Daily Archives: June 14, 2021
Defense argues accused lobster boat captain had right of way in boat fatality
The defence lawyer for lobster boat captain Clarence Barry White argued his client had the right of way the day two boats collided, killing two people. “Captain White had the right of way,” Casey told Justice Gregory Cann, in connection with the incident June 9, 2018 in water off Beach Point, P.E.I. “The events were tragic, but you should find they were not criminal.” Casey recounted what the defence contends are key facts from the incident, in which White’s boat, Forever Chasin’ Tail, collided with Joel ’98, killling two of the five people on that vessel: Justin MacKay and Chris Melanson. White’s boat approached the other from starboard. According to the rules of boating, he had the right of way, Casey told court. Court has heard White’s boat was on autopilot,,, >click to read< Marine Transportation Safety Investigation M18A0185 – Collision and Sinking, Forever Chasin’ Tail , and Joel ’98 The following is a summary of a Category 5 occurrence for which the TSB dispatched a team of investigators. The investigation is now complete. >click to read< 20:05
Maine’s having a lobster boom. A bust may be coming.
The waters off Maine’s coast are warming, and no one knows what that’s going to mean for the state’s half-billion-dollar-a-year lobster industry, the largest single-species fishery in North America. Some fear that continued warming could cause the lobster population to collapse. The Gulf of Maine, an ocean body brimming with marine life, is cradled by Cape Cod in the south and the Bay of Fundy in the north, and bounded in the east by two underwater shoals, George’s Bank and Brown’s Bank. In 2015, climate scientist Andy Pershing, formerly of the Portland-based nonprofit Gulf of Maine Research Institute, published a paper in Science concluding that the gulf was warming faster than “99% of the global ocean.” That eye-popping revelation was enough to keep fisheries managers and a whole lot of Mainers awake at night. >click to read< 16:27
Research concludes after years of studying the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its effects in the Gulf
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, a consortium of 17 institutions in six countries, was funded through a $500 million grant from BP. The money was spent on a variety of studies, looking at both the Deepwater Horizon incident itself, and also the long-term ecological impacts.,, Steve Murawski is with the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, which was a leader in the multinational project. The biggest takeaway, he said, is that we weren’t ready for this event. They didn’t have the technology to cap a runaway well, a mile deep, and the government wasn’t prepared,” >click to read< 14:01
Fishermen to stage protest in Dublin to highlight threat to income from Brexit and EU fish quota cuts
The protest will take place on Wednesday, June 23 and will include boats from Dublin, Louth, Donegal, Wexford, Waterford, Kerry, Cork and other counties.,, Irish fishing groups warned their livelihoods are now at stake because of quota cutbacks and the impact of the Brexit deal. “We want a renegotiation of EU Common Fisheries Policy so that Ireland is allocated a fair share of fish quotas that reflect the contribution of our fishing grounds to the EU,” a spokesperson said. Irish fishermen have also demanded that traditional access to fishing grounds around Rockall be reinstated immediately. >click to read< 10:50
Retired Lobsterman Dennis Winthrop Norton of Martha’s Vineyard has passed away
Dennis was born on Oct. 16, 1945, in Vineyard Haven, and grew up in a bygone era of simple Island life. He was the son of Mildred Harriett Legg and Winthrop Mayhew Norton, A typical Island guy, Dennis was drawn to the water. He was a lobsterman, first out of a Novi skiff, then upgraded to the lobster boat Sea Foam out of Menemsha. In 1995, he purchased a new lobster boat, the Linda D. Normally not seeking the limelight, both he and Linda had a grand christening that summer during a spectacular Menemsha sunset, which was enjoyed by all attendees. The term “gentle giant” comes to mind for many islanders. He was just a soft-spoken, kindhearted man. >click to read< 09:10
Father and son keep their family fishing tradition alive
Like a lot of things on the old boat, the starter was beat up and broken. To get underway, Nick Nieuwkerk connected the electrical terminals with the metal end of a screwdriver. Then, with a zap and spark, the ancient Detroit Diesel engine roared to life. But then the throttle wouldn’t stay put, so Nick’s father, Knoep Nieuwkerk, rigged it open with a spoon and piece of string. Eventually, the pair were steaming out of Woods Harbor, Nova Scotia, on their way to Portland on April 7, aboard a 44-foot fishing boat that had seen better days since it first hit the water, 42 years earlier. There was no guarantee they’d make it, but they had to try. >video, photos, click to read< 07:38
