Daily Archives: June 4, 2021
Shrimp boat collision in Aransas Pass, Texas
In Aransas Pass, a shrimp boat crashed into a motorboat in the Aransas Pass harbor. The shrimping boat was the one to run over the smaller watercraft. Thankfully, no one was hurt. AP police said they do have a marine unit to patrol the harbor. If you find yourself in an emergency, dial 911. >click to watch video< 20:45
Morro Bay’s offshore wind farm is the new bullet train to nowhere
News outlets breathlessly reported the great news that California and the feds will build a 399 square mile floating wind farm to generate electricity. The farm will be located 17 to 40 miles offshore west and north of Morro Bay, and will generate a whopping 3 Giga Watts (3 GWh) of power, enough to power a million homes. Politicians and advocates trumpet this progress,,, Unfortunately, this is just another big sack of steaming, stinking, rotting BS that politicians hope to sell to Californians. Meanwhile, plans proceed to decommission Diablo Canyon in 2024, a plant that produced an average of 44.3 GWh/day in 2019 – that’s 14.8 wind farms, at 400 square miles each, for the greenies among us. Internet searches claim Diablo Canyon provides 10% of California’s daily electricity needs, which further searches list at somewhere between 450 and 800 GWh/day. >click to read< By Barry Hanson 16:03
Minister Jordan issues statement on cooperative path forward with Potlotek First Nation moderate livelihood fishery
“I am pleased to announce today that we have reached an understanding that will see Potlotek First Nation fishing for a moderate livelihood and selling their catch starting Saturday, June 5, 2021.” As an interim measure, we will be recognizing those harvesters designated under Potlotek’s plan to be authorized to fish 700 jakej (lobster) traps without adding additional access and during the established season underway in Lobster Fishing Areas 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31a – which is within the Unama’ki region and aligns with Potlotek’s identified traditional district. The Unama’ki region is one of the seven Mi’kmaq districts in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, and spans Cape Breton Island. >click to read< 14:19
High Court rules SFPA breached law withholding approval of new industry owned and operated conveyor/fish-weighing system
The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority had argued it had not refused, but rather “deferred”, approval for the weighing system, known as a flowscales, last December after the European Commission informed it the use of an industry-owned, operated and maintained weighing system would not be appropriate and the system must be owned, operated and used by a public body. In a judgment, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said there was no legal basis for the “ownership” concerns raised by the Commission about the system and it was significant the Authority had not sought to argue otherwise in the proceedings. >click to read< 12:48
Copper River District: As stocks decline, veteran harvesters want more answers, better enforcement of regulations
The harvest for the three openers to date totaled an estimated 60,127 fish, including 5,259 Chinook, 52,752 sockeye and 2,116 chum. All this comes as little surprise to veteran fishermen like Bill Webber, now in his 54th year as a commercial harvester. Why the run of the oil rich Copper River sockeyes and Chinooks has been so troubled in recent years has prompted a lot of speculation. The situation has a lot of fishermen in the Cordova area pondering what possible role Northern Edge military exercises in the Gulf of Alaska, climate change and other fishermen upriver, particularly near spawning grounds, are playing. >click to read< 10:55
The Last Watermen
In April 2002, the city ordered Alexander “Skip” Parkinson, a crabber, to leave his permanent slip under its first-come, first-served docking policy, making him the last waterman, and his boat the last workboat, at City Dock.,, One Saturday last August, I paddleboarded from Spa Creek in Annapolis to Back Creek in Eastport, landed on Cap’n Herbie Sadler Watermen’s Park,, There, I met Pat Mahoney, Jr., the “last waterman of Annapolis.” Mahoney not only owns Wild Country, along with his father, Pat Mahoney Sr., but he catches the seafood they sell and takes great pride in keeping the “last waterman” title in the family. For him, the word means more than just making a living from the Bay. “It’s about keeping a tradition alive, adapting to challenges, and loving the water,” says Mahoney. >click to read< 10:15
William S. Maloney, affectionately known as “Cow Farmer”, has passed away in Port Clyde
William S. Maloney, 56, died peacefully in Port Clyde, May 22, 2021. Billy had many interests. His work ranged from dairy farming and gardening, to logging, forestry, and many things in between. In 2001, Billy completed a firefighter training with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Billy loved flying planes and worked at the Rutland airport. For the last seven years Billy worked with lobsterman Justin Thompson of the “Ruthless” in Port Clyde, Maine where he was affectionately known as “Cow Farmer.” >click to read< 08:50
Maine Man Pleads Guilty to Making Hoax Distress Call
On December 3, 2020, while at the Spruce Head Fisherman’s Co-op, Nathan Libby, 31, communicated a false distress call for a vessel and crew reportedly taking on water in the vicinity of Spruce Head. In response, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search lasting more than five hours, which included the use of a local Coast Guard vessel, a Maine Marine Patrol vessel, and a helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. Further investigation identified Libby as the caller and the search was suspended as a hoax call. >click to read< 07:39
