U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-2nd, joined Alaskan Rep. Don Young, a Republican, to introduce a bill reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Management Act on Thursday. But the bill would make changes to the law that some environmentalists fear may result in taking more fish than is sustainable. Among other things, the reauthorization would change how fishery councils determine fishery stock rebuilding timeframes, giving the public a greater role in the development of science and fishery management plans. In a statement, Van Drew said H.R. 3697 “ensures that we have healthy fisheries, keep anglers in the water and keep fishermen fishing.” >click to read< 09:10
Category Archives: South Atlantic
Political science drives net ban referendum – most people don’t even know what a gill net is
Cape Carteret town commissioners’ decision last week to endorse a statewide referendum on the use of gill nets in the state’s coastal waters indicates a willingness to relegate complex scientific issues to a political decision. This devalues the expertise of biologists and scientists in the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries who regularly make these decisions on behalf of all stakeholders, to help one special group – recreational fishermen. Commissioner Jeff Waters, in casting the only opposing vote, correctly noted that fewer gill nets are being used every year, But Mr. Waters offered a far more compelling reason not to support the bill and that is most people who would vote in the referendum, “don’t even know what a gill net is and wouldn’t know what they’re voting on and so would just vote against gill nets.” >click to read< 19:11
Analyzing NOAA data confirms that speeding ships are killing endangered North Atlantic right whales
Most vessels are exceeding speed limits in areas designated to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales,,, The non-profit organization Oceana analyzed ship and boat speeds from 2017 to 2020 in speed zones established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) along the US Atlantic coast. Non-compliance was as high as almost 90 percent in mandatory speed zones, while non-cooperation was as high as almost 85 percent in the voluntary areas,. Collisions with vessels are one of two leading causes of injury and death for North Atlantic right whales, with research showing that slowing vessel speeds to 10 knots (11.5 mph, 18.5 kph) reduces the risk of death by 80 to 90 percent. >click to read< 16:32
With admirable acknowledgment, we recognize Jim O’Connell, and his contribution to the issue of ship strikes – “North Atlantic Right Whale: How to kill a species with Fake News, from National Geographic of all places!“, and “Most likely Carnival Cruise Lines is responsible for 18+ Right Whale deaths in the past 3 year, at which rate they would soon be extinct”.>click to read both<, and other articles from Jim,, >click to read<. Thank you, Jim!
Sold Out! Biden, Mitchell, and the Dems Jeopardize the New Bedford/New England Fishing Industry
The New Bedford fishing industry, which has kept New Bedford out of the poor house for years, opposes the windmills. Environmentalists say the windmills will mess with the migration patterns of whales and other inhabitants of the deep. They oppose wind farms, too. Vineyard Wind was stopped in its tracks by the Trump White House, but Biden fast-tracked it earlier this year along with a windmill farm in the New York Bight, a rich fishing ground frequented by the New Bedford fleet. The Mayflower Wind project could win federal approval soon as well. Remember, the Obama-Biden Administration banned fishing in an area just off the New England coast. Trump overturned that foolishness. Wonder where the news media is on all of this? >click to read< ,, Are journalists failing today’s public? – Most reporters appear to be amateurs with no formal training in the field. >click to read< 07:51
Cape Carteret commission endorses anti-gill net, net ban legislation
Cape Carteret commissioners Monday night endorsed state legislation that would set up a statewide referendum on whether to ban the use of gill nets and other “entangling” nets in coastal waters. The action to endorse House Bill 513 came during the panel’s regular meeting in town hall and virtually via GoToMeeting and was proposed by Commissioner Steve Martin. It passed by a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Jeff Water opposed. N.C. Fisheries Association Executive Director and commercial fisherman Glenn Skinner has voiced opposition to the proposed referendum and net restrictions. >click to read< 17:04
Michael Shellenberger: “I’m going to argue that everything we were told about renewable energy is wrong,”
