Daily Archives: July 16, 2021
Five F/V Falling Star fishermen have died at sea
Kingston, Jamaica – Observer online sources have confirmed that five of the fifteen crew members who were onboard the Falling Star lobster fishing vessel all died at sea. The source said that four of the men went down with the vessel and died, after it made a sudden rollover 30 miles west of Pedro Bank. The 11 remaining crew members, including the captain of the Falling Star, boarded a skiff. >click to read<, At some point while they were floating around, the captain died and had to be thrown overboard. The ten men who were rescued on Thursday by a commercial ship that had left Kingston for Guatemala are receiving medical attention. >link< 19:46
Editorial: Florida needs to get its act together to fight Red Tide
The awful smell of dead fish across Tampa Bay cries out for a better response. Red Tide is overwhelming St. Petersburg, and the damage to the fisheries, tourism and public health is increasing with no end in sight. State and local officials need to collaborate on the cleanup. Residents, visitors and businesses need to be kept informed. And Florida needs a better strategy for managing these toxic algal blooms. >click to read< 17:13
Coast Guard search suspended for missing boat fire victim near Carlsbad
The Coast Guard crews suspended their search efforts Friday for a missing Carlsbad boat fire victim at approximately 8 a.m. Missing is the owner and resident of the Relentless, a 50-foot boat that caught fire Thursday morning. >click to read< Coast Guard and local partner agency crews searched over the course of 21 hours, covering more than 600 square miles. The Coast Guard cutters arrived on scene and worked together to extinguish the boat fire while the Jayhawk helicopter crew searched for survivors. The boat sustained significant damage and eventually sank in approximately 1,800 feet of water. >click to read< 15:19
Coast Guard responds to a boat fire near Carlsbad
Coast Guard responded to a boat fire Thursday morning near Carlsbad. Coast Guard Sector San Diego watchstanders received several reports of a boat, 50 feet in length, on fire approximately seven miles off the Carlsbad coast around 9 a.m. Coast Guard watchstanders dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and diverted the Coast Guard Cutters Munro, Benjamin Bottoms and the Haddock. While Coast Guard assets were en route, the Oceanside Harbor Master confirmed that the boat’s name was the Relentless, Coast Guard Sector San Diego. photos, >click to read< 15:07
Man charged with arson for fish plant fire
A 24-year-old man from East Pubnico, N.S., is facing a charge of arson in connection with a lobster pound fire in Middle West Pubnico, last October. RCMP say they were called to the fish plant near midnight on Oct. 16, 2020, after receiving a report of a fire. The fire destroyed the plant, which was unoccupied at the time. Brendon Douglas James Porter of East Pubnico was arrested on Wednesday and charged with arson. He has been released on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Shelburne provincial court next month. >click to read< 14:14
Shellenberger Discusses Offshore Wind Farm Proposal – “This is literally the worst project I have ever seen,”
The California resident, author and environmental advocate spoke about how an offshore wind farm project planned 15 miles off the coast from Atlantic City to Stone Harbor is bad for the environment, wildlife, marine life and the fishing industry. Shellenberger, who is a proponent for nuclear energy, spoke of how the wind farm would not be an efficient way to receive power, would take up too much real estate and not be a consistent source of power. Tricia Conte, of Ocean City, founder of Save Our Shoreline, said in an interview prior to the program, “We are very excited to have Michael Shellenberger here in Ocean City. He is presenting the side that no one else is telling us.” Video >click to read<10:27
UK: Fishing industry is ‘drowning in sea of government incompetence’ following Brexit
North MP Jamie Stone has warned that the fishing industry is “drowning in a sea of government incompetence” following Brexit. Highlighting the plight of fishermen in the Highlands since the UK left the European Union, Mr Stone accused of Boris Johnston’s government of a “negligent attitude” towards the industry.,, One skipper has informed him there are “increased stand-offs between boats which pose serious risks to life”, while another wants aggressive boats banned from landing their fish in British ports. >click to read< 09:16
Community mourns passing of ‘a great American’, Capt. Warren Butler
Lifelong waterman, Captain Warren Butler, 92, died unexpectedly, Friday, July 2, of apparent heart failure. Upon learning of his death, Jerry Harris, founding family member of Harris Seafood, and Harris Crab House at Kent Narrows, said, “My whole family knew Captain Warren. He was a great man, a great American. He sold oysters to my father. I looked up to Captain Warren all my life. Black or white, he was a role model, someone to model your own life by. I wish there were many more people in the world like Captain Warren!” Butler had a lifetime passion working as a waterman, first, working alongside his father and brothers to help support their family. From 1954 to 1983, Butler worked in the oyster and crab industry in Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Throughout his life, he owned and operated 17 commercial boats, carrying may fishing parties out of the Chesapeake Bay, also oystering and sightseeing. photos, >click to read< 08:10
F/V Falling Star: 10 missing crew members have been found and rescued
At least 10 of the 15 Honduran crew members from the Falling Star lobster fishing vessel, who had been reported missing at sea last week Tuesday, are now rescued. Five members of the crew are still unaccounted for, but the Jamaica Observer understands that the 10 were found in one of two life-saving rafts that were on the vessel before it sank, giving hope that the others could be alive. >click to read< 07:07
