Beal takes top spots at lobster boat race season opener at The Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races
Jeremy Beal of Jonesport won two top races at the Charlie Begin Memorial Lobster Boat Races in Boothbay Harbor Saturday, June 15. Beal took first place in the Fastest Working Lobster Boat and Diesel Free For All races. He reached a top speed of 58.5 mph in his boat, F/V Maria’s Nightmare II, beating second place in the working boat race by almost 20 mph. Last year, Beal also won the free for all. photos, results, >>CLICK TO READ<<
Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races – Contributing photographer Michael Leonard once again captured the action of the Charles Begin Memorial Lobster Boat Races on Saturday, June 15. Here is a sampling of his photographs taken from shore at the Maine Department of Marine Resources facilty at McKown Point using his 600mm prime lens along with a teleconverter. Lots of excellent photos. >>CLICK TO VIEW<< 12:23
Fresh Off the Boat
California fisheries are considered a “Legacy Industry” that sustains local families while helping to attract tourists. Shockingly, the California commercial fleet that included 5,000 boats in 1980 diminished to only 464 vessels by 2022, and Fort Bragg is home to 103 of these registered commercial fishing boats. The fish catchers who are still fishing are finding it increasingly necessary to “adapt or die.” Fortunately, Noyo Harbor seems to have some very resourceful people who have taken this challenge to heart and devised some innovative ways to help get the freshest fish onto your dinner table. Dan Platt, aka Captain Dan, is a commercial fisherman, diver, and owner of Noyo Harbor Tours in Fort Bragg. He owns two boats: the Zhivago, a converted 1931 former Coast Guard craft for fishing, and The Noyo Star, his eco-friendly electric tour boat. The recent tough times in California fisheries encouraged Dan to think outside the box. To improve his bottom line, he is sometimes able to sell his fish direct from his boat to customers on the dock, cutting out the middleman. more, >>CLICK TO READ<<10:20
Nigel Farage vows to kick EU fishermen out of UK waters in Reform bombshell
Nigel Farage has vowed to kick EU fishermen out of British waters in a move which will come as a major boost to many who campaigned to take back control of British waters after Brexit. The Reform UK leader outlined his vision in his party’s manifesto, Our Contract with You, launched today in Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales. The document pledges to – among other things – stop EU fleets taking British quotas; expand the Royal Navy overseas squadron; and ban massive supertrawlers such as the Dutch-flagged Margeris from plundering UK waters. The document proclaims the the UK government has “betrayed the industry”. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:53
Area commercial harvest reaches over 438,000 salmon
When state fisheries biologists shut down the Copper River commercial salmon for two 12-hour openers on June 3 and June 8 retail markets in Anchorage ran out of the popular Copper River fish, making way for the fresh catch of Cook Inlet sockeyes which were selling at $14.99 a pound. The decision to close those fisheries was that river waters were low and very cold, and the migration into rivers was running late, said Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist Jeremy Botz, in Cordova. But then ADF&G opted to allow a 12-hour opener on Saturday, June 8, which brought in 338 deliveries with an estimated 74,296 sockeyes, 2,724 chum, 493 Chinook and 434 pink salmon. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:40
P.E.I. lobster fishers frustrated by low prices, say they’re the same as 18 years ago
There are just a few weeks left in the spring lobster season on Prince Edward Island, and while catches in many areas have been good, Island fishers are again frustrated by the prices they are being paid on the wharf. At North Lake, P.E.I., Jamie Bruce said fishers are getting $6.50 a pound up to $7, and market prices are the same. Bruce said that’s the same price lobsters were fetching 18 years ago. “I went back in my records, and I keep a record every year. Actually, I had a guy called me today. He said he thinks in 1997 we even saw these prices,” Bruce said. “So I went back as far as 2006 and we were very similar to what we are then, with the major difference. Everything else is either doubled or tripled in price. Bait. Fuel. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:15
Offshore wind farm: Business owner fumes over controversial $10billion project on NSW south coast
A commercial fisherman fears his livelihood is under threat after last-minute amendments to a new offshore wind farm were given the green light. The final amendments to the 100-hectare plot of sea where the $10billion project will be built were completed by the federal government on Saturday. The project was initially planned to be just 10km off the coast, where local fisherman Mark Horne caught lobsters for a living, but was changed at the last minute. Fearing that his fishing spot would disappear, Mr Horne invested $500,000 in a new boat to expand into new fishing areas, which is now obsolete following the amendments. photos, charts, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:32
Norway: Protection zone’s unexpected consequences hit local fishermen
Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries is being urged to issue a dispensation allowing commercial fishermen to fish for wrasse and crab inside a newly created conservation area for lobster near Stavanger. The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association (Norges Fiscella) believes that such a dispensation can be made without any negative effects on conservation. These measures were introduced to protect over-exploited lobster stocks, but this has had unforeseen consequences for local fishermen, as Norges Fiskarkag and local association Sør-Norges-Fiskarlag have taken the initiative in drawing attention to this issue. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:54
