Category Archives: Mid Atlantic
Pot/Trap Fisheries Regulations to Help Save North Atlantic Right Whales Announced
NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the North Atlantic right whale population, which is endangered, declining, and experiencing an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event. Entanglement in commercial fishing gear is a primary cause of mortalities and serious injuries of North Atlantic right whales. Working with the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team, a group of advisors consisting of fishermen, scientists, conservationists, and state and federal officials, we have completed Phase 1 of the modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to continue to reduce whale entanglements. Today, we are announcing the final rule to modify the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. >click to read< 15:22
Invasive Blue Crab wreak havoc on French Mediterranean mollusks, eels, oysters and mussels
Fisherman Yves Rougie pulled up a net from the waters of the Canet-Saint-Nazaire lake in southern France. He was hoping for a catch of eels. Instead it was full of blue crabs. The blue crab, callinectes sapidus, has been destroying populations of eels, oysters and mussels that are traditionally caught in the area’s lagoons and coastal lakes. Native to North American Atlantic waters and brought to the Mediterranean in the ballast waters of commercial ships, the crabs have spread quickly from around 2017, according to the French Office for Biodiversity, which is helping fishermen to control their numbers,,, >click to read< 10:45
Offshore wind opposition is growing From N.E. to N.C. – Nantucket Wind Suit May Have Virginia Echoes
A group of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts residents have filed suit challenging the pre-construction environmental review on a massive offshore wind complex planned off its shores. The issues raised may have a direct impact on the similar wind energy project planned off Virginia Beach, which is only now beginning its environmental impact process.,, The umbrella group is using the name “Coalition for Ocean Protection and Safety.” The Nantucket group, playing off the code designation for its local airport, call themselves ACK RATS, with the RATS standing for Residents Against Turbines. The wind developments there are not 27 miles offshore the way it is planned in Virginia. >click to read<
Feds botched the review of Vineyard Wind, lawsuit alleges – Concern over right whales in lawsuit
A group of Nantucket residents opposed to an offshore wind farm planned for waters south of the island filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to stop its construction, arguing that several federal agencies violated laws intended to protect endangered species. BOEM and NOAA, which are named in the suit, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. Vineyard Wind, a joint project of a Danish company and a U.S. subsidiary of the Spanish energy giant, Iberdrola, also declined to comment. Vallorie Oliver, another Nantucket resident and group member, argues federal officials haven’t provided adequate research to back up their claims that the wind project will have minimal impact on the right whales and other marine life. >click to read< – Concern about endangered right whales cited in lawsuit over Nantucket Wind Farm – ACK Residents Against Turbines said Vineyard 
Wind’s proposed project of some 60 turbines 22 kilometres south of the island is in a crucial area for foraging and nursing for the species, which researchers estimate number less than 400. Mary Chalke, a Nantucket resident and member of the opposition group, said the lawsuit isn’t just about Vineyard Wind, but other turbine projects also in the pipeline up and down the Eastern Seaboard. >click to read< 17:35
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 81.5′ Steel Scalloper, Cat 3412, excellent electronics, available immediately
To review specifications, information, and >12 photo’s click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< 10:37
Nantucket Residents Against Turbines: Presser Wednesday to announce federal lawsuit to halt construction
The group indicated Tuesday that their suit will be based on efforts to protect the Northern Atlantic right whale. “The MA/RI wind lease areas cover one of the whale’s last strongholds, for migration, foraging and raising their young,” the group says on its website. “We are concerned with the adverse impacts from the increased construction vessel traffic, pile driving, and operational noise on the critically endangered NARW. NOAA fisheries determined the Vineyard Wind project, which is located in one of the last North Atlantic Right Whale foraging and nursery strongholds, and which will involve thousands of miles of vessel trips, will not jeopardize the species. This determination is not supported by the evidence.” >click to read< , and >here< 14:19
Tropical Storm Henri Public Advisory
At 800 AM EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Henri was located by reconnaissance aircraft and NOAA Doppler weather radars near latitude 40.7 North, longitude 71.3 West. Henri is moving toward the north-northwest near 16 mph. A north-northwestward motion with a decrease in forward speed is expected this morning. On the forecast track, Henri is expected to make landfall in southern New England or on Long Island later this morning or early this afternoon. After landfall, a turn back toward the north and an even slower forward speed are expected as Henri moves over southern New England.>click to read< 08:30
