Tag Archives: fishing vessels
Red king crab harvest looking ‘very good’ so far for Bristol Bay fleet
The Bering Sea’s biggest and most lucrative crab fisheries opened last week, and so far, fishing is looking good. “Fishing has been very good for the [Bristol Bay red king crab] fleet this season and the crab delivered so far has been of high quality — new shell, large size, good meat-fill,” said Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Ethan Nichols. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 29% of the total allowable catch (TAC), for the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery had been harvested, according to Nichols. He said so far, reports from captains and from observer catch reports show signs of productive fishing. Nichols said 14 vessels had landed about 680,000 pounds of king crab. The average weight is 6.84 pounds, and the catch rate is 35 legal males per pot. Both of those numbers are up slightly from last year. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:14
F/V Argos Georgia Tragedy: Falklands looking after community’s emotional wellbeing following traumatic event
Following the incident involving the Argos Georgia this week, the Falkland Islands government Emotional Wellbeing Service (EWS) would like to reach out to members of the community who may be feeling distressed about what has happened. We have spoken to a number of people from across our community who are feeling very high levels of distress due to the incident. We would like to reassure anyone who is feeling this way that this is a very natural reaction to such a disaster, especially in such a small, close-knit community. If you have been directly or indirectly affected by this incident, please know that you are not alone. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:53
F/V Argos Georgia: Montevideo port fishing vessels turn sirens on to remember fallen mariners
At mid-morning Thursday, fishing vessels in the port of Montevideo turned their sirens on for a few minutes to the memory of the lost mariners from longliner Argos Georgia, believed to be almost unsinkable given its sturdy complexion and modern technology, which sunk in the middle of a dramatic storm in the deep south Atlantic. Earlier in the year she had called in Montevideo for fuel and provisions before sailing to the Falklands and from there east with its South Georgia toothfish license- But on this occasion the dramatic storm, 35 knots wind and eight meter high waves raging now for a week turned into a tragedy when the vessel called for help and all of the crew members took to live rafts in the midst of challenging consequences that finally only allowed 14 out of 27 to survive, with the loss of nine mariners and four still missing. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:33
Amputations, broken bones among the injuries caused by winches on fishing boats
For crews working on fishing boats in Alaska, danger lurks in a helpful and possibly innocent-looking device: the winch. Winches are hauling devices on which cables are wound. On fishing vessels, they are used to lift anchors, nets and other objects. The combination of speed, force and close quarters on deck can lead to accidents involving them. In most cases, the injuries happened when body parts were caught in or compressed by winches or the cables attached to them, the study said. Hands, wrists and arms were the body parts most frequently injured, though there were also injuries to other body parts, including skull fractures. Amputated fingers were among the most commonly reported injuries,,, >click to read< 10:10
Encouraging signs there will be plenty of ‘Brixham gold’ around
Traditionally, the summer is a quieter period for fishing and many boats will undertake their annual refits. These are now nearly all complete, and all the industry is gearing up for the busy season which will start in four to six weeks. The start of the busy period also coincides with the start of the cuttlefish season and this year there are encouraging signs that there is going to be plenty of ‘Brixham gold’ around. The cuttle is a particularly important fishery for Brixham as we can have somewhere in the region of £10,000,000 in total for a year across all the fishing vessels. >click to read< 14:33
Dredging by fishing vessels for scallops has been banned along the Northumberland coastline
A new byelaw introduced by the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA) brings the rule into immediate effect. The NIFCA district covers the sea area from the Scottish Border to the midpoint of the River Tyne and six miles out to sea. NIFCA chairman Les Weller, explains: “Following an extensive public consultation with stakeholders including the commercial fishing industry and careful consideration, looking at all available options and taking stakeholder comments into account, the authority made this decision to ensure the long-term protection of the marine environment in the NIFCA district and the security of the local potting industry regarding crab and lobster stocks. >click to read< 08:55
Fishing Fuel Costs at Tipping Point
