Category Archives: Mid Atlantic
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 48′ Steel Day Scalloper, 400 HP Volvo Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 14 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 08:37
Maine lobstermen will not be scapegoated over right whale
New England fishermen are bracing themselves for another salvo of regulation and activist pressure after the tragic entanglement death of a right whale that washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard. While the future of our fisheries is uncertain, 2023 showed how much resilience and determination there is in our maritime communities. My organization – the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association – and our many partners are prepared to ward off any attempt to scapegoat Maine lobstermen for the declining population of the majestic right whale. Regulators and out-of-state agitators are together impugning one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world for right whale deaths. Their claims are baseless and contradicted by their own data. As agencies and NGOs ponder next steps, they might consider the fighting spirit this last year has showcased among fishermen. more, >>click to read<< by Dustin Delano 12:06
NCFA Weekly Update for March 11, 2024
I was recently forwarded a copy of the CCA NC’s newsletter Tidelines which included a recap of the February 2024 meeting of the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC). There was one item from their recap which I found particularly interesting titled “Issues from Commissioners.” During the Issues from Commissioners portion of the MFC agenda, Commissioners are allowed to put forward issues they’d like to discuss at future meetings or request clarification or information, from Division staff, on issues of personal concern to them. During this portion of the February 2024 meeting, three commissioners, Robert McNeil, Mike Blanton, and Tom Roller, chose to bring forward personal issues to the Commission. –>>click to read<< Weekly Update for March 11, 2024 15:50
After the death of 2 fishermen, Outer Banks watermen call for dredging in notoriously rough waters
Ten Outer Banks watermen passionately spoke against the red tape surrounding permits for Oregon Inlet dredging that they say has a human cost. They were among about 80 attendees at a state commission meeting held Wednesday afternoon at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island in Manteo. “All this red tape and all that permits cost us two of my dearest friends’ lives Sunday night,” longtime local fisherman Michael Merritt stated, choking up. He and several other speakers during public comment referenced the recent death of Capt. Charlie “Griff” Griffin of “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks” fame and the assumed death of Chad Dunn, who is missing from the same tragic voyage that ended in what is widely assumed as a boating accident near the treacherous Oregon Inlet. Merritt said he and “all us have…lost two dear friends, and not because they were amateurs — they were well adept and knew how to do it.” more, >>click to read<< 08:38
Saint Helena seafood company recalls landing a role in ‘Forrest Gump,’ still has receipts
In the fall of 1993, a film crew in search of shrimp pulled up to a seafood market on the island’s northeastern edge. They would need about 4,000 pounds, they told Gay Seafood Co. co-owner Charles Gay. Paramount Pictures would pay the bill. “We can do that,” Gay said. The production team bought just over 6,000 pounds in total for the making of “Forrest Gump.” Thirty years later, the film is cemented as an American classic, and Gay still has the receipts that prove Gay Fish Co.’s role in its production. more, >>click to read<< 08:41
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse backed laws to benefit wife’s company and their ‘financial interests’: ethics complaint
Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a crusader for new ethics guidelines at the Supreme Court, was himself hit with an ethics complaint last month after backing two dozen pieces of legislation that have benefited his wife’s environmental consulting company. Whitehouse, 68, has been dogged by ethics questions since his first years in the Senate, when he secured a $22 million federal grant for an offshore wind company, Deepwater Wind, that had hired his wife as a “permitting consultant,” the complaint states, citing contemporaneous reports from local Rhode Island outlets. Sandra Thornton Whitehouse is currently the president of Newport, RI-based, for-profit consulting firm Ocean Wonks, LLC, raking in millions of dollars for her work with non-profit clients that profited from her husband’s legislative activity. Video, photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:42
U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater off Oregon Inlet
The Coast Guard says they have suspended the search for a missing boater off of Oregon Inlet on North Carolina’s Outer. The Coast Guard found 65-year-old Captain Charlie Griffin of Wanchese dead after a boat heading to the Outer Banks was reported as overdue on Sunday. 36-year-old Chad Dunn remained missing Tuesday night when the Coast Guard suspended the search. more, >>click to read<< 06:11
Capt. Charlie Griffin, ‘Wicked Tuna’ star, dies in boating accident on the Outer Banks; passenger missing
