Daily Archives: July 23, 2024
Longliner Sinks off Falklands, Leaving Crew Adrift in Extreme Weather
The crew of a modern freezer-longliner were forced to abandon ship off the coast of the Falkland Islands yesterday, and local accounts report that at least six lost their lives in “extremely challenging” weather conditions before they could be rescued. On Sunday, the 2018-built fishing vessel Argos Georgia got underway from Port Stanley and headed out to her fishing grounds with 27 crewmembers on board. On Monday afternoon, she reported a serious flooding incident at a position about 200 miles to the east of the port. As rescue assets mobilized to the scene, the situation on board deteriorated, and the crew was forced to abandon ship into their life rafts. The vessel sank after they departed. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:17
Skipper catches ‘rare’ sturgeon in Devon waters
A rare species of fish has been caught in waters off Devon, according to a local fishing boat skipper. Sean Beck, skipper of the Brixham-based Julia of Ladram, said his vessel was fishing approximately 15 miles (24km) south east of Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon when his crew caught an “average sized” sturgeon. Mr Beck said he had been fishing for about 40 years and had only seen two sturgeons in that time. He said they released the 4ft (1.2m) long fish, adding that, if they had brought it ashore, he would have had to offer it to the monarch. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:37
URGENT WARNING: If Labour give fish stocks to EU – UK fishing fleet will die
I don’t want to state the bleeding’ obvious, but Britain is an Island and our coastal communities have been fishing for millennia. Indeed, the sea and fishing is in our DNA. It was natural therefore, that of the causes front and centre of the Brexit campaign was fisheries. Leaving the Block, we and, more importantly, our fishing industry were told, would mean taking back our fishing stocks from the European Union. Today though, our fishermen have every right to feel disappointed and deceived, because, when we did leave the EU, we didn’t take our fishing stocks back or reinvigorate our fishing industry as had been promised. Instead, we agreed to EU boats being allowed to continue fishing our waters and, instead of reasserting our rights over our own waters, we agreed to a phased reduction in EU catches, until 2026. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:09
Kodiak crabber catches red king crab in Norton Sound, sparks public outrage in Nome
A limited amount of Norton Sound red king crab was for sale on the dock in Kodiak on July 19. This crab species is rarely available in this part of the state. And the Kodiak commercial fisherman who legally caught the king crab is facing some pushback. Raymond May was born and raised on Kodiak Island and has been fishing in Alaska for 40 years. He also holds the salmon fisher’s seat on the Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force, as appointed by Governor Mike Dunleavy. May operates his own vessel, called the Resilient, which is labeled as a tender packer. May’s boat was spotted docked in Nome’s small boat harbor on June 18 and immediately sparked criticism on social media. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:30
The Offshore Wind Energy Scandal Is Even Worse Than You Think
These 11 charts show how America’s biggest NGOs are colluding with foreign corporations that want to industrialize our oceans with thousands of turbines that will hurt whales and ratepayers Two of Europe’s biggest energy companies are abandoning the SS Offshore Wind. In May, Shell, the UK-based oil and gas giant (2023 revenue: $317 billion), announced that it was cutting staff from its offshore wind business because, according to Bloomberg, the company has decided to focus on markets that “deliver the most value for our investors and customers.” Bloomberg also reported that the staff cuts were made after the departures of top executives in the company’s offshore wind and renewable power businesses. Lots of informative grafs. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:29
Aquinnah tribe calls for moratorium on offshore wind development
In the aftermath of a broken turbine blade off the Vineyard’s coast, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is calling for a moratorium on all offshore wind development in the United States until further research can be done on the impact of wind farm construction. Aquinnah Wampanoag chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais expressed “strong concerns and outrage” over the fractured Vineyard Wind turbine blade and the debris that washed ashore on Nantucket in a letter to Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement director Kevin M. Sligh, Sr. Andrews-Maltais, in a July 18 letter, said the foam and fiberglass debris have “potential negative and adverse impact[s]” on the environment, marine life, and human health. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:19
Gone Shrimpin’: MD, VA Shrimp Harvests Return For 2024 Season
In the movie Forrest Gump, Alabama native Bubba proclaims, “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea.” Indeed, the south has long been known for its shrimp harvests, but the Chesapeake Bay? Not so much. In recent years, that’s been changing. Shrimp appear to be more abundant further north along the Atlantic coast. Virginia experimented with commercial shrimping for four years, saw success, and has had a commercial shrimp fishery for the last two years. Maryland forged ahead with its own pilot program in 2023, beginning with just one waterman. The 2024 pilot program is open to applicants now. A permit allows a commercial fisherman to use a 16-foot beam trawl to fish Maryland state waters of the Atlantic Ocean (extending out to three nautical miles). You can see the single permit holder, Sonny Gwin, in action on his first day fishing in 2023. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:02
