Daily Archives: January 6, 2015
Cape Wind project is dealt a major setback. NSTAR Pulls the Plug!
NSTAR, a Northeast Utilities subsidiary, informed Cape Wind officials of its decision late Tuesday, officials said. “Unfortunately, Cape Wind has 
,” Northeast Utilities spokeswoman Caroline Pretyman said in an email. “Additionally, Cape Wind has chosen not to exercise their right to post financial security in order to extend the contract deadlines. Therefore the contract is now terminated.” Read the rest here 20:38
Fish markets in San Diego: ‘There is a public demand’
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to have lobbyists work on state legislators to get them to amend rules that would make it easier for a permanent open-air seafood market to flourish in San Diego. The Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, which opened in August, sold an average of 1.1 tons of fresh seafood each week, worth about $15,000. Supervisor Greg Cox said the market had been “wildly successful” and averaged about 350 visitors each Saturday. Read the rest here 18:09
Ret Talbot: First Bluefin of 2015 Sells for Bargain Price of $37,500
Each year when the first bluefin auction price is announced, there is a predictable, albeit short, media frenzy. While much of the ink dedicated to the bluefin auction is focused on the gee-whiz-that’s-a-lot-of-money-to-pay-for-a-fish story that helps to fill the 24-hour news cycle, there is also always a smattering of serious reporting each year from media outlets like The Atlantic, The Guardian and the New York Times that seeks to draw a connection between the well-publicized conservation status of the bluefin and the outrageous price paid at auction for a single fish. “What does it mean?” Read the rest here 16:35
Van Peer Boatworks plans to begin construction on another massive fishing vessel.
Chris Van Peer, the owner and founder of the local company, is expecting the more than 100,000 pounds of steel that it will take to complete the project to be delivered in mid-January. Almost all of the boats built by Van Peer are commercial fishing vessels and typically weigh in at about 130 tons when completed. “That’s about as light as we can build them,” he said. Read the rest here Van Peer on face book 15:38
Lobstermen prepare for 3-month Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan fishing ban
Come January, lobsterman Scott Leddin typically starts pulling some of his 800 traps out of the water to let them dry out and to make repairs. Leddin, who fishes year-round, rotates the traps and always has a couple of hundred in the water. He won’t be doing that this winter, though. Although regulators have delayed closing much of the state’s coast to lobster fishing until February, unpredictable weather has some lobstermen like Leddin pulling their traps ahead of schedule. Read the rest here 14:53
Animal Planet’s Alaska: Battle on the Bay – 1,800 Captains Battle Nature, the Law and Each Other for the Ultimate Fishing Payday
On the bay, the arm of the law is long, tempers are short and every single decision is the difference between drawing a huge income and settling for pennies. The series opens just days before the annual migration of more than 44 million sockeye salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay and closely follows five captains and their ships. This Battle on the Bay comes with several tough challenges. Read the rest here 14:30
BARNEGAT LIGHT – Commercial fishermen ready for 2015 whatever comes
The fishing party boats like the Doris Mae, about to get out of the business. (See story by Dan Radel in this issue) are not the only ones to be affected by changes in fishing regulations. The commercial fishing fleet — with the really big boats, has been operating out of Barnegat Light for more than 175 years. “Our commercial fishing industry has. Without it, our businesses like the bars, gas stations, restaurants, and deli would not be able to stay open all year.” Read the rest here 12:45
Lobster Fisherman Derrick Wadden says Lobsters filling traps ‘like flies’ in Cape Breton
“It’s unbelievable,” said Derrick Wadden, who has been fishing out of Main-a-Dieu, Cape Breton County, for 25 years. “It’s almost like, I don’t know, like flies in the traps. They’re just everywhere. They’re on the outside of the traps and on the inside of the traps. “I grew up in this, and my dad fished for 52 years … and my brother fishes also. We’ve never seen catches like this before. Read the rest here 09:09
Conflict looms over effort to reopen protected Gulf of Maine fishing ground
Under the “preferred option” being considered by the council, the more than 500-square-mile closure zone would shrink by roughly 70 percent. All mobile “bottom-tending” fishing gear – such as draggers and trawlers that can disturb the sea floor – would remain banned around Ammen Rock and most of the ledge proper. But fishermen could resume targeting haddock, cod, pollock and other groundfish in surrounding mudflats that the council deemed “less vulnerable to accumulating adverse effects.” Read the rest here 08:10
Maine to host public hearings about fish habitat plan – Tonight 6PM, Brewer – Tomorrow 6PM, Portland
Maine will host two public hearings this week about a long-anticipated fishery management plan for New England waters. The New England Fishery Management Council is working on a habitat management plan for federal waters from Maine to Rhode Island and is considering many options to balance conservation with commercial fishing interests. A public comment period about the management plan ends Jan. 8. Locations here 07:42
