Category Archives: South Atlantic
08:00 – Commercial Shrimp Season is Now Open in South Carolina!
The bright lights of shrimp trawlers have been visible against the offshore horizon each night this week, which can only mean one thing, shrimp season is about to open in full in South Carolina. Commercial shrimp trawling will open in all legal South Carolina waters at 8 a.m. on Thursday. Georgia officials have not yet set an opening date for trawling season in their state waters. “After a slightly cooler start to spring, things now look pretty normal for this time of year,” >click to read< 07: 50
Want to join us in making a difference? A Fundraiser for F/V Miss Kim. Any donation will help make an impact.
“We are grateful to be alive” said Skipper Freeman. What could have been a devastating day for our community ended by the Fishermen being rescued. Unfortunately, the vessel has been declared a total loss. Shem Creek Fisheries is asking our local community to once again come together and show support. >click to read, and please donate if you can< Any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to our community. 11:00
Fundraiser established after shrimp boat capsizes on first day of shrimping season in South Carolina
A commercial shrimping vessel, F/V Miss Kim, has been deemed a loss after capsizing on opening day of inshore shrimping season in South Carolina. A GoFundMe has been established to support the crew. Organizers say Skipper Lockwood McCants Freeman and his two-man crew set out to begin the season when the boat capsized near Morris Island on Thursday morning. >click to read< 09:44
Transport Canada urged to enforce ship speed limits protecting endangered right whales
For the second year in a row, the majority of vessels passing through the Cabot Strait, between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia on Canada’s East Coast, are not complying with a Transport Canada voluntary slowdown request intended to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in a key migratory passage. The Strait is also the primary route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the country’s second-busiest port in Montreal. The voluntary initiative, established in 2020,,, >click to read< The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released a key report called a Biological Opinion yesterday – >click to read<17:20
SC shrimp season opens with a brighter outlook – “One of the restaurants said its like July Fourth every day,”
“Over the past several years we’ve seen a lot of larger shrimp offshore that are probably coming down from up north, just because of the range expansion of (white) shrimp.” There’s hope that this season will see a comeback for the industry that sells these shrimp, in part because measures to combat coronavirus in 2020 severely restricted restaurant dining and dampened demand for local product. Last year, Cindy Tarvin of Tarvin Seafood, based on Shem Creek, told The Post and Courier that restaurant orders had dropped to between one-quarter and one-third of normal. This year, she said, sales have bounced back dramatically as diners have rushed back to restaurants. “One of the restaurants said its like July Fourth every day,” she >click to read< 16:21
Joe Lewis Jr., of Broad Creek, has passed away, service to be on Friday
Joe E. “Big Boy” Lewis Jr., 65, of Broad Creek, passed away on Saturday, May 22, 2021, at his home. A gathering of family and friends for Joe is from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Munden Funeral Home. Joe was born Sept. 10, 1955, to the late Joe E. and Fronie Lewis. He was born in Carteret County and resided in Broad Creek his entire life. He worked as a commercial fisherman for more than 20 years and enjoyed spending his time with friends and family. >click to read< 19:50
Joe Biden’s Offshore Wind Farm Energy Mirage: Or ‘How To Squander $Trillions of Taxpayers’ Money’
For an example of how unhinged the Democrat’s energy policy is, then Biden’s offshore wind energy plan takes the cake. The fact that offshore wind power has already proven to be a phenomenally expensive way of generating electricity clearly hasn’t registered. Nor has the fact that it’s no more reliable than wind power generated onshore, and just as chaotic in its sporadic and occasional delivery. Or, maybe, the Democrats just don’t care about reliable and affordable electricity? Craig Rucker is president of the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, a free market environmental organization dedicated to people and planet. Craig takes a look at Biden’s offshore wind power mirage. >click to read< 09:09
N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission moves forward with amendment to Shrimp Plan, Southern Flounder update
The draft amendment focuses on reducing bycatch of non-target species and minimizing habitat impacts. It includes a suite of options ranging broadly from status quo to a complete closure of all inside waters, including Pamlico Sound, to shrimp trawling. The Division of Marine Fisheries will announce the public comment period and advisory committee meetings by news release in the next couple of weeks. Also, the Marine Fisheries Commission received an update on southern flounder. Division Director Kathy Rawls reviewed the updated timeline for Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. >click to read< 11:26
