Daily Archives: September 25, 2024
Live updates: Helene strengthening, now forecast to hit Florida as Category 4 hurricane
Helene became a hurricane late Wednesday morning and is rapidly strengthening. The storm is forecast to barrel into Florida’s Gulf Coast as a monster Category 4 hurricane with up to 132-mph winds Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Helene is expected to intensify and grow rapidly over the Gulf of Mexico before slamming into Florida’s Gulf Coast. According to AccuWeather forecasters, the highest landfall probability is “somewhere along the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle–perhaps in the Big Bend area–late Thursday evening.” However, an earlier landfall over the Florida Peninsula is possible if Helene tracks farther to the southeast, forecasters said. There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of Florida and Florida’s Big Bend, the NHC reported. The highest inundation levels and potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds are expected along the Big Bend coast. Video, lots of images, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:06 Stay safe!
Right whales and offshore wind: reflections on an uneasy coexistence
Michael Moore has spent decades studying North Atlantic right whales. He’s seen somewhere around 150 of them. It’s a feat, given that now there are just about 360 left in the world. But the veterinarian, author, and scientist emeritus from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution had never seen an offshore wind farm up close — until last week. “Look at them. All out in neat little rows,” he said, standing at the rear of a 53-foot charter boat that offered a closeup view of construction on Vineyard Wind, 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. About half of the planned 62 turbines are fully constructed, reaching more than 250 meters into the sky. When the boat slowed down to pass beneath one of the turbines, Moore was awestruck by the length of a blade. “Right whales are 40 to 50 feet,” he said. “So, you can stretch seven right whales along the length of one of these blades.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:48
Fishing group, N.S. fisherman happy with Canada-France halibut deal
Canada and France have reached a deal to try to end a long-simmering dispute over halibut fishing on Canada’s Atlantic coast. In exchange for a three per cent share of the Canadian quota, French fishing vessels will fish outside Canadian waters and agree to have their catch monitored. According to Shelburne fisherman Gary Dedrick, French fishermen have been harvesting in Canadian waters outside the designated French fishing zone surrounding St-Pierre-Miquelon, France’s eight small islands off Newfoundland’s southern coast, and not limiting their catches. “They will be allowed to fish Atlantic halibut in their own territory and also outside 200 miles, but they won’t be able to fish in Canadian waters,” said Lapointe, who is looking to federal authorities to increase monitoring and catch reporting now that there’s a formal agreement. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14: 19
Maine lobster fisherman reveals why the crustaceans she catches taste ‘sweeter, ‘better’
The daughter of a lobster fisherman from Maine describes herself as being “born into it.” Sadie Samuels left the Pine Tree State and headed to college across the country in California, but she kept fishing during the summers to pay for her tuition. After graduation in 2013, she began fishing full-time and has never looked back. Samuels, 32, opened her restaurant, Must Be Nice Lobster – which has the same name as her boat, F/V Must Be Nice – in a permanent indoor location in 2022. “My dad kind of kicked me off his boat because you can only fish 800 traps on a boat,” she said. “So, the more I wanted to fish, the less he could fish if I still fished on his boat.” “[My father] finally was like, ‘All right, obviously you’re interested in this. Go buy a boat,'” she recalled. “So that’s pretty much how that happened.” Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:17
2024 Sea Scallop Survey Results – Long-Running Sea Scallop Survey Diversifies for the Future
Among the highlights of our 2024 Integrated Sea Scallop and HabCam Research Survey are strong numbers of two-year-old scallops observed in both dredge samples and HabCam images. These were found in the southern part of the Great South Channel, the eastern portion of the Nantucket Lightship Area, the northern portion of Closed Area I, and in the Elephant Trunk and Hudson Canyon South areas in the Mid-Atlantic. Sea scallops typically reach harvestable size at about age 4 and older. This is also the first survey that included three cruises, exclusively used a commercial vessel for dredging, and deployed a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (LRAUV). Photos, charts, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:06
Long-Running Sea Scallop Survey Diversifies for the Future – >>CLICK TO READ<<
Debate Over Offshore Wind Farms Continues at Ocean City BOEM Meeting
Ocean City residents voiced strong opposition Tuesday night at a public meeting hosted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regarding potential offshore wind farm developments along the Maryland coast. The meeting discussed areas that could be leased for wind energy projects, which has been raising concerns among residents. Many Ocean City residents expressed concerns about the environmental, economic, and aesthetic impact of more wind farms. Hundreds attended the meeting. “It’s just not sound business. It’s not a good idea for our environment. The fishery will be destroyed out here, the viewshed will be destroyed, and it’s going to harm Ocean City—irreparable harm to our community,” said one attendee. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:41
Lobster fishing industry reps remain concerned about illegal fishing
A hastily organized meeting with senior Fisheries Department officials on Tuesday did nothing to quell concerns among commercial lobster industry representatives about illegal fishing and insufficient enforcement along coastal communities. The meeting came together hours after people attending a gathering of the Maritimes Region Lobster Advisory Committee in Dartmouth, N.S., walked out in protest when a motion to change the agenda to deal only with enforcement and illegal fishing was rejected. “It’s the No. 1 industry in Atlantic Canada and we feel abandoned,” Dan Fleck, executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, told reporters after walking out of the morning session. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:26
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 36′ Wayne Beal Lobster Boat, 675HP, Scania D1-13 086M Diesel, Video
To review specifications, information, and 10 photos’, and Video, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:09
