Daily Archives: February 27, 2021
A century before civil rights, Black oystermen in Suffolk forged economic independence
One by one, 6 feet apart, the many granddaughters and friends of Marie Hill climbed the three brick steps of her porch in mid-February to pay their respects. They waved through the front door of the Suffolk home where Hill had lived for more than 80 years. “Happy birthday to you. Happy 100th birthday to you,” For multiple generations, Hill’s family, including her husband, Ernest Hill, Jr., had oystered out of Chuckatuck Creek. At its peak in 1910, the village was home to nearly 500 people. With money earned working farms and once-prosperous oyster beds, Hobson residents were able to live in relative independence. photos, >click to read< 17:32
Festival that supports the Bodega Bay fishing fleet missing community
Since 1973 the Bodega Bay community has hosted an annual Fisherman’s Festival,, The blessing of the Fishing Fleet is the highlight of the Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival. These solemn annual blessings had their start more than 50 years ago when the event was part of the “Discovery Days Celebration”,,, It is with much regret that we cancel the 2021 edition of the Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival (as well as our 2020 festival). While we remain hopeful that Sonoma County continues to gain ground against the coronavirus threat, at this moment hosting the festival on its traditional Spring date creates too great of a risk for our volunteers, vendors, and guests. >click to read< 15:32
Microplastic Pollution: Study points at ship antifouling coatings as a significant source
In a new study, a team of environmental chemists found indications that ships may be leaving behind a trail of plastic particles in their wake. “Our hypothesis is that ships leave a kind of ‘skid mark’ in the water which is of similar significance as a source of microplastics as tire wear particles from cars are on land,”,,, The common consumer packaging plastics were seen near the coastline. However, in the open North Sea and the Elbe Estuary, particularly along the main shipping lanes, the composition differed. These plastics are not commonly used in packaging materials and likely came from a different source. “We believe that these particles originate from ship coatings,,,, >click to read< 13:11
F/V Scandies Rose: Expert witnesses point to flawed stability calculations
When the Scandies Rose sank on New Year’s Eve of 2019, fishermen from all over Alaska were shocked. Five of the crew perished when the ship rolled onto its side, along with the ship’s captain Gary Cobban. Two crewmembers were rescued from a life raft by a Coast Guard helicopter crew.,, This week, the Coast Guard convened a Marine Board investigation into the cause of the sinking. So far, expert witnesses have described serious problems with the boat’s stability report, which is a rating of how stable the vessel is and how much equipment it can bear. And those issues might extend to many other fishing boats around Alaska. >Audio, click to read/listen< 09:54
Innovation in Survival
In simplest terms, when deployed in the water, a life jacket gives the casualty time to survive and reduces time for location and recovery. Flotation is the first obvious tool in survival. Spinlock dynamic bladders are designed to lift and rotate a casualty on to their back, holding the mouth above water and the body at a 45-degree angle to the horizontal, even if they are unconscious.,, On inflation of the life jacket the spray hood is simple to deploy.,,, the only SOLAS approved life jacket light that lifts the powerful led light above the user’s head, making the light visible for 360 degrees rather than only from the front of the casualty. >click to read< 07:50