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 21, 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< 09:33
New Bedford is America’s number 1 fishing port for 20th straight year
The National Marine Fisheries Service released its annual report on the health of the nation’s fishing industry on Thursday,,, New Bedford ranked No. 1 for the value of seafood landed at its port for the 20th consecutive year in 2019, with $451 million worth of fish hauled in by its boats. That was up by $20 million compared with the year before, and far outpaced the second-ranked Port of Naknek, Alaska, which had $289 million worth of landings. NOAA officials said New Bedford’s dominance remains driven by sea scallops, which account for 84% of the value of all landings there. >click to read< 14:21
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 37′ Duffy Tuna/ Charter, 650HP, Volvo 12L Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 23 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here< 10:05
At-Sea Processors Association and Seafood Harvesters of America applaud “30×30” initiative
A Biden administration plan to conserve at least 30% of federal lands and oceans by 2030 is winning applause from the seafood industry, but questions abound elsewhere, raising political obstacles. Just about 12% of the nation’s land area is currently under some form of environmental protection, along with about 26% of the country’s ocean areas. The plan, an executive order issued by the Biden administration, and popularized as the “30×30” initiative, has won support from the harvester and processor sector of Alaska fisheries and others, (do you?) in that industry, but farmers and ranchers elsewhere remain skeptical. >click to read< 12:50
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for May 14, 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<11:50
The bird people are willing to let them die for Offshore Wind Farms. The responsible wind farms, that is!
There is no shame when it comes to ignorance! “Renewable energy sources, including wind power, are essential to saving the lives of countless birds, in addition to saving our coasts.” – As the country takes stock of the first months of the Biden Administration, the waters of New England are playing host to the epicenter of one of the major climate commitments made shortly after the president took office. The largest U.S. offshore wind project to date, Vineyard Wind, has received the green light to start building off the coast of Massachusetts, promising to deliver 800 megawatts of energy to over 800,000 homes. As conservation organizations that are committed to the protection of birds and the ecosystems,,, >click to read< 08:42
North Carolina Commercial Fishermen can’t stay afloat under biased regulations
Many commercial fishermen feel like they’ve been playing defense for a decade, fighting for their livelihood. “It’s a hard day to fight when you get up and you know you’re fighting for your survival every day, and you’re regulated to the point where you can barely make it,” said Doug Cross. Cross runs Pamlico Packing Company with his brother.,, The storms and bad seasons come with the territory, but there’s another issue tangling these nets. “Regulation is the single biggest wild card,” said Cross. “How do you plan in the future without knowing what you’re going to be facing. >click to read< 17:00
We’re losing fishing grounds – Trump says Vineyard ‘will never be the same’ after Vineyard Wind Farm
Will Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first permitted commercial-scale wind farm, change island life in Massachusetts forever? Former President Donald Trump thinks so. On the day that the massive wind farm planned off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket won the federal approval from the Biden administration that it had been fruitlessly seeking from Trump for years, the former president weighed in with a touch of sarcasm. The project, however, still has opponents, including the commercial fishing industry and some environmentalists worried about how the farm will impact the migratory patterns of rights whales and other marine life. >click to read< 10:01
U.S. Commercial fishermen are frustrated by mask mandates from Maine to Alaska
Commercial fishing crews must be masked at all times, regardless of the number of people. The requirement stems from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule issued in February saying all those on public transportation must be masked. The Coast Guard interpreted the rule to apply to all vessels, including commercial fisherman who sometimes work with crews of just three to five people. There are around 39,000 commercial fishermen in the United States. In a hearing with top administration health officials yesterday, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) brought this up. saying they’ve heard deep frustration from fishermen who argue that wearing a mask while doing their work is unsafe. >click to read< 12:43
James Farrell Styron, 89 of Davis, Commercial Fisherman, James Styron Fish Co., has passed away
