Monthly Archives: January 2025
Fishing vessel runs aground on Cape Cod beach: Officials on the scene
A fishing vessel ran aground on the beach approximately one mile north of Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, according to a release from the Wellfleet Fire Department. Fire personnel were dispatched to the area shortly before 9 a.m. on Friday. The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England identified the boat as the Guardian, a 70-foot fishing vessel. According to a release from the Coast Guard, the “vessel did not incur any damage, and no pollution has resulted or been at the site of the grounding.” Five crew members were aboard the boat at the time. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ< 17:43
REMINDER: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Chapter 25.76 Lobster Minimum Size
Attention all lobster harvesters and dealers: The Maine Department of Marine Resources has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for: Chapter 25.76 Lobster Minimum Size. A brief summary: This proposed rulemaking incorporates the minimum lobster size required by Addendum XXVII: Increasing Protection of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Spawning Stock that was originally approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in May 2023. In October 2024 Addendum XXXI postponed the implementation of certain measures from Addendum XXVII to July 1, 2025. For compliance with the current Interstate Fisheries Management Plan, this regulation implements changing the minimum size of lobster from 3 ¼ inches to 3 5/16 inches, effective July 1, 2025. >>CLICK TO READ<< the full notice. 14:25
USCG Safety Alert: Mind Your Lifesaving Equipment Stowage
Two recent marine casualties on commercial fishing vessels (CFVs) highlighted hazardous stowage conditions that rendered onboard lifesaving equipment ineffective. During the first incident, a 41-foot CFV capsized and sank within two minutes after taking on water. The personal flotation devices (PFDs) were not stored in an easily accessible location, preventing the crew from retrieving them before exiting the vessel. For the second incident, a 60-foot CFV caught fire, forcing the crew to rapidly evacuate. Although the crew retrieved PFDs before abandoning the vessel, they were not readily accessible. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:45
2017–2025 North Atlantic Right Whale Unusual Mortality Event
Beginning in 2017, elevated mortalities in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) were documented in Canada and the United States and necessitated an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) be declared. The whales impacted by the UME include dead, injured, and sick individuals, who represent more than 20 percent of the population, which is a significant impact on an endangered species where deaths are outpacing births. Additionally, research demonstrates that only about 1/3 of right whale deaths are documented. The preliminary cause of mortality, serious injury, and morbidity (sublethal injury and illness) in most of these whales is from entanglements or vessel strikes. Endangered North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction. There are approximately 370 individuals remaining, including about 70 reproductively active females. Human impacts continue to threaten the survival of this species. The many individual whales involved in the UME are a significant setback to the recovery of this endangered species. Links, graphics, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:29
Memories of a wilder time come alive inside Karumba’s Animal Bar
Crocodiles thrown at barmaids, a weapon drawn over a bad prawn deal, and a heist orchestrated on Mother’s Day. It’s the stuff of fiction, at least you’d think so, if not for the hundreds of pub-goers who lived to tell the tales of one infamous outback watering hole. Found in the belly of Karumba — a tiny seaside fishing village nestled in Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria — the Animal Bar has a storied history that most locals would be happy to share over a cold one. Opened in 1974, if the graffiti-covered pub walls could talk, they might explain why, back in the old days, every bit of furniture was bolted to the floor, including the ashtrays. Commercial fisherman John Kemeridis remembers the Animal Bar glory days fondly after making Karumba his home almost five decades ago. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:24
Tory MPs issue Brexit warning over EU attempts to tear apart fishing agreement
Tory MPs have warned the EU is attempting to undermine British sovereignty by trying to tear Brexit fishing agreements apart. Danish fishermen have successfully convinced the EU to launch an arbitration tribunal against the UK in a bid to gain access to fishing the species in English and Scottish waters. Sir Bernard Jenkin MP said: “The EU cannot accept British sovereignty over our waters, and Labour seems all too ready to concede this. While the EU talks tough on ocean conservation, it has a shocking record and shows no signs of improvement. So this is a challenge to the UK’s ability to protect the marine environment and to create sustainable fisheries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:03
Northstate trucker trades highways for high seas
Howard Salmon, a long haul trucker in his mid-60s, recently traded the highways for the high seas, working as a deckhand on a salmon fishing boat in Alaska. Despite the grueling 12-plus hour days and challenging weather conditions, Salmon said he held his own alongside a crew of 20-somethings. “These guys are tough,” Salmon said. “They take all kinds of waves and weather. Sometimes it can be a nightmare, the waves just throw you around… But it was fun.” Salmon was invited by his longtime friend, Paul Holmberd, the owner and operator of the Sea King fishing boat. Holmberd said he can’t imagine doing anything else. Photos, more, >> CLICK TO READ<< 20:16
Worcester hiring PR firm to fight offshore wind
Sometimes, even David needs a public relations firm in his corner to take on Goliath. In the face of what they described as an apathetic response to Worcester County’s offshore wind concerns, the county’s Board of Commissioners on Dec. 17 voted unanimously to contract with Bedrock Advocacy Communications, a public relations firm based in Virginia. The agency will help with grassroots mobilization, strategic communications, and online engagement for a 2025 campaign to oppose ongoing wind farm development off the Atlantic Coast, according to Worcester County Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young. Young said when it comes to protesting the planned 114-turbine wind farm by developer US Wind, there have been a lot of grassroots efforts, but none that were coordinated. He said Bedrock will serve as the campaign developer and manager, working collaboratively with representatives from Worcester County, Ocean City, and the local business community. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:53
