Monthly Archives: July 2024
Vineyard Wind Resumes Some Construction During Investigation
Though pieces of the broken Vineyard Wind turbine continued to fall into the ocean south of the Island this week, federal regulators have approved the wind farm to restart some construction work. On Monday, several sections of the malfunctioning turbine blade that were still attached to the turbine split off and sunk to the ocean floor. Boats were dispatched to the area and both GE Vernova, the turbine manufacturer, and Vineyard Wind were working to clean up the blade pieces and popcorn-sized chunks of styrofoam that had spread into the water. While Vineyard Wind cannot generate any power from the turbines, the company has turned to other work around the rest of the planned 62-turbine wind farm with the blessing of the federal government. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which oversees offshore wind projects in the U.S., had previously said operations at the wind farm 14 miles south of the Vineyard had shut down until further notice after the 107-meter turbine blade broke. On Saturday, the federal agency clarified that Vineyard Wind could do some work not directly connected to the turbines, such as installing cables in the sea floor. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:05
After a harrowing rescue in the cold Atlantic, a fisherman wanted two things: A new guitar, and Nickelback tickets
After a harrowing rescue in the cold North Atlantic, and more than 48 hours on a life raft with six of his fellow crewmates, fisherman David Tiller wanted two things: A new guitar, and tickets to see an upcoming Nickelback concert in St. John’s. He’s gotten more than he bargained for: Multiple brand-new instruments, including a black guitar signed and christened by former Great Big Sea frontman Alan Doyle. The present was gifted to Tiller by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey on Friday. “I couldn’t be happier with the amount of responses, I mean all the people that thought about us is just overwhelming.” Tiller and his six crewmates from the Elite Navigator have become known as Newfoundland and Labrador’s “Lucky Seven.” Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:54
Biden administration rejects top Inslee choice for Alaska fish commission, reappoints trawl ally
The Biden administration has rejected a nominee for a key Alaska fisheries management post who could have tipped decisions toward the interests of tribes and conservation groups and away from the priorities of the large-boat, Seattle-based trawl industry. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo skipped over the top choice of Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, conservation advocate Becca Robbins Gisclair, and instead reappointed the last-ranked nominee on a slate of four candidates that Inslee offered: Anne Vanderhoeven, a trawl industry employee who has served on the panel for several years. Raimondo’s choice for the open North Pacific Fishery Management Council seat, which was confirmed Tuesday by Inslee’s natural resources advisor Ruth Musgrave, comes after what advocates describe as weeks of intense lobbying by supporters of both Gisclair and Vanderhoeven. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:47
UK fishermen ‘at the very bottom of the heap’
A paper published in the scientific journal Marine Policy, with a wide group of authors, some attached to anti-fishing NGOs, shows starkly how bad a deal UK fishermen have in Europe. The UK EEZ is a key fishing ground for fleets from the EU and Norway, which are provided with huge amounts of government support to fish in British and, to a lesser extent, Irish waters. Ireland is the only country remaining within the EU that is a net ‘subsidy sink’, with vessels fishing what would be the Irish EEZ – were Ireland independent – receiving more financial support to fish there than the Irish fleet itself receives. But the figures for Ireland are dwarfed by those for the UK, which, the study says, is an ‘outlier’ worldwide. There is otherwise a pattern of richer nations – in particular China, Spain, Korea, Japan and the USA – being given support to extract fish from much poorer developing countries. The paper doesn’t attempt to explain quite why the UK is such an outlier. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:29
Massachusetts political contributions from Nantucket wind farm developer scrutinized
As Nantucket continues to reel from the Vineyard Wind turbine blade failure, critics are raising concerns around how the project’s parent company, Avangrid, has donated thousands of dollars in campaign money to state elected officials. A Herald analysis found that employees who list Avangrid as their employer have made 217 donations totaling $57,677 to dozens of state and local campaigns since March 2018, two months before the Baker administration selected a Vineyard Wind bid for contract negotiation. Notable figures include project supporters Gov. Maura Healey receiving 38 donations totaling $16,425 since 2018, and state Sen. Julian Cyr, a Democrat whose district represents the Cape and Islands, collecting 17 contributions for $3,036 since 2021, according to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:29
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 60′ Steel Scalloper, 425HP, Cummins KT19-M Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 26 photos’, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:30
Commercial whelk fishery opens in eastern Cape Breton
On Tuesday, an event at Louisbourg Seafoods processing plant ushered in the first commercial whelk fishery in waters along the island’s eastern coast. The Louisbourg, N.S., company began experimenting with the harvest of whelk more than a decade ago. “We have a science team and they spend all their time looking at this, and basically developed a clear understanding of what the fishery was out there and how best to manage it,” said Allan MacLean, Louisbourg Seafoods’ senior operations manager. The whelk fishery off eastern Cape Breton, in an area known as the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Area 4Vs, was previously licensed only for exploratory harvesting to determine if stocks could sustain a commercially viable operation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said Tuesday in a news release. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:46
