Category Archives: Mid Atlantic
Fishermen Fight for Their Livelihoods Against Wind Farm Project in New England
In a recent interview with Fox Business, Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, expressed his deep concerns about the impact of a wind farm project off the coast of Nantucket on the livelihoods of local fishermen. The discussion, hosted by Dagen McDowell and Sean Duffy on “The Bottom Line,” highlighted the growing tension between environmental initiatives and the preservation of traditional industries like fishing. Leeman opened the conversation by addressing what he described as “greenwashing,” a term used to suggest that the wind farm project is being marketed as environmentally friendly while ignoring the negative consequences. “We have been greenwashed into thinking this is a good idea,” Leeman stated. He explained that the construction and operation of wind turbines are displacing vital fish stocks and creating dangerous debris fields that could threaten the safety of fishermen. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:50
Deltaville’s Miller named captain of 2024 Urbanna Oyster Festival
Urbanna Oyster Festival Foundation (UOFF) first began naming captains of the festival in 1988 as a way of honoring people who are either a part of the area’s oyster heritage or who have played a role in enhancing and preserving that heritage and culture. Bryan Miller comes from a long line of boatbuilders and oystermen. His paternal grandfather, the late B.U. Miller, was an oysterman/boatbuilder in the Locust Hill area and his maternal grandfather Lee Deagle was owner of Deagle and Son Marine Railway on Fishing Bay in Deltaville. All of the boatbuilders mentioned were wooden boatbuilders and built from “rack of eye” without construction plans. “My Dad (Virgil Miller) was one of the first here in Deltaville to build boats off plans and to build in steel,” he said. “When they started offshore lobstering in New England, fisherman Harry Hunt came to my father and asked him to build him a boat. Dad had (naval architect) Harry Bulifant draw the plans and he built off those plans. “When Virgil retired, Bryan picked up on that business and built several New England lobster boats and trawlers. One of his most famous clients was Bob Brown, made famous in the book and movie “Perfect Storm.” Brown owned the vessel, F/V Andrea Gail, that was lost at sea along with six crew members during that 1991 “nor’easter” storm. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:27
New NOAA opinion: Wind farm pile driving causing “temporary disturbance” causing “temporary disturbance”
The federal government has issued a new “biological opinion” on Vineyard Wind’s offshore energy project 14 miles southwest of Nantucket, finding that pile-driving noise associated its construction is likely to adversely affect, but not likely jeopardize, the continued existence of whales, fish and sea turtles listed under the Endangered Species Act. “It will have no effect on any designated critical habitat,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries said in a statement. “NOAA Fisheries does not anticipate serious injuries to or mortalities of any Endangered Species Act listed whale including the North Atlantic right whale.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:01
VA Advised to Take Controversial Winter Dredge Crab Season off the Table Until 2026
Earlier this summer, Virginia fishery managers voted to repeal a 16-year ban on winter dredging for blue crabs, opening the door to possibly allow watermen to dredge the Bay bottom, scooping semi-dormant crabs from their winter slumber. But a state advisory committee now recommends Virginia take a step back from that possibility. The committee’s new advice could put the brakes on those earlier moves to reopen the dredge fishery that’s been closed since 2008.Virginia Watermen’s Association President J. C. Hudgins spoke in favor of the dredge fishery. Hudgins says that if there were 20 or so boats working in the fishery with three men to a boat it would provide winter jobs for 50 to 60 men. “There is still a winter market for crab meat in local picking houses,” he says.” At the last meeting, we also talked about wanting a year-round crab fishery in Virginia with potting, dredging and other gear types.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:59
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 44’x17′ Novi Lobster, Gillnetter, Scalloper
To review specifications, information, and 25 photos’, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:25
Wind Power: Broken Blades and (Maybe) Green Gouging
Say what you will about wind turbines, the steampunk wing of our glorious renewable future, their most dramatic failures have an epic quality about them — the toppling, the crumpling, the buckling, the bits and pieces flying through the air. The owner-operators of the two farms — Equinor for Empire and Orsted for Sunrise — are two of the top five global wind-farm investors and operators. They presumably know what they are doing, have access to attractively priced capital, good supply chains, and so on. In the last week, there has been a lot of talk from Democrats about greedflation, a convenient myth. They might want to turn their attention to greenflation, which is not, and indeed to any evidence of “gouging,” another of their supposed concerns, in this area. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:28
Shore Lawmakers Call for Hearings on High-Risk Power Cables for Offshore Wind Project
