Saving Seafood

Safety

Fishing boat that ran aground off Vinalhaven rescued by Good Samaritan

ROCKLAND, Maine — April 28, 2014 — Coast Guard officials said that a Good Samaritan vessel rescued a fishing boat that started to take on water Saturday night on a ledge just south of Vinalhaven.

No one was hurt during the incident, which happened at about 8 p.m., according to Joseph Puterbaugh, the officer of the day at Coast Guard Station Rockland. He did not release the names of the people or boats involved in the rescue.

“The vessel hailed the Coast Guard and told us they had run aground,” he said Sunday.

Read the full story from The Bangor Daily News

Fish worker advocates push for ‘code of conduct’ for Massachusetts companies

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — April 25, 2014 — To improve safety in industries dominated by immigrant workers, a local group will try to recruit city companies to sign a workplace code of conduct.

"We want the fish companies to take measures so there are no more deaths, no more accidents," said Adrian Ventura, director of Centro Comunitario Trabajadores.

The campaign was announced at CCT's Acushnet Avenue office on Thursday, with more than two dozen people present along with state workplace safety advocates. In addition to fish houses, recycling companies and temp agencies also will be approached.

Ventura's organization is collecting testimonies of those injured at SouthCoast companies, where he says unsafe conditions sometimes prevail as employers fail to take responsibility for those injured on the job.

The code of conduct would guarantee that companies will abide by federal and state health and safety regulations, providing training and safety equipment to all employees, CCT said in a news release.

The campaign will play out over the coming months, Ventura said, presented by the workers to their employers.

"I know they will be retaliated against, but it doesn't matter — we need to face this situation," he said.

Jim Kendall, executive director of New Bedford Seafood Consulting, advocates for worker safety in the fishing industry. He said the best way for immigrants to protect themselves is by fixing their immigration status, which can make them vulnerable.

"They're their own worst enemy by being in the positions where they're always going to be taken advantage of," Kendall said.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Seal Pupping Season is Underway in New England: Watch Out for Seals on the Shoreline

April 14, 2014 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In late winter and early spring resident gray and harbor seals give birth. As a result, chances of encountering a mother and pup or a lone pup on a local beach increase. NOAA Fisheries reminds members of the public to respect wildlife by maintaining a safe distance of at least 150 feet from seals.

“A mother seal may just be off feeding, when someone comes across a seal pup on the beach,” said Mendy Garrron, marine mammal stranding program coordinator, NOAA Fisheries. “The best thing you can do if you want to help is keep away from the animal and keep your pets away from it, so the mother has a chance to return.”

There are times when an individual marine mammal, like a seal, dolphin or a whale comes up on shore because it is sick or injured. There are also cases, when large numbers of marine mammals strand due to an outbreak of disease or if affected by changes in the environment like a harmful algal bloom.

Specific things that members of the public can do if they suspect an animal may be in trouble include:

 – To report a stranding, please call your local Marine Mammal Stranding Network Member or the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional 24-hour hotline 866-755-NOAA (6622).

– If you see someone harassing a marine mammal, please contact our Office of Law Enforcement at 800-853-1964.

– Always maintain a safe distance, at least 150 feet, from the animal to avoid injury to yourself or injury to the animal.

NOAA Fisheries is the federal agency responsible for monitoring marine mammal populations in the United States. In this region, NOAA Fisheries relies on a team of dedicated, trained personnel from Maine to Virginia to assist the agency in carrying out its mission.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

 

Study shows: Changes in processing, handling could reduce commercial fishing injuries

CORVALLIS, Ore., — April 15, 2014 — Handling frozen fish caused nearly half of all injuries aboard commercial freezer-trawlers and about a quarter of the injuries on freezer-longliner vessels operating off the coast of Alaska, new research from Oregon State University shows.

Many of those injuries and others aboard the two types of vessels could be prevented with the right interventions, and the research methods used in the study could help identify and reduce injuries and fatalities in other types of commercial fishing, said researcher Devin Lucas. His findings were published in the “American Journal of Industrial Medicine.”

“We’ve drilled down to such a detailed level in the injury data that we can actually address specific hazards and develop prevention strategies,” said Lucas, who recently received his Ph.D. in public health from OSU’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences and works for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the Alaska Pacific office.

Lucas’ study is the first scientific assessment of the risk of fishing on freezer-trawlers and freezer-longliners. In both types of vessels, the processing of fish is handled on-board. The vessels had reputations for being among the most dangerous in commercial fishing in part because of a few incidents that resulted in multiple fatalities.

Read the full story at the Albany Democrat-Herald 

 

 

Research vessel collides with whale

April 11, 2014 — A Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies research vessel accidentally collided with a North Atlantic right whale Wednesday, prompting the organization to issue a warning Friday to area boaters of a great concentration of the marine mammals in Cape Cod Bay.

The rare species of whale has been flocking to the western shore of Cape Cod Bay and the area around the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal because of large blooms of plankton, said Dr. Charles “Stormy” Mayo, who was on the vessel, the R/V Shearwater.