Video – U.S. Coast Guard medevacs a fisherman 65 miles east of Virginia Beach
A Coast Guard aircrew medevaced a 46-year-old man reportedly suffering from symptoms of a heart attack approximately 65 miles east of Virginia Beach, Saturday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Virginia received the initial report at approximately 1:15 p.m. from the captain of the 140-foot fishing vessel Persistence, stating that a member aboard the ship was experiencing possible heart attack symptoms. >click for video< 19:38
,,,Hurricane Henri Moving Faster To The North-East,,,
At 500 PM EDT, the center of Hurricane Henri was located near latitude 36.3 North, longitude 71.4 West. Henri is moving toward the north-northeast near 18 mph (30 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue through tonight. A decrease in forward speed and a turn toward the north-northwest is expected on Sunday. On the forecast track, Henri is expected to make landfall on Long Island or in southern New England on Sunday. >click to read< – National Weather Center, >click here< 17:10
Hurricane Warnings In Effect for Parts of Long Island and southern New England
11:00 AM EDT Sat Aug 21, Location: 34.4°N 72.5°W, Moving: NNE at 14 mph – Hurricane and Storm Surge Warnings are in effect for portions of Long Island, New York, and southern New England with Henri. Henri is expected to accelerate northward on Saturday and make landfall in Long Island or southern New England on Sunday. In addition to hurricane conditions and dangerous surge, heavy rainfall may lead to considerable flooding in parts of New England Sunday into Monday. >click to read< – National Weather Center, >click here< 11:10
Robert “RJ” Cericola, A well-respected member of the N.J. fishing community has passed away
RJ Cericola lost his valiant battle with cancer on August 18, 2021. A well-respected member of the fishing community, RJ was born in Point Pleasant Beach and raised in Lavallette. He resided in Brick Township for the last 25 years. He always had an affinity for the ocean, bay and rivers that surround our area. A master sailor and accomplished outdoorsman, RJ owned and operated his business, F/V Backwash, since 1988. >click to read< 15:43
Prince Edward Islanders urged to prepare for tropical storm Henri
The National Hurricane Center’s latest on the track for Henri was issued Friday at noon AT. It says to expect sustained winds of 100 km/h, and predicts warm waters and atmospheric conditions will see the storm strengthen to hurricane status Friday night or early Saturday. “The latest guidance shows potential landfall anywhere from Cape Cod to near NYC on Sunday,” says CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland. “Henri is then expected to track east toward the Maritimes after weakening and transitioning to post-tropical early next week. It is still far too early to offer much certainty on this storm’s exact path through Atlantic Canada or its impact on our local weather. Please stay tuned for updates!” >click to read<16:10
U.S. Coast Guard urges preparedness for Tropical Storm Henri
Boston — The Coast Guard urges all mariners to prepare for Tropical Storm Henri before its predicted Sunday landfall. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts Henri to have wind speeds equal to or exceeding 39 mph. Storm Surge and Hurricane watches are in effect for portions of the United Stated –>click to read<-The Coast Guard is reminding the public of these important safety messages: Port conditions change based on weather forecasts, and current port conditions can be viewed on the following Coast Guard homeport webpage: >click to read>14:15<
Second phase of regulation changes to protect North Atlantic right whales include groundfisheries
The federal Large Whale Take Reduction Team instituted sweeping changes in the rules governing the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to help reduce gear entanglements. Now, the team is turning its attention to other fisheries in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic The second phase is expected to significantly impact a number of commercial gillnet fisheries in New England and elsewhere along the East Coast, including monkfish, spiny dogfish, skate and other groundfish fisheries. The second phase also will address trap/pot fisheries not covered in the first phase, including Atlantic deep-sea red crab, slime eels, black sea bass, shrimp, scup and others. >click to read< 18:25
Offshore wind farms will have ‘major’ impacts on commercial fishing. Meanwhile, in New Bedford,,,
Development of the South Fork Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island would will have an overall “major” adverse impact on commercial fishing, according to a newly released federal study.,, Mark Philips, a commercial fishermen operating out of Greenport, cast doubt on the notion that climate change and fishing presented greater threats than the turbines themselves to his fishing activities.,, With wind farms planned from Maine to North Carolina, he sees his fishing options collapsing, even if, as the study points out, planners identified and excluded the most productive fishing grounds from the wind-energy areas. >click to read< – New Bedford fishermen, officials question New York offshore wind areas as auction nears >click to read< – 09:24
Please Congress, we need real energy solutions, not your offshore wind farm fantasy!