Author and environmental advocate Michael Shellenberger will be the guest speaker Thursday evening at the Ocean City Music Pier. Best-selling author and nationally known environmental advocate Michael Shellenberger scoffs at the notion that ocean wind farms, like the one proposed off the South Jersey coast, are a good source of renewable, green energy. He regards them more as an industrialized threat to the environment, to the commercial fishing industry, to marine life and wildlife. “The big push to industrialize the East Coast will ruin the East Coast. It’s a gross environmental injustice,” he said. Video, >click to read< 11:57
Tropical Storm Elsa Public Advisory – 800 AM EDT
The center of Tropical Storm Elsa was located near latitude 24.5 North, longitude 82.6 West. Elsa is moving toward the north-northwest near 12 mph (19 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn toward the north by tonight. A north-northeastward motion is expected on Wednesday. On the forecast track, Elsa will continue to pass near the Florida Keys this morning, and move near or over portions of the west coast of Florida later today through tonight. On Wednesday morning, Elsa is forecast to make landfall along the north Florida Gulf coast and then move northeastward across the southeastern United States through Thursday. >click to read< 08:25
Along Georgia’s coast, shrimping remains an important industry
Shrimpers are known to be the heart of McIntosh County. However, they face significant challenges leading some to wonder if the industry will survive. “There’s a lot of work that goes into it, and long hours, at times, that goes into it,” Robert Todd said. It’s 4 a.m., as the Sundown and its crew leave the Wait-N-Sea dock in Townsend. “On our vessel right now, there’s three of us on the back deck.,, Todd and McKinzie say it’s a dwindling industry and look toward the younger generation to keep it afloat. “We don’t see the State of Georgia pushing commercial fishermen. This is still a trade. It is a complicated trade because you don’t learn how to commercial fish in a classroom,” >click to read< 16:26
Lobster industry is anxious over upcoming North Atlantic right whale protection rules
The federal government is working on new rules designed to reduce risk to North Atlantic right whales,,, One of the threats the whales face is entanglement in ropes that connect to lobster and crab traps in the ocean. Early indications show that the changes required by the rules could be significant. They’re also vulnerable to ship strikes, and face the looming threat of warming oceans. Acting NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Paul Doremus said in June that the U.S. and Canada, which also harvests lobsters, must “take and sustain additional efforts to reduce right whale mortalities and serious injuries.” >click to read< 10:39
Ray Jones, well-known leader in the seafood industry, has passed away in Brunswick, Georgia
Raymond Lee Jones, 72, died on June 21, 2021, in Brunswick, Georgia, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a loving father, grandfather, a well-known leader in the seafood industry and a genuinely good soul who shall be deeply missed. In 1988, he accepted a position at Rich Products Corp., working for its SeaPak Shrimp and Seafood division on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Over the next three decades, Ray would have a huge influence on the company, and on the seafood industry at large. He was a genuine advocate for seafood and a trusted voice in meeting with members of the House, Senate and regulatory agencies. Ray served as chairman of the National Fisheries Institute’s technical committee from 1994 to 1996, and was the technical chairman of the National Shrimp Industry Association from 1998 to 2005. >click to read< 17:30
S.C. Lawmakers set aside $3.2M for projects. Where the money’s going? Some to Port Royal’s shrimp docks
A handful of local projects will see at least $3.2 million in state tax dollars, thanks to money earmarked by Beaufort County legislators in the state budget was approved over objections from S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster. Among the projects receiving the money are Port Royal’s shrimp docks,,, In the state budget, lawmakers designated a total of $900,000 for repairs and redevelopment of a town-run shrimp dock in Port Royal, where seafood processing operations will be suspended after years of financial losses. “It’s the only publicly owned shrimp dock on the eastern coast of the United States,” said Rep. Shannon Erickson, a Beaufort Republican who sponsored the earmarked money. >click to read< 11:03
Commerce Department Announces 2021 Appointments to the Regional Fishery Management Councils
The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced the appointment of 31 members to the regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage marine fishery resources. Established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, councils are responsible for developing region-specific fishery management plans that safeguard and enhance the nation’s fisheries resources. Each year, the Secretary of Commerce appoints approximately one-third of the total 72 appointed members to the eight,,, >click here to read< 15:03
