Tag Archives: Jeffreys Ledge
How I met a slime star: A rare and slimy encounter in the Gulf of Maine
Back in 1993, a friend called and asked me about an article he had read in the June issue of the National Geographic about a weird animal called a slime star. He wanted to know if I had ever seen one and if they are found in New England. I told him I had never seen one and that I believed they are found in the Pacific, not the Atlantic. Less than a month later, I was proved wrong! My husband had been fishing on his stern trawler in about 420 feet of water near the “Curl” on Jeffreys Ledge in the Gulf of Maine. He called me and told me he had something odd in his lobster tank. I asked him to describe it to me. He said that it was giving off gallons and gallons of mucus. Photos, >click to read< 12:08
‘Amazing’ halibut, one of the largest fish in the Gulf of Maine, are making a comeback
Halibut are one of the largest fish in the Gulf of Maine, second only to bluefin tuna, swordfish and large sharks. Historically they were a mainstay of the fishing industry along with cod. The National Marine Fishery Service began regulating the halibut fishery in the 1990s and there is a one fish per trip per boat limit on catch. This has been a boon to their rebound. This past spring while fishing for haddock my husband, David, caught four huge halibut. They ranged in size from 40 to 60 pounds. In the past, he has caught one or two a year which were large enough to be legal to keep. The current minimum size is 41 inches. My husband caught two halibut near Jeffrey’s ledge in the mid-1990s which weighed 120 to 140 pounds.,, but David has noticed a strange thing about halibut, they seem to swim in pairs. >click to read< 15:29
Energy policy plan first, then offshore wind if needed – Offshore wind project needs to be vetted in NH
Here are two offshore wind farm opinion pieces in the media written by New Hampshire fisherman David Goethel. Energy policy plan first, then offshore wind if needed – With the presidential primary and annual town meetings in the rearview mirror, Seacoast residents can set their sights on the next big public policy debate. A massive wind energy facility often referred to as wind farms may be built off the coast of New Hampshire and residents will have to carefully weigh the pros and cons of this undertaking. From previous articles in Seacoast papers, it is obvious that both the political structure and the public have very little understanding of the facts surrounding this construction. >click to read< Offshore wind project needs to be vetted in NH – If you read last week’s column, you know I called on Congress to task the National Academy of Science with producing a comprehensive energy policy. One question they would answer would be why we need to construct a wind energy facility off New Hampshire when Hydro-Quebec has an enormous surplus of renewable energy going unused because no transmission line has been built to New England. Readers should ask politicians and environmentalists the same question. Meanwhile here are some facts about what is proposed for our shores. >click to read< 19:57
600-pound swordfish harpooned by New Hampshire fishermen
The fishing community is buzzing with news that a 600-pound, 14-foot swordfish was caught by commercial fishermen off the coast of New Hampshire. Ted Sutton, 80, of Lincoln, is best known as a ski racing official but he also helps his son, Tom, who runs the Julia G. out of Hampton Harbor. On Sunday, Sutton and Capt. Jeff Ouellette were on their way to Jeffreys Ledge when they saw the swordfish. They have a permit to catch these fish, so Ouellette harpooned it. “It was very exciting because I have been out there fishing for 40 years and I have never seen one before,” Sutton said. “Everyone in the whole fishing community has been calling and are as excited as us about it.” >click to read<09:41
