Category Archives: Mid Atlantic
Its going to be up to people in the fishing industry to save our fishing industry by Sam Parisi
We ALL need to step up to the plate before this industry goes under because of absurd regulations, pandering politicians, and environmental groups. I have reached out to my Senators and Congressman, whom have actually responded after utilizing Fisherynation to get their attention, for which I am grateful, with little success from those elected officials regarding the issues I have continuously contacted them about. As usual, they disappoint with no action. Senator Markey did support an issue I asked him to, which was about supporting Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan’s S-K bill, which he did, and I thank him for that. >click to read< 16:50
Cuomo requests federal disaster declaration, aid for scallop die-off
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Friday requested the U.S. Department of Commerce issue a disaster declaration for the Peconic Bay scallop fishery, following a catastrophic die-off of scallops in East End waterways. An immediate declaration of a disaster is needed, he said, to provide “direct economic relief for the New York fishing industry.” In a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Cuomo requested that the federal government formally declare a fishery failure in the bay scallop fishery in the Peconic Bay Estuary due to a “fishery resource disaster.” >click to read< 15:19
Instead of throwing their catch overboard, fishermen are feeding the hungry in N.J.
Despite its health benefits, fresh seafood has been a rarity at soup kitchens and food pantries up to now,, Though gleaning of meats and fresh vegetables has been happening for centuries — Hunters for the Hungry has provided 2 million pounds of venison in New Jersey — the aptly named Seafood Gleaning Program is the brainchild of longtime Jersey Shore fisherman Brick Wenzel,, It includes the Fisherman’s Dock Cooperative in Point Pleasant Beach, the Trinity Seafood processing plant in Lakewood, and the nonprofit Fulfill food pantry,, A $50,000 grant from the Tyson Foods Protein Innovation Fund pays for boxing and labeling. >click to read< 11:56
Offshore Wind Awaits Federal Environmental Reports
The latest industry initiative is the expansion of a cable factory in Charleston, S.C., where Paris-based Nexans plans to make some 620 miles of high-voltage power lines for the five wind projects under development by the utility Eversource and Danish energy company Ørsted. The companies declined to say how the five-year contract was granted. Nexans is also building a new cable-laying vessel with a 10,000-ton capacity.,,, The report was quickly criticized by representatives from the squid and scallop industry who said the 1-mile spacing between the turbines doesn’t improve safety and the layout restricts fishing. “This is the biggest screwup to hit our oceans ever,” said Dellinger, who is chairman of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Advisory Board. >click to read< 16:58
F/V Darana R Hosts NOAA Fisheries Scientists During Fall Survey
A dozen scientists and staff members from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center visited the 90-foot F/V Darana R in Point Judith, Rhode Island on October 3. The stop was a port call in the midst of the fall NorthEast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) survey off the coast of Rhode Island.,, Captain Jimmy Ruhle, son Bobby Ruhle, and crew member Rigo Rodriguez deploy and retrieve all fishing gear, and work with six survey staff from VIMS. The survey collects data including catch, effort, and environmental conditions. Photo’s, >click to read< 18:50
Jones Act changes would ‘jeopardise countless US jobs’ in offshore wind
US fisheries advocacy body the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) has claimed proposed changes to the Jones Act – requiring that cargo, including wind turbines, shipped between US ports be transported on American-flagged vessels – could cost ‘countless of job opportunities’ to local companies in the rapidly emerging Northeast Atlantic offshore wind sector. “These proposed modifications would place foreign-owned offshore wind energy companies at a unique advantage not afforded to the thousands of US-owned maritime industries, including commercial fisheries,” said FSF counsel David Frulla. “FSF is not submitting this letter to oppose offshore wind energy development in its entirety,, >click to read< 09:21
Shrimping has begun off the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
White shrimp, which thrive in the Gulf of Mexico and south Atlantic Ocean, typically only venture as far north as North Carolina in any significant numbers. A ghost of a shrimp market has existed off Virginia for only one or two weeks out of the year, but this year, it’s something different. This fall, six watermen have been granted licenses to trawl for much larger quantities of the succulent 4-8 inch shrimp in an experimental fishery,, >click to read< 08:18
