Category Archives: South Atlantic
Environmentalists face off against environmentalists over offshore wind projects
The Energy Department estimates offshore wind turbines could produce as much as 20% of regional power needs along the densely populated Eastern Seaboard from Florida to Maine by 2050. To reach that goal, the Biden administration had hoped to green-light 30 gigawatts from utility-scale offshore wind farms by 2030—enough to power nine million homes. That now seems wildly ambitious, as billions of dollars in projects have been canceled amid staggering cost overruns, soaring interest rates and supply-chain delays. Added to these economic woes are persistent environmental concerns, as attested to by some recent federal lawsuits. In September, for example, Cape May County, N.J., and a coalition of regional environmental, fisheries and tourism groups sought to stop development of two utility-scale projects off the New Jersey coast. more, >>click to read<< 11:54
F/V Carol Ann: Families suspend search for missing Brunswick fishermen
If Chris Barlow could go back to Oct. 14 and tell his son Tyler Barlow to sit this commercial fishing trip out, he would. Instead, 45 days later, the last privately funded helicopter flight searching for signs of the fishing vessel Carol Ann and its crew, Tyler Barlow, Caleb Wilkinson and Dalton Conway, landed. “It is with great sadness that we are informing everyone that the helicopter that landed at 4:38 P.M. today will be our last flight unless we receive new information,” Chris Barlow posted to Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. “We are suspending our active search effort as we have exhausted every lead we currently have, although we have found numerous boat wrecks and debris none have been linked to the Carol Ann.” more, >>click to read<< 09:40
NTSB Releases Report of Sinking of Commercial Fishing Vessel off Georgia Coast
The National Transportation Safety Board issued Marine Investigation Report 23-24 Tuesday for its investigation of the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Carol Jean off the coast of Georgia. On March 21, while anchored with no one on board, the Carol Jean flooded and sank in the Atlantic Ocean near Tybee Island, Georgia. After the vessel’s emergency position indicating radio beacon, or EPIRB, activated, the US Coast Guard responded and found a debris field where the beacon’s signal originated. There was no pollution reported. The loss of the Carol Jean was estimated at $250,000. The owner/captain of the Carol Jean purchased another commercial fishing vessel and planned to use the Carol Jean to tow the second vessel to Valona, Georgia. >>more, click to read<< 14:22
Editorial: South Carolina’s shrimpers are struggling; here’s 1 way to help
Those living in the Charleston area likely are well-familiar with the fact that our local shrimping industry has long been bruised by competition from imported shrimp, but the problem seems to have become more urgent than ever. Fortunately, there are steps we all can take to help out. As S.C. Shrimpers Association vice president Bryan Jones wrote in his recent letter to the editor, our state’s shrimping fleet has reached a critical juncture, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of families and a cherished way of life along our coast. That’s why our state’s association is joining with similar groups in other coastal states to press their case on both the state and federal levels, seeking an economic disaster declaration that would lead to short-term relief, such as low-interest loans and tax breaks. >>click to read<< 11:28
Coastal Georgia shrimpers fear loss of industry as foreign seafood crowds market
“Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it gets worse,” said Pat Mathews, the owner of the Lazaretto Packing Co. on Tybee Island, as he walked away from a truck idling in the loading zone. Early on a Monday morning in October in the height of shrimp season the driver had come to pick up a load of freshly caught shrimp from the James W. Salyers, a shrimp boat captained by David Attia. The driver delivered disappointing news, informing Pat that this would be the last load he would be able to pick up for the foreseeable future. The Mathews family has been in the seafood business for over a century. Where they once owned several seafood markets, their business now centers on the dock they own at Tybee, one of the few hubs of the industry that has been an iconic business on Georgia’s 100-mile coast. >>click to read<< 10:53
