Daily Archives: January 16, 2024
Kyle & Mallaig lifeboats launched to trawler hard aground at Kylerhea narrows
Kyle lifeboat Spirit of Fred. Olsen launched into a snowstorm at 5:48pm, and made best speed towards the vessel, arriving on scene at 6:00pm. On arrival the vessel was on the rocks and was listing slightly to port, however the 7 crew on board were all accounted for and uninjured. The UK Coastguard helicopter from Inverness arrived on scene, however at this point there was no danger to the crew so the helicopter was stood down and returned to base. The fishing vessel’s crew readied their life raft and got prepared to abandon the vessel should the boat capsize. The lifeboat could not get alongside the trawler but stood by to rescue any fishermen who entered the water. 2 photos, more >>click to read<< 19:00
Fall of the kings
The Seattle-area-based Wild Fish Conservancy has dropped a bomb on the Alaska commercial fishing industry with a petition to the federal government demanding it list the state’s Chinook salmon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Such a listing would almost certainly to lead to yet more restrictions on Chinook-directed fisheries, such as the troll fishery in Southeast Alaska and the drift gillnet fishery off the mouth of the Copper River, which has been found to intercept some Chinook bound for rivers in Southeast, British Columbia and the Lower 48. The number of those fish now caught in the Copper’s Chinook fishery is not large but appears to increase in years when ocean waters are warm which could present issues going forward. more, >>click to read<< 17:17
Major winter storm hits Juneau, sinking 3 docked boats
A prolonged winter storm is piling multiple feet of snow in some areas of Southeast Alaska, leading the National Weather Service to issue a winter prolonged winter storm and Petersburg. NWS described the storm as a “long duration snow event.”The snow is also contributing to dangerous conditions for harbored boats for Juneau and Petersburg. Docks & Harbors would like to remind all boat owners to make sure their vessels and structures are cleared of snow and all pumps are operating correctly, their boats are not taking on any water, and all mooring lines are secure,” Thatcher wrote. According to Juneau Harbormaster Matthew Creswell, heavy snow accumulation contributed to the sinking of three boats. Video, more, >>click to read<< 13:12
Contorting The Approval Process’: Biden Waived Taxpayer Safeguards To Get Wind Farm Built
A Massachusetts wind project, which recently became the first utility-scale offshore wind project to deliver electricity to the grid, wouldn’t have been financially viable if the Biden administration hadn’t intervened, according to internal documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. Federal officials with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) acknowledged in the unearthed communications shared with Fox News Digital that granting a waiver on development fees designed to safeguard taxpayers was “critical” for the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project. [emphasis, links added] BOEM ultimately waived the financial assurance for the decommissioning costs fee for the project in June 2021. “The more we dig into the details of the Vineyard Wind project the more concerning it becomes. more, >>click to read<< 11:48
Op-Ed: Engineering insights when building a trawler
Constructing a new factory trawler fishing vessel in the United States is not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Thinking back to an article written about 10 years ago, industry scholars predicted a boom in shipbuilding to replace the Alaskan fishing fleet. While naval architects, shipyards and equipment suppliers saw a boom in their immediate future, the renewal of the fishing fleet has barely begun. In fact, less than 5% of the fishing trawlers in the Alaskan fishery have been replaced. The refrigerated seawater (RSW) catcher fleet has seen one large conversion join the ranks. The Amendment 80 fleet has seen three new construction vessels, along with one sponsoning and one conversion project. The American Fisheries Act (AFA) fleet has seen one new-build project completed. Vessels in all three fleets have seen significant upgrades in this time, but the underlying hulls still date from the 1980s and 90s with some going back as far as the 1960s and 70s. more, >>click to read<< 10:16
Hundreds of jobs, industry stability at stake in pending Atlantic Canada fishery decision
The Trudeau government is poised to allocate fishing access to the massive redfish population in the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the end of the month, a highly anticipated decision generating both dread and hope throughout the industry in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Nova Scotia, which has the most to lose, is warning Ottawa that “hundreds of jobs” are at stake if it loses its long-standing share of the fishery. Now that the redfish population is estimated to weigh in at a whopping four million metric tonnes, Scotia Harvest and the other Nova Scotia operators are looking nervously at other provinces lobbying for access. Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador interests, to take one example, are lobbying for a piece of the action to compensate for a drastic reduction in shrimp quota for fleets in their province. more, >>click to read<< 09:06
Workers begin salvaging a fishing boat that wrecked in Saturday’s storm
The F/V Tara Lynn II will never float again. On Saturday, the ferocious storm battering the state’s coast drove the 50-foot fishing vessel onto the rocks at Trundy Point just after midnight. Grinding against an unmerciful ledge, the Terra Lynn II’s fiberglass belly shattered, scattering its engine, 500 gallons of diesel fuel and 5,000 pounds of fish all over the coast. Now, the cleanup is underway. Parker Poole and his company, Determination Marine, are in charge. Poole also heard the ship’s mayday call when it went out Saturday morning. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:50
