U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-2nd, joined Alaskan Rep. Don Young, a Republican, to introduce a bill reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Management Act on Thursday. But the bill would make changes to the law that some environmentalists fear may result in taking more fish than is sustainable. Among other things, the reauthorization would change how fishery councils determine fishery stock rebuilding timeframes, giving the public a greater role in the development of science and fishery management plans. In a statement, Van Drew said H.R. 3697 “ensures that we have healthy fisheries, keep anglers in the water and keep fishermen fishing.” >click to read< 09:10
Category Archives: Gulf of Mexico
No Crabs, No Scallops: Seafood Is Vanishing From Menus in U.S.
Prices went “crazy,” says Mike Price, who co-owns the Greenwich Village restaurant, and so he yanked them off the menu. Over in Napa Valley, Phil Tessier, the executive chef at a popular spot called PRESS, did the same. And in Atlanta, at the tapas joint the Iberian Pig, chef Josue Pena didn’t stop at scallops. The Alaskan halibut and blue crab are gone, too. That last one was a killer, Pena says. Crab croquettes had become a signature dish. “People were like ‘what’s up?’” But, he says, with wholesale costs soaring like they are, “the price we had to charge to be profitable was almost insulting.” For restaurants across the U.S., the re-opening from Covid lockdown has been anything but easy. >click to read< 11:47
Coast Guard assists 5 aboard vessel after 2 fishing vessels collide near Port O’Connor, Texas
The Coast Guard assisted five crew members aboard an 84-foot fishing vessel near Port O’Connor, Texas, Monday. At approximately 9 p.m., Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders received a mayday call over VHF-FM channel 16 from the crew of fishing vessel Aiden Boy reporting a collision with the fishing vessel Joseph Vu approximately 15 miles off Port O’Connor. Neither crew was reportedly in distress. Video, >click to read<22:45
Huffman and Case Introduce Legislation to Reauthorize Magnuson-Stevens Act
Jared Huffman D-CA, and Ed Case D-HI introduce the Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act. The following is a statement from Eric Schwaab, Senior Vice President, Ecosystems and Oceans, and a former administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service at NOAA under the Obama administration. “The Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act, introduced today by Reps. Huffman and Case, brings much-needed attention to key challenges facing modern fisheries management. We fully support the bill’s goal to strengthen the MSA by arming fisheries managers with tools that can better address some of the most significant problems facing the sustainable future of U.S. fisheries, including threats from climate change. >click to read< 18:28
Fake ‘Green’ Energy: So Much Spent On Wind & Solar For So Little Return
Wind and solar are not just costly they are entirely useless. Never in the field of energy generation has so much been spent, by so many, for so little return. Forget the colossal and endless subsidies, forget the community division, forget the environmental destruction and landfills full of toxic blades and panels and start with the fact that wind and solar are simply incapable of delivering electricity as and when we need it. On that score, we’ll hand over to John Hinderaker for a look at wind and solar power’s utterly pathetic performance in the USA. At AmericanExperiment.org, my colleague Isaac Orr deals a double-barreled blow to the fantasy of “green” energy. First, after all of the hype surrounding wind and solar energy, where did Americans actually get their energy in 2020? >click to read< 09:20
Red Tide Crisis: ‘It’s a ghost town out there’ – Fishermen and Protestors ask DeSantis for Emergency declaration
“It’s a total ghost town out there, I mean, I’ve talked to fishermen that are fishing for mullet and other fish, they can’t hardly find nothing,” said Steven Morrow, a commercial fisherman based in Tampa. Hundreds gathered near the St. Petersburg Pier on Saturday for a “rally for red tide.” The group was standing in solidarity with city councilors, who earlier in the week, passed a resolution asking Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency due to red tide. Commercial anglers say they want to step in to help clean up the dead fish, while their regular jobs aren’t there, video, >click to read< Protesters call for help dealing with Tampa Bay fish-killing red tide – More than 100 people took part in the event along the St. Petersburg waterfront carrying signs and shouting, “Save our bay, make polluters pay.” >click to read< -12:24
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
The“30 X 30 Plan” – The Biden Administration’s Latest Eco Con Job
