September 2023 – Page 3 – Fishermens News

Bristol Bay Harvesters Offer Gift of Sockeyes to Families in Need

Even before the 2023 start of the Bristol Bay commercial salmon fishery, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) was working to get sockeye salmon into the hands of families in Chignik and Yukon River communities unable to fish because of low salmon runs. “The whole project was a bit of an experiment for us,” ALFA Program Director Natalie Sattler explained. “We didn’t know how many people would be willing to contribute a portion of their subsistence harvest for families that they didn’t know.” When the subsistence harvesters heard that ALFA was looking for people to contribute a portion of their subsistence harvest, “they jumped at the chance to contribute and help other Alaskans, especially those who depend on subsistence for their diet and culture,” Sattler said. “We wer...

Shipyards of the Pacific Northwest

The region’s shipyards stay busy with work and expansion ambitions. Through good times or bad, the shipyards of the Pacific Northwest service the commercial fishing fleet. By no means a comprehensive account, herein is some regional scuttlebutt from a few of the notable yards. Everett Ship Repair/Nichols Brothers Everett Ship Repair (ESR) is a rising star of the Puget Sound shipyard scene. The yard opened at the Everett, Wash. working waterfront in 2019 and is owned by Ice Cap Holdings. Ice Cap also owns Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, a legacy boatbuilder based out of nearby Freeland, Wash. on Whidbey Island. “I’m a naval architect by training,” Ice Cap CEO Gavin Higgins said. “Graduated when Christ was a cowboy and came over here from England and started working for (a) shipbuilder...

Navigation Technology 2023

The march of technological innovation continues, and the maritime navigation space is no exception. From reckoning with newer artificial intelligence and augmented reality capabilities to more traditional evolutions of larger multifunction displays and more accurate compasses, the modern commercial fisherman might think he’s reading a science fiction novel while thumbing through a product catalogue. Fishermen’s News spoke with a number of notable leaders in the maritime navigation technology industry to keep abreast of notable innovations and products on their radars—pun intended. The challenge for all parties: navigating the boundless imaginations and profit-seeking motives to find the tools mariners actually need to safely go to sea for a living. Furuno USA Furuno USA is a Camas, W...

Dental Emergencies at Sea

Although we usually think of emergencies at sea in terms of fire, capsizing, flooding or personal injury, a dental problem can also cut short a fishing opening or even require an emergency medivac. Let’s take a look at some common dental problems and how to deal with them onboard. Infections Infections involve either the pulp tissue inside the tooth or the gum tissue around the tooth. Signs and symptoms can include loose teeth or sensitivity to hot, cold or biting. Redness or swelling in the gum tissue or on the face occur in the later stages and should be treated promptly by a dentist. Treatment at sea could include oral antibiotics; have an in-date supply onboard before problems arise. They may be successful in somewhat suppressing the infection, but won’t cure the problem. A gum s...

Managing Offshore Wind Threats to West Coast Fisheries

Note: The suddenly looming threat of massive, industrial-scale offshore wind farm development in the midst of the West Coast’s most productive fisheries is alarming. Identifying, avoiding and mitigating impacts on our fisheries is now a high industry priority. This special guest column by former PCFFA/IFR Executive Director Mike Conroy, now with the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), will help bring West Coast fishing industry leaders up to speed on these issues as well as highlighting opportunities for making our fishing industry’s voice better heard. Endnote source references are indicated in the text by numbers in parenthesis. – Glen Spain, Executive Director, PCFFA and IFR. As many harvesters headed out during a busy time of year, this summer the Bureau of Ocean Energy...

New Funding for Fish Passage Projects Totals $260M

NOAA Fisheries is accepting applications through this fall for a total of $260 million earmarked for new fish passage projects that reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitat for fish across the coasts. The Biden administration, acknowledging that millions of fish are often blocked by human-made barriers from returning to their spawning habitat, is offering $175 million for restoration projects in coastal and Great Lakes regions, plus $85 million for tribal priority fish passage projects. There is no non-federal matching requirement for the funding opportunities. Applications are due by Oct. 16 for $175 million in funds from the Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity program for coastal areas and the Great Lakes. For the $85 mill...

Coast Guard Engages in Military Exercises with Japanese Training Ships

The Coast Guard cutter Bertholf conducted training exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) in the Bering Sea and Dutch Harbor during a 120-day Bering Sea summer patrol in support of U.S. national security. The engagements at sea and shoreside, prior to the Bertholf’s return to homeport in Alameda, Calif. on Aug. 3, included multiple formations with JMSDF training ships Kashima and Hatakaze. All three ships came together with the Unalaska community and officials of the Qawalangin Tribe for a ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of World War II’s Battle of Dutch Harbor, to commemorate lives lost and to recognize partnerships built in the decades that followed. Rear Adm. Nathan A. Moore, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Seventeenth District, Unalaska Mayor Vincent Tuti...

Coast Guard, Customs Seize 223 Pounds of Narcotics Off Long Beach, Calif.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles–Long Beach and U.S. Customs and Border Protection recovered 223 pounds of cocaine on July 16 from a vessel that became disabled off the coast of Columbia. Two individuals on a disabled panga-style vessel flagged down a good Samaritan en route to Long Beach, Calif. The good Samaritan vessel recovered the two individuals and their boat. As they approached Long Beach, the crew contacted the Coast Guard to assist with disembarking the two individuals and recovering their boat. During that process, the crew notified the Coast Guard that drugs were possibly aboard the vessel. A subsequent search revealed that narcotics were concealed within a false bottom. U.S. Customs and Border Protection took the two individuals into custody and seized narcotics and the...

Coast Guard Investigates After Laser Strike Hits Boat Crew

The U.S. Coast Guard opened an investigation and sought information from the public regarding a suspect or suspects who pointed a green laser light into the eyes of a Coast Guard Station Tillamook Bay boat crew member west of the Tillamook Bay entrance near Garibaldi, Ore. Around 10:45 p.m. July 19, the 47-foot motor lifeboat crew reported that a laser was shined into the eyes of one of crew members while the vessel was conducting training operations about a mile offshore, northwest of the Tillamook Bay North Jetty. The boat crew reported the laser originated near Nedonna Beach or Manhattan Beach off the Oregon coast. Laser pointers can cause danger to Coast Guard air crews, boat crews and cutter crews due to glare, after-image, flash blindness or temporary loss of night vision. If a ...

Trawl Technology 2023

An exploration of what’s new in electronics for fishing trawler boats. Over the past year or so, companies that sell and/or manufacture technology for fishing trawlers have been actively crafting, marketing and selling goods for commercial fishing vessels. Fishermen’s News reached out to various companies to gather information about what new products have entered the market over the past 12-plus months, as well as other notable developments within businesses in the industry. Naust Marine In late July, Naust Marine—which is based in Iceland, but has a U.S. location in Poulsbo, Wash.—announced production of its new umbilical winch for marine electrical engineering and installation services company MJR Power and Automation. The winch is to be used on the deck of a supply vessel owned b...