Interior Department Considers Cable Plan to Wire Ocean Floor for Wind Farms Off NJ-NY Coast
As New Jersey and New York governors press for energy from giant wind turbines along the Atlantic coast and in the New York Bight, the question of how to best get the power to the shore has resulted in a call for public comment. Anbaric Development Partners LLC has applied to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for a right-of-way to construct a New York and New Jersey Ocean Grid. According to the application, Ocean Grid is a proposed submarine system of cables approximately 185 nautical miles (213 statute miles) in length and including the construction of up to nine “offshore collector platforms,” or OCP. >click to read< 09:23
New Environmental Defence Fund Report Details Actions Needed to Create Climate-Ready Fisheries
“Even with the necessary actions to control emissions and investments to reduce carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere, changes in the ocean already underway will continue and even accelerate,” said Eric Schwaab, senior vice president for EDF Oceans.,,, The five pathways articulated in the report focus on steps that can and must be taken by governments, NGOs, fisher organizations, academia and multilateral organizations in order to create greater resilience and sustainability of fisheries. The pathways include: >click to read< 06:57
New Jersey forms offshore wind working group
As part of Governor Murphy’s expanded goal of reaching 7,500 MW of offshore wind generation by 2035, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will lead a newly established working group of fishing and conservation groups to provide guidance to the Administration’s overall strategy and approach to achieving its offshore wind goals, New Jersey DEP Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe announced. >click to read< 19:15
Isakson’s support for right whale conservation part of broadening bipartisan effort
The Senate bill was sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey and candidate for president. Isakson was one of two original cosponsors – the other is a Democrat from Delaware, Sen. Thomas Carper, according to the legislation. In the U.S. House, a bipartisan group co-sponsored a resolution sponsored by Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Salem, Mass. Among them was Rep. Buddy Carter, a Republican who serves a district along Georgia’s coast. >click to read< 16:09
New Jersey Legislature Succumbs to Humane Society’s Misinformation Campaign Against Sustainable Shark Fishing
The Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) is disappointed with the passage of Assembly Bill A4845/S2905 today, which would prohibit the possession, sale, or trade of legally harvested shark fins in New Jersey.,,, “All this legislation does is to penalize legitimate, hard working fishermen of the state,” said Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director of GSSA. “Instead of acknowledging the leadership of our commercial industry, which operates a globally-recognized sustainable shark fishery, those supporting this legislation will penalize New Jersey fishermen, forcing them to discard a natural resource for no purpose.” >click to read< 09:15
Turtlegate: Net Escape Doors Versus the Doors of Government
This week, a 50 pound Loggerhead was rescued on Cape Cod.,, Kemp’s Ridley turtles are endangered and although it cannot be confirmed if there is a direct connection between these cold-stunning incidents and interaction with fishing boats, trawler net entanglement remains the number one culprit for sea turtle trauma and mortality. huh! Let’s turn our attention to this critical man-made danger that affects all ocean mammals and sea life in general,,, we see where this is going, >click to read< 09:33
Schneiderman reach’s out to fed, state and county governments for help with storm-socked Dune Road
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman has reached out for help with a “critical condition” on Dune Road, flooding that he said could soon become a disaster if not addressed. After four emergency declarations on storm-socked Dune Road near the commercial fishing dock in Hamptons Bays, Schneiderman reached out to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation via a letter requesting rehabilitation assistance. “I write to advise of a critical condition at the West of Shinnecock Inlet project that imminently threatens,,, >click to read< 19:35
Long IIsland: Effort to salvage juvenile scallops called off for lack of candidates
