Monthly Archives: August 2020
Hurricane Laura Public Advisory: Winds Increasing as Extremely Dangerous Hurricane Takes Aim at the Northwest Gulf Coast
At 700 PM CDT (0000 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 28.4 North, longitude 92.9 West. On the forecast track, Laura will approach the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland within that area tonight. The center of Laura is forecast to move over northwestern Louisiana tomorrow, across Arkansas Thursday night, and over the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday. >click to read< 21:06
To the great people of Texas, and Louisiana, we are praying for you, and with you tonight. God Bless everyone.
USDA trade aid for lobster industry using coronavirus coffers
The Trump administration is committed to starting an aid program to help the struggling lobster industry, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Wednesday, but the funds to do so will come from the coronavirus stimulus package, not the aid used to bail out farmers after President Trump’s trade war with China. The lobster industry, like many others during the coronavirus outbreak, has seen losses as markets on cruise ships and restaurants evaporate.,, Trump has began paying considerable attention to Maine’s lobster industry starting this summer, traveling to Bangor in June to announce he would reverse protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. >click to read< 18:07
Charter Crew Rescues Kitten Struggling To Stay Afloat In The Gulf
Charter boat crew members are being hailed as heroes for rescuing a kitten that was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico,, Still Flyin Charters out of Orange Beach, Alabama, set out for a day of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico near Perdido Pass when the crew spotted something bobbing in the water. At first they thought it was a sea turtle, but once they realized it was a kitten they turned around to rescue it. The exhausted ginger kitten clung to the net that scooped him out of the sea and was pictured still grasping the pole once he was safe on the boat. He was wrapped in a towel and three boys took turns cuddling with him until they returned to shore. One person commented, “You just taught those boys a powerful lesson about empathy.” photos, >click to read< 14:34
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 39’11″X19′ Novi Lobster Boat
To review specifications, information and 31 photos, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 13:08:14
Laura Strengthens Into a Major Hurricane – Hurricane Laura Public Advisory
At 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Laura was locatednear latitude 26.4 North, longitude 91.4 West. Laura is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h) and this general motion should continue today, followed by a north-northwestward motion tonight. On the forecast track, Laura should approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland near those areas tonight or Thursday morning. >click to read< 08:12
Fire destroys a shrimp boat following an explosion, man injured, flown to UNC Burn Center
Carteret County Fire Marshal Eddie Lewis said George Thomas Guthrie, 56, who lives near Mill Creek, and his crew were loading gear on a 35-foot shrimp boat docked at Jones Fish House off Broad Creek Loop Road when the boat exploded and caught fire. Mr. Guthrie was the only person onboard at the time of the explosion. His father, Phillip Guthrie, was standing nearby on the dock and was reportedly thrown back when the boat exploded, but had no serious injuries, according to Mr. Lewis. The fire marshal further said the family loaded George Guthrie into a vehicle and transported him to Carteret Health Care in Morehead City for initial treatment. There was no further word on George Guthrie’s condition as of Tuesday afternoon. >click to read< 07:26
New Fishing Boat Launched In Nelson Bay
THE newest Licenced Fishing Boat (LFB) has arrived in the Bay after a twenty year journey. Built in the Bay in times when the fleet has been shrinking, the Coralie is a testament to the quality of our local businesses that have risen to the challenge of a new build. It is important in these times to maintain food security and the fishing fleet is one aspect of our nations food security. The trawler was built over a 20 year period by locals Ted and Brad Mcleay. It was finally launched successfully at d’Albora Marina’s Nelson Bay. >click to read< 06:22
As the press ignores the real issues, Lobster fisher’s pro-Trump speech sets off political spat
A Maine lobster fisher spoke in favor of President Donald Trump’s trade policies during the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, earning a rebuke from the state’s Democratic party,,, Swan Island lobster harvester Jason Joyce said he was skeptical of Trump in 2016 and didn’t support him then, but has since come around because of the president’s trade deals.,, Trumps trade hostilities with China have taken a valuable market away from the U.S. lobster industry, Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra said. But the industry faces numerous challenges, including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the seafood business, the trade fight with China, a stubborn bait shortage and new protections designed to reduce risk to endangered whales. >click to read< 05:16
Jason Joyce Full speech RNC Day 2, Republican National Convention – an excellent testimonial, Jason. Thank you for being a truth teller. >Click to watch<
Opinion: Been a lot about the Observer Program out there lately. My question is, why are they needed?!!
