Daily Archives: September 1, 2024
Fishermen service ‘full of joy’ on minster return
A service to commemorate fishermen who have lost their lives at sea took place at Grimsby Minster on Sunday. The service, which has been held annually for more than 60 years, was back at the minster for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. Family members of fishermen attended the service while wreaths were also laid by the memorial in St James Square. The Fishermen’s Mission Port Officer Suesan Brown said it was a “solemn occasion” but one that was “so full of joy because it’s that remembering of those people who have gone”. Grimsby was once claimed to be the biggest fishing port in the world and the community was determined to bring the service back to the town. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:40
Fishing vessel with 45 people onboard rescued after engine failure off Tasmanian coast
A fishing vessel with 45 people on board has been rescued from wild weather off the coast of Burnie after it experienced engine problems. The 80-metre Sealord Tokatu reportedly lost engine control while at sea early on Saturday morning, leaving it unable to manoeuvre. Two tugs were sent to assist the New Zealand-registered vessel back to the Port of Burnie, where it arrived safely several hours later. “The vessel is now safely back in port,” Harbour Master Captain Mick Wall said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:23
New England Fishermen Stage Floating Protest at Vineyard Wind Site
I am continuing to keep an eye on the Vineyard Farms offshore blade failure near Nantucket. A few weeks ago, the facility was closed because of the failure of Vineyard Wind’s newly installed wind turbines, and the city was poised to sue. After one blade failed and ended up in the water, the beaches were cluttered with sharp fiberglass shards, which is a sub-optimum condition at the height of the summer tourist season. The vessels, hoisting anti-offshore wind flags and blasting air horns, departed early Sunday morning from ports in New Bedford, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Rhode Island and along the Cape, converging at about noon on the site of the crippled Vineyard Wind turbine. “The blade collapse was an eye-opener to a lot of people who before didn’t know that offshore wind is a disaster for the ocean,” said Shawn Machie, 54, who is captain of the New Bedford scalloper F/V Capt. John. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:36
Tom Poland – Wake-up call aboard the F/V Pamela Sue
I got up at 4:30 a.m. to go to two Carolina bays in the Francis Marion National Forest. Hours later I left pitcher plants, blue irises and Halloween pennant dragonflies and headed to the McClellanville Diner for a platter of fresh-caught domestic shrimp. Consumers take note: it was not frozen, imported shrimp. After lunch I went into McClellanville, a lovely fishing village that’s home to South Carolina’s largest fleet of shrimp boats. As I made my way into McClellanville, I passed T.W. Graham & Co., another great local restaurant. Hand-painted on its windows were “Support #Freshlocal” and “God Bless Our Shrimpers.” Carolina Seafood sits on Jeremy Creek, a creek named after King Jeremy, a Seewee Indian chief whose tribe lived along the creek’s banks. There I met Capt. Bryan Jones. He catches shrimp, no easy task. Besides the hard and dangerous work, he must overcome many a challenge. Capt. Jones showed me around his boat, Pamela Sue. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:31
Downeast businesses are learning from January storms. How Midcoast Maine can learn from Downeast.
The owners of Chipman’s Wharf, a seafood market, buying station and restaurant in Milbridge, had a brutal awakening after the powerful January storms wiped away their 106-foot wharf. The proprietors, brothers Chris and Jason Chipman and their wives, had insurance that would have covered damage to the pier from fire or an airplane crash, but not storms. The two families are still reeling from the shock. The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association estimated at least 60 percent of Maine’s working waterfronts were heavily damaged or destroyed in the January storms. Since then, many coastal businesses have had to decide whether to abandon their enterprises or rebuild, hoping to fortify their properties against future major storms — in some cases with a cash infusion from the state. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:16
