Daily Archives: June 25, 2022

Massachusetts fishermen feeling the pinch of lower lobster prices, rising fuel costs

“What we’re seeing this year is astronomical fuel prices, very high bait prices, scarcity of bait, and we’re seeing a starting price that was actually coming off a high high this winter to something that is a little bit lower than expected,” said Nick Muto, a commercial fisherman out of Chatham.  “As fishermen, we don’t get to control the price of our lobsters,” said Steve Holler, a commercial fisherman out of Boston. “We’re at the mercy of the dealers.” “I have zero confidence in our administration,” Muto said. “Given the political climate right now, I see this getting much worse before it gets better. This situation that we have in the country right now will cause a lot of fishermen to go out of business, and that’s tragic really.” Photos, >click to read< 18:30

Amid Record Gas/Fuel Prices, Biden Blows Off Oil Execs for Big Wind CEOs

The White House on Thursday faced a barrage of questions about whether President Biden is doing enough to address record gas prices after he skipped a summit with oil executives and instead met with wind-industry leaders. “When I think environment, I think jobs,” Biden told a group that included five wind-industry CEOs in the White House Roosevelt Room,,, “We’re about to build a better America,” Biden said at the wind-power meeting, which included Granholm, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and Govs. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) and John Carney (D-Del.). Biden mistakenly held up backward a detailed note prepared by his staff for the wind meeting. It instructed him to “say hello to participants” and then “take YOUR seat” before giving “2 minutes” of remarks. The staff note instructed the president to “ask Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO, a question” and then “thank participants” and leave. >click to read< 13:34

Ocean City continues battle against offshore wind farm>click to read<

Ocean City seeks to divert wind power plan>click to read<

Some Sandbridge residents vote against offshore wind project – >click to read<

Rising diesel prices push UK’s fishing industry to the brink

Trawlers and commercial fishers are now struggling under the weight of price rises that mean in many cases tens of thousands of pounds extra in diesel for a fishing trip leading to take-home pay that is below the minimum wage. The biggest trawler in Brixham, the Julie of Ladram, returned to harbour after seven days at sea earlier this month, and came close to making a loss. The captain, Sean Beck, took home just £440 for a week’s work – the equivalent of £2.60 an hour for being responsible for the ship and crew 24 hours a day. “It’s a stressful time for my family. And it’s stressful at sea – fishing’s not always great. As a skipper it’s a big responsibility to make the boat pay and make sure everybody gets a wage.”>click to read< 09:42

Gloucester: St. Peter’s Fiesta opens with procession, confetti, cheers

Just before the confetti and speech-filled opening ceremony of the 95th anniversary of St. Peter’s Fiesta at 7:30 p.m., people crowded Rogers Street waiting for the statue of St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, to appear from St. Peter’s Club. With little fanfare, he surfaced on the street and people circled around to catch a glimpse or a photo. Because of pandemic, this was the first time since 2019 the heavy, life-size statue was processed from the club up around the Capt. Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3, and back down to the altar stage in St. Peter’s Square to mark the start of Fiesta. photos, >click to read< 09:15