Family: Life raft from missing Brunswick fishermen may have been spotted
Over a month after the F/V Carol Ann disappeared off the coast of Brunswick, the discovery of debris from the boat and a possible sighting of a life raft has the families of three missing boaters clinging to hope. Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow set off on a fishing trip 80 miles off the coast of Brunswick on October 14 and never came home. A fishing bin from the boat was discovered about 16 miles off the shore of St. Augustine Sunday, a sign that their boat may be nearby. Jones, met up with Wilkinson’s mom, Jennifer Monday evening in Marineland where they suspended the search due to darkness. Monday, a helicopter crew hired by the boaters’ family may have seen a red life raft floating in the water near Crescent Beach. Video, >>click to read<< 06:27
Debris from boat of 3 missing fisherman found off coast of St. Augustine
Debris from the boat of three missing Georgia fisherman was found 16 miles off the coast of St. Augustine Sunday night, according to the United Cajun Navy. The owner of the F/V Carol Ann confirmed the recently found debris, which was a fish box and the buoy balls on the boat. The three missing fisherman, Tyler Barlow, Caleb Wilkinson and Dalton Conway, went on what was planned to be a four-day fishing trip. Video, >>click to read<< 21:31
DISASTER DECLARED FOR TEXAS SHRIMP
Minh Dang repairs nets on the Johnny II shrimp boat in Galveston, Texas
In normal times, these boats would be out in a bay for the day or at sea for weeks, following shrimp from Texas to Florida and back again. But these are not normal times. The American shrimping industry, from the Gulf of Mexico around Florida to the South Atlantic, is nearly at a standstill, undersold and sidelined by a deluge of cheap imported farm-raised shrimp from Asia and South America that have been “dumped”—sold to the United States at below-market value. Many owners are keeping their boats docked rather than spending money on diesel, boat repairs, and crew wages to net shrimp that will sell at a loss. The Eties have been running up credit card debt and selling shrimp meant for human consumption for bait because prices are so low. “[Shrimpers] need supplies like ice and diesel. It takes money to get the boat out there,” said Briana Etie. “And if you don’t have a place to sell your shrimp when you get back in, what’s the point?” Photos, >>click to read<< 11:20
Lawmakers form Seafood Caucus to help Louisiana fishermen
Consumers likely don’t think twice about where the shrimp or seafood bought at grocery store comes from, but Louisiana fisherman—and now federal lawmakers—are asking people to pay attention. “We’re losing an industry and a culture and a way of life in Louisiana and across the country,” said Acy Cooper, who comes from a long line of shrimpers. He says what was once a reliable profession has now become heartache. It’s not just a problem in Louisiana—which is why lawmakers from all four of the country’s coasts are joining together to find a solution. Video, >>click to read<< 10:28
The Fleet fights back: Fishermen unite to curb shrimp dumping
Mount Pleasant’s Economic Development Committee met on Nov. 6 and voted in favor of the proposed economic disaster declaration from the South Carolina Shrimper’s Association and Southern Shrimp Alliance that asserts the Mount Pleasant shrimping fleet can’t sustain itself due to the harmful impacts of shrimp dumping, or the flooding of the market with imported, non-domestic shrimp. Mount Pleasant is the second municipality in South Carolina to declare a state of economic disaster for the domestic shrimping industry. Bryan Jones, vice president of the South Carolina Shrimper’s Association, said the declaration is more than symbolic — it’s one crucial part of a fight that is bringing fishermen from across the Southern United States together to defend their businesses, livelihoods and the shrimping industry as a whole. >>click to read<< 12:40
Will small boats soon have to slow down off NC to protect North Atlantic Right Whales?
