Daily Archives: June 30, 2021
More of the same a good thing as Bristol Bay gets underway
Early indicators are pointing to yet another strong year in the massive Bristol Bay sockeye fishery, which is contrasted against the continued struggles in many of the state’s other large salmon fisheries. Just more than 3.2 million sockeye had been harvested through June 27, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game figures, with the Nushagak District accounting for more than half of the catch so far at nearly 1.7 million fish. The 3.2 million-fish harvest to-date this year is between the comparable totals for recent years; 1.2 million sockeye were harvested through June 27 last year, while more than 4.4 million were caught by the same day in 2019. With sockeye harvests of more than 40 million fish and total runs greater than 56 million sockeye, both of the last two years have been among the most productive in the history of the Bristol Bay fishery. >click to read< 19:54
Waterman Allen Ray Crockett of Tangier Island has passed away
Mr. Allen Ray Crockett, beloved husband of Jeanette Bowden Crockett, passed away Monday, June 28, 2021. Allen was the son of the late Merrill Ray Crockett and the late Ruth Hall Parks Crockett. He was born Dec. 26, 1936, on Tangier Island, where he remained a pillar of the community throughout his 84 years. Allen’s lifelong career as a waterman began when he was just a boy standing on a crate as he worked alongside his father. Over the years he would travel to Crisfield, Md., to sell his Dad’s crabs, where the buyer always greeted him by saying, “Look out! Here comes Merrill’s boy.” Throughout his career, he owned three boats, The Wellington K., The Jeannette C., and finally, The Claudine Sue, which is now proudly owned and operated as The Samantha Paige, by his grandson, Thomas Reed Eskridge. >click to read< 17:26
Commerce Department Announces 2021 Appointments to the Regional Fishery Management Councils
The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced the appointment of 31 members to the regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage marine fishery resources. Established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, councils are responsible for developing region-specific fishery management plans that safeguard and enhance the nation’s fisheries resources. Each year, the Secretary of Commerce appoints approximately one-third of the total 72 appointed members to the eight,,, >click here to read< 15:03
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 79.8′ Steel Raised Foc’sle Lobster/Crabber, 525HP Cat
To review specifications, information, and 14 photos, >click here< , To see all the boats in this series >click here< 11:27
Choppy waters limit crowd, times at Bass Harbor lobster boat races
More than three dozen lobstermen battled it out in Bass Harbor this past weekend as part of the annual lobster boat races, but perhaps their toughest competitor was race day’s choppy waters. Conditions were a little rougher than ideal, but nothing the boats couldn’t handle, said Jon Johansen, the president of the Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association. Thirty-seven boats from across the region showed up, about half of what the race has boasted in the past. Some only had to travel from their mooring in Bernard to the starting line but others came from locales such as Prospect Harbor, Stonington, Beals, Searsport, Milbridge, Corea and Islesford,,, >photos, click to read< 10:49
‘Free’ Offshore Wind Farm Power Costs Six Times the National Average Cost of Power in USA
Americans are fast learning that the cost of wind power is staggering, and the cost of offshore wind power is astronomical. Joe Biden and his Squad are eager to plant thousands of these things up and down the Atlantic coast, claiming that offshore wind power is ‘free’ and getting cheaper all the time. It’s a myth, to be sure, as Willis Eschenbach carefully details below. Block Island Wind Farm – And what are the economics of the Block Island Wind Farm? (insanity!) How much is that energy worth? The nationwide average to the customer is around 13 cents/kWh,,, And how much is Rhode Island paying for this “inexpensive” wind energy? Hang on to your jaw so it doesn’t hit the floor … they’re paying 24.4 cents/kWh, six times the national average, and it’s going up by 3.5% per year … so in ten years it will be 34.4 cents/kWh. But wait, there’s more.,,, Oh, plus the surcharge to pay for the transmission cable,,, >click to read< 09:54
Coronavirus pandemic moves local fishermen to embrace entrepreneurship
Thirty-one-year-old cousins CJ Owens and Jeff Frye, Jr. embraced entrepreneurship when commercial fishing hit a snag last year. “At the beginning of Covid, we had a hard time selling stuff because state lines were shut down and we couldn’t ship nothing out,” said Frye. “If we didn’t sell it locally, we didn’t sell it.” That dilemma inspired the cousins to open North Star Seafood, and also carries offerings from other local fishermen, Owens’ grandfather and father, Clifford Hill Owens, Sr. and Jr., both fished commercially. Frye fished alongside his father, Jeff Frye, Sr. and grandfather, Mack Liverman. photos, >click to read< 08:43
Fishing boat skipper has been hailed a hero after he died trying to save a young crew member
Lachlan Robertson, known as Lachie, did not think twice about leaping into the water when a member of his crew fell overboard in rough seas in the Sound of Rum last week. Another crewman managed to pull the younger man from the icy water, but by the time they reached 61-year-old Mr Robertson, he was in a critical condition. It is understood one man fell as he and Mr Robertson tried to pull the nets back aboard in rough seas. “Somehow the crewman fell overboard and Lachie immediately jumped into the water after him, fearing he would drown. “The remaining young crewman, from nearby Skye, managed to pull his crewmate out of the sea but it took much longer to retrieve Lachie, by which time he was showing little sign of life.” >click to read< 07:40