An unprecedented effort by conservationists, baymen and the state to save a vulnerable population of juvenile scallops by transferring them to deeper waters has been called off after only a day because of a lack of mollusks to move. In response to a scallop die-off, the state Department of Environmental Conservation moved quickly last week to approve a new Scallop Salvage and Relay permit to allow vulnerable scallops in an area of water near Orient Harbor to be transferred to deeper, safer waters, with the hope they’d survive and spawn next summer. >click to read< 13:44
Offshore Wind: Gov. Murphy wants you to pay more in taxes and power your home
That’s right, our Governor and his radical co-Governor wife are on another quixotic adventure. This time shilling for climate change extremists who want you to believe that the earths gradual warming over time is actually your fault. They will point to an increase in storms, rising sea levels and and number of weather events that paint a picture of doom and gloom. Video, The cost of energy in NJ for the commercial fishing industry >click to read< 09:30
Wind Farms Another Challenge to Scallop Fishery at Barnegat Light’s Viking Village
Barnegat Light Mayor Kirk Larson is part of a fishing dynasty going back to his grandfather, who owned one of the town’s first commercial fishing boats, the Mary Ann. With business partner James Gutowski, they collectively represent 12 commercial vessels at the Viking Village docks. Larson has 50-plus years in the fishing industry and has weathered many changes such as the proliferation of federal and state regulations and changes in the types of fish to target for the increasing demand for seafood. Today, Larson and Gutowski’s largest investment is in the ocean or sea scallop fishery, and they are not alone in targeting the succulent bivalve. >click to read< 13:25
Join the Webinars: Right Whale Decision Tool Peer Review Sessions
Webinar Update: Peer Review, Right Whale Decision Tool This week, peer reviewers are evaluating a new method — a decision support tool — developed to help understand relative risk of right whale entanglement in fishing gear off the Northeastern U.S., and the relative reduction in risk under different mitigation actions. To join this meeting remotely today and tomorrow: >click to read< 09:23 (in my email@ 8:46 AM) more info, >click to read<
N.E., Mid Atlantic-Vessel Monitoring System Software Update Required for Vessel Owners
The VMS unit installed on your vessel requires a software update to comply with recent regulatory changes and prepare for potential measures that still must be approved before going into effect. Depending on your vendor, the new software will be released and available on November 25, 2019 (SkyMate and Woods Hole Group), or will update automatically on November 25, 2019 (McMurdo). Begin using this new software for trips after December 6, 2019. Bulletins with additional information have been mailed and are also available on our >website<. Questions? Contact: Sustainable Fisheries, (978) 281-9315 or Northeast VMS Team, (978) 281-9213
Regulators Take Action to Stem Striped Bass Decline
Responding to the precipitous drop in the Atlantic striped bass population, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has mandated an 18 per cent cut in commercial and recreational harvest quotas for 2020.,,, The new addendum limits recreational fishermen to one striped bass per day,,, Mr. McKiernan said he doesn’t believe that pressure from commercial fishermen, who are limited to 15 fish per day, a 34-inch minimum and two fishing days a week, plays a major role in the plummeting population. >click to read< 18:52
At the Ropeless Consortium’s second annual meeting
Scientists, fishermen and policy makers met on Wednesday in Maine to discuss this issue at the Ropeless Consortium’s second annual meeting. The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium will continue the discussion of right whale conservation at their annual meeting Thursday and Friday.,,, “We here at the aquarium have been working hard on looking at reducing rope strengths and trying to get rope-less fishing as an option to reduce risk,” said Amy Knowlton, a Ropeless Consortium board member and senior scientist at the New England Aquarium. >click to read< 10:35
SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund Commits $900,000 to Protect Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales – The announcement was made by Dr. Michael Moore of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, during yesterday’s 2019 Ropeless Consortium meeting, >click to read<
Coast Guard announces naming of new cutters after FDNY, NYPD, USCG Reserve 9/11 heroes
The Coast Guard announced today that two of its new Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) will be named in honor of two extraordinary public servants who served in the Coast Guard and also served in the New York City Fire Department and New York City Police Department, respectively, with both losing their lives responding on 9/11. >click to read< 16:52
