Category Archives: South Atlantic
Beaufort boat captain who helped start famed Shrimp Shack dies
A longtime Beaufort shrimper who helped spawn a must-stop Lowcountry food destination died Monday. Robert “Bob” Upton, 82, was surrounded by family at his marshfront home of more than 60 years on St. Helena Island when he died, Upton, with his wife Hilda Gay Upton, started the Shrimp Shack on Sea Island Parkway in 1978,,, He trawled the waters off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina for more than 40 years before retiring in 2004. One of his boats, “Miss Hilda,” made a cameo in the hit movie “Forrest Gump.” and the load of shrimp that actor Tom Hanks drops on the deck after the film’s hurricane scene was bought from Gay Fish Co. Video, >click to read< 16:37
NOAA can’t make rules for offshore fish farms
A federal appeals court in New Orleans has upheld a decision that throws out rules regulating fish farms in the Gulf of Mexico. The law granting authority over fisheries to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration does not also let the agency set rules for offshore fish farms, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in its 2-1 decision on Monday. “I think this is the final nail in the coffin for industrial aquaculture in federal waters unless Congress gives authority,” said George Kimbrell, who represented opponents of the plan as legal director for the Center For Food Safety. >click to read< 21:47
Tropical Storm Isaias no longer forecast to restrengthen into hurricane, forecasted impacts remain the same
Tropical Storm Isaias is forecast to move northward and skirt the east coast of Florida today. While Isaias is no longer forecast to restrengthen into a hurricane, the impacts will remain essentially the same. Dangerous storm surge of 2 to 4 feet is expected in some coastal areas regardless of whether Isaias makes landfall in Florida. How much heavy rain occurs over eastern Florida will depend on the exact track it takes. Isaias is then forecast to move north toward the Carolinas and potentially make landfall there Monday night, causing high winds. Heavy rainfall totals are expected to cause potentially life-threatening flash flooding over the Carolinas and then the Mid-Atlantic Monday and Tuesday as Isaias moves north, and Moderate Risks of flash flooding are in place. Please see the National Hurricane Center for further and updated information on Isaias. >click to read< 08:31
Tropical Storm Isaias Public Advisory – Expected To Re-Strengthen To Hurricane Overnight
At 800 PM EDT (0000 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Isaias was located by an Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft near latitude 25.3 North, longitude 78.9 West. Isaias is moving toward the northwest near 9 mph (15 km/h). A general northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected for the next day or so, followed by a north-northwestward motion by late Sunday. A turn toward the north and north-northeast is anticipated on Monday and Tuesday with an increase in forward speed. On the forecast track, the center of Isaias will approach the southeast coast of Florida tonight and move near or along the east coast of Florida Sunday and Sunday night. On Monday and Tuesday, the center of Isaias will move from offshore of the coast of Georgia into the southern mid-Atlantic states. >click to read< 20:08
Hurricane Isaias Public Advisory
At 800 PM EDT (0000 UTC), the center of Hurricane Isaias was located by Air Force and NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft near latitude 22.9 North, longitude 75.9 West. Isaias is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h), and a general northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected for the next day or so, followed by a turn toward the north-northwest by late Sunday. On the forecast track, the center of Isaias will move near or over the Central Bahamas tonight, near or over the Northwestern Bahamas Saturday and near the east coast of the Florida peninsula Saturday afternoon through Sunday. >click to read< 20:31
A message from Chris Oliver on National-Level Observer Waiver Criteria; Redeployment in Northeast To Begin
To improve transparency in our approach to observer deployment, we have established national-level criteria for vessels to be waived (released) from observer or at-sea monitor coverage. Going forward, observer or monitor coverage may be waived, for both full and partial-coverage fisheries, on a trip-specific basis if one of the following two criteria are met: (1) Observers or at-sea monitors are not available for deployment; or (2) The observer providers cannot meet the safety protocols imposed by a state on commercial fishing crew or by the vessel or vessel company on its crew. Within our limited authority, our efforts are intended to ensure observers and monitors are following the same safety protocols that fishermen are following. >click to read< 17:50
Florida fisheries wait for federal aid as prices take a deep dive – fisheries across the nation have experienced steep sales decline