Illegal fishing shuts down Egegik district
In Bristol Bay’s Egegik district, it’s not uncommon to see some boats illegally fishing over the line. But this year seemed particularly bad, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “We were receiving daily phone calls between Fish and Game and wildlife troopers, you know, multiple boats upwards of fifty at a time fishing outside of the district,” Tiernan said. That’s state biologist Aaron Tiernan. He says that during the peak of the season, extra Alaska State Troopers flood Bristol Bay from around the state. It’s a big effort. But as fishing winds down, the Alaska Department of Fish and Gamey start leaving to patrol other areas. “More and more reports come in. Because there’s less, there’s less enforcement going on overall. And we need to try to protect stocks that are going north and south or even into Egegik,” Tiernan said. So, in response, he decided to shut the fishery down. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:39
Broken Turbine Blade Near Nantucket Prompts a ‘Told You So!’
A broken turbine blade in the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm led federal officials to suspend its operations in Nantucket. The incident resulted in large and small fiberglass and foam pieces from the turbine blade washing ashore on Nantucket’s southern beaches, more than 15 miles away. On Thursday, July 25, Cape May County released a statement by Commissioner Director Leonard Desiderio calling the incident in Massachusetts “an environmental catastrophe akin to an oil spill.” Desiderio said that “we were right to oppose offshore wind,” referencing the county’s strong opposition to the Danish firm Orsted’s plans for Ocean Wind I and II off the southern New Jersey coast. He added, “We will continue our opposition moving forward.” Desiderio’s statement recapped the county’s actions in opposition to the Orsted wind farm projects. He took pains to say that opposition by the county government was never based on a denial of climate change or incentivized by the oil industry. “Our opposition to offshore wind was always about protecting our local economy, our fishing industry and our way of life,” he said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:08
F/V Argos Georgia, unsuccessful search for missing mariners; nine bodies on Tuesday to be flown to UK for Autopsies
As part of the ongoing recovery effort for those crew members still missing from the fishing vessel Argos Georgia, over the weekend MV Pharos SG and one other vessel conducted a search of the datum area. This search unfortunately provided no further results of anyone missing or debris, points out the latest report from the Falkland Islands Government. On Saturday 27 July 2024, 13 crew members left the Islands on a military flight which was provided by the Government of Spain. The remaining crew member remains in Stanley and will return to their home country in due course. The bodies of the 9 deceased crew members remain under the care of the Coroner and will be taken to the UK to undergo the required formalities, before being released to their loved ones. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:12
Conservationists seek permanent marine protection for Cashes Ledge off Cape Ann
The Conservation Law Foundation, based in Boston, submitted a nomination to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today to designate Cashes Ledge as a sanctuary. National marine sanctuaries are permanently protected from fishing, shipping and ocean dumping and offer a haven for marine life and an undisturbed ecological site for scientific research. The nomination triggers a yearslong review process that could lead to the 766-square mile site being formally designated. The area is currently under fishing restrictions set by the New England Fisheries Management Council, but the conservation foundation said those limits are always subject to change and leave this habitat vulnerable. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:05
Fisherman illegally catches more than a dozen oversized stripers off New England coast
A Massachusetts fisherman is under arrest after investigators announced that he illegally caught 14 oversized striped bass off the New Hampshire coast last week. New Hampshire Fish and Game reported that they had received reports that a boater had been fishing in the Atlantic Ocean off New Castle and Rye with no lights on at night. Officers from the Maine Marine Patrol and Massachusetts Environmental Police began their lookout for the boater in question alongside local police. The Portsmouth Police Department eventually located him after he had loaded his boat onto a trailer and “was in the act of ditching the fish.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Scallopers assail continued closure of Northern Edge
Fisheries regulators voted this month to “discontinue” development of a plan to reopen the Northern Edge of Georges Bank — a lucrative scallop ground that has long been closed to commercial fishing. In April, the New England Fishery Management Council agreed to consider requests to reopen the fishing grounds at the urging of both the scallop industry and Mayor Jon Mitchell. He and industry representatives cited significant headwinds for the region’s top fishery, including a slump in prices and fewer days at sea for fishermen. They added that opening the Northern Edge would benefit the whole port economy and surrounding businesses. But in the midst of a four-day meeting in Freeport, Maine, the Council voted not to continue discussing plans to reopen the area in order to focus on the “long-term productivity of the Georges Bank scallop resource.” For regulators, it’s a balancing act to weigh sustainability and the economic pressures on fishermen to sustain their livelihoods. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:43
Vineyard Wind Installed the Largest Offshore Turbines in the World. Were They Ready for Primetime?
