Saint Helena seafood company recalls landing a role in ‘Forrest Gump,’ still has receipts
In the fall of 1993, a film crew in search of shrimp pulled up to a seafood market on the island’s northeastern edge. They would need about 4,000 pounds, they told Gay Seafood Co. co-owner Charles Gay. Paramount Pictures would pay the bill. “We can do that,” Gay said. The production team bought just over 6,000 pounds in total for the making of “Forrest Gump.” Thirty years later, the film is cemented as an American classic, and Gay still has the receipts that prove Gay Fish Co.’s role in its production. more, >>click to read<< 08:41
‘We cannot fish in a wind farm’: Local fishermen file lawsuit over offshore wind project
Many people in Morro Bay have mixed feelings about a planned offshore wind project. Now, a lawsuit has been filed. The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization and the Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman’s Association claim some rules and regulations related to the project have not been followed. The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization was incorporated in 1972 and has around 100 members. “We’ve been here for a while and we’ve got an incredibly good reputation in all of those years, and we are very proud of it,” said Jeremiah O’Brien, Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization Vice President. more, >>click to read<< 06:52
Sixteen Mainers Win a Chance to Enter Lucrative Elver Fishery
The Maine Department of Marine Resources has awarded the right to apply for an elver license to sixteen Mainers who were among more than 4,500 who entered a license lottery held by the department. Maine’s elver fishery continues to be one of Maine’s most lucrative, with a per pound value of $2,009 last year, which generated more than $19 million for fishermen. As was the case in 2022, each new license holder will receive four pounds of quota, which is made available from individual quota associated with licenses that were not renewed. They will each be authorized to choose either a dip net or a fyke net for harvesting. The lottery winners are,,, The Department has notified the winners, who have thirty days to apply for a license. This year’s elver season begins at noon on March 22 and goes until noon on June 7. more, >>click to read<< 15:41
Whale not seen in 200 years spotted in New England waters, scientists say
A gray whale that hasn’t been seen in 200 years has been spotted off the coast of Massachusetts, according to officials with the New England Aquarium. Aquarium scientists said the whale was seen on March 1 while they were flying over the ocean 30 miles south of Nantucket. Orla O’Brien is the associate research scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. She said seeing the whale was completely unexpected. “I didn’t want to say out loud what it was, because it seemed crazy,” she said. more, >>click to read<< 13:10
Federal trial starts for five fishermen accused of multi-year scheme
The jury trial of five people charged with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records began Thursday, March 7. The trial is expected to last nine days in the U.S. District Court in Portland. The jury was selected this week. Opening statements were scheduled to start March 7. The five defendants — who have pleaded not guilty — are Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; and Western Sea, Inc. Other defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. more, >>click to read<< 11:31
Retired Commercial Fisherman James Richard “Jim” Frederick of Anacortes, Washington, has passed away
On Feb 25, 2024 Jim passed away peacefully at home with his wife Dorothy and son Jim Jr. at his side. He was born in 1933 in Michigan to become a lifelong fisherman. He and Dorothy married in 1953, when he was at Fr. Bragg in the 82nd Airborne Div. After his honorable discharge, with wife and son in tow, he left for Washington in 1960 in search of bigger fish, to which he dedicated his life and almost only topic of conversation. He retired from commercial fishing at age 78 (his call sign was affectionately known as “Grumpy”) and turned his attention to sport fishing and added another layer to his preferred topic of conversation. He will be sorely missed in this household. more, >>click to read<< 09:34
Louisiana shrimpers forced to gamble their livelihood to stay in the industry
