Captain Lou's Nautical News Archive

Nautical News Captain Lou's previous shows! Captain Lou's Bio Email Captain Lou: NauticalTalk@aol.com

2007 Archive

January 2007

01/07/07

A) Finally, a state agency did what the outgoing Attorney General's office wouldn't do. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection ruled that the Town of Provincetown may not charge a non resident more than a town resident for an annual boat mooring permit. DEP's decision technically benefits only the person who filed the appeal, but the decision is already affecting other waterfront communities that are breaking the law by charging different rates for their moorings. Two years ago, Senator Mike Morrissey from Quincy made it illegal to charge residents and non-residents different mooring fees. The Provincetown Harbormaster estimated that his town might now owe as much as $20,000 to out-of-towners who moored their boats in Provincetown Harbor and were charged a different rate. Some of the other cities and towns with split mooring fees include Bourne, Chatham, Duxbury, Hingham, Boston, and Salem.

B) And with the beginning of 2007, on line boating exams in New Hampshire are now a thing of the past. Officials said too many boaters seeking the state's boating education certificate were cheating. New Hampshire law requires boaters to obtain a state approved certificate to operate any type of power boat in excess of 25 horsepower. Officials claimed it was too easy to cheat and some boaters were having others take the test for them.

C) The Coast Guard suspended its search of a reported 15-foot boat sinking near Provincetown. A 14 year old witness, on land, called 911 on New Year's Day and reported hearing three air horn blasts and a call for help. He said he saw one person aboard a boat and watched it sink. Boats from Coast Guard Station Provincetown and a rescue helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod conducted their search and found nothing. Also, no reports were made of any missing or overdue boaters.

D) With all the talk about the United States opening its borders, the number of Cuban and Haitian migrants stopped at sea by the Coast Guard dropped dramatically in 2006. The Coast Guard admitted there could be a number of reasons why. Factors such as weather, a new government in Haiti, use of alternate routes, and more people making it here undetected could all be reasons why fewer illegals trying to enter the U.S. were stopped. Some say the Coast Guard might simply be too busy arresting smugglers and fishermen while fighting the war on terrorism.

E) Last January set the record for the number of dolphin strandings on Cape Cod, and like clockwork, this January is off to ominous start. Cape Cod Stranding Network volunteers worked to save 16 dolphins that stranded along Cape Cod Bay from Barnstable to Eastham the first week of the New Year. Scientists said the dolphins beach themselves this time of year for several reasons. Sometimes it is because the animal is sick and can't combat the forces of the wind and currents. Sometimes, the dolphins simply become trapped by the tide change as they feed along the various Cape Cod Bay sand bars. The National Marine Fisheries Service estimates there are about 120,000 dolphins living in the Northeast.

F) The Coast Guard is now using a new high tech tool that will make future boardings more efficient and time friendly. The new tool is a palm sized computer that gives boarding team members the capability of paperless boardings, and enters information into a nationwide data base, which should make it easy for the Coast Guard to know who was boarded and when. The new computers should be available to all Coast Guard units, but some Coasties have already found out that the pocketsize computers are not designed to withstand heavy weather. Another complaint is the computer screen is hard to read on a bright sunny day.

G) Wild salmon, rich with its healthy omega 3 oil, will become extinct if the release of farm raised salmon continues to rise. Last year, hundreds of thousands of farm raised salmon escaped into the wild from Norwegian fish farms. Scientists say that the genes of wild fish are forever changed after they mate with farm raised fish that escape into the wild. Consumers are being asked to boycott farm raised fish.

H) There was a nautical connection to the Massachusetts governor's inauguration this past week. When Deval Patrick was sworn in as governor, he placed his hand on the Mendi Bible, which was given to John Quincy Adams by African slaves who were kidnapped in 1839 and taken to America on the Spanish slave ship Amistad, only to revolt and be set free with John Quincy Adams defending them. The Amistad slave ship story was a giant step forward to ending slavery in America.

I) And last on today's nautical news, a fourteen-year-old British boy became the youngest person to cross the Atlantic Ocean singlehandedly in a sailboat. It took him 43 days, twice as long as expected to make the voyage in his 28 foot boat named the Cheeky Monkey. The boy encountered big waves, teeth-jarring squalls, and one time had to dive overboard to free his rudder, while making the 3500 mile crossing from England to Antigua. He said he spent a great deal of time doing his school homework given to him by his teachers. The principal at the boy's school said the boy would see and learn quite a bit sailing across the Atlantic, although the curriculum would obviously be different from what his schoolmates were learning. A huge celebration broke out as the boy tied up his boat in Antigua.

1/14/07

A) President Bush signed the new Magnuson-Stevens Act into law Friday morning, ending the long process of updating the nation's fish management law. The bill requires the federal government's regional fishery management councils to adhere to annual catch quotas based on scientific recommendations. The bill also creates national guidelines that allow regions to divide up the catch quotas among fishermen. However, it does nothing to level the playing field for foreign fishermen who have no quotas, size limits, or gear regulations as they fish outside of the U.S.'s 200 mile territorial limit, and yet these fishermen compete with American fishermen.

B) Four people were killed in a speedboat accident off Marco Island, Florida. Three of the four bodies were recovered. The fourth is still missing. Officials said only one boat was involved. Witnesses told of a 33 foot go fast boat that went airborne and broke into many pieces after it came back down into the water. According to the Coast Guard, Florida had more boating deaths than any other state in 2005 with a total of 78, but Florida also had more registered boats than any other state.

C) The Port of Miami was hit by its second terrorism scare in two days after a package that was to be loaded onto a cruise ship tested positive for plastic explosives. The package was tested six times, and each time it came back positive for the military-grade explosive known as C4. The package was isolated and destroyed and in the end, the bomb squad determined it was harmless. The package contained sprinkler parts.

D) The Metal Trades Department of the AFL-CIO has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Coast Guard to overturn the Coast Guard's rulings that allow U.S. shipbuilders to mass produce so-called "kit ships." "Kit ships" are built in America, but built with thousands of foreign made parts. The AFL-CIO claims the ships built with foreign parts are in violation of the 80-year-old Jones Act, which stipulates that all ships moving between U.S. ports must be American made in the U.S. The AFL-CIO leaders say this will be the end of shipbuilding in America, and hundreds of thousands of people will be put out of work. Statistics show that U.S. shipbuilders now account for less than one percent of the world market share.

E) A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod was called to medevac a sick captain off his ship. The Coast Guard received a call for help reporting the captain was experiencing acute abdominal distress. At the time, the roll-on, roll-off cargo ship was approximately 40 miles southeast of Nantucket. Since there was no other licensed captain aboard, the Coast Guard ordered the crew to drop the ship's anchor and remain anchored until either the captain returned or was replaced.

F) And speaking of helicopters, the Coast Guard is upgrading its present fleet of Jayhawk helicopters this month as part of its Deepwater plan. One of the four Jayhawk helicopters at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod will be the second helicopter in nation to undergo the upgrade. The remaining three helicopters at Air Station Cape Cod are expected to be upgraded by the summer of 2009. The upgrade includes new state of the art radars, embedded GPS mapping systems, and improved radios with greater frequency range.

G) The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has extended its seasonal fishing closure in Massachusetts Bay in the area known as the Cod Conservation Zone. This area was set to reopen on January 16th, but the closure now will continue through the end of February.

H) The America's Cup races start this April. The second new boat built by American Team BMW Oracle for this year's races, has been delivered to New Zealand. The American team is training on the Harauki Gulf to prepare for racing, which this year will be held in Valencia, Spain.

I)  Scientists are puzzled over a new mystery. Deep trenches in the ocean have been discovered 40 miles off the coast of South Carolina. The mysterious trenches, 480 feet under water, look like they were made by giant bulldozers. A Carolina University professor who has been studying marine geology for more than 20 years described the trenches as 330 feet wide and 10 feet deep, and exclaimed that there were hundreds of them created by something other than water movement.

J)  And last on today's nautical news, a sailor whose brand new 30 foot triamaran sailboat was holed by a humpback whale, said he thinks the animal tried to say sorry to him because he got "good vibes" from the animal after the accident. The collision between boat and animal happened about 80 miles off the coast of New Zealand. The sailor said he was asleep at the time and was awakened by a loud noise. When he ran out onto the deck, he noticed the head of a large humpback whale, about a foot away, looking at him. The sailor said he felt the whale was trying to say, "sorry mate, I didn't mean to ram you."

1/21/07

A) The fight to save Outer Brewster Island in Boston Harbor from becoming an LNG terminal might be over. According to Massachusetts Representative Garrett Bradley from Hingham, the bill to remove Outer Brewster Island from the Boston harbor Islands National Park so that an LNG terminal could be built there was not re-filed in a timely fashion this year. Representative Bradley explained that bills may still be submitted on Beacon Hill after the January 10th deadline, but that there were no guarantees of them ever making it to a public hearing. A month ago, former Governor Mitt Romney gave his approval for energy companies to build two LNG terminals off the coast of Gloucester.

B) An additional 50 acres of shellfish beds in Marshfield and Scituate, along the mouth of the North River, will be re-opened to clam diggers thanks to the cleanest water in years. The shellfishing season in the area was also extended two months, so shellfish can now be harvested from December through June. Recreational clamming in the South River area has been closed to shellfishermen for nearly 20 years, but the state's Division of Marine Fisheries is hoping to reopen those beds as well.

