Daily Archives: August 13, 2024
WWII Veteran/Retired Commercial Fisherman Charles Lee Wescott of Wanchese, NC, has passed away
Charles Lee Wescott, a 105-year-old native of Wanchese, North Carolina, departed his Earthly home in Wanchese, North Carolina, on February 21, 2024, with his family at his side. Charles was born September 27, 1918, in Gum Neck, Tyrrell County, North Carolina, the eldest child born to Theophilus Lee Wescott and Ina Cahoon Wescott. Charles joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1940 before the United States entered the WW-II efforts in 1941. During WW II, he was assigned to the U.S. Navy. Before Charles’ death, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Charles to be the oldest surviving WW-II Veteran in The State of North Carolina. Charles devoted his life to being a commercial fisherman, from which he retired. He was one of the first charter boat captains out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center in the 1950s. He owned and managed his boat, the Myrtle W., affectionally named after his wife. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:35
Lobster fishery set for reprieve on size limits
A second delay to implementing minimum gauge and vent sizes for lobsters caught in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and Outer Cape Cod was initiated last week by the American Lobster Board, which operates under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), a measure that Maine lobstermen, and Congressman Jared Golden, have hoped and pushed for. The new implementation date would be July 1, 2025, if the measure is adopted by the ASMFC’s American Lobster Board. An earlier delay the ASMFC approved had pushed back to Jan. 1, 2025, the new gauge and escape vent sizes in lobster traps for commercial lobster fisheries in the targeted lobster management areas. When the measure was first approved, it was to take effect based on a “trigger” mechanism. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:52
Macduff delivers twin-rigger Forever Faithful
The latest Macduff newbuild, Andrew West’s Forever Faithful, has started fishing for nephrops in the North Sea. The new vessel replaces an older one of the same name that also came from Macduff in 2016, and the latest Forever Faithful is the yard’s fifth build for the West family. This is the third in a series of sister vessels built at Macduff Shipyards’ Buckie site, and in which the yard continues to develop and invest. Forever Faithful PD-289 follows Zenith BF-106, handed over at the beginning of last summer, and Celestial Dawn BF-109, which was delivered in the summer of 2022. All three vessels share the same hull form and general fishing arrangement, although each has been laid out to suit owners’ preferences. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:06
NCFA Weekly Update for August 12, 2024
As most of you know, we are about midway through updating the Spotted Sea Trout FMP (Fisheries Management Plan). Comments are again needed at this stage of the management process! Written comments and in person comments will be accepted. The DMF (Division of Marine Fisheries) has published their initial management recommendations to end overfishing. Although the stock is not overfished and barely triggered the overfishing status, DMF is recommending a 39.6% reduction in overall harvest. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:54
Ocean City prepares federal lawsuit over offshore wind projects.
During the most recent normal legislative meeting, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan noted he was not surprised members of the municipal government did not have all the details of the proposed offshore wind development by US Wind. He cited the planned 114 turbines would be “between 10.7 to 10.9 miles off our coast. At a minimum they will be 938 feet tall, and that’s three and half times taller than any building in Ocean City. If built on land, they would be the tallest structures in Maryland.” The federal government leased the land on which these turbines are slated to be built according to the company’s federal permit application. “We’ve decided if the (federal) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management provides a favorable Record of Decision on US Wind’s permit application, the Town of Ocean City will file suit against the BOEM,” Meehan said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:02
Descendant of salvaged Maine boat’s namesake wants to save it
After seven months of being submerged off the coast of Harpswell, the historic fishing boat Jacob Pike has finally been raised by the U.S. Coast Guard. But a descendant of Jacob Pike himself is fighting to save it from being destroyed. Sumner Rugh, a student at the Merchant Marine Academy in New York, is the great-great-grandson of Jacob Pike, the namesake of the refrigerated sardine carrier. His nonprofit, the Jacob Pike Organization, wants to refurbish the vessel and use it for education. But acquiring the boat has proven tricky, Rugh said. The Coast Guard towed the boat to Portland on Wednesday to be destroyed. Rugh asked the Coast Guard to donate the vessel to his nonprofit, but because the Coast Guard doesn’t own the boat, it can’t donate it. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:36