When our boats come to unload their catch, NOAA people are there to report their landings, and if they caught too much haddock, cod or flounder, or other species that are not allowed, the owner could face a fine. Of course, Electronic monitoring is an alternative to that. This would show what they caught each and every tow, thus not needing an observer that many can’t afford, and second it should be a NOAA financial obligation, not placed on our fishermen. There are so few of them left. There is a lot to think about, but the bottom line is, it should be a financial obligation of the government to harvest the government required data. Thank You, Sam Parisi, Gloucester 19:15
Seattle Entrepreneur and Unalaska Businessman to Start Flight Co-op Between Unalaska and Anchorage
The community of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor has been without reliable air service since a fatal plane crash on the island late last year. Now, two people are promoting a new idea that they say could help address the community’s persistent travel problems: a flight co-op to protect people flying between Anchorage and Unalaska. Their goal is to sign up 5,000 corporate clients and individuals before launching, Chaffetz said. With that many people, he said airlines that fly between Unalaska and Anchorage would be forced to listen. “By creating a membership, kind of like a Costco,,, >click to read< 17:27
Anti-Commercial Fishing Lawsuit demands NC coastal fishing reforms
The N.C. Coastal Fisheries Reform Group, a nonprofit organization, has said the degradation of marine fisheries is the most significant environmental issue facing the state, and it is going to court to seek change. Joe Albea, a spokesman for the organization, said that “vast schools of croaker and gray trout all over North Carolina in the sounds and along the beach” were present in the 1970s and ’80s. “Through the years we have lost those great schools of fish,” he said. Brent Fulcher, whose fishing vessel, the Micah Bell, is named as a defendant“,, Glenn Skinner, executive director of the trade group the N.C. Fisheries Association, believes the lawsuit is without merit. >click to read< 14:44
New Brunswick: US company plans to build a lobster distribution warehouse in Bayside, upsetting some neighbors.
Little Bay Lobster of Newington, N.H., is proposing a 2,300-square-metre building that can hold as much as 300,000 pounds of live lobster. Owner, Jonathan Shafmaster says the company has been looking for a spot to set up in New Brunswick for over two years. “We have run out of space and we can’t expand,” Shafmaster said. “We buy a lot of lobsters in Canada and you have a very well-managed fishery.” He said Little Bay Lobster buys over two million pounds of Canadian lobsters annually, and the majority of the crustaceans sent to the Bayside warehouse will come from this country. But the proposed location for the metal-clad building, on a former gravel pit property on the St. Croix River, has Gary McDougall in a boil. His home would look down on the building. >click to read< 10:07
Mayday – Mayday – Mayday: Tuna boat throws curveballs to new owners
The last thing any fisherman ever wants to do is place a mayday call because their boat is sinking, but for Capt. Adam Hall and the F/V Tommy John, that’s exactly what happened late in the night on Saturday, July 25, about a 20-hour voyage off the south Washington coast. Hall and boat co-owner Greg Surgener of Southern California-based Surgener Fisheries sank big dollars into purchasing the Tommy John, moored at the time in San Diego. The duo wanted to find a boat to tuna and crab fish and felt the 50-footer was the right fit for their needs. Named for retired four-time Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher Tommy John, nicknamed “The Bionic Man,” the vessel was specifically built for tuna 40 years ago. >click to read< 08:48
Marco now a Tropical Depression, Laura expected to Strengthen into a Hurricane today
Marco – Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. Additional weakening is expected,,, This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on Marco. >click to read< Tropical Storm Laura – On the forecast track, the center of Laura will move away from Cuba and over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico this morning. Laura is then forecast to move over the central and northwestern Gulf of Mexico tonight and Wednesday, approach the Upper Texas and Southwest Louisiana coasts on Wednesday night and move inland near those area on Thursday. >click to read< 08:01
John C. Gowie, a distant water skipper and fishing journalist has passed away
John C. Gowie, the former technical editor of Scottish Fishing Weekly, sadly passed away recently. A former fisherman from Aberdeen, his love of fishing and everything related to the industry always shone through, as did his compassion and wonderful sense of humour. After retiring from sea, he became Scottish Fishing Weekly’s technical editor in 1989. Based in Aberdeen, John covered a wide range within his work. As well as boat reviews and general reporting from the East Coast, he wrote the popular ‘Gearbox’ column, where he looked at technical issues facing the successful operation of a fishing vessel. ‘John lived and breathed the fishing industry and was very proud to have served and contributed on all levels. He and his wife Sheila had five children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. >click to read< 19:06
Feds distribute first of 322 dormant commercial fishing licences to Maritime First Nations
The federal government has started to distribute dormant, or “banked,” commercial fishing licences to First Nations in the Maritimes to finally implement a 1999 Supreme Court ruling that First Nations are entitled to earn a moderate livelihood from the fishery. The first 10 “banked licences”, out of a pool of 322 available in the Maritimes, were issued this month to Elsipogtog and Esgenoôpetitj First Nations in New Brunswick as part of historic Rights and Reconciliation Agreements signed in August 2019.,, The pool of 322 banked licences cover a wide variety of species including lobster, scallop, swordfish, herring and oysters. The total breakdown per province: 99 licences in Nova Scotia, 122 in New Brunswick and 101 in Prince Edward Island. There is a complete list,,, >click to read< 17:34