Northern Territory’s only commercial bait business battles to stay afloat
The Northern Territory’s only commercial sardine and squid fisherman says he is unlikely to catch them again, meaning the NT will now need to import most of its bait. Biagio Spinella from Austop Fisheries has spent nearly 30 years catching sardines and other bait fish from NT waters. Some of the pro duct was sold to local restaurants, but most of it got sold as bait to a wide range of businesses. Mr Spinella’s boat, the FV Angelina, sank off the Arnhem Land Coast last year. The fisherman has since run into problems while trying to reinvest because he cannot get a permanent fishing licence from the NT government. “There is no security for me because every year I need to fill in an application and they [NT government] give me a bit of paper that says I’m allowed to go and catch more sardines for another year,” he said. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:19
Scientists set the record straight on rumors surrounding wind turbines: ‘I want to be unambiguous’
An Australian scientist is debunking some of the more absurd myths concerning wind turbines and their environmental impact, most notably around whales. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald broke down the claims that have been put forth in opposition to offshore wind turbine farms, which include suggestions turbines pose a danger to the lives of whales feeding, migrating, or spawning in the regions where the wind farms are being built. However, Dr. Olaf Meynecke, a research fellow at the Coastal and Marine Research Centre at Griffith University in Australia, was quick to point out these theories have no basis in fact. “The claims that are made by some members of the public or some politicians that it is going to kill whales are absolutely incorrect,” he said. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:16
Fishermen report slow mullet season
With peak mullet season winding down, local fishermen hoping to cash in by selling their catches at the fish houses are reporting a lesser harvest than in recent years. “We’ve had one good day in the last two weeks,” said one fisherman, who asked not to be identified. “I don’t know what it is that’s killing the seagrass, but the three of us have been everywhere and the fish just aren’t there.” According to the University of Florida IFAS website, “Mullet can tolerate a wide range of salinities and can be found in fresh or saltwater. Their diet consists of bacteria and single-celled algae found attached to plants. They pick at the bottom, and scrape seagrasses consuming these. Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Executive Director Dave Tomasko weighed in on possible factors that could account for a slow fishing season. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:02
Fishing industry calls on governments to radically rethink its approach towards sector
The massive growth in offshore wind developments and the resetting of relationships with the EU could threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen according to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF). In a New Year message, the industry body warned that the Scottish fishing industry was at risk of being crushed unless a “radical rethink” of governments’ approach towards the sector was taking place. The SFF’s chief executive Elspeth Macdonald also warned of an “apparent determination of the EU to have it all in a new fisheries access agreement for UK waters”. Her comments coincided with a warning from the Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) that the local industry was now “in a battle for survival against the proliferation of offshore wind farms”. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:38
Furey Reflects on Changes in Fishery Following Protests, Negotiations
The Premier believes that more changes were made to the fishery in 2024 than under any other administration in the history of the province. Last spring was a tumultuous time in the fishery. Frustrated harvesters began showing up at the House of Assembly every day during the fall sitting, demanding some systemic changes to the way the fishery operates, which ultimately culminated in days of protests that effectively shut down Confederation Building – including on budget day. Andrew Furey says government is essentially a facilitator between the two parties -meaning the FFAW and ASP- and ultimately got “caught in the crossfire.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:23
Being squeezed out? Fishermen fear for livelihoods as offshore wind farms pose ‘greatest change’
Fishermen in Cornwall fear proposals for mass offshore wind farms could destroy their businesses and pose the “greatest change” the fishing industry has ever faced. The Crown Estate – which owns much of the country’s seabed – has published plans for what it calls “areas of opportunity” for offshore wind farms in waters off the North East and the Celtic Sea around South Wales, Devon and Cornwall. It insists a maximum of 15% of North East and 12% of Celtic Sea zones may be leased to offshore wind companies. He said: “This is probably the greatest change to our fishing patterns and businesses we’re ever going to encounter, we’re going to be squeezed out of the way, that’s our greatest fear, by all these wind farms all of a sudden taking up ground that we traditionally fish.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:24
The BBC Radio Four Shipping Forecast is a lyrical poem of places that glides us through a lullaby of sea and space – and it celebrates 100 years TODAY
It is the middle of the night in the middle of winter and the world is almost asleep – almost. Deep inside Broadcasting House in central London a lone Radio 4 announcer fades down that iconic signature tune ‘Sailing By’ and begins the nation’s nightly prayer. ‘Now the shipping forecast, issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at double oh one five today Wednesday the 1st of January.’ And from Cape Wrath to the Isles of Scilly thousands of us join in that most gentle, communal and mysterious ritual: listening to the shipping forecast, the world’s longest-running radio programme, first broadcast a century ago this year. Links, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:28
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 68′ Raised Wheelhouse Longliner, Cummins KT1150, Tripack permit available
To review specifications, information, and 50 photos’, >click here<. To see all the boats in this series >click here< 07:03
