Tag Archives: Virginia
Hurricane Helene death toll climbs to 134 as search for missing in North Carolina continues
The death toll from Hurricane Helene continues to climb as rescue efforts persist across the Southeast. Hard-hit regions, including parts of western North Carolina, are receiving aid from various states as emergency crews work to reach isolated communities devastated by catastrophic flooding. The death toll attributed to Helene’s impacts has been steadily climbing, with at least 134 people now confirmed dead in six states – Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. President Joe Biden announced he will travel to the region on Wednesday and is expected to visit Asheville, North Carolina, to get a firsthand look at the devastation. Biden is also expected to visit Florida and Georgia. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:47
Southeast US devastated by remnants of Hurricane Helene
The remnants of Hurricane Helene have caused devastation across the Southeastern United States, leaving dozens dead, many stranded, and millions without power. Helene, the strongest hurricane recorded to hit Florida’s Big Bend region, has since weakened to a post-tropical cyclone but is still bringing catastrophic flooding, powerful winds, and unthinkable damage up the east coast from Florida to Virginia. As of Sunday, at least 60 people were reported dead. Landslides and flooding as a result of the tropical storm have left entire towns, families, even hospitals cut off and stranded needing rescue. Many across five states were left unprepared for the life-changing destruction as Helene intensified quickly during the week. Hurricane researchers estimated that unusually warm ocean temperatures combined with swift changes in wind heights may be the reason for the intense development. Video, Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:04
Fishermen Thank Governor Youngkin for Declaring “Commercial Waterman Safety Week” in Response to Growing Threats
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared this week, September 15-21, 2024, ‘Commercial Waterman Safety Week.’ The governor’s proclamation recognizes that Virginia’s more than 1,500 commercial watermen ‘risk their lives sustaining a tradition passed down through generations,’ help generate over $1 billion in economic impact for the Commonwealth, and deserve ‘access to a secure and safe work environment. The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition and the Virginia Waterman’s Association are grateful to Governor Youngkin for recognizing the vital role of Virginia watermen, including menhaden fishermen and watermen harvesting crabs, oysters, clams, fish, and other shellfish. Governor Youngkin has taken important steps to ensure Virginia’s fishermen and watermen have a safe place to work on the water. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:15
Maryland Catfish Trail hopes to control invasive species
It’s early afternoon on a comfortable Sunday when Keith Bradfield and his brother Ray pull up to the Smallwood State Park dock after a long day of fishing. And they’ve been successful. Very successful. The Fairfax, Va., resident pulls up the lid of the cooler to reveal it stuffed with invasive blue catfish up to about 30 pounds each. Bradfield, who shows an image of his sonar lit up like a Christmas tree signifying the invasive species, said he looks for the fish in the deepest holes of the river, “but they’re pretty much everywhere.” And the blue catfish’s population has become such a problem that the state recently initiated a Maryland Catfish Trail where anglers can target fellow invasive flathead catfish and snakeheads in an attempt to help lower their numbers. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:39
Deltaville’s Miller named captain of 2024 Urbanna Oyster Festival
Urbanna Oyster Festival Foundation (UOFF) first began naming captains of the festival in 1988 as a way of honoring people who are either a part of the area’s oyster heritage or who have played a role in enhancing and preserving that heritage and culture. Bryan Miller comes from a long line of boatbuilders and oystermen. His paternal grandfather, the late B.U. Miller, was an oysterman/boatbuilder in the Locust Hill area and his maternal grandfather Lee Deagle was owner of Deagle and Son Marine Railway on Fishing Bay in Deltaville. All of the boatbuilders mentioned were wooden boatbuilders and built from “rack of eye” without construction plans. “My Dad (Virgil Miller) was one of the first here in Deltaville to build boats off plans and to build in steel,” he said. “When they started offshore lobstering in New England, fisherman Harry Hunt came to my father and asked him to build him a boat. Dad had (naval architect) Harry Bulifant draw the plans and he built off those plans. “When Virgil retired, Bryan picked up on that business and built several New England lobster boats and trawlers. One of his most famous clients was Bob Brown, made famous in the book and movie “Perfect Storm.” Brown owned the vessel, F/V Andrea Gail, that was lost at sea along with six crew members during that 1991 “nor’easter” storm. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:27
