Daily Archives: October 28, 2023
Jim Lovgren: Walking with the Whales at Black Sands Beach, Shelter Cove, Ca.
I was a commercial fisherman for over 45 years on the east coast and have seen hundreds of whales at sea, but there is nothing like seeing a large whale purposely swimming in the surf, while you’re standing thirty feet away. In Shelter Cove, a small fishing town of 700 residents in Northern California, Whales swimming in the surf, is a common occurrence during their spring and fall migrations and right now it is at its peak. My wife and I live just down the street from the famous Black Sands Beach where these Whales dare to get so close to shore and in the last 10 out of 12 days that we have looked we have observed the Whales in the surf. Shelter Cove is remote and only assessable by one infamous road, but the drive is worth it, as most of the area is conservation land or wilderness. A small fleet of fishing boats operate out of there, but the port is limited to mostly smaller vessels, [less the 30 feet] since they must be pulled daily as anchorage is not safe. They’ve been struggling this year after the shutdown of the Salmon fishery and short Dungeness crab season, but the last couple weeks have seen 150 to 200 pound Bluefin Tuna brought home every day. Video, photos, >>click to read<< 17:32
CANCELED: Lobstermen pull together for Travis Mills Foundation
Update: Due to the tragic events of this week in Lewiston, this event has been canceled for this year, according to local team organizer Jennie Mitchell. Original Post: On Saturday, Oct. 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. lobstermen from up and down the coast of Maine will be one of the 45 teams pulling a FedEx 757 airplane down the runway at the Portland Jetport to help raise funds for the Travis Mills Foundation. Team Captain Troy Plummer has gotten fishermen from as far away as Machias, Vinalhaven, Friendship, Rockland and, of course, Boothbay Harbor, to participate in what is being billed as a “Pay it Forward” effort from the lobstermen for all the support they have received in their struggle to save the lobstering industry. >>click to read<< 12:05
Study of seismic testing used in offshore oil, gas and wind energy industries finds lobsters ‘concussed’
Seismic testing critical to Western Australia’s offshore oil, gas and energy industries is dazing, and potentially killing the state’s valuable western rock lobsters, a new study has found. The practice is essential to offshore oil and gas exploration and the construction of wind turbines, and involves firing powerful air guns, creating soundwaves that penetrate the ocean floor. But research by the WA government’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has found lobsters exposed to the testing are significantly impacted. Offshore crustaceans scientist Simon de Lestang studied the behaviour of lobsters after they were exposed to seismic testing conducted offshore, in shallow water south of Geraldton. >>click to read<< 11:05
National mental health campaign targets commercial fishermen
The commercial fishing industry is known for its grueling work conditions and unpredictable nature, which can take a toll on the mental health of fishermen. However, despite the evident need, the industry has historically been underserved in terms of mental health care resources. Recently, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and Northeast Center for Occupational Safety and Health teamed up to work with Man Therapy to create a campaign specifically targeting commercial fishermen. Man Therapy is an innovative approach that uses humor and relatable content to raise awareness about mental health care and provide resources for fishermen, according to a press release.>>click to read<< 09:45
Camden Haven community rallies after historic fishing trawler Pacific Venture sinks at Laurieton
A 60-year-old fishing trawler, the last surviving vessel from a fleet built in a small northern New South Wales community, has sunk amid community restoration plans.The 1960s fishing trawler Pacific Venture sank overnight when a storm came through the NSW Mid North CoastIt is the last surviving vessel from a fleet of fishing trawlers built in the Camden Haven region. .”It was the last boat surviving of the fishing trawlers that were built in the Camden Haven in the 1960s and earlier. >>click to read<< 08:52
Families of missing boaters continue search without Coast Guard’s help
A group of friends has now been missing at sea for nearly two weeks, and despite the U.S. Coast Guard calling off its search for them, the fishermen’s families are still holding out hope the group will be found. Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow left the port city of Brunswick, Georgia, on a 31-foot fishing vessel named Carol Ann Oct. 14. They planned to travel 80 miles into the open sea to a popular fishing spot before heading back Oct. 18, but they have yet to turn up. Chris Barlow, the father of missing boater Tyler Barlow, told Scripps News an initial possible sighting of the boat turned out to be a different vessel. He also said the Coast Guard’s assumption that the boat would self-deploy an emergency signal if submerged was false; the signal would instead need to be manually deployed. >>click to read<< 07:28
