certainly hit rough waters in the past, but the 2020 season was like few had ever seen,,, There is little doubt pandemic woes played a partial role in the fact lobster catches were down approximately 8.6 per cent compared to 2019, which was a record year. As Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the PEI Lobster Marketing Board, puts it, much of the reason for that decrease was due to the fact the spring season was delayed two weeks. Fish plants had issues with getting out-of-province workers in due to border restrictions and self-isolation policies. >click to read< 09:55
Coronavirus: Data shows pandemic landed blow on P.E.I. lobster fishery in 2020
P.E.I.’s lobster fishery in 2020 never quite recovered from a late start caused by the pandemic, although sellers were able to quickly change gears to keep export sales close to 2019 values. The P.E.I. lobster fishery had record landings in 2019, well over 40 million pounds, but landings were down 8.6 per cent in 2020, according to preliminary numbers from the provincial government. The start of the spring season was delayed two weeks,,, >click to read< 08:25
Stewart Pearson, The Lobster Man
With the weight of over 300 years of family history heaped on his shoulders, things looked grim last year at the start of lockdown, but Stewart was determined not to see his family fishing business fold on his watch. Stewart recalled that his grandfather was still fishing right up to the year before he died.,, He learned his craft working alongside his father on their boat, called Windward. He said, “when lockdown happened we couldn’t sell our lobsters to the usual merchants so I decided to start my business, The Lobster Man. “I’m sure my dad and granddad would be very happy with what we are doing now. >click to read< 09:50
Florida Spiny lobster season ends
Bill Kelly says the spiny lobster fishery is like real estate. “Location is everything,” said Kelly, executive director of the Florida Keys Fishermen’s Association. “We’re seeing a significant season, a good season for spiny lobster and stone crab harvest in the Upper Keys and [mainland] South Florida. We’re also seeing that in the extreme Lower Keys and down into the Marquesas and the Tortugas.” The lockdowns in China early during the pandemic didn’t help the industry either. Kelly said China buys about 80% of the live spiny lobsters, and they pay top dollar. >click to read< 11:39
Deadliest Catch: The Crab Industry Is Struggling – Will Mandy take over F/V Northwestern if Sig retires?
“Deadliest Catch” has been hinting this could possibly be the very last King Crab season. Episode 1 already shows the captains joining forces to find and catch crab since they endured many obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic. This could be the final straw for Sig. He comes from a long line of fishermen and started fishing at age 14. Sig is 54 years old. While he’s not technically considered old, he does have a slew of health issues. He’s had two heart attacks, yet fans can still see him smoking cigarettes in various “Deadliest Catch” ads. >click to read< 10:09
Despite unprecedented 2020 market losses, Maine fishermen brought in history’s 9th most valuable catch
Valued at $516.8 million, the ex-vessel value, or price paid at the dock, of Maine’s commercially harvested marine species was the ninth-highest on record. Maine’s lobster fishery once again accounted for most of the state’s overall landed value, with the lobster catch totaling $405.98 million. While the landed value was down from $491.2 million in 2019 and the 2016 peak of $540.7 million, it was the seventh straight year that the lobster fishery exceeded $400 million. Maine scallop fishermen brought ashore an additional 224,874 pounds compared to 2019, ranking the fishery as the third-most valuable, despite a 19-cent per pound decrease in value. >click to read< 09:12
Coronavirus: Bering Sea Crabbers Push For Extended Season
A group of Bering Sea crabbers say the Coronavirus pandemic has slowed their fishing season, and they want more time to catch their quota before the state shuts down their season next week. For the few boats fishing bairdi crab this year, there could be a lot at stake if they don’t have time to catch their full quota. “I’m thinking they don’t quite understand what we’re going through out here,” said Oystein Lone, captain of the 98-foot crab boat Pacific Sounder, which is based out of Dutch Harbor. >click to read< 07:55
Selling Direct to the Public: What looked like disaster for Haworth Fish Co. has turned into new business
After a week at sea, Nick Haworth returned to port with 30,000 pounds of big eye tuna and opah aboard Kaylee H,,, Having been hundreds of miles offshore, the crew had not heard the news: On March 17, 2020, fearing a surge of coronavirus cases, the county health department shut down all indoor dining, instantly destroying the restaurant industry’s appetite for the fresh investment sitting on ice below deck in the fishing boat’s hold. “We had nowhere to sell our catch,,, photos, >click to read<,09:17
Bering Sea Island’s Fuel Shortage Forces Crabbers South To Refuel – “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like this,,,
The Coronavirus pandemic has already disrupted Alaska’s winter Bering Sea fishing seasons, closing plants and adding quarantine related complications for crews. St. Paul, one of the Pribilof Islands, announced the gas ration late last month after bad weather canceled the arrival of a fuel barge, and fishermen say it’s forcing them into days-long detours for refueling. “I seem to remember we had some rations, years back, but it was nothing like this,” Oystein Lone, the captain of a 98-foot crab boat, He and his five-person crew on the F/V Pacific Sounder just started fishing for bairdi, also known as tanner crab, on the eastern side of the Pribilof Islands in the middle of the Bering Sea. >click to read<10:03
Tasmania: Seafood, rock lobster industry receives state government relief package
Hundreds of struggling fishers, who have been hard hit in recent months, have received a much-needed cash relief. The state government announced a fee relief package of $663,000 for rock lobster and other commercial wild fishers. Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council’s chief executive Julian Harrington said the seafood industry, even more so, the rock lobster industry, were still recovering from the impacts of Coronavirus. “Cash flow margins for fishermen are very narrow and any financial support and fee relief is welcomed.” >click to read< 13:26
Coronavirus: UK Fishing industry shrank ‘dramatically’ during pandemic
Activity fell sharply in Britain and China in 2020 but increased in US, Japan and South Korea. In a year of unprecedented decline, the UK and China saw the most “dramatic declines” in fishing activity,, In Britain, whose fishing industry was badly hit by storms in the months before the pandemic, there was a drop,,, while in China there was a fall,, . Fishing activity also decreased in Italy, Spain, France and Norway, mostly in the first months of 2020. Early on in the pandemic, boats were tied up and many workers in the Scottish fishing industry were forced to use food banks as export demand fell, restaurants were closed and lockdown restrictions were introduced all over the UK. >click to read< 16:02