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 79.8′ Steel Raised Foc’sle Lobster/Crabber, 525HP Cat
To review specifications, information, and 14 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:27
Coronavirus pandemic moves local fishermen to embrace entrepreneurship
Thirty-one-year-old cousins CJ Owens and Jeff Frye, Jr. embraced entrepreneurship when commercial fishing hit a snag last year. “At the beginning of Covid, we had a hard time selling stuff because state lines were shut down and we couldn’t ship nothing out,” said Frye. “If we didn’t sell it locally, we didn’t sell it.” That dilemma inspired the cousins to open North Star Seafood, and also carries offerings from other local fishermen, Owens’ grandfather and father, Clifford Hill Owens, Sr. and Jr., both fished commercially. Frye fished alongside his father, Jeff Frye, Sr. and grandfather, Mack Liverman. photos, >click to read< 08:43
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 82′ Steel Stern Dragger, 525HP Cummins KTA 19 M
To review specifications, information, and 10 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here<11:46
F/V Catherine Lane: Wrecked shrimp boat breaking apart
The shrimp boat that wrecked June 9 near Cumberland Island is now breaking apart, littering the water and coastline. “I got contacted by Florida Fish and Wildlife to see if we could go out and take some pictures,” Cary Cosgrove said. “I thought we’d get out there and find a shrimp boat but we get out there and couldn’t find it,” That’s because in the ten days since the boat crashed, it had broken apart,,, “The hull is a couple hundred feet off the rocks,” Cosgrove said. “The remnants from the rest of the boat were scattered all over the place.” Video, >click to read< 15:31
Raimondo picks Janet Coit, a source of trusted counsel, to lead the National Marine Fisheries Service
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Coit’s former boss in the Rhode Island State House, announced the selection of Coit to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries office.,, But the work of the fisheries service is getting even harder as it’s faced with stepping into a brewing fight over coastal waters between fishermen and the developers of offshore wind farms. Coit wouldn’t say much about the expectations for her new job in Washington as she waited for the official word to come down from the Commerce Department. But she was certain that offshore wind will be in the mix. “That’s going to be such a hot-button issue that I’m heading into,” she said. >click to read<16:46
Proposed net ban, restriction referendum raises concern among commercial fishing advocates
A proposed referendum for net bans and restrictions missed the state legislature’s crossover deadline, but its very introduction has caused alarm among some commercial fishing officials. State Rep. Bill Richardson, D-Cumberland, introduced House Bill 513,,, the fact it was proposed was enough to spark concern with commercial fishing advocates and a local marine biologist. N.C. Fisheries Association Executive Director and commercial fisherman Glenn Skinner and Crystal Coast Ecotours owner and operator Jess Hawkins have voiced their opposition. >click to read< 11:29
Tropical depression making its way toward Nova Scotia
Claudette, a tropical depression, may affect Atlantic Canada on Tuesday. The depression claimed 12 lives Saturday at it passed through Alabama and brought flooding to a number of southern U.S. states. According to the Canadian Hurricane Centre, the depression is moving over the southeastern U.S. today and tonight and is expected to move back over the ocean overnight and regain tropical storm strength off the Carolinas. >click to read< 16:26
Douglas “Daddy Doug” Guthrie Sr., commercial fisherman, netmaker of Harkers Island, has passed away
Douglas was born March 27, 1942, on Harkers Island to the late Irvin and Bertha Guthrie. He was an avid commercial fisherman, his favorite fishing being channel netting for shrimp. Douglas was a lifetime netmaker and was the first in Carteret County to introduce mechanical clamming, of which he invented the prototype. In his earlier years, he managed net houses in Florida, but the local waters called him back home, where he enjoyed being on Core Sound with his family. Douglas was a loving husband of 59 years, faithful father to his sons, constant friend to his siblings and beloved papa to his grand and great-grandchildren. >click to read< 18:34
Teen commercial fisherman hooked on a career on the water
While many other young people are leaving coastal communities for careers elsewhere, Wyatt Casper decided to cast his lot as a commercial fisherman at home in Dare County. Unlike many of his peers, the seventeen year old is already his own boss, operating two fishing boats on the waters of of the Albermarle Sound. Of course being the boss means Caspers workday begins at 7, 6, or even 3 am. >click to read< 10:29
Offshore Wind Farms: Who determines energy policy in North Carolina?
