2008 Nautical News Archive
1/6/08
A) The liquefied natural gas port built 13 miles off Gloucester is now ready to accept deliveries. The $200-million facility will begin off-loading tankers as soon as the Coast Guard issues an operations permit. When the tankers dock, the liquid will be evaporated and discharged through an underwater pipeline which runs from Salem to Quincy. The only thing visible above water when ships are not being unloaded will be a mooring buoy the size of a beach ball. Some of the $23.5 million paid by the energy company for mitigation will be used to support local charities, local fishermen, and for an acoustic system designed to protect the right whales. A second offshore LNG port is planned within five miles of this one with construction of that terminal to be completed next year. A similar mitigation payment of $23.5 million dollars is expected from this energy company as well.
B) Early industry reports about the winter boat shows so far indicate that attendance is down and that the level of sales was disappointing. NMMA President Thom Dammrich said that he welcomed the Federal Reserve's recent move to cut interest rates and is hopeful that further cuts would stimulate sales and build consumer confidence. Right now it is a buyer's market, so that is good news for boat buyers.
C) One of the four crewmen who served aboard the Coast Guard Gold Medal rescue boat CG36500, just passed away at his home in Florida. In 1952, Coast Guardsman Richard Livesey was aboard the CG36500 when it made its historic rescue of the tanker Pendleton crew during a major snowstorm off Cape Cod. Somehow, 32 men plus the four man Coast Guard crew were crammed into the 36 foot Coast Guard boat and made it safely back to the Chatham fish pier. The legendary rescue earned the crew the Gold Lifesaving Medal, and a prominent place in Coast Guard history. Several years ago, another one of the crewmates died so now, only two of those 4 Coast Guard heroes are still alive: the coxswain Bernie Webber and the engineer Andrew Fitzgerald.
D) With exception of striped bass fishing permits, current 2007 fishing permits in Massachusetts will remain valid through January 31, 2008. The state's Division of Marine Fisheries extended the renewal date to February 1, 2008, because of a delay in sending out the new annual state fishing permit renewals.
E) During the recent cold spell in the northeast, the Coast Guard warned fishermen of the danger of ice accumulating on their boats. The danger occurs when the weight of the ice causes the center of gravity to rise rapidly, making the vessel more susceptible to capsizing. Additionally, the added weight makes the boat lower in the water so waves can easily flood the boat in rough seas. To minimize the dangers of icing conditions, the Coast Guard recommends fishermen to keep their lifesaving equipment clear of ice and ready for use, steam downwind to reduce the speed of ice formation, and to keep the scuppers or drain holes on the boat clear of ice to allow for rapid drainage.
F) The Massachusetts Riverways Program and Division of Marine Fisheries will discuss restoring the Neponset River at a meeting January 9th, 7PM, at the St. Gregory School's auditorium on Dorchester Avenue. Plans will be presented for cleaning the river bottom's sediments that are contaminated with toxic industrial chemicals. The cleanup is expected to cost between 7 and 9 million dollars. Also to be discussed will be the elimination of the two state-owned dams in the Lower Mills section of Milton. Removal of the dams would allow for a more natural, free-flowing Neponset River, which in turn would allow herring, shad, and other fish to return to fresh water to spawn. Another benefit would be for kayakers. They would be able to paddle from Walpole all the way to the ocean.
G) Remember a couple of weeks ago we did a story on kitesurfing? The sport is very popular on Nantasket Beach and in Duxbury, and as a matter of fact, kitesurfing has become very popular up and down the east coast. This past week, in North Carolina, the Coast Guard searched all day and all night for a kitesurfer who a witness saw entangled in his kitesurfing lines before disappearing under water. Military planes also participated in the search, but so far the man has not been found. Initial reports said the kitesurfer was alone and that he fell into the water about a quarter of a mile off the beach.
H) And last on today's nautical news, here is an incredible story that twenty-five year old Australian Kristy Brittain swears is true. She told reporters she was kneeboarding behind a boat off the coast of Hobart, Tasmania, when she was tossed from her board in a big and rough surf. The waves made her lose a nose stud from a piercing she had done a week before Christmas. The woman thought for sure that she would never see the tiny stud again, but three days later, the stud turned up in the belly of a fish that was caught by her fiancé. The fish was caught in the same area where the stud was lost. If you think of how many fish there are in the sea, what are the odds that the woman's fiancé would catch the fish that ate her nose stud? Believe it or not!
1/13/08
A) In Los Angeles, U.S. Federal Judge Florence Marie-Cooper has ruled against the United States Navy and their use of mid-frequency sonar within 12 miles of the coast of California. Scientists have longed claimed that the Navy's use of sonar hurt the whales and dolphins, affecting their ability to navigate and causing mass strandings. The Navy agreed that the sonar did cause temporary hearing loss for the animals. The judge said in her ruling she wanted to balance competing interests of "national security and fleet readiness" with "environmental protection." A US Navy spokesman said the navy is considering its options, adding that the judge's order did not strike "the right balance between national security and environmental concerns." The Navy argued that it must train sailors against a new generation of quiet submarines that can't be detected by traditional "passive" sonar, but are picked up by the midfrequency version.
B) The Coast Guard Captain of the port in Boston disagreed with a report released in Washington that stated the Coast Guard was ill prepared and under financed to protect LNG deliveries from a terrorist attack. The US Government Accountability Office, in a report just released, questioned the Coast Guard's readiness to protect the nation's ports against terrorism. However, the report never specifically mentioned Boston. A Coast Guard official said that his agency might be stretched thin, but not in Boston, where the Coast Guard and state police provided security for 22 billion gallons of petroleum and LNG delivered in 2007. The Distrigas LNG facility in Everett is the nation's only urban LNG terminal. A new offshore LNG terminal 13 miles from Gloucester is now ready to accept deliveries and a second offshore LNG terminal will be ready in 2009.
