Daily Archives: June 3, 2016
The NOAA Drones! Unmanned vessels deployed for Alaska ocean research
Researchers in the Bering Sea off Alaska’s west coast will get help this summer from drones, but not the kind that fly. The NOAA and private researchers are gathering data on marine mammals, fish and ocean conditions from two “autonomous sailing vessels” built by Saildrone, an Alameda, California, company. “Think of a 20-foot outrigger canoe with an airplane wing sticking up from the middle,” said Chris Sabine, director of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, at a press teleconference Friday. They hold great appeal for researchers because they’re far cheaper to operate than research ships and they can work in dangerous conditions of the North Pacific. Researchers will use the vessels to gather information on pollock, an important species for commercial fishermen and the main prey of northern fur seals, a species that has declined. Instruments on board also will collect oceanographic data used to track environmental changes. Read the rest here 22:48
NT trawler electrocution death referred to prosecutors
A commercial fishing company and government regulators have been savaged over abysmal health and safety failures that led to the electrocution of a man on a prawn trawler. Ryan Donoghue, 20, was hit by a wave while using an angle grinder, not protected by a safety switch, on a trawler fishing in the Gulf of Carpentaria, in November 2013. In his inquest findings, Northern Territory coroner Greg Cavanagh referred the death to prosecutors and police, saying offences may have been committed. The workplace on board the Austral Fisheries-owned Newfish1 vessel was unsafe and dangerous and resulted in Mr Donoghue’s death, the Judge Cavanagh said on Friday. It also highlighted the “shameful” state of safety on a large number of fishing vessels. “The death of Ryan Donoghue was needless and a tragic waste of a young life,” the judge said. Read the rest here 19:59
NOAA rejected New Bedford for its Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Why? It makes too much sense!
It is no surprise that NOAA has rejected New Bedford as the new site for its Northeast Fisheries Science Center. It makes too much sense. New Bedford Harbor is where it happens for the federal agency, with the heart of the East Coast fishery right here. There is deep-water berthing for its research vessels right here. UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology, a premiere oceanographic institution, is right here. There are acres of available land both on and nearby the waterfront right here in New Bedford. There are hundreds of fishing vessels that can participate in joint research efforts right here. There is major highway, rail, and regional airport access right here. No, it makes too much sense to move to New Bedford. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials would rather live and work on Cape Cod, even though their facility is over-crowded, real estate prices are at a premium, and the lack of a sizable berth forces them to dock their research vessel in Newport, Rhode Island. Leave it to a federal agency to choose a more expensive and inefficient means of operation. Leave it to a federal agency to be politically influenced to not choose the best situated, most affordable, and sensible location with the best infrastructure for their new expanded facility. Davis Sullivan, Rochester Link 18:15
ADF&G says its up to fishermen to avoid problems with walrus hauling out near Ugashik north line
The new walrus haul out at Cape Greig in Bristol Bay could create some problems for the Ugashik and Egegik salmon fishing districts. But right now the Department of Fish and Game says they’ll start the fishery business-as-usual. While a new, more accessible walrus haul out might be welcome by some, that spot is awfully close to the boundaries of the Ugashik commercial fishing district. The Dept. of Fish and Game area management biologist for Ugashik and Egegik is Paul Salomone has been looking at pictures of the haul out over the past month or so. That could be a problem in one of the busiest, most crowded fisheries in the state. Last July, when the fishing in Ugashik got hot, there were over 300 Bristol Bay drift permits registered to fish there. Just north of that district, even more fishermen keep their nets wet in the Egegik district. Audio, Read the rest here 15:38
Former Navy ship embarks on new career catching and processing fish off Alaska
Seattle’s fishing industry on Thursday feted the latest addition to the fleet, a 233-foot former Navy oceanographic vessel overhauled at a cost of more than $30 million for a new line of work — catching and processing fish off Alaska. The Lake Union ceremony drew several hundred people to watch the traditional breaking of a Champagne bottle across the bow of the former John McDonnell, newly christened as the Seafreeze America. Later this month, the ship will head north to harvest yellowfin sole and other species in the Bering Sea. In a Seattle increasingly swept up in a tech boom, the SeaFreeze Amercia offers a reminder of the vitality of an older and still potent Puget Sound industry. Read the rest here 14:49
Nigel Farage to lead 60-boat armada up Thames in call for Brexit
The Ukip leader revealed he will lead the fleet on a “small trawler” with Eurosceptic fishermen in protest against EU fishing quotas. Mr Farage told LBC Radio: “On June 15 I will be boarding a small trawler in Southend-on-Sea at 5am, so not much point going to bed really, and we will catch the flood tide, and there will be 60 boats in a flotilla coming up the Thames and we will arrive outside the Palace of Westminster at midday. “It will be big, visual and dramatic, and the demand will be clear – we want our waters back. “It’ll be commercial fishermen from all over, mostly from the east coast of England but some coming from further afield and if other political figures have got the stomach for it then they are very welcome to come and join me. Read the rest here 13:50
“Them God Damned Seals” by The Canadian Beaver Band
Between the propaganda and hate from the likes of HSUS, IFAW, Greenpeace, PETA, Paul Watson and a variety of other anti-seal hunt nutbars, comes this love song. I didn’t pick the thumbnail. YouTube chose it for me. Can’t wait til you-know-who sees it. Watch the video here. It’s catchy! 10:23Mattituck Commercial fisherman pleads in illegal fishing scheme
A commercial fisherman from Mattituck pleaded guilty Thursday to falsifying documents and lying to investigators in connection with a 2011 scheme to illegally harvest fish valued at $78,000, authorities said. James Kaminsky, 74, “systematically cover[ed] up the landing and sale of illegal fluke, scup and black sea bass that were overharvested” in violation of New York quotas and through abuse of a federal research program known as research set-aside, according to the Department of Justice. The scheme took place between May and August of 2011, authorities said. Research set-aside allows fishermen to harvest out of season and exceed quotas, but authorities have branded it a “license to steal” because it has allowed some overfishing without proper reporting. Read the rest here 08:56
Obama Administration Approves Resumption of California Offshore Fracking
Claiming that fracking poses “no significant impact” to the environment, Obama administration officials on May 27 finalized their plans to allow oil companies to resume offshore fracking and acidizing in California’s Santa Barbara Channel. The announcement from the two agencies responsible for oil drilling, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), ended a court-ordered settlement placing a moratorium on offshore fracking and acidizing for oil in the fish and wildlife-rich federal waters off California. The two agencies reported they have completed a comprehensive environmental analysis evaluating the potential impacts from the use of “well stimulation treatments” – acidizing and fracking operations — on the 23 oil and gas platforms currently in operation on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore California. Dan Bacher, Read the rest here 08:13