Vessel speed limits to help avoid fatal collisions between ships and one of the most endangered animals in the world that has fallen to around 350 individuals have gone back into effect off the U.S. Southeastern coast, including parts of North Carolina. The seasonal-management areas, or SMAs, limit the speed of most vessels 65 feet or longer to 10 knots, about 11.5 mph, in areas known to have heavy ship traffic that are also migratory routes or known calving grounds for the North Atlantic right whale. The go-slow zones, which run from November through April and have been in effect for more than a decade, extend about 20 nautical miles, or 23 miles, offshore and include areas around Morehead City and Beaufort and within 23 miles from shore between Wilmington and Brunswick, Ga. >>click to read<< 15:46
‘Catastrophic crisis’: Imported shrimp flood US market
Foreign shrimp imports are overwhelming the country’s inventories of shrimp and driving market prices for locally sourced shrimp to record lows, prompting widespread calls from elected officials and organizations throughout southern Atlantic and Gulf Coast states for the federal government to declare a fishery resource disaster. Governors of coastal states from North Carolina to Florida to Texas are being pressed to ask U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to determine a fishery resource disaster for the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery. In what one North Carolina coastal county’s board of commissioners refer to as an “unprecedented catastrophic crisis,” shrimpers are struggling to maintain operations because they’re making substantially less for their catch while paying historically high fuel prices and other inflation-driven costs. Shrimpers are also being forced to dock their freezer boats, or vessels with onboard freezers, because they can’t move their product in a market flooded with frozen shrimp from overseas. >>click to read<< 09:40
New regulations aim to protect Florida’s stone crab population
For Floridians, October has one more holiday than what might be on most calendars: the start of stone crab season. Starting Oct. 15, recreational and commercial fishermen are able to harvest the species that holds a spot as one of the five most important fisheries in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Although stone crabs are found from North Carolina to Belize, 99% of the stone crab harvest for the entire United States come from Florida. And this year, the FWC began implementing new regulations in an effort to conserve the longevity of this important fishery. >>click to read<< 08:29
Wild-Caught Shrimp: South Carolina’s Long History
There’s something positively serene about watching shrimp boats trawling our coastal waters. Shrimping has been an important part of our culture in Beaufort and all of South Carolina since long before anyone can remember. In fact it’s been a labor of love for fishermen since before the Civil War and is still alive and kicking today with a thriving market served by dedicated commercial fishermen in the Palmetto State. Shrimp are America’s most valuable and most popular seafood, according to the NOAA Fisheries, and SCDNR tells us that South Carolina is home to three species of shrimp: brown shrimp, white shrimp, and pink shrimp. Brown and white shrimp are more common than pink shrimp, but all three taste the same. >>click to read<< 20:47
County lawmakers request fishery resource disaster determination amidst nationwide shrimp disaster
On Sept. 18 the Pamlico County Commissioners adopted a resolution urging North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to consider submitting a request for a fishery resource disaster determination to the NC Secretary of Commerce. Craven County followed suit and adopted a similar resolution on October 2. According to these resolutions, the global supply of farm-raised shrimp imports into the United States has reached record highs. This imported shrimp now dominates cold storages, distribution hubs, and the American market at a level that is devastating to US operators. This influx of imported shrimp into the American market has caused significant revenue loss, and loss of access to the shrimp fisheries themselves, for small family-owned supporting businesses, and other supporting businesses. >>click to read<< 09:47
That ‘Gulf’ shrimp you ate probably wasn’t from the Gulf of Mexico
What if every imported seafood product for sale in Louisiana had a red sticker with the word “Imported” affixed to the front of its packaging? That question is one of several the state Seafood Safety Task Force is asking in an effort to address a struggling domestic fishery and increasing health risks from imported catch. The task force met Friday for just the second time in over a decade following a long dormant period that ended last month. State Sen. Fred Mills, R-St. Martinville, chairs the task force that he said will try to develop solutions to address three areas: the health and safety of consumers, the economy of the domestic seafood sector, and consumer education. An influx of cheap foreign catch has flooded the seafood market in Louisiana, and most restaurants in the state choose to serve imported shrimp and crawfish to patrons who are either oblivious to it or mistakenly believe they’re eating local fare, according to the Louisiana Shrimp Association. The effects have decimated a local industry and unique Louisiana culture while also potentially introducing harmful contaminants into the food supply. >>click to read<< 11:52
