Daily Archives: August 4, 2020
Happy 230th Birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard!
The United States Coast Guard celebrates its 230th birthday today. The Coast Guard was created on August 4, 1790, when the first Congress authorized Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton to construct ten vessels, known as “revenue cutters,” to combat smuggling and enforce tariff laws. Hamilton carried out his charge with enthusiasm, which is why he is considered to be “the father of the Coast Guard.” For the next eight years, the Coast Guard was the United States’ only armed maritime force. >click to read< 21:16
Coronavirus Uncertainties: NOAA Cancels Four Fisheries and Ecosystem Surveys for 2020
Due to the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique challenges those are creating for NOAA Fisheries, we are cancelling four research surveys off the East and Gulf Coast of the United States. The cancelled surveys include: Autumn Bottom Trawl Survey (NEFSC), Summer Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (NEFSC), Northern Shrimp Survey (NEFSC), Summer and Fall Plankton Survey (SEFSC). These are difficult decisions for the agency as we strive to balance our need to maintain core mission responsibilities with the realities and impacts of the current health crisis. >click to read< 18:33
Beaufort boat captain who helped start famed Shrimp Shack dies
A longtime Beaufort shrimper who helped spawn a must-stop Lowcountry food destination died Monday. Robert “Bob” Upton, 82, was surrounded by family at his marshfront home of more than 60 years on St. Helena Island when he died, Upton, with his wife Hilda Gay Upton, started the Shrimp Shack on Sea Island Parkway in 1978,,, He trawled the waters off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina for more than 40 years before retiring in 2004. One of his boats, “Miss Hilda,” made a cameo in the hit movie “Forrest Gump.” and the load of shrimp that actor Tom Hanks drops on the deck after the film’s hurricane scene was bought from Gay Fish Co. Video, >click to read< 16:37
Hitchhiking honeymooners hitch a 9,200km trawler ride – Fishermen, honeymooners back in NZ after voyage from Falkland Islands
A New Zealand honeymoon couple stranded on the remote Falkland Islands in March because of the coronavirus have managed to return home by hitching a ride of more than 9,200 kilometers on an Antarctic fishing boat. Skipper Shane Cottle said he was a bit nervous at first about taking the couple on his 38-meter vessel San Aotea II, along with the crew of 14. >click to read< Fishermen, honeymooners back in NZ after voyage from Falkland Islands – Fifty-nine days after it departed Timaru on a mission to retrieve stranded fishermen from the Falkland Islands, the San Aotea II returned to the port on Tuesday morning – its passengers and crew ecstatic to finally be home. >click to read, and timeline of events< 14:52
Want The World’s Most Expensive & Unreliable Electricity? Try Offshore Wind Power
The true cost of chaotically intermittent wind power is staggering; the cost of offshore wind power is astronomical. The capital cost of spearing these things offshore is multiples greater than doing so and some dimwitted farmer’s back paddock. Recouping that capital cost means that offshore wind power is 25 times more expensive than coal, gas or nuclear. Jonathan Lesser runs the numbers below, in relation to a herd of colossal white elephants just waiting to be let loose along America’s Atlantic coast. ,,, and someone said they weren’t opposed but wants to work with them!!!>click to read< 12:02
DMF begins process of distributing federal CARES Act relief to fishing and seafood industries
The Division of Marine Fisheries has begun the process to distribute federal disaster relief that Congress and the President approved to mitigate the financial impacts to marine fisheries participants that have suffered at least a 35% loss of revenue due to the ongoing pandemic. In the days ahead, some Massachusetts permit holders in certain sectors will be receiving mailed applications. In March, the CARES Act provided $300 million of aid for the seafood industry with $27.8 million coming to Massachusetts, the third highest of all coastal states. The funds were allocated among the states based on the relative contributions to the economy of four distinct sectors: commercial fishing, marine aquaculture, seafood processing, and for-hire (party and charter boats) fishing businesses. >click to read< 10:14
REPORT: Shocking results from seismic research
According to the report, which French seismic company CGG participated in, whiting catches fell by 95% and flathead 75% from January to July compared with the prior six months. While the report is preliminary, and just the first of a four-stage study into seismic acquisition and the effect it has on marine life, it paints a concerning picture for the offshore oil and gas sector as it backs up speculation by fishing companies that seismic acquisition can damage marine habitats.,, The environmental impact of seismic surveys on the marine environment is a hotly contested one, with the oil and gas industry noting it was key to securing exploration, and the fishing industry concerned it is losing catches immediately after surveys are conducted. >click to read< 09:24
New England: Judge Says He’ll Decide Within 2 Weeks When Feds Issue New Right Whale Protection Rules
The federal government and the lobster industry say any change should wait until May 2021 to allow for full review and public comment on new rules once they are proposed. In oral arguments before U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg Monday, their lawyers argued that the courts should not be in the business of micro-managing the fishery.,, The conservation groups are also calling for an immediate and year-round ban on fishing with rope in an area off Nantucket where the whales have been congregating in recent years. But a lawyer for the Maine Lobstering Union, Alfred Frawley, argued that would cause unwarranted economic harm, because the whales are known to be present mostly for a limited period in the spring. >click to read< 08:14
