Author Archives: borehead - Moderator
Ørsted shares fall 25% after it reveals troubles in US business
Shares in the world’s largest offshore wind company tumbled by nearly a quarter on Wednesday, after it said it may have to write down the value of its US portfolio by nearly £2bn. Ørsted said it had been hit by a flurry of setbacks in its American business, triggering a rapid sell-off in its shares, listed in Copenhagen. In their haste to dump the stock, investors had cut the notional value of the business by nearly £7bn by the time the market closed on Wednesday. It pointed to significant problems in the supply chain that are likely to affect Ocean Wind 1, Sunrise Wind, and Revolution Wind, planned windfarms off the eastern seaboard of the US. >>click to read<< 13:32
Crab plant workers have punched their time in spades this season, and are being called heroes
Workers at seafood processing plants in Newfoundland have been working all summer long in an effort to make sure snow crab quotas for the shortened 2023 season are met, and they say they’re ready for a break. “This season has been one of the hardest seasons that we have worked here, because we had to do a lot of crab in a short period of time,” Louise Power, a floor supervisor at the Quinlan Brothers Ltd. plant in Bay de Verde, told CBC News Tuesday. She worked at the plant for 46 years, and has had four days off since May. “We all got through it, and made the season work,” she said. “Right now, [I’m] happy as a lark.” >>click to read<< 11:50
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ X 16’3″ Novi Scalloper/Lobster, 450HP Cummins QSMII Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 35 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:09
Galloway fishing representatives hope voices will be heard after meeting cabinet minister
Galloway fishing representatives have expressed hopes their voices will be heeded following round-table talks with Mairi McAllan in Kirkcudbright. The cabinet secretary met industry delegates in the wake of her decision to withdraw controversial proposals for highly protected marine areas (HPMAs). She toured West Coast Sea Products’ scallop factory ahead of the Johnston Centre summit. Ms McAllan told the News: “I was pleased to meet with representatives of the local fishing industry, businesses, community groups and others in Dumfries and Galloway this week to discuss how we can work together on marine conservation. >>click t0 read<< 10:03
Banning Bottom Trawling Could Lead to Higher Carbon Footprints As Consumers Seek Alternatives
Banning demersal trawling would lead to higher CO2 emissions as consumers switch to more protein produced on land, according to a new scientific paper. Writing in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, researchers agree that demersal trawling can be highly destructive when not managed well, but when stocks are overfished, this is usually due to poor management. The scientists led by Prof Ray Hilborn at the University of Washington and involving researchers at Heriot-Watt and Bangor universities used relative benthic status to measure the impact of trawling on the seabed. The authors note that catching fish in the ocean “uses no pesticides or fertilizer, almost no fresh water, and no antibiotics”. >>click to read<< 09:20
DFO investigates fishing licences for outside control
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) encourages inshore owner-operators who have lost control of their commercial licences or fishing enterprise to contact Fisheries and Oceans, which is actively investigating several cases. “If you are not in control of your boat or licences then contact DFO and have it looked into and made right,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. “By law, licensed inshore harvesters must be independent — solely in control of their enterprises, licences, and catches — and if you are not then SEA-NL encourages you to take control.” >>click to read<< 08:45
Hurricane Idalia at Category 3 strength ahead of Florida landfall
Hurricane Idalia strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm Wednesday morning, then weakened slightly to a Category 3, ahead of landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region. According to the 7 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Idalia has maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, and catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds are nearing the Big Bend. WPTV First Alert Weather meteorologist Jennifer Correa said landfall is expected around 8 a.m. Wednesday, and Idalia’s center should stay east of Tallahassee. After making landfall on Wednesday, Idalia will weaken to a Category 2 hurricane over southeastern Georgia, and then a tropical storm by late Wednesday. >>click to read<< 08:04
Survey: Support for wind energy drops in New Jersey
Support for offshore wind development in New Jersey has dropped dramatically in recent years as projects near construction, according to polling released Monday. Just over half of residents, around 54 percent, approve of offshore wind farm construction, according to the Monmouth University survey, a decrease from 76 percent in 2019 and 84 percent in 2011. At least 60 whales have died on the East Coast since preparations for the first project near Atlantic City began in December, but multiple studies from federal and state agencies have not found evidence linking the deaths with wind farms. The wind turbine projects have been celebrated by the state government and the Biden administration as ways to encourage green energy production in well-developed areas. >>click to read<< 15:45
A family tradition: The life of a Lowcountry shrimper