VA Advised to Take Controversial Winter Dredge Crab Season off the Table Until 2026
Earlier this summer, Virginia fishery managers voted to repeal a 16-year ban on winter dredging for blue crabs, opening the door to possibly allow watermen to dredge the Bay bottom, scooping semi-dormant crabs from their winter slumber. But a state advisory committee now recommends Virginia take a step back from that possibility. The committee’s new advice could put the brakes on those earlier moves to reopen the dredge fishery that’s been closed since 2008.Virginia Watermen’s Association President J. C. Hudgins spoke in favor of the dredge fishery. Hudgins says that if there were 20 or so boats working in the fishery with three men to a boat it would provide winter jobs for 50 to 60 men. “There is still a winter market for crab meat in local picking houses,” he says.” At the last meeting, we also talked about wanting a year-round crab fishery in Virginia with potting, dredging and other gear types.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:59
BOEM seeks public input on possible wind energy areas
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management officials are asking for feedback on possible commercial wind energy development in areas totaling 13.47 million acres off the coasts of North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, or Central Atlantic 2. The Central Atlantic 2 Call Area “is broad to allow for flexibility to minimize conflicts with other uses, such as commercial fisheries, military activities, and vessel traffic,” according to the federal agency. This announcement builds on the input and planning that led to the first Central Atlantic lease sale on Aug. 14, the fifth offshore wind lease sale held during the Biden-Harris administration, according to BOEM. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:07
U.S. Offshore Wind: The Struggle Continues
This post updates the financial troubles of Denmark’s Ørsted, recent BOEM auctions, and pushback against Maryland governor Wes Moore. Today, operational offshore wind capacity is less than 50 megawatts versus the Biden-Harris Administration goal of 30,000 MW by 2030. Denmark’s Ørsted, the worldwide leading offshore wind developer, recorded a $575 million loss in the second quarter. In part, the loss is the result of disappointing developments in the U.S. The company has delayed commercial operation of its 704-MW Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut from 2025 to 2026. Ørsted’s ambitious U.S. offshore wind program has been lagging, despite solid support (subsidies, permits) from the Biden administration. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06;50
Lawsuit alleges Cooke Aquaculture using shell companies to skirt U.S. law
Cooke Aquaculture, one of New Brunswick’s largest companies, has asked for dismissal of a U.S. lawsuit accusing it of using a complex web of shell companies to break anti-foreign ownership laws. Saint John-based Cooke Aquaculture has owned Omega Protein, in Virginia, since 2017. Omega is affiliated with another company that operates a Chesapeake Bay menhaden fishery, a small baitfish used to make fishmeal, fish oil and other products. The menhaden fishery under Omega has concerned environmental activists, who say the company is overfishing a fish that many species up the food chain depend on in the Chesapeake Bay, which is slightly smaller than the Bay of Fundy. The lawsuit alleges Cooke is violating the American Fisheries Act, which requires 75 per cent of a company fishing in the U.S. to be owned by a U.S. citizen. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:35
Gone Shrimpin’: MD, VA Shrimp Harvests Return For 2024 Season
In the movie Forrest Gump, Alabama native Bubba proclaims, “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea.” Indeed, the south has long been known for its shrimp harvests, but the Chesapeake Bay? Not so much. In recent years, that’s been changing. Shrimp appear to be more abundant further north along the Atlantic coast. Virginia experimented with commercial shrimping for four years, saw success, and has had a commercial shrimp fishery for the last two years. Maryland forged ahead with its own pilot program in 2023, beginning with just one waterman. The 2024 pilot program is open to applicants now. A permit allows a commercial fisherman to use a 16-foot beam trawl to fish Maryland state waters of the Atlantic Ocean (extending out to three nautical miles). You can see the single permit holder, Sonny Gwin, in action on his first day fishing in 2023. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:02
Will offshore wind presence get even bigger off Ocean City?