Senator Jim Holzapfel, Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, and Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-10) have issued a call for legislative hearings concerning the proposal to lay high-risk power cables through densely populated residential streets in Ocean County. These cables would supply power to a potential offshore wind turbine project, a key component of Governor Phil Murphy’s energy master plan. The legislators expressed significant concern over the potential risks associated with the project, which they argue is being pushed through without sufficient consideration for its impact on local communities. “Governor Murphy continues forcing through his reckless energy master plan with no regard to our communities and no concern for the cost, all to get his name in the news for making New Jersey the California of the East Coast,” said the Legislative District 10 Delegation. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:06
SLO County activists oppose offshore wind projects. So they’re taking fight to national level
There’s a new national group fighting offshore wind development, and you may recognize some of their members. Two San Luis Obispo County anti-offshore wind activists have founded an organization called NOOA, the National Offshore-wind Opposition Alliance. So far, the group includes at least seven environmental and fishing organizations from the East and West coasts, according to President Mandy Davis. Group membership includes REACT Alliance, Protect the Coast Pacific Northwest, the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization, Green Oceans, Protect Our Coast New Jersey, Protect Our Coast Long Island New York and the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Davis said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:43
BOEM seeks public input on possible wind energy areas
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management officials are asking for feedback on possible commercial wind energy development in areas totaling 13.47 million acres off the coasts of North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, or Central Atlantic 2. The Central Atlantic 2 Call Area “is broad to allow for flexibility to minimize conflicts with other uses, such as commercial fisheries, military activities, and vessel traffic,” according to the federal agency. This announcement builds on the input and planning that led to the first Central Atlantic lease sale on Aug. 14, the fifth offshore wind lease sale held during the Biden-Harris administration, according to BOEM. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:07
U.S. Offshore Wind: The Struggle Continues
This post updates the financial troubles of Denmark’s Ørsted, recent BOEM auctions, and pushback against Maryland governor Wes Moore. Today, operational offshore wind capacity is less than 50 megawatts versus the Biden-Harris Administration goal of 30,000 MW by 2030. Denmark’s Ørsted, the worldwide leading offshore wind developer, recorded a $575 million loss in the second quarter. In part, the loss is the result of disappointing developments in the U.S. The company has delayed commercial operation of its 704-MW Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut from 2025 to 2026. Ørsted’s ambitious U.S. offshore wind program has been lagging, despite solid support (subsidies, permits) from the Biden administration. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06;50
US Wind to offer compensation package to local fishermen
This week, US Wind’s senior director of external affairs, Nancy Sopko, confirmed that the company is developing a mitigation program for commercial and for-hire recreational fishermen. The announcement comes a week after the Worcester County Commissioners shared concerns about a potential agreement. “US Wind is adopting a compensation program to benefit commercial and for-hire recreational fishermen, a measure BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) recognized as effective in our FEIS (Federal Environmental Impact Statement),” Sopko said. “US Wind and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources signed a Letter of Intent in July 2024 to develop a fisheries compensatory mitigation program by early 2025. Such a mitigation program could include financial assistance, assistance with equipment upgrades or training, and other services. We look forward to working with the state on outreach to the fishing community to further develop details of this mitigation program.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:09
New Jersey Residents opposing power cables: Don’t make us Guinea Pigs
When wind power is generated, it needs to go somewhere. And residents of southern Monmouth County say right now, they’re in the line of fire, as plans call for much of the energy produced by an offshore wind project — located nowhere near the county’s coast — to come ashore in Monmouth County and run underneath a handful of municipalities. “I think we still have time to fight this,” said Glenn Hughes, a founding member of the group Stop the High-Risk Power Cables. According to locals, contractors have already begun visiting the area to finalize their bids for a project to install the wind power transmission cables underground. The bids are due by the end of September. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:06
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 68′ Gamage Steel Dragger, 3412 Cat, Permits available
To review specifications, information, and 21 photos’, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:23
NCFA Weekly Update for August 19, 2024 – Here we go again!