C) Massachusetts lawmakers and the Coalition for Buzzards Bay are proposing to have tugboats "shadow" all oil shipments as they navigate Buzzards Bay. Proponents of the bill said the tugs could warn captains of oil shipments of impending danger, they could witness and report incidents, and they could respond quickly to accidents. However, a U.S. District Court judge in 2004 overturned a similar state law that required oil barges and ships to have tug escort all oil shipments in Buzzards Bay, calling it unconstitutional because it violated interstate commerce and the federal government's right to supremacy over a state law.

D) Fifty years after the Italian freighter SS Etrusco ran aground on Cedar Point in Scituate during a March, 1956 blizzard, the mystery of what happened to the ship's flag has been solved. Photos taken a month after the ship went aground showed the Etrusco crew presenting the ship's flag to an officer at Station Scituate Coast Guard. It was an Italian flag with a family crest of the family that owned the ship. That was the last time the flag was seen until now. A woman called the Scituate Maritime Museum and identified herself as the daughter of one of the officers at Station Scituate who helped save the Etrusco crew. The museum asked her if she knew anything about the flag and she answered yes, her family had it. She said the flag was given personally to her father. Within a few weeks thereafter, the flag was mailed to the museum, where it is now on display until the spring.

E) More Maine fishermen are taking their catches to Massachusetts ports, where they can legally sell lobsters caught in their nets and save on Maine's fuel tax. A Maine law prohibits dragger fishermen from selling lobsters in Maine, but Massachusetts allows the dragger fishermen to catch up to 100 lobsters per day in their nets, or up to 500 per trip. The dragger fishermen would like to see Maine's law changed, but Maine's lobster industry is opposed to changing the rules. The Maine Lobstermen's Association said that there was already too much effort put on the lobster population and that they want to reduce that effort, not increase it. There are more than 6,000 licensed lobstermen in Maine, and lobstering is Maine's No. 1 fishery.

F) Three fishermen were saved after they abandoned ship and got into their life raft. Another fishing vessel relayed their mayday call to the Coast Guard after hearing it. The men stated that the engine room was full of water and that there was no way they could stop the flooding. At the time, the boat was roughly nine miles south of Newport, R.I. The fishing vessel Terminator was the first to arrive on scene and recovered the three fishermen from their life raft. The men had been on the life raft for about twenty minutes before being rescued. The Coast Guard reminds the public that the New England waters are extremely hazardous during the winter months.

G) A tanker ship rescued two American sailors 1,300 miles southeast of Bermuda after their 41-foot sailboat struck a floating container and sheared off the boat's rudder. The 74 year old sailor and his 68 year old wife could not repair the rudder, so they activated their EPIRB, the emergency transmitter beacon, which alerted the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard then located and called an oil tanker, which was the closest vessel to it, 420 miles away, to go to their rescue. The captain of the tanker said the couple was not injured, but getting them to climb the 22 foot Jacob's ladder to get on board the tanker was a challenge.

H) Government scientists reported that 2006 was the warmest year on record in the contiguous United States since record keeping started in 1895. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provided temperature readings from 1200 weather stations around the U.S. and found that the annual mean temperature was 2.2 degrees higher than the mean temperature for the last century.

I) A Florida boater was arrested after about 350 pounds of coral and rocks were found on his boat during a routine safety inspection at a Key Biscayne marina. A Coast Guard spokesperson said that in the United States, it is illegal to stand on or touch any live or dead coral, and that it was very unusual to find such a large amount of coral in possession of a person on a boat. However, coral is very valuable worldwide and can sell illegally for as much as $10 a pound.

2/4/07

A) It was a sad week for New England fishermen. The Coast Guard suspended its search for the two fishermen aboard the Lady Luck, a Newburyport fishing vessel that's been missing since early Thursday morning. The Coast Guard searched more than 8140 square miles off the Maine coast looking for the two young men after receiving an emergency signal from the boat's EPIRB. When the Coast Guard arrived at the position transmitted by the boat's emergency radio beacon, they saw a debris field and an oil sheen. The Canadian Coast Guard also sent a helicopter to help with the search. The Coast Guard reminds the New England fishing community that the North Atlantic is a dangerous and unpredictable environment, and to be mindful of the dangers inherent in their work.

B) And in the search for the three remaining crew members aboard the sunken fishing vessel Lady of Grace, state police divers said they were prevented from accessing the sleeping quarters of the boat because the cabin door was locked or wedged shut after the boat hit bottom. A diver from the State Police Underwater Recovery Unit said they are seeking other ways to enter the 75-foot New Bedford dragger, because there is a very strong possibility that the bodies of the fishermen are below deck. Additional dives to search the Lady of Grace are being contemplated, but discussions to raise the vessel are in the works. The boat presently is lying on its side under 56 feet of water at the edge of the channel and is marked with buoys as it poses a hazard to navigation.

C) The Coast Guard towed a Gloucester fishing vessel into the harbor after it lost power about 15 miles east of Marblehead. Coast Guard Station Gloucester received a call for help that the 68-foot fishing boat was disabled and possibly taking on water.

D) A fire at the Hawthorne Cove Marina in Salem destroyed the marina's shed and office building, but fortunately damaged only three of the 150 boats stored in the yard. Fire officials ruled out arson and think the fire started from the building's heating system. No injuries were reported, and Hawthorne Cove Marina owner Russ Vickers said he would rebuild in time for the launching of the boats in the Spring.

E) Commercial shellfishing will be allowed in Marshfield for the first time in more than 10 years, but only the taking of mussels will be allowed because of limited clam stocks.  Permits can be purchased on a first come first serve basis at the harbormaster's office, but only five licenses will be available for sale this year to avoid draining the mussel beds. The Marshfield shellfishing season is from December until the end June. The shellfish beds are closed during the summer because of the return of birds, which add pollution to the water.

F) For the 6th consecutive year, New Bedford is the No. 1 fishing port in the nation. Fishermen caught a total of $282.5 million in fish in 2005. That was a whopping $75 million more than what was caught in 2004. That's bad news for consumers because the government's regulations pushed the prices so high. However, with fewer days to fish, New Bedford dropped from seventh to eighth in 2005 in terms of the amount of fish landed. Gloucester was the only other Massachusetts port on the list. It ranked 10th in the nation for pounds of fish landed.

G) Richard "Max" Strahan, who is referred to as the "Prince of Whales", w-h-a-l-e-s, was back in court again, suing the federal government. Strahan tried to get a U.S. District Court judge in Boston to prohibit the licensing of any commercial fishing boat that posed an entanglement threat to the whales. Strahan also wanted the judge to order the state to fund research to develop safer fishing gear. However, the judge denied Strahan's motions, but agreed that careful monitoring of the situation was indeed justified, and told Strahan to come back in two years with a report of the number of whales entangled in fishing gear between now and then. In just a little while on today's program, we will hear Max Strahan's point of view why commercial fishing should be banned.

H) LNG tankers could be unloading natural gas off the coast of Gloucester by the end of this year according to an official from the Excelerate Energy corporation of Texas, and they won't be alone for too long. This past week, the U.S. Maritime Administration issued a deepwater port license to Suez Energy North America, which will spend more than a billion dollars to build a second offshore LNG terminal about 10 miles south of Gloucester. Suez Energy North America is the corporation that owns the Distrigas LNG facility in Everett. The two offshore port systems received approvals last month from then Governor Mitt Romney in exchange of tens of millions of dollars in mitigation funds, which will help fund marine and environmental programs.    

I) In North Carolina, the Coast Guard is investigating 15 hoax mayday calls made by the same person during the past 12 months. An officer at Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach said that they have identified the voice as being one and the same from recordings. The most recent hoax mayday call came on January 29th. Fake mayday calls are a drain on the Coast Guard's resources and could cause a delayed response to a real emergency. However, the Coast Guard treats every call as if it's a real emergency, not assuming anything. So far, the Coast Guard said it spent close to ten thousand dollars responding to the 15 fake calls for help, and they want the perpetrator to go to jail.

J) Out on the West Coast, the Coast Guard called off its search for 63 year old Jim Gray, a senior manager and computer wiz with Microsoft. Gray failed to return from a day trip off of San Francisco in his red, 40-foot sailboat. His wife told officials that he went out in his boat to scatter his mother's ashes into the Pacific. The weather has been good and the search covered 100,000 square miles, but no debris or any other evidence of Gray had been sighted. Employees of Google Earth also have pored over satellite maps looking for evidence of Gray's boat.

K) Police are asking for the public's help in tracking down the person who shot a sick seal pup with a shotgun. The 1 year old female seal's body washed up on Scusset Beach in Sandwich with five shotgun pellets in her head. The shooting is a federal offense and a NOAA Special Law Enforcement Agent vowed he would go anywhere in the United States to track down the sadistic person who shot the seal. He said his office will conduct ballistic tests soon with hopes of finding the gun's owner. In the meantime, anyone with information about the shooting can still collect a reward as high as $2,500 by contacting NOAA's 24-hour hot-line 1-800-853-1964, or by calling their local police.

L) And last on today's nautical news, if you have a place to dock a 165-foot submarine, it could be yours, free of charge, compliments of the United States Navy. The USS Dolphin was a one-of-a-kind research submarine commissioned in 1968. It was the last diesel-electric submarine in the U.S. fleet. Although the Navy recently spent 60 million dollars restoring the sub, a Navy spokesman said that it was best for the government to get rid of it rather than to pay its annual 18 million dollars operating costs. The Navy said it will accept offers from government agencies, nonprofit groups, or any other institution willing to turn the Dolphin into a museum, as long as the new owner promises to keep it in good condition. Anyone interested in the USS Dolphin submarine has until March to submit an offer.

