Category Archives: New England
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 42′ H&H Lobster Boat, 550HP John Deere Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 27 photos’, >click here<. To see all the boats in this series >click here< 06:02
New England labor unions call for faster offshore wind buildout
“We looked at the way this industry was starting to develop and thought to ourselves: How can we work as a labor movement to make sure we’re making this an industry that is not only going to benefit the climate but benefit our members?” (read the report) said Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), which represents roughly 900,000 union members across the three states. Crowley and the AFL-CIO partnered with the Climate Jobs National Resource Center and unions in Massachusetts and Connecticut to put together the new report, which outlines how the industry can expand with organized labor at the forefront. To begin with, the union report suggests that the states aim higher for their offshore wind goals in order to boost the region’s economy and take full advantage of their unique access to wind. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:25
Port of Galilee and Marine Facilities to Undergo Major Upgrades with $15M FEMA Grant
In a landmark step toward mitigating the impacts of climate change, Rhode Island has secured a $15.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the largest award of its kind in the state’s history. The funds will support a $17.2 million initiative to elevate critical infrastructure at the Port of Galilee in Narragansett and Wickford Dock, along with the replacement of eight docks across three state-managed marine facilities. The grant, matched with state funding, was announced by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA), and the state’s Congressional Delegation. It aims to bolster resilience against rising sea levels, coastal flooding, and extreme weather events. The Port of Galilee, a vital economic engine for Rhode Island and the 13th highest value fishing port in the nation, is at the heart of the initiative. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:39
Exploring the impact of offshore wind on whale deaths
In the winter of 2022–2023, nearly a dozen whales died off the coast of New Jersey, near the sites of several proposed wind farms. Their deaths prompted concern that related survey work being conducted in the area somehow contributed to their deaths. The increased presence of these turbines in coastal waters, along with the noise from construction and surveys, has led to concerns of their impact on marine life. In particular, cetaceans such as whales and dolphins are likely to be sensitive to the noises and increased marine traffic brought by these turbines. However, the Marine Mammal Commission, a federal oversight agency, states there is no evidence linking the whales that died in the New Jersey region in the winter of 2022–2023 to wind energy development. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:35
With More Scallops But Fewer Fishermen, Select Board Raises Bushel Limit For Commercial Fleet
There are more adult scallops in Nantucket Harbor than at any time since 2012, according to the town’s Natural Resources Department. That year, the island’s commercial fleet harvested more than 18,000 bushels, far beyond what fishermen have caught in recent years. That should be good news. But the problem is that today, there are approximately 75 percent fewer fishermen out on the water scalloping. So, on Wednesday, acting on a recommendation from the Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board, the members of the Select Board voted unanimously to increase the bay scallop bushel limit for commercial scallopers from five bushels to six bushels per commercial license for the remainder of the 2024-2025 bay scallop season. “The amount of adults in the harbor this year from our surveys is equivalent to what we had in 2012,” said Tara Riley, the town’s shellfish and aquatic resource manager. “In 2012, we had around 200 permits with around 97 people actively fishing, and we pulled out around 18,000 bushels. Right now, we have 25 boats going. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:57
Maine: Judge dismisses case against the state challenging lobster boat tracking rules
A federal judge has ruled against a group of five lobstermen that sued the state in attempt to stop electronic boat tracking requirements that went effect almost one year ago. The rules require lobstermen with federal fishing permits to install monitors on their boats that track their location on the water. The fishermen argued that they should not be subject to monitoring at all times. They often use their boats for other purposes beyond commercial lobstering, which Woodcock acknowledged. The boat tracking requirements will stay in place for now. But in his decision, Woodcock said the lobstermen had raised important Fourth Amendment questions and encouraged them to appeal the case. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:21
Long Island Sound Lost Its Lobster Fishery. Is Cape Cod Bay Next?