At 4:30 a.m., most people are still asleep, or maybe they’re just starting to roll out of bed. Not Rocky Magwood. Shrimpers like Captain Magwood and his crew are already a half-mile off the Charleston shoreline by that time, hard at work netting dozens of crustaceans to be used in some of the Lowcountry’s most iconic culinary dishes. On Tuesday, Captain Magwood set up in a spot his family has been shrimping for more than a century. It’s a trade he was forced to learn at a young age. When he was 12, his father passed away, leaving him to balance going to school and maintaining the family shrimping business. Trooper Bob will be documenting his experience on his social media pages throughout the day. Photos, >>click to read<< 14:58
Massachusetts Commercial Fisherman Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion
A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today to evading taxes on income he earned as a commercial fisherman. According to court documents and statements made in court, John Doe of New Bedford, Massachusetts, worked as a commercial fisherman operating primarily out of the Port of New Bedford. Despite receiving approximately $1.9 million in income between 2012 and 2021, Doe did not file tax returns with the IRS and did not pay taxes on the income he earned. To conceal his earnings from the IRS, Doe cashed his paychecks from fishing companies at check-cashing businesses and then used the cash to fund his personal lifestyle. He also used stolen identities to cash the checks. In total, Doe caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $520,415. >>click to read<< 13:57
South Australia rejects proposed Southern Ocean offshore wind energy zone over lobster industry concern
One state is bucking a push for more wind farms in Australia due to fears the gigantic renewable energy generators could damage vulnerable ocean wildlife and put hundreds of fishermen out of work. South Australia has officially notified the federal government it does not support a proposed Southern Ocean offshore wind farm zone stretching from Warrnambool in Victoria to Port MacDonnell in the state’s southeast Limestone Coast region. Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said the construction of massive turbines could damage the state’s $187.5m rock lobster industry, which generates more than 1000 full time jobs in the area. >>click to read<< 11:17
Petition: Stop Imported Seafood, Save Our Local Fishermen and Seafood Industry!
As a concerned citizen, I am deeply troubled by the detrimental impact of imported foreign seafood on our local fishermen and seafood industry. It is disheartening to witness the decline in our local seafood prices and the subsequent struggles faced by our hardworking fishermen. This petition aims to raise awareness about this issue and urge relevant authorities to take immediate action. Growing imports of foreign seafood have flooded our markets, causing a significant drop in demand for locally caught fish. This has resulted in devastating consequences for our local fishermen who rely on their catch as their primary source of income. In the 1980s, shrimpers were receiving close to $7 per pound at the dock; however, today they are barely earning $.80 per pound. >>click to read and sign the petition<< 10:41
Federal aid for Louisiana fisheries delivered after nearly four years
After a long wait, Louisiana’s fisheries finally will receive $58 million in federal aid to offset disaster impacts, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves announced. “There is no excuse for the bureaucracy to take four years for the disaster relief we secured to actually be made available, but these funds will be invaluable,” he said in the announcement. “We have promised the seafood industry we would not stop our fight to bring them relief while working to reform the broken fisheries disaster process. We will continue to work with our fishing community to cut through the red tape and make this program functional.” He also pointed out the state’s seafood industry endured the impacts of Hurricane Ida in 2021 and other disasters, in addition to the rise in inflation, high fuel prices, and supply chain problems, among other issues. >>click to read<< 09:54
Experts fear American fishing industry, boating at risk as Biden prioritizes climate, green energy
The Biden administration has prioritized green energy at the expense of endangered whales and the U.S. fishing industry with regulation that limits both commercial fishing and recreational boating, according to experts. As they are imposing more regulations, they are also promoting offshore wind, which is actually harming commercial and recreational boating and potentially killing whales, Brady and Lapp said. “They positioned us as being these evildoers and now, 20 years later, whales are dropping dead like pigeons in Manhattan,” Brady said. “Here commercial fishermen and coastal communities are at the front line of fighting to protect the ocean itself, and we have crickets from virtually every NGO.” Video, >>click to read<< 09:09
Remembering Tylar by Thomas Massey
Tylar Michaud, a promising young man and a lobsterman, went missing off his boat while he was out hauling his traps. Tragically, but beautifully, his celebration of life was held Aug. 20. Then, Monday, shortly after that, he was found and brought home by another lobsterman. I didn’t know Tylar. I don’t know that we ever met. What I know of him, I know from stories, posts and pictures about and of him. I know that he was the only other person, even at his young age to captain this other captain’s boat. He was trusted enough to take others’ children out to sea, and to return. He was headed to the Maine Maritime Academy. I know the entire community searched and grieved and worked together against hope to bring him home. From the first hours when his boat was found nearby, lobstermen immediately used their boats, the source of their livelihood, and got to work hoping to rescue him. And then sadly, only hoping to find Tylar. People walked the shores, planes piloted with community funded donations flew and searched, the Marine Patrol, Coast Guard and other services searched. >>click to read<< 08:05