New Jersey family fighting for return of fisherman jailed in British Virgin Islands
His family is now scrambling to free him, including asking the U.S. government and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for help,,, According to the British Virgin Islands Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, on June 8, Fisherman Michael Foy, 60, of Stafford Township, was caught in territorial waters near Peter Island and Norman Island by Her Majesty’s Customs. Foy was the captain of the commercial fishing vessel Rebel Lady, which was carrying 7,000 pounds of fish. Also on board were Indonesian nationals, who could not speak English and were holders of C-11 transit visas, which are only applicable to persons working on a fishing vessel. >click to read< 15:15
Brexit fishing victory: UK sector to explode after leaving EU as thousands of jobs created
THE UK Government should ignore the current small percentage of GDP that Britain’s fishing industry accounts for due to the fact it will soar after Brexit according to the Chairman of Lowestoft Fish Market Alliance. The UK’s fishing industry has the potential to grow from around 0.5 percent of Britain’s GDP to 3.5 if zonal attachment is reintroduced after the post-Brexit transition period. Mr Lines added that Britain’s coastal communities will thrive off having a fishery and it may result in thousands of jobs created within the fishing sector. >click to read< 14:00
Fire crews fight Port Stanley boat fire that caused $750,000 in damage, man arrested
Police and firefighters responded to the town’s harbour shortly before midnight Saturday after receiving reports a commercial fishing vessel was on fire, Const. Troy Carlson, a spokesperson for Elgin OPP, said. Officers arrested a 19-year-old man, who remained in custody Sunday afternoon. No charges had been laid as of then. Video captured by Chris Gregurovic showed the boat, called Lady Pietra, fully engulfed in flames, smoke billowing from the top of the vessel and firefighters attempting to put out the blaze. >click to read< 09:35
UPDATED: Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura Advisories
At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Laura was located near latitude 20.9 North, longitude 79.7 West. Laura is moving toward the west-northwest near 21 mph (33 km/h), and this general motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next couple of days. >click to read< 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Marco was located near latitude 28.1 North, longitude 88.4 West. Marco is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph (17 km/h). Marco is forecast to approach the coast of Louisiana this afternoon, and then turn westward and move very close to the coast of Louisiana through Tuesday night. >click to read< 08:15
Crabber combines old methods with social media to sell his catch
Every morning, just as the sun rises over the marsh, Trevon Baum motors his aging boat named Bubba down a canal to Buzzard Bay on his way to catch crabs. He props his smart phone up on a bushel basket lid at the bow of the boat so nearly 2,500 friends can watch on Facebook live. “I get my orders as I am out working.” Fans watch him as he stands at his rudder stick and guides the boat to 150 crab pots, boxed-shaped wire traps that rest on the bottom. “I’m building a clientele,” he said. photo gallery, >click to read< 18:04
Maine lobsterman to address Republican National Convention
Eighth-generation lobsterman Jason Joyce of Swan’s Island will address the Republican National Convention on Tuesday as President Donald Trump prioritizes Maine and its most iconic industry in an election year. Joyce, 50, is the only Mainer with a speaking slot at the convention, according to a list provided by the Trump campaign on Sunday. He will speak on the second day of the four-day convention,, Joyce said his address would be pre-recorded from Washington, D.C., but that he couldn’t speak longer with a reporter because of a tight travel schedule. He is expected to speak in favor of Trump’s trade and fisheries policies. >click to read< 16:26
Tropical Storm Media Advisories for Laura and Marco
Marco expected to become a Hurricane today as it enters the Central Gulf Of Mexico, Life-Threatening storm surge and Hurricane Force Winds expected along portions of the Gulf Coast,, >click to read< Tropical Storm Laura – Heavy Rainfall and life threatening Flash Flooding over Portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti,, >click to read< 12:10
“Hundreds if not thousands of jobs,,, New Bedford about to become hub for offshore wind
The state has announced lease agreements with Vineyard Wind and Mayflower Wind at the facility from 2023 to 2027, and are worth more than $32.5 million. “These are the two first projects that Massachusetts is involved in and they’re going to be staged their construction project from New Bedford,” New Bedford Port Authority Director Edward Anthes-Washburn said. The two 800 megawatt offshore wind projects will be over 15 miles off the East Coast, but the turbines and equipment needed to build them will be set up at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, video, >click to read< 10:50
Mitchell: Delays to wind projects have hurt New Bedford’s ‘first mover’ status – In this article, New Bedford Mayor Mitchell is concerned the port has missed the wind farm port development opportunity of being the lead development port of all ports! Mitchell said Friday that in some ways the delays to Vineyard Wind’s project have diminished the city’s “first mover” status in the offshore wind industry, which he called unfortunate. >click to read< 15:25
The fishing industry is expendable,,,
N.S. lobster fisherman’s buoy ends up in Massachusetts 5 years after another landed in Norway!