James Farrell Styron, 89 of Davis, passed away Friday, May 7, 2021, at his home with family at his side. The eldest of four, James was born to Alice and Virgil Styron Aug. 2, 1931. James met the love of his life, Nadine, at Smyrna High School and they were married Oct. 21, 1950. Soon after, James served in the U.S. Navy. James returned to Davis to start his more than 40-year career in the commercial fishing seafood industry. In his lifetime, he fished several vessels, including the Lorraine, Gulf Stream, Ken-Pat and Dickie Boy, from the waters of Virginia south to Key West before later focusing on seafood sales. Beginning in Beaufort in the mid-1960s with his father Virgil, his business later migrated to Davis. James Styron Fish Co. was a thriving seafood venture with clients all over the country, >click to read< 09:59
Its National Shrimp Day! The Incredible Health Benefits Of Eating This Seafood
National Shrimp Day is celebrated each year on May 10 to recognize America’s favorite seafood. It is estimated that an average American consumes around 15.5 pounds of seafood annually, out of which 4 pounds is shrimp. There are more than 2,000 different species of shrimp found all over the world from the tropics to the Antarctic Ocean. The most common shrimp species in the United States include Gulf Brown Shrimp, Gulf Pink Shrimp, and Gulf White Shrimp. >click to read< 08:33
The last cowboys – a replay of the story of cattle in the American West
Norway, a country less than a quarter the size of Alaska, is on pace to bring 1.2 million tonnes of salmon to market this year, and the technologists in that country are talking about the potential to grow their production to 3 million tonnes per year by 2030. Chile, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, and Canada are all significant producers with lesser production in Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, France, Ireland and Finland. Meanwhile, land-based, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) farms are threatening to lead to an explosion in salmon aquaculture almost everywhere. To truly understand the threat these farmers pose to the future of one of Alaska’s oldest and still largest industries,,, >click to read< 08:52
Joe Biden’s Offshore Wind Farm Mirage – a scam. The costs and impacts are enormous.
The only existing U.S. offshore wind operation features five 6-MW turbines off Rhode Island. Their combined capacity (what they could generate if they worked full-bore, round the clock 24/7) is 30 MW. Mr. Biden is planning 1,000 times more offshore electricity, perhaps split three ways: 10,000 MW for each coast. While that might sound impressive, it isn’t. It means total wind capacity for the entire Atlantic coast, under Biden’s plan, would only meet three-fourths of the peak summertime electricity needed to power New York City. Again, this assumes the blades are fully spinning 24/7.,, How many millions of tons of steel, copper, lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, concrete, petroleum-based composites (for turbine blades), and other raw materials would be required to manufacture and install the turbines and undersea electrical cables, especially where deep-water turbines are involved? How many billions of tons of ore would have to be mined, crushed,,, not very green, these things! >click to read< 14:43
Counting the Staggering Cost of Biden’s Offshore Wind Power Plans: Power Costs Set to Double
With Joe Biden and the Squad in the White House, American power consumers should strap themselves in for a very wild ride. Under his plans to spear or anchor 10,000 or more giant industrial wind turbines into the seafloor off America’s Atlantic coast, it’s not just the marine environment and fishermen who will suffer the phenomenal cost of Biden’s trillion dollar boondoggle. Power consumers in the States are about to be treated to the kind of punitive power prices suffered by wind and solar powered Germans, Danes and South Australians. >click to read< 10:06
Kathy Rawls named new director of N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
When Kathy Rawls becomes the new director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries on May 1, she will have plenty of experience to draw on. Rawls has been with the Division for more than 25 years, the past seven as the Fisheries Management section chief. She also will be the first woman to head the agency since the Fisheries Commission Board became the Division of Commercial Fisheries in the late 1920s. “There are already a number of women in pivotal roles at the division, and I do feel a responsibility to represent them and other female colleagues, but I also know that gender is not part of the job description,” >click to read< 13:29
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for April 30, 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<Congratulations!!! The North Carolina Fisheries Association would like to congratulate new N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Director, Kathy Rawls. We look forward to working closely with Director Rawls in the future. Congratulations Kathy!!12:04
Does Biden have an ocean policy? – Climate change and ocean industrialization!