2/12/07

A) Two Coast Guardsmen suffered injuries while assisting a disabled New Bedford fishing vessel with three men on board. The two coast guardsmen aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Campbell were injured while attempting to secure a towline to the 74-foot fishing vessel named the Creole Belle. At the time, the fishing boat was in danger of sinking approximately 45 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket. A helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod hoisted the three fishermen aboard and brought the two injured Coast Guardsmen to the Cape Cod Hospital. Their injuries were deemed non-life threatening. The Coast Guard was broadcasting a safety marine bulletin, advising mariners of the adrift fishing vessel.

B) The Coast Guard is still investigating all possibilities, including a collision with a large ship, as to why the Newburyport fishing vessel Lady Luck with two men on board disappeared so fast about 12 miles off the coast of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The area where the Lady Luck's emergency transmitter was found is about two miles from the busy Portland, Maine, shipping channel. Rescuers, going to the transmitter's position, found an oil sheen and debris, including buckets, hand tools, and shovels. The Coast Guard said it was also possible the boat could have caught its fishing net on an obstruction like a shipwreck or a rock, and then the net dragged the boat under, but it was highly unlikely the men were fishing because the water was 500 feet deep. Fishermen said that would have been an unusually deep drag.

C) Despite concerns and protests by commercial fishermen, the federal government, for the second time in six weeks, approved the construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal in Massachusetts Bay off the coast of Gloucester. On January 30th, the first one was approved to be built about 7 miles off the Gloucester coast. Both facilities will use underwater pipelines to connect to New England's distribution network, and natural gas could be flowing through the pipes in time for next year's heating season. Both projects have already received state approval.

D) The Coast Guard is in the midst of spending its $24 billion budget to modernize its aging fleet of boats and helicopters, but California Congressman, Henry Waxman, who chairs a House investigative committee, accused the Coast Guard of producing a "series of lemons that has cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars." He even accused them of a cover up, hiding engineering reports that revealed the flaws. The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general, Richard Skinner, gave a similar report last month. Now, Congress has seen many documented reports about design flaws and structural problems with the Coast Guard's 425-foot National Security Cutter, the flagship of its new fleet. Overrun costs on the Coast Guard's new cutters could approach the billion dollar mark. Recently appointed Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Thad Allen, told the committee that he was looking into the matter. Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch compared the Coast Guard's problems to Boston's Big Dig. Lynch said in both cases, the oversight, engineering, and construction resulted in disastrous consequences and large cost overruns.

E) Consumption of seafood declined slightly in 2005 in the United States, but overall seafood consumption in the United States has shown an upward trend over the past five years. Americans ate 16.2 pounds of fish and shellfish per person in 2005, a two percent decrease from the 2004 consumption figure of 16.6 pounds. However, consumer expenditures for seafood products increased by $3.3 billion. Shrimp continued to be the top seafood consumed in the United States.

F) The friends of a San Francisco Microsoft computer scientist who vanished at sea without a trace while spreading his mother's ashes in San Francisco Bay have expanded their search to the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing sailor a week ago, but his friends believe the missing sailor is OK and still out there somewhere. Microsoft employees are using Google's satellite pictures, looking for the missing 40 foot, red hulled sailboat named Tenacious. It was reported that more than 12,000 workers have already searched a half a million photos, but so far no luck.

G) Fishermen on a Florida shrimp boat think a great white shark took a bite out of their boat's propeller and broke the boat's steel shaft, creating a large enough hole in the boat to sink it! The shrimp boat Christy Nichole now lies with the fish, on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, nearly 100 miles off Fort Myers Beach. The fishermen said that a hundred or more sharks had followed their boat for several days, eating the discarded bycatch and chewing on the shrimp nets. Fortunately for the fishermen, another nearby fishing boat quickly took them off their boat before it sank. An expert on shark attacks said that this wasn't the first time that he heard about a great white shark biting off a boat's propeller

H) And last on today's nautical news, when police in Maine busted a farmer last fall for cultivating marijuana plants, they also discovered illegally stocked bass in his pond. The farmer finally had his day in court, and admitted to growing and smoking the pot and the fish. The fish warden told the judge the stocking of large mouth bass was a very serious crime because private ponds could overflow from a flood, allowing the fish in the pond to escape into the wild. Believe it or not, the judge fined the farmer $250 for growing the pot, and $1,000 for growing the fish. Police were amazed that growing fish in a pond in Maine was a more serious crime than growing marijuana.

2/18/07

A) State police divers went back down to search for the three missing fishermen who were aboard the sunken fishing vessel Lady of Grace. However, conditions were not good. Divers had only 5 to 10 feet of visibility. Even so, they were able to search the ship's galley, a hallway, and all of the pilot house, but found no sign of any bodies. The divers were forced to return to their dive boat because of 20 to 25 mph winds and 6- to 8-foot seas, so the Lady of Grace's sleeping quarters still have not been searched. It is not known if the bodies of three fishermen are inside the boat or if they had washed out to sea.

B) Fire and police officials in the town of Bourne are investigating a fire that damaged three recreational boats in storage at G & S Marine. After cutting through a locked gate, firefighters contained the flames to a 31 foot speed boat, and two adjacent boats, a 28-foot boat and a 24-foot boat. Estimate of damages was $200,000. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

C) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said that he was leaning toward seeking a federal disaster declaration for the state's fishing communities after hearing compelling arguments from officials about the economic impact the federal regulations have had on the fishermen in the past decade. He said his staff was preparing a draft letter, which he would review before making a final decision. Senator Bruce Tarr from Gloucester has led the effort for a federal disaster declaration, citing the severe economic hardship fishermen have faced because of strict limits on fishing since 1994. The declaration, if granted by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, would allow Congress to appropriate money to fishermen and other businesses that are tied to the industry.

D) The Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen, the only 4 star Admiral in the Coast Guard, gave his State of the Coast Guard address, and according to the Commandant, the Coast Guard has failed to keep up with its rapid growth and needs. Admiral Allen said, "We have been running some parts of the Coast Guard like a small business, instead of a Fortune 500 company that we are." Therefore, he said that he would realign the Atlantic Area Command and the Pacific Area Command and place them under one commander. He also said he would have one commander for the Coast Guard's services support system. As for the Coast Guard's 24 billion dollar remodernization plan for it ships and aircraft, which is called the Deepwater program, the Commandant admitted there were problems in the past, but he promised that the Coast Guard would get it right. Since September 11, 2001, the Coast Guard has nearly doubled its budget to $8 billion and has added 4,000 members.

E) At the Miami International Boat Show, Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, reported that recreational boat sales nationwide declined in 2006 and are expected to be down again in 2007. He said the biggest negative factor currently affecting boat sales is the fall in home prices. People who might otherwise buy a boat "feel less wealthy even if it's just on paper," Dammrich said. He also added that low inflation, unemployment and interest rates, and generally lower gasoline prices, are positive things for the industry. Another statistic showed that used boats now make up about 71 percent of all boat sales.

F) Remember the story about the two coast guardsmen who were injured last week while trying to secure a tow line to the 74 foot fishing vessel Creole Belle? Eventually, the fishermen abandoned the boat, and the owner then notified the Coast Guard in writing of his abandonment. Because the drifting vessel posed a hazard to navigation, Coast Guard used their machine guns and shot holes in the fishing boat to get it to sink quickly. A coast guard spokesperson said the boat needed to be eliminated, and so down it went in about 300 feet of water. The 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on the boat is a risk to the environment, but not as great a risk as the potential for a collision with another vessel.

G) NOAA is asking students in New England to become involved in the nation's maritime heritage by participating in a ship naming contest. The contest is open to all sixth to twelfth graders. A name is needed a new SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) Coast Mapping Vessel, the first ship of its kind to be built for NOAA. The ship will be home ported in New Castle, New Hampshire. The deadline to submit a name is March 30th, 2007. Contact NOAA for more information, or send me an email: CaptLou@nauticaltalk.com. (The NOAA website is www.education.noaa.gov/shipname/)

H) While in Florida, I got the scoop on Anna Nicole Smith. The deceased Playboy centerfold star had purchased a boat and named it The Cracker just a couple of weeks before her death. Anna Nichole Smith admitted that she had fallen in love with the 10-year-old Carver yacht because there were two separate bedrooms, a big room to entertain guests, and a forward deck to sunbathe. The boat was to be delivered to her home in the Bahamas, and Stern was staying on the boat in Fort Lauderdale when he heard that Anna Nicole was found unconscious in her suite at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

I) And last on today's nautical news, women who eat seafood while pregnant may be boosting their children's IQ in the process, according to new research. The results of the study were surprising and contradict recommendations that pregnant women should limit seafood and fish consumption to avoid potentially high levels of mercury. For a while now, scientists have been touting fish as a health food, claiming it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to brain development. Children whose mothers ate no seafood were 48 percent more likely to have a lower IQ score, compared to children whose mothers ate high amounts of seafood.

