Daily Archives: January 13, 2025
Our Henry II arrives in Whitby
The futuristic new 14m Cougar cat Our Henry II WY 21 made its way up the river in Whitby last week after making passage from the Audacious Marine yard in Ramsgate, where the vessel was fitted out. Skipper Luke Russell was greeted in the harbour by friends and family, who were on hand when the boat was formally named and christened with the customary bottle of champagne. The 14m by 6m catamaran, named after Luke’s son Henry, replaces his previous vessel, Our Henry, a smaller cat also designed by Dave Sutton and built by Audacious Marine in 2020. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:12
Supreme Court Declines To Hear Challenge Of Vineyard Wind
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the challenge of Vineyard Wind brought by the Nantucket-based nonprofit ACK For Whales, effectively ending the group’s legal effort to stop or delay the wind farm under construction southwest of the island. The effort to bring its case to the nation’s highest court was a long shot – as the U.S. Supreme Court accepts only 2 percent of the 7,000 cases brought to it each year – and on Monday the court informed ACK For Whales that it had declined to hear its petition for certiorari. ACK For Whales had alleged that the federal agencies that permitted the Vineyard Wind project violated the Endangered Species Act by concluding that the project’s construction likely would not jeopardize the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The group also asserted that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had violated the National Environmental Policy Act by relying on a “flawed analysis” from the National Marine Fisheries Service. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:35
Electric lobster boat nears launch by Indigenous fishery in Cape Breton
Sydney, Nova Scotia is the province’s northernmost port, situated on the rocky shores of eastern Cape Breton Island. The Membertou First Nation, located in Sydney, operates a licensed fishery. Now, it is on the cusp of a technology breakthrough. The First Nation is leading the development and build-out of an all-electric lobster fishing vessel, Lektrike’l Walipotl. Membertou partnered with Allswater, ship designers in Bedford, N.S.; Halifax-based vessel-to-grid company, BlueGrid Energy; and Oceans North Conservation Society in Ottawa to develop the electric lobster fishing vessel. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:59
FFAW Calls for Transparency and Accountability in Fish Harvesters’ Resource Centre
FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street is calling for the Fish Harvesters’ Resource Centre (FRC) to operate with transparency and accountability. The FRC, a nonprofit governed by a board of directors providing dockside monitoring services to fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador, has refused to call a board meeting and provide members with important information regarding the organization’s operations. “Our elected Inshore Council has been calling for increased transparency and accountability regarding the boards our Union participates on,” says President Dwan Street. “Specifically, they’ve asked us to ensure board seats are representative of the current industry and elected leadership. Despite repeated attempts to engage the FRC over the last year, Executive Director Velma Pike and Chair Bill Broderick refuse to be transparent about their operations,” Street explains. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:02

NJ congressman Van Drew drives offshore wind freeze
For years, President-elect Donald Trump has furiously criticized renewable energy sources, including offshore wind farms. To freeze the offshore wind industry, Trump asked Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd) to draft an executive order — something presidents’ issue without action from Congress — on the topic, Van Drew said. “I’ve spoken with the president about the wind turbines, and he told me to have my people draw up an executive order. We got it done in forty-eight hours,” Van Drew said in an interview with NJ Spotlight News last week. His office, Van Drew said, passed the text on to officials within the Trump transition team including Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for Interior Department secretary. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 05:56