Many fishing vessels are facing a cruel choice between tying-up or going to sea to make a loss. NFFO members are providing landings information that illustrate although reasonably healthy grossings are being made, after deductions for fuel earnings for crews are risible. In one example a vessel in the south-west made a landing worth £11,0489 but fuel costs swallowed £10,416. In another case, a landing of £44,176 and a fuel bill of £29,068 left £1516 to be shared amongst 8 crew. A third example was an inshore vessel after eight days fishing made £8706 but faced a fuel bill of £5234, leaving £927 for the crew. These examples illustrate that the current situation is unsustainable are at the point beyond which vessels will have to tie up. >click to read< 08:18
Canada Bans All Russian Ships from Ports – Newfoundland cod processor drops Russian imports
The government of Canada has joined the UK in banning Russian shipping from Canadian ports, adding to the growing list of penalties targeted at Russian commerce in response to the invasion of Ukraine. In an announcement Tuesday, three Canadian ministers announced that Russian-owned or registered ships and fishing vessels will be prohibited from entering Canada’s ports and internal waters. >click to read< – Icewater Seafoods of Arnold’s Cove cancels orders of Russian cod in show of solidarity with Ukraine – A major cod processing plant in Newfoundland and Labrador has cancelled all imports of Russian products, a move it describes as a sacrifice to show solidarity with Ukrainians. >click to read< 09:59
U.S. Coast Guard continues to support Hurricane Ida recovery efforts across Southeast Louisiana
The Coast Guard continues to respond to impacts to the waterways and assess the environmental threats across Southeast Louisiana Thursday, post-Hurricane Ida. In partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), the Coast Guard is continuing efforts to re-open waterways impacted by Hurricane Ida in the areas of Bayou Lafourche, Houma Navigation Canal, and portions of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. To date, 25 obstructions comprised primarily of fishing vessels, crew vessels, and offshore supply vessels have been identified in the Bayou Lafourche channel. Photos, more info, >click to read< 18:06
Hurricane Ida: Dozens of Groundings and Sinkings Block Louisiana’s Inland Waterways
Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard released an update on the full extent of the impact of Hurricane Ida in the vicinity of Bayou Lafourche, the working waterway that leads inland from Port Fourchon. The area was right in the path of the hurricane’s eye, and while Port Fourchon has reopened, navigation remains closed on Bayou Lafourche because of dozens of sunken and grounded vessels.,, So far, 25 vessels requiring salvage and removal – fishing vessels, crew boats and OSVs – have been found in the Bayou Lafourche channel. 30 more submerged targets have been identified in the Houma Navigation Canal, including 15 that have recently been cleared or removed. photos, >click to read< 09:51
Newport, Oregon: Fishing vessels collide at sea in thick fog
U.S. Coast Guard crews safely escorted two small fishing vessels, one of which was taking on water, back to the dock after they apparently collided in thick fog about 12 miles offshore early Wednesday morning. The Coast Guard will investigate the cause of the incident, which was called into Station Yaquina Bay shortly after 5 a.m. Both fishing boats, F/V Chief Joseph and F/V Linda were still operable, but the Linda sustained damage to its hull and was taking on water. The Coast Guard crew passed over a pump in case it was needed to keep the fishing vessel afloat. >click to read< 13:54
First of this season’s Scottish prawn fleet arrives in Newlyn.
BF191 Vision IV is the first of this year’s visiting prawn fleet to arrive in Newlyn, seen here astern of the Irish twin-rigger Unity, with a hydraulic gear problem to sort. Some of the crew keep themselves busy pressure washing the hull. The beam trawler St Georges is busy putting back together her trawls, and not looking too shabby for her 48 years at sea, >click for 6 photos< 12:51
Western Alaska villages, two CDQs acquire more crab quota, vessels
Thirty western Alaska communities, along with two community development quota entities are anticipating a boost in their economic future in a buyout deal in which they are acquiring $35 million in opilio and king crab quotas, plus full ownership of seven crab vessels. The buy-out of Mariner Companies in Seattle offers the rural communities a value equal to 3 percent of the total crab fishery, while Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. will acquire four of the fishing vessels and Coastal Villages Region Fund will acquire three vessels. >click to read< 12:49
Marine Navigation Safety Regulations 2020: Canada Announces New Marine Regulations to Improve Safety, Security and Protection
Canada has published new Marine Navigation Safety Regulations, which now apply to commercial vessels of all sizes, including fishing vessels, workboats, water taxis and ferries. The new regulations, which reflect extensive consultation with Canadians and the marine industry, represent a consolidation of nine existing sets of marine safety regulations into a single one,, The Marine Navigation Safety Regulations 2020 require vessel owners to have equipment to help reduce the risk of collisions that could cause pollution, like oil spills, and threaten endangered marine life, such as whales. They are also required to have lifesaving equipment that will send emergency signals and provide the vessel’s location. >click to read< 08:38
Coronavirus outbreaks keep sidelining vessels owned by one of Seattle’s largest fishing companies. No one’s entirely sure why.