Families of missing boaters continue search without Coast Guard’s help
A group of friends has now been missing at sea for nearly two weeks, and despite the U.S. Coast Guard calling off its search for them, the fishermen’s families are still holding out hope the group will be found. Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow left the port city of Brunswick, Georgia, on a 31-foot fishing vessel named Carol Ann Oct. 14. They planned to travel 80 miles into the open sea to a popular fishing spot before heading back Oct. 18, but they have yet to turn up. Chris Barlow, the father of missing boater Tyler Barlow, told Scripps News an initial possible sighting of the boat turned out to be a different vessel. He also said the Coast Guard’s assumption that the boat would self-deploy an emergency signal if submerged was false; the signal would instead need to be manually deployed. >>click to read<< 07:28
Survivor From Lost Fishing Boat Saved After Coast Guard Ended Search
This week, the U.S. Coast Guard ended searches for two commercial fishing vessels that each disappeared without a trace, one in Washington and another in Georgia. The Washington case ended in a miracle: a crewmember was found alive after formal search efforts had ended. On Tuesday, Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor announced that it had launched a search for a 43-foot commercial fishing vessel, the Evening, which was nine days overdue. Miraculously, one crewmember of the Evening survived and was found by a good Samaritan vessel on Thursday morning – a day after the formal search ended. He was floating in a life raft off the west coast of Vancouver Island, near Tofino. The whereabouts of the other crewmember are not known. On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search for a commercial fishing vessel F/V Carol Ann that had gone missing with three crewmembers off the coast of Brunswick, Georgia. >>click to read<< 07:15
Coast Guard suspends search for F/V Carol Ann, 80 miles off Brunswick, Georgia
The Coast Guard suspended its search, Thursday, for three people aboard an overdue 31-foot fishing vessel offshore Brunswick, Georgia, pending new information. Missing are Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow. Crews searched more than 94,000 square miles, an area larger in size than the states of Georgia and South Carolina combined, over the span of seven days. Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders received a report from the owner of the fishing vessel Carol Ann 
stating he hired a crew of three people that failed to return on Wednesday, Oct. 18, as scheduled. The crew left on Saturday, Oct. 14, from Brunswick, Georgia, to fish approximately 80 miles offshore and last communicated with the owner of the vessel as they headed offshore. >>click to read the press release<< 20:50
American Shrimp Processors Association Launches Trade Petitions Addressing Unfair Dumping and Illegal Subsidies
Today, the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) filed trade petitions seeking antidumping duties on imported frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador and Indonesia and countervailing duties on imported shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The U.S. shrimp market has been overwhelmed by massive quantities of underpriced shrimp imports, resulting in unsustainably low dockside prices, falling domestic market share, significantly lower profit margins, and historically high inventory levels. >>click to read<< 07:56
F/V Carol Ann: Families praying for best in search for missing fishermen
Dalton Conway is no stranger to the waters offshore of Brunswick. As the Brunswick-based captain of a commercial fishing vessel and the son of a commercial fishing captain, he has made hundreds of trips in search of fish to sell to merchants and local restaurants. That is why it was alarming when he and his crew of two – Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow, both of Kingsland – didn’t return home as expected last Wednesday aboard the Carol Ann, said Stevie Conway, Dalton’s sister and Wilkinson’s girlfriend. Wednesday arrivals from fishing trips are normal, Conway said, because the bounty of the catch can be sold to vendors and merchants on Thursday. “My brother goes anytime the weather is good,” Stevie Conway said. “This is his career. He does this for a living.” Hordes of search and rescue crews from multiple area U.S. Coast Guard stations, Coast Guard cutters and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources continued searching Monday for the boat and the men after they were reported missing on Friday by the owner of the Carol Ann, Josh Morgan of Brunswick. >>click to read<< 20:05
North Atlantic right whale population has steadied, scientists say
The population of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales appears to have levelled off after a decade of steep decline, according to updated data released this morning by Canadian and American scientists. Every fall, the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium releases its best population estimate of the world’s most threatened large whale. Scientists in the consortium said Monday that the 2021 estimate of 340 North Atlantic right whales in existence has been recalculated to 365 primarily because of the number of calves born that year. The estimate for 2022 is 356. >>click to read<< 09:52
