Tag Archives: Texas
Coast Guard crews continue searching for 94-year-old fisherman missing off Galveston’s coast
A 94-year-old Galveston fisherman reportedly went missing off the coast of Galveston, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Sunday. Frank Marinic was last seen on his 34-foot white fishing boat named the “Mar Boa.” Officials located Marinic’s fishing vessel near the Claypile Bank, located 90 miles offshore, where rescue swimmers confirmed there was no one inside the vessel. video, >click to read< 07:20
Texas to Suspend Flounder Season as stocks continue to decline throughout the Gulf and South Atlantic
One of the most sought after saltwater fish on the Texas Coast will be off limits to commercial and sport fishermen starting Nov. 1. Citing negative trends and large scale declines in flounder populations over the past several decades, The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will suspend the year round flounder season during a six-week period ending on Dec. 15.,, The fish’s native range stretches from North Carolina southward into Mexico, and nearly all of the states in this coastal region are witnessing similar population declines. >click to read< 12:30
USCG medevacs 2 crewmen from fishing vessel 3 miles off South Padre Island, Texas
Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi command center watchstanders received a call on VHF-FM channel 16 at 10:34 a.m. from the commercial fishing vessel F/V Miss Verna stating that two crewmen were unconscious after entering a confined freezer space. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. A Coast Guard Station South Padre Island 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew launched to assist. Once on scene, the boat crew worked with South Padre Island Fire Department personnel to remove the crew members from the confined space and transfer them to the RB–M. Both men were conscious but exhibiting labored breathing. >click to read< 16:16
Shrimp Boat Captain Richard Emil Rick Shattel
Richard Emil “Rick” Shattel’s life ended peacefully in the presence of his family on August 5, 2021. He was sixty-nine years old. Rick was born March 7, 1952, in Galveston, to Emil and Josephine Schattel. Rick was a man of the sea hardened by salt and sun. He was a third-generation commercial fisherman who captained multiple shrimp boats of the Mosquito Fleet including the Shell Belly and his favorite, the Katie Marie. Rick was an independent spirit and a self-professed rebel. He was a fierce defender of family and friends. >click to read< 15:55
Coast Guard assists 5 aboard vessel after 2 fishing vessels collide near Port O’Connor, Texas
The Coast Guard assisted five crew members aboard an 84-foot fishing vessel near Port O’Connor, Texas, Monday. At approximately 9 p.m., Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders received a mayday call over VHF-FM channel 16 from the crew of fishing vessel Aiden Boy reporting a collision with the fishing vessel Joseph Vu approximately 15 miles off Port O’Connor. Neither crew was reportedly in distress. Video, >click to read<22:45
Higher shrimp prices causing problems for packers and retailers
The inflated price of shrimp in Southeast Texas has had a varying economic impact for both consumers and industry professionals. While restaurants were closed during the pandemic, consumers flocked to grocery stores and markets. Great news for packers, fishermen and seafood market owners, but not so good for consumers who saw prices increase. video, >click to watch< 10:45
Fisherman Lance Eric Norby bought a boat sight unseen and named it PNEUMA. “can’t” was not in his vocabulary
Lance Eric Norby entered God’s kingdom on July 1st, 2021, doing what he loved most, in hopes that soon he would be living his dream of giving up his mandatory 6-7 day workweek and begin enjoying the adventurous lifestyle Alaska had to offer. He had an eidetic memory and knew every job at the General Motors Assembly plant where he worked. About four years ago, Lance was introduced to the world of commercial fishing by his good friend, David Schwantes. After a couple Summers of working with and for David on his boats, last year he bought a 32′ aluminum commercial fishing boat, sight unseen, during Covid, naming it PNEUMA. >click to read< 07:55
Uncertain Future: Commercial shrimp season nears for “frustrated” Port Arthur shrimpers
