Daily Archives: September 6, 2023
RI fishermen’s board resigns en masse over Biden admin-backed offshore wind farm: ‘Wholesale ocean destruction’
A plan backed by the Biden administration to OK a string of wind farms off Rhode Island has prompted every member of a fishing regulatory board in the state to resign. The entire Rhode Island Fisherman’s Advisory Board quit en masse Friday to protest the 84-turbine Sunrise Wind project after the state’s Coastal Resources Management Council approved the third offshore wind farm in two years off the Ocean State’s waters. The project falls under President Biden‘s executive order authorizing his Interior Department to double US offshore wind capacity by 2030. With the project’s approval, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is on track to finish reviews for 16 wind farms by 2025. But foes including the fishing board say the Sunrise plan ignores environmental regulations and anglers’ concerns Video, >>click to read<< 17:54
Alaskan fishers fear another bleak season as crab populations dwindle in warming waters
Gabriel Prout worked four seasons on his father’s crab boat, the Silver Spray, before joining his two brothers in 2020 to buy a half-interest plus access rights for a snow crab fishery that’s typically the largest and richest in the Bering Sea. Then in 2021, disaster: an annual survey found crabs crashing to an all-time low. Kevin Abena, who runs a fishing business with his father, also relies on tendering to stay afloat in the wake of the crab fishery closure. His vessel Big Blue, which his father built in the late 1970s, stopped fishing for most crab in Bristol Bay in 2010, but they still own access rights and take a percentage from other boats that fish their quota. Abena also fishes for halibut and black cod.>>click to read<< 12:31
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 47’X 18′ NOVI LOBSTER GILLNETTER TUNA
To review specifications, information, and 18 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series >click here< – 10:50
‘I can’t imagine being anywhere else’: The call of the ocean came naturally for six-year-old Petty Harbour fisherman
In the heart of the vast ocean, just off the shores of Petty Harbour, where the sun danced on the water’s surface, and the salty breeze kissed the cheeks of those who dared to venture, there came a moment that would forever be etched in the memory of six-year-old fisherman Austen Chafe. As the boat gently glided on the waves, an unexpected visitor emerged from the depths — a majestic tuna, gleaming with power and grace. In a split second, the world changed, as the tuna leaped and bestowed upon Austen a gift of seawater, laughter and an enduring love for the sea. “When that tuna splashed on me,” Austen said, his eyes sparkling with the memory, “I felt like the luckiest kid in the world. It’s moments like these that make me love the ocean even more. There’s something magical about being out here, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” Born into a family of fishermen, the call of the ocean was as natural as the rhythm of the tides for young Austen. Photos, >>click to read<< 09:34