Instead of giving you the upcoming Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) meeting details like I would normally do this week, I want you to read one of our previous Updates that our Executive Director Glenn Skinner wrote on March 7, 2022. After the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) announced their initial management recommendations for speckled trout last week Glenn’s words are even more relevant now than they were then. Shortly after the February 2022 meeting of the Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) made a social media post explaining how Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder FMP would impact recreational flounder fishing in NC. In response to the post, David Sneed, Executive Director of the NC CCA made the following comment. David Sneed “Let’s not forget how we got here… more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:31
Bridge in Wildwood Crest completely closed due to motor failure: mayor
Traveling to or from Wildwood Crest on Sunday? You may need to find an alternate route. Mayor Don Cabrera says that the Middle Thorofare Bridge / Two Mile Bridge is closed to all vehicles, bikes and pedestrians as of 7 a.m. The closure was caused by a motor failure that could not be repaired, according to officials. Photos show the bridge in a fully upright position, allowing commercial vessels to pass through. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:54
Biden-Subsidized Offshore Wind Developer Reports Massive Losses in Latest Blow to Industry
A Danish renewable energy group booked huge impairment losses Thursday after it pushed back the launch of one of its U.S. offshore wind projects, according to its first-half 2024 earnings report. Orsted estimated the value of its assets declined $472 million in the first half of 2024, largely due to delays at the onshore substation for its 704 megawatt (MW) “Revolution Wind” project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut, the report showed. The company also reported a variety of other problems, including losses related to its cancellation of its Ocean Wind projects in New Jersey and its abandoned effort to produce eco-friendly methanol in Sweden. “Despite encouraging progress on our US offshore wind project Revolution Wind, the construction of the onshore substation for the project has been delayed,” Orsted’s CEO Mads Nipper said in reference to the delay. “This is, of course, unsatisfactory, and we continue our dedicated efforts to de-risk our portfolio.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:03
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Addresses Local Concerns for Offshore Wind Projects
Maryland Governor Wes Moore was in Ocean City on Friday. It gave us a chance to speak with him about the local community’s strong opposition for offshore wind. Two months ago, Governor Moore signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to open up more lease areas of Maryland’s coast. While the state’s involvement in moving offshore wind projects forward could open up new jobs, commercial fisherman are still worried it will take theirs away. “They’re trying to steal our grounds, they’ve stolen our bottom, they’ve stolen the area that we fish in, their last resort is to buy the place where we sell our fish at and once they accomplish that we have nowhere else to work,” said Jimmy Hahn, a commercial fisherman who operates out of the West Ocean City Harbor. Moore said this can be a win-win situation, as long as state leaders put in the work. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:24
‘Wicked Tuna’ to End With Season 13 on National Geographic
“Wicked Tuna” has been canceled by National Geographic following the conclusion of its Season 13 run. “After thirteen seasons on the high seas and more than 200 incredible episodes, the long-running series ‘Wicked Tuna’ has concluded its run on National Geographic,” the cable channel said in a statement Friday. “The series celebrated one of America’s oldest industries since first premiering on National Geographic in 2012 and made internationally recognizable stars out of the intrepid commercial fishermen who brave the unrelenting North Atlantic waters to catch the elusive bluefin tuna. The cancellation of “Wicked Tuna” comes amid major cost cutting at National Geographic parent company Disney, which is consolidating operations among its linear TV networks. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:01
Van Drew Holds Third Hearing on ‘Offshore Wind Industrialization’
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), supported by U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10), held a field hearing in Brigantine on Tuesday, Aug. 13, to continue his public opposition to the Garden State’s efforts to build large offshore wind farms off the New Jersey coast. Brigantine Mayor Vince Sera played host for the hearing and introduced the event by calling offshore wind “one of the most important issues facing us on the East Coast.” He said state and federal officials pushing the offshore wind agenda “lied to us” in order to move ahead with projects that “make no sense.” Sera’s remarks set the tone of a meeting that was uniformly against the current offshore wind agenda. Picking up on those remarks Van Drew described the long oceanfront along the New Jersey coast as “a gift from God,” which he asserted is being squandered so a few people can make money off it. “That is what this is all about,” Van Drew added. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:57