Craig Theriot looks out at the Gulf of Mexico as his boat is fueled up. It’s the waters he’s worked his entire life. If anything breaks in the next 10 days, he’ll never be able to work her waters again.”I’m leaving tomorrow. I don’t make much money, but it’s a check,” Theriot said Feb. 27. “Hopefully we don’t have a breakdown, ‘cuz if we get a breakdown, I’m done. You can put me on the shelf.” The life and work that he loves is in jeopardy, more now than any other year. Boats are being sold, and processors are closing their doors, all because of the record low prices. Imports are driving the American shrimper out of the market, and Theriot doesn’t want to give it up waiting and watching his savings dwindle. He’d rather go out working. more, >>click to read<< 08:20
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse backed laws to benefit wife’s company and their ‘financial interests’: ethics complaint
Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a crusader for new ethics guidelines at the Supreme Court, was himself hit with an ethics complaint last month after backing two dozen pieces of legislation that have benefited his wife’s environmental consulting company. Whitehouse, 68, has been dogged by ethics questions since his first years in the Senate, when he secured a $22 million federal grant for an offshore wind company, Deepwater Wind, that had hired his wife as a “permitting consultant,” the complaint states, citing contemporaneous reports from local Rhode Island outlets. Sandra Thornton Whitehouse is currently the president of Newport, RI-based, for-profit consulting firm Ocean Wonks, LLC, raking in millions of dollars for her work with non-profit clients that profited from her husband’s legislative activity. Video, photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:42
‘It’s really scary’: The existential crisis of a Bay Area crabber
On a cloudy January evening, just as the sun lowered in the sky creating a sliver of orange along the horizon, John Mellor pulled his boat into the dock at Fisherman’s Wharf. Mellor’s 40-foot boat has been out at sea for more than 30 hours. There is a sense of excitement and anticipation as two crew members lift a cover, unveiling thousands of crabs in a container. Bucket by bucket, clawing crustaceans are weighed on a giant scale. The haul is a good one, and the success of each outing has become more crucial since the Dungeness crab season is half as long as it used to be. He waited through several anxious months of delays for the season to start. Mellor, 60, grew up in Oakland and began fishing as a teen. He is one of a few hundred commercial Dungeness crabbers in the state who have reluctantly adapted to shorter crabbing seasons. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 16:44
Lobster prices at the wharf hit $18 a pound in Nova Scotia
Low catches, low inventory and strong demand are driving the price increase in lobster fishing areas from Halifax to Digby. “It’s surprising, I don’t think anyone expected $18 a pound when the season opened,” said Heather Mulock of the Coldwater Lobster Association, which represents lobster fishermen in southwest Nova Scotia. “There were not a lot of catches and that is reflected in the price.” In Halifax, Sobeys is selling live lobster for $18.99 a pound. Buyer Stewart Lamont of Tangier Lobster fears the high price could bump the crustacean off restaurant menus. more, >>click to read<< 14:32
Fisherman told to either drop DFO complaint of controlling agreement or risk losing home
An inshore fisherman from La Scie whose commercial fishing enterprise is being seized by a receiver for the bank has been given until this Thursday, March 7th, to either retract a recent declaration to DFO that he was in an illegal controlling agreement, or risk losing his home. “No fisherman should be put in that impossible position,” says inshore fisheries advocate Ryan Cleary. “It’s the latest example of how the entire system works against the inshore fleet.” Jimmy Lee Foss purchased the F/V Ocean Surfer II and a suite of commercial licences (including snow crab and shrimp) in April 2022 with a $3.8-million loan from the CIBC. According to Foss, the deal was arranged and co-signed by local fish processor Robin Quinlan of Quinlan Brothers Ltd. more, >>click to read<< 11:32Santa Barbara Commercial Lobster Fisherman Convicted for Abandoning Traps
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced the successful prosecution and conviction of a Santa Barbara commercial lobster fisherman on a multitude of commercial lobster fishing violations. Christopher Miller, 67, of Los Alamos, was recently convicted in Santa Barbara Superior Court. Miller pled guilty to falsifying commercial fishing records, harvesting lobster out of season, then abandoning at least 156 commercial lobster traps around Santa Cruz Island and the Santa Barbara Harbor. It was Miller’s third commercial lobster poaching conviction since 2014. After closure of the 2021-22 commercial lobster season, and after being ordered to remove his lobster traps by CDFW wildlife officers, Miller failed to retrieve any of his traps from state waters. more, >>click to read<< 09:48
