Daily Archives: January 31, 2017
Lift cable snaps, boat slips at Port Townsend marina
A cable snapped on a Port of Port Townsend boat lift while it was lowering a boat into the Boat Haven Marina, causing minor property damage and a small fuel spill in the marina.The cable broke just after 9 a.m. Monday morning. The Port of Port Townsend’s smaller boat lift was being used to lower a 56-foot fishing vessel, Bernice, back into the marina waters, according to Rodger Slade of Towboat U.S., formerly Vessel Assist of Port Hadlock. “It didn’t drop the boat but it was kind of at an awkward angle,” said Abigail Berg, the port’s finance director, speaking on behalf of Greg Englin, port operations manager. Read the story here 16:11
Montauk Fishermen Worry About Impacts From Proposed Wind Farm
A 12-to-15-turbine wind farm still will have to navigate a long and arduous regulatory approval process before it can be constructed in the waters between Montauk and Nantucket. Some Montauk fishermen say they are worried about the impacts of the turbines to be built about 30 miles offshore of their home port. “The location is definitely a concern, because of the fishery that takes place there,” said Chris Scola, a Montauk sea scallop harvester. “The draggers do a lot of fluking there. They do a lot of yellowtail flounder there. It’s a very important place for sportfishermen, too— it’s really the only place that still has cod consistently.” Montauk fishermen say they were not included in the conversations held five years ago, when Deepwater Wind and federal regulators were discussing the regions that would be leased to the company for wind farm construction. “They created a fishery advisory group … and Rhode Island and Massachusetts fishermen said, ‘You can’t go here, because we all fish here—that’s important to us,’ and they removed all these certain [areas] from the map,” said Bonnie Brady, director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association. “They never talked to New York. No one from Long Island was invited, as far as I’m aware.” Read the full story here 15:53
Ventura FD put out Series of Arson Fires – Commercial fishing vessel a total loss
On January 31st at 1:46 AM, Ventura City firefighters responded to a report of a boat fire in the Ventura Harbor. Upon arrival responding crews found a 50 foot commercial fishing boat 6 feet off the ground in dry-dock fully involved in. Fire suppression efforts initially concentrated on protecting an adjacent building and boat from the flames. Firefighters were able to suppress the bulk of the flames on the burning boat within 20 minutes of arrival. The boat, however, was a complete loss. Three additional small fires were discovered in the same boat yard at varying intervals throughout the firefighting operations: A fire involving a propane tank of a fork lift, a debris fire in a workshop area and a smoldering rag on the stern of another boat in dry-dock. Read the story here 15:32
Two get death, 12 get life over Barguna fishermen murders
A Barguna court awarded death sentence to two accused in a case filed over the murder of two fishermen by drowning in the district. The court also gave life imprisonment to 12 others. Another suspect was given a seven-year prison sentence. The verdict was announced by Barguna Additional District and Sessions Judge Md Abu Taher on Monday, reports bdnews24.com. Sixteen fishermen had set out on a trawler to fish in the Bay of Bengal on Feb 14, 2010, said Assistant Public Prosecutor Akhtaruzzaman Bahadur qoting the case details. “Two of the fishermen were drowned after they were convinced a local ‘prophet’ could resurrect the dead,” he said. (lets just try this theory, right?) The victims were Barguna Sadar Upazila residents ‘Aynal’, 24, and ‘Farooq’, 40. A total of fifteen suspects have been convicted over their deaths. Read the rest here 14:37
Monster winter storm expected to churn up 50-foot waves in the open Atlantic
A monster winter storm is taking shape along the East Coast this week, and the National Weather Service is calling for 50-foot waves in the Atlantic by Tuesday. That’s not just a shot-in-the-dark — if you add up all of the forecast data, there’s over a 90 percent chance that wave heights will exceed 30 feet. This storm is the same trough of low pressure that dipped into the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday and dropped a few inches of snow in the D.C. area. On Monday morning, the storm was just 1005 millibars — barely a low pressure system at all. But over the next 48 hours, the storm is expected to drop to 968 millibars. On its southern side, winds will easily reach Category 1 hurricane-strength. That will churn up waves of 16 meters, which is around 50 feet — at least that’s what the Ocean Prediction Center is forecasting. They’re calling the storm “extremely dangerous low pressure.” Click here for more imagery 13:55
‘Phenomenal’ shrimp season still playing out in the Lowcountry
It’s the cold end of January and that means the end of commercial shrimping is..umm..maybe not even going to happen. It’s phenomenal, said Mel Bell, S.C. Department of Natural Resources fisheries management director. “This is the latest I’ve heard us close. The size they’re bringing in out there we’ve never seen before” this time of year, he said. Not only that, but “provisional” waters will remain open another week. Those are waters roughly beyond two miles out, between the nearshore state waters and federal waters even farther out. And federal waters don’t close at all unless it’s a bad winter. Lowcountry boats have been slaying them in those provisional and federal waters. “Definitely,” said Shem Creek shrimper Tommy Edwards, who has been pulling in shrimp so big they’re weighing out at 13 to the pound. “We’re doing better now than we were when the season was going strong. Right now we’re looking at shrimping all the way through February. We’re not going to close if conditions are right.” Read the story here 13:40