Port Arthur area shrimpers are facing an uncertain future even with the opening next week of the Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for state and federal waters. Texas and federal waters are slated to open for commercial shrimping at 30 minutes past sunset Thursday. Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association Vice President Kim Tran,,, a combination of events that includes Hurricane Harvey fallout and the COVID pandemic produced less-than-ideal shrimping hauls leading to fewer boat captains and deckhands. >click to read< 09:16
Lloyd Earl “Bucky” Chatham of Seadrift, Texas, a retired commercial fisherman has passed away
Lloyd Earl “Bucky” Chatham, 78, of Seadrift, passed away May 31, 2021. He was born April 8, 1943 in El Paso to Charles P. Chatham and Mary M. Chatham. Bucky had many passions in life, hunting, fishing, traveling, diving, rowing many years in the Texas Water Safari, volunteering at the Calhoun County Humane Society, his family and many friends he met along the way. He was blessed to have worked doing what he loved and retired as a commercial fisherman. >click to read< 15:05
Shrimp boat collision in Aransas Pass, Texas
In Aransas Pass, a shrimp boat crashed into a motorboat in the Aransas Pass harbor. The shrimping boat was the one to run over the smaller watercraft. Thankfully, no one was hurt. AP police said they do have a marine unit to patrol the harbor. If you find yourself in an emergency, dial 911. >click to watch video< 20:45
Longtime, devoted Galveston shrimper Joseph “Captain Joe,” Grillo dies
Joseph Anthony Grillo, a commercial shrimper for more than 50 years who fought for legislation to protect the island industry, died on Jan. 1 at his home. He was 89. Grillo, affectionately known as “Captain Joe,” was born Jan.10, 1931, in Apalachicola, Florida. He moved to Galveston with his family in 1940. Grillo was a loving family man, a hard-working commercial shrimper and devoted Roman Catholic, his family and friends say. Grillo purchased his shrimp boat, which he named Santa Maria, in 1952 and he and his wife operated it until they sold the boat at their retirement in 2003 to the Galveston Historical Foundation, which made it a part of its Texas Seaport Museum on Harborside Drive. >click to read< 09:55
Low fuel prices may have saved Gulf Coast shrimpers
Texas shrimpers had a painfully low amount of shrimp harvested in the Gulf in 2020. It dropped from an annual average of 45-50 million pounds of shrimp to 38 million pounds. Yet in the beginning stages of a new year, there is interesting news about what actually happened. According to Andrea Hance with the Texas Shrimp Association, “We actually ended the year on a fairy positive note and it’s kind of hard to believe,,, video, >click to read< 16:48
Fisherman medevac’d from shrimp boat 15 miles off Baffin Bay, Texas
The Coast Guard medevac’d a 58-year-old male from a fishing vessel 15 miles off Baffin Bay, Texas, Thursday evening. Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders received a report at 8:30 p.m. Thursday from the crew of the Los Nietos, a 77-foot fishing vessel, stating a crewmember suffered a head injury. >video, click to read< 13:51
Video: Four adults, two infants, and three dogs rescued from three grounded shrimp boats near Rollover Pass in Gilchrist, Texas
The Coast Guard rescued six people after their vessels became aground in the Intracoastal Waterway north of Rollover Pass in Gilchrist, Texas, Friday. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a report of three fishing vessels aground in the Intracoastal Waterway north of Rollover Pass. The fishing vessels identified in this rescue mission are F/V Golden Eagle, F/V Bossy Page, and F/V Family Tradition The vessel’s occupants, four adults, two infants and three dogs, did not have lifejackets and were concerned about possible rollovers occurring due to weather conditions. >photos, video, click to read< 21:47
Coast Guard corrects aids to navigation after Hurricane Laura near Lake Charles and Port Arthur
The Coast Guard is continuing their response operations following the aftermath of Hurricane Laura near Lake Charles, Louisiana and Port Arthur, Texas. Multiple Coast Guard units are conducting channel assessments, identifying and correcting aids to navigation outages, and reviewing channel surveys to fully reconstitute all waterways. Approximately 2,108 aids to navigation assets were potentially impacted, damaged or moved off station due to Hurricane Laura. District Eight oversees over 23,000 aids. “Mariners should use extreme caution transiting through waterways in Lake Charles and Port Arthur due to aids to navigation outages and floating debris,” >click to read< 19:33