Federal officials Wednesday defended the delay in releasing $300 million on fisheries assistance funding, including $23.4 million for Florida, saying the pandemic has set them behind in analyzing data to determine how much each fishery is due. Senators on the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee urged faster action to offset the impacts of COVID-19 on the seafood industry. Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., noted that fisheries across the nation have experienced up to a 90 percent decline in sales.,, In May, the CARES Act allocated $300 million for fisheries assistance funding. Florida received $23,447,815, according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has not approved the state’s plan. >click to read< 13:03
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for July 24, 2020
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<12:02
Florida Delegation Want Commercial Fishermen Included in USDA’s Lobster Relief Program
This week, the Florida congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged U.S. Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue to include Florida’s commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Donald Trump on June 24. The program addresses harm to the United States lobster industry caused by steep tariffs imposed by the Chinese government. Dear Secretary Perdue, We write to request the inclusion of Florida commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Trump on June 24, 2020, in response to the difficulties facing the United States lobster industry due to tariff action by the Chinese government. >click to read< 09:25
After Proposing A Five-Week Cut, Florida Cuts Stone Crab Season By Two Weeks
After originally threatening to shorten the stone crab season by five weeks, the commission conceded to complaints in a virtually held meeting on Wednesday and shortened the season by only two weeks, with a new end date of May 1. The new rules go into effect Oct. 1. The commission finalized its rules after hosting a series of virtual workshops since June with industry stakeholders, who widely criticized the agency’s original proposals. On Wednesday, commissioners acknowledged that the new rules, even with a May 1 end of season, would succeed in keeping more than 300,000 pounds of stone crabs from being harvested, which should surpass the agency’s goal of saving 1 million pounds of stone crabs from harvest over a five-year period. >click to read< 07:58
Longtime Shrimper Wayne Magwood and F/V Winds of Fortune retire from Shem Creek
Winds are blowing in a new direction for a historic shrimping vessel that has been a fixture on Shem Creek for more than 30 years. The Winds of Fortune, a staple of Shem Creek’s maritime history, has sold. Wayne Magwood, longtime shrimper and captain, originally purchased the vessel in 1987 and hauled it to the Lowcountry from Alabama. Three decades later, it’s now departing from its dock after being scooped up by a seafood distributor from Holden Beach, N.C. The new owner of the vessel, 26-year-old Aaron Robinson, is the owner of the seafood market that his grandfather started in 1983. >click to read< 08:33
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for July 17, 2020
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< 10:11
Doing everything right to save their own lives! Coast Guard rescues 2 from boat fire near Cape Lookout, N.C.
The Coast Guard rescued two people after their 35-foot fishing boat caught fire and began to take on water approximately 15 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, Thursday morning. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina command center received a mayday call from a person aboard the 35-foot fishing boat Double G stating there was a fire onboard and they were taking on water. “The mariners did everything right to save their own lives by using the correct lifesaving equipment available to them, to include their VHF radio, life jackets, life raft, EPIRB, and strobe lights. The simple use of this equipment can mean the difference between life and death. <photo’s, >click to read< 15:12
Florida stone crabbers asking FWC to hold off on new rules
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission may enforce tougher rules on fishing to help increase the stone crab population, but fishermen say that could destroy their business. We talked to some of the members of the Florida Stone Crabbers Association who say a one-two punch of COVID-19 and these new rules will make a bad situation even worse. “I’m afraid that’s it’s going to cripple the livelihood of so many people out there,” said Carrie Doxsee. FWC says the state’s stone crab population is declining due to overfishing. Video, >click to read< 09:59
North Atlantic right whale – from Endangered to Critically Endangered
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced Thursday it has changed the status of North Atlantic right whales on its Red List from endangered to critically endangered, IUCN’s highest risk category for wild species. This means the population has or will decrease by 80 per cent within three generations and is facing an extremely high risk of extinction. According to Canadian conservation group Oceana, at least 31 North Atlantic right whales have been killed since 2017 — 21 of them in Canadian waters. >click to read< 11:45
The International Union for Conservation of Nature changed its Red List Category for North Atlantic right whales from Endangered to Critically Endangered – >click to read<
SURVEY: Please Help Extreme Gloucester Fishing: Restructure, Retool, Retrain, Revive and Reunite the U.S. Commercial Fisheries
