Daily Archives: December 16, 2024
From fisherman to mayor, and 20 Questions
This year, Mayor Tony Ryan of Port Saunders is celebrating 35 years in the big chair of the Northern Peninsula town. As a fisherman by trade, Ryan had never anticipated that he would have ended up running in a mayoral election. “I’ve been (a fisherman) all of my life,” he said. “I’ve been at fishing for 50 years, in the mobile sector, the shrimp fleet. “We had our own boat, and we fished a lot of shrimp. I’m still at it.” It wasn’t until the previous mayor came to Ryan and encouraged him, that he decided to run. He added that being the chair of the fishermen’s committee prior to becoming mayor helped him to enter the position with a decent understanding of how an organization is run. However, there was still a learning curve. “You have to learn as you go,” he said. Becoming mayor is one thing, staying in the position for 35 years is another. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:59
Cape May County Ends Litigation Over Failed Wind Energy Project
Cape May County has ended its legal battle against a proposed offshore wind energy farm after the state and federal agencies that had supported the project admitted it is “dead and will not be coming back to life.” The county had filed state and federal lawsuits to block the wind farm proposed by the Danish energy company Orsted 15 miles off the coast between Atlantic City and Stone Harbor. In the suits, the county alleged that the project would have caused far-reaching economic and environmental harm to the tourism industry, commercial fishing, migratory birds and marine life such as dolphins and whales. “By Orsted’s own calculation, Cape May County was facing a loss of over $1 billion in tourism revenue. Our fisheries industry was facing millions of dollars in losses. Marine mammals and other sea life were threatened with injury and harassment,” Cape May County Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio said in a news release Monday announcing the end of the ligation. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< Congratulations! 13:12
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources lobbying for state to put labels on Gulf shrimp
Mississippi’s seafood industry is pushing for legislation to require labeling for Gulf shrimp and seafood, following recent fines for mislabeling. Joe Spragin, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, emphasized that while some businesses do mislabel, many seafood providers strive to offer fresh, locally sourced products. Proposed legislation would mirror the catfish labeling law, ensuring consumers can identify domestic versus imported seafood. Spragin noted the importance of promoting locally sourced seafood, especially to tourists. Initiatives also include enhancing oyster aquaculture and monitoring environmental factors affecting seafood quality, aiming to support both consumers and local businesses. Video, >>CLICK TO WATCH<< 12:02
NCFA Weekly Update for December 16, 2024 – Atlantic Striped Bass, Yet Another Discard Fishery
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board meets today (December 16th) from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Although North Carolina does not really have an Atlantic striped bass fishery anymore, the issues facing striped bass is the same thing we are seeing with many other stocks. For years we have only regulated harvest; limiting harvest days for recreational and commercial fishermen, increasing minimum size limits, lowering bag and trip limits, setting small slot limits, closing areas to commercial gear, modifying commercial gear; never ending harvest restrictions. Sound familiar? more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:45
Vessel Review: F/V Ingeborg Arntsen – Norwegian fishing family acquires hybrid longliner/netter
Danish shipbuilder Vestværftet recently handed over a new longliner/gillnetter to Nordsten, a company owned by brothers Jack-Allan and Hans-Michael Arntsen of Lofoten in northern Norway. Named F/V Ingeborg Arntsen after their mother, the newbuild replaces the brothers’ current boat F/V Tommy Junior, which was built in 1991 and had been in operation with Nordsten since 2007 until recently being sold to a sister company also owned by the family. The Arntsens decided to purchase a new boat upon realising the earlier Tommy Junior had reached its limits in terms of providing safe living and working conditions for crews. With a new boat offering improvements in such conditions, the brothers believed it would be possible to land catches of even higher quality. Photos, specifications, information, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:45
Washington state poised to set precedent as first government in the world to successfully remove and permanently ban commercial net-pen aquaculture
Washington state recently garnered international attention for its successful removal of all polluting and hazardous commercial net pens from Puget Sound. Now, the state is on the verge of adopting a statute that would prohibit this commercial industry from ever returning to Puget Sound. Washington would be the first place in the world to both entirely remove the existing industry and permanently ban future operation of commercial net pens in marine waters. In 2022, responding to the concerns of the public and the well-documented record of ecological harm, Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz, rejected applications from seafood giant Cooke Aquaculture seeking new leases to continue operating their commercial net pens in Puget Sound. Concurrently, she issued a new executive order prohibiting commercial net pen aquaculture in Washington marine waters. Cooke Aquaculture is the company responsible for the catastrophic Cypress Island net pen collapse in 2017, which released over 260,000 nonnative, virus-infected Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:26
Midcoast Maine organization awarded grant to tackle abandoned fishing gear cleanup
It’s a mission for cleaner oceans- a large grant awarded to one midcoast organization in Maine, will go towards the cleanup of lost fishing gear in Maine waters. The president of OceansWide, Buzz Scott, says this cleanup is a step in the right direction in clearing the state’s ocean floors. “We want to make it possible for the fisherman to continue fishing for generations to come,” said Scott. The Newcastle non-profit is taking on a 5-week mission to clean up abandoned fishing gear around Vinalhaven island. OceansWide is one of 11 organizations awarded a grant for the project through the National Fishing Trap Removal Program. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:39
