Daily Archives: June 18, 2019
Coast Guard suspends search for missing fisherman 300 miles east of Cape Canaveral
The Coast Guard suspended its search Tuesday for a missing fisherman who reportedly went overboard 300 miles east of Cape Canaveral. Missing is Russell Minor. After searching more than 4,640 square miles for over 42 hours, officials were unable to locate Minor who was reported missing Sunday. >click to read<22:18
Mississippi’s shrimp season will open Thursday. It doesn’t look good.
Mississippi’s shrimp season will open this Thursday, June 20 at 6am, despite samples showing smaller shrimp than typical for opening day. That’s the decision from Tuesday’s Commission on Marine Resources meeting. It’s not a cause for celebration though. It’s more of a sign of desperation. Usually, the legal count for shrimp must be 68 shrimp per pound before the season is opened. Right now, samples are showing 112,,, Experts also report that brown shrimp reproduction is down 90%. “I don’t think it really matters. I think the situation now is only getting worse, so why don’t we take the best we can? The only chance we have now is to allow our shrimpers to have some chance to have a life this year,” said Joe Spraggins, the director of the Department of Marine Resources. >click to read<19:36
Floods in Midwest take toll on seafood in Gulf Coast area
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards have asked the federal government for a fisheries disaster declaration,,, Louisiana’s oyster harvest is 80% below average,,, “We’ve been dealing with the river since October,” said Acy J. Cooper Jr., president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association “That’s a long time it’s been high.” The die-offs are as bad in Mississippi.,, Shrimp are now in places only larger boats can reach, said Cooper. “Some of the big ones are catching a few,” he said. “The smaller boats are just catching hell.” >Video, click to read< 18:05
Offshore Wind Farm’s Meteorological Tower To Be Constructed Next Month; Officials Express Concerns At Public Hearing
A 300-foot-plus meteorological tower will be installed about 17 miles off the coast of Ocean City next month in advance of the US Wind offshore wind farm project.,,,“It was a public hearing, but there weren’t a lot of people there because I don’t think there was a lot of notice about it,” he said. “There were some commercial fishermen there and they’re very concerned about the pounding of the pilings. “The commercial fishermen that fish for conch and lobsters and clams etc. are very concerned about losing equipment,” he said. “They are also concerned about the construction and noise scaring off fish and scaring their catch away. That was very evident during that meeting.” >click to read<15:42
Offshore Wind Projects’ Impact on Fishing Grounds off the Ocean City Coast Discussed – July 18, 2018, After hearing a strong presentation from a noted expert on the impacts of wind farms on commercial fishing, the Mayor and Council seem inclined to strengthen opposition to the wind farms off the resort coast in general.,, Monday’s presentation was spearheaded by Meghan Lapp, who is the fisheries liaison for Seafreeze Ltd., >click to read<
Renewables ‘Transition’ Terminated: With Their Subsidies Slashed, the Honeymoon for Wind & Solar is Over
Like a bride jilted at the altar, the wind and solar ‘industries’ are moaning about what could have been.,,, It was, of course, a ‘green’ wet dream. Now, reality has started to bite. With an inevitability, all of its own. For some strange reason, the places that led the charge with mandates, targets and massive subsidies to wind and solar, all appear to be the first to unwind those very same policies – simply because they were never sustainable, in the first place. Faced with rocketing power prices and grids on the brink of collapse, European states have slashed subsidies and are building new coal-fired plants and refurbishing old ones. >click to read<14:01
PROPULSION: The OXE Diesel Outboard Arrives
As Trace Laborde, Marine Manager for Laborde Products, said, “The OXE diesel is the complete package, a true diesel engine. It’s great for any maritime application that requires fuel efficiency, simple maintenance, compliance with all European and EPA Tier 3 regulations, and unmatched performance. There is no other choice than the OXE diesel.” That’s high praise, predictably coming from one of OXE’s authorized North American distributors, but in this case, the talk is matched by this OEM’s proven performance. The OXE was recently approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as the first and only Tier 3 diesel outboard for commercial use. >click to read< 12:47
Multi-organization effort believes Cashes Ledge deserves to be permanently protected
The team’s efforts of four years ago, including holding roundtables and giving talks across the region, were undertaken in hopes Cashes Ledge would be awarded a monument designation. The effort failed, but it did play a part in the creation, three years ago, of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the only national monument in the Atlantic Ocean. Lamb, who now works with the Witman Lab and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on various marine issues, believes Cashes Ledge deserves the same protection, especially since the Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming bodies of salt water in the world. >click to read<09:37
US Coast Guard acted properly – Chang
National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang is claiming that the US Coast Guard followed correct procedures in the case involving the five Jamaican fishermen who claimed they were subjected to inhumane treatment after being detained in 2017. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is seeking compensation for four of the fishermen, claimed they were stripped naked, chained to the decks of US Coast Guard vessels, made to lie in faeces and had their boat burned. On Sunday night Dr. Chang told RJR News that the fishermen did not file a complaint about their alleged mistreatment by the U.S. Coast Guard. He claimed that the Coast Guard “responded within (the) legal framework of our agreement with the US Government and we had no complaint from the men involved prior to this report.”>click to read<08:31