Coast Guard establishes Area Command Post ahead of Tropical Storm Idalia
The Seventh Coast Guard District has established an Area Command Post in advance of Tropical Storm Idalia, Monday, at Coast Guard Air Station Miami in Opa Locka, Florida. For information and interviews relating to the Coast Guard’s preparations and response to Tropical Storm Idalia, please contact the Joint Information Center at 954-546-4979 or by email >>here<< Updated Port Condition changes by the Captain of the Port will be available on the Homeport website and announced on official unit social media pages throughout the Seventh District. Check below for your local Coast Guard Sector page: >>click to read<< 19:00
P.E.I. fisherman fined for catching both undersized and female lobsters with eggs attached
An eastern P.E.I. fisherman has been fined more than $8,000 for having both undersized and female lobsters with eggs attached in his catch. Thang Quoc Tran, 66, pleaded guilty to the two charges under the federal Fisheries Act on Aug. 24 in provincial court in Georgetown. Federal Crown attorney Matthew Bradley told the court that on May 31, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) officers were at the Launching Harbour (fishing area 26-A) conducting compliance inspections. Tran’s fishing vessel was inspected, and officers located 77 undersized lobsters and three female lobsters with eggs. One of the female lobsters was also undersized. >>click to read<< 14:58
Government of Canada invests over $65M in Marine Search and Rescue services as part of the Oceans Protection Plan
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier announced $24.29 million in funding, with $3.37 million ongoing, to expand Indigenous search and rescue training and exercising on all coasts, and a $34.1 million investment in the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, with $4.85 million ongoing, through the Oceans Protection Plan over the next nine years. This funding will increase community-based search and rescue capacity across the country and save critical time during incidents. It will support auxiliary units with training and exercising and purchasing new equipment. This funding will also help with search and rescue training for members of Indigenous coastal communities who play a key role in marine safety, have expertise in navigating local waters, and share ties to Canada’s oceans and waterways that span generations. >>click to read<< 13:53
Green Groups Turn a Blind Eye to Mysterious Increase in Whale Deaths
Several environmentalist groups campaign against offshore oil and gas projects because of their ecological impacts, but those same groups appear to apply less scrutiny to the potential impacts of offshore wind developments. The Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and Greenpeace have all advocated for East Coast offshore wind projects amid the increase in whale deaths after slamming offshore oil and gas projects for their environmental impacts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has declared “unusual mortality events” for humpback and North Atlantic right whales since 2016 and 2017, respectively, a timeline which generally coincides with the start of offshore wind development off of the East Coast in 2016, according to NOAA’s website. >>click to read<< 12:09
New Gov’t plan to track small fishing boats
Proposals to introduce electronic tracking and monitoring technology for small fishing vessels will be consulted on as part of package of new fisheries measures. The consultation proposes that vessel tracking devices will be required by Scottish commercial fishing vessels under 12 metres in length wherever they operate, and by all vessels of the that size when they operate in Scottish waters. It also asks whether Remote Electric Monitoring systems (REM) – which are more sophisticated than vessel tracking – should be required on some inshore vessels. A Scottish Government spokesperson explained: “Rolling out such technology across Scotland’s fishing fleet would show that vessels are operating sustainably and within the law, increasing consumer confidence in Scottish seafood. >click to read< 10:58
Idalia emerges as threat to Florida with potential as category 3 hurricane
The National Weather Service warned on Monday that Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to intensify into a major category 3 hurricane by Wednesday. As of 8 a.m. E.D.T. on Monday, Idalia was about 90 miles south of the western tip of Cuba and was expected to become a hurricane as it approached the coast of Cuba. Idalia had sustained maximum winds of 65 mph and was moving north. While the track of the hurricane remained the same, the expected intensity has increased. Florida’s Division of Emergency Management on Monday morning said its state emergency operations center was activated to a “level 1″ in response to Idalia. >click to read< 09:50
Murray Bridges, NC soft-crab industry pioneer, has passed away
