New England lobstermen threaten to sue feds over planned Massachusetts fishing closure
NOAA is looking to permanently add a wedge between state and federal waters to an existing closure that stretches roughly 9,000 square miles off the Massachusetts coast, a measure feds have put in place to preserve the North Atlantic right whale. An emergency rule prohibited trap and pot fishery buoy lines on the wedge during the past two years, but the feds are looking to make the zone permanent and have the backing of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. The proposed permanent expansion to the Massachusetts Restricted Area has caught lobstermen by surprise. Dustin Delano, chief operating officer of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, took exception to the “recklessness” of the proposal after an amendment was included in this year’s $1.7 trillion federal spending bill that looked to delay protections for the North Atlantic right whale by six years. >>click to read<< 11L27
Fish to Families: San Diego fishermen and chefs team up to fight hunger
An innovative program called “Fish to Families” has local fishermen and chefs teaming up to help San Diegans struggling with hunger. The San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group originally spearheaded the program in 2020 to help both the community and the fishermen since the restaurants were shut down. “We were able to work, and they were able to put a high-quality meal for somebody less fortunate, and it blossomed from there,” Arthur Lorton, owner and operator of the “Sea Haven” fishing boat, said. The program was recently restarted, thanks to a grant from The Parker Foundation, to help the growing number of people in need. Video, >>click to read<< 09:26
Single Snow Crab Gets Auctioned for Record 10 Million Yen in Japan
Snow crab season in Japan kicked off with a record auction this week, after a single 1.2-kilogram snow crab sold for an incredible 10 million yen (about $66,000 USD) at the Hamasaka fishing port in the coastal town of Shinonsen. The crab was a highly sought-after “matsuba-gani,” which refers to male snow crabs that are found in the Sanin region along the south-western coast of Japan’s main island Honshu. The lucky buyer was restaurant owner Ryosuke Uemura, 47, proprietor of the Ryouriya Uemura restaurant in the Chuo Ward of Kobe, who placed the winning bid on Nov 6., the first day of snow crab season.”I wanted to get one on day one, no matter what. >>click to read<< 07:45
US Coast Guard Medevacs 64-Year-Old from Fishing Vessel Off San Diego
A Coast Guard Sector San Diego helicopter crew rescued a 64-year-old male passenger from a fishing vessel approximately 40 miles off the coast of San Diego Thursday. Coast Guard Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center watchstanders received a distress call from the fishing vessel Pride, requesting a medical evacuation for a crewmember at approximately 9 a.m. The injured male was experiencing multiple onset abnormalities. >>click to read<< 07:23
Fife fish merchant warns ‘I’ve never seen anything like this’ after Storm Babet wrecks industry
The seafood industry in Fife has experienced a “catastrophe” over the last few weeks, thanks to the lingering effects of Storm Babet. Small boats have been unable to head out for shellfish. “The larger boats further up North [in Peterhead] are still able to get out, but around here, the smaller boats haven’t been able to get out. “While those that have managed to make it out have brought back dead prawns. Fish merchant, Billy Hughes, of Pittenweem, said the situation is “worrying”. Tommy Gordon, skipper on the prawn trawler “Twa Gordon’” said he has seen “plenty catasrophes” following on from Storm Babet. He was unable to get out on his boat for three weeks thanks to the stormy weather. >>click to read<< 06:21
Report on L’Ecume trawler sinking goes to Law Officers
A ‘complex’ file of evidence on the fatal collision between Condor’s Commodore Goodwill and the L’Ecume II trawler has been handed to the Law Officers Department by the States police. A similar file on the Pier Road explosion will be submitted to the department in due course, Chief Minister Kristina Moore has confirmed. The L’Ecume II sank on Thursday 8 December following a collision with the Goodwill freight ship off Jersey’s west coast. The boat’s skipper and two crew died in the tragedy. Given the “size and complexity” of the evidence file relating to the L’Ecume II collision, Deputy Moore noted that “it will take some time to consider the evidence” – although specific timelines for completion were not provided. >>click to read<< 14:21
Lobsterman Ray Merriman Sleeper of South Thomaston, Me., has passed away
Ray Merriman Sleeper, 64, passed away surrounded by his loving family, Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at the Sussman House in Rockport, following a brief but courageous battle with cancer. Ray began his career as a lobsterman on Criehaven with Sonny Davis, and later with Parker Jackson. After Parker retired, Ray bought the boat from him, striking out on his own. Both of his children went out with him on many well-remembered trips. His daughter remembered Ray letting them save the extra things that came up in his traps in a bucket to explore later. When his son, Cyrus, eventually followed in his footsteps, becoming a lobsterman himself, they rigged a few boats together for him. >>click to read<< 13:22
Community rallies for NC shrimper after boat fire