Via yet another decree (Executive Order 14008), President Biden has ordered government agencies to “permanently protect” at least 30 percent of all US lands and waters by 2030. This “30 X 30 Plan” appears to presume that any areas not designated as park, refuge, or wilderness are not “protected,” even though the vast majority of federal lands are already effectively off-limits to mining, drilling, timber harvesting, and even grazing, by virtue of policies heavily tilted toward preservation and against any development.,,, But matters get truly interesting when we examine Team Biden’s plans to eradicate the 80 percent of US energy that now comes from fossil fuels and replace it with pseudo-renewable wind, solar, and battery power. >click to read< 12:20
Higher shrimp prices causing problems for packers and retailers
The inflated price of shrimp in Southeast Texas has had a varying economic impact for both consumers and industry professionals. While restaurants were closed during the pandemic, consumers flocked to grocery stores and markets. Great news for packers, fishermen and seafood market owners, but not so good for consumers who saw prices increase. video, >click to watch< 10:45
Michael Shellenberger: “I’m going to argue that everything we were told about renewable energy is wrong,”
Author and environmental advocate Michael Shellenberger will be the guest speaker Thursday evening at the Ocean City Music Pier. Best-selling author and nationally known environmental advocate Michael Shellenberger scoffs at the notion that ocean wind farms, like the one proposed off the South Jersey coast, are a good source of renewable, green energy. He regards them more as an industrialized threat to the environment, to the commercial fishing industry, to marine life and wildlife. “The big push to industrialize the East Coast will ruin the East Coast. It’s a gross environmental injustice,” he said. Video, >click to read< 11:57
Another ‘red tide’ left 15 tons of dead fish on Tampa Bay’s shore. Experts warn of more destruction
The dead fish have been washing up on the shores of Tampa Bay in West Central Florida since at least early June, thanks to a natural phenomenon known as “red tide”, large “blooms” of toxic algae that spread through the water. They can harm sea creatures and even humans. Since Tropical Storm Elsa swept Florida last week, the problem has become worse, as strong winds pushed scores of lifeless fish onto the shores of St. Petersburg, surrounding residents and visitors in a miasma of rotting death. >click to read< 11:01
More Florida manatees died in 2021 compared to any other year
There have more manatee deaths so far this year in Florida compared to any other year in the state’s recorded history. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports 841 manatees have died through July 2, topping the previous record of 830 deaths that were recorded in all of 2013. That occurred following a red tide outbreak,,, This year, the FWC says, there has been “unprecedented manatee mortality due to starvation.” video, >click to read< 15;04
Uncertain Future: Commercial shrimp season nears for “frustrated” Port Arthur shrimpers
Port Arthur area shrimpers are facing an uncertain future even with the opening next week of the Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for state and federal waters. Texas and federal waters are slated to open for commercial shrimping at 30 minutes past sunset Thursday. Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association Vice President Kim Tran,,, a combination of events that includes Hurricane Harvey fallout and the COVID pandemic produced less-than-ideal shrimping hauls leading to fewer boat captains and deckhands. >click to read< 09:16
Tropical Storm Elsa Public Advisory – 800 AM EDT
The center of Tropical Storm Elsa was located near latitude 24.5 North, longitude 82.6 West. Elsa is moving toward the north-northwest near 12 mph (19 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn toward the north by tonight. A north-northeastward motion is expected on Wednesday. On the forecast track, Elsa will continue to pass near the Florida Keys this morning, and move near or over portions of the west coast of Florida later today through tonight. On Wednesday morning, Elsa is forecast to make landfall along the north Florida Gulf coast and then move northeastward across the southeastern United States through Thursday. >click to read< 08:25
‘Eye of fire’ Near Offshore Platform in Mexico Extinguished
Bright orange flames jumping out of water resembling molten lava was dubbed an “eye of fire” on social media due to the blaze’s circular shape, as it raged a short distance from a Pemex oil platform. The fire took more than five hours to fully put out, according to Pemex. The fire began in an underwater pipeline that connects to a platform at Pemex’s flagship Ku Maloob Zaap oil development, the company’s most important, four sources told Reuters earlier. >click to read< 12:49
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg sets port condition Whiskey for Port of Tampa for Hurricane Elsa