Despite the Coronavirus pandemic, bait shrimping business is good
Over the past few years, the shrimping business has been struggling. Even the number of boats licensed to catch bait shrimp in Texas bays has dropped. There are currently only about 300 boats licensed to catch bait shrimp in Texas bay waters compared to 2,378 in 1988. Just days after Hurricane Hanna slammed into the Coastal Bend, those few bait shrimping boats were back at work to meet the public demand. “They have been selling as fast as we can get them. It is gone. We are steady every day; every day we need 200 pounds every day,”, video, >click to read< 09:22
Clifford Cooper, an early pioneer of the shrimping industry in Aransas Pass
Clifford Boyd Cooper (84) passed away on Saturday, July 25, 2020 at his home peacefully with his family at his side. He was born on November 16, 1935 to Oliver Claude and Daisy Marie Cooper in Bay City, Texas. Clifford was an early pioneer of the shrimping industry in Aransas Pass. He also shrimped off the coast of Africa and South America. He loved the open sea and filling his nets with shrimp from our beautiful Gulf of Mexico. He even taught net weaving to interested young men at Del Mar Tech College to help spur the shrimping industry. Later in life he worked for Gulf King Marine as maintenance/mechanic for their fleet of shrimp boats. >click to read< 08:31
My buddy, the fishin’ mortician
During the past several years, I’ve had the opportunity to fish with my friend Trey Schmidt many times. Trey has a coveted ‘fin fish’ licenses on the Texas coast. He spends 3 nights each week ‘gigging’ for flounder; the majority he sells to Nates West End Bar and Grill, a popular ‘off the beaten path’ restaurant just west of Jamaica Beach on the road heading from Galveston to Freeport. Trey can also harvest sheepshead (a great eating but often overlooked saltwater fish) stingray, crabs and a few other species. Trey’s ‘day job’ the remainder of the week is the funeral business. His family has been in the funeral business in Katy for over 70 years. My friend takes great pride in his work, regardless if that is comforting a grieving family or ‘gigging’ his daily limit of flounder. >click to read< 11:27
F/V Pappy’s Pride: Unified command suspends search for two missing fishermen after vessel collision near Galveston, Texas
The unified command has suspended the search Thursday for two missing fishermen from the 81-foot fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride that capsized after a collision near the Galveston Jetties in Galveston, Texas. Responders searched more than 49 square miles over the past three days. “It is never an easy decision to suspend a search,” said Cmdr. Jordan Baldueza,,, >click to read< 15:23
F/V Pappy’s Pride: Unified command established for vessel collision in Galveston, Texas
A unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, federal on-scene coordinator, Texas General Land Office, state on-scene coordinator, and Mr. Harry Stark, the fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride’s insurance underwriters, has been established Wednesday in response to the collision between the 81-foot fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride and the 600-foot chemical tanker Bow Fortune near the Galveston jetties in Galveston, Texas. >click to read< 20:31
Coast Guard searching for 2 fishermen after vessel collision in Galveston, Texas
The Coast Guard is searching for two fishermen from the 81-foot fishing vessel Pappy’s Pride that capsized after a collision near the Galveston jetties in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday. At 3:35 p.m., Vessel Traffic Service Houston-Galveston watchstanders were notified of four people in the water after a collision between the fishing vessel and the 600-foot chemical tanker Bow Fortune near the Galveston jetties. >click to read< 19:10
Shrimp – Record Lows in Louisiana and Florida-and a Near Record High in Texas-Close Out 2018
The Fishery Monitoring Branch of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center released shrimp landings data from the Gulf of Mexico for December 2018 and January 2019. For December, NOAA reported that 6.5 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the Gulf of Mexico, down from 6.9 million pounds last year, and 24.4 percent below the prior eighteen-year historical average of 8.6 million pounds. The decline in landings for the month was due to low shrimp landings in Louisiana and on the west coast of Florida. >click to read<21:04
