Prawn jewel
Fisherman-owned Vancouver company flourishes with British Columbia's spot prawn fishery
By Rick Crosby
On Saturday, May 8, 2010, a row of white tents is set up on one jetty at Fisherman's Wharf near Vancouver's Granville Island. A group of seafood chefs stand out in their starch white uniforms in the growing crowd of visitors at British Columbia's fourth annual Spot Prawn Festival. The gathering is the brainchild of Vancouver prawn fisherman Steve Johansen, 43, and restaurateur Robert Clark, 47, who believe spot prawns are the poster child for sustainable fisheries. In the early 1990s spot prawns were relatively unknown to consumers in British Columbia.
Coming home
When I got the news in early April that Peter Prybot, 63, had gone overboard from his lobster boat, the October Sky III, out of Pigeon Cove in Rockport, Mass., my first thought was that the fishing community had lost a treasured asset. Peter was our colleague many times over — as a fisherman, photographer, author and relentless advocate for the industry he loved so well. My next thoughts were of his family and friends in the tight-knit fishing community of Cape Ann. He was perhaps best known for his book "White-Tipped Orange Masts" about the once-robust Gloucester dragger fleet. His memoir, "Lobstering off Cape Ann," acknowledged the dangers of fishing solo.
ATY Northeast
Travelift delivers wheelhouse; historic schooner being rebuilt
The fourth week in March, the 95' x 28' scalloper Concordia was three or four months away from launching at Fairhaven Shipyard Companies in Fairhaven, Mass.
Gulf/South Atlantic Yellowfin
Uncertainty over post-spill damage is keeping La. longline fleet dockside
Nearly a year after the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, the Gulf of Mexico yellowfin tuna fishery has been one of the hardest hit. Most of the tuna longline fleet remains tied to the docks, says David Maginnis, vice president of Houma, La.-based Jensen Tuna.
Safe haven
From U.S. Coast Guard reports
Weather at sea is a fickle beast, even in sight of land. The only way to be prepared is to never feel comfortable in changeable seas — and always have survival gear at the edges of your mind if not the tips of your fingers.
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
The Northeast Regional Planning Body, a group of state, tribal and federal representatives from New England who are working to implement the National Ocean Policy and address critical New England ocean issues, is holding a series of public meetings in May and June.
The meetings are being held to discuss draft regional ocean planning goals and associated potential actions. The planning body seeks input on these goals and actions. Additional information on the group's progress can be found here.
The meetings will also provide an opportunity to review draft maps and products from initial efforts to gather information on the natural resources and diverse uses of the ocean, including fishing, transportation, energy and infrastructure, aquaculture, and recreation.
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