Murray Bridges, the visionary Outer Banks fisherman who remade tiny Colington Island into a behemoth of the soft-shell crab industry in North Carolina, died Tuesday morning after being infected by the Vibrio bacteria two days earlier while tending his crab shedders. Bridges, who owned and operated Endurance Seafood Co. off Colington Road since 1976, was 89. “One week ago, he was setting peeler pots and fishing them,” Willy Phillips, a close friend and a fellow crabber, told Coastal Review Wednesday. “So, he fished to the end. That was Murray — his work ethic was incredible.” A native of Wanchese, Bridges was instrumental in establishing soft-shell crab as a profitable shellfish product in North Carolina, while also insisting on the highest standards. >click to read< 08:40
America Is Finally Spilling Its Shipwreck Secrets
Word had gotten out about a productive patch of scallops in Stellwagen, and a commercial fishing fleet pounced. Smaller coastal boats took to the water, each one dragging a 11.5-foot-wide scallop dredge behind it. So did longer offshore vessels towing two side-by-side dredges, spanning about 30 feet. Over the coming weeks, the armada raked an area of seafloor equal to the size of Boston. Sleeping in shifts, the crews worked nonstop, shucking thousands of scallops released from the dredge in a great clattering whoosh on the wet decks. Watching this all play out, Haskell’s first concern was safety. “They were going back and forth, north and south, basically just barely missing each other,” he recalls. >click to read< 07:48
Fukushima residents cautious after wrecked nuclear plant begins releasing treated wastewater
Fish auction prices at a port south of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were mixed amid uncertainty over how seafood consumers will respond to the release of treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the ocean. The plant, which was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, began sending the treated water into the Pacific on Thursday despite protests at home and in nearby countries that are adding political and diplomatic pressures to the economic worries. The decades long release has been strongly opposed by fishing groups and criticized by neighboring countries. Japanese fishing groups fear the release will do more harm to the reputation of seafood from the Fukushima area. Photos, >click to read< 16:25
Family throws surprise 90th birthday party for island shrimper
The family of island shrimper Jerome “Pops” Kunz surprised him on Aug. 12 with a belated 90th birthday celebration. He was greeted off the elevator by his baby sister and only surviving sibling, Shirley Kunz-Rooks, who traveled from San Antonio. More than 100 guests filled the party room to wine, dine and dance the night away. Music was provided by his dearest friend, musician Skip Swackhamer. Pops has been shrimping in Galveston Bay for more than 80 years. At the age of 10, he began working with his father, eventually buying his own series of boats. Today he still shrimps on his latest vessel, the St. Vincent, along with his deckhand daughter-in-law Nikki Johnson-Kunz, known as “Texas Shrimp Diva.” Photos, >click to read< 13:26
‘They’re not listening’: Fishermen, tribes voice concerns on two Oregon coast sites eyed for offshore wind farms
Last week, the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced two draft Wind Energy Areas off the southern Oregon coast. One of them is offshore of Brookings, near the California border, the other off the coast of Coos Bay. The areas also represent prime fishing grounds and important cultural areas to local Indigenous tribes. Heather Mann, executive director of the Newport-based Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, said it feels like a lot of stakeholders’ concerns are being left unheard. “They’re not listening to coastal communities. They’re not listening to the fishing industry. They’re not listening to congressional representatives,” said Mann, whose organization represents 32 vessels that fish in the area. “Fishermen are not just concerned about being displaced from fishing grounds, though that is a critical piece. ” Video, >click to read< 11:35
The Ties that Bind
Nancy Bowers’ mother fished in the 1980s when it was uncommon for women to be out in boat. Since then, Bowers says, the fishing industry has come a long way. “[If] my mom was alive today and saw all these women that’s actually fishing, she would be mind boggled.” Bowers herself is one of these women. Fisherwomen might be few in number, but they have a strong community. Bowers says what started as a couple of women wanting to stay connected became a group of over 100 fishers. They meet virtually once a month and once in person after the fishing season. Lillian Saul fished in Alaska before moving to Newfoundland. She says she was surprised by how few women fish in the province. “In Alaska there’s tons of women, not only just on boats but also running boats and a lot of different types of fisheries.” Photos, >click to read< 10:40
A reporter went on the Jones Act Enforcer vessel monitoring Vineyard Wind. What she saw.
Aaron Smith, president and CEO of the Offshore Marine Service Association, was our host on this trip. It’s his intent on behalf of the association to be on the lookout for ships in violation of the Jones Act and taking jobs away from American workers. The ship is named after the Jones Act, a section of federal law that regulates maritime commerce in the United States by requiring that goods shipped between U.S. points be transported on ships that are built, owned and operated by United States citizens or permanent residents. Captain Rick Spaid and his crew sped through the water at about 17 knots give or take when he was able and brought us within about 0.5 nautical miles of the ships we saw. Photos, >click to read< 09:46