Daily Archives: May 8, 2024
Local fishers to benefit from extra post-Brexit fishing quota
Fishermen in Cornwall are set to be the first to benefit from extra post-Brexit fishing quota as part of new trial schemes announced by the government today. A community trial will give fishers in the region access to an extra 240 tonnes of quota, which will be leased to them at below market rates with priority given to new fishers and those looking to operate larger vessels. The trial, which is being delivered by the Cornish Fish Producer Organisation, Duchy Fish Quota Company, and Cornwall Council, will span stocks including cod, place, skate, rays and sole. Funds raised will be reinvested back into the scheme to support fishers in the trial through training in project management, monitoring and reporting and marketing and promotion. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:52
Offshore Wind Opponents Sue NJDEP Over Planned Project
A local grassroots organization opposed to the current offshore wind farm planned off the coast of Long Beach Island is among three groups to sue the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection over its approval of the Atlantic Shores project. Save LBI is joined by Protect Our Coast New Jersey and Defend Brigantine Beach, said Bruce Afran, who is the attorney of record in the legal proceeding. “DEP’s approval flies in the face of federal regulators’ environmental impact statement that says the Atlantic Shores project will damage marine habitat, compress and harden the seafloor, damage marine communities, compromise migration corridors for endangered species and cause commercial fishing stocks to decline,” he said. The DEP has 30 days to respond under court rules, and briefs are expected to be filed by October with argument on the appeal in March or April 2025, according to a statement issued last week by Save LBI, Defend Brigantine Beach and Protect Our Coast New Jersey. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:08
Federal Waters off Texas Close to Shrimping on May 15, 2024
The shrimp fishery is closed annually off Texas to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size prior to harvest, and to prevent waste of brown shrimp that might otherwise be discarded due to their small size. The Texas closure ranges from 45 to 60 days. The closing date is based on catch rates of brown shrimp collected with seine gear by the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, mean length of shrimp collected in April, percent of samples containing shrimp, and periods of maximum nocturnal ebb tidal flow. Texas will re-open state waters to shrimp trawling based on sampling projections of when brown shrimp will reach a mean size of 112 mm, and when maximum duration ebb tides will occur. NOAA Fisheries will re-open federal waters off Texas when Texas re-opens its state waters. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:10
Waters off Scotian Shelf are cooling while scientists wonder if decade-long warming trend is over
In recent years, warming temperatures have grabbed headlines, with record highs being set throughout the region. Recently, on the Scotian shelf, it has moved in the other direction. “It is really interesting,” Beazley said in a wharfside interview at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. “We did see a continuation of the trend that we observed in 2023, which was the temperatures are actually returning to normal or even below normal conditions in some areas. It’s getting cooler.” Since 2012, ocean temperatures off Nova Scotia at depth have been consistently warmer — by about two degrees above normal. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:29
Staggered lobster starts don’t suit all fishers
For the second straight year, PEI’s north and south side lobster zones had their setting days on different dates, but not everyone agrees with it. David Sansom, port manager at Red Head Harbour in Morell, said he isn’t a fan of not starting on the same day. However, he said data shows the offshore area Morell fishes, between Naufrage and Covehead harbours, has been one of the coldest on the Island in recent years, which affects lobster movement. Starting dates are influenced by many factors, including temperature on the bottom, weather and the tides. The north side had April 29 as their tentative starting date but several days of strong north winds delayed their season by almost a week until this past Sunday. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:10
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 64′ Dixon Longliner, Tripack permits, 425HP, Mitsubishi Turbo Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 23 photos’, >click here<, To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:56