2/25/07

A) Divers from the Massachusetts State Police Underwater Recovery Unit and a private salvage company recovered another body from the sunken fishing vessel Lady of Grace. The body was found inside the boat's sleeping quarters. The first body was recovered from the fishing vessel's pilot house, three days after the boat sank. The State Police Dive Team said they conducted a thorough search of all accessible spaces, but hazardous debris prevented them from entering the engine room. The whereabouts of the other two crewmembers remain unknown, and state police said they were planning no more dives because of the hazardous debris inside the boat.

B) A tugboat pushing an oil barge carrying 15,000 tons of crude oil through the Cape Cod Canal had engine trouble and had to call the Army Corps of Engineers for help. The Army Corps of Engineers maintain and patrol the canal. Three tugboats came to the rescue and guided the barge safely out of the canal. No oil was spilled, but the canal was closed to all other traffic for more than 2½ hours, delaying two other ships.

C) Sad to report the passing of Scituate Harbormaster, Frank Regan, after he lost his long fought battle with cancer. According to town officials, Frank fixed the town's mooring list problem and dealt fairly with everyone. I personally can attest Harbormaster Regan always dealt fairly and respectfully with me as a media person. Mark Patterson, who was acting harbormaster while Frank was ill, will continue as the town's harbormaster.

D)  As heard first here on Nautical Talk Radio a few weeks ago, the threat of a lawsuit against a Plymouth Lobsterman became a reality when the lawsuit was filed on Friday in federal court. The lawsuit is in connection with an incident involving the entanglement of a humpback whale with lobster gear last August in Cape Cod Bay. The lawsuit asks for 1 million dollars in compensation for the unlawful damage done to endangered marine wildlife.
On the day of the incident, the whale was entangled in rope attached to a lobster pot wrapped around the side of its head. However, the Coast Guard said the whale was safely freed from the gear with no harm done.

E) Word on the docks is that Duxbury and Pembroke boatbuilder Maritime Skiff has been sold to a Maine company called Kenway Corp. Officials at Kenway said they planned to move the Pembroke operations to Augusta, Maine, where 30 employees already make Maritime Skiff boats. It was reported that people who worked at the Pembroke site have been offered jobs in Maine.  

F) Federal investigators confirmed a former Lockheed Martin employee's warnings were true that the company equipped some Coast Guard ships with unauthorized electronics "knowing that they did not meet contract performance requirements." Late last year, the Coast Guard removed from service eight 123 foot cutters after finding structural problems with their hulls. Commandant Admiral Thad Allen recently told Congress that about $100 million had been lost on those boats. Subsequently, the Coast Guard was accused of coverups and cost over runs for their 24 billion dollar fleet modernization program called Deepwater. The investigation that led to the Coast Guard's problems was based on tips received last year from a former Lockheed Martin employee who detailed safety and security issues in the cutters in a video he posted on YouTube. A few days later, the company fired him.

G) The recent call by Admiral Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard, for all states to issue a driver's license to recreational boaters has drawn criticism from the Coast Guard Auxiliary and from the Marine Retailers Association of America. The Commandant said the potential for a terrorist attack launched from small boats meant that states and the Coast Guard must cooperate better to watch who is on the nation's waterways. The idea of a vessel tracking device for all boats was also mentioned. Critics of the license plan said it did nothing to improve safe boating operation, but instead placed a huge burden on the American public. Furthermore, the possibility of a license that could be restricted or taken away was scary to both groups.

H) A 19-year-old Alaskan fisherman is recovering from an encounter with a sea lion that leaped out of the water, grabbed him as he worked on his grandfather's docked boat, and pulled him into the harbor at King Cove in the Aleutian Islands. Fortunately, the young fisherman was not seriously injured after spending a few minutes under water before the animal let go. The sea lion was estimated about 12 feet long, weighing about 1,400 pounds. Sea lions have been known to jump up on boats and docks, but usually do not attack people.

I) A New Zealand fishing crew caught a colossal squid in Antarctic waters that weighed a half-ton and probably is the largest specimen ever caught. The colossal squid weighed almost a half a ton and was about 39 feet long. If calamari rings were made from the squid they would be the size of tractor tires. Colossal squid are estimated to grow up to 46 feet long and have long been one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep ocean. Colossal squid are found in Antarctic waters and are not related to giant squid found off the coast of New Zealand. Colossal squid should not be confused with giant octopus, which until recently, had never been seen alive.

J)  And last on today's nautical news, an American senior citizen on vacation killed an armed mugger with his bare hands, after he and several others got off the Carnival cruise ship Liberty docked in Costa Rica. The dozen or so seniors said three men in their 20s, one of them waving a knife and a gun, attempted to rob them, but one of the seniors, a former 70 year old military man, grabbed the armed thug, put him in a choke hold, and killed him. The other two assailants ran away. The cruise ship was slightly delayed while the passengers involved were questioned by Costa Rican police, but after police agreed the passengers were within their rights to defend themselves and that no charges were being made, the Carnival Liberty continued on to its next port of call.......... Panama. Carnival Cruise Lines management said the company and the captain provided full support and assistance to the passengers throughout their ordeal.

3/4/07

A) The 51st annual New England Boat Show at the new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center made history in more ways than one. It was the first show open to the public ever held at the convention center. All previous shows at the convention center were Trade Only shows. This year's Boston boat show was the largest and most comprehensive ever featuring 500,000 square feet of marine exhibits. Attendance exceeded last year's attendance by as much as 30%. Another first was an exhibit reserved only for "Massachusetts Built Boats." Next year's show dates at the convention center have already been set, so mark your calendar. The 2008 show opens January 12th and will end on the 20th.

B) The Coast Guard searched the Hyannis area of Cape Cod Bay after an employee at a local marina called the Coast Guard stating that he saw a red flare. A Coast Guard Station Cape Cod Canal boat and a helicopter conducted the search. While the helicopter the search was on going, a second call came in regarding a flare sighting. And then, about an hour later, the motor vessel Suez Matthew reported one red and one orange flare, but this time in the Nauset area. After the aircrew completed their search pattern in Cape Cod Bay, they diverted to the Nauset area and began searching. After searching into the wee hours of the morning, the search was temporarily suspended, and then resumed again at sunrise the next morning. None of the searches located any signs of a vessel in distress.

C) A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod airlifted a fisherman with a severe hand injury. The accident happened on an 80-foot fishing vessel roughly 80 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard. The Coast Guard was notified that the fisherman aboard the fishing vessel Courtney Elizabeth, out of Point Judith, Rhode Island, was handling lobster pots when he suffered significant trauma to his right hand. A Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended the man be airlifted for medical treatment. He was safely transported to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence where his condition is unknown.

D) The total weight of Maine's 2006 lobster catch dropped slightly from 2005, but the dollar value of the 2006 lobster catch declined by more than $42 million. According to the Department of Marine Resources, lobster landings in Maine totaled 66.6 million pounds, down from 68.1 million the previous year, but the value of the catch dropped to $272.5 million from $315 million in 2005. However, researchers point out that 2005 was a record year for value.

E) The Hull Lifesaving Museum was awarded two grants, one of them to fund an upcoming exhibit named They Had To Go Out: Shipwrecks and Lifesaving in Boston Harbor. The exhibit will be the first major update of the interpretation of the historic Point Allerton Station in more than a decade. Point Allerton Station was constructed in 1889 by the United States Lifesaving Service and was home to Joshua James and his crew. The second grant will be used for a new Media Room, where visitors will be able to see and listen to interviews with Hull residents and lifesavers' descendants. The new exhibits are scheduled to open on April 13th. For more information, go to the museum's website www.lifesavingmuseum.org or call the museum at 781-925-5433.

F) The National Marine Fisheries Service announced a new effort to help commercial fishermen in the Northeast to develop, fund, and engage in cooperative fishery research aboard their fishing boats. A book entitled "Working Together" is available for the asking. It covers such things as identifying a research topic, establishing partnerships with scientists, preparing proposals, and administering funds. Printed copies of the book can be obtained by contacting the Fisheries Service's Northeast Regional Office at 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.

G) On March 6th, Earthrace - the futuristic looking wave piercing powerboat that runs on biodiesel fuel - will start off from Barbados on a voyage to break the world record on circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. The boat's mission is to promote the use of biodiesel fuel. The current around the world powerboat record is 75 days, set in 1998. The Earthrace crew hopes to break that record by 10 days, finishing its trip around the world in 65 days. Listeners can follow the boat's progress by going to the website Earthrace.net.

H) MassWildlife's Angler Education Program is looking for Volunteer Fishing Instructors to pass on the great pastime of fishing. Next Saturday, March 10th, 2007, a full day Angler Education Instructor Workshop will be held at the MassWildlife Field Headquarters in Westborough, Massachusetts. It's a free workshop that certifies Angler Education Program Instructors. Women and men of all ages who enjoy fishing and sharing their knowledge and passion for this activity are encouraged to attend. The Program is especially in need of instructor teams from the North Shore, Southeastern Massachusetts, and Cape Cod. Pre-registration is required. For more details and to register, contact Angler Education Program Coordinator Jim Lagacy at 508/389-6309.

I) Boat/U.S., the nation's largest recreational boat owners association, announced this year's Top Ten List of Most Popular Boat Names. The number one most popular name for a boat was Aquaholic. Aquaholic has appeared on the Top Ten List for the past five, and this is the second time that it's been number one. Number five on this year's list, Happy Hours, has appeared on the list seven times since 1991. All of the remaining top five, Second Wind (#2), Reel Time (#3), and Hakuna Matata (#4, which means "no worries, troubles, problems or cares" in Swahili) have appeared on the annual list at least once, as well as the #10 name, Pura Vida (which means "pure life"). New names that made the list for the first time were Knot Working (#6), Life is Good (#7), Plan B (#8), and Second Chance (#9).

