Daily Archives: December 1, 2018

South Carolina: Local organization speaks out against seismic testing

Friday, seismic testing was given the go-ahead by the National Marine Fisheries Services, which is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last year, the U.S. Department of Interior denied the seismic permits. They said the damage caused to marine animals and the fishing industry was not worth it.It is now a go, and Lowcountry organizations are upset because seismic testing is the first step to potentially allowing offshore drilling. “We are extremely against seismic air gun blasts,” Peg Howell, spokesperson for Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic, said. >click to read<20:50

Crew safe after boat sinks on 1st day of lobster fishing season

The Charlene A. began taking on water about 1.5 kilometres off Hacketts Cove, N.S., shortly after leaving the wharf at 7 a.m. The crew turned around and started heading back to port, but the vessel sank 300 to 400 metres offshore. Michael Fralick, uncle of the boat’s captain, said the crew members are shaken up, but otherwise OK. They were in the 5 C water for 10 to 15 minutes before they were picked up, he said. “It was long enough,” Fralick said. “You wouldn’t want to be in it very long. It’s pretty numbing, very cold.” Fralick said the Charlene A. had a complete overhaul this summer, “so we’re thinking something went wrong.” >click to read<19:56

Shipwrecked fisherman forced to swim for 45 minutes after boat hit rocks and sank off Jersey’s coast

At 10.30 am on 30 July, a man in his mid-20s left La Collette Marina on his 6.25-metre open fishing boat, called Blue Pearl, to haul and reset his lobster pots. He then made his way to the first pot, near Demie de Pas, heading east towards La Rocque. After picking up his final string of pots, the skipper turned to the south-west and began dealing with the lobsters that he had caught. But minutes later the vessel struck a submerged rock about two-and-a-half miles from La Rocque and began listing heavily to its port side, before taking on water and capsizing. >click to read<18:58

‘Get the balance back’: Amid seal and sea lion boom, group calls for hunt on B.C. coast

For the first time in decades, a small-scale seal hunt is taking place on Canada’s West Coast — all in the hopes that it leads to the establishment of a commercial industry to help control booming seal and sea lion populations and protect the region’s fish stocks.,,, The hunting of seals and sea lions — which are collectively known as pinnipeds — has been banned on the West Coast for more than 40 years. It’s one reason their numbers have exploded along the entire Pacific coastline of North America.,,, Fisheries scientist Carl Walters, a professor emeritus with UBC, believes culling the regions sea lions and seals could dramatically boost salmon stocks. He points to numerous studies showing how pinniped populations have been increasing, while salmon numbers have been plummeting. >click to read<17:14

Crab fishermen and environmentalists square off over whale entanglements

The issue has pitted two local interest groups against each other: Those who depend on the $68 million California Dungeness crab fishery for their livelihood, and those who advocate shutting down areas to crabbing to protect humpback whales and other endangered species. Caught in between are everyday shoppers who love having Dungeness crab on their tables, but probably wouldn’t want marine mammals hurt in the process. “I’m frankly very scared of what the upcoming season could mean for whales,” said Kristen Monsell, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, an Oakland environmental group that sued the state over the issue last year. The case is due to go before a judge in February. >click to read<13:23

George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, dies at 94

George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, was a steadfast force on the international stage for decades, from his stint as an envoy to Beijing to his eight years as vice president and his one term as commander in chief from 1989 to 1993. The last veteran of World War II to serve as president, he was a consummate public servant and a statesman who helped guide the nation and the world out of a four-decade Cold War that had carried the threat of nuclear annihilation. His death, at 94 on Nov. 30, also marked the passing of an era.>click to read<12:00

More questions than answers emerge from New York wind meeting

A horde of New Bedford fishermen and representatives from the city’s Port Authority shared a train ride down to New York City for a meeting involving an offshore wind project south of Long Island. The Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting was held to discuss a guide the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released earlier this month outlining potential leasing sites. The day long dialogue, though, may have only introduced more questions rather than provided answers.,,, Another new item from the Port Authority’s perspective involved a presentation by the Department of Defense. It included a diagram that ruled out areas that had previously been listed as “primary” and “secondary” recommendations. >click to read<11:13

Dumping Day! Lobster fishery finally underway in southwestern N.S. – Crew safe after boat sinks

Shrouded in darkness, hundreds of fishing boats left the wharves in communities across western Nova Scotia early Saturday morning for the first day of lobster fishing season. Dumping Day, the day fishermen drop their traps into the water, is often regarded as one of the most dangerous days of the fishing season, since boats are loaded full of traps and rope and ride lower in the water than usual. >click to read<

Crew safe after boat sinks on 1st day of lobster fishing season – Four crew members are safe after their boat sank and they were rescued by another vessel on the first day of lobster fishing season on Saturday morning. The boat sank off Hacketts Cove, N.S., taking all the fishing gear with it,,, The JRCC confirmed it was notified of the sinking, and all crew members were wearing personal flotation devices. >click to read<09:53