Daily Archives: February 5, 2017

Boris Worm The Jellyfish Guy says New York turns into some kind of modern Venice with Sea Level Rise

Coastal communities, including those in Newfoundland and Labrador, could be drowned by significant sea level rise before the end of the century according to a new report released by the U.S. government (NOAA). Boris Worm, a marine scientist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, N.S., says a report by the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests sea levels could rise by 2.5 metres by the year 2100. “They were asking the question, how will any given amount of sea level rise be felt in the U.S. and what are the likely scenarios for sea level rise given current emissions,” he told CBC Radio’s The Broadcast. “They’ve come up with a range of projections, and the notable thing here is that that range of projections is a lot larger than it used to be.” Worm said less than a decade ago, the expectation was between one and two feet of sea level rise by the end of the century.  “They’ve now corrected this and said it’s going to be a lot more, and it could be up to 8.2 feet,” he said. “If that comes true, it means New York turns into some kind of modern Venice, Venice turns to some kind of Atlantis, and I don’t know what it means for Newfoundland … it really means a complete rethinking of how we live close to the coast.” Read the story here 13:45

Coast Guard rescues 3 fishermen at mouth of Columbia River when vessel began taking on water

The Coast Guard rescued three commercial fishermen after their vessel began taking on water at the mouth of the Columbia River early Sunday morning. Coast Guard boat crews aboard 47-foot motor life boats, from Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Washington, assisted in dewatering the vessel and safely towing it into Skipanon Marina. Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector Columbia River received the mayday call from the captain of the fishing vessel Coastal Reign at 3:20 a.m., reporting they were taking on water from an unknown location after striking a submerged object. An aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was immediately launched as were the MLBs. The aircrew arrived on scene first at 3:38 a.m. and the boat crews arrived shortly afterward. The crew aboard one of the MLBs passed a P-6 dewatering pump to the Coastal Reign and then put a crewmember aboard the vessel to help set it up. After dewatering the vessel, an MLB crew towed it to safety mooring it at 4:40 a.m. The sea conditions at the time of the rescue were 6-foot swells and the winds were about 15 mph from the west. A Captain of the Port order was placed on the Coastal Reign to ensure the damaged vessel is repaired properly and passes an inspection by a Coast Guard marine inspector before operating again. Listen to the May Day call  link 12:25

Massive monster sharks ‘as big as two buses’ still roaming seas, claim experts

Megalodons are huge prehistoric sharks measuring a massive 18 metres in length with razor sharp seven-inch teeth. That makes them almost twice as long as the average bus. Fossils of the gigantic beasts suggest the megalodon resembled a larger version of the modern day great white shark. But some accounts appear to prove that the real-life Jaws still exists today. Dr Karl Shuker, a leading cryptozoologist, has dedicated his life to finding and researching animals thought to be extinct or non-existent. “Unusually large, unidentified sharks are still being reported from time to time.” A video which surfaced in 2016 shows what looked like a 60-foot shark illuminated in the darkness of the sea. It was apparently filmed in the Japan’s Suruga Bay, deep down in the ocean beyond the reach of sunlight. The video sparked speculation that these absolutely massive behemoths could still be in the seas today. Video, Read the story here 11:54

Greenpeace Criticizes Contracting Onboard Monitoring Cameras and Analysis to Trident

Should a commercial fishing company be made responsible for monitoring what goes on board the commercial fishing vessels? Greenpeace leader Russel Norman says, it is like “the fox guarding the henhouses”. Greenpeace has criticized Ministry for Primary Industries for rolling out cameras on fishing vessel which is supplied as well as monitored by Trident for the fishing industry. The company is owned by Sanford and thirteen other seafood and fishing companies in New Zealand. The news was confirmed by Nathan Guy, the minister for MPI. So it is clear that indeed the fishing industry is responsible for analyzing the video surveillance that comes from its own trawlers and reports any suspicious behavior to the regulators. Executive Director of Greenpeace New Zealand, Russel Norman says that makes things worse as the government has given out the contract and analyzing task to the industry with Nathan Guy and Prime Minister John Key defending it. link  11:17

Will Florida allow goliath grouper fishing?

State wildlife officials will discuss the fish’s fate when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) meets Feb. 8-10 in Crystal River. There is no specific proposal yet to allow the goliath’s harvest. At Wednesday’s meeting, FWC staff will provide the commission a review of the biology and recently-completed study of the fish’s population. “This is a review and discussion on the history, biology and recent stock assessment,” Amanda Nalley, an FWC spokeswoman said by email. “FWC will be asking the Commission whether or not staff should pursue gathering further public input on potential management changes, including the possibility of allowing some kind of limited harvest.” Read the story here 10:57

Blizzard of ’78 foiled a rescue at sea in little-known tale

On the night of Feb. 6, 1978, more than a few afternoon commuters were still stuck in their cars in Providence in the midst of the strongest blizzard to hit the Northeast in 150 years. And just off the New England coast, mountainous waves, produced by the same storm system, crested at heights of 40 feet. Winds blowing off those waves hit speeds of 115 miles per hour. The stage was set for a high-seas drama that wouldn’t rate much attention in the next day’s editions of The Providence Journal and The Boston Globe, according to Massachusetts native Michael Tougias, an author who was to speak at the Providence Boat Show on Sunday, close to Monday’s anniversary of the great blizzard. Tougias’ story, based on his own book, offers an oceanic perspective on the great blizzard. He constructed it with dramatic dialogue from 10 hours of taped marine radio communications. Not long after then-Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy declared a state of emergency in Rhode Island, a pilot boat left its berth in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on a mission to help a Coast Guard vessel that had lost its way in the roiling seas near the entrance to Salem Sound. The pilot boat, named the Can Do, set out to accomplish an impossible task. Read the story here 08:44

Remembering the pilot boat ‘Can Do’  – from February 7, 2013 Click here