Al Townsend was introduced to salmon fishing in Newport by his Grandfather, Clarence Faulkner. By 1980, he had begun his career as a commercial salmon fisherman in Newport. He was the owner/operator of the F/V Sunwest. After the total closure of salmon fishing for the year 2006, he became one of the first participants in the NOAA CROOS program, and for several years was one of the top providers of salmon DNA and scale samples for scientists studying the migration patterns of Chinook Salmon along the Oregon coast. . >click to read< 10:06
Daily Archives: May 4, 2021
France threatens to cut off the power to Jersey as leverage point in fishing rights dispute over UK water access
Responding to questions in the national assembly, Annick Girardin, the minister for maritime affairs, said she was “revolted” by the UK government’s behaviour over its waters and France was ready to retaliate. The British crown dependency of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, relies on “the transmission of electricity by underwater cable”, Girardin said as she was questioned by assembly members, raising the supply as a point of leverage. “I would regret it if we were to get there,” the minister said, but “we will do so if we have to.” >click to read< 22:44
L.D. 101: Commercial fishermen and their supporters seek total ban on offshore wind farms
The bill would prohibit any state agency from permitting or approving any offshore wind energy project regardless of its location. It was introduced by Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, a commercial fisherman,,, The testimony on L.D. 101 from lobstermen, their families and town officials from fishing communities drew a clear line in the sand,,, In his testimony, Rep. Faulkingham said offshore wind was the worst kind of green energy, calling it up to five times more expensive than market prices, a threat to sea birds and mammals that would eventually take up an area four times larger than Casco Bay and enrich foreign corporations with taxpayer money. Nuclear power and Canadian hydro are better options,, >click to read< 19:23
Video: Spring lobster season officially underway on P.E.I.
The spring lobster season on P.E.I. officially got underway Tuesday after a four-day delay due to weather. Boats in Lobster Fishing Area 26A, the southeast, left at 6 a.m. while those in LFA 24, on the North Shore, started at 9 a.m. Many fishing captains hire extra help on setting day, when the boats are loaded with traps. They will begin pulling the traps on Wednesday. Erin Bagloe, who fishes out of Red Head Harbour, said he prefers to get going at 6 a.m. but agreed with the decision to delay. Video, >click to read< 15:55
Energy giant to hold forum with fishermen over cross-Sound cable route on Wednesday
The meeting, which is closed to the media, will address concerns by some fishermen,,, The route, as proposed by Equinor, the Norwegian energy giant, will extend more than 150 miles from windmills in the waters off Massachusetts to an electrical station in Astoria, traversing the entire Long Island Sound. Some fishermen saying the buried cable is unlikely to pose problems. The company says the route was hammered out after meeting with individual or small groups of fishermen over the past half year. Arthur Kretchmer, a Mattituck fisherman who operates a trawler on the Sound, said he had not become aware of the planned cable until a few weeks ago. “Anything they put in the water is a problem,” he said. He’s opposed to wind turbines on the water, which could force impacted fishermen to compete in the Sound. “I’m asking them not to put these windmills up.” >click to read< 13:54
#OpposeOceanIndustrialization: Floating structure design for offshore solar plant
Norwegian independent research organization Sintef has been tasked by Norwegian energy giant Equinor, and Vollsveien-based engineering specialist Moss Maritime, a unit of Italian gas contractor Saipem, with testing a model of a prototype of an offshore floating solar plant that Equinor and Saipem want to bring to offshore waters.,,“If we succeed here, we can succeed anywhere,” said, in January, Hanne Wigum, the head of Equinor’s solar and wind tech unit. >click to read< 12:14
Fishermen accuse wind farm giant of bullying in compensation row
North Norfolk fishermen say they are fearful for their future, after Ørsted, the Danish energy giant behind Hornsea Project Three took out a High Court injunction to prevent them from temporarily fishing in certain areas while it carried out surveys. The energy giant says it has always aimed to “work collaboratively with fishermen” held numerous discussions with the fishing community and legal action was a “last resort.” ,,, John Davies, chairman of the NNFS, who had been involved in talks with Ørsted on behalf of the society said: “We’re just pushed and sidelined out the way by the big multinational company. >click to read< 09:10
Nova Scotia lobster dispute. New year, new dispute
A Supreme Court ruling noted that Indigenous peoples have an inherent right to hunt and fish to earn a “moderate living” although what that phrase meant was never determined. In Nova Scotia, Indigenous groups have said the ruling means they can fish whenever they want. Commercial fishers say the established limited seasons must be respected for conservation reasons and are angered at the out of season fishing by Indigenous groups. Often not mentioned is the addition to the Supreme Court ruling which noted that the Indigenous rights were not absolute and limitations could be made for conservation needs and other limited “compelling and substantial public objectives”. >click to read< 07:38