A local shrimper in Beaufort lost everything in a boat fire last weekend. Now, the community is rallying behind him to help get him back on the water. The F/V Lady Logan was owned by Jerry Kellum for the last eight years. “When I started shrimping, I played in the creek when I was about 6 years old and I loved it,” said Jerry. He’s carried on the shrimping tradition of his family for over 50 years. Then, last Friday, his most prized possession and way of income was destroyed. “I got in about 10:30 from shrimping on the straits, and I left and the boat was fine. They call me about three o’clock, it was on fire and that was it from there,” said Kellum. >>click to read<< 11:47
Ireland’s Regulator in Eye of Storm Over Weighing System
An Irish parliamentary committee may summon the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) before it to explain its weighing system, reports Lorna Siggins. This follows a recent parliamentary (Oireachtas) agriculture, food and marine committee debate when Independent TD for Cork South-West Michael Collins called for an independent review of the current system run by the SFPA. Collins referred to a “crisis” in the system and quoted from an Irish Examiner newspaper report, which claimed that a recording system initiated by the SFPA in December 2022 may be flawed and that 40% of by-catch sampling could be out by as much as 80%. >>click to read<< 09:21
Maine Lobstermen to donate Tuesday haul, restaurants will donate proceeds to Lewiston
As the Lewiston community tries to heal since the mass shootings that took place two weeks ago, some Mainers in Portland are uniting Tuesday to raise money the best way they know how. Luke’s Lobster, J’s Oyster, DiMillo’s, and The Porthole are collaborating with lobstermen and dealers to raise funds for the victims and their families. Lobstermen and dealers will donate lobsters, and each restaurant will serve up its own unique lobster special, donating all proceeds. “If we can just do what we do and the lobster dealers can separate out the product and the restaurants can cook and serve it, then by just doing what we do, we can help Lewiston somehow,” Steve Train, a lobsterman from Long Island, ME, said. Video, >>click to read<< 07:53
Dockside monitor charged with taking bribes in crab, falsifying catch records
A dockside monitor in Newfoundland is being accused of accepting crab as a bribe and falsifying documents to undercount the quantity of product being harvested. Scott Fortune, 33, of St. David’s has been charged with five criminal counts: two counts of fraud, one count of breach of trust by a public officer, and two related to forged or falsified documents. The criminal charges were laid in October. The alleged offences took place in Stephenville and Crabbes River, on Newfoundland’s west coast, over a period of nearly 2½ years, between Jan. 1, 2021, and June 7 of this year. >>click to read<< 06:48
72 whales have died on the East Coast in a year. NOAA must take action.
So, what have we learned from the recent whale deaths off the East Coast — 72 since December 2022? They have compelled local communities to question the risks and benefits of offshore wind. Sadly, these same deaths have revealed a disturbing lack of curiosity among the oil-companies-turned-offshore-wind-developers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and even some marine scientists who rush to the cameras every time a whale dies to point fingers away from offshore wind development along the eastern seaboard. Proponents of offshore wind are quick to blame global warming (to which of course their solution is offshore wind turbines) moving feeding grounds into shipping lanes and general episodic “vessel strikes” for these deaths. Many hope to close the investigation within the same day or two because the last thing they need is to have two dead whales, less than 30 miles apart, stealing the headlines for a full week. Proponents of these systems are also quick to claim that offshore wind will not harm marine mammals, yet their own action seemingly contradicts that. >>click to read<< 16:49
Breaking: Canastras buy vessels, permits from Blue Harvest bankruptcy
The owners of New Bedford’s seafood auction, closed a deal to buy out groundfish giant Blue Harvest Fisheries from bankruptcy, a move finalized Wednesday with the approval of a federal judge. After a short bidding war, Cassie Canastra submitted the highest bid of $12 million on Monday, beating out the second-highest bid from O’Hara Corporation, which is a part owner of New Bedford-based Eastern Fisheries, by $750,000. The sale includes “all the vessels, all the permits” that once belonged to Blue Harvest Fisheries. It includes eight vessels and 48 state and federal fishing permits, representing about 13% of all Northeast groundfish permits or about 250 million pounds of quota for the current fishing year. >>click to read<< 14:22
Harbour Grace shipyard enters creditor protection as owners face financial headwinds
One of Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest shipyards, Harbour Grace Ocean Enterprises, has been granted court protection from its creditors as it struggles with a serious cash flow problem. The company is nearly $16 million in debt, and creditors have been demanding payment. Last week, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador approved an order that temporarily protects the company from its creditors as it looks for a way forward. The court also appointed professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to monitor the company. The shipyard employs 56 full-time employees and is described in court documents as “one of the largest marine vessel, repair, refit and construction businesses in Eastern Canada.” >>click to read<< 13:10