Catches in Cape Cod Bay were good for many years, and prices were good, too. But lobstermen here started worrying in the late 1990s when the fishery collapsed in Long Island Sound. And that worry hasn’t gone away, because environmental changes here resemble those that were affecting Long Island Sound back then. In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Floyd in August 1999, the lobsters in Long Island Sound started coming up dead or lethargic, not making it back to the docks alive. Fall landings for all Connecticut ports dropped between 91 and 99 percent that year, according to a joint report of the state’s dept. of environmental protection and marine fisheries office published in 2000. Fast forward 25 years: hopes for a Long Island Sound population rebound have not panned out. A December 2021 report in the Portland Press Herald introduced Michael Grimshaw this way: “Grimshaw is believed to be the last full-time commercial lobsterman in Connecticut.” His traps used to bring in up to a few thousand pounds a day, wrote reporter David Abel. A good day was now getting him 50 pounds, Grimshaw told him. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Capt. Mike Rathgeber 08:40
Fishing Boat Raised From the Deep and Docked in Point Pleasant, But Will Be ‘Re-Sunk’
Crews from Northstar Marine led the effort to re-float the Susan Rose, which ran aground Nov. 17, 2023, after its captain missed a turn into Manasquan Inlet and ended up in the surf in Point Pleasant Beach. Salvage crews attempted to tow the boat to deeper water in the days that followed, however uncooperative weather and a broken tow line led to it sinking in about 100-feet of water a few thousand yards off the beach. Though rumors circulated that the Susan Rose, owned by The Town Dock Inc. of Narragansett, R.I., would be dismantled and sold for scrap, it will remain intact and ultimately be transported back to the ocean where it will be re-sunk. “The vessel owners are planning to donate [the boat] to the New Jersey Artificial Reef Program,” said Hajna. “The vessel will need to be cleaned and meet specific criteria before that can occur.” Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:56
Video: Resolve Marine Raises the Wreck of the Susan Rose
Resolve Marine has raised the wreck of the grounded fishing vessel Susan Rose, removing a navigation hazard just south of Asbury Park. The 77-foot trawler Susan Rose ran aground on Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey in November 2023. Four people abandoned ship into the surf, with assistance from the local authorities, and all emerged unscathed despite the dangerous circumstances. Photos, Video’s more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:25
Bam! Scientists study wind farm construction noise impacts on lobsters… by making big noises
Thirteen feet below the surface of Woods Hole harbor, a lobster shelters under a plastic shield in a wire cage. An experiment is happening: every seven seconds on the dock above, a pile driver pounds a long, steel post deeper into the muddy harbor bottom nearby. The experiment happening here at this dock is designed to replicate, at small scale, the pile driving necessary to construct an offshore wind farm. The goal is to understand how a variety of marine creatures, not only lobsters, but other fish-market-friendly species like scallops, flounder, black sea bass, and squid respond to the noisy, intensive work of building an offshore wind farm. It’s something fishers and regulators are especially interested in. Already, the WHOI team’s earlier studies have shown that squid, which detect sound through vibration, responded dramatically to pile-driving noise — at least, at first. But it’s a different story for scallops, one of the highest value fisheries in the U.S. As soon as scallops were exposed to pile driving noise, they clammed up. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:59
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 52′ Steel Day Scalloper, Cummins NT-855 MI
To review specifications, information, with 36 photos’,>click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<. 06:28
Developer/Highliner Kaye A. Williams of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has passed away
Kaye A. Williams, 95, beloved husband of Barbara (DeBreceny) Williams passed away peacefully in his home Saturday, November 16, 2024. Kaye was the son of the late Frederick I. Williams and Margaret Keefe Williams Dudas. Eventually returning to Bridgeport, Kaye established his first marine store, Fayerweather Marine Supply on Fairfield Avenue in Black Rock. In 1968, he sold Fayerweather Marine and launched a new career as a commercial lobsterman. During his decade long career as a lobsterman, he became known as a “high liner”, a term used in the trade to describe the most successful and productive fisherman. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:38
A true story, but ever so fishy…