C) 495 cadets and 85 crew from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy boarded the school's training ship, the T.S. Enterprise, for the school's annual winter sea term voyage. This year, the ship is heading for the tropical waters of Panama. The crew will make a stop in Norfolk, Virginia to refuel before heading for the Panama Canal. Other ports of call include Costa Rica and Aruba. The ship departed yesterday and is expected to return in 6 weeks.
D) Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Office of Coastal Zone Management received a $1 million Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The grant will help the town of Plymouth repair degraded, aquatic habitats within that town's Eel River Headwaters conservation area and nearly 40 acres of adjacent wetlands damaged by agricultural operations.
E) Marshfield selectmen have authorized that town's harbormaster to set up a permit and fee system for anyone who wishes to place a dock, float, or mooring on the parts of the North and South Rivers that run through Marshfield. Until now, the town's harbormaster had no jurisdiction over the matter. In a published report in the Patriot Ledger, the harbormaster admitted that this was a revenue producing scheme for the town, and it also enabled him to identify any docks, floats, or moorings that break away and land in the marsh.
F) Dueling state and federal regulations, that each side says are designed to prevent oil spills from happening, are confusing tug boat operators escorting oil shipments through Buzzards Bay. At issue is whether double hulled oil barges passing through the bay must be escorted by tugboats and whether or not a state licensed harbor pilot or a federal licensed pilot can guide the tugboats. The state says tugs must escort single and double hull barges whereas the Coast Guard says tug escorts are not necessary for double hulled barges. The state wants harbor pilots with local knowledge whereas the Coast Guard says any federal licensed pilot is qualified. The court has until February 15 to decide which set of laws will apply. Meanwhile, Attorney General Coakley the state regulations will rule.
G) Buy a custom made boat and want your money back? That's what the Coast Guard is doing. The Coast Guard wants back the $96.1 million it paid two defense contractors to modify 8 110 foot long cutters. The demand for return of their money was made after a long-running dispute between the contractors and the Coast Guard. The project, code named Deepwater, started in 2002, when the Coast Guard ordered the cutters to be modified. However, after work was finished on two of the cutters, the Coast Guard found the hulls warped, the decks buckled, and the propeller shafts misaligned. The Coast Guard said the cutters were a total loss and had them decommissioned. The two contractors, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, are reviewing the Coast Guard's claims.
H) The largest crane in North America, known as Goliath at the Quincy Shipyard, is coming down. Automobile dealer Dan Quirk, owner of the crane and shipyard, said the crane will be taken down and shipped overseas to its new owner in Romania. The Romanian shipyard is owned by South Korea's Daewoo Corporation and they are the world's third largest shipbuilder. Hyundai in South Korea is the world's number one shipbuilder.
I) This past week, dense fog stopped all ships on the Houston Ship Channel for about 12 hours according to the Coast Guard's Houston Vessel Traffic Center. Twenty ships were waiting to enter the channel and about 15 ships were waiting to depart. The harbor pilots made the decision to stop guiding the vessels through the channel when visibility was reduced to unsafe levels. Houston is the busiest U.S. petrochemical port on the Gulf of Mexico.
J) And last on today's nautical news, Florida jellyfish, the size of cannonballs, are now very popular in China. For years. Florida fishermen avoided the jellyfish because they would fill their nets. Now, the jellies are a profitable commodity, processed into crispy protein wafers and eaten in China. The cannonballs grow to almost a foot in diameter. A day's work and about $70 in fuel brings in about $1,000 worth of jellyfish, but even the toughest of the fishermen don't like touching them. They are slimy, and even though they don't sting, their mucus-like covering will cause a burning sensation if it gets in your eyes. Asian nutrionists claim the jellyfish, after they are dried and the salt removed, are perfect with salads and cooked vegetables. A four-ounce serving contains only 30 calories, eight grams of protein, and 120 milligrams of sodium. Also, medical researchers think the jellyfish can help people with arthritis because of the collagen they contain. Would you please pass the jellyfish with a little Grey Poupon!
1/20/08
A) The Coast Guard issued an ice and high wind warning to all mariners off the coast of New England. A Coast Guard spokesman said commercial fishermen should especially be aware of ice on the decks and have an understanding of its effect on their vessel's stability. Additionally, the added weight from the ice makes the boat lower in the water and more susceptible to flooding from rough seas. The 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter Grand Isle and the 270-foot Coast Guard Cutter Campbell will be underway off the coast of New England during the cold spell, ready to respond at a moment's notice.
B) The Town of Hull is planning to build a mini wind farm in the ocean. The four new wind mills would each be 430 feet tall, almost twice the size of the windmill next to the high school. The four new ones would be built on Harding's Ledge, about 1.5 miles in front of Nantasket Beach. The proposed four wind turbines, combined with the two existing wind turbines in the town, is said to be capable of producing enough electricity to power the town. Environmental and engineering studies still have to be done before construction begins.
C) Seven months after the start of dredging the Green Harbor channel in Marshfield, the federal government approved the money to finish the job. Congress just approved $1.9 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the inner part of the harbor. Officials said the dredging will probably begin next November. The inner harbor was originally constructed in 1967 and 1968 and is in a federally managed area maintained by the Army Corps. The last time it was dredged was in 1983. Green Harbor is ranked eighth in the state for it commercial fishing effort.
