Tag Archives: massachusetts
Nantucket’s Big, Beautiful Blunder
It’s always been about the optics. The optics of the Nantucket Select Board signing the original Good Neighbor Agreement in August of 2020. The optics of the damaged GE Vernova Halide-X blade dangling perilously above the ocean from Vineyard Wind’s turbine in July of 2024. The optics of Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller, and later, State Senator Julian Cyr, sheepishly walking out of a Select Board meeting. The optics of the “non-toxic” debris washing up on our south shore beaches. And now, the optics of a $10.5 million settlement paving the way for the establishment of a “Community Claims Fund” to help compensate those negatively impacted economically by the blade failure disaster. The net effect after attorneys’ fees is roughly $8.7 million headed to Nantucket and local businesses. That’s nothing to sneeze at, and with an independent third party hired to review claims and dole out the checks, I feel confident the money won’t end up in Nantucket’s black hole for a new dump, but instead, in the pockets of island business owners such as Gaven Norton and ACK Surf School who deserve it. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:54
GE Vernova to Pay Nantucket $10.5M for Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Failure
Nantucket’s city government has reached a $10.5 million definitive settlement agreement with GE Vernova, the manufacturer of the offshore wind turbine blade that failed in 2024 and littered the coastline with debris. The Town of Nantucket commended GE Vernova for its leadership in reaching the agreement, while it was noted by observers that the developer of the Vineyard Wind farm is not a direct party to the settlement. A portion of the settlement money will be placed in a third-party administered Community Claims Fund to provide compensation for claims of economic harm made by residents and local businesses. The administrator will accept claims for the next six months but will require proof of the expenses or losses. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:39
Vineyard Wind Blade Break Reverberates One Year Later
One year ago Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard got a report it had never received before. At 7:01 p.m., about 20 miles off the Vineyard’s southern shore, large pieces of debris were scattered in the water near the Vineyard Wind wind farm. Green and white bits of fiberglass and foam, some the size of kitchen tables, were floating in the water, and eventually, with the help of wind and tides, would make their way onto Nantucket beaches. Nantucket charter fishing Capt. Carl Bois was one of the first people to see the bobbing detritus off the outer continental shelf when he was out on his boat the next day. Not long after, Vineyarders, Nantucketer’s, state lawmakers and some of the highest-ranking officials in Washington, D.C. learned all too well what Mr. Bois was seeing: pieces of a broken Vineyard Wind turbine blade. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:46
Massachusetts lobster fight: Cape Cod fishers say they’re being unfairly punished
Cape Cod lobstermen are entangled in regulations they fear will risk their livelihoods, clashing with fishery officials who argue that the rules are meant to keep Massachusetts’ lobster industry competitive. The state Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission has approved emergency regulations slated to expire later this month as a final rule, keeping the Bay State aligned with carapace and vent size requirements in New Hampshire and Maine. Roughly 30 lobstermen who are restricted to fishing in state waters around Outer Cape Cod are steaming over how the regulations don’t include a repeal of a tougher V-notch lobster possession standard. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:21
Checking in on New England fisheries 25 Years after ‘The Perfect Storm’ hit movie theaters
The anniversary of the film’s release, on June 30, 2000, provides an opportunity to reflect on the real-life changes to New England’s commercial fishing industry. In the true story behind the movie, six men lost their lives in late October 1991 when the commercial swordfishing vessel Andrea Gail disappeared in a fierce storm in the North Atlantic as it was headed home to Gloucester, Massachusetts. At the time, and until very recently, almost all commercial fisheries were open access, meaning there were no restrictions on who could fish. There were permit requirements and regulations about where, when and how you could fish, but anyone with the means to purchase a boat and associated permits, gear, bait and fuel could enter the fishery. Eight regional councils established under a 1976 federal law to manage fisheries around the U.S. determined how many fish could be harvested prior to the start of each fishing season. Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:12
Cape Cod lobstermen fear loss of livelihood due to Massachusetts red tape