You may have heard of Chevron, the huge oil and gas company and probably one of the biggest oil producers in the world. But you may not have heard of the “Chevron deference” justified by congressional agencies. This became an unspoken government policy some 40 years ago. Here is the unspoken protocol. Congress would legislate a new, ambiguous bill to “fix” an issue. The enacted law was then passed to one of the agencies such as the FDA, EPA, USDA, or if there wasn’t a specific agency, a new one was formed. The purpose was to formulate government policy using the new law. An example is when President Jimmy Carter formed the Department of Energy in 1977. Reportedly it was to plan strategies to conserve energy and develop alternative energy sources. I will let readers form their own opinions in this time of shifting energy strategies. Yet 40 some years later, it almost all falls back on using fossil fuels. Let’s face it. Windmills and solar panels aren’t the long-term solution. more, >>CLICK TO EAD<< 07:03
Expensive Offshore Wind in Jeopardy in a Trump Administration
Offshore wind is much more expensive than onshore wind with costs to build at 4.5 times the cost of natural gas generation and operational costs at 2.3 times. President-elect Trump recognizes offshore wind’s high costs and limited utility and is likely to end its massive subsidies promulgated by the Biden-Harris Administration. Immediate actions available include revoking Biden’s executive order that paved the way for higher cost, less reliable electricity. Biden-Harris officials have heaped subsidies upon offshore wind through the Inflation Reduction Act and cut corners on regulations to expedite the technology. Offshore wind has had recent catastrophic failures including broken blades that have closed beaches in a tourist town and imperiled fishermen. Biden’s Executive Order 14008 issued on February 1, 2020–only two weeks after his Inauguration– launched the offshore wind program in the United States. This is an executive order that President-Elect Trump could easily rescind on his first day in office by just issuing a counter-executive order, which would stop the onslaught of this very expensive energy being added to the U.S. grid. Another way is to remove the excessive tax credits that encourage its adoption, which would take new legislation and add time to the process. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:47
Fishing boat runs aground near Jamestown: Photos – Video
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to help a fishing boat that ran aground Monday morning off the coast of Jamestown. The incident occurred just after midnight in the west passage between Austin Hollow and Beavertail State Park. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<<12:58
Commercial Fisherman Donald A. Harlacher of Quaker Hill, Connecticut, has passed away
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Donald A. Harlacher, known fondly as “Donny,” who left us Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the age of 58. Donny’s passing was a devastating loss, but he departed this world doing what he loved most: living and working on the ocean. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After completing his service, Donny returned to his home state of Connecticut, where he would eventually make his mark. His love for the ocean only grew stronger, leading him to pursue a career in commercial fishing. Starting from the bottom, he worked his way up through hard work and determination, ultimately becoming the beloved “Captain Don.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:22
Lack of fishing prohibitions in ‘grey zone’ could pose risk for right whales, expert says
One marine conservation expert has questions about the efforts on the part of Fisheries and Oceans after North Atlantic right whales were detected in the Bay of Fundy in recent weeks, including in an area where both Canadian and American fishermen catch lobster. In October, Fisheries and Oceans announced several temporary prohibited fishing areas as the whales were detected in multiple fishing spots across the Maritimes, including in the bay. Some fishing prohibitions for parts of the Bay of Fundy started on Oct. 25 and included the fisheries for crab, herring, mackerel, groundfish, hagfish and lobster. The so-called “grey zone” is an area of disputed water near Grand Manan. Both Canada and the United States have claimed sovereignty over the area, so fishers from both countries harvest there. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
Cuban-born net maker shares his journey from Havana to New Bedford’s working waterfront
When he had his chance, Cuban-born net maker Miguel Sanchez escaped his home country, jumping from a Cuban fishing boat aboard a ship heading to Canada. The young law student escaped to start a new life, far away from Cuba and its oppressive dictatorship, the only member of his family to escape. Sanchez left Havana abruptly on March 24, 1996, before heading to Canada, arriving in Nova Scotia on April 15, 1996. A year ago, after spending more than 20 years in Nova Scotia, he got a call to work at Reidar’s Manufacturing on the New Bedford waterfront. His skills as a net maker were in demand. Sanchez worked in Nova Scotia for more than 20 years for different fishing companies under the country’s International Mobility Program, teaching and working with wire rope, when he got the call to work at Reidar’s Trawl Gear. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:31