Capt. Charlie “Griff” Griffin of “Wicked Tuna” fame died on the Outer Banks after his boat went missing Sunday night near Oregon Inlet. A person with him remained missing Monday evening, Around 11:35 p.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard received a report of two overdue boaters transiting in a recreational vessel from Virginia Beach to Wanchese, where the boat was going for repairs, a Coast Guard spokesperson said by phone. The last communication with those on the boat had been about 6:15 p.m. Sunday. The Coast Guard and local first responders were searching the oceanfront between Nags Head and Rodanthe by water and ATV on the beach when the boat was found south of Oregon Inlet about 70 yards off shore in the break, the spokesperson said. more, >>click to read<< 17:32
Offshore Wind Lease Areas Impede on Historic Fishing Grounds
In announcing its decision Monday (the initial deadline for comment), BOEM said it received requests from tribal nations and stakeholders to provide more time to review and comment on the lengthy environmental document. The decision also came on the 40th anniversary of COA’s incorporation. “When we started in 1984, the ocean was the dumping capital of the world. We worked really hard to clean it up and in 2000 we ended ocean dumping. (That’s) the power of the people,” Cindy Zipf, COA executive director, said. Since then, the Atlantic Ocean has thrived, she added. “We’ve seen majestic animals and (the) bounty of what she (the ocean) provides (us) free,” Zipf said. “What’s the return now? There’s a bunch of people that want to industrialize the ocean to claim some green energy revolution, but the facts aren’t there. We don’t see them.” more, by Gina G. Scala, >>click to read<< 10:41
Coast Guard, good Samaritans assist disabled fishing vessel crew off Barnegat Light, New Jersey
The Coast Guard and good Samaritans assisted four mariners Tuesday after the 64-foot commercial fishing vessel F/V Monica became disabled about 85 miles from the New Jersey coast. F/V Monica was reported to be experiencing transmission issues and a Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light 47-foot Motor Life Boat (MLB) crew safely towed the vessel to Lighthouse Marina, in Barnegat Light. Good Samaritans aboard the nearby commercial F/V Alexandria Dawn heard the distress call and diverted to help. The F/V Alexandria Dawn crew arrived on scene and initiated a tow of the F/V Monica towards Barnegat Light. 3 photos, more, >>click to read<< 13:29
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 74′ Steel Scalloper/Dragger, Caterpillar 3412
To review specifications, information, and 38 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 08:29
Maine’s lobster fishermen struggle with efforts to save right whales
Willis Spear stands in the backyard of his Yarmouth, Maine home. Behind him are dozens of yellow and green lobster traps. Spear, 67, spends most of the winter preparing these traps to be deployed in the Gulf of Maine come April. It’s a task this lifelong lobster fisherman has carried out each year since he was a child. “The water gives us life,” Spear said on an unusually warm winter day in late February. Over the last decade, lobster fishermen in Maine have faced increasingly stronger financial headwinds, from the price of fuel to the revenue they are receiving for the lobster themselves. The lobster-fishing industry generates hundreds of millions of dollars for Maine’s economy each year. Video, more, >>click to read<< 18:37
Fisheries Survival Fund Calls for Reevaluation of Draft PEIS on Offshore Wind Development Impacts on Scallop Fisheries in the New York Bight
The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) has submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regarding the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft PEIS) for the New York Bight Wind Energy Area. The FSF, representing the majority of full-time Limited Access scallop fishermen on the East Coast, has raised significant concerns over the inadequacies of the Draft PEIS in addressing the impacts of offshore wind development on scallop fisheries, which are among the most valuable federally-managed commercial fisheries in the United States. The FSF argues that the Draft PEIS, while prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), fails to adequately mitigate the impacts of offshore wind development on the Mid-Atlantic scallop resource and does not sufficiently reduce wind farm interference with scallop fishing activities. more, >>click to read<< 06:55
State fisheries advisory committees to review issue paper on trawling closures to protect submerged aquatic vegetation
A controversial proposal that could lead to shrimp trawling area closures to protect submerged aquatic vegetation took a step toward future consideration by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission last week. The commission, policy-making arm of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, voted during its quarterly business meeting in New Bern to refer an issue paper pertaining to the concept to its northern, southern and shellfish/crustacean advisory committees to get input from the public. Glenn Skinner, executive director of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a Morehead City-based trade and lobbying group for commercial watermen, said he and his members are concerned, in part because the state has already permanently or seasonally closed more than 1.2 million acres of estuarine waters to shrimp trawling. more, >>click to read<< 10:18
Most New Jerseyans say they do not want massive wind farms at the shore
Support for building wind turbines off New Jersey’s coast has taken a dive in the last four years, particularly among residents of shore towns, a Stockton University Poll reveals. Currently, half of the state’s residents are on board with plans to erect wind turbines at sea for electricity, a sharp fall from the 80% support measured in a 2019 survey. Back in 2019, nearly 80% of New Jersey adults were all for offshore wind farms, with a strong backing from 77% of coastal dwellers. Now, only 33% of those living near the coast are fans of the idea, according to the latest findings. more, >>click to read<< 17:20