Cape Cod lobstermen are trying to fend off state and federal regulations that they say could put them out of business in an effort that an attorney describes as a “misguided push for uniformity.” Beginning July 1, lobstermen will face strict rules when harvesting certain female lobsters in state and federal waters around outer Cape Cod, extending from Chatham to Provincetown’s Race Point, including a part of upper Cape Cod Bay. The Outer Cape Lobstermen’s Association, a group of roughly 70 Massachusetts-licensed lobster trap fishers, is fighting back against the state Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, reopening a decades-old federal complaint. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:52
Biden’s Offshore Wind Dreams Drowning As Trump Guts Industry
The offshore wind industry is floundering as President Donald Trump reverses Biden-era policies designed to boost the industrialization of America’s oceans. While President Joe Biden pushed for an enormous expansion of offshore wind energy during his time in the White House, many of the projects his administration supported with subsidies and favorable regulation have since collapsed or been abandoned by developers due to unfavorable economic conditions and the Trump administration’s crackdown on incentives for the green energy technology. “The windmills are killing our country by the way,” Trump said on June 12. “We’re not going to approve windmills unless something happens that’s an emergency. … I guess it could happen, but we’re not doing any of them.” Fishermen have also spoken out against these projects, arguing that their industry and livelihoods are endangered by offshore wind farms. Lots of links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:48
Three Rescued After off Nantucket Off Nantucket Following Collision
Three fishermen were rescued early Wednesday morning following a collision at sea in thick fog that resulted in the sinking of the off Nantucket off Nantucket. The 55-foot F/V Triple Threat, out of Beverly, Mass., was approximately 23 nautical miles east of the island when its crew issued a mayday around 3:29 a.m. on Wednesday that was picked up by Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. They stated the Triple Threat had collided with another vessel and was rapidly taking on water, according to Rajesh Harrilal, who handles external affairs for the Coast Guard’s District 1 office in Boston. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:29
When not ripping regime a new one, Boston judge is considering what sort of lobsters some Cape lobstermen can bring back to sell
US District Court Judge William Young, who earlier this week found regime cuts to medical research grants to be the most racist and homophobic things he’s seen in 40 years on the bench, today agreed to re-open a 27-year-old lawsuit brought by the Upper Cape Lobstermen’s Association over the harvesting of certain female lobsters. The group’s original suit was over a state bid to bar them from catching and selling most “V-notch lobsters” – egg-bearing lobsters that had a V-shaped notch cut in their tail to immediately signal other lobstermen to throw them back, at least during the four or so years it takes for the lobster to regrow the cut-out section of their tail. The goal is to help the species survive. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:53
Federal judge to deny Trump administration’s motion to dismiss lawsuit over block on wind projects
A federal judge in Massachusetts said Wednesday he plans to deny a motion by the Trump administration to dismiss a lawsuit over its blocking of wind energy projects, siding with a coalition of state attorneys general. Led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C. are suing in federal court to challenge President Donald Trump’s Day One executive order halting leasing and permitting for wind energy projects. Judge William G. Young said during a hearing that he plans to allow the case to proceed against Interior Secretary Doug Burgum but will dismiss the action against Trump and cabinet secretaries other than Burgum named as defendants. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:54
LEGAL ACTION INTENSIFIES AGAINST OFFSHORE WIND
A coalition of commercial fishermen, seafood processors, fish buyers and environmental groups from New Jersey to Massachusetts have filed an emergency motion in federal court to halt construction of Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project, citing imminent, irreversible harm to marine life, fishing grounds, the seafood supply chain and coastal economies. The motion seeks a preliminary injunction to immediately halt pile driving and construction activities. Plaintiffs argue the project threatens endangered whales, destroys seafloor habitat, and cripples a multi-generational American industry that provides food, jobs, and economic stability across the East Coast. “To allow Empire Wind to continue construction is to abandon us fishermen and our coastal communities who have, for generations, fed our great country and kept local economies thriving,” said Captain Shawn Machie of the F/V Capt. John in New Bedford, MA. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:55