The first auction of 2024 for more land leased for offshore wind off the Delmarva Peninsula was cleared for Aug. 14 after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released the Central Atlantic Final Sale Notice. The notice is the last step required by the agency to hold a lease auction for the Central Atlantic region, which includes offshore areas in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. In total, the area available for lease covers more than 275,000 acres, enough to develop up to 6.3 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. Detractors for the expansion of offshore wind in Maryland, like Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md-1st, took aim at the decision, noting there were still a number of environmental issues surrounding plans for turbines. “We should never allow foreign-owned offshore wind companies to control our energy supply — much less harm our marine life while doing it,” said a spokesperson for Harris. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:51
Virginia Moves To End 16-Year Ban On Dredging For Crabs During Winter
Virginia’s fishery managers have lifted the longstanding ban on dredging for blue crabs during the winter in the Chesapeake Bay, a seismic policy shift that drew strong criticism from their Maryland counterparts and conservationists. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 5–4 on June 25 to repeal the 16-year prohibition on winter dredging. The board is expected to reconvene in September to consider staff recommendations on how to implement the fishery. The new season could open as early as this December. The board’s action came after the VMRC’s Crab Management Advisory Committee, which is mostly made up of industry members, voted 10–2 in favor of reopening the winter season. After that May 29 vote, the agency received 186 public comments on the proposal — all in opposition. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:12
Wild-Caught Chesapeake Blue Catfish Phenomenon Booming: Thank Goodness
Buena Vista Seafood in San Francisco deals in high-end seafood from all around the world. European blue lobsters, Kambatia Reef Fish from Kenya, California Purple Urchins, and Icelandic Arctic Cod, to name a few. Now, the company has added wild-caught Chesapeake Blue Catfish to its list of offerings. “Chesapeake blue catfish check all the boxes,” says Polly Legendre,,, Legendre said the blue cats check the sustainability box because they’re an invasive species,” insanely prolific in terms of reproduction. Targeting them for harvest will help ease the toll they’re taking on the rockfish and blue crab populations, both iconic value species that have built the Chesapeake reputation. Tilghman Island Seafood’s processing capacity and dedication to quality control give their filets a long shelf life and are the reason we can get them from the East Coast to the West Coast in great condition. So they’re a sustainable and reliable fishery. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:16
Why retired officer says Marine Police guarding the Chesapeake Bay are being ‘wasteful’
Andrew Cortez cares deeply about the Chesapeake Bay. “The Chesapeake Bay is our natural heritage,” Cortez said. “A healthy bay helps everyone.” The retired law enforcement officer was an investigator for 36 years, working to keep the Chesapeake in check with different agencies as a special agent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife. He now has concerns about the group meant to do just that: the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which oversees Virginia Marine Police. “One of the things that really struck me is the amount of money they’re spending on what I would consider to be toys, unnecessary squandering of public money,” Cortez said. Photos, video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:38
Conservative groups cleared to continue legal fight to protect whales from Biden-backed offshore wind farm
A coalition of conservative organizations have standing to continue fighting a Biden administration wind project in Virginia, a federal judge determined. However, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan of the District of Columbia, a Biden appointee, denied the plaintiff’s petition for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project from going forward. The plaintiffs sued the Biden administration and Dominion Energy to protect the North Atlantic right whale under the Endangered Species Act. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
Low-Lying Tangier Island to Get $2.3 Million to Safeguard Fuel Oil Supply for Watermen
The town of Tangier Island, Va. has been awarded a $2.5 million grant to ensure the town’s watermen can keep getting the fuel they need to run their boats, and that fuel supply will be kept safe from an environmental disaster. The $2.5 million from the Virginia Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) will provide funding to create safe storage of fuel and continued supply of fuel and fuel oil to the island. “The owner of the fuel plant was going to close it down,” said Mayor of Tangier, James “Ooker” Eskridge. “If the fuel plant closed down, that would have been catastrophic to our community. We would not have accessible fuel to run our boats and fuel oil to heat our homes.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:20
Farmed and caught: Virginia seafood is thriving
