Daily Archives: September 9, 2024
Seaworthy experiences are on deck at this Western Flyer auction
Western Flyer Auction and 85th Anniversary Voyage to the Gulf of California. The famous boat appeared in author John Steinbeck’s book “The Log from the Sea of Cortez”; the author and biologist Ed Ricketts “traveled to the Gulf of California” on the Western Flyer in 1940. After an uncertain future, including a few sinkings, the boat was restored and returned to Monterey Bay in 2023; it is based in Moss Landing. The Western Flyer Foundation auction, which is happening through Sept. 30, includes several Western Flyer experiences including breakfast in the galley. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:04
Coast Guard urges preparedness ahead of Tropical Storm Francine
New Orleans – The Coast Guard is preparing, Monday, and will respond to impacts from Tropical Storm Francine as it is expected to strengthen to a hurricane and make landfall along the Louisiana coast on Wednesday. The Coast Guard’s ability to conduct rescues can be diminished or unavailable at the height of a storm. As soon as it is safe to operate after a storm, the Coast Guard, along with our local first responders and federal partners, will provide the life-saving support needed in storm-stricken areas. This includes reconstitution of ports as it becomes safe to do so. The maritime community and boating public are strongly urged to track the storm’s progress and take action to protect themselves and their vessels. Extremely high seas, heavy rains, and damaging winds that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes present serious dangers to the public. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:45
Fisheries enforcement ongoing in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
Recently, there has been much speculation and public discussion about the state of enforcement in Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Maritimes Region, encompassing Southwest Nova Scotia, Eastern Nova Scotia and Southwest New Brunswick, in light of an ongoing job action. For absolute clarity, fisheries enforcement activity in the Maritimes Region is active – to suggest otherwise is false. Fishery officers throughout the region continue to patrol by sea, land and air. They continue to conduct investigations and to work with other policing agencies, the provinces and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to enforce the law. They are highly trained professionals and their dedication to their work is evident now, as it is every day. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:46
End of an era? Lahaina fire delivers big blow to already declining commercial fishing industry
The Lahaina Small Boat Harbor was like a second home for Donnell “Andy” Tate, who for decades served as its weighmaster. But those good old days memories of the harbor for Tate, now 73, are clouded by the fire of Aug. 8, 2023, when he fled his Lahaina Shores home with only his camera gear and could only watch from a distance through a black wall of smoke as the town, the harbor, most of the boats and his life as he knew it went up in flames. The commercial fisherman and sportfishing charter operations at the harbor had suffered during COVID-19, when Lahaina became a ghost town for more than six months, forcing some fishermen out of business or to move to bluer waters. But the fire — which badly damaged the 99-slip harbor, destroyed all but 13 boats and left the nearshore waters a mess, filled with oil and debris — has been an even bigger, and perhaps more permanent blow. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:02
FWC charges three for multiple fishing net violations
Three veteran Franklin County fishermen, two of whom have been cited in the past for violating Florida’s so-called net ban, have once again run afoul of the law. On Aug. 25, in a boat under 20-feet long, captain William D. Sorenson, 82, of Eastpoint, and passengers Johnny D. Johnson, 59, of Carrabelle, and Donnie G. Nichols, 59, of Eastpoint, were arrested by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers for multiple violations pertaining to the possession, use and size of monofilament and gill nets, and the possession of commercial quantities of fish. The three were harvesting fish with four separate nets over Florida’s legal size of 500 square feet. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
My skipper husband thought he was indestructible
Fishermen are being warned they are putting themselves at risk of preventable illness and even death by delaying seeking medical advice. Amanda Nithavrianakis, whose skipper husband John died of cancer at the age of 52, believes his attitude of self-reliance and toughness contributed to the delay in his diagnosis and treatment. “There’s this mentality, especially among fishermen,” Amanda says. “They’re rufty-tufty. “They think nothing goes wrong with them. But it’s just not true.” John was the captain of a fishing boat based in the south of Scotland town of Kirkcudbright. In March 2016, he began struggling to swallow but delayed seeking medical help, prioritising his work over his health Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