Inside the Slimy, Smelly, Secretive World of Glass-Eel Fishing
The Sargasso Sea, a warm, calm expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean, is bordered not by land but by four strong currents—a gyre. Vast mats of prickly brown seaweed float so thickly on the windless surface that Christopher Columbus worried about his ships getting stuck. The biodiverse sanctuary within and beneath the sargassum produces Anguilla rostrata, the American eel. Each female lays some eight million eggs. The eggs hatch as ribbonlike larvae that drift to the Gulf Stream, which carries them to the continental shelf. By the time they reach Maine, the larvae have transformed into swimmers about the length of an index finger, with the circumference of a bean sprout and the translucence of a jellyfish. Hence their nickname, glass eels, also known as elvers. The glass eel is barely visible, but for a dark stripe—its developing backbone—and a couple of chia seeds for eyes. “Ghosts on the water,” a Maine fisherman once called them. Travelling almost as one, like a swarm or a murmuration, glass eels enter tidal rivers and push upstream, pursuing the scent of freshwater until, ideally, they reach a pond and commence a long, tranquil life of bottom-feeding. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:50
Conservative groups cleared to continue legal fight to protect whales from Biden-backed offshore wind farm
A coalition of conservative organizations have standing to continue fighting a Biden administration wind project in Virginia, a federal judge determined. However, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan of the District of Columbia, a Biden appointee, denied the plaintiff’s petition for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project from going forward. The plaintiffs sued the Biden administration and Dominion Energy to protect the North Atlantic right whale under the Endangered Species Act. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
Cornwall Community funds new boat for 12-year-old fisherman
A boy who lost his fishing boat to a storm has bought a new one with the help of his community in Cornwall. Antony, 12, is a known entrepreneur in Cawsand who sells his catch of fish, crabs and lobsters on the beach. At the beginning of 2023, his boat was washed away during a storm – returning to the shore shattered. “He was really distressed that it was gone; really upset, really angry that it was broken and that was it,” his mum Michal said. The new boat was christened and named the Ocean Harvester 1. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:22
A fishing boat captain and two deckhands died in a disastrous Oregon bar crossing. Could it have been prevented?
Joshua Porter got dressed for his job around 4 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2019, sat down at the end of the bed, buried his face in his hands and told his longtime partner he didn’t want to go. He was scared. A storm was brewing off the Oregon coast, where the Mary B II would be competing with dozens of other fishing boats in the first days of the Dungeness crab fishing season. In the handful of days he had worked on the Mary B II, Porter had become concerned. The 50-year-old captain, Stephen Biernacki, new to the Pacific Northwest’s waters, repeatedly refused advice from experienced sailors, had once ran his boat aground and seemed to be unfamiliar with the most elementary aspects of fishing for crab. “Well, why are you going?” Denise Barrett Ramirez, standing in the bedroom doorway of their Toledo home, asked him that morning. “Got bills to pay,” Porter replied. “I have to go.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:44
Frank Lasee: Wind Turbines and Lobsters Mean Less Lobsters and Not Enough Electricity
National Lobster Day is a good time to think about what the expensive, subsidized offshore wind development is going to do to lobsters and the $400 million lobster industry. Offshore wind will disrupt fishing for them and harm their habitat. This is not good for the Maine lobsters, and it is not good for electric affordability either. The 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind ordered by President Joe Biden–not Congress–is catering to the far left of the Democrat Party’s base. Over 2,000 wind turbines and foundations, 6,800 miles of cable and hundreds of specialist vessels are needed to deploy 30 GW, according to the Department of Energy. The offshore wind industry spent $2.7 billion in supply chain, transmission, ports and boats in the first year of operation. Their costs have only begun. Electricity rates are going up wherever they add offshore wind electricity generation. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:30
Remembering Ken Coleman, longtime commercial fisheries advocate
Ken Coleman, a longtime Kenai resident and commercial fisheries activist, died in his home May 7 at age 72. Anyone involved in Cook Inlet fisheries politics in the last 40 years probably either heard of or from Coleman. He was a staple presence at Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meetings, always ready to put in a word for commercial set-netters, especially with the recent effort to create a permit buyback program. I’ve been at this now for 10 ten years on this reduction thing, the inception and where we are today. And I don’t know if I have another rodeo in me, if this doesn’t pass here,” Coleman said in an interview last year. Though recent years have been poor for setnetters, Coleman often talked about how he wanted the fishery to be available to his children and grandchildren. Coleman fished the beaches of Cook Inlet south of the mouth of the Kenai since the 1970s. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:31
Why do fishermen feel disillusioned after Brexit?