Extreme Gloucester Fishing Commercial Industry Training Center is doing a U.S. Commercial Fisheries Survey – Please help Extreme Gloucester Fishing with our efforts to Restructure, Retool, Retrain, Revive and Reunite the U.S. Commercial Fisheries Take the Survey. 1. Do commercial fishermen care about their industry? 2. Should fish be owned before they are caught?, 3.,,, >click to read<, and please leave comments or suggestions, and connect with others to get things started! Thank you, Captain Joseph Sanfilippo 10:30
#FishermensLivesMatter: Until this pandemic is over, say no to fishery observers being placed on fishing vessels
On July 1st the Trump Administration’s agency, NOAA will require that fishing vessels resume taking fishery observers on their fishing trips. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic these activities have been suspended for almost three months due to the danger of spreading the deadly disease among the
fishing industry and their families. Fishery observers are required by National Marine Fishery Service regulations to observe commercial fishing operations in almost all of our countries fisheries based on various criteria that include likelihood of interaction with marine mammals or other protected species, amount of bycatch in each fishery, adherence to regulations, and anything else they can justify to support this huge taxpayer money gobbling con game they have created. >click to read< by Jim Lovgren #FishermensLivesMatter 22:27
An East Coast Perspective on Coronavirus Impacts
This was initially to be about how the New Jersey commercial fishing industry was coping with the coronavirus crisis. However, there is a seemingly infinite number of websites running commentaries on the national and/or international aspects of the ongoing pandemic in general and, surprisingly, as it specifically applies to and as it affects commercial fishing and the seafood industry. Considering this, sharing more than an overview of what the New Jersey industry, or at least that part of it that I have been in touch with, would probably not have much of an impact. But happily, at this point it seems that U.S. consumers aren’t really as averse to preparing quality seafood at home (when it isn’t available or is only limitedly available elsewhere) as most of us have believed. >click to read< By Nils Stolpe 12:05
F/V Jamie Lynn sinking near the mouth of Shem Creek
The Jamie Lynn shrimp boat is currently sinking, positioned southeast of the entrance of Shem Creek in front of the bank of the Old Village. On Wednesday, June 24 residents of the Old Village contacted the Moultrie News about the boat sinking near residential docks. Mount Pleasant Police Department confirmed the U.S. Coast Guard is in charge of the investigation. This is a developing story that will be updated as more information is provided by the U.S. Coast Guard. photo’s, >click to read< 14:00
“The most generous guy you’d ever meet.” Friends mourn loss of Virginia Beach boat captain who died trying to save a sea turtle
Bill Jenkins was a man of great energy, passion and commitment, according to those who knew and worked with him. And the 53-year-old husband and father of two grown sons did a lot: Virginia Beach police officer, charter boat captain and owner of a seafood market and commissary kitchen were among the jobs he held. Jenkins died Thursday trying to help a sea turtle in distress. Police said he jumped off his 52-foot fishing boat a couple of miles off Virginia Beach’s shore after seeing the reptile entangled in some rope. >click to read< 17:01
Virginia’s Latest Pricey Boondoggle: Offshore Wind Power
As reported in an earlier article, Virginia’s green electric power plan calls for 5,000 MW of offshore wind generating capacity to be built in the next decade or so. This is a huge amount given that the worldwide total is just around 15,000 MW. We are talking about something like 800 giant windmills, embedded in the ocean floor and sticking hundreds of feet into the air above the water. They will be on the order of one and a half times taller than the Washington Monument, which is really tall. Two features make this offshore wind plan a folly — too little wind and too much wind. Let’s look at too little wind first. >click to read< 15:22
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 19, 2020
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< 10:35
Fighting for fishermen on a bi-partisan, bi-coastal basis during Coronavirus crisis – Senator Ed Markey
Restaurants have shuttered and large export markets have been disrupted. Fishermen have lost access to critical points of sale and sources of income. With a decreased demand for fresh seafood, many boats sit idle in port. Meanwhile, boat payments are due and families need to be fed. In the U.S. Senate, I have been fighting on a bipartisan basis alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Alaska senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan to secure dedicated economic assistance for the fishing and seafood industries in COVID-19 economic relief packages. Thankfully, this bi-coastal effort got results. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted into law on March 27, included $300 million in assistance for fishery participants and $9.5 billion for affected agricultural producers. >click to read< 12:22
Fishermen’s Superstition’s: No bananas! No Whistling! But above all, it’s bad luck to be superstitious!