Canada’s largest lobster fishery set to begin amid threat of Trump tariffs
Trump’s inauguration is still a couple of months away, he officially takes office on Jan. 20, but fishermen are trying to take the threat in stride while preparing for the season to open Nov. 25. “People are concerned, but until it happens, we’ll just carry on,” Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, said. “There’s not a lot we can do to prepare and speculating on what it could mean doesn’t really get us anywhere.” As a result, the stakes are high if U.S. president-elect Donald Trump makes good on his campaign promise to impose duties of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent on all imported goods. While fishermen are worried about how this will play out, he said they have more immediate concerns on their minds. “What’s the catch going to be like?” he said. “What’s the price of lobster going to be like? What’s the weather going to be like? “more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:26
Fishermen still impacted by Long Island Sound’s lobster die-off
For decades, the crustaceans were caught off the coast of Connecticut. But, in the late 90s, things changed drastically. When the lobster die-off happened 25 years ago, it sunk many who made their living on the sea. But there are still some local lobstermen who have found a way to keep their businesses afloat. “We went from doing 500-600 pounds of lobster a tide, some guys were doing a thousand a tide, to a hundred,” said Walter Roderick, who keeps his lobster boat the Stacey Geal at Stonington Dock, the home of the last commercial fishing fleet in Connecticut. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:42
Save LBI Stays Course Despite Trump’s Promise to Kill Offshore Wind
While President-elect Donald Trump is expected to make sweeping changes to the national energy policy, including doing away with offshore wind on Day 1 of his new term, a local grassroots organization isn’t letting that news get in its way of fighting the construction of what is poised to be the country’s largest wind farm some 9 miles off the coast of Long Beach Island. “We will be filing major lawsuits by the end of the month to invalidate at least some of those prior federal approvals,” Bob Stern, president and cofounder of Save LBI, said just days after voters returned Trump to office for a second term. “In addition, we will be seeking to have the lease area itself canceled so that new projects will not be resurrected in the future.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:05
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 57′ Fiberglass Crabber/Groundfish/ Scalloper, Caterpillar 3406
To review specifications, information, with 33 photos’,>click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here<. 06:50
Supporters, Opponents of Offshore Wind Both Look for Hopeful Signs in Trump Administration
On the day after the elections last week, and even before, the airwaves were crammed with speculation about how this, that, and the other sectors of American life and the economy would fare under a Trump administration. The chatter included the future of offshore wind, which was born in the United States in 2016 off the coast of Block Island and continues to generate heavy support and heavy opposition. President-elect Donald Trump has expressed hostility toward offshore wind and has said he would put an end to the industry “on day one” of his administration. Trump-supporting Republicans have vowed to put an end to President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, including tax credits for big projects such as offshore wind. A large share of the IRA’s $891 billion price tag is targeted toward renewable energy and related technologies. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:53
GOP Lawmakers, Fishermen Urge Trump to Keep Promise to Axe Offshore Wind
Trump’s return to the Oval Office may deal the problem-riddled offshore wind industry another blow if his administration follows through on his pledge to scrap federal support for offshore wind projects during his second term. Republican lawmakers, opposed to heavily subsidized green energy, and commercial fishermen, who view the industry as an existential threat to their livelihoods, are calling on the president-elect to follow through on his campaign’s promise, which could imply ending federal subsidies and lease sales for the industry. “The incoming administration has an historic opportunity to save American workers from foreign developers, reinvigorate iconic coastal towns, and improve America’s food security,” NEFSA CEO Jerry Leeman said in a press release following Trump’s election win. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:54
Trump has vowed to kill US offshore wind projects. Will he succeed?