“I don’t think it matters who I vote for, they’re all lying,” said fisherman Dave Toy. He said it was not what he voted for and as a result he did not see any point in voting in the general election. Fishermen said they had wanted Brexit to deliver an increase in fish stock, but instead had got more paperwork. They cited the introduction of a mandatory catch app to record catches before they are landed, new vehicle monitoring systems, inspections and the requirement of medical certificates, which was later removed for existing fishermen. The government said the measures had improved both safety and fish stock management. Fisherman Graham Nicholas said life post-Brexit had been difficult. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:41
Cranston man arrested in Narragansett after fishing trip
A commercial fisherman from Cranston was arrested Saturday morning when the fishing boat he was working on arrived in Narragansett. Narragansett Police Sergeant Kyle Hemmerle told NBC 10 News that John Avarista, 41, was wanted on a number of felony warrants – five from Connecticut, as well as a failure-to-appear warrant from Superior Court on a charge in Rhode Island. The Coast Guard said the suspect was tipped that officials were awaiting his making landfall and he diverted to a nearby dock in an attempt to escape capture. more, >CLICK TO READ<< 20:58
Commercial salmon fishermen eye Klamath dam removal with cautious hope
At 76, he still fishes for salmon alone. Standing in the cockpit on the stern deck of his wooden trawler, Elmarue, he can keep an eye on all six wires; when one of the lines starts to dance, he brings the fish in, stunning it with his gaff while it’s still in the water. Then he uses the tool to hook the salmon behind the gills and swings it onto the deck. “By the way, I want that fish cleaned and chilling in a single water flush within half an hour; that’s the standard,” says Dave Bitts. “I want you to enjoy eating it as much as I enjoyed catching it.”In April, for the second year in a row, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted unanimously to close California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishery. The closure was based on woefully low numbers of adult salmon expected to return to several California rivers. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:58
Study reveals alarming fatality rates in the Texas shrimping industry
A recent study is highlighting the fatality rates in the shrimping industry, a occupation that drives an essential part of Coastal Bend dining. Dr. Shannon Guillot-Wright, associate professor of occupational health at UTHealth Houston, said that she and her team of researchers have noticed an alarming trend in our gulf waters. “We talked to many shrimpers who had things fall on their heads, their friends’ heads,” she said. Jeff Wright owns Anne’s Bait House On The Bay and said that he is no stranger to the dangers of shrimping when a fellow shrimper died on his boat dock in March. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:32
Electric lobster boats: Bringing future resiliency to energy infrastructure
It’s called The Sea Cucumber. A prototype diesel electric hybrid fishing boat made by Glas Ocean Electric in Nova Scotia. If you plug it in, it’ll charge overnight. It has 98 kilowatt hours, so you could drive to your fishing ground on diesel, operate for six to eight hours on electric power, then head home on diesel. “You can take your eight hour day now and replace six or seven of those hours with cheap electric power instead of diesel power,” The boat, which could produce fuel savings from 50 to 70 percent, was on display as part of a Nova Scotia government announcement of a new Fisheries and Aquaculture Energy Efficiency Innovation Fund for the province. Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:25
Biden’s Policies Threaten Small Lobster Fishers and Right Whales
While lobstermen likely haven’t been contributing to NARW deaths, it is undisputed that vessel strikes, both in U.S. and foreign waters, have. Which brings us to the Biden administration’s decision to construct thousands of offshore wind turbines smack-dab in the middle of the whale’s migration route and habitat. Biden’s East Coast offshore wind initiative could qualify as an extinction level event for the North Atlantic right whale. Despite this, the Biden administration plans to build 30,000 megawatts of traditional offshore wind facilities (with structures attached to the ocean floor) in federal waters by 2030, and an additional 15,000 megawatts of floating industrial offshore wind power by 2035. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:31
‘Deadliest Catch’ Fisherman Nick Mavar Has Passed Away – The Former Northwestern Deckhand Was 59