Days after taking office the president signed an executive order to fully conserve 30 percent of the nation’s land and 30 percent of its waters by 2030. One of the world’s strongest supporters of 30×30 is special presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry. Biden also pledged the U.S. will generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.,,, To keep its quickly-evolving ocean strategy salty, the White House has put some top marine people in charge. They’ve brought in Jane Lubchenco, Climate Czar Gina McCathy, nominated NOAA Chief Scientist Rick Spinrad to lead NOAA, and Monica Medina as assistant secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science. >click to read< 10:49
The city of St. Augustine now has an official seafood: Wild-caught shrimp!
The move received unanimous support from commissioners, who adopted a resolution. “The historic San Sebastian River hosted an important chapter in U.S. maritime history,” the resolution says. “Northeast Florida is the birthplace and home to the U.S. commercial shrimping industry … innovators, including Mike ‘Sollecito’ Salvador, Salvatore Versaggi and Antonio Poli, moved to St. Augustine in the early 1920s to set up fish houses and shrimping fleets that supplied northern markets … the industry grew rapidly, and a boatbuilding enterprise began in St. Augustine that became a cultural and economic mainstay of the city for most of the 20th century. 22 photos, >click to read< 09:43
Ocean Industrialization: The Biden Administration vs. Atlantic fisheries
In its rush to burnish its green bona fides, the Biden administration is showering billions of dollars of subsidies onto European offshore wind developers, and in the process threatening both the environment and the livelihoods of Atlantic coast commercial fishermen. Big Wind — money-making corporations, not philanthropists — stands to earn big bucks. And for what? The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from building all of that offshore wind will be minuscule and will have no impact on world climate whatsoever. Instead, it is poised to wreck an entire industry and the thousands of jobs that commercial fisheries support. >click to read< 08:50
Well, hush my puppies! Georgia Con groups boycott New England Lobster Industry
Maine’s lobster industry is keeping a wary eye on a consumer boycott launched in the state of Georgia. Conservation groups there charge that New England’s lobster gear and trap-rope risk entangling and killing endangered right whales, and they say seafood lovers should choose other options. Alice Keyes, the coastal conservation director for an organization called 100 Miles, so-named for Georgia’s hundred-mile shoreline. The campaign is called “Eat Local, Not Lobster”. “I hope consumers are smarter than falling for these false campaigns,” says Patrice McCarron, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association executive director. >click to read< 09:25
Mount Pleasant, S.C. Blessing of the Fleet honors late founder Wayne Magwood
For 34 years, The Blessing of the Fleet has honored Lowcountry fishermen. This year’s event focused on the life and legacy of late organizer and Captain Wayne Magwood. The community and family members say they remember the years of work their father put in to the one thing he adored. “He was always wanting to mentor younger generations. He would take anyone out on his boat with him just so they could see the hard work and dedication he put into his job,” says Melissa Magwood, one of Wayne Magwood’s daughters. The event honored dozens of boats, full of fishermen for their season ahead. This years event was the first without Captain Magwood who started the event. Video, >click to read< 06:59
Shell game: Conflict, secrecy cloud battle over SC oyster farming permit
A conflict of interest involving a floating oyster farm in a popular creek has spawned hard questions about government secrecy, insider dealing and the sanctity of public lands in South Carolina. Caged oyster farming has become a growing and potentially lucrative industry in recent years. It offers the promise of eco-friendly jobs and year-round, succulent bivalves for Charleston’s renowned dining scene. But a battle over one such operation sparked a state ethics investigation. That probe found a Department of Natural Resources permit coordinator had used his position to help his brother win approval to grow oysters along a Charleston County creek. The coordinator later quit his job and became a partner in his brother’s company, an Uncovered investigation found. >click to read< 14:11
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