Daily Archives: August 19, 2023
N.S. fishing industry, conservation groups at odds over new herring quota
Nova Scotia’s fishing industry and conservation groups are at odds over a new herring quota set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) this season. The quota, or total allowable catch (TAC), off southwestern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is now limited to 21,000 tonnes for 2023, an 11 per cent reduction from the previous year. The commercial herring fishery is worth about $19.5 million, according to DFO. But the new quota doesn’t sit well with Oceans North and the Ecology Action Centre. Ian McIsaac, president of the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia, said the industry is disappointed that the quota was cut. >click to read< 16:31
“Miracles Do Happen” – Family Of Missing Fisherman Holding Out Hope
The family of Patrick Hoagland, the man who went overboard from the fishing vessel Gaston’s Legacy south of Nantucket last Saturday and remains missing, is still holding out hope he will be found. “I am praying his survival instinct kicks in and brings him back safely,” said his brother Howard Hoagland. “Miracles do happen. But we all know the way of the sea.” Patrick Hoagland is a resident of Bath, North Carolina. The F/V Gaston’s Legacy, after searching in vain for Hoagland for several days after he went overboard, traveled south and is now anchored in nearby Beaufort, North Carolina. >click to read< 14:47
Sinking of the Wild Alaskan – Document Dump #35
It is almost comical to think that the Kodiak Daily Mirror suppressed this story for over 4 months when my lawsuit was originally filed and now that a Federal Judge has dismissed portions of my lawsuit against Federal Agents with prejudice; the Kodiak Daily Mirror which has now proven themselves to be an ankle biting lap dog of the City and the Feds rushes to print this story in yet another front-page, one-sided news article. The Kodiak Daily Mirror also wrote in the article, “Neither Byler nor U.S. Attorney Glenn James Shidner was available for comment at press time Monday.” This statement to all of our local readers in Kodiak was 100% total B.S. I was never contacted by phone, email, text message, nor on my Facebook page that now has more readers than the Kodiak Daily Mirror. Can any of you that have been following this story possibly imagine that I would not have a comment on this issue. I am going to have to give this flat out, false statement, 4 Pinocchio’s and the Publisher Kevin Bumgarner has just earned himself another photo with his clown hat at the ‘Sinking of the Wild Alaskan’ Facebook page. >click to read< 13:48
Save LBI lays out evidence for cause of whale deaths
On August 4th, 2023, Save Long Beach Island (LBI) filed a lawsuit seeking to enjoin the ongoing offshore wind energy vessel surveys using high intensity noise equipment until a thorough investigation could be done and new protocols developed for estimating noise impacts from wind energy development activities. On August 14th Save LBI responded to defendant and defendant-intervenor motions, laying out in detail the evidence linking the vessel surveys to the recent whale deaths. Evidence of Causation of Whale Deaths by Vessel Surveys -The federal defendant concludes that the vessel surveys are not the cause of the recent whale and dolphin deaths, and that there is no evidence linking the two. In fact, there is ample evidence leading to a conclusion that the surveys were and are the only plausible cause, as summarized below: >click to read< 12:30
Arizona Is Home To America’s First Drive-Thru Lobster Chain
If you had to list places where you would expect to find inexpensive seafood, you’d probably think of areas near the sea. Cities along the Gulf Coast are notorious for shrimp and fish dishes and, of course, New England is known for clam chowder and lobster. Given this knowledge, it might shock you to learn that the first American drive-through restaurant specializing in lobster is not located anywhere along the East Coast, but rather in one of the driest parts of the country: Tempe, Arizona. According to ABC, the owners of Angie’s Lobster, Tony and Roushan Christofellis, say they keep prices down by “buying in bulk.” While the meat being served through the drive-through is in fact sourced from Maine and eastern Canada, much of it comes from lobster which is “visually unappealing,” meaning it may have cracked shells or missing claws, making it cheaper but equally tasty to the lobster available in grocery stores or restaurants. >click to read< 11:27
Fourth Circuit Limits Reach of Federal Regulation Under the “Major Questions” Doctrine as it Relieves Shrimp Trawlers from Clean Water Act Permitting
The Clean Water Act (“CWA”) regulates the discharge of certain “pollutants” into waters of the United States (“WOTUS”). Should shrimp trawlers be subject to the regulatory framework under the CWA when they return “bycatch” (unintentionally captured marine life) back into a water of the United States, or when their trawl nets churn up rocks and sand on the ocean floor? Not in the Fourth Circuit, as the United States Court of Appeals recently held in North Carolina Coastal Fisheries Reform Group v. Capt. Gaston LLC. This is perhaps an unsurprising conclusion. The CWA is, after all, intended to regulate point-source pollution discharges into WOTUS—and, therefore, to regulate pollution and discharges. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) defines point source pollution as “any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ship or factory smokestack.” >click to read< 10:46
Nine harvesters cited for dumping commercially caught chum salmon
In a special enforcement operation designed to protect Alaska’s fisheries resource, state wildlife troopers have issued 21 citations after over 100 vessel boardings in the Area M fishery, including nine citations for illegal discard of commercially caught salmon. Each of the individuals cited must appear before a judge, said Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Each one was given a mandatory court date, but meanwhile is allowed to continue fishing, he said. The citations are all misdemeanors, with a maximum punishment of a $15,000 fine and one year in jail. Area M Seiners Association, which represents Area M seine and set gillnet permit holders, issued a statement saying that the association takes this issue very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy for malicious behavior. >click to read< 09:56
Opinion: Offshore wind, marine-life deaths by Carol Frazier
Do you remember the line from “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy and her companions are on their way to Oz and are afraid of being attacked? The line was “Lions and tigers and bears – oh my! Lions and tigers and bears – oh my!” Well, I have revised that to “Murphy and Carney and Moore – oh my!” referring to the three Democrat governors of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland who are absolutely determined to go full steam ahead on offshore wind, no matter what evidence of harm to wildlife and commercial fishing and the economy is presented. I read Doug Miller’s letter to the editor of Aug. 11 with interest, also. Regarding Mr. Miller’s statement that concern about whale deaths is nonsense, I beg to differ. >click to read< 08:54
Hurricane Hilary Poses Unusual Threat to Southern California
Hurricane Hilary is charting a rare path to Southern California. The storm is currently a Category 4 hurricane, the second-highest level. After bringing heavy rains and a dangerous storm surge to the west coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula over the weekend, Hilary is expected to weaken to a tropical storm before it reaches the U.S. Sunday evening. Nevertheless, it is forecast to bring severe weather to an area unaccustomed to tropical storms. The hurricane’s predicted path is due to an unusual convergence of warm water, a high-pressure zone to the east and a jet stream to the west, according to Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s director of forecasting operations. “You have to have the exact right atmospheric setup,” said DePodwin. “And that’s what we have.” Video, >click to read< 08:05