When Vineyard Wind completed the installation of the first GE Vernova Haliade-X 13-megawatt wind turbine in the waters southwest of Nantucket in October 2023, the company trumpeted it as “the largest turbine in the western world.” It was supposed to be one of the 62 turbines that would make up the first large-scale, commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. But just nine months later, the project has been suspended by the federal government after the now infamous turbine blade failure on July 13th that left Nantucket’s beaches and the waters surrounding the island littered with fiberglass and styrofoam debris that is still being recovered. While offshore wind energy production has a decades-long track record in Europe and Asia, the Vineyard Wind project was the first of its kind in the United States, and the turbines Vineyard Wind is installing are larger and more powerful than any that have come before it. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:55
Fisherman rescues mysterious ‘ghost boat’ drifting off Pembrokeshire coast
A fisherman rescued a mysterious ghost boat drifting eight miles off the Pembrokeshire coast this morning (July 27). Milford Coastguard were contacted about an adrift vessel which prompted a Fishguard lifeboat to locate the boat and confirm no-one was on board. This was before Matt Lewis and his crew proceeded to the last known position of the vessel and the boat was towed in eight miles northwest of Strumble Head back to Fishguard Harbour where the ship was safely moored. In a Facebook post, Matt said: “Not the usual morning fishing. Myself, Vince Gyseman, Iwan Davies and Jack Wallace located and towed in a ghost boat drifting. “The ten metre steel fishing boat was initially reported by Stena Nordica some eight miles northwest of Strumble Head. It had parted ways with its tow vessel twice between Plymouth and St David’s Head. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:17
NCFA Weekly Update for July 29, 2024
Upcoming Meetings, The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Committee (ASMFC) will be holding their summer 2024 meeting August 6 – 8 in Arlington, Virginia. The Mid Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC) will be meeting August 12 – 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) will be meeting August 21 – 23 in Raleigh, North Carolina. July has been another busy month for NCFA and next month looks even busier! Thank you all for keeping in touch and continuing to read the Weekly Update. As these meetings draw closer, I will give more detailed information about each meeting the week before it is scheduled. more, >>CLICK TOREAD<< 10:45
Fishing communities welcome B.C. intention to reform licensing and quotas
As part of the Coastal Marine Strategy unveiled last week, the province says it’s moving toward an owner-operator system for quota and licences. Under the new system, licence and quota holders would also need to be active fish harvesters — something advocacy groups and First Nations have been requesting for years. A transition to an owner-operator system would aim to eliminate the ability of a few giants to stake a majority claim on B.C.’s fishing grounds. One company alone, Jim Pattison’s Canfisco, owns double-digit percentages of some fish quotas, worth tens of millions of dollars. An owner-operator system is not a novel concept in the country. Atlantic Canada has had one in place for years, and as a result, has lower costs compared to B.C. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:21
‘So-called expert bureaucrats’: Fishermen rip Sen Warren’s new plan to ‘silence’ them
America’s seafood leaders are pushing back on new plans from Democrats on Capitol Hill to revive a legal doctrine that fishermen say threatens to “silence” them. On Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led several of her Democrat colleagues in introducing the Stop Corporate Capture Act (SCCA), which she says is aimed at stopping corporations from “hijacking” the government. With the new threat of the Chevron doctrine finding permanence in federal law, New England fishermen are crying foul and pointing to the recent offshore wind disaster wreaking havoc on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket as a prime example of why lawmakers should not give “expert bureaucrats” power over their industry. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:45
James Watt: ‘My father is dying, I do not want to go through life without him’
My father’s journey to end-of-life care has been both sudden and tragic. Having lost one of my closest friends, Dan Bolton, to pancreatic cancer only in January, my dad’s stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosison June 22 hit our family like a sledgehammer. I still can’t imagine my life without my father playing a very prominent role in it. I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that up until a few weeks ago my dad was working full time on his lobster fishing boat, hauling 300 lobster pots every single day. Lobster fishing is incredibly hard and manual work, and the north Atlantic is an infamously dangerous and difficult place to work — my dad was fitter and stronger than I am. That strength forged through hard graft in the face of unforgiving northerly gales. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:09