D) A federal judge scolded the US government and ruled that the feds had no right to seize and auction a 22-foot sailboat that once belonged to a teenage John F. Kennedy. US District Judge William G. Young ordered the government to pay one of the boat's owners more than $125,000 to compensate him for seizing the boat named Flash II, a Star class sloop that the late president owned for six years. Kennedy sold it in 1942 before shipping out to the Pacific in World War II. The U.S. Attorney General said he would appeal, and ironically, the man who was awarded the $125,000 said he would appeal too. He felt the boat was worth ten times more than $100,000 it sold for at auction. He told the government to keep the $125,000 and give him back his boat.
E) And remember we reported a federal judge ordered the U.S. Navy to stop its use of sonar off the California coast. Well, this past week President Bush stepped in and had most of the judge's order against the Navy reversed! The President exempted the Navy from the judge's ruling even though scientists claim the Navy's sonar can damage marine mammals' brains and ears, resulting in the animals dying on a beach. Bush said the Navy's training exercises using sonar "are in the paramount interest of the United States and its national security." Attorneys for an environmentalist group said they would file papers with the court to challenge Bush's exemption.
F) In the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, the Sea Shepherd Society's anti-whaling boat has been interfering with the Japanese whaling boats. Two crew from the Sea Shepherd Society boat actually boarded one of the Japanese whale boats and allegedly threw acid on the whale boat's deck and dropped nets in the water to foul the ship's propellers. The two were ultimately captured by the Japanese and Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson claimed the two men were tied to the railing of the whaler and then later stripped and bound to the ship's radar mast. The Japanese denied such claims and said that the men were merely being detained in the ship's office. At last report, with the Sea Shepherd Society ship was right on the tail of the Japanese whale ship, the two were released and reunited with their shipmates.
G) For the first and last times, the three Cunard Queen ships - the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Elizabeth 2, and the new Queen Victoria - rendezvoused in the waters off lower Manhattan. The three ships lined up in front of the Statue of Liberty as fireworks lit the sky. Then they slowly moved across New York Harbor with the Queen Mary leading the other two. Thousands of New Yorkers lined the waterfront to watch. This was the first, last, and only time the three Queen ships will ever be together. The QE2 was sold and will be decommissioned in the fall. She will be converted into a floating five-star hotel and remain in the United Arab Emirates. The QE2 is the longest-serving vessel in the 168-year history of the Cunard line. Since its launching in 1967, it traveled more than 5 million nautical miles, including 25 trips around the world and more than 800 trans-Atlantic crossings carrying 2.5 million passengers.
H) Rhode Island boat builder Pearson Composites, LLC will pay $195,000 in penalties for violating the federal Clean Air Act at its facility in Warren, Rhode Island. The fiberglass boat manufacturer released hazardous air pollutants, primarily styrene and methyl methacrylate, which are known to cause respiratory and neurological problems in humans. Styrene is also a possible carcinogen. After EPA notified Pearson of the violations, the company corrected them.
I) And last on today's nautical news, the February edition of Field & Stream magazine named Nantucket as one of the top 10 fishing towns in the U.S. for recreational fishermen. Nantucket took the seventh place on the list. Editors cited striped bass, false albacore, and bluefish as reasons to fish in Nantucket. The only other salt water town higher on the list than Nantucket was in Florida.
1/27/08
A) Three fishermen drowned in New Bedford shortly after their boat docked at midnight. Witnesses said the four men went drinking at a local bar until it closed at 2AM. Upon returning to the boat at around 3 in the morning, two of the men fell into the water. The captain, seeing the two in trouble, dove into the water to save him. Unfortunately, all three drowned. The 4th fisherman called 911 for help. He was treated and released from St. Luke's Hospital for hypothermia and exposure. Divers from the Massachusetts State Police, New Bedford Police, and the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council participated in the search.
B) The Coast Guard completed its investigation into why the fishing vessel Lady of Grace sank in Nantucket Sound last year on January 26th taking with it all four fishermen on board. In a 46 page report, the Coast Guard concluded that the build up of ice on the Lady of Grace was the reason she rolled over and sank. Now the Coast Guard wants to change the regulations that govern ice and stability on fishing boats between 50 and 79 feet long. They want them to undergo stability tests. Currently only vessels 79 feet or longer face stability requirements. Fishermen said the change in regulations would impact a majority of the fishing boats and would be quite costly. Naval architects would have to be hired to determine a boat's stability, and whether or not modifications would have to be made.
C) Not every story has a bad ending. The Coast Guard saved a Massachusetts family from 40 degree water after their boat capsized near Fort Adams Park in Narragansett Bay, R.I. The three men, a father, a son, and a grandson, were duck hunting in a 14 foot outboard boat when wind driven waves swamped their boat. The three made a distress call to the Coast Guard using a hand-held VHF radio and they were rescued in less than 15 minutes by two boats from Coast Guard Station Castle Hill. When the Coast Guard boats arrived, the three in the water were using seat cushions and a bag of duck decoys to stay afloat. The three were treated at Newport Hospital for mild hypothermia and released.
D) The Cape Cod Stranding Network responded to the first mass stranding in 2008 last week. All seventeen Atlantic white-sided dolphins stranded on the beach in Wellfleet died. The attempt to help the dolphins was the first emergency response for the stranding network since the group merged with the Yarmouthport-based International Fund for Animal Welfare last year.