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 57′ Fiberglass Scalloper, 350 HP Cummins
To review specifications, information, and 26 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 08:46
Large southern rock lobsters from Beachport fetch up to $500 each as SA fisher celebrates catch
In the past, giant lobsters sold for less than their smaller counterparts because their taste was considered inferior — but that has changed. South Australian fisher Craig “Slim” Reilly recently caught rock lobsters that fetched up to $500 each, including one that weighed close to five kilograms. The three-decade industry veteran said they did not come much bigger than that. “One of the biggest [I’ve caught] for sure,” Mr Reilly said. The cray, caught in January in shallow water near Beachport, weighed 4.85kg. Mr Reilly guessed it was at least 30 years old. He said bigger lobsters used to sell for less per kilogram than their smaller counterparts, but that was no longer the case. Video, more, >>click to read<< 07:51
U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater off Oregon Inlet
The Coast Guard says they have suspended the search for a missing boater off of Oregon Inlet on North Carolina’s Outer. The Coast Guard found 65-year-old Captain Charlie Griffin of Wanchese dead after a boat heading to the Outer Banks was reported as overdue on Sunday. 36-year-old Chad Dunn remained missing Tuesday night when the Coast Guard suspended the search. more, >>click to read<< 06:11
Scots fishers feeling chipper over more haddock
Scots fishers have access to more haddock, the mainstay of fish suppers north of the border, following an international deal on quotas. It remains to be seen whether it will mean cheaper fish and chips. But more haddock is undoubtedly a boost for the supply chain, including fish friers. The agreement between the UK and Faroe was today hailed as the “final piece of the jigsaw” for the Scottish catch sector in 2024. Britain secured a total of more than 2,200 tonnes of extra fish quota in the bilateral talks. Scottish fishing vessels, including many based in the north-east, now have greater access to several key stocks. According to the UK Government, it is another example of what can be achieved from “post-Brexit freedoms”. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 16:27
Gifford Cooke, co-founder of Cooke Aquaculture, dies at 85
Gifford Cooke, who founded the now global seafood company Cooke Aquaculture from its humble beginnings in southwest New Brunswick, died on Sunday at 85. Cooke founded the company with his sons, Glenn and Michael, by setting up their first salmon farm at Kelly Cove in 1985, Cooke’s website says. They purchased their first hatchery in Oak Bay in 1989, and Cooke Aquaculture was established four years later. The company’s main brand, True North Salmon, has been used since 1994. Today, the company has nearly 13,000 employees and oversees a family of 13 brands, and Cooke Aquaculture remains based in New Brunswick. Premier Blaine Higgs released a statement on Monday to express his condolences, calling the locally-based company “a global success.” Photos, more, >>click to read<< 13:33
Maine Fishermen’s Forum Honors Cape Elizebeth Fire Department Water Extrication Team
During a special presentation at the 2024 Maine Fishermen’s Forum, the Cape Elizabeth Fire Department’s Water Extrication Team (WET) was recognized for its dramatic rescue of the crew from the Maine fishing vessel Tara Lynn II. In the early hours of January 13, 2024, a May Day call was broadcast from the Tara Lynn II, a 49- foot fishing trawler that had been wrecked on the rocks of Trundy Point in Cape Elizabeth, ME. Four people were trapped on board. more, >>click to read<< 10:41
Maine Lobstermen’s Association tallies its victories, future risks at annual meeting
“Every year, there is a new issue facing the industry,” Tristan Porter, president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), said as the trade organization opened its 70th annual meeting during the Maine Fishermen’s Forum on March 1. For lobstermen and the commercial lobster fishery, there are three big issues facing the industry: protecting North Atlantic right whales, maintaining a sustainable fishery and the federal leasing in the Gulf of Maine for floating offshore wind energy — plus the myriad of federal and state regulations and public hearings and, at times, lawsuits, that go with them. 8 photos, more, >>click to read<< 08:44
Awards 2023: Best Small Trawler – Copious – Macduff Ship design
