Daily Archives: March 14, 2021
Coast Guard medevacs a commercial fisherman 35 miles east of Nantucket
Coast Guard crews successfully medevaced of a 45-year-old fisherman from the 80-foot fishing vessel, Mariner, approximately 35 miles east of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Sunday. At 12:50 p.m., watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England Command Center were notified by the vessel captain who was concerned about a crewmember experiencing chest pains. photos, >click to read< 17:37
Icebreakers are clearing the way for early Snow crab season with less risk for right whales
New Brunswick’s lucrative snow crab industry is just weeks away from a head start to the season, could result in higher revenue and less risk for North Atlantic right whales. Icebreakers from the Canadian Coast Guard and contracted boats began clearing the waters near Shippagan and Caraquet on the Acadian Peninsula over the weekend. Gilles Thériault, who lives in Tracadie, said fishermen are thankful for the icebreakers. “The quicker we catch our quota, the less danger there is of whales being trapped into ropes,” he said. “We hope that the vast majority of the quota will be caught before the whales arrive.” >click to read< 15:43
Fishing Machine – The Fifth Endeavor from Macduff
The new trawler took shape only a few miles from Peter Lovie’s home and it sails with a local crew of ten, including his sons David, Ryan and Andrew. ‘It’s particularly satisfying that Endeavour V has a young crew,’ he said. The 34 metre LOA, 10.50 metre beam Endeavour V has he distinction of being 
the largest newbuild to emerge from Macduff Shipyards, as well as being the fifth Endeavour to be built for the same owners since the first to carry the name, a 21 metre single rigged with a wooden hull, was delivered in 1989. >click to read< Fishing Machine – A single skipper’s chair in a horseshoe console faces a bank of a group of three 55-inch 4K bridge monitors, forming a video wall managed through a touchscreen control system developed and installed by Woodsons, who supplied the full package of Endeavour V’s electronics. >click to read< New Hull Form – and a bit about propulsion, >click to read< 13:07
Lobstermen say proposed Right Whale rules are expensive, dangerous, and based on outdated data
During the final public hearings, Maine Department of Marine Resource Commissioner Patrick Keliher echoed a statement put out by Gov. Janet Mills earlier that week stating that “a one-size-fits-all approach in the state of Maine will not work.” Fishermen and environmentalists voiced concerns over the science federal regulators were using to make decisions, including the number of right whales alive today, how many have been harmed by entanglements or struck by ships and the effectiveness of proposed gear changes. “We all agree on one thing,” said Matt Gilley, a Harpswell lobsterman who spoke up at the virtual meeting. “That is that the data is flawed. In what direction, that remains to be seen.” >click to read< 11:10
Wreckage Removal on Hold! F/V American Challenger stuck on Marin coast until salvage funds identified
State and federal officials are wrapping up their emergency response to a wrecked fishing vessel on the northern Marin coast,,, Tom Cullen, administrator for the state Office of Spill Prevention and Response, was outwardly frustrated by the long-running discussions about the problem and, in particular, by the American Challenger — an uninsured boat from out of state on its way to be scuttled being towed by a tugboat that also was uninsured.,, Both the tugboat and the 1975 American Challenger are owned by Ship International Inc., whose principal, Felix Vera, are not able to fund the salvage. video, >click to read< 10:04
Saving salmon is a ruse for breaching our dams
In the early 1990s, our small group were researching environmental claims that the lower Snake River dams were devastating salmon runs. At that time, we learned about East Sand Island, a man-made island in the estuary of the Columbia River. This island was formed from dredging deposits in 1983. And by 1984 Caspian terns, cormorants and gulls, which had colonized the island, were feasting on salmon smolts. We thought: “Wow, this is an easy fix. Tear out a man-made island and save millions of endangered fish.” The environmentalists beat us to the punch. They filed in federal court to protect the island and the birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Now we have the largest nesting colony of these non-endangered birds in the world on a man-made island. >click to read< 08:38