Opponents of offshore wind energy projects expect President-elect Donald Trump to kill an industry he has vowed to end on the first day he returns to the White House. “I believe this is a tipping point for the offshore wind industry in America,” said Robin Shaffer, president of Protect Our Coast NJ, one of the most vocal groups opposing offshore wind on the East Coast. “They have been given a glidepath by Democrat-run administrations at the federal and state level for many years. For this industry, (Tuesday’s) results will bring headwinds far greater than they have faced previously.” Commercial fishermen in Maine said they hope the Trump administration will undo policies designed to help build and approve offshore wind projects, saying regulators attempted to “future-proof” the industry against political change. Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, called on Trump to reverse a commitment to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:37
2024-2025 Scallop Season – Online Materials are Available
The DMR Advisory Council has reviewed and approved the proposed rulemaking for Chapter 11 Scallops, setting the 2024-2025 season. This notice is to inform harvesters that scallop season materials are now available on the DMR website under “Information for the 2024-2025 Scallop Season” and to also provide a summary of changes for the upcoming 2024-2025 season. As a reminder for all zones, scallop harvest begins 1/2 hour before sunrise. Scallop fishery requires electronic reporting of day trips, submitted weekly by Sunday 11:59 p.m. information, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:33
$2M to give more ocean information to fishers, scientists. ‘It will make a difference.’
A $2 million dollar grant aimed at beefing up collaboration between commercial fishermen and scientists was announced in late October at an event in Sandwich. The money will put 450 more sensors on commercial fishing equipment and data monitors on 150 more commercial fishing vessels. David Casoni has been fishing for 50 years. His lobster boat, Margaret M, is docked at Sandwich Marina. He has hundreds of lobster traps in Cape Cod Bay. He’s placed most of them based on historic knowledge. “We’re trying to catch an animal that has virtually no brain and it’s outsmarting us,” he said. “We know it reacts to food, pheromones, and somewhat to temperature, but it’s not consistent.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:03
Federal memo estimates more than $176M of Atlantic lobster catch unreported, untaxed
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans suspects hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of lobster is caught in Atlantic Canadian waters each year but never reported to authorities, raising both tax evasion and conservation implications in the country’s largest fishery. An internal memo in August to DFO’s deputy minister said it’s estimated that between 10 and 30 per cent of lobster landings in the region are unreported, and the department said in a statement it is working to map out criminal networks and money laundering in the sector. “It’s mind-boggling,” said Osborne Burke, the president of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, which represents about 150 lobster buyers and processors and has urged a crackdown on unreported cash sales. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
Fishermen celebrate Trump: ‘Government has crucified this industry’
He didn’t win New Bedford, where Vice President Kamala Harris held a margin of 2,688 votes. But the city’s fishermen have dug in with their support for the president-elect. Fishermen on the New Bedford waterfront met the news of a second Trump term with vengeful enthusiasm on Wednesday morning. There was hope that the president-elect would scale back regulation, stop offshore wind development and open new fishing grounds, breaking the slump of declining revenues and ushering in a period of relative prosperity for the industry. “The government has crucified this industry,” said Ryan Turner, 47, who on Wednesday morning was preparing to leave on a scallop trip. He said this election was the first in which he had ever cast his vote. Between Harris and Trump, he said, “I didn’t like either one. I voted because we needed someone in office who is going to get rid of these windmills.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:17
Career Lobsterman/ Korean War Vet Carroll W. Lunt Sr. of Bass Harbor, Maine has passed away
Carroll W. Lunt Sr., 90, died Nov. 2, 2024, at his daughter’s home surrounded by his family. He was born Nov. 20, 1933, in Frenchboro, the son of Wallace and Lenora (Higgins) Lunt. Carroll was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving in the Korean War. He spent his career as a lobsterman. He captained his own boats “The Carroll Jr.” and “The Miss Robin” and truly enjoyed his time on the sea. He loved going to camp at Branch Pond with his grandchildren and family. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a past member of the Southwest Harbor/Tremont Masonic Lodge No. 77 A.F. & A.M. and the Anah Shrine. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:40