This fine little ship will work for its experienced owners in the bleak, windy and cold waters to the north of Scotland. Macduff Ship Design knows those waters well and this very imaginative new trawler will work very safely, efficiently and effectively there. Magnificent! “The entire fishing operation was reviewed and analyzed. The layout of fishing operations, the positioning of the equipment, and the mechanization of a number of areas to avoid crew contact with gear was given a high priority to ensure maximum crew safety.” more, >>click to read<< 07:42
The 2024 Maine Lobster Boat Races Schedule Is Out
Dreaming of warmer days outside? I think we all are, especially when one yearly Maine tradition returns for another year. Well, here we are at the beginning of March, and the new schedule is here! What says summer is coming more than the 2024 Lobster Boat Races schedule? People from all around the state follow The Maine Lobster Boat Race Association up and down the coast. These races always draw a crowd, and the captains prove to grow bigger and bigger raft-ups every year. The yearly circuit starts in Boothbay and ends in Portland. Video’s, more, including the schedule, >>click to read<< 06:44
Capt. Charlie Griffin, ‘Wicked Tuna’ star, dies in boating accident on the Outer Banks; passenger missing
Capt. Charlie “Griff” Griffin of “Wicked Tuna” fame died on the Outer Banks after his boat went missing Sunday night near Oregon Inlet. A person with him remained missing Monday evening, Around 11:35 p.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard received a report of two overdue boaters transiting in a recreational vessel from Virginia Beach to Wanchese, where the boat was going for repairs, a Coast Guard spokesperson said by phone. The last communication with those on the boat had been about 6:15 p.m. Sunday. The Coast Guard and local first responders were searching the oceanfront between Nags Head and Rodanthe by water and ATV on the beach when the boat was found south of Oregon Inlet about 70 yards off shore in the break, the spokesperson said. more, >>click to read<< 17:32
Inoperable weather buoys at mouth of the Columbia River stir concern
On the first day of commercial Dungeness crab season, Kelsey Cutting began his morning the way most crab fishermen do: checking the weather. Like many commercial fishermen, Cutting relies on data from weather buoys at the mouth of the Columbia River to guide his decisions. But as he’s learned, not all weather buoys are created equal — and when one goes out, there can be serious consequences. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operates two buoys at the mouth of the river that track real-time data on barometric pressure, wind direction, speed and gust, air and sea temperature, humidity and waves, which help inform National Weather Service forecasts. The buoys have been out of operation since late last year. more, >>click to read<< 15:18
Charles Michael Parker of Cape May Court House, NJ, has passed away
Born in Ocean City, Maryland to the late Charles A. Parker, Jr. and Charlotte (Hobbs) Parker, Mike spent his early life on the beaches of Ocean City, graduating from Stephen Decatur High School, Berlin, Maryland in 1959. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy where he spent six years serving his country in Heavy Attack Squadron Eleven (VAH-11) aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. After many years of working in the engineering field, Mike returned home to Ocean City, Maryland and joined his father in commercial fishing management at Davis and Lynch Fish Company. In 1980 Mike and his family moved to Cape May, NJ to pursue opportunities at Lund’s Fisheries and later forming Atlantic Cape Fisheries. Switching gears in 1985, Mike and his wife, Gloria acquired the Country Greenery, which they have owned and operated with their family for 40 years. more, >>click to read<< 11:44
Maine commercial fisheries jump $25M in value, with strong boat price for lobster
Commercial fishermen in Maine had a strong year in 2023. The value of the state’s fisheries increased by more than $25 million over 2022, for a total of $611.3 million at the dock, according to preliminary data released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The department attributed much of the increase to a strong boat price for lobster, Maine’s most valuable species last year. The price paid to fishermen went from $3.97 per pound in 2022 to $4.95 per pound in 2023, netting harvesters an additional $72 million compared to the previous year, for a total value in 2023 of $464.4 million. “The price Maine lobstermen received last year is a reflection of the continued strong demand for this iconic seafood,” said Patrick Keliher, the department’s commissioner. more, >>click to read<< 10:19