NJ Commercial Fishermen Sue Trump Admin. For Allowing Wind Farm To Proceed
Last Tuesday, multiple New Jersey fishermen and other groups, including Belford Seafood Co-op in Middletown, sued U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Borgum for his sudden reversal to allow construction on Empire Wind farm to proceed. The June 3 lawsuit seeks to have the stop-work order reinstated. In addition to Belford Seafood Co-op, many recognizable Jersey Shore names and commercial fishing companies signed on, including: Clean Ocean Action (the same group that hosts beach clean-ups every spring); Fisherman’s Dock Cooperative in Point Pleasant Beach; the “Miss Belmar” fishing and sightseeing boat, which docks in Neptune under Captain Alan Shinn; Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May and Seaside Park Mayor John Peterson, a Republican. Commercial fishermen in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Long Island also joined the lawsuit. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:08
Federal judge raises issues with states’ lawsuit against Trump offshore wind freeze
More than a dozen states, including Massachusetts, have an uphill battle if they are to succeed in their legal efforts to lift President Donald Trump’s memorandum against offshore wind development. Attorneys for the states of Massachusetts and New York appeared on Thursday before federal Judge William G. Young, prepared to argue that he should grant a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s effective freeze of offshore wind permitting. But the hearing didn’t happen, with the judge “collapsing” the injunction motion. Young said he needed more specificity from the states on the harm they’ve incurred and the alleged legal violations by federal agencies. The case will be heard again next week, but instead, with a hearing on a motion to dismiss it. (The judge is treating the Trump administration’s filing opposing a preliminary injunction as a motion to dismiss the case.) more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:05
ACK for Whales leading a new wind farm lawsuit
ACK for Whales has filed a new lawsuit in its effort to stop the construction of offshore wind farms off the coast of Nantucket, and this time, it’s brought backup. Co-plaintiffs in the latest suit include the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah); a coalition of charter fishing groups from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York; Nantucket lobsterman Dan Pronk and Nantucket pilot and fish-spotter Doug Lindley. “We joined this lawsuit because individual Tribal Members and our Tribe are being harmed by these giant wind farms making an industrial park out of our waters,” said tribal chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais in a statement. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:18
Questions of transparency swirl around Vineyard Wind
Just a fraction of Vineyard Wind’s planned offshore wind turbines are in operation despite nearly three years of construction, and the company is staying silent on what is slowing production down and when it’ll actually finish the project. First reported by the State House News Service, Vineyard Wind 1, an offshore wind farm 15 miles south of the Island, only has four turbines providing power to the grid, which the Times confirmed with state officials. But that is one less than what was reported in February of 2024, and Vineyard Wind is well past a goal of being fully operational by mid-2024. Avangrid, the project’s parent company, made the prediction during a boat tour of the construction site in 2023. Now, it is uncertain when construction will finish. Craig Gilvarg, Vineyard Wind spokesperson, declined to comment after multiple attempts to reach him. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:50
Massachusetts green tech leaders won’t back down on offshore wind
Massachusetts green tech advocates want offshore wind to be the little clean power source that could in the face of hostility from the Trump administration, according to their comments during a panel on the blue economy at the ClimaTech conference earlier this week. In addition to discussions about the state’s ocean clean tech market and port infrastructure, panel attendees addressed the wind-turbine-shaped elephant in the room: the fact that President Trump withdrew seven major offshore wind leases via an executive order in January. Two of the leases affected are for projects that would have been constructed off the coast of Massachusetts, for which the state is suing the Trump administration. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:55
Joseph Ciaramitaro of Gloucester, Massachusetts has passed away