Effective 12 p.m. Friday, the Coast Guard Captain of the Port set port condition Whiskey for the ports of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Manatee, and Ft. Myers due to the expectation of sustained gale force winds of 25 mph and gusts up to 40 mph generated from Hurricane Elsa that may arrive within 72 hours. These ports and facilities are currently open to all commercial traffic and all transfer operations may continue while Whiskey remains in effect. Sustained winds between 39 and 73 mph are possible within 72 hours. For information on Hurricane Elsa progress and hurricane preparedness, please >click to read< 12:55
Commerce Department Announces 2021 Appointments to the Regional Fishery Management Councils
The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced the appointment of 31 members to the regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage marine fishery resources. Established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, councils are responsible for developing region-specific fishery management plans that safeguard and enhance the nation’s fisheries resources. Each year, the Secretary of Commerce appoints approximately one-third of the total 72 appointed members to the eight,,, >click here to read< 15:03
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 79.8′ Steel Raised Foc’sle Lobster/Crabber, 525HP Cat
To review specifications, information, and 14 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:27
Commercial fisherman frustrated by red tide fish kills destroying his livelihood
Dead fish by the thousands are causing a smelly mess in the water and on the shorelines around parts of Tampa Bay. Commercial fisherman David Gill was shocked when he first saw it Monday morning near the mouth of the Alafia River. “I wanted to scream and rip my hair out because I watched my livelihood die right in front of me,” says Gill, who has been fishing these waters since he was a boy. For years, Gill and other fishermen have traveled miles to get away from red tide, which he believes is exacerbated by pollution, including the release from Piney Point. He’s angry about it. video, >click to read< 10:59
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 82′ Steel Stern Dragger, 525HP Cummins KTA 19 M
To review specifications, information, and 10 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here<11:46
Persistence, ability to overcome adversity keeps this local trawler going after 30+ years
The job of a trawler is the same every day: catch shrimp. But the opponent one is up against (weather, seas, Mother Nature) is always slightly different each day. Being able to adjust to the unknown is Thomas Crosby’s specialty on the water. It’s a skill he believes allows him to be a good fisherman. The captain of the ‘Limited Edition’ since the late 1980s, Crosby has been on the water for as long as he can remember. The experienced captain said a good trawler is capable of adapting, adjusting and rolling with the punches, even if they come often and from a lot of unexpected directions. >click to read< 18:28
Raimondo picks Janet Coit, a source of trusted counsel, to lead the National Marine Fisheries Service
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Coit’s former boss in the Rhode Island State House, announced the selection of Coit to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries office.,, But the work of the fisheries service is getting even harder as it’s faced with stepping into a brewing fight over coastal waters between fishermen and the developers of offshore wind farms. Coit wouldn’t say much about the expectations for her new job in Washington as she waited for the official word to come down from the Commerce Department. But she was certain that offshore wind will be in the mix. “That’s going to be such a hot-button issue that I’m heading into,” she said. >click to read<16:46
Tropical depression making its way toward Nova Scotia
Claudette, a tropical depression, may affect Atlantic Canada on Tuesday. The depression claimed 12 lives Saturday at it passed through Alabama and brought flooding to a number of southern U.S. states. According to the Canadian Hurricane Centre, the depression is moving over the southeastern U.S. today and tonight and is expected to move back over the ocean overnight and regain tropical storm strength off the Carolinas. >click to read< 16:26
The Escuminac Hurricane capsized 22 fishing boats off the coast of New Brunswick
Between June 18 and 21, 1959, an Atlantic hurricane caused one of New Brunswick’s worst fishing-related disasters. The incident, called the 1959 Escuminac disaster, killed 35 people and caused US$2.5 million worth of damage. On June 18, the storm developed in the Gulf of Mexico. On the same day, it hit Florida and strengthened into a tropical storm. The storm reached hurricane strength on June 19 but was turned into an extratropical cyclone the same day. The storm’s remnants hit Atlantic Canada before dissipating on June 21., In Atlantic Canada, around 45 boats were in the Northumberland Strait when the storm was approaching. They didn’t have radios to receive warnings. The rough water caused at least 22 fishing boats to capsize. >click to read< 14:50