Nick Mavar, who appeared on Discovery Channel’s reality franchise Deadliest Catch, died Thursday in Naknek, AK, Bristol Bay Police Chief Jeffrey Eldie confirmed to Deadline. He was 59. Mavar suffered a medical emergency at a boatyard in Naknek Thursday afternoon, according to Eldie. Paramedics were called and he was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead of what was determined to be natural causes, Eldie says. He was a familiar face to fans, given his status on the Northwestern, which is captained by the franchise’s de-facto elder statesman, Sig Hansen. Mavar was also uncle to onetime Northwestern greenhorn turned-deckhand turned-Saga captain, Jake Anderson. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:10
DFO Rejects FFAW Working Group Proposal for Buddy Up in 2J3KL Northern Cod, Harvesters Forewarn of Offshore Draggers Coming
Despite an overwhelming majority voting in favour of buddy-up in cod, late yesterday afternoon DFO advised the FFAW that buddy-up will not be implemented in 2J3KL for the 2024 season. Harvesters fear that DFO is failing to manage the fishery in a way that supports the continued economic success of coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador and warn that the Department is threatening to allow offshore draggers access this fishing season. “Owner-operator fish harvesters who rely on the cod fishery have systematically and democratically worked over the last several months to find ways to improve our northern cod stewardship fishery, for the economic feasibility of the 2J3KL fleet,” says FFAW-Unifor Greg Pretty. “This fleet determined that the way to move forward was approving buddy-up but including important criteria that would ensure the fishery lasts more than a few days,” Pretty explains. “Moreover, harvesters are very fearful that the Liberal Government is positioning themselves to give away the northern cod resource to offshore draggers this fishing season,” Pretty says. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:23
Flex Doors Provide Flexibility
Mørenot’s distinctive red Injector doors can be seen in practically every Icelandic port as its Sparrow and Cobra designs are becoming increasingly popular. Cobra doors have two sets of louvres, while the Sparrows have three. ‘If you’re fishing with twin-rig gear and need to go down to one trawl, then the doors are going to be too large, so the crew can reduce the surface area by opening louvres in the doors. Or if a trawler works more than one set of gear for different fishing grounds or target species, then the doors can be adjusted to match the trawl, so this would be ideal for the Spanish fleet that operates over so many areas,’ said Mørenot Ísland’s Björn Jóhannsson. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:50
$3 million Shem Creek dock renovations aim to boost shrimping, fishing fleet
In a show of support for the longstanding shrimping industry, the Shem Creek docks are undergoing major renovations. The $3 million repair and rebuild of the dock, pier and processing building on Haddrell Street began June 11. Construction for the project was awarded to Cape Romain Contractors in April. Crews will remove and rebuild the existing boardwalk and pier to create a wider walking clearance for shrimpers and improve accessibility for workers and visitors. The shrimp docks are not the same as the boardwalk at Shem Creek Park and are tucked away from the restaurants and nightlife that surround the creek. Crews will also repair the shrimp processing section of the building where Tarvin Seafood operates. The back portion of the building has been condemned for years and is unsafe, said Cindy Tarvin, owner of the family-operated business. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:13
Mi’kmaw fishermen say they’re being threatened, prevented from selling catch in Cape Breton
Some Mi’kmaw lobster fishermen say they’re still being prevented from earning a moderate livelihood, more than two weeks after the Department of Fisheries and Oceans began investigating allegations of trap tampering near Louisbourg, N.S. Last month, Eskasoni First Nation fisherman Charles Francis said 70 of his 178 traps were damaged. Since then, some Mi’kmaw fishermen say they have been threatened, denied fuel sales and mechanical work on their boats, and are being prevented from selling their catch by some people in or associated with the commercial fishery. “It’s pure racism,” said Michael Basque, the moderate livelihood fishery co-ordinator for Unama’ki, which is the Mi’kmaw name for Cape Breton. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:50
Staffing Shortages Cause Coast Guard Canal Station To Cut Service Hours