It’s not surprising that fishing vessels would become potentially high-risk environments as the pandemic worsened. Like cruise ships, which became notorious Covid-19 hotspots in the early days of the outbreak, fishing trawlers tend to confine people in close quarters for prolonged periods of time. But several additional factors make fishing vessels susceptible to outbreaks: Living arrangements require people to cram into tight spaces together, sharing bunkrooms, dining areas, toilets, and other facilities. “These people are four to a room,” said Dr. Marisa D’Angeli,“They’re in bunk beds. They share a bathroom with the four people [in the] adjacent [room]—so eight people total. People don’t wear a mask when they sleep.” The work environment, which requires people to work closely together in wet, chaotic circumstances, is no less fraught with transmission opportunities. >click to read< 08:08
#FishermensLivesMatter: Until this pandemic is over, say no to fishery observers being placed on fishing vessels
On July 1st the Trump Administration’s agency, NOAA will require that fishing vessels resume taking fishery observers on their fishing trips. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic these activities have been suspended for almost three months due to the danger of spreading the deadly disease among the
fishing industry and their families. Fishery observers are required by National Marine Fishery Service regulations to observe commercial fishing operations in almost all of our countries fisheries based on various criteria that include likelihood of interaction with marine mammals or other protected species, amount of bycatch in each fishery, adherence to regulations, and anything else they can justify to support this huge taxpayer money gobbling con game they have created. >click to read< by Jim Lovgren #FishermensLivesMatter 22:27
Mayport fishing vessels scramble for docks in Jacksonville in advance of Hurricane Irma
The entire First Coast shrimping and fishing fleet is in the process of moving away from the coast and into a safer docking space in downtown Jacksonville as Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida. While the storm is still churning in the Caribbean, about two dozen shrimp vessels from the Jacksonville area have retracted their nets and are leaving their usual port of Mayport. That’s where Safe Harbor Seafood is the main warehouse and wholesaler of the local catch operates. Gerald Pack, owner of Safe Harbor, said Thursday that shrimp boats and other fishing vessels, usually docked at the historic village about a mile from the mouth of the St. Johns River, have mostly headed to the old Shipyards docks that are girded with concrete near Metropolitan Park. click here to read the story 09:00
Coast Guard responds to report of 4 fishing vessels taking on water near Dillingham, Alaska
The Coast Guard is responding to a report of four fishing vessels taking on water Monday in vicinity of Nushagak Bay near Dillingham. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage received a report Monday morning that four commercial fishing vessels engaged in salmon fishing began taking on water and became partially submerged in separate incidents. Three good Samaritan vessels and crews recovered all people safely from the four fishing vessels. There is a report of a diesel sheen around one of the fishing vessels that is partially submerged. There are no reports of injuries. “We are working closely with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Fish and Game and the Bristol Bay Native Association to mitigate any potential harm to the environment,” said Capt. Sean Mackenzie, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, commander for Sector Anchorage. The cause of the incidents is under investigation. For inquiries related to the salmon fisheries contact Lisa Krebs-Barsis, Aleutians/Western Alaska Unit Supervisor, Prevention, Preparedness and Response Program, ADEC, at 907-269-8487 (office); 907-542-5798 (cell). -USCG-
Fishing vessel energy audit aims to cut costs for fishermen
Commercial fishermen are largely at the whim of the seafood market. Prices can vary wildly, while operation costs stays the same — That is, until now. An energy audit aims to help Sitka’s fishermen increase their profit margins. It’s a sunny morning in Sitka. Usually Steve Fish — yes, that is his real name — would be out on his boat the Kariel, trolling for salmon or longlining for black cod or halibut. But today, the 66-foot fishing vessel and its captain are parked in the harbor. Fish has surrendered the Kariel to a swarm of engineers, who can’t help but ask about how his gear works. They’re all aboard the Kariel to conduct an energy audit of the vessel. Fish, along with 17 other fishermen in Sitka, volunteered for the audit. “It’s dollars and cents,” Fish says. For Fish and most others in the industry, each year those dollars and cents are spent at the pump. Audio, read the rest here 14:32
Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Loan Board has called the loans for three different fishing vessels
On Nov. 25, three statements of claim were filed in Federal Court. One claim is against a Barrington-based vessel called the Fall Harvest, owned by Crystal Larkin, Donna Larkin and Alexander Malone. The statement of claim said they took out a loan in 2009 which was due on Nov. 23, 2015. The documents say the loan board is owed $194,775.12, plus interest. Another claim involves Shawn Boudreau of Arichat and KAOS Fisheries Limited, the owner of the vessel Major KAOS. Read the article here 08:59