Families continue search for three missing fishermen
Chris Barlow has learned more in the past few weeks about the flow of ocean currents and how search and rescue operations work than he ever wanted to know. But the desperate hunt for his missing son and two other men who left Oct. 14 aboard the Carol Ann commercial fishing boat has forced Barlow and the families of the other men to continue the search on their own. Chris Barlow and the families of the other men aboard the Carol Ann refused to give up and have funded their own search, which continued Tuesday as a plane flew over eddies identified on the western edge of the Gulf Stream off shore north of Savannah in the Carolinas and up into Virginia. His hope is that data collected by the flight will shed some light on what may have happened to the fishing boat. >>click to read<< 11:47
Industry welcomes confirmation that HPMA proposals have been scrapped
The move was welcomed by the fishing industry which had campaigned against the proposal. Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) executive officer Sheila Keith said members were pleased that common sense had prevailed. “The angst caused by the ill-conceived proposals was clear by the responses to the consultation which showed, when you removed campaign responses, 76 per cent of respondents opposed, and only 20 per cent supported the plans. “However, our concerns are not wholly alleviated as the government still discuss the implementation of “enhanced marine protection” over 10 per cent of Scottish waters. >>click to read<< 10:19
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 36’x14.5′ Novi Lobster Boat, 600HP, Scania D113 Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 14 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 09:11
California commercial Dungeness crab fishing season delayed
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced a delay in the season opener for California commercial Dungeness crab fishing off the Central and Southern Coast to protect whales from entanglement. The decision is based on a combination of excessive humpback whale entanglements in California Dungeness crab gear over the last three years and high numbers of recent humpback whale sightings off the central coast according to CDFW’s Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program criteria. Due to number of entanglements, NMFS is proposing to upgrade the California commercial Dungeness crab fishery to a Category I fishery,,, >>click to read<< 08:09
Man with rifle fires 2 shots across commercial fisherman’s bow off Florida Keys
An argument between a recreational angler and a commercial fisherman off the Florida Keys nearly turned fatal Tuesday morning when the angler fired a rifle across the bow of the other man’s boat, police said. The incident happened around 9 a.m. on the oceanside of the Keys, about seven miles off Rodriguez Key, which is east of Key Largo, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the lead investigating agency. Arielle Cellender, an FWC spokeswoman, said the two men’s vessels were close to each other when they began arguing. >>click to read<< 07:01
Two fishermen who disappeared at sea nine years ago drowned in tragic accident, coroner rules
Two crew members drowned in a tragic accident when the boat they were fishing on sank in the North Sea, a coroner has ruled. Michael Pulpul, 38, and Jhunitzquo Antonio, 34, disappeared when the Ocean Way trawler which were were travelling on got into difficulty around 100 miles off the coast of Northumberland. The vessel sank on November 2, 2014 and their bodies have never been found. The pair, who were from the Philippines, were travelling with two other crew members from the same country – Rumulo Rocha and Nixon Ocon – and one of the boat’s skippers James Noble, 45. Mr Pulpul, Mr Antonio and Mr Noble lost their lives when the boat, which Mr Noble co-owned with fellow skipper Billy Edwards, capsized during adverse weather conditions. Photos, >>click to read<< 15:08
Fisheries and Oceans Canada doing a poor job of monitoring fishing industry: report
A new report slams the federal Fisheries Department for failing to properly monitor Canada’s commercial fishing industry. The report from the federal environment commissioner, Jerry DeMarco, says Fisheries and Oceans Canada lacks the ability to collect timely and dependable data about what is being caught. DeMarco says the dearth of reliable data means the department can’t protect Canada’s fish stocks from overfishing. The report from the federal environment commissioner, Jerry DeMarco, says Fisheries and Oceans Canada lacks the ability to collect timely and dependable data about what is being caught.>>click to read<< 13:02
Lake Superior Herring Are Thriving for the First Time in Decades
It’s an historic boom year for herring in Lake Superior, as a record number of the crucial fish appear to have survived to age one — a major developmental milestone. After decades of disappointing numbers, the huge swell of herring — a key facet of Lake Superior’s food web — could help bolster the ecosystem and fishing industry in the world’s second-largest freshwater lake. More herring can lead to healthier populations of those fish, a boon for commercial and recreational fishers. “It’s gonna change things for a long time to come in Lake Superior,” said Goldsworthy. >>click to read<< 12:14
