Tag Archives: Tourism

Shrimp is the fruit of the sea, and Mississippi has many ways to celebrate National Shrimp Day all month long

As Bubba from “Forrest Gump” said, there are many, many ways to cook shrimp, and restaurants on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are ready to offer dozens of them in celebration of National Shrimp Day. In anticipation of the day created to recognize America’s favorite seafood, National Shrimp Day on May 10, Coastal Mississippi has curated a variety of ways travelers can celebrate all month long. The region, which produces nearly three-fourths the nation’s domestic shrimp, has many unique experiences for seafood enthusiasts, from learning how to find your own fresh catch to exploring the history of the seafood industry. >click to read< 17:46

Ocean County, NJ Mayors express strong concern and opposition to Offshore Wind Farms

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra believes many people may not want to come to the beaches if these wind turbines are just offshore. “Tourism is the major economic driver in Ocean County,” Toms River Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill said. “We do have a substantial commercial fishing industry (in Ocean County) off of Point Pleasant, Barnegat, you’ve got commercial fisheries, what impact that’ll have if they’re out using nets and they’ve got to be mindful that these are jetting up out of the water, it could impact the fishing,” >click to read< 10:53

Commenter: BOEM report downplays wind farm’s impact on fishing, tourism

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is downplaying potential adverse effects of offshore wind projects by setting faulty baselines in its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on Ocean Wind 1. That’s the argument by Barbara McCall, a Florida resident who owns property in Ocean City. McCall sent in a 3,500-word response, with footnotes, to BOEM, which is part of the Department of the Interior, during the comment period. She said the politicians and companies behind the projects, including Danish company Ørsted and PSEG, which are teaming up to build Ocean Wind 1, “should not be afraid of being truthful and transparent.” McCall said she has heard the “ambiguous statement” that the majority of people in New Jersey support offshore wind projects, but she doesn’t believe most people know what all the projects entail. >click to read< 09:32

Editorial: Florida needs to get its act together to fight Red Tide

The awful smell of dead fish across Tampa Bay cries out for a better response. Red Tide is overwhelming St. Petersburg, and the damage to the fisheries, tourism and public health is increasing with no end in sight. State and local officials need to collaborate on the cleanup. Residents, visitors and businesses need to be kept informed. And Florida needs a better strategy for managing these toxic algal blooms. >click to read< 17:13

Humpback whale boosts spirits in struggling Alaskan town

A humpback whale has been frequenting Ketchikan, Alaska, almost daily for the past month, helping to lift spirits as the city reels from a lack of tourism. The whale, nicknamed Phoenix, is feeding on herring and possibly salmon fry with dramatic upward lunges, sometimes just yards from onlookers on docks and walkways. As days shorten and a bleak winter approaches, more residents are discovering the joy of searching for Phoenix throughout the channel fronting the town. photos, >click to read< 08:02

Number One? Bridlington could officially become the Lobster Capital of Europe

Moves are underway to officially promote Bridlington as the Lobster Capital of Europe. Academics believe the resort could attract thousands of new visitors by making the most of its unique lobster fishery. They say adopting marketing techniques used by similar American and Canadian fishing ports could put Bridlington on the global tourism map with more festivals and merchandising. And they want cafes and restaurants in the town to start putting lobster landed in Bridlington Harbour on the menu. For none of the 300 tonnes of shellfish currently landed there every year is actually available to eat locally. >click to read< 14:48

Oil, Fishing, Tourism: Alaska Economy Faces Triple Hit from Coronavirus

The U.S. state of Alaska is so far distant from the worst medical ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, but its economy is in critical condition. Alaska is especially vulnerable because it depends on oil, tourism and fisheries – basic industries that are reeling from the global coronavirus pandemic – and the state government gets most of its revenue from investment earnings that have now evaporated. “Alaska is experiencing a perfect storm, a most terrible trifecta, the hat trick from hell,” said state Senator Natasha von Imhof, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, at a hearing Saturday. “We are being hit on all sides with the stock market crash, oil prices plummeting and the tourism and fishing season all but idle.” >click to read< 09:04

Coronavirus: Perfect storm?

What no one could foresee when the sun rose in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) on Jan. 23 and everything seemed so normal was that the planet was already hurtling toward a global economic slowdown with possibly devastating repercussions for a fragile, Alaska economy dependent on oil, tourism, fisheries and the state Permanent Fund – all now suffering the fallout from the consequences of an invisible, contagious and too-often-deadly pathogen. A month before that sunrise, with Utqiagvik still cloaked in darkness, a new coronavirus spawned no one knows exactly where was already spreading in Wuhan, China far to the south and west. more, >click to read< 15:09

New York, and Connecticut Lawmakers seeking $65 million to clean up Long Island Sound

With new legislation proposed to protect and restore the waters of the Long Island Sound, Connecticut and New York lawmakers are hoping to reverse the effects of decades of over-development and pollution. The Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act would combine two water quality and shore restoration programs to be funded at, respectively, $40 million and $25 million per year through 2020. Read the rest here 19:22

Offshore drilling, our view: Take a pass on oil and gas N.C.

To deny our reliance on fossil fuels and to expect the rest of the nation, or for that matter, the entire world to supply our appetite for energy along these Outer Banks would, quite frankly open us up to accusations of hypocrisy or hiding behind that old chestnut: NIMBY — Not in My Backyard. It would also take one hell of a compelling argument to stand up and say no to offshore drilling off our coast. And yet, that is precisely the course of action the Outer Banks Voice is endorsing and we believe that such a compelling argument not only exists, it passes muster on a purely economic risk-reward basis. Read the rest here 20:14

Experience unique seal hunting on Åland

Seal hunting demands much from the hunter, both before and after the hunt. In the outer archipelago of Åland there is a great population of grey seals and the exciting hunt fascinates natives as much as visitors. Read more here vistaland.com  16:59