‘A blessing.’ Grand Isle locals left homeless by Ida get new houses built by nonprofit
Christian and Terrill Pizani braved Hurricane Ida three years ago from his 67-foot shrimp boat in Port Fourchon, where the storm unleashed 130 mph winds as it made landfall. By the time it passed, their home back in Grand Isle — Louisiana’s last inhabited barrier island 17 miles east — was left decimated. The couple spent seven months living on the shrimp boat before eventually using money from an insurance payout to buy an RV they parked among the wreckage of their former home. “We didn’t want to be caught with no place to live,” Christian recalled. But after nearly three years without a house, the couple on Tuesday received the keys to a brand-new, storm-resilient home built by a local nonprofit. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:55
Long-sought-after shipwreck with tragic history discovered at popular Lake Michigan fishing spot over a century later
An intrepid team of marine archaeologists has discovered the wreckage of a long-sought-after schooner, more than a century after it sunk beneath Lake Michigan. The Margaret A. Muir was found 50 feet below the surface several miles off the coast of Algoma, Wisconsin in May, the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association announced this month. “The Margaret A. Muir was lost to history” in the last 130 years since, despite its relatively close proximity to shore, according to the experts. “It had lay undetected for over a century, despite hundreds of fishing boats passing over each season.” Photos, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:45
TX Fishing Industry Under Threat From BlackRock Wind Farm Project
The massive destruction wrought on Massachusetts’ Vineyard Wind project has raised new questions about the safety and prudence of a similar BlackRock-backed project planned off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas near Port Arthur. Bonnie Brady of the Long Island Commercial Fisherman’s Association posted several pictures of broken and mangled offshore wind turbines from a recent storm to her X account on July 20. The images depict turbines with snapped blades hanging from their mounts. They also show large shards of metal and other debris washing ashore. Brady directed her post to every East Coast governor and the major presidential contenders, save for Vice President Kamala Harris, who had not yet announced her presidential candidacy, warning of what could happen to the fishing industry. “Stop the madness while you still can, because when the fiberglass lands on your shores you will (eventually) be out of the job. Ps we will never forget you threw US commercial fishing industries under the bus,” she wrote. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:14
Setnetters turn to seining in effort to save east side fishery, king salmon
For the second year in a row, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has largely barred over 400 permit holders in Cook Inlet’s east side commercial setnet fishery from putting any gear in the water this year. This summer, one group of setnetters is deploying experimental gear they hope will preserve king salmon runs and offer relief to the fishery. On a recent overcast Thursday, Brian and Lisa Gabriel spend the day at the beach. Astride green and yellow tractors, they motor toward the end of a commercial fishing net that’s been pulled onto Cook Inlet’s shores. The net wriggles with shiny, silver sockeye salmon, which splash fishermen with wet sand as they flop around. A waiting team of about 10 people plucks the fish from the net and tosses them into waiting totes, where they swim in murky water. One or two people occasionally peel off from the group, holding handfuls of writhing flounder they hurl back into the inlet. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:17
F/V Argos Georgia Tragedy: Falklands looking after community’s emotional wellbeing following traumatic event
Following the incident involving the Argos Georgia this week, the Falkland Islands government Emotional Wellbeing Service (EWS) would like to reach out to members of the community who may be feeling distressed about what has happened. We have spoken to a number of people from across our community who are feeling very high levels of distress due to the incident. We would like to reassure anyone who is feeling this way that this is a very natural reaction to such a disaster, especially in such a small, close-knit community. If you have been directly or indirectly affected by this incident, please know that you are not alone. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:53
Port Isabel EDC helps keep shrimpers afloat with financial assistance