Joseph Ciaramitaro, 86, of Gloucester, husband of Rosalie (Orlando) Ciaramitaro, passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family. Joseph was born in Terrasini, Sicily, on June 20, 1938, the son of the late Joseph and Rose Ciaramitaro. He was a lifelong fixture on the Gloucester waterfront, working as a commercial fisherman, Co-owner Star Fisheries, Supervisor Empire Fish Co., and B&N Fishing Gear. 1982 he purchased the fishing vessel Virginia Surf with great pride and joy, alongside his son-in-law. He managed and shore-captained the vessel for 25 years. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07::52
States sue Trump administration for blocking the development of wind energy
A coalition of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday against President Donald Trump’s attempt to stop the development of wind energy. Attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging an executive order Trump signed during his first day in office, pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects both onshore and offshore. They say Trump doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally shut down the permitting process, and he’s jeopardizing development of a power source critical to the states’ economic vitality, energy mix, public health and climate goals. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said Democratic attorneys general are “using lawfare to stop the president’s popular energy agenda,” instead of working with him to unleash American energy and lower prices for families. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:48
New Bedford: Dock collapses on waterfront, the third failure in two years
For the third time in less than two years, a hunk of dock fell into New Bedford Harbor on Wednesday afternoon, again raising red flags about neglected port maintenance. The collapse injured no one but dropped a metal shed into the water. The asphalt-surface dock and the shed dropped into about 20 feet of water late Wednesday afternoon outside the Sea Watch International processing plant along Antonio Costa Avenue, said Gordon Carr, executive director of the New Bedford Port Authority. He said it happened when no one was around, at about 3:30 p.m. The sunken storage shed had stood in an area that had been blocked by Jersey barriers since a neighboring section of the dock collapsed a year ago. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:44
Little Lady Readies for Next Chapter
Little Lady, the last one-man, wooden western-rig dragger in New England that has been a fixture in Menemsha for three generations, is preparing for a new voyage: this time in education and historic preservation. The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust is working with Capt. Dennis Jason to buy and rebuild the iconic fishing vessel. The nonprofit trust, formed in 2011 to safeguard the Island’s fishing heritage, hopes to raise $2 million to pay for repairs amid plans to use the Little Lady for living historical and educational programs, including fishing. Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:32
Captain Joseph S. Giacalone of Gloucester, Massachusetts has passed away
Captain Joseph S. Giacalone, 91, of Gloucester, husband of Marie G. (Pallazola) Giacalone, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, MA, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Gloucester on January 10, 1934, he was the son of the late Vito and Jennie (Militello) Giacalone. A proud graduate of Gloucester High School’s Class of 1951-where he held the rank of First Lieutenant in ROTC and participated in the school band-Joe began his lifelong vocation as a commercial fisherman. Following in the footsteps of his childhood friends, his father, and his brothers-in-law, he served in various roles from deckhand to mate and hold man aboard the offshore trawlers of New England’s booming fishing industry in the late 1950s and 1960s. This was during the height of Gloucester’s prominence as New England’s dominant groundfish fleet, working the productive fishing grounds of the Gulf of Maine, Georges and Browns Banks, and the Bay of Fundy. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:11
Massachusetts lobsterman says he’s under attack, rattling Cape Cod community: ‘Dictatorship!’
A lifelong Cape Cod lobsterman is fighting for his livelihood as a local zoning board looks to put an end to his family’s business that has operated out of his home for nearly 70 years, a battle that residents say further jeopardizes the town’s identity. Jon Tolley has only ever known a life of catching lobsters out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis and then selling the fresh crustaceans from his home in West Yarmouth. The 66-year-old helped his father run the business on the same Iroquois Boulevard property as a youngster before he took over operations in 1975. As residents learned about Tolley’s fight, they became outraged. Despite an outpouring of community support since last fall, the Zoning Board of Appeals is remaining firm with its stance that the lobsterman can no longer sell his beloved product from his property. The board rejected Tolley’s second appeal on Thursday,,, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:48
A West Yarmouth resident complained. Now lobsterman ordered to stop sales from his home.
