FISHERYNATION.COM

After over forty-five years as a commercial fisherman out of Point Pleasant NJ, I sold my boat the Shadowfax, and retired, moving to California. My experience as a fisherman began in the early 1970’s, and I observed and learned an encyclopedia of knowledge concerning fishing, the environment, and fishery management, including politics. As a younger fisherman I saw early on that two issues were most important to fishermen, the environment, and proper fishery management. To me, the environment was the most important, because if we destroy it, not only would fishermen be out of business, but many species could be wiped out. When I started fishing, New York and New Jersey treated the ocean as an open septic tank to cheaply dispose of their effluent, while burning barges, acid wastes and contaminated dredge spoils were routinely dumped in designated areas. It was so bad it led to the great fish kill of 1976. Thankfully over time, and much effort from an appalled citizenry, the destruction was stopped.

There was another problem facing the fishing industry in the early 1970’s that was even more devastating to the environment then the pollution taking place. This was the foreign factory trawler invasion that began in the 1950’s and virtually wiped out every major fish stock on the US and Canadian continental shelf. In 1976 the Magnuson Act was passed and it phased out foreign fishing vessels within the newly created EEZ, [Exclusive Economic Zone] the so-called two-hundred mile limit. The old Bureau of Commercial Fisheries was turned into the National Marine Fisheries Service that same year. Their major task was to rebuild our depleted fishery resources, while designing comprehensive management regimes for a large number of fisheries. A brave new world was created for fishermen that rapidly evolved into a race for bigger and better boats, while the NMFS was just starting to understand what it might take to rebuild certain stocks. This created fishing regulations that over time became more stringent as the initial regulations proved ineffective for many different reasons, including insufficient stock knowledge, fishermen non-compliance, and rapidly improving fishing technology and electronics.

It became clear to me that if fishermen didn’t become involved in the management of their livelihood, they would eventually lose it. Since none of the older fishermen at the Fisherman’s Dock Co- operative had time to engage in the BS involved in fishery management, I got involved, resulting in a lifetime of knowledge about the operations of the NMFS, BOEM, [formerly the Mineral Management Service] and the ACOE. Army Corps of Engineers. So if my commentary in some of the following Articles seem biased to any degree, Its because after a lifetime of dealing with these politically manipulated bureaucrats you become tainted by that contact.

After a lifetime of fishing I retired to write a book about it, which turned into another book,[ both of which are waiting to be completed] as one thing interrupted another. Early in 2023 as the toll of dead Whales started to rack up, I was appalled at the actual numbers involved. In all my years fishing and being an astute observer of the ocean environment, I never heard of so many marine mammal strandings in New Jersey. I knew this was coming because of my prior knowledge of the effects of
seismic air guns used by the oil industry, but never imagined that a government agency NOAA/NMFS that had been protecting our marine resources, would bow down to an out of control federal agency, [BOEM] that has more political clout than them. It appears that there have been multiple violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act by the Biden administration. These matters may remain in courts for years, and by that time it WILL be to late for the North Atlantic Right Whale.

As I observed the continuing massacre and the lies denying them by government and media puppets, I under took an effort to expose the truth concerning offshore wind. The following articles are listed in order of their appearance in Fisherynation, and are best understood by reading them in order. Just click on the title of an article you’d like to read. My thanks to Borehead and Carol, Fisherynation.com for being such ardent supporters of the fishing industry and the environment, and
allowing me the freedom to voice my opinion without being edited by any publication concerned about hurting someone’s feelings.

First article, is from January 2020, a comprehensive look at the future I hoped would never happen, and a harbinger of things to come.
“Offshore wind, What’s the big rush? >Part 1< and >Part 2<

The next articles are in succession, and are must read if you want to understand what is going on. On February 6, 2023, the series starts with an article questioning the integrity of the science and those using it.

“Are NOAA scientists being silenced?” 

Next article continues the attack on the politically driven science that allows federal agencies to ignore reality. From2/26/23;
“NOAA and BOEM, ignorance is bliss”

The next article, from March 5, 2023 has sadly become true.
“The Whale Slaughter Continues, but is this just the beginning?”

From May 16, 2023, I point out the hypocrisy of the NRDC, by using their own words against them.
“NRDC announces state of emergency for Atlantic Whales”

On 6/7/23 I asked a very pertinent question;
“Is the great fish kill of 1976 about to be repeated?”

On 6/18/23 I exposed the most overlooked aspect of offshore wind;
“Offshore wind electrical substations, the secret, silent killers”.

To me, the next article from 6/25/23 is the most important article of the series, it exposes the truth behind what has been going on, and who has been manipulating who. Kind of destroys the who is funding who argument used by the NGO’s in regard to offshore wind opposition.
“Oil industry con game exposed, the old switcheroo”.

After reading a report from a Rutgers study documenting a hypoxic event had taken place during the summer of 2023 off the New Jersey coast, I wrote on 2/2/24;
“New Rutgers study confirms hypoxic event last summer off the New Jersey coast”.

The latest article from 4/9/24 deals with the results of a new study documenting that the noise created by Piledriving of wind turbine stanchions exceeds the stated levels approved by NOAA and BOEM.
“NOAA/NMFS ignores dangerous sound levels from piledriving”.

I wrote these articles because after a lifetime of living on the sea, you become one with it and its creatures, hopefully some people will take the time to understand exactly what is happening and why. Dive deep, because knowledge is power. “Fish On”. Jim