Lawmakers urge more FDA inspections of imported seafood, win approval
An effort to increase the amount of imported seafood the U.S. inspects for health issues has crossed a hurdle in the Senate. Louisiana’s two Republican senators, John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, won approval of a measure that would add $3.1 million the FDA’s budget for such testing. Shrimpers in Terrebonne and Lafourche, joined by their peers in other states, have pushed for the measure,, The group represents shrimp fishermen and processors in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. Video >click to read<17:48
Texas Man Claims Cocaine Came with His Fishing License
Being a game warden is an interesting job. A warden just never knows who or what they’ll encounter while out on the job, even on something as simple as a license check. In the Texas Game Warden’s latest roundup of interesting items from warden reports is a particularly peculiar report. An unnamed Willacy County warden came upon an unnamed angler at Port Mansfield’s Stone Pier. As per standard procedure, the warden asked to see the man’s fishing license. This is where things got interesting. >click to read< 11:06
‘Big Fish, Texas’ Follows Buddy Guindon And His Commercial Fishing Empire
Buddy Guindon is no stranger to hard work, having built up his company from only one boat to an entire fleet of boats and building Katie’s Seafood Market, which is named after Buddy’s wife. The entire Guindon family works together like a well-oiled machine in order to maintain and build upon what Buddy started. Buddy Guindon and his family are well known in Galveston, Texas, and he is a respected advocate of the Gulf fishery. Video, Read the article here 08:13
No NOAA Confidence! 5 Gulf States Propose Gulf State Red Snapper Management Authority
ast week, marine fishery directors from all five states bordering the Gulf of Mexico — the first time all of the states have collaborated — sent out a proposal to Congress to develop an independent body, Gulf State Red Snapper Management Authority. The group would approve each state’s management plan, coordinate population assessments, provide consistent accountability measures and distribute federal funding for research, assessment and management. Read the rest here 18:50
Texas Begins Largest Oyster Reef Restoration in State History
The oyster reefs selected for this project include Middle Reef, Pepper Grove Reef and Hannah’s Reef in Galveston’s East Bay and the large Sabine Reef in Sabine Lake. Rodney said the Pepper Grove Reef oysters “were recently named as some of the tastiest oysters by Thrilllist.com.” Only two of the top fifteen oysters come from the Gulf of Mexico. Read more here 20:24
Certified Authentic Louisiana shrimp proves challenging
That Certified Authentic Louisiana label that you might see on bags of seafood at grocery stores is as much about survival for the state’s shrimp processors, who count on being able to sell at higher prices than foreign importers. But some processors aren’t finding it easy to earn the label because their whole operation has to be related to Louisiana. Read more here 22:51
179 Mexican shrimping vessels depart Port of Brownsville and Port Isabel as weather calms and Hurricane Ingrid passes
“We safely and successfully provided safe harbor to 179 Mexican shrimping vessels. Now that the weather has calmed down, we’re faced with the equally challenging task of escorting these vessels out of the port,” said Cmdr. Daniel Deptula, the response officer for Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi. “We will continue working closely with our partners to ensure a safe and efficient transit out to sea.” more@uscgnews 19:22
Judge voids snapper season curtailment saying the National Marine Fisheries Services was playing a twisted version of Robin Hood
A federal judge in Brownsville has struck down a federal emergency ruling to limit red snapper season in Texas, Louisiana and Florida, saying the National Marine Fisheries Services was playing a twisted version of a popular fictional character. Furthermore, if one looks at the actual poundage of red snapper caught, and if one takes this admittedly weak literary reference one step further, when comparing at least Louisiana and Texas with Alabama, the NMFS is doing just the opposite — it is robbing from the poor to give to the rich.”continued @ The Brownsville Herald