The Cape Cod Canal Coast Guard Station at the Sandwich Marina will no longer support search and rescue 24/7. Staffing shortages have forced the Coast Guard to cut the station’s hours to eight hours a day, five days a week. The Coast Guard is currently facing the largest workforce shortage in its 233-year history, Coast Guard First District spokeswoman Lieutenant Samantha Corcoran said. The Coast Guard is anticipating shortages to worsen; they have already begun to impact frontline operations and readiness. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:25
DFO enforcement official says many arrested in elver fishery will face charges
A top federal fisheries enforcement official says it’s likely many of those arrested this spring for illegally fishing for baby eels along Nova Scotia and New Brunswick rivers will be charged as part of enforcement efforts to try to rein in an out-of-control fishery. Tim Kerr, the Maritime director of conservation and protection for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said he believes deterrence is working, and the department intends to bring in new measures in an attempt to make sure next year’s season runs more smoothly. “We do expect a large number of charges and subsequent court appearances and decisions to be made against individuals who have been caught harvesting elver unauthorized this year,” he said in an interview Thursday. Stanley King, an elver fisherman, said this week the commercial sector has long been in favour of a traceability system, and is frustrated DFO would not introduce one early enough to potentially avoid this year’s shutdown. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:31
‘We need it desperately’: Great Lakes Commercial Fishermen look for help as industry shrinks
Commercial fishing on the Great Lakes began 150 years ago, and fishermen once numbered in the thousands. Now, only a handful of businesses are still at it, and many are aging out and looking for help. Jamie LeClair represents the fifth generation involved in her family-run commercial fishing business. Titus Seilheimer, a fisheries specialist for the Wisconsin Sea Grant, said the industry needs to start training the next generation of commercial fishermen. “There are concerns. A lot of folks I work with are getting older, and the fleet is getting grayer,” said Seilheimer. “That’s an issue here in the Great Lakes, but really any fishery.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:57
Terrebonne Parish shrimper says three-year bridge closure driving away business
Somewhere down Shrimpers Row lies the “Shrimp Kingdom.” Once a booming business, it now struggles to make ends meet. Tracey Trahan says it’s not just because of the incredibly low prices of shrimp, but instead, a broken bridge that’s driving away thousands of customers. “It’s impacting us tremendously with our sales of our business and getting a large trucking 18-wheelers in here,” said Trahan. “Some of our vendors have even backed out from picking up here because of the highway on Shrimpers Row. It’s too narrow and our truck drivers are complaining about it being dangerous.” Trahan says he’s been asking the parish to make repairs. “I was personally told that they’re waiting on funding from FEMA,” said Trahan. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<<10:14
Fishery co-op plans on hold after province freezes processing licences
June 13th, 2024 – The Fisheries Protective Co-operative has put organizing efforts on hold following a decision by the provincial government to institute a freeze on the issuance of new fish processing licences. “We hit a wall that we didn’t see coming,” says organizer Ryan Cleary. “The plan is to move forward when the freeze is eventually lifted,” added Merv Wiseman, another key co-op organizer. The FPC was preparing an application to process groundfish at a seal-processing facility in Fleur de Lys on the Baie Verte Peninsula when an official with provincial Fisheries revealed this week that a licence freeze is in effect. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:12
RWE to start seabed surveys at floating wind site offshore California
Site investigation survey work will soon start at RWE’s floating wind project site off the coast of Northern California, where the Germany-based offshore wind developer plans to build its first commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm, Canopy. RWE will be performing initial site investigation surveys during 2024 and 2025, with the first activities beginning in June 2024. The work will involve mapping the seafloor so the best locations for the wind turbines, anchors and electric cables can be assessed. The surveys will also provide data that will help better understand biodiversity, habitats, and other environmental factors to ensure responsible planning and design that minimizes the impact on ocean ecosystems, according to the developer. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:11