E) A 669 foot tanker collided with a barge that was dredging a channel in New York harbor. The Coast Guard had to close the waterway that provides access to some of the largest shipping terminals on the East Coast. No one was injured in the collision, but the barge started to sink. It took several hours of pumping before the vessel could be towed safely to dock. Damage to the tanker was yet to be determined, but fortunately there was no major oil spill. The tanker was delivering orange juice and not oil.
F) Concerns about the safety of eating sushi were raised this week after the New York Times found high levels of mercury in tuna in 20 Manhattan restaurants and stores. The Food and Drug Administration claims it doesn't have the money or staff to inspect for mercury in the fish. Instead, they focus on dangerous food bacteria. However, the government still recommends that Americans eat fish at least two to three times a week and claim fish is a good source of low-fat protein.
G) The 14 rowers were trained by former special forces troops and they rowed more than 100 miles a day, from the Canary Islands to Barbados across the Atlantic, but nothing could have prepared them for the onslaught of a school of flying fish they encountered just 65 miles from the finish line. Hundreds of fish leapt out of the sea and smacked the rowers in the face. Even so, the 14-man British and Irish team broke the 16 year old record for rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. They did it in 33 days, seven hours and 30 minutes - beating the previous record by two days. Remarkably, the men used the same boat that set that previous record in 1992. Coming in second place, not too far behind, was a brand new high-tech multi-hulled American boat being rowed by 4 New Yorkers. So in the end, the tried and tested design triumphed over the new multihull designed boat.
H) And last on today's nautical news, recently we all heard the news about how dangerous it is to give cold medicines to children. Doctors in Europe now claim the best remedy to treat a child's cold is a spray of salt water. Doctors believe the salt water nasal spray has a simple mechanical effect of clearing the mucus. They said the noses of children given the salt water spray were less stuffy and runny. The U.S. Food and Drug is investigating.
2/3/08
A) Last week's big ocean storm that dumped a foot or more of snow on Cape Cod, also dumped a 19th century schooner on Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. 50 feet of keel and oak ribs sat high and dry for the first time since the unidentified schooner sank who knows when. More than 3,500 ships wrecked off Cape Cod between 1850 and 1980, but most of them occurred during the late 1800s before the Cape Cod Canal was finished. Historian Bill Quinn, who has written numerous books on Cape Cod maritime history and Cape Cod shipwrecks, believes it could be the remains of the Logan, a 19th-century schooner refitted as a coal barge. Seashore National Park Rangers are warning visitors that they can look and touch the remains of the shipwreck, but they better not take any of it.
B) Also, last week's storm knocked a cottage in Chatham off its foundation and the heavy surf carried it about a mile away until it landed on the mud flats. The well built cottage held together, but the harbormaster said the house is sitting far enough out in the water that recovering it intact is almost impossible. A barge and a crane would be needed making it financially prohibitive, he said. Plus, by the time all the necessary permits were obtained the house would probably be destroyed. Fortunately for the home owners, they claim they have flood insurance.
C) The local skyline on the South Shore will be changing again. A few weeks ago, we told you the owner of the Quincy Shipyard announced that the North America's biggest crane, nicknamed Goliath, was sold and is coming down. This week Aquarion Water Company said they are taking down the landmark water tower on Strawberry Hill in Hull. Officials from Aquarion Water Company said the tower was too costly to maintain, and that new water pipes would be installed at the far ends of the town to supply their customers.
D) This past Tuesday, The Abandoned Vessel Bill passed the Massachusetts House and Senate and now sits on Governor Patrick's desk awaiting his signature to become law. Once signed, marinas and boatyards will be able to auction or dispose of an abandoned vessel without having to go to court, but still following legal channels involving the state police and the state's marine title division. If the Governor does not sign the bill on or before February 7th, the bill dies.
E) It took almost a year to the day for the Coast Guard to release its report as to why the fishing vessel Lady Luck sank off the coast of Maine. Although the boat was found lying on the bottom at a depth of 530 feet, the two fishermen on board, both of Massachusetts, were lost at sea. After viewing video tape of the boat resting on the bottom, the Coast Guard determined that the fishing boat was not hit by a larger ship, but the exact cause as to why the 52 foot fishing boat sank so rapidly is undetermined. One of the fishermen's fathers, who is a Coast Guard veteran, said that he would continue his investigating into the cause of the sinking.
F) This past week, three more Atlantic white-sided dolphins stranded on a Wellfleet Beach. One was found dead and the other two were euthanized by personnel from the Cape Cod Stranding Network. The dolphins' remains were taken to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for further study. Two weeks ago, seventeen dolphins stranded and died on Wellfleet beaches.
G) Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen will announce his plans to reorganize and modernize the Coast Guard on February 8th. Advance notice of his speech indicates that Admiral Allen will cover topics ranging from the Coast Guard's increasing involvement in port security and commercial shipping to increased activity in the Arctic associated with climate change.
H) Although the 2007 hurricane season concluded only two months ago, the hurricane forecasting team at Colorado State University is already predicting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season for 2008. Dr. William Gray's team is predicting 13 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three intense hurricanes (category 3, 4, or 5) for the Atlantic coast. That prediction compares with an average of 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes, and 2.3 intense hurricanes for the period of 1950 - 2000. The researchers, marking their 25th year of forecasting, believe that the Atlantic basin is in an active cycle that will continue for at least another decade.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a study was done at the University of British Columbia in Canada about ships flying flags of convenience. A ship is said to be flying a flag of convenience if it is registered in a foreign country other than where its owners or crew might reside. Ship owners do this to avoid taxes and to pay lower wages, and passengers on cruise ships should know that the laws on a foreign flagged ship can be quite different than the laws of the country where they live. Abuse of obtaining foreign flags is so bad, that Mongolia, the world's largest landlocked country, provides flags for hundreds of ships at sea. Liberia has the most foreign flagged ships and their flag looks very similar to the United States flag with red and white stripes and a blue field and a star.