Are offshore wind farms a job creating investment that makes North Carolina’s energy portfolio more environmentally friendly? That is debatable, but, more important, who gets to make the call one way or another? Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson doesn’t think it should be the left up to one partisan politician, and so, when >Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order last week< committing the state to pursuing such a strategy, Robinson wasted no time in clapping back that the policy – and the process – were suspect. “With this Executive Order, Governor Cooper attempts to commit North 
Carolina to a future dependent upon unreliable, outrageously expensive, environmentally suspect, and socially irresponsible offshore wind power. This idea is not the economic gold-mine the Cooper administration would have us believe. >click to read< 13:05
Coast Guard, CDC: We’ll change mask rule, but for now won’t enforce masks on fishing boats, commercial vessels, ferries
The Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Coast Guard, reversing their position from less than a month ago, said the federal agencies will no longer enforce its rule for wearing a mask in “outdoor areas of transportation conveyances or while outdoors at transportation hubs.” That means commercial vessels like cruise ships, ferries, fishing boats, and charters won’t require passengers to mask up for those who are outdoors. And people don’t have to wear masks at “transportation conveyances,” such as train stations. To be clear, the rule still exists, but the agencies will not enforce it. Earlier this year at a fishing conference, Sen. Dan Sullivan called the fishing crew mask rule “stupid.” >click to read< 20: 14
Fox News, and Maine lobsterman Kristan Porter brings Right whale “conservation” issue to the American public
Jun. 13, 2021 – Cutler, Maine lobsterman Kristan Porter explains how a federal whale conservation push could have a massive effect on the lobster industry >click to watch< 07:50
F/V Catherine Lane: North Carolina shrimp boat remains stranded on the rocks north of Amelia Island
Efforts are being made to remove the shrimp boat that crashed into the jetties north of Amelia Island on Wednesday. The U.S. Coast Guard has said contractors were able to remove fuel from the boat, though thousands of gallons have leaked from the vessel named Catherine Lane. It’s licensed out of North Carolina. On Friday, the Coast Guard said the responsible party hired contractors and removed 1,050 gallons of diesel from the boat. But Nassau County Emergency Management has said 3,200 gallons of fuel and oil has spilled into the water. >video, click to read< 09:37
In North Carolina, an ambitious goal – Cooper seeks to ignite offshore wind farm projects
The governor issued an executive order directing his Commerce Department to create a task force that would seek to advance projects and boost their economic benefits, and to name a clean energy economic development coordinator. Cooper’s order also sets a electric production goal for offshore wind energy of 2.8 gigawatts off the North Carolina coast by 2030 and 8 gigawatts by 2040. Meeting the 2040 goal would be the equivalent of powering roughly 2.3 million homes,,, >click to read< Gov. Roy Cooper has set ambitious goals for wind energy off the North Carolina coast over the next two decades as part of his plan to fight climate change by shifting away from fossil fuels. >click to read< 11:08
3 rescued from shrimp boat that crashed onto jetties off Fernandina Beach
A group of shrimpers was rescued Wednesday by a good Samaritan vessel off the coast of Fernandina Beach, according to the Coast Guard. The shrimp boat hit the north jetties near Fort Clinch State Park about 9:30 a.m. when the rocks were underwater. Capt. Alan Mills, with AC Charters, rescued the three crew members from the shrimp boat, which was taking on water. Mills happened to be on the water at the time and heard their mayday call. Before the Coast Guard arrived, Mills said, the shrimpers were pretty shaken up. “They were relieved. They laid right here. They were in shock for a while. video, >click to read< 09:51
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 04, 2021
Legislative updates, Bill updates, Calendar, >Click here to read the Weekly Update<, to read all the updates >click here<, for older updates listed as NCFA >click here< 20:46
Whales Are Shrinking. Scientists Blame Commercial Fishing Gear
The findings, published today in the journal Current Biology, reveal that when fully grown, a North Atlantic right whale born today would be expected to be about one meter shorter than a whale born in 1980. The stunted growth of the whales coincides with an increasing rate of entanglements. A 2012 study from the New England Aquarium revealed,,, Researchers acknowledge that entanglements do not explain all of the reduced growth. Other factors might be climate change, collisions and noise from ships, and the shifting availability of tiny crustaceans called copepods, their primary food source. >click to read< 13:30
North Carolina: Public Comment Opens for Shrimp Fishery Management Plan
The public has until June 30 to submit comments on proposed shrimp fishery management changes aimed to further reduce bycatch of nontarget species and minimize ecosystem impacts, the state Division of Marine Fisheries announced,, Draft amendment 2 to the shrimp fishery management plan contains a suite of management options that range from current management practices to a complete closure to shrimp trawling of all inside waters, including Pamlico Sound, according to the division.,, Draft shrimp amendment 2 also includes a shrimp trawl bycatch information paper,,, There are three ways to comment on draft shrimp amendment 2, >click to read< 12:51
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