Daily Archives: September 11, 2024
Hurricane Francine is predicted to make landfall west of New Orleans
Hurricane Francine is crossing over warm waters in the western Gulf of Mexico, and it has Louisiana’s coast — and the greater New Orleans area — in its sights, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest forecast. The storm became a hurricane Tuesday night; its maximum sustained winds are now topping 90 mph. As of 10 a.m. CT, Francine was about 150 miles southwest of Morgan City, La., moving northeast at 13 mph. “Francine is anticipated to make landfall in Louisiana … late this afternoon or evening,” the hurricane center said on Wednesday. If the storm surge coincides with high tide, water could reach 5 to 10 feet above ground in areas from Louisiana’s Intracoastal City and Vermilion Bay to Port Fourchon. The hurricane’s outer bands of rain began hitting Lafayette, Baton Rouge and other areas in southern Louisiana Wednesday morning. In the gulf, an oil platform north of the center recently reported a peak gust of 105 mph, the NHC said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:21
Flawed fisheries science ’cause for concern’
An article just published in the respected science journal Marine Policy highlights the need for objective and reliable fisheries science to ensure conservation and sustainable development. It says the publication of flawed papers, some in high-profile journals, is cause for concern, and that misleading science can misinform policy and the public. The authors, who include well-known US fisheries scientist Professor Ray Hilborn, call for the rigour of peer reviews and editorial management to be strengthened, and say journal publishers must ensure the reliability of papers they publish. “The prevalence of papers conveying unjustified messages and with the potential to influence public perceptions and policies is concerning,” they say, providing examples where flawed methodology led to the exaggeration of negative impacts on ecosystems by the fishing industry – which was often then sensationalised by campaigners. In all of the examples quoted, a rebuttal was subsequently published. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:46
Fire on a fishing boat in Newlyn Harbour last night.
A crewman collapsed and needed medical treatment after escaping a fire on a fishing boat in Newlyn Harbour last night. Emergency services, including the Penlee Lifeboat Ivan Ellen, were called to a 25m fishing boat on fire at 11.12pm last night (September 10). One crewman had escaped the boat which was well alight but there were concerns that there may be more crew inside. The Penlee Lifeboat was the first to arrive at the scene and moored alongside the fishing vessel tackling the fire coming from the galley area with two sea water hoses. photos, more, >>LICK TO READ<< 10:36
California’s trillion dollars floating wind fantasy
California has adopted a target of 25,000 MW of floating offshore wind generation capacity. Of course, the cost is never mentioned, so here is a rough estimate to get the ball rolling. The estimate begins with the huge Dominion Energy (DOM) fixed wind project currently under construction off of Virginia. Because the regulated utility DOM is its own developer, we get some public numbers, so here is a crude derivation. Big numbers are rounded for simplicity and ease of memory. A. DOM says the 2,600 MW facility will cost $10 billion to build, which is about $4 billion/GW. But financing and profit bump that to $20 billion or $8 billion/GW, which is called the “revenue requirement” or what rate payers will pay. We will use that number. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:19
Ottawa still hasn’t learned to choose science over politics in the cod fishery, says Gerry Byrne
Newfoundland and Labrador’s fisheries minister says he was disturbed to learn federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier ignored the advice of staff in reopening the commercial cod fishery. Gerry Byrne said Tuesday the decision to reopen the fishery, announced in June, wasn’t based on industry science. “The view that we saw was very, very disturbing. It is about politics,” Byrne said Tuesday. “We thought we were at a place where politics would be removed from this decision-making process, because it was politics that brought us here to begin with.” Byrne called the findings a gut punch to those working in the industry and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:47
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 60’x18’x9′ Astor Longliner, Cummins KT 1150
To review specifications, information, and 15 photos’, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:46