“Not For Sale”: Ocean City Firmly Rejects US Wind Offer
Ocean City officials have issued a resounding public rejection of offshore wind company US Wind’s Community Benefits Package offer. The Community Benefits Package, which was extended to various Delaware Coastal Towns as well, included up to $2 million disbursements to communities over a 20-year period. According to Ocean City, in exchange for the commitment, US Wind expects local government officials to refrain from commenting negatively or objecting to US Wind’s offshore project. Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan says US Wind approached him in December with the Community Benefits Package offer. more, >>click to read<< 12:53
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 68′ Fiberglass Dragger, 3408 Cat, /State and Federal Permits
To review specifications, information, and 38 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 08:52
An era ends: Wanchese seafood operation to close in March
Started as a small business 88 years ago by a native Outer Banks fisherman, the Wanchese Fish Co., now a global behemoth, is closing the doors of its production fish offloading and packing operations here. The fish operation on Mill Landing Road in this historic fishing village on the south end of Roanoke Island will be shuttered March 29,,, Wanchese Fish Co., located along the wharf in Wanchese Marine Industrial Park, was purchased by Cooke Seafood USA in 2015, part of the Cooke family’s international aquaculture and seafood company. The Wanchese company had maintained its family-owned operation after the sale. Wanchese Trawl & Supply Co., a marine and fishing equipment retail store that Wanchese Fish Co. started in 1976, will remain open, Richardson said. Also, Shoreland Transport USA, an associated cargo and freight company based in Suffolk, will continue to operate its Outer Banks route. more, >>click to read<< 10:57
NCFA WEEKLY UPDATE FOR February 19, 2024
Proposed shrimp trawl area closures to “protect” submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). Once again, the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) will be discussing adopting further regulations for North Carolina’s shrimp trawl fishery. At the February MFC meeting they will be reviewing recommendations from the Division of Marine Fisheries to close numerous areas to shrimp trawling to “protect” SAV. While the NCFA shares fishermen’s concerns over the areas DMF wants to close to trawling our primary concerns are not with the specific areas DMF wishes to close. Our concerns are, first, are the areas closures, any of them, necessary, and second, is the process proposed for implementing these closures, specifically proclamation authority, legal? Are these closures necessary? more, >>click to read<< 13:03
“You saved someone’s life,”- Commercial Fisherman makes dramatic rescue
Near sunset last Nov. 6, commercial fisherman John Genther of Madison was steering his boat back home after a day of catching whelk when he spotted a bright blue object about a half mile ahead in the water. As he maneuvered closer, he realized it was a man wrapped in winter clothing, without a life preserver, clinging to the side of an overturned skiff in 55-degree water. Genther immediately recognized the signs of hypothermia and knew what to do, thanks to a first aid training he completed less than two weeks earlier. “You saved someone’s life,” said Nick Lajoie, commander and chief of response for Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound, speaking to Genther and a roomful of attendees at a ceremony on Feb. 8 honoring the heroic act. “It’s a big deal.” more, >>click to read<< 10:22
50 commercial watermen and women help with 10th annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project
The North Carolina Coastal Federation has announced that the 10th year of its Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project is wrapping up, and usable, tagged lost gear is ready to be reclaimed. The Coastal Federation said that along the state’s coast, 50 commercial watermen and women collectively spent nearly 150 working days on the water throughout January retrieving lost crab pots from the sounds. An additional part of the project will take place in Marine Patrol District 1 in the northeast region, the nonprofit said. Whole pots, in good condition, recovered from the Albemarle and Pamlico Sound region will be available for the rightful property owners to claim. This includes crab pots retrieved from the Virginia state line and Manteo to Swan Quarter and from the Outer Banks to Ocracoke. more, >>click to read<< 09:25
Maine lobster industry reacts to right whale found entangled in rope
Maine’s lobster industry is responding following the discovery of a dead North Atlantic right whale near Martha’s Vineyard last month. According to federal authorities, the whale was entangled in fishing rope, including portions traced back to Maine. While NOAA has yet to determine the exact cause of the whale’s demise, Maine lobstermen are fearing potential blame. “They’re going to say that the rope, you know, caused harm to the whale, and over time, it just was a very slow death,” said John Drouin, a Lobsterman from Cutler with over 40 years of experience. The incident marks the first documented interaction between a right whale and Maine fishing gear in over two decades. more, >>click to read<< 11:49
Sam Parisi asks, How Accurate is NOAA and NOAA Fishery Survey Science?
