Daily Archives: May 9, 2019

DMF Rescinds Seasonal Large Whale Trap Gear Closure and Seasonal Speed Limit

Effective tomorrow, commercial and recreational lobstermen may set their trap gear in those waters north and east of Cape Cod that were previously closed to fixed gear. Additionally, boaters operating vessels that are smaller than 65’ over length may operate at a boat speed of greater than 10 knots. We advise that vessel operators continue to operate with caution. Through May 15th, vessels with an overall length of 65’ and greater shall comply with the federal 10 knot speed limit in the waters of Cape Cod Bay (federal rule). >click to read<20:31

North Coast leaders celebrate report’s focus on independent fishers

North coast leaders are calling the sweeping recommendations of a Parliamentary committee a win for independent fishers. The all-party Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans released its study on the state of the West Coast fisheries May 7, recommending numerous changes to the Fisheries Act that aim is to lower financial barriers for those wanting to enter the profession, and limiting the number of licences held by any single group.,,, Bill C-68, adopted in June of last year, paved the way for an overhaul of the Fisheries Act, whereby the ministry considers not only ecology in its decisions, but the social and economic impacts on the communities dependant on the fishery. >click to read<19:39

Maine’s first elver eel season with new controls going well

Maine’s baby eel fishermen are enjoying a steady harvest and strong prices during the first season in which regulators are using new controls to stop poaching .,,, “For the guys who want to do the right thing and grow this fishery, they’re happy to comply,” said Jeffrey Pierce, a former state legislator who is an adviser to the Maine Elver Fishermen Association.,,, Fishermen are more than 90% of the way through their quota for the year, which is slightly less than 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms). The average price is more than $2,000 per pound, which would be the third highest average on record if holds,,, >click to read<18:33

1979: NBC 10 reported on oil platforms drilling offshore New England

The Texas Towers radar platforms that were the subject of our special broadcast in the 1960s were gone by 1964. In the next two decades, they were replaced by a different kind of platform — one that drills for oil offshore. In 1979, one was in Narragansett Bay headed south to the Baltimore Canyon to drill. And in 1981, two platforms were drilling for oil in the Georges Bank, much to the consternation of commercial fishermen who worried their rich fishing grounds would be disrupted and polluted. >video, click to read<16:34

It’s Raining Ratepayer Money! Wind Goes A’Wooing in $70 Billion Race for Offshore U.S. Market

Want to spruce up your downtown, or maybe get $10 million to support workforce training at the local college? How about investments to help rebuild aging ports and establish trust funds for your fisherman? A U.S. unit of Denmark’s Orsted A/S is now dangling all of those perks in its push to be an early developer of offshore wind in a potential $70 billion East Coast market. The target of the largesse: Community groups with political muscle, the ability to shape public sentiment and access to lawyers. “We’re over the moon,” said Michael Passero, the mayor of New London, Connecticut. The package drawing Passero’s raves: $93 million to upgrade the State Pier in New London,,, >click to read<13:12 Cape Cod Community College, Vinyard Wind partner to offer ‘Offshore Wind 101: Energy, Climate and Jobs – >click to read<14:35

UPDATED: Lobstermen rally in Plymouth to protest closure of fishing areas off cape Cod

Local lobstermen rallied here Thursday morning to protest the state’s decision to keep certain areas closed to fishing to protect an endangered species of whale. State officials said the “continued presence” of right whales in the waters off Cape Cod resulted in the Division of Marine Fisheries extending the seasonal closure to May 14. “This closure extension applies only in certain waters within Cape Cod Bay and along the Outer Cape,” state officials said in the statement. >click to read<This story will be updated. 10:12 Lobstermen rally against delay in opening season – >Video, click to read< 11:16

Fisherman pulls in Florida university’s drone, but the school won’t pay, suit claims

Eric Cziraky was fishing for dolphin about three miles off the Boynton Beach Inlet when he hooked into an expensive, high-tech whopper. His catch? An 11-foot underwater drone that Florida Atlantic University researchers were using to explore the mysteries of the deep.,,, Under centuries-old admiralty laws, Cziraky is entitled to be compensated for rescuing a vessel that was in peril, said attorney Matthew Charles, who filed a federal lawsuit this week on Cziraky’s behalf. >click to read<09:23