Luke Whittaker set out to learn whether there are superstitions that live on among local fishermen. Here’s what he heard. Jerry Matzen III, commercial fishermen “Hang your coffee cup mouth towards the stern so you don’t sink. And no whistling in the wheelhouse or cabin — otherwise you’ll whistle up a storm, like we are having today. I learned the coffee cup one from Kerry Suomela Sr. when I worked on the F/V Southern Cross and it always stuck with me.” Tim Teall, commercial fishermen “Well, to begin with, you never want to paint your boat green because it’ll beach itself in a storm. Never set a coffee cup or a bucket on the boat upside down — the boat will roll over! Don’t whistle in the wheelhouse, because it’ll make it get windy out. But above all, it’s bad luck to be superstitious!” >9 photos, click to read<10:41
Shrimp Season begins in Georgia waters
Darrell Gale and his crew hit the Darien River Tuesday night and had an early morning for the start of shrimp harvest season. Gale said he had a good catch, but it could have been better. The captain caught more small fish than he would have liked, but still ended up catching about 1,000 pounds of shrimp. However, that’s 2,000 pounds less than last year’s season opening. “They waited a little long to open the beaches and the smaller shrimps came out. Well…you don’t get as much profit with the smaller shrimps,” Gale said. Video, >click to read< 10:02
Depoe Bay Harbor: “Best Harbor in the U.S.”
The second annual contest to find the best harbor in the U.S. wrapped up on Sunday, May 31, with winners announced shortly thereafter. US Harbors, an online site for tides and weather, providing localized information on more than 1,400 harbors on the coast and Great Lakes,,,, Depoe Bay Harbor captured the most votes, and runners up in this year’s contest were Onset Beach, Mass.; Padanaram/South Dartmouth, Mass. (Best Harbor 2019); Boothbay, Maine; Cuttyhunk, Mass.; and Oriental, N.C.,, Depoe Bay, a picturesque harbor of only six square acres, claims the title of “smallest navigable harbor in the world.” It is both the whale-watching capital of Oregon, and home to a working fishing community. >click to read< 14:25
A Fisherman’s Family
Melba Willis of Harkers Island has been around commercial fishermen her whole life. Her dad, husband and even her father-in-law worked on the water. She married her husband, Billy, in 1960 and they were together for 54 years before his death approximately six years ago. They had three sons, Kerry, Billy Joe and Stephen. Being married to a commercial fisherman was a hard, yet rewarding life. Melba says they got through the years because they loved each other so. Most years, they made good money to feed their family, but there were what she called “dull” years. This meant that they were always having to be sure to “put back” money in the good years to cover the “dull” ones, the years that the ocean was not good to them. >click to read< 09:47
North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for June 05, 2020
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< 23:07
Offshore Fish Farms Opposed
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order the White House said will ‘remove unnecessary regulatory burdens’ and improve America’s seafood industry. But Dr. Ryan Orgera, CEO of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, said the order will fast-track approval for fish farms, which he said don’t belong in our waters. “This would be a way to do things quickly without proper environmental checks,” Orgera said. “I think in 10 years when we’re having fisheries emergencies and the collapse of several stocks, I think we would turn back and say, ‘Why would we do that for a short-term gain?’”One Hawaii fish farm company, Ocean Era (formerly Kampachi Farms), has already applied to put a small, test fish pen in the gulf 40 miles offshore Sarasota. >click to read< 10:09
Oregon Fishing Industry Tells Lawmakers Of Economic Hardships – Murkowski pushes for an another Billion in federal fisheries relief funds
The coronavirus has hit Oregon’s commercial fishing industry hard. That was the message to state lawmakers during a recent meeting of the House Interim Committee on Natural Resources. Anthony Dal Ponte is with Pacific Seafood, which is based in Clackamas and has several facilities on the Oregon coast. He said the company had to lay off more than 500 employees after their restaurant and hospitality industry markets dried up virtually overnight. >click to read< Meanwhile, Murkowski pushes for an additional $1 billion in federal fisheries relief funds – Additional money could 
be on the way for the fishing industry. Senator Lisa Murkowski said that she is working to add more fisheries funding in the next round of pandemic relief legislation. “As we think about the impact to our fisheries, $50 million is not going to be sufficient to address the need,” she said. “I have been working with colleagues to urge us in this next round of relief to include $1 billion in fishery assistance funds.” >click to read< 15:07