On Wednesday, David Fanning spotted what he thought was a bright yellow beach ball washed ashore outside of his home. His wife walked down to the beach to get a closer look. Included on the buoy was a seven-digit phone number and the name Terry Saulnier.,, Saulnier said he lost the buoy last December or January. “I just told my wife I’m starting to be [buoy] famous,” he said. The lobster fisherman said he uses 42 buoys and loses around a half-dozen a year, but usually gets most of them back. photos, >click to read< 08:17
Trump set to block controversial Pebble Mine
The Army Corps of Engineers office in Alaska is planning to hold a conference call on Monday with groups connected to the proposed mine discuss the decision,,, Corps officials will say outstanding technical issues with a key permit remain, the people said, adding they anticipate Trump will then follow with a public statement opposing the project. The people said they’re not entirely sure what form Trump’s disavowal will take, although they said it is more likely to come as a rejection of the Army Corps of Pebble’s water permits rather than a veto from EPA, which earlier this year indicated it would not exercise that power. >click to read< 06:30
Captain forms bond with Red Eye the seagull he saved while out at sea – Its really a Love Story!
It can be a lonely job pulling lobster traps way out in the middle of the Gulf of Maine. But for 15 years, Captain John Makowsky had company, a faithful companion. In fact, he says maybe a little too faithful. “She comes right up to the window and looking at me this far away,” said Makowsky, as he puts his hand to his face and starts laughing. “Just staring at me.” Makowsky’s stalker “gull-friend,” who he named Red Eye, showed up one day in 2005 and basically never left, until a few months ago when Red Eye suffered a leg injury. He knew a seagull couldn’t live long like that. >Video, click to read<, and another story, with photos, >click here< 16:12
Kodiak Fisherman will Plead Guilty to Federal Charges for Falsifying Fishing Records, a Lacey Act violation
James Aaron Stevens, 46, of Kodiak, will plead guilty to one count of false labeling, a Lacey Act violation, for knowingly submitting false records concerning the locations and regulatory areas where fish were harvested. According to admissions made in connection with the plea, Stevens, the owner and operator of F/V Alaskan Star and F/V Southern Seas out of Kodiak, falsely reported individual fishing quota (IFQ) halibut and IFQ sablefish between 2014 and 2017. Specifically, Stevens knowingly falsified International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) logbooks, Daily Fishing Logbooks, Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish tickets, and landing reports to show that fishing gear had been deployed in areas where the vessels did not fish, and omitted areas in which the fish were actually harvested. In addition to his falsified logbooks, the investigation further revealed that Stevens maintained the accurate fishing information in a separate, personal log. >click to read< 13:21
National Hurricane Center Advisories for the Atlantic- Tropical Storm Laura, and Tropical Storm Marco
Tropical Storm Laura Public Advisory – Tropical Storm Laura Advisory Number 11, NWS National Hurricane Center, 1100 AM AST Sat Aug 22 2020 >click to read<Tropical Storm Marco Advisory Number 9, NWS National Hurricane Center, Miami FL, 1000 AM CDT Sat Aug 22 2020 …MARCO STRENGTHENING QUICKLY… FORECAST TO BECOME A HURRICANE LATER TODAY… >click to read< 12:37
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) set port condition X-Ray, – for the ports of Tampa to Fort Myers at 12:00 p.m. Saturday, due to the expectation of Tropical Storm Laura generating sustained gale force winds within 48 hours >click to read<
ADF&G sockeye numbers questioned amid large pink salmon run
Joe Hanes has been on the river since 1969 and has operated a guide service on the river since 1986. He says he’s seen an apparent disconnect between the department’s numbers and the conditions in the river for around 15 years, especially on even-numbered years when Kenai sees a dramatically larger run of pink salmon. “A lot of people think they’re going to come down here and catch sockeye salmon because the department said over 300,000, or well over 200,000 sockeye came in the river the last few days,” Hanes said. “As we can see, they’re all pinks.” ADF&G Division of Commercial Fisheries operates theKenai Riverat river mile 19 of the Kenai River. >click to read< 11:19
