Daily Archives: June 13, 2025
The ‘Lobster Lady’ at 105
There’s late-onset-fame — Morgan Freeman, famously, did not get famous until 50, and then there’s the “Lobster Lady,” Rockland’s Virginia Oliver, whose breakout moment came when she was twice that age. Around her 100th birthday, an age actuaries say more than 99% of us will never reach, Oliver went viral, in the parlance of this century, for being the world’s oldest lobsterman, and a rare lobsterwoman at that. Fame is something Oliver never sought, however. And she still doesn’t really get what all the fuss is about — she’s been hauling traps in the waters around Rockland since she was a young girl during the Depression and has just kept on doing it. “I like to be out there,” she said Friday, June 6, her 105th birthday. “You gotta keep busy.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:46
Genetic Testing Initiative a Big Win for Local Shrimpers
Countering the deceptive marketing of farm-raised imported shrimp as local, U.S. wild-caught shrimp is a priority issue for the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA). This week’s announcement of test results for restaurants in the Charleston area—an eye-opening 90% of which were falsely advertised—represents a milestone in SSA’s campaign. SSA has now funded testing of more than 300 restaurants across all eight warmwater shrimp states. The results of this broad testing establish that there is a pervasive problem of false advertising, seafood substitution, and economic fraud. The studies have shocked consumers, raised awareness regarding the importance of asking for U.S. wild-caught shrimp, and supported local campaigns to institute and enforce state seafood labeling laws. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:28
Nova Scotia’s offshore wind transmission line could cost $10 billion: Houston
It could cost between $5 billion and $10 billion to build a transmission line that would connect Nova Scotia’s proposed offshore wind farms with the rest of the country, Premier Tim Houston says. The rough estimate follows his announcement last week that Nova Scotia wants to license enough offshore turbines to produce 40 gigawatts of electricity — eight times more than what was originally planned. “It’s a concept,” Houston said after a cabinet meeting Thursday. “It’s a very powerful concept …. My objective, initially, was to capture the imagination of Nova Scotians.” He said he floated the idea on June 2 also to get the attention of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has asked provincial and territorial leaders to submit bids for big infrastructure projects that could be fast-tracked to kick-start the economy — if deemed in the national interest. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:26
Grassroots Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Wind Farm Off Long Branch
A coalition of environmental groups and fishing cooperatives has filed a federal lawsuit to block the construction of Empire Wind 1, the offshore wind farm that will be located about 19 miles east of Long Branch. “We are asking the federal court to reinstate the stop work order because the project’s federal approvals were incomplete and failed to safeguard the ecology of our seacoast and the livelihoods it supports,” said lead counsel Bruce Afran in a news release. The stop-work order was reversed in May, just over a month after it was imposed, without explanation from the federal government. Now, the plaintiffs are seeking to block the project entirely, arguing it violates federal environmental regulations, and the lease violates the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) by awarding U.S. offshore territory to a company controlled by a foreign government. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:55
Some fishing groups say relationship with DFO is heading in positive direction
The heads of two Nova Scotia fishing groups say there are signs that the often-contentious relationship between the industry and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans is now heading in a promising direction. In Nova Scotia, a perceived lack of enforcement over unlicensed fishing in the baby eel fishery has been one of the sources of that contention, as well as illegal lobster fishing in the southwestern part of the province. Colin Sproul, president of the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance, said he believes there’s a “course correction” happening with the federal department. Dan Fleck, executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, did not attend any of these meetings. He said there appears to be more willingness from the federal government to listen and learn. “It’s nice to be listened to, it’s nice to be heard,” he said. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:41