200 small nuclear reactors are presently powering 160 ships and submarines all around the world, and have been for decades. What’s on foot is a move to bring those reactors onshore and use them to shore up power grids being wrecked by the chaotic intermittency of wind and solar. STT promotes nuclear power because it works: safe, affordable, reliable and the perfect foil for those worried about human-generated carbon dioxide gas,,, One of the feeble ‘arguments’ against it, is that nuclear power plants are of such vast scale that they take longer to build than the pyramids of Giza, and cost twice as much. SMR technology takes the sting out of that case. And, as Walter Starck outlines below, SMRs provide the perfect opportunity to reintroduce our good friends logic and reason into the debate about what powers us now, and the future. >click to read< 12:37
Ocean City Councilman Michael DeVlieger, Offshore Wind Farm Warrior, Resigns
City Council Vice President Michael DeVlieger stepped down Thursday night in an emotional farewell that included some hugs, tears and laughter with his colleagues during his last meeting on the seven-member governing body.,, Councilman Keith Hartzell, “No one fights harder than you in a cause,”,, “Early on, I have had the pleasure of being on the front lines when our community was hit by Super Storm Sandy. In the face of tragedy, I witnessed kindness and beauty,,,DeVlieger has been Council’s most outspoken opponent of wind energy offshore wind farm proposed 15 miles off the coast between Atlantic City and Stone Harbor. He has raised concerns about the wind farm’s possible negative impact on the coastal region’s environment, tourism industry and commercial fishing operations. >click to read< 10:23
While cargo shipments boom, ship strikes imperil whales in California and worldwide
Earlier this year, horrific photos of two fin whales pinned to the hull of an Australian naval ship gained worldwide attention. The vessel had been conducting exercises in the waters near San Diego. The two bodies, one 65 feet long, the other just 25 feet, were draped over the hull. “Anywhere you have major shipping routes and whales in the same place, you are going to see collisions,” said Russell Leaper, an expert with the International Whaling Commission. “Unfortunately, that’s the situation in many places.” While gray whales and humpbacks make up 70% of the reported strikes in the government’s database, it’s the endangered and threatened populations such as North Atlantic right whales and the gargantuan Pacific blues that concern scientists the most. For those whales, each death comes with a risk of population or species extinction. >click to read< 12:06
Fishermen Protest Upcoming Bid for Wind Farms in New York Bight
With the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management preparing to open more lease areas on the Continental Shelf to wind farm developers by the end of the month, the fourth and last meeting between fishermen and BOEM officials took place Aug. 6 in New Bedford, Mass. with fishermen calling for a halt to leasing until more science on potential environmental impacts could be completed. The New York Bight is a triangle in the ocean between Montauk Point at the end of Long Island and Cape May at the southern tip of New Jersey. A total of eight leases will be for sale there. The larger portion of the lease area is located 35 miles off New Jersey and can’t be seen from shore, but it does pose hazards for fishing ships transiting the area and impacts the quahog, surf clam, squid and scallop fisheries. >click to read< 12:02
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 52′ Steel Trawler, Cat 3406, with Federal/State Permits
To review specifications, information, and 13 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here<-11:27
A citizen writes: More discussion needed on offshore wind farm energy
Regarding the recent Press editorial, “State preempting local roadblocks to wind energy helps NJ, especially Ocean City”: The editorial is full of many of the misperceptions about the 100 planned (in the first phase),, seems to assume that everybody is for green energy, On a website, 10,980 people have signed a petition to stop this specific project. The Ocean City Council has done its homework. That is why they are pushing back on the state of New Jersey stripping them of their right to govern themselves in this matter. >click to read< by Ed Roland 19:07
Scallop boat Captain William Francis Phaneuf, “Cape Cod Bill,” 72 has passed away
William Francis Phaneuf, “Cape Cod Bill,” 72, died Saturday, July 31st at Tobey Hospital in Wareham while holding the hand of his number one caregiver and youngest daughter Nichole. He was the son of Mildred (Myers) Phaneuf and the late John H. Phaneuf. He was a Navy Veteran and served during the Vietnam War. In his later years, he made a home for himself in Wareham, MA. Affectionately known as “Cape Cod Bill” to the most hard-core and rugged guys in the fishing industry, Billy was a proud, seasoned fisherman who honed his craft in his early years, from quahogging and bay scalloping in Bourne, MA, and later leading the toughest of crews as a scallop boat captain out of New Bedford, MA. Through the years, Billy ventured out for every type of fishing up and down the East Coast. He was an artist, he created beautiful paintings and illustrated short stories for his children. He loved to make music and never left home without his harmonica. >click to read< 22:16
The Bluefin Tuna Trophy angler season closed in March. Normally it would last into June.