2/10/08
A) The Coast Guard's top leader visited Boston this past week to speak to local Coast Guard members and college students. Admiral Thad Allen's first stopped at the Boston Coast Guard base where he spoke about organizational changes and development plans that he has in mind for the Coast Guard. He then took a short ride to Cambridge to speak with students and faculty at both Harvard University and M.I.T. and then answered questions about leadership in government.
B) The commanding officer of the Willow, a Newport, Rhode Island based Coast Guard cutter, was relieved of his duties after allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. The Cutter Willow is part of Sector Southeastern New England, which includes Coast Guard stations on the Cape and Islands. That case remains under investigation.
C) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the "abandoned vessel legislation." The new law makes it easier for Massachusetts boat storage yards to seize, auction, or otherwise dispose of boats left behind by deadbeat boat owners. The new law requires a 90 day notice to the public and to the owners of the abandoned boats before change in ownership of the boat can occur.
D) This was a record year for right whale sightings in Cape Cod Bay. More right whales were sighted and counted this year than in any previous year that the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies have been keeping records. Amazingly, the number of sightings this year was nearly twice the annual average! In addition, 34 of these right whales had never before been seen by the survey people.
E) Two new studies published in the journal "Science" claim that clearing large tracts of land to grow crops to make ethanol increases global warming. Both studies warn that stripping native ecosystems into cornfields increases more emissions of carbon dioxide, negating the environmental benefits of using ethanol.
F) A high speed boat chase in Miami had all the makings of a "Miami Vice" script, but this was the real deal. A 26-foot powerboat named "Pursuit" lived up to its name when Miami police on a routine marine patrol tried to stop the boat. Instead of stopping, the boat rammed the police boat and then sped away. Gunshots were fired by the police, but didn't hit the intended target. However, the chase ended abruptly soon thereafter when the fleeing boat crashed into a dock and its occupants ran ashore. Police went aboard the boat and found a half a ton of marijuana worth an estimated $800,000. A 27-year-old Bahamian was later arrested that night after he was spotted trying to walk out of the gated community where police spent hours searching. Police said the suspect matched the description of one of the men seen fleeing the boat. The second person was still being sought.
G) This just in. President Bush has put in for keeping and maintaining an enhanced LORAN C system in his fiscal year 2009 Budget. The President said the existing LORAN C system will be improved and used as a back up to the GPS navigation system. The Coast Guard will continue to maintain the LORAN C system on a reimbursable basis in 2009.
H) The Coast Guard continued to search for a cruise ship crew member who was believed to have fallen overboard about 45 miles north of Nassau, Bahamas. Fellow crew members on the Carnival Glory notified the Coast Guard after reviewing security tapes and determining the man was missing. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard said when someone is lost at sea a model is done taking into consideration weather conditions, the person's physical condition, the water temperature, and whether or not the person was wearing a life-jacket. Those factors determine how long the search would last.
I) Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego believe that the wind and climate are responsible for the fluctuations in the fish population. They reason that the wind causes upwelling, bringing nutrient-rich waters to the surface, causing some species to flourish while at the same time hurting the ocean's bottom feeders. The scientists said their findings explain the booms and busts of fish population cycles around the world and furthers the idea that fluctuations can be explained by natural phenomena rather than by fishing effort. The new study could lead the way for fishery regulators to predict fish populations based on climate change and wind factors.
J) And last on today's nautical news, starting with number 10, here is the 2007 Boat/U.S. list of top ten most popular boat names:
#10) Seas the Day - Seas is spelled S-E-A-S
# 9) The Dog House
# 8) Wanderlust
# 7) Second Chance
# 6) Knot on Call - Knot is spelled K-N-O-T
# 5) Aquaholic
# 4) Amazing Grace
# 3) Second Wind
# 2) Liberty
# 1) Black Pearl - The name of a fast, fictional ship
from the Disney movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
2/17/08
A) A fully loaded Liquefied Natural Gas tanker with 29 crew aboard on its way to Boston, lost its propulsion approximately 35 miles east of Chatham, Cape Cod. A computer that controls the ship's power plant caused the problem. The vessel was never in any immediate danger and was drifting out to sea away from land. Coast Guard and tug boats were on scene to assist. The tanker did not suffer any structural damage nor was any gas released. However, the National Strike Team was alerted in case any threat presented itself. The LNG tanker was towed to the new offshore LNG terminal about seven miles off the coast of Gloucester where technicians repaired or replaced the computer that caused the problem.
B) Fishermen are leaving Maine and joining the dwindling fishing fleet in Gloucester. The Portland, Maine fish auction is now open only two days a week instead of five. The Maine fishermen are moving to Massachusetts because it is legal for them to sell lobsters that they catch in their nets, a practice that is outlawed in Maine. Gloucester businesses said the Maine fishermen are keeping that city's economy alive, especially after so many of its local fishermen have gone out of business. Gloucester benefits from the fish landings as well from what is spent in town by the fishermen on food and supplies.
C) Dr. James W. Balsiger has been appointed as the new Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service. He replaces Dr. William Hogarth who recently retired from that position. Dr. Balsiger has served as the Regional Administrator for the Fisheries Service in Juneau, Alaska since 2000. His new duties include overseeing the federal scientists and regulators who manage commercial and recreational ocean fishing, as well as to protect marine mammals, sea turtles, and their habitat.