Hundreds of thousands of salmon released in Northern California river die in ‘large mortality’ event
As many as hundreds of thousands of fall-run Chinook salmon died early last week due to suspected gas bubble disease. The fish were released into the 257-mile-long Klamath River near the California-Oregon border following November’s historic dam removal at the site, which was intended to help the stream flow freely again and bolster the habitat for the protected species. Still, the CDFW said those conditions, while unfortunate, were anticipated, and that its hatchery has over three million more salmon it plans to release later this month, downstream from the dam and tunnel. Juvenile fish like salmon fry can have high mortality rates due to predators, lack of food or disease, and the CDFW’s planned release will include fish in later stages of the species’ life cycle, specifically smolts and yearlings. more, >>click to read<< 09:28
“Thar’s gold in them thar gills!” Why this Peoria fish company wants to come to Pekin
Many central Illinois residents see Asian carp as an invasive species and a hazard to public waterways. But a wholesale and retail fresh water fish processing company sees them as an opportunity and wants to set up a facility in Pekin. Vogel noted that commercial fishermen have been netting carp on the Illinois River for “quite a few years.” While those fishermen have always had access to carp processing plants, he believes Freshwater Solutions proposed Pekin facility can potentially operate on a larger scale. “It’s not just the Asian carp we’re targeting,” he said. “It’s all freshwater species in commercial fishing. What we’re trying to do is build an old industry anew right here in central Illinois.” more, >>click to read<< 08:06
Rescue Operation Saves 24 on Sinking Ship in Japan, One Fatality Confirmed
During an intense rescue mission amid turbulent seas off the southwest coast of Tokyo, a Japanese coast guard helicopter successfully retrieved 24 fishermen from a perilous situation where they were holding onto a nearly capsized ship. The incident, which occurred on Monday morning near an island chain, unfortunately also involved a fatality when one crew member was recovered deceased after being cast into the sea. The vessel, identified as Fukuei Maru No. 8, experienced engine trouble on Sunday evening in the Pacific Ocean while on route from Yaizu Port in central Japan to South America for a tuna-fishing expedition. About five hours after departure, the ship began to drift due to the stormy conditions, prompting the captain to send out a distress call reporting that the ship had struck rocks, as stated by the coast guard. Video, more, >>click to read<< 06:57
Fishing Vessel Crew rescued by Irish Coast Guard after Grounding on Inis Mór
Five crew members were rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after their fishing vessel ran aground on the northern side of Inis Mór, on the Aran Islands. The emergency call was received by the Valentia Coast Guard shortly before 5am this morning. The 21-metre fishing vessel had five crew members on board who initially abandoned the vessel into a life raft. Shannon-based Coast Guard Helicopter R115, Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat, and North Aran Coast Guard Unit were all immediately dispatched to the scene to assist with the rescue operation. more, >>click to read<< 18:57
Regional council says it won’t tighten fishing regulations in Bristol Bay red king crab savings area
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will not move forward with a request to close the Bristol Bay red king crab savings area to all commercial fishing. At its February meeting, the regulatory council looked at the effectiveness of closing the 4,000-square-nautical-mile section of the eastern Bering Sea to commercial trawl, pot and longline fishing, but decided not to tighten regulations in the area. The savings box was established in 1996 as a haven for the massive crab species. It is already permanently closed to bottom trawling, but it remains open to midwater, or pelagic trawlers, pot fishing and longlining. Non-pelagic, known as bottom trawling, is allowed in a small section within the savings area — known as the savings subarea — when crabbers are harvesting the species. The council also evaluated a pot gear closure of a large section in the eastern portion of Bristol Bay, known as Area 512, to address drops in the Bristol Bay red king crab stock. All trawling is already prohibited in that area. more, >>click to read<< 12:38