J) And last on today's nautical news, what is believed to be one of the ships owned by the notorious pirate Blackbeard could be fully excavated within the next three years. Divers discovered the ship 10 years ago, and believe the ship in question was a French slave ship that Blackbeard captured in 1717 and renamed the Queen Anne's Revenge. So far, about 15 percent of the shipwreck has been recovered, including jewelry, dishes, and thousands of other artifacts, but none of the treasured artifacts positively proves this was Blackbeard's ship.

3/11/07

A) The US Coast Guard staged a huge exercise in the Florida Keys, preparing for a possible mass exodus of Cubans after Fidel Castro dies. More than 300 coast guardsmen and 85 law enforcement agencies took part in the two day drill called Operation Vigilant Sentry. A couple of weeks ago on Nautical Talk Radio, we heard Coast Guard Admiral Nimmich reveal that the Coast Guard indeed had a plan to stop the Cubans from entering the United States when Castro dies. In 1980, one hundred twenty five thousand of people fled Cuba for the U.S. in overcrowded boats in what was called the Mariel Boatlift.

B) This weekend, a commercial fishing boat in Saquatucket Harbor, Harwichport, was destroyed by fire. A witness on land called the fire department to report that the Miss Morgan, a 35-foot fishing vessel, was engulfed in flames. Officials estimated there was approximately $200,000 worth of damage to the boat, but there did not appear to be any fuel pollution in the harbor. The cause of the fire did not appear to be suspicious, but remains under investigation.

C) A recent aerial survey reported right whales in an area east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire and southeast of Boston. Based on these sightings, NOAA has announced temporary gear restrictions for lobstermen and gillnet fishermen in these areas to protect the right whales. These restrictions will remain in effect until March 18, 2007.

D) According to NOAA weather forecasters, La Niña, the opposite of El Niño is now happening in the Pacific Ocean, and that could mean bad news for the United States East Coast. La Niña in the Pacific typically means a greater than normal number of stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic. La Niña occurs when the surface temperature of the eastern Pacific seawater drops. In May, NOAA will issue its latest Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook based on the most current La Niña conditions.

E) The Clean Locomotive and Marine Diesel Rule was announced Friday in Washington. It sets stringent emission standards and will require the use of advanced after market technology on marine diesel engines. The new fuel law requires nonroad diesel fuel to be 99 percent sulphur free by the year 2009. The National Marine Manufacturers Association said this new law could spell big trouble for big boats with  diesel engines.

F) The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary passed a resolution urging state legislatures to require mandatory boating safety education, regardless of a person's age. The non-binding resolution was passed unanimously at the Auxiliary National Training Conference and supplements a resolution passed in 2003. The 2003 resolution suggested that boating safety education be required for anyone under the age of sixteen operating a powerboat or personal watercraft. Now that age requirement was eliminated.

G) In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson founded the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to provide nautical charts for safe passage into American ports and along our coastline. The Weather Bureau was founded 63 years later in 1870, and one year later, the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries was founded. These three agencies merged together in 1970, with the establishment of NOAA, an agency within the Department of Commerce. Today, in 2007, we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the establishment of which set in motion a 200-year legacy of science, service, and stewardship.

H) The latest study issued by the Center for Consumer Freedom said that in light of more recent and reliable science, the public should ignore all warnings about mercury in fish. Since the 2006 International Conference on Mercury, three new scientific reports have debunked the warnings about mercury contaminated fish. In one report, researchers wrote that they could find no evidence that pregnant women should limit their seafood consumption. In fact, the study showed that pregnant women who ate the most fish had children with the highest IQ's. Another report concluded that traces of mercury in fish were insignificant compared to the health benefits of eating seafood.

I) The Coast Guard will continue to provide medical evacuations from Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket hospitals. An agreement reached between the Coast Guard, Boston MedFlight, Martha's Vineyard Hospital and Nantucket Cottage Hospital clarifies that the Coast Guard would provide emergency air transportation from the islands when Boston MedFlight or other transportation means were not available. On average, Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod makes about 40 transports each year from the two islands when weather conditions exceed the criteria under which Boston MedFlight can fly. The Federal Aviation Administration sets minimum weather conditions in which civilian aircraft can fly, but the Coast Guard is exempt from those regulations. The Coast Guard emphasized that competition with private air ambulance services would be avoided.

J) And last on today's nautical news, New England Aquarium whale researchers are using a former drug sniffing dog to find whale poop floating in the ocean. The researchers put the dog on the bow of their boat and follow the dog's nose like a compass. They know they are on the right course when the dog becomes extremely animated and wags his tail. From examining the whale poop, scientists can determine a whale's DNA as well as learn about the whale's medical condition such as whether the whale is sexually mature or pregnant. The presence of toxins from sources like red tides or pollution from coastal run-off can also be determined. One veterinarian said that she thought it was extraordinary to use the senses of one animal to learn more about the secrets of another.

3/20/07

) President Bush wants the United States aquaculture industry to expand in order to reduce our federal trade deficit. United States Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez visited the International Boston Seafood Show and told industry leaders that last year China and Asia supplied 90% of the farm raised seafood, while the United States supplied only 1 per cent. In order to make up this difference, the Bush Administration is proposing legislation to allow fish farms to be built offshore in federal waters out to 200 miles. This will be the first time in our nation's history that fish farms will be built in our oceans. Scientists have warned us that fish farms in the ocean would jeopardize the natural wild species, between the spread of disease and farm raised fish escaping from their pen and mating with the wild stock.

B) Three New Jersey men died while doing a penetration dive on a sunken Navy ship off of Florida's Key Largo. A fourth man, who did not enter the ship, survived. The three men who died were all advanced certified scuba divers. The ship they were exploring was the Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot decommissioned Navy ship that was intentionally sunk in 2002 in 133 feet of water, to make an artificial reef. Names of the victims were not released until their families have been notified. Two of the three bodies remain somewhere on the ship underwater. Police said this most recent accident brings the death toll for divers on the Spiegel Grove to six since its sinking.

C) NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking comments now through April 12, on the plan by Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge LLC, to protect marine mammals as it constructs and operates an LNG port in federal waters off Gloucester, Massachusetts. The agency has preliminarily determined the activities would have a negligible impact on marine mammals and is prepared to issue a permit allowing the company to incidentally disrupt animal behavior, but it is soliciting public comment beforehand.

D) I am sad to report that Gerry DiSchino, president and CEO of Hinckley Yachts of Portsmouth, R.I., died unexpectedly at the age of 50 years old. DiSchino was also this year's president of the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association.

E) An aerial surveyor sighted an injured right whale swimming about one mile southwest of Provincetown. Pictures taken of the whale showed a number of wounds on the animal's back that researchers claimed were caused by a "ship strike." Some said the wounds would cause the whale's death if infection set in, but so far the whale appeared to be swimming normally. Gregg Farmer, president of the Boston Harbor Pilot Association, objected to the term "ship strike," claiming that it was not a large freighter or tanker that struck the whale. He claimed that it was a smaller vessel that caused the propeller marks on the whale's back. Scientists also admitted that they didn't know where the whale got hurt, and think the wounds could be several weeks old. They said a few weeks ago, this whale could have been anywhere between Georgia and Canada.

F) The Coast Guard went to the rescue of a fisherman after he complained of severe abdominal pain. At the time he was working on a New Bedford trawler 100 miles east of Provincetown. A helicopter crew flew him to Barnstable airport to a waiting ambulance that then took him to the Cape Cod Hospital. At last report, the man was in stable condition.

G) The oldest trophy in sports, the sterling silver America's Cup, arrived in Valencia, Spain, the site of the 2007 America's Cup race. You might recall that Team Alinghi from landlocked Switzerland won the Cup in 2003, and they chose the port of Valencia as the venue for this year's race. Eleven teams will compete in this year's Louis Vuitton race, which starts on April 3rd. The winner of the Louis Vuitton race goes on to challenge the Swiss for the America's Cup, which starts June 23rd.

H) A 35 year old male passenger on board the Carnival Glory, a Carnival Cruiseship, jumped from his room's balcony overboard into the waters off Florida. A witness said he was drunk. The Coast Guard, as well as another Carnival Cruiseship, responded to the captain's call for help. The next morning, about 8 hours later, the passenger was seen waving his arms in the water and was rescued by the Coast Guard. He was airlifted to the hospital and treated for mild hypothermia.

I) And last on today's nautical news, the Captain of Earthrace, the powerboat that is trying to break the world record for going around the world using only biodiesel fuel, blamed bananas for giving him bad luck. For centuries, most mariners have been superstitious about bananas, claiming they brought bad luck on board. That was because in days of sail, bananas gave off gases that caused other fruit to overripened quickly and spoil -- a potential disaster in the days when sailors depended on fruit to prevent scurvy. Anyway, the captain of Earthrace said that the person who brought the bananas on board was a landlubber who paid to join the first leg of the race. By the time the bananas were noticed, the boat's propeller made of carbon, broke. Earthrace is now behind schedule as they make repairs in Panama.