D) The family of Sean Cone, one of the fishermen aboard the Newburyport fishing boat Lady Luck that sank last year, is disputing the Coast Guard's accident report on how and why the boat sank. The family disputed at least 6 material facts in the Coast Guard's report and raised several questions. As a result of their questions and disputes, the Coast Guard agreed to amend its 23-page report. A Coast Guard official said he was thankful that the family presented their facts because the Coast Guard wants the report to be as thorough and accurate as possible. However, the official added that since there were no survivors and no witnesses, it will be impossible to know for sure what exactly happened. The sinking occurred in the early morning hours of February 1, 2007 about three and a half hours after the boat had left Portland, Maine for Newburyport. It was found about 30 miles southeast of Portland, Maine, in water more than 500 feet deep. Coast Guard investigators used a remote-controlled video camera to photograph the wreck.
E) A Florida boater in his late 60s fell from his boat just off of Sanibel Island and drowned. The Coast Guard reported that two men were on the boat when the boat owner fell overboard and was pulled away by strong currents. The other man had no boating experience, and could not get the boat started to rescue the man in the water who was holding on to a buoy. The man in the water shouted instructions to his friend on the boat on how to start it, but after a few failed attempts, the man on the boat used his cell phone to call 911. By the time authorities arrived on scene, the man lost consciousness and was found face down in the water.
F) The federal budget for 2009 released by President Bush included $2.2 million to dredge the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Virginia to Florida. Mariners who use the waterway say that amount is not nearly enough given that the Army Corps needs approximately $30 million to properly maintain the waterway. Critics further added that President is putting commercial and recreational boaters at risk and threatens the future of the waterway. Economists said that the ICW brings in over $18 billion annually to the state of Florida alone. Studies have shown that the four other states, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia also gain tremendous economic benefit from the waterway.
G) Climate changes along with the melting of ice have caused a new shipping lane to open in the Arctic. Shipping through ice-free waters north of Russia could cut the distance between East Asia and Northern Europe by one-third and give a huge savings to the new giant container ships that are too big to fit through the Suez Canal. The ice free waterways has also brought cruise ships and commercial fishermen, and has created an additional burden for the Coast Guard. The U.S. and Russian fishermen normally fish 15 miles apart, but now are suddenly within a half-mile of each other along a contested international border. The Coast Guard is working the area to make sure no problems develop.
H) Twenty-five years ago, 31 merchant marines died when the ship they were on, the S.S. Marine Electric, capsized in a storm off Virginia. The Coast Guard was unable to reach any of the floundering crew members because, at that time, helicopter rescue crews were not trained or equipped to send rescue swimmers into the water. Instead, the helicopter pilots were trained to lower a basket to the water in the hopes that the struggling victim had the strength and ability to pull himself or herself out of the water. That tragedy prompted the Coast Guard to train rescue swimmers and develop techniques that have saved many lives ever since.
I) Two of the world's richest men are in a bitter battle over what is written in a 120 year old, two page document called the Deed of Gift, which governs the America's Cup races. Ernesto Bertarelli, whose father built the Swiss-based Serono biotech company, and Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle Systems are the combatants. They are arguing over what constitutes a "keel yacht" and the definition of simple words, like "weekday." Now a judge will decide if a catamaran style yacht fits the description of e keeled yacht and whether Saturday can be considered a week day. Many believe the judge will force the two billionaires to settle their differences on the water this autumn.
J) And last on today's nautical news, a palatial yacht with swimming pools, opulent salons, and even a minisubmarine is for sale after just being seized by the French government. The 269-foot yacht named Ocean Breeze was built in 1981. It has been docked on the French Riviera, and believe it or not, never been used by its owner. The asking price is $35 million, and who gets the money is a matter of controversy. You see, the yacht's former owner was Saddam Hussein.
2/24/08
A) Year after year another record was broken for the number of lobsters caught in Maine, but no record was set in 2007. The Department of Marine Resources reported Maine's lobster catch in 2007 fell by 23 percent compared to the previous year. Maine lobstermen said they were not surprised. Reporting by Maine lobster dealers didn't become mandatory until 2004, but based on surveys with the dealers and lobstermen, the 2007 harvest was likely the lowest since 1997. But scientists say there could be more good years ahead. Scientific surveys showed that there are now high numbers of juvenile lobsters on the ocean bottom off the coast.
B) A report by a woman walking along the shore claiming she saw a windsurfer in apparent trouble sent Coast Guard boats and aircraft scrambling. According to Gloucester police, the woman told a detail officer that she saw a windsurfer that looked like he was "in distress." After two hours past, and hearing no further reports of anyone in trouble, the Coast Guard suspended their search. Besides, there was little chance of anyone surviving longer than that in 36 degree water.
C) The Coast Guard is on alert patrolling the Florida Straits, but US authorities are not expecting a massive Cuban migration problem from Cuba as Fidel Castro steps down. Cuban-Americans who live in Florida have speculated that Cubans would flee in large numbers for the United States when Castro died or stepped down as US policy grants any Cuban who reaches US land automatic residence with the right to work. In 2006, 3,076 Cubans made it to the United States. 2,800 made it the previous year.
D) The Miami International Boat Show is over and the numbers are in. Attendance slipped seven percent from last year. This was the third consecutive year in which attendance was down. However, organizers of the show blamed a two day rain storm and not the economy as the reason this year's attendance was off, but those dealers who did well said the sales were to people who lived outside of the United States.
