Daily Archives: July 18, 2019
Coast Guard aircrew medevacs 42-year-old woman off fishing vessel near Noyes Island, Alaska
A Coast Guard aircrew medevaced a 42-year-old woman off a fishing vessel near Noyes Island, Thursday. The MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka transported her to Sitka where they transferred the woman to waiting emergency medical service personnel, who took her to Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital for further care. Around 11:40 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received a call from Craig City Harbormaster staff, who stated a member of the crew was bleeding and in an out of consciousness after a blunt object impacted her head. Video, >click to read< 21:05
Puget Sound orcas look fatter … maybe because they’ve moved away
It appears that endangered orcas that live around Puget Sound may be moving elsewhere. Groups of southern resident killer whales aren’t showing up this year like they used to. Researchers link the scarce sightings with scarce chinook salmon, the orcas’ favorite food. Salmon runs on the river have fallen dramatically the past few years, so it looks like the killer whales are finding food somewhere else. This month, the whales were seen for just two days around San Juan Island.>click to read<19:36
Fishing which cost five Scottish lives in a year is ‘most dangerous’ UK job
Commercial fishing has become Britain’s most dangerous occupation with six fishermen dying in the space of just one year. New accident investigation data shows that five of the six deaths occurred in Scottish waters.,,, The revelation comes two weeks after campaigners raised concerns that the number of workplace deaths had rocketed by over 70% in 2018 in Scotland, fueled by a rise in deaths in agriculture, forestry and fishing. >click to read< 18:39
Baker, Vineyard Wind mum on Feds’ project guidance – Why Vineyard Wind should’nt proceed without answers
The federal government has offered new “guidance” on the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project, Gov. Charlie Baker said, but neither the governor’s team nor project officials will talk about it. The Baker administration chose Vineyard Wind in May 2018 for the state’s first commercial-scale offshore wind effort under a 2016 clean energy law and state officials are counting on the project,, On Wednesday, a Baker spokesman declined to comment when asked about the nature of the project guidance. >Click to read< 16:28 Offshore wind should not go forward until there are answers – Val Oliver – BOEM assures us that Vineyard Wind’s self-imposed, mitigation efforts will protect the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales in their Dynamic Management Area and important migratory path. But Vineyard Wind is going to be allowed to “self- monitor, self-restrict, and self- report” without any state or federal oversight or enforcement.>click to read<
Tide turning on wearing safety gear – Campaign says lobstermen listening
On Wednesday, Carpenter stopped by the Everett R. Jodrey State Fish Pier to check out the 11 different varieties of personal flotation devices available for inspection and purchase as part of the Lifejackets for Lobstermen campaign being run by the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety. The campaign, designed to convince more commercial lobstermen to wear personal flotation devices while fishing, has spent the summer in 40 lobstering communities up and down the New England coast. Photo’s, >click to read< 15:18
NOAA Sets 2019 Management Measures for Northeast Groundfish, includes jointly managed stocks with Canada
We are approving Framework 58 and implementing new catch limits for seven groundfish stocks for the 2019 fishing year (May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2020), including the three stocks managed jointly with Canada. These revised catch limits are based upon the results of stock assessments conducted in 2018. >click to read< 14:37
Supply and Demand – Fishermen In Iceland Will Not Hunt Whales For The First Time In 17 Years
Fishermen from Iceland will not hunt whales this summer, this will the first year in 17 years that the fishermen will abandon the whale hunting season. Owners of fishery companies explained why they will be skipping this season, they said that the low demand for whale meat in countries like Japan has forced them to abandon the whale hunting season this year. Loftsson explained their decision, he said that this was all because of the low demand in the Japanese Market. But according to a captain, the real reason why fishermen were skipping this year’s hunting season is that the permit was not handed out in time. >click to read< 14:03
Warmer Northumberland Strait not good news for lobster fishery
As climate change warms the waters around Prince Edward Island, it could bring a new threat of disease to lobsters. University of Maine researcher Richard Wahle said his surveys of the waters around P.E.I. contain both good and bad news for the lobster fishery. There was good news in recent counts of baby lobster.,,, Warming waters around Rhode Island have led to shell disease and a drop in the lobster population there, he said. >click to read< 12:05
Hibernia platform shut down after oil spill off Newfoundland into the Atlantic Ocean
Production has stopped aboard the Hibernia oil platform off the coast of St. John’s after an undetermined amount of oil spilled from a storage cell into the water. An oil sheen was spotted Wednesday, and the company said in a news release that the spill was an “isolated activity.” In a separate release issued about six hours later, the company announced the rig had halted activity. >click to read< 09:13
Pacific City and Astoria honor their maritime heritage and culture with decades-old celebrations
In many towns along the Oregon Coast, boating isn’t just a livelihood or a means of recreation, but a way of life, the foundation that defines a community. In coming weeks, two towns will celebrate their maritime history with festivals that have been going strong, in one community, for decades; in the other, more than a century. In Pacific City, 2019 marks the 60th anniversary of Dory Days, which runs July 19-21. The festival opens Friday,,, Astoria is preparing for its 125th celebration of the Astoria Regatta, Aug. 7-10. >click to read< 08:43
LePage appeals to Trump on lobster regulations
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage sent a letter this week to President Trump opposing proposed regulations designed to protect endangered North Atlantic rights whales that LePage says will be detrimental to the state’s signature lobster industry. In his three-page letter, LePage called the proposal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reduce the number of end lines – the ropes that connect traps to buoys – by 50 percent “another federal overreach in response to big money environmentalists.” >click to read<08:05
PFMC plans transition for non-Indian commercial Area 2A halibut fishery; new season-setting process begins
The Pacific Fishery Management Council is requesting public comment on structuring the West Coast Area 2A non-Indian directed commercial halibut fishery for the upcoming year. The public is encouraged to comment at the September and November council meetings as management of this halibut fishery transitions from the International Pacific Halibut Commission, or IPHC, to the council. In June, the council committed to working closely with the IPHC and stakeholders on the transition. >click to read< 21:45
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