3/26/07

A) The Coast Guard issued a cold water safety advisory to all early spring boaters and paddlers on the inland and coastal waters in the Northeast. With forecasts of upcoming warmer weather, the urge to get out on water may be strong, but deceptively dangerous. The water temperature remains closer to the freezing mark despite the comfortable air temperature. The Coast Guard warns spring boaters to dress properly and to be mentally prepared for sudden cold water immersion. Otherwise your chance of surviving is extremely poor. Paddlers in Massachusetts are required to wear a life jacket while underway through May 15th and in Connecticut through May 31st.

B) A U.S. District Court judge awarded twelve crew members $437,500 each, because they reported the deliberate dumping of thousands of gallons of waste oil into the ocean from the ship they were on. U.S. District Court Judge Reginald Lindsay imposed the "whistle blower" awards as part of a $37 million fine. The owner of the ship also pled guilty to falsifying the ship’s logbooks. The crew said they called a Coast Guard hotline because they were outraged by the dumping that occurred in Massachusetts and Maine. U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan’s office said the money collected from the fines would be divided among the ports affected by the dumping.

C) The Coast Guard boarded a freighter off the coast of Panama and found 42,000 pounds of cocaine. All 14 crewmembers aboard the freighter were arrested. This was a record amount of cocaine seized by the Coast Guard. Sources said the cocaine was going to delivered to a Mexican cartel. A Homeland Security official said the Coast Guard is now engaged in an operation known as “Panama Express,” using new communication equipment purchased under their controversial Deepwater Program.

D) The sunken fishing vessel Lady Luck, out of Newburyport, Massachusetts, missing since February 1st, has been located. The Coast Guard and investigators who searched with a remote control submersible vehicle provided by VideoRay (www.videoray.com), found the fishing boat lying on the bottom, 20 nautical miles southeast of Portland, Maine, in 530 feet of water. The two young fishermen on board remain missing and are presumed drowned.

E) Earthrace, the futuristic looking bio-diesel fuel powerboat trying to break the world’s time record for circumnavigating the world suffered some more bad luck. This time a person was killed and two others injured after the powerboat collided with a fishing boat off the coast of Guatemala. Last week, when the boat’s high tech carbon propellers disintegrated, the skipper blamed the bad luck on bananas that a paying passenger brought on board. Historically, bananas have been a bad luck omen to many sailors. It is unlikely the biodiesel-fueled boat will continue its bid to set the record, as the vessel’s crew is now confined to a Guatemalan Naval ship, trying to hire local attorneys and assistance from the American Embassy.

F) Senator John Kerry filed legislation to terminate the Coast Guard’s remaining contract to build new ships and aircraft under its 24 billion dollar Deepwater Remodernization Program. Kerry’s bill, called the Deepwater Accountability Act, requires a new contract to be competitively bid. However, the legislation allows the Coast Guard to continue working with the current companies on any incomplete systems, if the secretary of Homeland Security determines that re-bidding would compromise national security or would cost more.

G) In a federal lawsuit, the Navy refused to detail its use of sonar, claiming the information was classified, and release of it could jeopardize national security. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization. They claim the Navy’s use of sonar is harmful to the whales and dolphins. A U.S. Congressional Research Service report last year found Navy sonar exercises had indeed been responsible for at least six mass strandings and unusual  behavior among whales. Many of the beached or dead animals had damaged ears.

H) The folks from Save Our Ramp in Scituate reached an agreement with that town’s conservation agency, and the large granite blocks that lined the boat ramp last year will be removed. Boaters claimed that the blocks were a hazard to navigation because they were not marked and covered over at high tide. The ramp is the only means of safe access to the North River for boaters without going in to the ocean.

I) And last but not least on today’s nautical news, on March 24th, 2007, the 18th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Exxon unveiled a seven foot tall wooden "ExxonRidicule" pole in Alaska. The special totem pole is a native Alaskan tradition meant to force a person of high standing to pay its debt or obligation. Eighteen years after the most devastating oil spill in U.S. history, ExxonMobil, with its billions of dollars in annual profits, still has not satisfied the court's order, paying the damages owed to the victims of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In addition, the company is operating what environmentalists call the largest, most dangerous oil tanker in the area -a single-hulled oil tanker which happens to be the Exxon Valdez's sister ship. It is named the Sea River Long Beach. ExxonMobil is the only oil company in the spill area of Prince William Sound that is still using a single-hulled tanker.

4/1/07

A)    Two unusual nautical news stories to report on this April Fool's Day weekend. Both involved fatalities and are definitely not jokes! The first story pertains to a Rhode Island Coast Guardsman who was killed after he fell off a 25 foot boat in Puget Sound. He was hit in the head by the boat's propeller. The Coast Guard identified the victim as 26-year-old Petty Officer 3rd Class Ronald Gill. Ironically, Gill was assigned to the Coast Guard's Marine Safety and Security Team and had served in the Coast Guard since October 2003.

B)    The second unusual story is about an Illinois man on vacation in Hawaii who was killed when the mast broke on a whale-watching catamaran. It fell and struck him on the head. About 50 passengers on the whale watch boat were rescued before the boat sank. Records showed that the whale watch boat, which was operated by Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, had broken its mast twice before.

C)    New herring fishery regulations made by the New England Fishery Management Council prohibit the using of trawling gear during the summer months in inshore waters of the Gulf of Maine. The Gulf of Maine includes an area between Cape Cod Bay and Canada. However, the quota for the amount of herring that can be caught in that area did not change. It remains at 50,000 metric tons. Fishing boats that use purse seine nets can still catch the herring in that area, trawler boats cannot, causing some fishermen to think the government is discriminating between the different types of fishing boats.


D)    In a related story, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick showed his support for commercial fishermen by visiting with them on the Gloucester waterfront. He promised the fishermen that he would seek federal aid by declaring the state's fishing industry an economic disaster. The Governor said he would make his plea to U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. The New England Fishery Management Council estimated that the region's fishermen would lose $21 million this year because of the new regulations that reduced the number of days that boats can fish. Ed Barrett, a Marshfield fisherman, said he was encouraged that the governor had met with the fishermen and heard how they were on the verge of bankruptcy, losing their homes and boats.

E)    American treasure hunters have won permission to look for what is believed to be the richest, sunken bounty in history; 9 tons of gold lost in a shipwreck more than 300 years ago off Spain. Odyssey Marine Exploration has concluded negotiations with Spanish officials to resume its search for the wreck of a British vessel, the HMS Sussex. The 157 foot warship HMS Sussex was leading a British fleet into the Mediterranean for a war against France and its leader, King Louis XIV, when it sank in a storm in 1694 with 500 men, 80 guns, and 9 tons of gold coins aboard. The coins could be worth up to four billion dollars.

F)    The skipper of Earthrace, a New Zealand biodiesel fuel power boat attempting to break the 75 days around the world speed record, has been cleared by a Guatemalan court to leave the country. The Earthrace skipper and his crew were detained in Guatemala for 10 days since their boat collided with a fishing boat, killing one of the three fishermen aboard. A Guatemalan judge ruled the collision was indeed an accident and no criminal charges were filed. Earthrace is now continuing on its voyage around the world, heading for its next port in Mexico.

G)    The journal Science reports this month that there is a decline in the number of big sharks swimming along the Eastern Seaboard. Scientists say other marine species such as rays, skates, dogfish, and seals are increasing in number as a result of the decline in the  shark population. In turn, this upset balance in Mother Nature has meant that the rays, skates, dogfish, and seals are eating the more valuable scallops, clams, oysters, and codfish. Shellfishermen are now asking NOAA to implement a ban on shark fishing.

H) Princess Cruise Lines is investigating how two passengers fell overboard from their cruise ship cabin balcony into the Gulf of Mexico. The 22-year-old man and 20-year-old woman who met on the ship fell 50 to 60 feet from the woman's cabin. A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said that it appeared to have been an accident and that the balcony had a 4 foot railing. When friends of the couple informed the captain that the couple had fallen overboard, he turned the ship around, called the Coast Guard, and launched the rescue boats. About 4 to 5 hours later, the ship's crew found the passengers and treated them for minor injuries. At the time, waves were up to 6 feet and the wind was gusting up to 30 mph.

4/9/07

A) More trouble for cruise ships. This time a Greek cruise ship named Sea Diamond hit rocks formed by a volcano and sank off the Aegean Islands. The captain and five officers were arrested and charged with causing a shipwreck through negligence, breaching international shipping safety regulations, and polluting the environment. Passengers said there weren't enough lifejackets and complained of being forced to climb down rope-ladders. It took 15 hours for the 469 foot ship to sink. Authorities said hundreds of Americans and Canadians were on board. All but two passengers were accounted for. A 45-year-old Frenchman and his 16-year-old daughter were listed as missing.

B) The price of lobster has reached an all time high ranging from $14 - $16 per pound. The reason for the sharp increase simply has to do with the law of supply and demand. Many of the lobsters sold now were caught last season and saved in pens, and according to industry leaders, those pens are almost empty, and Mother's Day is around the corner. The demand is high and the supply low. The new lobster season starts in a couple of weeks, and then the pens will be replenished. One local lobsterman lamented, as soon as he gets his boat ready and in the water for this Spring, the prices will probably have dropped.