Scientists and Fishermen Agree About Uncertainty of Offshore Wind’s Impact
Newport’s Energy and Environment Commission hosted a panel discussion on Aug. 8, “The Effect of Climate Change and Offshore Wind on Fisheries and Ocean Ecosystems,” where representatives from NOAA, the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, The Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, and the Kingston -based Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation responded to a series of prompts posed by commission Vice Chair Emily Conklin. A Q&A session followed, with about 60 people gathered at City Hall to participate. Many in attendance brought strong opinions both for and against the large- scale offshore wind development projects being built off the coast of Newport and Little Compton. Fred Mattera, a retired commercial fisherman who now serves as the president of the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation and the executive director of the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, gave voice to some of the skepticism felt by local commercial fishermen about the nature and scale of offshore wind development in New England. “I’m tired of the deceitfulness and this driven agenda of ‘it has to be done yesterday,’” he said. “We don’t want to look at hydrogen, we don’t want to even consider nuclear, the cleanest and best way to do it, but it’s all going to be offshore wind.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:31
Jonah crab
As the story goes, the prophet boarded a ship to get as far away as possible from the city of Nineveh, where God commanded him to go and preach. In anger, God sent a storm to threaten the ship. His shipmates decided that Jonah was to blame for the storm and threw him overboard. We know where he ended up. It was a whale of a tale. For mariners, Jonah’s name became synonymous with bad luck. In more modern times, bad luck for lobster fisherfolk meant that they found a certain crab in their lobster pots, one that ate their bait before a lobster could get it, leaving the trap empty and, them, empty handed. That crab was called a Jonah crab because at one time it was a nuisance for participants in this fishery, an unfortunate and unprofitable catch. Oh, how times have changed. Jonah crabs have gone from pest to plate and are an up-and-coming trash to treasure species. At one time, these crabs were considered bycatch and often thrown back or discarded. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:24
New Jersey Terminates Ocean Wind Projects Amidst Environmental Concerns
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has officially revoked its prior approvals for the Ocean Wind One and Ocean Wind Two offshore wind projects. This decision comes after Cape May County filed lawsuits challenging the projects, citing environmental concerns. The State has agreed to allow Orsted, the foreign corporation behind the projects, to retain $175 million in escrow funds in exchange for the cancellation. “Today is a very important day in our ongoing opposition to these environmentally destructive offshore wind projects,” said Cape May County Commission Director Len Desiderio. “The vacation of these Orders by the BPU means that it will be much more difficult for Orsted or any other Big Wind company to utilize these lease areas just a few miles off Cape May County beaches. As we have seen in Nantucket over the past few weeks, these industrial electricity-generating facilities represent an unacceptable threat to our environment and, consequently, to our local economy. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
Anticipating the winds of change: A baseline assessment of Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates
The introduction of thousands of wind turbines along the North American Atlantic continental shelf over the next decade will constitute the largest regional change in marine substrates since the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet over 14,000 years ago. Here, two large data sets, SMAST drop camera survey (242,949 samples, 2003 to 2019) and the US Geological Survey databases (27,784 samples, 1966 to 2011), are combined to derive sea floor surficial substrate probability maps for the Northeastern US continental shelf from Virginia Beach to the Gulf of Maine to 300 m depth (218,571 km2). Geostatistical models were used to estimate the probability of five geologic and one biogenic substrate types being present at a 250 m resolution, and the proportional contribution of each substrate type to the seabed composition at a 500 m resolution. By providing the first synoptic maps depicting the probability of a particular substrate or combination of substrates occurring at any location on the Northeastern US continental shelf, including planned wind energy sites, we aim to (1) provide insights regarding how substrates in the areas selected for wind energy development compare with other locations, (2) motivate the development of a priori expectations for ecosystem changes to inform monitoring and research efforts going forward, and (3) to provide a baseline characterization of the Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates to support robust examination of the future changes observed in areas impacted by wind energy installations. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:44
Lobster fishermen say tiny change in legal sizes could disrupt imperiled industry
