Daily Archives: September 19, 2017

Body found during search for missing Greymouth fishermen

A body has been recovered during the search for two missing fishermen on the West Coast. Police were yet to formally identify the body, found on Tuesday afternoon, but Bill Cairney​ confirmed it was his nephew, Jay Cairney​. “Yes, they found Jay’s body – it’s very upsetting, very very hard,” he said. The Greymouth-based fishing boat Wendy J apparently lost power and sank in poor weather near Jackson Bay, South Westland on Thursday night. click here to read the story 22:37

National Hurricane Center – Hurricane Jose – Hurricane Maria Public Advisory’s At 800 PM EDT

Public Advisory At 800 PM EDT, the center of Hurricane Jose was located by an Air Force reconnaissance plane near latitude 37.5 North, longitude 71.2 West. Jose is moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph (13 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue tonight. A turn to the northeast is forecast to occur by Wednesday morning. On the forecast track, the center of Jose is expected to pass well offshore of the Delmarva peninsula later tonight, pass well to the east of the New Jersey coast on Wednesday, and pass offshore of southeastern Massachusetts by Thursday. click here to read the update 20:06

Hurricane Maria Public Advisory – 800 PM AST Tue Sep 19 2017 …EYE OF CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE MARIA MOVING CLOSER TO ST CROIX IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS …PREPARATIONS AGAINST LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE AND RAINFALL …FLOODING AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION click here to read the update 20:12

Governor Baker: Codfather windfall should fund electronic monitoring

Baker, in a letter to federal fishing regulators late last month, sided with a dozen state lawmakers and local officials who are urging the proceeds from the forfeiture of Rafael’s fishing fleet and any financial penalties tied to his case to be used to pay for electronic catch monitoring. The money to pay for monitoring would relieve a major financial pressure on the state’s fishermen who have to pay for at-sea monitors who ensure compliance with catch-quotas designed to protect the health of groundfish stock. click here to read the story 18:25

Fishermen riding out storm in CT

The storms have forced commercial fishermen to seek a safe harbor in Stonington. The fishing fleet was in on Tuesday morning. Their holds are empty and will stay that way until they go back out next week. Ocean-going fishing vessels such as the Mackenzie, Paige 2 out of Belford, New Jersey, have tied up to the docks in Stonington to stay clear of the storm. Video, click here to read the story 17:49

Trap fishermen, industry suffers record loses from Irma

Conch Key commercial fisherman Gary Nichols scoured the Atlantic Ocean for seven hours on Monday and only found 15 of his 5,000 spiny lobster traps. Fellow Conch Key fishermen Jeff Kramer was only able to locate a handful of his 2,000 traps he had placed in the Atlantic. Both are hoping that ones in the Gulf of Mexico fared better. Nichols’ daughter Kelly Cordova Nichols was able to locate 160 of the family’s 1,500 traps in the bay. Nichols and his daughter are also working with two boats that were damaged by Hurricane Irma and are “not properly operating.” “I feel a little bit defeated,” Nichols said. “It’s hard to keep focused and have a firm belief in God and happiness right now. click here to read the story 16:05

Nautic Alert Gives Boat Owner Confidence During Hurricane Harvey

When hurricanes and severe storms strike, boaters often find themselves on-edge hoping they don’t receive the dreaded high-water alert, and hoping their float switches and pumps are up for the job and in working order. As Hurricane Harvey unleashed its fury onto Galveston, Texas, one owner of an Island Packet 485 with a Nautic Alert system on-board received notifications during the heaviest of storms that not only confirmed all was well, but enabled him to get insight into exactly what was occurring in his bilge. click here to read the story 15:21

Fishing Industry Takes More Action Against New York Offshore Wind Lease

A group of fishing organizations, businesses and communities, led by the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), has taken more action to halt the lease of Statoil’s planned wind farm off the coast of New York. The suit, filed against the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is seeking summary judgment and requesting the court to invalidate the lease, which was awarded to Norwegian firm Statoil to develop the New York Wind Energy Area (NY WEA) late last year. click here to read the story 13:23

UK fishermen see Brexit bonanza, but there’s a catch

Newlyn – For the fishermen of this small port on the toe of England, Britain’s vote to leave the European Union was an answer to their prayers. After 45 years chafing under what they saw as unfair quotas in one of the world’s richest fishing grounds, the UK government would finally, in the lexicon of Brexiteers, “take back control” of British waters. But what Brexit gives with one hand, it can also take away. European fishermen want Brussels to use its trump card – continued access to the essential EU market – in negotiations on how to divvy up the seas. click here to read the story 12:15

National Hurricane Center – Hurricane Maria Public Advisory

At 1100 AM AST, the eye of Hurricane Maria was located near latitude 16.3 North, longitude 63.1 West. Maria is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph (17 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through Wednesday night. On the forecast track, the eye of Maria will move over the northeastern Caribbean Sea today, and then pass near or over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday. Maximum sustained winds are near 160 mph (260 km/h) with higher gusts. Maria is a potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane click here to read the update 11:23

Fishermen feel betrayed on habitat initiative

Three years ago, I remember a wave of optimism in the fishing community here in Southeast, as we rolled through the season and headed into an election for governor. For the first time in recent memory, we had a candidate who spoke our language. As someone who grew up on the coast in a fishing community, saw how Prince William Sound was devastated by the oil spill, and vowed to deliver “fish first” policies once in the governor’s office, Bill Walker claimed to understand our values. His selection of Byron Mallott as a running partner seemed to confirm that we had reason to be hopeful. Fishing communities voted for the Walker/Mallott ticket in droves. Today, I think I can speak for many fishermen: We feel betrayed. click here to read the op-ed 10:27

Fishing Vessel Wendy J sinking survivor reveals chaotic scenes and wait for rescue

The skipper of the doomed Greymouth fishing boat the Wendy J has reported chaotic scenes on deck as the boat foundered in heavy seas as he and his crewmen scrambled for lifejackets. Mark Thomas was swept into the sea at Smoothwater Bay on Thursday night and “somehow grabbed hold of a life ring in the water”, he recalled to Westfleet general manager John Brown, after Thomas was plucked to safety on Saturday. Dressed only in shorts and a T-shirt, Thomas took shelter in a flax bush and drank from a nearby creek while he awaited rescuers, who did not arrive until more than a day after the sinking. He was found near the mouth of Teer Creek, about 8km south of the bay, a narrow and rocky cove around the corner from Jackson Bay. His two crewmen are still missing. click here to read the story 09:06

Cortez helps Florida fishing communities hit by Irma

Residents of the Cortez historic fishing village are reaching out to provide aid to fellow commercial fishermen in Chokoloskee and Everglades City in the wake of Hurricane Irma. The donation drive kicks off at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, at Bradenton Elks Lodge 1511, 2511 75th St. in Bradenton. Collection will continue through 4 p.m. with items being delivered to a distribution point at the Chokoloskee Church of God on Wednesday morning. click here to read the story 08:44

National Hurricane Center – Hurricane Jose Public Advisory

At 800 AM EDT, the center of Hurricane Jose was located by an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft near latitude 36.3 North, longitude 71.6 West. Jose is moving toward the north near 9 mph (15 km/h). This general motion is expected to continue through today with a turn to the northeast anticipated tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Jose is forecast to pass well offshore of the Delmarva peninsula later today, pass well to the east of the New Jersey coast on Wednesday, and pass offshore of southeastern Massachusetts by Thursday. click here to read the update 08:12