The Gulf shrimp industry is struggling to stay afloat against a flood of cheap imported shrimp, and Brownsville-Port Isabel’s shrimp industry is far from immune. It’s not a new problem, but this year the Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation opted to take action, in the form of financial assistance to help shrimp boat owners pay for fuel. Port Isabel City Manager Jared Hockema said the EDC provided six grants of $10,000 each to individual boat owners on a first come, first serve basis. To be eligible, boat owners had to be based in Port Isabel and had to have operated a boat or fleet last year, he said. The city, meanwhile, made sure there was no overlap in ownership among recipient companies, so no one got more than their share, Hockema said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:03
Letter: County should deny US Wind substation request by John Toedtman
Offshore wind developer US Wind has been quietly, and under the name of one of its subsidiary companies Renewable Redevelopment LLC, going through the process of trying to obtain a conditional use to build a massive electric substation. Four large cables from US Wind’s offshore wind project will come ashore under Sussex County beaches, wetlands and inland bays from its proposed offshore wind turbine project. Sussex County Council is set to consider the application at its 1 p.m., Tuesday, July 30 meeting. US Wind needs federal and state approval to build the turbines. This conditional use is the only opportunity for Sussex County to weigh in. Due to proceeding under another name and making no mention in notices of the application’s relationship to the offshore wind project, the public has failed to get adequate legal notice of US Wind’s plans – which have been at least two years in the making – or a fair opportunity to be heard on the pending county proceedings. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:02
Moved by the rescue of the ‘Lucky 7,’ Gander artist creates tribute sketch
Inspired by the rescue last week of seven fishermen feared lost at sea, a Gander artist has created an artwork in tribute to the crew of the Elite Navigator. Keisha Collins created the artwork beginning shortly after the seven men were reported found. “It just kind of hit home to Newfoundland. And the fact that all seven were OK and, you know, were found safe, it was a happy ending. And it was one that Newfoundland needed to see.” A fire aboard their boat forced the crew to abandon ship into a to sink, and the men — since dubbed the “Lucky 7” — were found floating in a life-raft two days later, after using their final flare to signal search and rescue crews. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:54
Alabama politician advocates for imported seafood inspection bill
Representative Chip Brown of Alabama House District 105 is set to introduce House Bill One during next year’s legislative session. This bill aims to impose a $200 fee on seafood dealers caught selling imported seafood. The money will fund inspections by the Alabama Department of Public Health. “I think that’s a good thing,” said Tammy Hall, co-owner of Sea Harvest Fresh Shrimp Boat and Bridgeside Seafood Market in Bayou La Batre. “I think the fine should be more than $200, myself.” “It keeps our shrimp prices low,” said Hall. “People can buy an imported shrimp say like jumbo jumbo shrimp for $1.50 a pound .. we can’t afford to sell it for $1.50 a pound with the rising prices of fuel and ice.”To adjust, Hall and her family decided to sell directly to the public. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:07
Vineyard Wind crisis: Fishermen blast feds for saying they don’t care about whales
The claim came during a Thursday hearing in Boston federal appeals court as two fishing groups look to toss Vineyard Wind’s underlying permit, arguing regulators failed to analyze how the project would impact the environment and fishermen. “The alliance, as a trade association representing the fishing industry, does not have any interest in protecting right whales,” said attorney Thekla Hansen-Young, representing the Department of the Interior, the National Marine Fisheries Service, among other federal agencies, in the dispute. Hansen-Young was referring to the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, one of the groups fighting the feds and Vineyard Wind. Seafreeze Shoreside Inc. is the other. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:06
F/V Argos Georgia: Montevideo port fishing vessels turn sirens on to remember fallen mariners
At mid-morning Thursday, fishing vessels in the port of Montevideo turned their sirens on for a few minutes to the memory of the lost mariners from longliner Argos Georgia, believed to be almost unsinkable given its sturdy complexion and modern technology, which sunk in the middle of a dramatic storm in the deep south Atlantic. Earlier in the year she had called in Montevideo for fuel and provisions before sailing to the Falklands and from there east with its South Georgia toothfish license- But on this occasion the dramatic storm, 35 knots wind and eight meter high waves raging now for a week turned into a tragedy when the vessel called for help and all of the crew members took to live rafts in the midst of challenging consequences that finally only allowed 14 out of 27 to survive, with the loss of nine mariners and four still missing. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:33