Tropical Storm Warning up along northern Gulf Coast with Claudette forming today
At 10 a.m. Friday, the National Hurricane Center said Potential Tropical Cyclone 3 was centered 220 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana and moving north at 14 mph. It had sustained winds of 35 mph. It is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Claudette by afternoon and reach the northern Gulf Coast by Saturday morning. Winter dry air is still mixing down deep into the tropics. Yes, it is not cold air, but it is dry air. This almost always leads to asymmetrical tropical systems. The “wet” side is generally east of the storm track and it is in this region, where over the next 3-5 days we will see the wettest and stormiest, along with the highest winds and highest storm surge (if any, this is a weak system). >click to read< 11:41
Between June 18 and 21, 1959, an Atlantic hurricane caused one of New Brunswick’s worst fishing-related disasters. – The incident, called the 1959 Escuminac disaster, killed 35 people and caused US$2.5 million worth of damage. On June 18, the storm developed in the Gulf of Mexico. >click to read< – 16:41, 6/20/2021
Research concludes after years of studying the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its effects in the Gulf
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, a consortium of 17 institutions in six countries, was funded through a $500 million grant from BP. The money was spent on a variety of studies, looking at both the Deepwater Horizon incident itself, and also the long-term ecological impacts.,, Steve Murawski is with the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, which was a leader in the multinational project. The biggest takeaway, he said, is that we weren’t ready for this event. They didn’t have the technology to cap a runaway well, a mile deep, and the government wasn’t prepared,” >click to read< 14:01
Coast Guard, CDC: We’ll change mask rule, but for now won’t enforce masks on fishing boats, commercial vessels, ferries
The Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Coast Guard, reversing their position from less than a month ago, said the federal agencies will no longer enforce its rule for wearing a mask in “outdoor areas of transportation conveyances or while outdoors at transportation hubs.” That means commercial vessels like cruise ships, ferries, fishing boats, and charters won’t require passengers to mask up for those who are outdoors. And people don’t have to wear masks at “transportation conveyances,” such as train stations. To be clear, the rule still exists, but the agencies will not enforce it. Earlier this year at a fishing conference, Sen. Dan Sullivan called the fishing crew mask rule “stupid.” >click to read< 20: 14
US Embargo Hits Mexican Shrimp Industry Hard
The United States has suspended certification of wild-caught Mexican shrimp, preventing producers from export part of their production to the USA. Already financially weakened Mexican shrimp exporters are confident that the decision will be reversed soon, but have concerns about the severe economic consequences. US inspectors identified non-conformities in the turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in dozens of fishing gears inspected at Sonora, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Campeche ports. News of the embargo was received with concern by the shrimp fishermen all over Mexico. ‘But we haven’t felt any impact yet, given that we had already exported all stocks and we’re now waiting for the next shrimp season to start in September,’ >photos, click to read< 13:13
Mississippi shrimp season opens, fishermen hoping for the best
Brian Chester has had good luck in the open waters south of the Intercoastal waterway, where success can be elusive. “It’s been OK,” he said. “It’s not been bad.” It’s kept him in business, but when state waters open, he’s hoping to have even more shrimp for more dockside customers lined up at his boat, Lady Sariah. “It just means more areas of shrimp,” he said. “We might be able to catch more shrimp and people actually know and they can come out and purchase the fresh seafood.” So far, 375 commercial shrimp licenses have been issued. That is down compared to last year’s 473 and 493 in the 2019-2020 season >click to read< 07:31
Lloyd Earl “Bucky” Chatham of Seadrift, Texas, a retired commercial fisherman has passed away
Lloyd Earl “Bucky” Chatham, 78, of Seadrift, passed away May 31, 2021. He was born April 8, 1943 in El Paso to Charles P. Chatham and Mary M. Chatham. Bucky had many passions in life, hunting, fishing, traveling, diving, rowing many years in the Texas Water Safari, volunteering at the Calhoun County Humane Society, his family and many friends he met along the way. He was blessed to have worked doing what he loved and retired as a commercial fisherman. >click to read< 15:05