A reminder from Sam Parisi to those interested in creating and implementing a U.S. Fish Bill
Greetings to all commercial fishermen, fish processors, equipment suppliers, politicians, and citizens, that are interested and supportive of creation of the U.S. Fish Bill. It is important that we create an atmosphere of unity and inclusion for all to reach out to their political representation, and inform them of need for a major Bill supporting all segments of the U.S. Fishing industry, and ask that they get involved. I am asking Senator Bruce Tarr, and Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante to attend. The meeting will be held at the Gloucester City Hall November 21 at 7 pm. For developing info, and input of idea’s, please call me! Thank you, and best regards! Sam Parisi, Gloucester Mass. at 978 491 7722 06:45
Thiele Calls For Overhaul Of Commercial Fishing Licensing
New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele wants environmental regulators to reform the commercial fishing licensing system in the state. Approximately one-third of all licenses in the state are inactive. Thiele says that commercial fishermen on Long Island have suffered from unfair and inequitable quotas set by the federal government based on faulty data. >click to read< 12:37
New York: State blows smoke to hide offshore wind costs
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s energy agency issued a stern correction to an October 24 blog post in this space that said subsidies for offshore wind developers could cost ratepayers more than $6 billion. NYSERDA, the state Energy Research and Development Authority, said my calculations (which were based on NYSERDA’s own data) were “incorrect and misleading.” So I went back and double-checked. In one respect, I did make a mistake, explained below—but not in reaching the $6 billion estimate. In fact, the final price tag could climb even higher. First, some basics: By Ken Girardin >click to read< 10:09
Scallop die-off in Peconic Bay takes toll on local economy. Experts Search For Answers
Just one week after the opening of the Peconic Bay scallop season, the harsh reality is setting in: Most of the adult scallops in Peconic Bay are dead. “The scallop season, it’s nonexistent,” commercial fisherman Bob Hamilton said. “I didn’t even bother putting the dredges on my boat.” Video, >click to read< 10:59
Experts Search For Answers To Peconic Bay Scallop Disaster – Facing the worst devastation to the Peconic Bay scallop season in more than a decade, experts are searching desperately for answers. >click to read<
Proposed Customs and Border Protection Modifications Will Weaken the Jones Act
By Meghan Lapp – The Jones Act, or Merchant Marine Act of 1920, has been the foundation of U.S. maritime commerce for 100 years, requiring coastwise trade, i.e. transport of merchandise between two U.S. points, to be conducted on U.S.-flagged, U.S.-owned, U.S.-built vessels, which must be crewed by a minimum of 75% U.S. citizens and/or permanent U.S. residents.,,, On October 23, 2019, Customs and Border Protection issued a bulletin, “Proposed Modification and Revocation of Ruling Letters Relating to CPB’s application of the Jones Act to the Transportation of Certain Merchandise and Equipment Between Coastwise Points” (see page 12). >click to read< 14:35
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 2017 45′ (Dixon Hull) Fiberglass Lobster Boat, 6 Cylinder Baudouin, 12kw Genset
Specifications, information and 21 photos >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 12:15
EDITORIAL: Menhaden harvest limit actually means something
Last week, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the partnership, or “interstate compact,” that sets harvest limits for 27 fisheries up and down the Atlantic Coast, officially accused Virginia of allowing Omega Protein to overfish,,, In a December 2017 press release on the deal, Cooke hinted at a new use: “The animal feed ingredients produced by Omega Protein are an important component in Cooke Aquaculture’s production of healthy Atlantic salmon, making this acquisition a strategic move that greatly enhances Cooke’s vertical integration.” So instead of rockfish, maybe the Bay’s menhaden will be feeding farm-raised salmon in Canada. >click to read< 09:15
‘The Worst In 15 Years’: Opening day for Peconic Bay scallop season was dismal and the forecast is even more grim
Phones were ringing at seafood shops and restaurants across the North Fork and East End Monday with hungry diners hoping to celebrate the first day of Peconic Bay scallop season. But for those who’ve waited months for that much-heralded first taste of sweet goodness, the news was grim: This year’s season is, quite simply, a bust. >click to read< 16:17