Cargo vessels endanger North Atlantic right whales off Port of Savannah
Cargo vessels operating off the increasingly busy Port of Savannah are the primary violators of speed limits intended to protect the critically endangered right whales,,, The report comes as North American Right Whales again experience a declining population. NOAA lastest report on conservation efforts, issued December 2020, cites two leading causes of injuries and death as: A vessel strike, meaning the whales’ bodies may be sliced or chopped by ships’ propellers; and getting tangled in fishing gear,,, Canada has joined the U.S. in issuing rules intended to protect right whales from ship collisions. >click to read< 08:41
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 104′ RSW Lobster/Crabber/Seiner, 850HP Cat, 2 Deere Auxiliaries
To review specifications, information, and 51photos, >click here<, Vessel in good condition, and would make a great salmon tender seiner or west coast crabber. To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:28
Offshore Wind Farms: NJ forcefully tips its hand, as we read this stuff delivers a fraction of its total capacity!
Governor Phil Murphy has set a goal for 7500 megawatts of offshore wind-generated electricity by 2035. It is an ambitious goal. It is also a goal that leaves little time for the niceties of public engagement and dialogue. The state clearly showed that it has a plan, and it is going to implement it regardless of public acceptance. Two state actions this month make that abundantly clear. >click to read<, as we read today, Wind Turbines & Solar 
Panels Deliver Tiny Fraction of Their Total Capacity – There’s a yawning gulf between what wind turbines and solar panels are capable of delivering and what’s actually delivered. Sunset and calm weather will do it every time. wind and solar advocates always overstate the output of wind turbines and solar panels; and then, only in terms of pointless averages. The subterfuge is as much about omission as embellishment. >click to read< 10: 09
When interlopers bullshit ignorant politicians! – Offshore wind experts testify in Washington
At a virtual hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment, and Cyber hosted by U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, D-Bourne, offshore wind experts gave testimony on the progress of the industry to date and what would benefit its ongoing development in America. Keating prefaced the hearing by describing offshore wind as a “burgeoning, clean, and job-creating energy industry.” Keating called the hearing an opportunity for learning and cooperation and noted America is positioned to establish offshore wind farms thanks to “monumental achievements” made by European pioneers, starting with a 1991 Danish farm, Europe’s first. >click to read< 08:52
Wind farms: Where are all of the ocean saviors?
The precautionary principle has deep roots finding expression in sayings such as ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ or ‘better safe than sorry’. The use of the precautionary principle in ecosystem management is especially important,,, Repeated failures of management highlighted by the collapse of northern cod off Canada, the California sardine fishery, and herring, sandeels, blue whiting and capelin stocks in the North Sea have demonstrated the need for this approach in order to help address scientific uncertainty. Yet when it comes to protecting huge swaths of ocean,,, Clog our near shore and offshore waters with hulking (approaching 1,000 feet tall today, who knows what’s in store for tomorrow?) structures supporting huge rotors with tips moving through the air at velocities approaching 200 miles per hour? So what? Festoon our sea beds with electrical cables carrying huge amounts of electricity, And what of undersea server farms,,, >click to read< 15:43 Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet USA. © 2021 Nils E. Stolpe, July 31
Whales, Warming and Offshore Wind Farms – Lobstering is under attack
As Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham described it, three seemingly combined forces are aligned and have put the bull’s-eye on the men and women in Maine whose lives depend on lobstering, whales, warming and wind power. The right whale protection consortium has heightened its efforts to alter nearly every aspect of Maine’s primary fishing industry by pushing the federal fisheries agencies to limit, reduce and even eliminate the fishing methods currently employed in the local waters and the Gulf of Maine,,, At best, the supposed science is leaning toward saving whales, with little regard for the men and women who are active conservationists every day while doing their jobs. The warming water folks, often the same groups and agencies that are involved with the right whale restrictions, also want to promote bureaucratic rules that will severely impact all forms of fishing. >click to read< 11:06
Occupational Change! From Wall St. to the T.V. Tuna Fleet!
Tuna fisherman Captain Bobby Earl was fishing off the coast of North Carolina last summer when his boat exploded, a saga that the Baysider chronicles in this season of Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks, a fishing reality show. While Earl counts escaping the blazing boat as among “the most surreal experience[s] of my life,” the Wall Street manager turned commercial fisherman has had a rather unusual life trajectory. Earl was born and raised in Bayside, Queens, before rising through the ranks on Wall Street. When the housing market crashed in 2008, Earl got fired from his job as a regional manager for Bank of America investments. 2008 changed my life too. >click to read< 11:44