Gerry Cushman has seen Maine’s iconic lobster industry survive numerous threats in his three decades on the water, but the latest challenge, which might sound tiny, could be the biggest one yet. Lobster fishing is a game of inches, and the number of inches is about to change. Fishing regulators are instituting a new rule that lobster fishermen must abide by stricter minimum sizes for crustaceans they harvest. In addition to causing a dispute between fishermen and regulators, the change has led to confusion about the ramifications for international trade in one of the world’s most popular seafoods. “We don’t need any more, really, on our plate. It’s just a lot going on, one fight after another,” Cushman, 55, a boat captain who fishes out of Port Clyde, said. “We don’t need anything in the marketplace to lower the price of lobsters.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:59
Shattered Wind Blade Puts Nantucket on Frontlines of a Clean-Energy Fight
Weeks after a busted wind turbine washed onto Nantucket shores, residents of this wealthy Massachusetts enclave are still angry. Some even liken the accident to an oil spill. While their ire belies the fleeting nature of the event — waters were re-opened for swimming within 24 hours — the sense of harm felt by the community threatens to cast a long shadow. Vineyard Wind’s project south of Nantucket is the fledgling industry’s marquee venture, heralding a massive buildout of wind energy that would provide coastal cities with zero-carbon electricity. What happens here could have implications for a raft of other projects planned off Martha’s Vineyard, Atlantic City and elsewhere on the Eastern seaboard. “The great Nantucket experiment gets an F-minus,” says Kevin O’Leary, chairman of O’Leary Ventures and an investor on the reality show Shark Tank who visits Nantucket every summer. “It’s not a golden example of success in wind turbines, that’s for sure.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:24
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 35′ H & H Lobster Boat, 450HP Cummins QSL9 Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 11 photos’, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:32
WWII Veteran/Retired Commercial Fisherman Charles Lee Wescott of Wanchese, NC, has passed away
Charles Lee Wescott, a 105-year-old native of Wanchese, North Carolina, departed his Earthly home in Wanchese, North Carolina, on February 21, 2024, with his family at his side. Charles was born September 27, 1918, in Gum Neck, Tyrrell County, North Carolina, the eldest child born to Theophilus Lee Wescott and Ina Cahoon Wescott. Charles joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1940 before the United States entered the WW-II efforts in 1941. During WW II, he was assigned to the U.S. Navy. Before Charles’ death, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Charles to be the oldest surviving WW-II Veteran in The State of North Carolina. Charles devoted his life to being a commercial fisherman, from which he retired. He was one of the first charter boat captains out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center in the 1950s. He owned and managed his boat, the Myrtle W., affectionally named after his wife. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:35
Lobster fishery set for reprieve on size limits
A second delay to implementing minimum gauge and vent sizes for lobsters caught in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and Outer Cape Cod was initiated last week by the American Lobster Board, which operates under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), a measure that Maine lobstermen, and Congressman Jared Golden, have hoped and pushed for. The new implementation date would be July 1, 2025, if the measure is adopted by the ASMFC’s American Lobster Board. An earlier delay the ASMFC approved had pushed back to Jan. 1, 2025, the new gauge and escape vent sizes in lobster traps for commercial lobster fisheries in the targeted lobster management areas. When the measure was first approved, it was to take effect based on a “trigger” mechanism. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:52
NCFA Weekly Update for August 12, 2024
As most of you know, we are about midway through updating the Spotted Sea Trout FMP (Fisheries Management Plan). Comments are again needed at this stage of the management process! Written comments and in person comments will be accepted. The DMF (Division of Marine Fisheries) has published their initial management recommendations to end overfishing. Although the stock is not overfished and barely triggered the overfishing status, DMF is recommending a 39.6% reduction in overall harvest. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:54
Ocean City prepares federal lawsuit over offshore wind projects.
During the most recent normal legislative meeting, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan noted he was not surprised members of the municipal government did not have all the details of the proposed offshore wind development by US Wind. He cited the planned 114 turbines would be “between 10.7 to 10.9 miles off our coast. At a minimum they will be 938 feet tall, and that’s three and half times taller than any building in Ocean City. If built on land, they would be the tallest structures in Maryland.” The federal government leased the land on which these turbines are slated to be built according to the company’s federal permit application. “We’ve decided if the (federal) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management provides a favorable Record of Decision on US Wind’s permit application, the Town of Ocean City will file suit against the BOEM,” Meehan said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:02