On Wednesday at 1:49 p.m., the Shearwater collided with the whale, which surfaced directly beneath the boat. The boat was traveling at 9 knots at the time of the collision, Mayo said.


Read the full story from Cape Cod Online

Coast Guard suspends search off New Jersey for fisherman from Virginia

MANASQUAN, New Jersey — April 10 2014 — The Coast Guard has suspended its search off the New Jersey shore for a commercial fisherman from Virginia who apparently fell overboard.

Thirty-year-old Renee Lopez of Newport News, Virginia, was reported missing from the fishing vessel Yvonne Michelle approximately 45 miles east of the Manasquan Inlet around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The search ended at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Read the full story from the Associated Press here

Fish-borne infection infiltrates New York City boroughs

April 9, 2014 — The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced that a skin infection is spreading through raw fish contaminated with Mycobacterium marinum in Chinatowns across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

Thirty cases of the infection were reported in March. Since April 2, that number has risen to 66.

The health department warned that the bacterium enters through wounds in the skin and that those who handle fish in Chinatown should wear gloves to prevent infection. However, no risk is associated with eating the fish.

“Symptoms of M. marinum include red, tender swelling under the skin of the hands and arms, hand or arm pain and difficulty moving fingers,” the press release said.

If left untreated, the infection can require surgery to be cured.

Environmental studies professor Jennifer Jacquet, who researches fisheries and marine conservation, said she suspects irresponsible fish farming is the cause.

Read the full story at the Washington Square News

 

Hovercraft Shared by Marine Patrol and Warden Service for Search and Rescue

April 9, 2014 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

With ice-bound waterways breaking up and river flooding an increasing threat, the Maine Marine Patrol and the Maine Warden Service are well-equipped for search and rescue operations on both coastal and inland waters thanks to grants from the Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Maine Emergency Management Agency.
 
The grant funds allowed the two agencies to acquire a hovercraft in 2012 and after two years of training, the Marine Patrol and Warden Service are prepared to use this unique piece of equipment for rescues on ice-choked harbors and waterways, as well as coastal flats and other areas that are difficult to access by boat.
 
Housed in the Marine Patrol’s Rockland boat repair facility, the hovercraft is available to both agencies for search-and-rescue operations in the mixed terrain they often encounter throughout the year due to its ability to navigate over nearly any terrain.
 
hovercraft.jpgManufactured by Michigan-based Hovertechnics, the hovercraft is propelled by fans mounted on the stern. Part of the fan thrust is ducted through the double skin hull to lift the craft off the surface on a cushion of air. This lift air is contained under the craft by flexible segmented skirts that keep the air cushion pressure up, which allows it to travel over a variety of terrain from ice to water to marshes.
 
“It’s like no snowmobile, ATV or watercraft that anyone would have operated,” said Sergeant Ron Dunham of the Maine Warden Service. “There’s no resistance to the surface once you’re on hover. So it takes a unique set of skills. The operators have been hand-picked by the respective departments. We’ll be training more operators as time goes on.” 

“As we come into flood season this spring, this piece of equipment will be extremely helpful,” said Marine Patrol Pilot Steven Ingram, who is directing the Marine Patrol operator training. “The Patriots Day flood in 2007 and the St. John Valley flood in 2008 were great examples of situations where the hovercraft would have helped us and the Warden Service in our search and rescue and evacuation efforts.”
 
“The partnership is very important because Marine Patrol and the Warden Service cover very similar areas and often times work together to perform searches and rescues,” said Dunham. “It’s important to have a variety of operators in different parts of the state, and we’re collaborating with the Marine Patrol to share that responsibility to have available operators in any emergency throughout the State of Maine.”
 
Training was conducted by both agencies in January on Chickawauckie Pond in Rockland, during which officers from the Marine Patrol and the Warden Service took turns navigating the hovercraft over the ice and through a series of cones.
 
Acquired with grant money from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which receives proceeds from the Outdoor Heritage lottery tickets, and the Maine Emergency Management Agency, the hovercraft cost approximately $78,000.
 
“It’s important to have this type of technology,” said Ingram. “It’s another tool in the tool box. If this hovercraft saves one life, it has paid for itself for the rest of its existence.”
 
To view a video about Maine Marine Patrol and Maine Warden Service training on the hovercraft, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AjOdOq48Lk.

Photo Caption: The Maine Marine Patrol and the Maine Warden Service conduct winter training in the hovercraft, acquired by both agencies with grant money from the Outdoor Heritage Fund and MEMA. The unique vehicle will be used by both agencies in rescue operations in areas that are difficult to access by boat.

Two rescued after falling through ice while fishing

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — March 23, 2014 — Authorities say two people have been rescued after falling through the ice while ice fishing in Foxborough.

NECN reports that a 41-year-old man and 60-year-old man fell through the ice around 3:50 p.m. Sunday. A female friend on shore called 911 and then fell in herself while trying to help the men. She was able to get out on her own.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Boston Globe