Seafood is a $1 billion-a-year industry in Virginia. Some Virginia seafood like oysters and trout are farmed. Some, like drum, flounder, scallops, crabs and clams are caught or harvested. Many Virginia restaurants depend on the local bounty. The Clam Shack is located in Nassawaddox and specializes in local seafood. In addition to oysters, MacGarvey says crabs are also a top seller. Ray Twiford is a commercial fisherman and restaurant owner near Chincoteague. “I wouldn’t trade it for a desk job,” said Twiford. He spends long days on the job. His mornings start on the water when he nets fish or harvests other seafood. He then processes and keeps it refrigerated. He then sells his catch at a seafood market he operates, or at his restaurant Ray’s Shanty. Fish that were swimming in the morning are often on a plate that night. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:06
New Bedford – True North Seafood to shut down city plant
One of the city’s largest seafood processors is shutting down its waterfront facility, laying off as many as 94 local workers as the company consolidates its production in Virginia. True North Seafood, a subsidiary of Canadian seafood giant Cooke, announced the sudden decision to its staff at a floor meeting Thursday morning. The company is a leading distributor of imported fish, processing more than 16 million pounds of salmon each year, according to its website. Cooke has both harvesting and processing operations spanning 15 countries and over 13,000 workers. Its revenues are north of $4 billion, according to a recent interview with CEO Glenn Cooke. more, >>click to read<< 20:16
Menhaden fishermen, jet ski protestor clash leads to a bill with “teeth”
The Virginia General Assembly has passed HB 928, a bill designed to protect commercial fishermen and their boats from harassment at sea. The bill passed, 38-1, by the Senate, and, 99-0, by the House and signed by the speaker of the House on March 5 and president of the Senate on March 7. Gov. Glenn Youngkin is expected to sign it into law and the “Governor’s deadline action period” is by April 8. HB 928 was prompted by a dangerous engagement between a jet skier and an Ocean Harvesters menhaden fishing crew, reportedly occurred on Sept. 23, 2023, and was documented in a video by a menhaden spotter pilot. more, >>click to read<< 07:26
Biden administration sued over Virginia offshore wind farm approval
A conservative think tank on Monday sued the Biden administration in an effort to reverse approval of what would be the largest offshore wind farm of its kind. The Heartland Institute filed the suit with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, a nonprofit that advocates for an economically libertarian approach to environmental action and has denied the existence of human-caused climate change. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to reverse the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) approval of Dominion Energy’s 176-turbine wind project offshore Virginia. more, >>click to read<< 08:30
Crab grab nets federal conviction
A Tangier man pleaded guilty today to overharvesting Chesapeake Blue Crabs in Virginia waters and selling them in Maryland in violation of the Lacey Act. According to court documents, between March 20, 2023, to April 20, 2023, James Warren Eskridge, 45, exceeded the maximum harvest and sale of blue crabs to a seafood buyer on 16 occasions. Chesapeake Blue Crabs are the most valuable fishery in the Chesapeake Bay and, as such, those fishing blue crabs are subject to strict limits by law. At the time of Eskridge’s violations, Virginia permitted licensed commercial crabbers to harvest up to 27 bushels of blue crab per day, regardless of the number of licenses crabbers present on a single vessel. Eskridge operated the fishing vessel Rebecca Jean II with two mates out of Tangier Island, Virginia. On April 11, 2023, law enforcement observed Eskridge and his mates offload 60 bushels – more than double the Virginia limit – in Crisfield, Maryland. On April 11, 2023, Eskridge and his mates returned to Crisfield and offloaded 56 bushels. On April 13, 2023, they returned again and offloaded 58 bushels more. more, >>click to read<< 16:36
Final Incidental Take Regulations for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial (CVOW-C) Project, Offshore Virginia
On Monday, January 22, 2024, NOAA Fisheries published the final incidental take regulations related to Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial (CVOW-C) Project. The effective dates for these regulations are February 5, 2024 through February 4, 2029. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, these regulations will govern the “take” of small numbers of marine mammals exposed to elevated underwater noise generated by the project’s activities over a five-year period. NOAA Fisheries has determined the take that may be authorized under the final rule will have a negligible impact on all affected marine mammal species and stocks. more, >>click to read<< 14:50
Waterman Joshua Wade Hinman of Cape Charles, VA, has passed away
Joshua Wade Hinman, 37, husband of Erika Etz Hinman and a resident of Cape Charles, VA, passed away Tuesday, December 26, 2023, at his residence. A native of the Eastern Shore, he was the son of Peter Jackson Hinman and Donna Raye Doiron Hinman. He was a life-long waterman and was respected as one of the most prominent watermen on the Eastern Shore, was a hard worker, but above all he was a loving son, husband and dad who loved his family. In addition to his loving wife and parents, he is survived by three children, Elijah Wade Hinman, Jackson Frederick Hinman, and Julian Kane Gorman more, >>click to read<< 10:14
Christmas Comes Early: Reedville Fisherman’s Museum Gifted Historic Draketail