SNP fully scraps controversial fishing restrictions in final climbdown
Scottish Government minister Màiri McAllan announced her party will no longer pursue divisive plans to restrict fishing in 10% of Scotland’s seas. The environmental policy aimed to protect sea life under threat but was met with a huge backlash from concerned rural and coastal communities. In June, Ms Allan said HPMAs would no longer be implemented on schedule by 2026 as government ministers went back to the drawing board. It came weeks after leading figures from the country’s seafood sector held a major protest outside Holyrood. Now Ms McAllan has revealed the proposals will be ditched entirely following the angry responses from fishing industry leaders opposed to the scheme. >>click to read<< 08:29
Lawsuit challenges new limits on offshore lobster traps
A New Hampshire lobster boat and a lobstermen’s association have filed a federal lawsuit to stop changes that would decrease the number of traps that can be used. The changes are for Area 3, which is about 30 miles offshore and runs up to the Canadian border down to the Carolinas. “That’s what this is supposed to be about, conservation of the resource,” Arthur “Sooky” Sawyer, president of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, said. Video, >>click to read<< 07:02
Lobstermen watching closely as federal regulators refine area for potential offshore wind
Lobster fishermen are watching closely as regulators continue to refine an area in the Gulf of Maine that could be used for offshore wind development, and they’re looking for more reassurances that the federal government will avoid popular fishing grounds. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has identified a 3.5 million acre draft area off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts that could be used for commercial offshore wind development. That proposed area excludes most of Lobster Management Area (LMA) 1, a popular offshore fishing area in Maine. But Zach Jylkka of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said some fishing grounds near or part of LMA 1 are still being studied and may be up for consideration, because they would be less expensive to develop. >>click to read<< 21:50
Maine: Electronic Tracking Requirements for Federally Permitted Lobster and Jonah Crab License Holders
A Concise Summary: This rule-making incorporates the requirements in Addendum XXIX (American Lobster) and Addendum IV (Jonah crab) that were approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in March 2022. Specifically, for compliance with the Interstate Fisheries Management Plans, this regulation requires all federally-permitted lobster and Jonah crab license holders with commercial trap gear area permits to have approved electronic tracking devices. This requirement applies to all federally-permitted lobster and crab license holders with commercial trap gear for Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and the Outer Cape Cod. >>click to read<< 17:49
Will small boats soon have to slow down off NC to protect North Atlantic Right Whales?
Vessel speed limits to help avoid fatal collisions between ships and one of the most endangered animals in the world that has fallen to around 350 individuals have gone back into effect off the U.S. Southeastern coast, including parts of North Carolina. The seasonal-management areas, or SMAs, limit the speed of most vessels 65 feet or longer to 10 knots, about 11.5 mph, in areas known to have heavy ship traffic that are also migratory routes or known calving grounds for the North Atlantic right whale. The go-slow zones, which run from November through April and have been in effect for more than a decade, extend about 20 nautical miles, or 23 miles, offshore and include areas around Morehead City and Beaufort and within 23 miles from shore between Wilmington and Brunswick, Ga. >>click to read<< 15:46
SEA-NL to Become For-Profit Fishery Co-operative
The Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador is looking to change the structure of the organization. SEA-NL has voted in favour of turning the organization into a for-profit fishery co-operative. It had previously been operating as a non-profit professional association. Executive Director Ryan Cleary says while Labrador’s industry is thriving under the co-op structure, Newfoundland’s is struggling under its current structure, so they are launching a steering committee to see what a co-op should look like on the island. >>click to read<< 11:46 >>click to read<< 11:55
Commercial Fisherman Robert Maxwell “Bob” Salter of Santa Cruz, California has passed away
Family and friends are mourning the loss of beloved uncle and trusted friend, Bob Salter, who passed away at his Santa Cruz home with his loving family at his bedside. Bob was born in Santa Cruz to Frederick Salter and Fern Rianda Salter, he attended Delaveaga, B40, and Harbor High School. His father taught Bob the joy of fishing and love of the Sea. He grew up surfing and fishing with his brother Gary. His former boat was the Francis Jolene in the Santa Cruz Harbor. He fished for many seasons in Alaska and would visit family in Canada along the way. Bob had a lifelong career of commercial fishing and most recently fished out of Santa Cruz Harbor with Rick Ryan and his niece Bonnie Salter. >>click to read<< 10:27
Stevenson: It’s time for public comments on offshore wind
Share this post