E) American fishermen hear about boats getting run over by large ships and wonder how it happens with all the electronics and computers on board. This time it happened off the coast of Japan. One of the Japanese's most advanced Naval destroyers rammed and sunk a fishing boat. Both fishermen on board, a father and his son, were killed. Officials said even a high-tech vessel cannot prevent an accident unless its crew members operate the ship properly and pay full attention. The captain of the naval ship was immediately relieved of his duties.
F) The Coast Guard is seeking to relax the rules concerning who can operate a tugboat. The agency is considering cutting from 30 months to 30 days the experience needed to qualify for a barge towing endorsement on a master's license. Coast guard officials said the move would increase the ranks of aging tugboat captains. However, long time mariners say the change could lead to more accidents.
G) Atlantic Striped Bass were seized from a charter boat fishing illegally off the coast of Virginia. The Coast Guard said the charterboat was fishing in the exclusive economic zone, the EEZ, an area that separates federal and state waters. In Virginia, it is legal to fish for Atlantic Striped bass, but once a vessel crosses over the EEZ, it is prohibited. The fish were donated to a local food pantry.
H) And last on today's nautical news, a cruise ship on its way to Puerto Rico rescued three men from their 39 foot sailboat after they were caught in a storm off of Cape Hatteras. The three were sailing to Key West, Florida from Baltimore. Strong winds destroyed the sails and damaged the mast and radio antenna. The three remained on the boat for 11 more days before their distress call was heard. By then, they had been without food or water for three days. The captain of the cruise ship heard the mayday call and headed toward the sailboat. The captain of the cruise ship said the men were hungry, very thirsty, and very happy to be alive. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines gave the men new clothes, a stateroom, and even airline tickets to Key West, but that's a heck of a way to go on a cruise ship!
3/2/08
A) Gorton's Inc. of Gloucester recalled about 1,000 cases of frozen fish being sold in 10 states after confirming consumers reported finding pills in the food. Gorton's said it ordered the recall as a precaution and will determine the nature of the pills. Those tests should be completed early next week. Concerned consumers can call Gorton's at 800-896-9479.
B) Fish fraud is on the increase in the United States. The substitution of one type of fish for another, the mislabeling of a fish calling it wild when it's farm raised, and falsifying the weight of the fish are all examples of fish fraud. The crime is so rampant that there are now companies that specialize in DNA testing of the fish. At the Boston International Seafood Show, Andy Cohen, a special agent-in-charge for the NOAA Fisheries law enforcement agreed that fish fraud was widespread, but in New England, it either happened infrequently or simply was not reported. Fish fraud came to the forefront three years ago when a group of Florida state fisheries officials at a convention in Key West were served fish that was not the grouper as advertised. The same thing happened to the officials at three different restaurants that same weekend.
C) Three lobstermen on a boat out of Portland, Maine were ordered back to port because their boat had no life raft or fire extinguishers on board. The Woods Hole Coast Guard Cutter Hammerhead on routine patrol stopped the 38-foot lobster boat Ninatoria II for a safety check and found the violations. The lobster boat's voyage was terminated and a 47-foot Coast Guard boat escorted it and its crew back to the dock. The boat must stay at the dock until violations are corrected and inspected by the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard officer at the command center in Boston said, "Working at sea is dangerous in any instance, but to be out there without safety gear could be deadly."
D) Crew aboard the Norwegian Jade cruise ship rescued a sailor in distress whom they came across on their voyage. Dennis Reddy, a Duxbury resident and a Mass Maritime Academy graduate was part of the crew that saved the sailor. In just a little while, we will hear Dennis Reddy tell the story.
E) An Austrian tourist died from a shark attack in the Bahamas. Doctors at a Miami hospital were unable to save him after he was brought there by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. The victim was part of a diving group on a Florida charter boat that advertises shark-diving excursions without cages. Crew aboard the charter boat attract the sharks by throwing pieces of bloody fish into the water. The charter boat's web site warns divers about the dangers of their dive, but anyone who is scuba certified can go. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission banned shark-feeding dives in 2001 -- one reason charter boat skippers go to the Bahamas for their dives. The attack marks the first shark-bite death this year in Florida.
F) The Hull Lifesaving Museum hosted its signature-rowing race, the 27th Annual Hull Snow Row. The Snow Row covers a 3 3/4 mile triangular course starting off the beach at Windmill Point, across from Hull High School. This year, 57 boats registered for the event with rowers coming as far away as Cornwall, England. Other teams included rowers from all over New England and New York.
G) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the start up of new web site for fish consumers. The site, fishwatch.noaa.gov, includes information to help consumers choose between different types of seafood. NOAA brought in representatives from the public health sector and the seafood industry to educate the public about farm raised fish and to dispel some of the misinformation about mercury in fish.
H) An Atlanta, Georgia man wanted for murder tried to escape on a cruise ship, but U.S. Marshals on a 47-foot Coast Guard cutter stopped the Carnival Celebration cruise ship just before the ship entered international waters. The cruise ship crew helped the marshals quickly locate the alleged murderer and his girlfriend in their cabin, where he was arrested without incident. Officials said that it is a lot easier to leave the country by cruise ship than by airplane.
I) The fossil of a 50 ft. long "sea monster" was found in Arctic Norway, 800 miles from the North Pole. Scientists said the creature was a pliosaur, and that it was the biggest of its kind known to science. Its mouth contained dagger-like teeth the size of cucumbers and was large enough that a small car could fit in it. The fossil of this reptile lived in the deep during the Jurassic era. It was estimated to be 150 million years old.