C) Dredging of Marshfield's Green Harbor entrance channel is to start April 16th and is expected to be finished by May 31st weather permitting. Project engineers said they can't dredge before April 16th because of the winter flounder and they cannot dredge after May 31st because of the juvenile lobsters in the dumping area. They also explained that there could be times when the channel will be blocked by their dredge and scow. However, as it is right now, it is impassable most of the time anyway because it is too shallow. The channel will be restored to 100 feet width at a depth of 6 feet at low tide. The harbormaster said he called marinas in Scituate and Plymouth and was told that they could accommodate anyone who got locked out of the harbor. Mariners will be able to communicate with the dredge contractor on either Channel 8 or 16 on their marine radio to ask questions.

D) Boaters won their battle in the Town of Scituate, saving their boat ramp, after a year of strong lobbying of town officials. The Scituate Selectmen  had the town's DPW relocate the granite blocks that prevented easy boat trailer access and turnaround maneuverability. The Herring River ramp off the Driftway provides boaters with safe access to the North and South Rivers.

E) The Plymouth Harbormaster wants visiting boaters to enjoy America's hometown. Harbormaster Tim Routhier wants to install moorings to accommodate visiting boaters. He claimed he constantly receives requests for overnight moorings, but must refuse the requests because the town has had no moorings to rent. This in turn has cost the town revenue at a time when every dollar is needed. Officials estimate that at a dollar per foot per night, multiplied by 10 moorings, could add up to more than $20,000 during July and August.

F) And speaking of the Plymouth Harbormaster, he has been granted federal law enforcement authority when patrolling the security zone in front of the Plymouth nuclear power plant. Last season, with a homeland security grant, the town purchased the harbormaster a go fast boat capable of going from the harbormaster's dock to the power plant in about 5 minutes. Under federal laws, any boater in violation of the power plant security zone can be fined as much as $27,000 and go to jail.

G) Compared to last year, February boat show sales for all sized fiberglass boats declined by 11.5 percent while aluminum boat sales decreased by 13.3 percent. Fiberglass boat sales in the popular sizes between 14 and 30 feet declined nearly 10 per cent. The report is based on information obtained from 25 of the states with the most boat registrations. Some of those states included California, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and New York.

H) A group of chefs, called the Boston Chefs for Fishermen's Families, raised $20,722 to aid the families of the six commercial fishermen lost at sea in January. The money, raised at the restaurants where the chefs worked, will go directly to the families of the fishermen who worked on the Lady of Grace and the Lady Luck. The chefs said they felt they had to do something to support the fishermen because they depend upon the fishermen to bring them the freshest seafood to serve to their patrons.

I) And last, but not least on today's nautical news, a Trident commercial fishing boat hauled in what may have been one of the oldest living creatures in Alaska; a giant rockfish estimated to be more than a hundred years old. The 44-inch, 60-pound female rockfish was caught in 2,100 feet of water in the Bering Sea. Scientists said they could tell how old the fish was by counting the number of rings on the bone inside the fish's ear. The rings are similar to the rings in a tree trunk.       

2/16/07

A) The past couple of days, Coast Guard units throughout New England alerted mariners of today's n'oreaster. A Coast Guard jet plane from Air Station Cape Cod flew two storm track missions to warn off-shore boaters on the marine radio of the approaching dangerous storm. Mariners were urged to seek safe harbor and keep a watchful eye on the weather.

B) Wall Street financial wizards are predicting a dire 2007 for boat manufacturers. Several financial brokerage firms are blaming the soft housing market, especially in the state of Florida, as one of the major factors of the problem. Others blame the cold April weather in the northeast. Statistics show that boat sales are off by as much as 20% so far this year.

C) However, here is some good financial news. Officials from Massport announced that the 2007 cruise season officially begins today, April 15th, with the arrival of the cruise ship Saga Ruby. Massport expects 103 cruise ships, carrying an estimated 250,000 passengers, to visit Boston. Compared to last year, that is a 20% increase in the number of passengers to Cruiseport Boston.

D) A large ship that looked like a former Navy ship, broke free of its mooring on the East Boston side of Boston Harbor and drifted toward the Hyatt hotel at Boston's Logan Airport. For a while, officials were concerned the vessel was going to crash into the pier in front of the hotel, but fortunately, that didn't happen. Sea Tow Boston arrived on scene and was able to secure the boat to the pier. The Boston Harbormaster department told "Nautical Talk Radio" that the privately owned ship was in Boston harbor to be converted into a floating restaurant. 

E) The U.S. Coast Guard announced that all of its air stations are now flying helicopters with upgraded engines as part of their Deepwater modernization program. Despite controversies about cost overruns and cover-ups, the Coast Guard completed the helicopter re-modernization program ahead of schedule.

F) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended upgrading the manatee's status from endangered to threatened, a move that proves the animal has rebounded from the brink of extinction. However, the reclassification from endangered to threatened is only ceremonial because the same state and federal regulations remain as if they were still endangered.

G) The official opening of the 2007 America's Cup happened yesterday with a big boat parade followed by fireworks. Eleven teams will now race for the Louis Vuitton Cup with the winner of that cup challenging the Swiss Team Alinghi for the America's Cup. The America's Cup is the oldest sporting trophy in the world.

H) For the first time, residents of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard got a chance in a non-binding vote to express their opinion on whether the annual Monster Shark Tournament should stay or go in their town. The tournament has been the subject of controversy amongst animal rights groups such as PETA and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The votes were counted and 458 were for keeping the shark tournament in town and 386 were against it, so this year's tournament stays in Oak Bluffs.

I) And last on today's nautical news, 95 years ago today, the world came to the realization that the unsinkable Titanic had really sunk on its maiden voyage, taking 1523 people to their watery graves. For the first time, and for one week only, the names, ages, and professions of passengers will be posted online at findmypast.com. There will also be a list posted revealing the cabin class of the passengers. Up until now, the passenger list could only be seen at England's National Archives in London.

4/22/07

A) After last week's Nor'Easter, the Coast Guard warned mariners that numerous aids to navigation throughout New England waters were damaged or moved off station by the storm. So far, the Coast Guard has determined that more than two dozen buoys were either not working, missing, or adrift. Also mariners should be aware of broken docks and pilings floating in the water. Anyone who sees damaged or displaced aids to navigation, or other hazards to navigation, is urged to call the Coast Guard at 617-223-8555.

B) An old Soviet submarine used as a floating museum sank in the Providence River after being battered by this past week's nor'easter. The only thing that can be seen now of the sub is the top of its periscope. Launched in 1965 by the Russians, the sub was diesel powered, but could fire nuclear missiles. It was used in the 1990s as a restaurant in Finland, and as a set for the movie "K-19: The Widowmaker." A salvage company was working on a plan to pump the water out of the sub and get it floating again.

C) Scientists warn that Massachusetts could experience a major red tide bloom this summer. The latest survey of the Gulf of Maine showed there were still roughly three times the red tide cells that there were 10 years ago. The scientists claimed that the wind direction will be the critical factor. If the winds blow out of the southwest all of May and June, there will be very few red tide cells reaching land, but if they blow from the east, the bloom would be pushed toward shore. The red tide bloom of 2005 caused an estimated $24 million in losses to the state's shellfish industry and closed shellfishing for months from Maine to Nantucket.

D) NOAA issued the first of its kind health report, for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The study rated conditions in four categories: water quality, habitat, living resources, and maritime archaeological resources. Water quality was rated as fair to good. The habitat and living resources conditions were rated poor to fair, ship strikes and entanglements were cited as particular dangers to whales that feed there, and the impact of fishing gear was a serious problem to studying the shipwrecks. However, recreational and commercial fishermen, and even some scientists, dispute the findings. Recreational fishermen and charter boat operators claim that the fish populations in the sanctuary are in good shape. Marshfield commercial fisherman Edward Barrett said, "Fisherman don't want to lose their gear, so they avoid the shipwrecks."

E) Last week's N'orEaster hit Newfoundland hard and caused hundreds of Canadian seal hunt boats to become stuck in ice. Officials worried that the boats could remain stranded for at least another week. Helicopters were flying food and water to the hunters. The Newfoundland part of Canada's controversial seal hunt is the third and largest stage of the hunt. The Canadians sell the seal pelts to the fashion industries in Norway, Russia, and China. However, the United States has banned Canadian seal products since 1972.

F) The National Marine Manufacturers Association is protesting the EPA's proposed rule that would result in the largest regulatory action in recreational marine industry history. The new rule impacts boatbuilders, inboard and outboard engine manufacturers, and marine generator manufacturers. Boatbuilders said they would have to change the design a boat's fuel system if the EPA gets their way. The EPA's proposal would require catalytic converters for all sterndrive and inboard engines made after 2008. As for outboard engines, it would mean no more fuel vents on gas cans.

G) Four Florida fishermen aboard a 23 foot boat named See Ya Later II caught a 12 1/2 foot long, 1,063 pound Mako shark on 30 pound test fishing line and that could be a world record. The shark was caught off about 300 yards off Pensacola beach. The shark had a porpoise in its mouth when it was hooked. The largest Mako ever recorded was a 1,221 pounder caught in Massachusetts in 2001.

H) And last on today's nautical news, a fish jumped out of the Suwannee River in Florida and hit a woman who was riding on a jetski. The poor woman suffered a ruptured spleen and lost her left pinkie finger and a tooth. More than likely the fish was a sturgeon, a large, prehistoric-looking fish that can grow up to 8 feet long and up to 200 pounds. Researchers are not sure why the large fish jump, but at least 10 people have been struck by a jumping sturgeon in the past year.