Jon Tolley has been selling fresh lobsters from his home in West Yarmouth since 1975, and his father did the same for nearly 30 years before that from the same house. Now he has been told to stop. “I’m 66 and I have been a fisherman my whole life,” Tolley said. He fishes out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis. “Everyone knows I sell lobsters,” he said. Yarmouth Building Commissioner Mark Grylls has ordered Tolley to stop selling his lobsters from his home at 23 Iroquois Blvd. in West Yarmouth because retail sales in a residential zone are not allowed under zoning regulations. “The town is trying to say that no one has sold lobsters in the history of the town,” Tolley said, and recalled his father and his grandfather, who sold fish from his home in Yarmouth Port from 1930 to 1972. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:50
State Approves Extension Of Nantucket’s Scalloping Season
The state Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has approved the town’s request to extend the bay scalloping season on Nantucket through April 11 due to the abundance of adult scallops in the harbors. The extension includes both commercial and recreational scalloping. “DMF has determined that in proportion to immature seed bay scallops there is an abundance of adult bay scallops that will not be harvested prior to the termination of the normal bay scallop season on March 31, 2025,” DMF director Daniel McKiernan wrote to the Select Board on Friday. “Furthermore, it is believed that most of these adult scallops are unlikely to live long enough to spawn again this coming summer.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:43
Beach Town Poised to Use Green Left’s Favorite Legal Strategy Against Massive Offshore Wind Project
The town of Nantucket, Massachusetts looks set to use one of the green left’s go-to legal strategies against a massive offshore wind farm supported by liberal environmentalists. Environmental groups have used “sue and settle” tactics — wherein plaintiffs sue an aligned administration to kill a disfavored project, which the aligned administration effectively does via settlement — for decades to impede infrastructure projects they oppose. Now, Nantucket is suing the Trump administration and alleging that key procedural laws were not followed in Biden-era approvals for the massive SouthCoast wind farm off the island’s coast, teeing up a potential “sue and settle” situation that could derail a major project supported by the green left. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
A woman in a (lobster)man’s world
At 81, Susan Michaud is a lifelong lobsterman, born into a family deeply rooted in the trade. “My father had three girls, and I happened to be the middle child, so I became the son,” she said. When Michaud started high school at 14, her father found a unique way to support her financially — by putting her to work. He made it clear he wouldn’t be giving her any spending money, but he did provide her a 16-foot wooden Amesbury skiff, 50 traps, bait and a crate. He told her he would sell the lobsters she caught and give her the money. Michaud had already joined the Atlantic Lobstermen’s Co-Operative, which allowed her to sell them directly. “For four years, I went lobstering with my 50 traps. It was fantastic,” she said. “I saw a girlfriend the other day, and she said, ‘You know, you were the only one in high school who had money. You were the only one who had their own car.” photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:46
Trump firings hit NOAA scientists, analysts on South Coast
Federal cuts ordered by the Trump administration reached Massachusetts in late February, when the NOAA Fisheries’ workforce from Maine to North Carolina was slashed. Hundreds more cuts may happen this week, when department heads must meet a deadline to submit proposals for “large-scale” reductions in force at their respective agencies to not only terminate people but eliminate their positions altogether. This means more scientists and analysts who protect and manage the country’s commercial fisheries may soon lose their jobs. Their terminations have raised concerns about the future of the fishing industry, the science that underlies its management, and the people who rely on it for work and for food. “How many fishermen are left, and how many regulators and scientists are left to manage us? Try to get that number,” Tony Alvernaz said, suggesting there are too many regulators for what he sees as a struggling and overregulated industry. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Body caught in fishing nets off Mass. coast appears to be woman buried at sea
Authorities have released new details on the wrapped body that was caught by fishermen off the coast of Massachusetts last week. The person’s death is not considered suspicious, the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office said Monday, and appears to be consistent with having been buried at sea. The person was a woman in her 60s who had cancerous tumors. She is not likely to be identified but there were no indications of foul play, prosecutors said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:48
Wrapped, decomposed body pulled out of nets by fishermen off Boston coast
Early Friday morning a fishing vessel that wanted to remain unnamed pull a wrapped, decomposed body out of their fishing nets approximately 40 miles offshore of Boston. The body was wrapped in a blue tarp and the body itself- severely decomposed – was bound around the torso with white rope keeping the arms to the person’s side. “The body, which was wrapped and in a state of decomposition, is now with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy purposes,” said the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office who is investigating alongside the Coast Guard. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:59
Damaged Wind Turbine that Polluted Nantucket Beaches Last Year Further Damaged in Lightning Strike
Lightning struck a wind turbine off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, last week, further damaging a turbine operated by Vineyard Wind that made headlines last year when its blade fell off, polluting the ocean and nearby beaches. “The coverup blows on. Vineyard Wind’s lack of transparency around the structural integrity of its mammoth wind turbines is deeply frustrating to fishermen,” said Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association. “In fact, Vineyard Wind officials met in February with officials from the Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement to discuss improving communications over safety issues. Foreign offshore wind developers seem breezily dismissive of commercial fishermen,” he added. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:15