The agency is not required to compare their results with other independent science. The unproven science may bring concern on the health of fish stocks the industry depends upon. Our Fishermen and Fishing Industry depend on sound science. We need a Magnuson Act Amendment which would require NOAA to compare their science with other independent scientific surveys before any restrictions are placed on, or allocation cuts are enacted. Thank you, Sam Parisi. (click here to comment) 07:22Harkers Island residents demand removal of neglected shrimp boat disrupting local harbor
The bottom line is the community wants this eyesore gone. Miss Becky has drifted around Brooks Creek Harbor for 2 years. It’s labeled as a derelict vessel by the Wildlife Resource Commission, which means it’s a vessel that is neglected with an identifiable owner. The owner is Douglas Oneil Junior who was just released from prison after being convicted of felony littering charges with his vessels. He faces those same charges with this shrimp boat. Video, more, >>click to read<< 09:11
New England Fishermen Fear NOAA Retaliation as Feds Pin Dead Whale on Maine Lobstermen
For the first time in twenty years, the death of a North Atlantic Right Whale has been linked to Maine fishing gear, according to a federal environmental agency. Found dead off of Martha’s Vineyard on January 28 near Joseph Sylvia State Beach, the juvenile, female whale was described as having been entangled in a rope that was “deeply embedded in the tail.” According to the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — parent agency of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) — the rope found on the whale contained purple markings that are consistent with water trap and pot buoy lines used by lobstermen in Maine. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:22
Captain Jimmy Ruhle Honored Posthumously with New Cooperative Research Award
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council named Captain Jimmy Ruhle as the first recipient and namesake of a new award that recognizes outstanding contributions to cooperative fisheries research in the Mid-Atlantic region. His son, Captain Robert Ruhle, accepted the award on his father’s behalf during the Council’s meeting last week in Arlington, Virginia. Jimmy Ruhle was a lifelong commercial fisherman, a former Council member, and a trailblazer in cooperative fisheries research. He had an instrumental role in the creation and success of the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) Mid-Atlantic/Southern New England trawl survey, a cooperative fishery-independent survey of coastal waters from Cape Hatteras north to Cape Cod. Since 2007, the survey has been conducted biannually aboard Jimmy’s vessel, the F/V Darana R, by a team of Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) researchers working in partnership with Jimmy and his crew. more, >>click to read<< 13:11
Oregon fishermen, tribes angered by surprise announcement on offshore wind energy areas
Federal officials say Oregon’s wind energy areas were developed “following extensive engagement and feedback from the state, Tribes, local residents, ocean users, federal government partners, and other members of the public” and are based on reducing conflicts with ocean users, particularly commercial fishermen. The areas avoid 98% of the locations recommended for exclusion due to their importance as commercial fishing grounds, they said. But local groups representing fishermen and Indigenous communities said that narrative is inaccurate and the federal government’s engagement with local communities was perfunctory at best, failing to take into account suggested impacts on local fishing areas, the environment and views that are sacred to tribes. The groups said the announcement caught them by surprise since Gov. Tina Kotek had asked the federal agency last June to pause identifying and leasing offshore wind areas so the state could fully evaluate potential impacts on the environment and economy. more, >>click to read<< 10:07
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 40′ H&H Lobster Boat, 575HP Scania DI 1242M Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 9 photos’,>click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 08:01
Southern Shrimp Alliance Submits Comments Opposing Request by Government of Vietnam to be Treated as a Market Economy
Over the objection of a large and diverse group of American industries and producers, the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is currently conducting an administrative proceeding to determine whether Vietnam should Government of Vietnam a market economy for the purposes of our antidumping duty laws. Commerce’s current practice treats Vietnam as a non-market economy (NME) and applies special rules to address the distortions caused by the government of Vietnam’s control over the country’s economy. Under these special rules, Vietnamese shrimp exporters that are controlled by the government are subject to a 25.76 percent antidumping duty rate. more, >>click to read<< 11:23
Six offshore wind turbine sites planned off Barnegat Light, draw large crowd to Toms River
A plan to place wind turbine farms in six areas of ocean off the Jersey Shore brought a crowd to the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center on Thursday, where the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management fielded questions and concerns. Federal personnel met with more than 100 offshore wind supporters, critics and curious residents over a plan to develop an area of the Atlantic known as the New York Bight. Gus Lovgren, a fourth-generation fisherman, has a vessel named the Lilly Rose docked in Pleasant Beach. Lovgren worries that his family’s century-long fishing heritage in the United States is coming to an end. He said offshore wind farms could block his access to more than half of his usual fishing grounds. The wind farms will bring “devastation and the extinction of our industry,” Lovgren said. photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:29