Reedville Fishermen’s Museum (RFM) has a special new resident at its dock. The museum was recently gifted a 99-year-old Chesapeake deadrise draketail boat with a unique dolphin nose stern by Bill and Beverly Pickens of Ware Neck, Va. Guests will have a chance to take tours on her beginning next year. Fannie is 36’ x 6’ x 2’6” and was built in 1924 by Charles Spencer. He built two boats of this style in his yard at Brick Inn on Main Street in St. Michaels, Md. One of the boats was named Fannie, after his daughter. The draketail stern, sometimes called a Hooper’s Island draketail because so many of this design was built in that area, was modeled after early motor-powered racing launches and torpedo boats. photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:20
Coalition files intent to sue federal agencies to stop whale-killing Virginia wind project
The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and The Heartland Institute today announced that they were filing with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) a 60 Day Notice of Intent to Sue letter for a violation of the Endangered Species Act. The violation is contained in a defective “biological opinion,” which authorizes the construction of the Virginia Offshore Wind Project (VOW). The 60-day notice is required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for parties who wish to commence litigation against BOEM for failure to provide adequate protection of the North Atlantic right whale and other endangered species. The North Atlantic right whale is listed as “critically endangered” by the governments of both the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States. >>click to read<< 12:23
Virginia fisherman sentenced for illegally harvesting $37K worth of striped bass
A Virginia fisherman has been sentenced for illegally harvesting striped bass over the course of several years. Commercial fisherman Keith J. Martin, 52, was sentenced to four months in prison on Oct. 26. He was required to begin his sentence by noon Dec. 12. It was recommended by the court to the Bureau of Prisons that Martin be incarcerated in a medical facility. Upon his release, Martin was sentenced to three years of supervised release. On the condition of and for the duration of his supervised release, Martin will be prohibited from participating in any form of commercial fishing,,, >>click to read<< 09:11
Biden approves largest offshore wind project in US history
Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project is located 23.5 nautical miles off Virginia Beach and marks the fifth such offshore wind plan under the Biden administration, which has come under fire from environmentalists for also greenlighting several new major fossil fuel leases. The approval comes on the heels of an announcement last month the administration would auction three new oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, triggering a furious reaction from environmental groups who said the move would accelerate climate change. The approval comes on the heels of an announcement last month the administration would auction three new oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, triggering a furious reaction from environmental groups who said the move would accelerate climate change. >>click to read<< 15:51
Virginia’s blue crab commercial harvest period extended
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted last week to approve the extension recommended by the Crab Management Advisory Committee. The harvest of crabs by hard crab pot is now Dec. 16, pushed back from Nov. 30. Lower bushel limits will begin Nov. 1 instead of Oct. 1. The purpose of these changes is to promote efficient utilization of blue crabs and economic stability for the fishing industry, according to the Marine Resources Commission. “Female crabs are not overfished, and overfishing is not occurring on them,” said Alexa Galván, a fisheries manager with the commission during a VRMC meeting. “But, the 2021 and 2022 exploitation rates were slightly above the target, not of the threshold which would be overfishing.” >>click to read<< 12:50
Community offers ‘love and support’ to Virginia fisherman run over by girlfriend
A Northern Neck community is rallying around a local fisherman who remains hospitalized after his romantic partner allegedly ran him over with a vehicle outside the Omega Protein plant in Reedville. The incident occurred Sunday evening, and now the woman who allegedly ran him over faces additional, upgraded charges related to the incident. Friends of the victim, Andrew Muncy, said he loved working on a fishing boat for Omega Protein, one of the largest employers in the area. “It’s one of the biggest jobs you can have around here, and to see him out of commission, out of work right now, it kind of puts him in a spot he don’t know he’s in yet,” said Josie Webb, who said he has known Muncy for years. Video, >click to read< 19:05
Reins Loosened Slightly On Chesapeake Bay Crab Harvest
“We’re being cautious, but I think we’re being responsible,” said Ed Tankard, a board member with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which voted June 27 to ease certain bushel limits. In Maryland, the state Department of Natural Resources announced on the same day a raft of industry-friendly changes to its crab controls, including modestly increasing the allowable harvest of female crabs and lifting limits on the harvest of males over Labor Day weekend. Those moves came a few weeks after the panel that regulates the Potomac River’s fishing industry agreed to roll back bushel limits on female crabs to 2021 levels. >click to read< 12:21
