Daily Archives: June 6, 2023
Coast Guard medevacs commercial fishing vessel crewmember near Venice, La.
The Coast Guard medevaced a commercial fishing vessel crewmember Tuesday in West Bay near Venice, Louisiana. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call via VHF-FM channel 16 at 1:11 p.m. from the commercial fishing vessel F/V Mary Judith stating a crewmember lost consciousness after being struck in the head by the vessel’s rigging equipment. Watchstanders diverted a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew to assist. The aircrew arrived on scene, hoisted the crewmember, and transferred him to University Medical Center New Orleans. The crewmember was last reported to be in stable condition. >click for video< 20:30
Darren Byler files Two Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuits Against the Coast Guard and the City of Kodiak for the Illegal Sinking of the M/V Wild Alaskan
The 110’ F/V Shaman a Bering Sea Legend was just recently, intentionally sunk by the City of Kodiak, Alaska. The vessel was purchased in 2006 by Darren and Kimberly Byler from then owner, Dan Mattsen. The Byler’s took possession of the vessel at Fisherman’s Terminal in Seattle, Washington and relocated the vessel to Alaska. The Byler’s modified and remodeled the vessel for the Research, Exploration and Long-Range Charter Industry. From 2007-2014 Darren and Kimberly Byler were at the top of their game with this boat and renamed the vessel “Alaskan Leader”. In 2014, Darren Byler stated that his charter business bookings were down as was the economy, at that point Byler came up with an edgy idea to rename the vessel “Wild Alaskan” and provide an Adult Entertainment Charter with Topless Dancers to the local Kodiak Fishing and Coast Guard Population. >click to read< 17:44
Proposed Pilot Program For Female Blue Crabs
A new pilot program introduced by the Department of Natural Resources has watermen frustrated. It’s with the possible implementation of plastic, rectangular containers called lugs. Currently, caught male blue crabs are able to be placed in lugs, but females are not. So watermen feel the program comes with a lot of hoops to jump through and they ask why the need for the program at all. Lugs are bigger than your typical bushel basket of crabs. Bushels hold about 40 pounds and lugs hold 60. DNR has introduced the idea of using lugs for female crabs. But with that comes rules that participating watermen (in the pilot program) must follow. >click to read< 12:30
More than 100 lobster traps destroyed by weekend storm
More than 100 damaged lobster traps washed ashore after a powerful storm struck the northeast coast of New Brunswick on Friday. The traps were found mangled and destroyed on the beach at Val Comeau and other nearby areas on the Acadian Peninsula, south of Tracadie, on Sunday morning. James MacEachern, a fisherman who lives in Tabusintac on the north side of Miramichi Bay, saw the storm evolving early Friday morning. “When I went out in the morning, it was already rough,” MacEachern said. “Probably four in the morning, [the storm] had already started.” >click to read< 11:47
Fishers harvesting abundant Bristol Bay sockeye could fill knowledge gaps about declining Chinook
In the Bristol Bay region, sockeye salmon runs have been booming while Chinook runs have dwindled. Now scientists are seeking to enlist fishing crews in the effort to find out why, as well as what can be done about the Chinook troubles. A community-focused program called Skipper Science is asking for Bristol Bay fishermen working on the salmon-rich Nushagak River to record the prevalence, locations and conditions of Chinook salmon they encounter – and the places where they are not found. In the Bristol Bay region, sockeye salmon runs have been booming while Chinook runs have dwindled. Now scientists are seeking to enlist fishing crews in the effort to find out why, as well as what can be done about the Chinook trouble. >click to read< 11:01
A lifetime of research links Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ to Midwest fertilizer runoff
In the summer of 1985, Nancy Rabalais set sail on a research vessel into the Gulf of Mexico — and into the scientific unknown. Over nearly four decades, Rabalais has become a giant in her field. She has completed hundreds of interviews with journalists, presented a TED Talk, testified to Congress multiple times, mentored countless students at LSU and published nearly 160 studies. Now 73, Rabalais said she doesn’t plan to go on the research cruises anymore due to her age and health issues. She remains engaged in her work, even as she trains a new generation of scientists to take over. >click to read< 10:04
Louisiana: Lawmakers taking action to protect state’s seafood industry
Fishermen in Louisiana are suffering from imports and they’re worried about the future of the seafood industry in the state. It’s why lawmakers are putting tougher restrictions on imports to help struggling shrimpers. Fishermen say they are at risk of losing their livelihoods due to inflation and the abundance of imported seafood. It’s why shrimpers stood on the capitol steps urging lawmakers to do something. Louisiana Shrimp Association President Acy Cooper has been a fisherman in Louisiana for 45 years. He said he hopes he is able to keep it alive so that his grandkids can carry on the legacy. >click to read< 09:12
The Truth About Offshore Wind: Busting Oil Money Myths and Misinformation
The various organizations, news outlets, and elected representatives that have been promoting misinformation about offshore wind have two things in common: 1) conservative politics and 2) ties to the oil industry. Seemingly locally run nonprofits have been leading public anti-offshore wind campaigns, purportedly out of concern about the dangers offshore wind farms present to whales and local economies. Yet many of these same organizations have proven ties to major conservative lobbyist groups funded by “Big Oil.” Meanwhile, both local and congressional conservative politicians have jumped on these misinformation campaigns, especially in the Northeast, where the first offshore wind farms are set to be constructed this year. This is despite several state and national polls showing that Americans overwhelmingly support the construction of offshore wind farms. >click to read< 08:04