Family speaks out as the U.S. coast guard continues search for three missing fishermen
Family and friends are still searching for the three local men who went missing off the Georgia coast while fishing. The U.S. Coast Guard has been searching for two days now, but the search continues. The three men embarked on their journey last Saturday, with the expectation of returning home last Thursday afternoon. However, it’s been three days, and family members have not heard a word from them. They are now hoping for a miracle. However, there is a silver lining – a raft on the boat equipped with a new form of technology. “As soon as that raft touches water, it’ll ping the Coast Guard immediately with their location, and that hasn’t happened yet. So, which means that raft has not hit the water,” Stevie said. video, >> click to read<< 09:50
UPDATE: Coast Guard search continues for search continues 80 miles off Brunswick, Georgia
The Coast Guard continues to search for an overdue 31-foot fishing vessel and its three crew members, Saturday, 80 miles offshore Brunswick, Georgia. Missing are Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow. On Friday, Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders received a report from the owner of the fishing vessel Carol Ann stating he hired a crew of three people that failed to return on Wednesday as scheduled. The owner stated the crew extends fishing trips to maximize their catch but was growing concerned due to their last communication with the crew being six days ago. >>Click to read<< 21:04
Coast Guard searching for overdue fishing vessel 80 miles off Brunswick, Georgia
The Coast Guard is searching for an overdue 31-foot fishing vessel, Friday, 80 miles offshore Brunswick, Georgia. Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders received a report from the owner of the fishing vessel Carol Anne stating he hired a crew of three people that failed to return on Wednesday as scheduled. The owner stated the crew extends fishing trips to maximize their catch but was growing concerned due to their last communication with the crew being six days ago. >>click to read<< 20:05
Offshore Wind Is A Dangerous Pipe Dream Costing Taxpayers Billions
How many times have we heard that wind power, coupled with the sun’s energy, is going to save us from our fossil-fuel-burning ways? Maybe one day it will. But at no time soon will it happen. And by soon, we mean in most of our lifetimes. How can we say this? Look around at what’s happening with wind energy [emphasis, “California’s Central Coast residents work to stop — or at least slow down — offshore wind.”,,, “Orsted Threatens To Abandon U.S. Offshore Wind Projects.” Biden administration guarantees more support.,, “Electricity from wind isn’t cheap and it never will be.” The list above is no more than a start. There are many more stories we could have cited, and there are many more to come. Wind energy is unreliable, and its costs are not competitive at scale. Lots of links! >>click to read<< 18:22
McIntosh County commissioners pass resolution to support local shrimpers
The McIntosh County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to seek protection for the shrimping industry at a special called meeting on Thursday. The resolution states that an increase of imported shrimp in the United States have “continued to decimate the local shrimping industry’s ability to market and sell wild caught domestic shrimp.” The resolution passed unanimously during Thursday’s meeting. Local leaders hope the more cities and counties that jump on board with similar resolutions, the closer they’ll get to grabbing the attention of Congress and the federal government. >>click to read<< 16:48
Lowcountry shrimpers say area restaurants buying shrimp from other countries is putting a strain on the industry
Lowcountry shrimpers are concerned that they are going to be priced out by imported shrimp. But there’s one local organization working to promote eating locally. The South Carolina Shrimper’s Association has multiple goals such as advocating for policies that support the shrimping industry, educating the public about the industry, and promoting sustainable shrimping. One of the biggest problems Lowcountry shrimpers are facing right now is local restaurants importing the shrimp. They say some restaurants import shrimp from other countries at extremely low prices that local shrimpers just can’t afford to beat – and it’s impacting their livelihood. Video, “It’s been happening for a long time now, but it’s gotten to where it’s getting out of hand,” said local shrimper Rocky Magwood. >>click to read<< 13:03
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 72′ Steel Shrimp Dragger, 500H Cummins K-19 Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 28 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 11:35
S.C. Shrimpers Association asks public’s help in fighting imported shrimp crisis
The South Carolina Shrimpers Association has announced its new leadership team for the 2023-2025 term. This comes after an emergency meeting was called to address the imported shrimp crisis and elect leaders to navigate the challenges faced by local shrimpers. The newly elected leadership team will shoulder the responsibility of representing the interests of South Carolina shrimpers at both state and federal levels. Their primary focus is on promoting the sustainability of the shrimping industry in the region, particularly in the face of the imported shrimp crisis. Video, >>click to read<< 09:21
