Daily Archives: October 8, 2020
To fight climate change, should we mine the deep sea?
Ancient rocks lie across vast fields miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Far from people, but not entirely out of reach, they contain metals such as cobalt, used in batteries for technology like electric cars. They are numerous, about the size of meatballs or potatoes, and formed over millions of years. These stones may hold a key to fighting climate change, according to a contingent of entrepreneurs who want to mine them. To wean the world off fossil fuels that worsen global warming, scientists say, will require a lot of batteries. Opponents argue that rushing into deep-sea mining risks destroying a pristine wilderness,,, Skeptics of the industry believe it is better to focus on improving mining conditions on land. >click to read< 17:25
Review Shows Irish Fishing Industry Buoyed By Exports But Brexit & Coronavirus Cast A Shadow
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s latest Annual Review and Outlook for the fisheries sector is a generally positive one, though tempered by the challenges of Brexit and the coronavirus. Published today, Thursday 8 October, the review cites CSO figures for 2019 which put the value of Irish seafood exports at €577 million with increases in the value of both salmon and mackerel, Ireland’s most valuable export catches. The coronavirus pandemic has seen similar challenges experienced across the fisheries and aquaculture sectors over the course of 2020 thus far. “Nonetheless, in spite of the difficulties, the fishing industry has continued to keep food in our shops and on our tables during this extraordinary time,” >click to read< 14:10
Real Estate Rent Seekers Furious: Trump Sinks USA’s Offshore Wind Industry
Never a fan of the wind industry, Donald Trump has just destroyed its prospects all along America’s Atlantic coast. Trump’s ban on offshore drilling for oil and gas, has the altogether brilliant side-effect of preventing any more offshore wind turbines from cluttering up the coastlines of several states from Florida to North Carolina, with his sights set on Virginia, as well. Trump’s ban on oil and gas extraction offshore will have little effect on America’s oil and gas sector. America’s shale oil and gas revolution, which has turned the USA into a net oil and gas exporter, is an exclusively onshore affair. But, as to be expected, the effect on its wind industry has sent rent seekers into apoplexy. >click to read< 10:37
Western Australia’s Crystal crabs immune to impact of coronavirus, selling for more than $300
The crabs are found in a thin trench of water, 80 kilometres off the Western Australia coast, at depths of 800 metres. West Coast Deep Sea Fishery takes to the pristine deep waters all year round in search of the product. Managing director Glen Bosman said he believed he had the best crystal crabs in the world. “Not arguably, it’s fact. We receive the highest price for that species of crab,” he said. The crystal crab is pale white in colour, with distinctly shorter walking legs, and can weigh more than two kilograms. “The crab sits in the middle of the table, is broken up, and then shared by a number or people because of its size. >click to read< 09:55
Commercial fishermen in Plaquemines Parish take financial hit after active hurricane season
A voluntary evacuation will go into effect Thursday at 3 p.m. for parts of Plaquemines Parish. You will once again see hundreds of boats in Safe Harbor in Empire on Wednesday night. It’s something commercial fishermen have had to do for storm after storm and they’ll tell you they had to take a big financial hit because of that this active hurricane season. . “Chaos, start up, shut down, start up, shut down. We’ve missed at least 31 days out of the season,” said Chance Lay, a commercial fisherman. “Barely, I’m barely sliding by,” Lay said. >video, click to read< 09:15
Hurricane Delta Public Advisory Notice
At 700 AM CDT, the center of Hurricane Delta was located by NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft near latitude 23.7 North, longitude 92.3 West. Delta is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this motion with a reduction in forward speed is expected today. A turn to the north is forecast to occur by late tonight, followed by a north- northeastward motion by Friday night. On the forecast track, the center of Delta will move over the central Gulf of Mexico today, and move inland within the hurricane warning area Friday afternoon or Friday night. >click to read< 08:10
