Daily Archives: October 17, 2024
NH port director Geno Marconi indicted a day after his wife, a NH Supreme Court justice
New Hampshire Ports and Harbors director Geno Marconi has been indicted on felony charges announced Thursday, along with Bradley Cook, the chairman of the state Ports and Harbors Advisory Council. The news comes one day after Geno Marconi’s wife, state Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi, was indicted on felony charges for allegedly interfering into the investigation into his alleged crimes. She is accused of asking Gov. Chris Sununu to stop the probe. Geno Marconi, a Stratham resident, is charged with two Class B felonies – tampering with witnesses and informants and falsifying physical evidence, as well as four Class A misdemeanors: two counts of Driver Privacy Act violations and two counts of obstructing government administration. During the investigation, he has been on paid leave since April from the job overseen by the Pease Development Authority. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:57
Fishermen greet DFO baby eel licence plan with uncertainty
The department is offering 120 fishermen currently employed by the eight commercial groups their own small licences for next year’s season, in what the letters say is a bid to “broaden the distribution of benefits” of the fishery. It is also offering elver licences to 30 fishermen currently licensed to catch adult eels. Austin Townsend, a 26-year-old elver fisherman from Lockeport, N.S., said while the proposal looks good for him on paper, he’s suspicious of the “Robin Hood” tactic where quota is simply plucked from the commercial groups, and worries he could be worse off financially. He said in a good season, he will make between $40,000 and $90,000 working for Shelburne Elver, which has the equipment to hold elvers and the networks to export them. But Townsend said if he goes it alone, he will still likely have to sell to a middleman who will take a cut. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:23
Connecticut Fisherman Sentenced for Tax Evasion
A Connecticut man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for evading taxes on income he earned from commercial fishing in Massachusetts. According to court documents and statements made in court, Brian Kobus, of Durham, worked as a commercial fisherman and deckhand for various fishing companies in Massachusetts. After each fishing trip, the companies paid Kobus by check. Despite receiving over $1.2 million in fishing income between 2011 through 2013, and 2017 through 2021, Kobus never filed a federal income tax return or paid the taxes that he owed. To conceal the source and disposition of his income from the IRS, Kobus regularly cashed his paychecks from the fishing companies and used the cash to fund his personal lifestyle. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:58
Has wave energy finally found its golden buoy?
In November 2023, violent Atlantic storm “Domingos” struck the northern coast of Portugal, generating record-high waves and leaving a path of destruction across much of Western Europe. People on land were grappling with flooded homes, closed roads, and landslides. But just offshore, a potentially game-changing wave energy device was happily bobbing up and down, side to side — seemingly, in its element. Built by Swedish startup CorPower, the giant golden buoy turns the raw power of the ocean into a clean, reliable electricity source. CorPower claims its tech is at least five times more efficient than the previous state-of-the-art. In an industry haunted by the ghosts of failed projects, wasted ideas, and bankrupt ventures, has wave energy finally found its golden buoy? more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:38
50 years plus: Village Belle IV
This 1970 Noble’s vessel – the last of the series of Village Maids and Village Belles, built for the Jackson family of Tarbert – is still going strong. Over the years, the family owned two Village Maids and four Village Belles. The survivor – yard number 65 from Alexander Noble & Sons of Girvan – is the canoe-sterned Village Belle IV, built in 1970 and registered as TT 
74. At 60ft in overall length, she was built as a ringer/trawler with a 240-cran capacity in her hold and a T8 Kelvin 240hp in her engineroom. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:14
Texas campaign hopes to bolster struggling shrimping industry
October is National Seafood Month, and the Texas Department of Agriculture is using the occasion to raise awareness about Texas wild-caught shrimp through its “Caught Here, Not Brought Here” multi-media promotional campaign. No question, the state’s Gulf shrimp industry can use all the help it can get, with no relief in sight from a flood of cheap, farm-raised, imported shrimp, much of it raised under questionable, environmentally unsustainable conditions. The TDA campaign shines a light on this reality while also offering tips to consumers on how to look for Texas wild-caught shrimp on packaging and restaurant menus, recipes, and advice on where to find Texas wild-caught and how to select the best product. “Choosing Wild Caught Texas Shrimp matters — not just for the superior flavor, but for the positive impact on local shrimpers,” according to the TDA’s campaign web page. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