J) And last on today's nautical news, leave it to Cuban ingenuity! 24 Cuban migrants landed in Key West in a boat made from a Mercedes Benz automobile. The two dozen Cubans arrived after Fidel Castro announced that he was stepping down. Previously, we heard of Cubans converting an old Buick and a Chevy pick-up truck into boats, attaching a propeller to the car's driveshaft. The U.S. has a "wet foot/dry foot" policy regarding Cuban exiles. If the Cuban migrants make it to shore, they are allowed to stay in the U.S. If they are discovered en route on the water, the Coast Guard returns them to Cuba.
3/7/08
A) The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries voted for tougher regulations for fluke, black sea bass, scup, and monkfish even though fishermen say these fish stocks have been sufficiently replenished. For example, the region's fluke population, estimated at about 93 million pounds, is the highest it has been in more than 10 years. Fishermen further complained that the number of fish the feds want to see in the water is unrealistic and impossible to attain. State officials admitted that the fishermen might be right, but said they had no choice but to comply with the federal laws which drastically reduced the quotas for these fish.
B) The Cape Cod National Seashore has decided that it would be too expensive to save the 19th-century coastal schooner shipwreck that was found on Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. National Park Rangers said they will let nature take its course. The wreck is already being buried by sand, but some think it will be washed back out to sea the next big storm. While officials will let nature take its course, it is still illegal for anyone to destroy or remove any part of the wreck.
C) Although hearings our scheduled this week for the Cape Wind Farm in Nantucket Sound, "Nautical Talk Radio" has learned that another developer will unveil plans tomorrow afternoon for a deep-water wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts. The new plans call for a floating deep-water wind energy project 23 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and 45 miles off New Bedford. Details about this project will be made available 2:30PM tomorrow, March 10, 2008 at a press conference at the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum. The parent company of this latest proposal has already built a floating wind turbine farm off the coast of Italy.
D) Two new seats were added to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary's Advisory Council. The two new members will represent diving and maritime heritage interests. Sanctuary superintendent Craig MacDonald said that with the help of the new members, the sanctuary will have the opportunity to become a world class diving destination.
E) A Boston based fishing crew aboard the "Miss Lindsey II" had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The boat became disabled off the coast of Chatham with a five-person crew on board. At 3:15 in the morning, the fishermen reported they were adrift with a major engine problem. The fishing boat wasn't in any immediate danger, but without an engine, in strong winds and heavy seas, the Coast Guard decided not to take any chances and towed the boat back to port.
F) The Weymouth Herring Run Committee will be holding its annual clean up day on Saturday April 5th this year. Volunteers should meet at Herring Run Park, Jackson Square, Weymouth at 8 AM rain, shine or snow. Expect to pick up trash, debris, and cut some brush. Dunkin Donuts will provide refreshments. Unfortunately due to the small numbers of returning Herring the last few years, there can be no taking of any fish.
G) Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Thad Allen, is asking Congress for a 7% raise in the Coast Guard's budget. In 2007, the Coast Guard saved more than 5,000 lives, seized $4.7 billion worth of cocaine, and prevented 6,000 illegal immigrants from entering the country. 2007 also marked the one-millionth life the branch saved since its inception in 1790. In his plea for more money, Admiral Allen said the Coast Guard's priorities and focus shifted suddenly and dramatically toward protecting the nation's waterways. Homeland security became its number one mission.
H) New-boat sales declined again in January, with the important 14- to 30-foot fiberglass segment down 16.5 percent from January of 2007. Florida led the decline with a 29.3 percent drop in sales. Personal watercraft sales also were down 14 percent for January. With low interest rates and large dealer inventories, experts say this is a great time to buy.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a scrawny, black and white female kitten survived a trip across the Pacific Ocean and then a trip across the United States. Records showed that the container was sealed in Singapore and loaded on to a ship the first week of February. When the container finally made it to its destination in Cleveland and was opened, the poor little kitten was found. The kitten was brought to a veterinarian and has responded well to being fed. It will be kept in quarantine for about three weeks to make sure it doesn't have any infectious disease and then, if everything is OK, offered for adoption.
3/16/08
A) Officials at Raytheon's headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts announced this week it put together a team to compete for a new U.S. Coast Guard cutter contract. Raytheon, along with VT Halter Marine Inc. and EG&G Technical Services, have put their resources together in a bid to offer the Coast Guard a proven, reliable and cost-effective vessel that meets the requirements of the Fast Response Cutter-B program. Officials said Raytheon has extensive experience and proven performance in marine electronics systems and VT Halter Marine is a leader in the design and construction of medium sized ships.
B) Last week, Gorton's seafood company in Gloucester announced a recall of its frozen fish fillets after pills were found in one of their packages. This week Gorton's officials announced that the pills were harmless, "over the counter," herbal supplements, but they were still investigating how the pills got inside the package. In an unrelated case, another Boston seafood company issued a voluntary recall of its cooked langostinos this week because of possible listeria contamination. 450 1 pound packages of "Icybay Cooked Langostinos" distributed in Massachusetts and Maryland had to be recalled.
C) The Coast Guard warned all mariners, especially the ferry boat captains, to be on the lookout for sandbags up to 12 feet in length floating around the island of Nantucket. The exact number of sandbags that washed off of the island is unknown, but the most recent n'oreaster caused extensive erosion. The Coast Guard said the floating sandbags have the potential to inflict serious damage on any vessel that hits one.
D) