Daily Archives: January 14, 2025
Memorial to be unveiled in Kirkcudbright to mark 40th anniversary of fishing boat tragedy
A memorial will be unveiled in Kirkcudbright next month to mark the 40th anniversary of a fishing boat tragedy. The trawler Mhari-L sank in the Irish Sea on February 20, 1985. All five men on board – William Maxwell, Stuart and Keith Campbell, George McKend and Mark Amos – lost their lives. Mark’s daughter, Donna McKnight, has been working with other family members on a ceremony and the unveiling of a memorial in Kirkcudbright next month. “I contacted someone from each of the other families and asked if they minded if I organised this and a ceremony for the anniversary and they were fine with that. The ceremony will take place at Kirkcudbright Harbour Square at 2pm on Saturday, February 22 and everyone is welcome to attend. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:30
Local Fishermen Are Ready For Crab Season
Following a delay as a result of conflicts of interests in regard to state regulations, local crab fishermen are now preparing for commercial crab season, which is to open this Wednesday. I had the chance to speak with Jesse Beer, a local crab fisherman, on how long the season is expected to last. “We’re going to start pulling our gear on Wednesday, and it’ll last for us as long as we’re doing good and making money. We’re going to keep fishing. Unless it gets shut down for some reason, for the whale entanglement issues or something. We’re just going to go until we’re not making money anymore. That’s our plan.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<<12:07
NOAA’s “no evidence” that wind kills whales violates the Information Quality Act
NOAA persists in claiming there is no evidence that offshore wind development is causing whale deaths. This is a false claim that is repeated endlessly in the press. There is lots of evidence some of which I have documented over the last two years. It is actually illegal for Federal agencies to make false claims like this. There is a 25-year-old law called the Information Quality Act (IQA) enforced by OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. IQA mandates that agencies provide accurate unbiased information. Here are the two key definitions from NOAA’s IQA guidance,,, Unfortunately, NOAA’s repeated claim that there is no evidence of wind development causing whale deaths is neither accurate nor unbiased. It is false and typical of NOAA’s actions biased in favor of development. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:48
New law aims to support La. seafood industry
A new law is now in affect across the state requiring restaurants to provide transparency on where they are sourcing their seafood. Louisiana Law Act 148 became effective on Jan. 1 and requires restaurants that serve seafood to have the origins of their seafood listed on their menus. “We actually love the new law because we have been serving Louisiana crawfish and gulf shrimp our entire operation,” said Paige Vidrine at Steamboat Bill’s. “My mom started selling shrimp on the side of the road from shrimpers that were coming in from Hackberry and she bought her first dock there. That’s how Steamboat Bill’s came to be – from shrimping. So, it’s something integral in our culture and it’s something we will always love to support our local American farmer.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:533
Maine Reverses Course on Regulation Increasing Minimum Legal Lobster Size
Following a meeting in Augusta this past Thursday where dozens of lobstermen voiced strong opposition to the rule change, Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) Commissioner Patrick Keliher issued a statement announcing the decision. “Last night, after hearing loud and clear from Maine lobster industry members that they are unified in their opposition to a proposed rule change that would increase the minimum gauge size starting in July of this year, with approval from Governor Mills I decided to pull the regulation,” Commissioner Keliher wrote. “I called up the governor on the way in. I explained to her what the risks were associated with compliance with the ASMFC,” Keliher said later during the meeting. “She agreed with me that we should withdraw the rule.” Short clip, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:44
Here’s when commercial Dungeness crab season opens in WA
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that the commercial Dungeness crab season will open on Jan. 15 from Klipsan Beach on the Long Beach Peninsula south to Cape Falcon, Oregon. This includes the Columbia River and Willapa Bay. The opening date for the remainder of Washington’s Pacific Coast is still pending. Dungeness crabs represent Washington’s most valuable commercial fishery. The 2023-24 coastal commercial Dungeness crab season yielded state landings valued at $66.8 million, second only to the $88.2 million record set during the 2021-22 season. The fish and wildlife departments of Washington, Oregon, and California collaborate annually to determine season openers as part of a tri-state agreement to manage the West Coast Dungeness crab fishery. Opening dates are based on test fishing results, which can be found at psmfc.org/crab. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 05:52