Catch Share Program Review for the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Individual Transferrable Quota Fisheries
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is accepting proposals to conduct a Catch Share Program Review of the present and past social and economic conditions in the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog (SCOQ) fisheries which are managed using individual transferrable quotas (ITQs). Section 303A(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) includes requirements for the regular monitoring and review of the operations of catch share programs by the Council and the Secretary of Commerce. In 1977, the Council developed a fishery management plan for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries in federal waters. These fisheries were initially managed using a combination of limited entry restrictions, fishing quotas, and time limits to constrain landings and distribute fishing effort throughout the fishing year. In 1990, the Council developed an ITQ program that was implemented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. The fisheries have been operating under this program since then. Read the Request for Proposals (RFP) – Closing Date: March 31, 2017 12:21
Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association gets another stab at Minas Passage tidal turbine
After an application it filed last July, the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association is getting another day in court. Justice M. Heather Robertson is presiding over a hearing on Feb. 1-2 in Halifax that will review the environment minister’s decision to authorize an Environmental Effects Monitoring Program. The EEMP was the final requirement the proponents needed before they could deploy an in-stream tidal energy device, or turbine, in the Bay of Fundy’s Minas Passage. According to documents filed with the court, BoFiFA claims that environment minister Margaret Miller erred in the law and acted unreasonably in her decision on June 20, 2016 by proceeding contrary to the requirements of the original EA in 2009. Named in the application are the Minister of Environment, the Attorney General, the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy Ltd. (FORCE) and Cape Sharp Tidal Ventures Ltd. Link 11:14
Nunavut fishery gets a big boost in turbot quotas, expects a $7M to $8M increase in revenue
Last week, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans increased the total allowable catch for 2017 and 2018 by 575 tonnes in each of the two fishing areas adjacent to Baffin Island. “What it means, of course, if you’re looking at revenue on that amount of product, is somewhere between $7 million to $8 million of increase in revenue,” said Jerry Ward, the director of fisheries at Qikiqtaaluk Corporation. “Plus, it will also provide more jobs throughout the year and so on. So we’re quite pleased with it.” The limits on turbot in zone 0A, northeast of Baffin Island, was upped to 8,575 tonnes, with Nunavut fishermen receiving all of the increase. The limit in zone 0B, off Baffin Island’s southeast coast, was increased to 7,575 tonnes. Nunavut will receive 90 per cent of that increase, with Inuit fishers in Nunavik receiving the other 10 per cent. Read the story here 10:17
The early shift: New Jersey People working while you’re still asleep
The early bird may catch the worm. But it certainly isn’t catching enough zzz’s. That’s the moral of the story for those who work during the wee hours. We caught up with a few New Jersey residents who regularly rise before the sun – a commercial fisherman, a waitress and an ER nurse – to chat about the challenges that come with working while the rest of us are in bed and find out why they stick with it. To make a profit as a commercial gillnet fisherman, you’ve got to sacrifice sleep. For 35 years, Kevin Wark’s schedule has been roughly the same: two nights at sea, one on land. But no matter how many times he toils through his 30-hour shifts, with little more than a 15-minute nap, Wark’s body has never grown accustomed to the effects of sleep deprivation. Read the story here 09:25
Man charged with punching police canine during suspect pursuit
A 54-year-old Coos Bay man, one of three arrested on Friday afternoon after police responded to a report of criminal trespass in progress, is accused of punching a police canine as the animal was assisting in his apprehension. Deputies from the Coos County Sheriff’s Office arrived at an address on Gurney Drive, near North Bend, at 12:32 p.m. on Friday, and upon arrival learned of “an ongoing property line dispute.” One deputy saw a man, later identified as Steven R. O’Daniels, 38, of North Bend walk away from the deputy and into a shop-style building on the property. O’Daniels’ wife remained with the deputy “to explain her side of the story.” When a records check revealed O’Daniels had two outstanding warrants in Clatsop County for failure to appear on commercial fishing crimes, the deputy approached the shop and called out for O’Daniels to tell him he is under arrest. Deputies located O’Daniels near Waymire Lane with assistance from Odin and several callers. O’Daniels was arrested on two outstanding warrants and held at Coos Count jail on $1 million bail. Read the story here 08:46