04/29/07

A) A crewmember aboard a 40 foot Plymouth fishing boat named the Sea Princess called the Coast Guard for help reporting that the boat was sinking just outside of Plymouth harbor. He stated he was one of three people on board and that the captain and the other fisherman were putting on their survival suits and had already deployed the life raft. Because there is no full time Coast Guard station in Scituate, a 47 foot motor lifeboat from Station Point Allerton in Hull went to assist. Fortunately for the fishermen, the skipper aboard a nearby tugboat named the Catherine Foss heard the mayday call and also went to help. The tugboat crew employed dewatering pumps and took the three fishermen aboard. A short time later the Plymouth Harbormaster arrived on scene, but the tugboat crew had everything under control. The fishermen were able to get back on board their boat and plugged the leak. They then started to head north under the boat's own power. Two hours after receiving the initial call for help, the Point Allerton Coast Guard lifeboat arrived on scene and escorted the fishing boat to Green Harbor in Marshfield.

B) The Coast Guard reported at least 45 navigational aids along the coast from Maine to New York were either missing, not working, or adrift as a result of the April 16th n'oreaster. Shipping channels in Boston, New York and Portland were all affected by the storm. The Coast Guard said the Boston approach buoy was found 87 miles out of position, and they reported that some buoys had even washed up on shore. The Coast Guard is urging all mariners to use extreme caution while navigating New England waters.

C) While fixing and replacing the existing navigation buoys, the Coast Guard also placed special high-tech weather buoys in the ocean to prepare for what is expected to be an active hurricane season. The buoys are very large and are referred to as "floating weather centers." They will be used to predict the intensity and direction of the hurricanes.

D) Massachusetts State Senator Mark Montigny accused the Coast Guard as "being in bed" with the oil and transportation industry, and some environmentalists claimed the Coast Guard has been too slow and too lax about making new rules for oil barges transiting Buzzards Bay. It was more than a year ago when the Coast Guard wrote new rules to prevent oil spills in Buzzards Bay, but the new rules remain stalled in a review process, leaving the waterways vulnerable to another spill like the one that occurred four years ago when the Bouchard barge dumped 98,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil into Buzzards Bay. A Coast Guard spokesman defended the Coast Guard, saying that navigation markers were relocated to make the shipping route safer. He also insisted that the Coast Guard's new rules were in "the very final stages" of review.

E) The fishing vessel Lady of Grace that sank off Hyannis last January killing the 4 fishermen aboard was raised from the bottom of the ocean. The two bodies of the fishermen that remained missing were not discovered inside the boat. Massachusetts State Police and Coast Guard investigators will continue their investigation to determine why the boat sank.

F) West Marine and Boat/U.S. have recalled West Marine 120 volt inflator pumps manufactured by Stearns, Inc. The inflator pumps can explode during use, ejecting sharp plastic parts, posing a serious laceration hazard to consumers. So far, the pump manufacturer has received three reports of exploding pumps causing one consumer to suffer lacerations and fractured ribs. Owners of these pumps, which were sold between 2003 and 2007, are urged to return the pumps to West Marine or Boat/U.S. stores for a full refund. For more information, go to the West Marine's web site: www.westmarine.com.  

G) The Coast Guard began unloading more than 40,000 pounds of cocaine that they seized off the Central American coast, much of it from a single bust considered the largest in U.S. maritime history. The cocaine, with an estimated street value of $500 million, will be turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which will take the drugs to Miami to be destroyed.

H) Out on the West coast, a toxic acid contained in a bloom of ocean algae killed hundreds of birds, sea lions, and dolphins. Birds and animals have been washing up on beaches from San Diego to San Francisco Bay. One marine biologist said that in 35 years he had never seen so many different species killed other than by an oil spill. Humans could be affected by eating tainted fish or shellfish, but they are not affected by merely swimming in the algae.

I) Florida lifeguards sounded an alarm after a 12 year old boy was bitten on the ankle by a shark. This was the fourth shark attack in six weeks off Hutchinson Island, on Florida's east coast. Last year, 23 shark attacks were recorded in Florida, making Florida the world's shark attack capital.

J) The former director of a Hawaiian whaling museum pled guilty to illegally importing hundreds of whale teeth from England and then selling them to scrimshaw dealers in the United States. The museum director was also found guilty of violating the Endangered Species Act, the Mammal Protection Act, and the Lacey Act, which forbids the import or export of illegal wildlife. Federal officials said wildlife smuggling is a multibillion-dollar industry that is second only to drug smuggling.

K) The captain of the biodiesel fuel boat named Earthrace, has called off his attempt to set a record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat that used only biodiesel fuel. The boat had nothing but problems since it started its voyage on March 10th. Mechanical failures and then a collision with a fishing boat that killed a fisherman, were too much for the captain to deal with. So, the record for circumnavigating the world in 75 days set in 1998 in a powerboat remains intact.

L) And last on today's nautical news, an earthquake in the Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands caused a sunken WWII PT boat, similar to JFK's PT 109 to rise above the surface. The boat was exposed when reefs rose 10 feet above sea level during an 8.1-magnitude quake that also caused a devastating tsunami. The Solomons' main island, Guadalcanal, was the scene of fierce fighting during World War II, so the coastline is littered with wrecks, including the PT 109 boat commanded by President John F. Kennedy, which was found in 2002 by shipwreck hunter Robert Ballard, the same person who found the Titanic.

05/06/07

The Text Edition Of the Nautical News for May 13th Is Not Available The Week, However an Audio Version Is. Click Here To Download It In MP3 Format.

5/13/07

A) The Coast Guard searched all last week for a missing 54 foot sailboat named "Flying Colours" and its four person crew, after an automated distress signal was received from the boat's emergency transmitter indicating the boat was 120 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Late last night, the Coast Guard announced the search was suspended, but asked all mariners to continue to be on the lookout for the sailing vessel Flying Colors and its crew. The area covered in the search by Coast Guard aircraft and ships was bigger than the size of California. On board the boat were four sailors, all from Rhode Island, and one of the female sailors is the daughter of the principal of a school in Walpole, Massachusetts. It was reported that the boat was headed to Annapolis, Maryland from St. Thomas. At the time of the distress call, waves were reported to be as high as 40 feet, with a subtropical storm developing in the area. The sailboat's distress signal was received the same day the Coast Guard rescued nine people from three other boats off the North Carolina coast.

B) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed that the industrial chemical melamine, the same chemical found in pet food that killed so many dogs and cats, was also used in food that fed farm raised fish. The FDA has not yet specified which fish farms bought the tainted fish feed, or whether the fish that ate the feed had even reached the marketplace. It is believed that humans who eat the tainted farm raised may not be seriously harmed, but there can be no doubt that the dangerous chemical melamine is now a part of the human food chain.

C) The commander of Old Ironsides was relieved of his duty according to a Navy spokesperson because of a "loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command." The Navy declined to provide specifics about why Commander Thomas C. Graves was removed, but insisted it was not because of any disciplinary action, but had to do with administrative reasons. Graves, who took command in July 2005, had a little more than two months to go before his two-year term as Commander of Old Ironsides would have been completed.

D) Massachusetts has two schools, one a public school and the other a private school, competing for the Mallory Cup in Long Point, California. The Mallory Cup is given to the best high school sailing team in America. Duxbury High School's sailing class and Milton Academy's sailing class are competing against 16 other teams this weekend. The young sailors are racing in two person, 14 foot long, 420 sailboats. Milton Academy has raced in the finals the past 4 years in a row. 

E) One of the biggest worries facing the boating industry is the loss of access to the water, moorings, and docks. The National Symposium on Water Access was held this past week with its purpose to discuss the best possible uses of the public's right to access the water. Surprisingly, little was heard about recreational boating. Instead, environmental organizations, universities, and local, state and federal agencies and governments -- such as Sea Grant, NOAA, and even the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management ---- dominated the symposium. Only about 10 percent of the symposium's attendees came from the boating industry.

F) The oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod just celebrated its 150th birthday. Highland Light in Truro opened for the season, and for a $3 fee, visitors can climb to the top of the 65-foot tower. Built on a cliff, 185 feet above sea level, the light can be seen by ships 21 miles away on a clear day. The lighthouse was the first on Cape Cod, built during a time when up to 1,000 ships passed it every day. In 1996, the lighthouse was moved 453 feet back from the eroding cliff, or else it would have tumbled into the sea.

G) A 6 foot long, 250 pound Arctic seal was found in a Fort Lauderdale canal, far away from its normal habitat near the North Pole. Unfortunately, the seal died a day after it was captured, and veterinarians said it was not immediately known what killed the animal, and that they may never know why the animal came so far south. However, some speculated that the seal died in the brackish Ft. Lauderdale water because they are not known to leave ocean's saltwater. According to NOAA scientists, this was the first time an Arctic seal ever showed up in Florida.

H) And last on today's nautical news, four fish farmers working at a Turner Falls, Massachusetts fish farm, sort of got a taste of their own medicine. The "pooper scoopers" had to be rescued after falling into a filtration tank full of fish excrement while attempting to clean it. One of the rescuers, a Turner Falls fireman, described the contents of the tank as something he had never seen before in his life. The fish farm raises barramundi, a new fish that is said to be a replacement for grouper. The farmers were all treated at the hospital where paramedics tastefully said they were treated for only minor injuries.

5/27/07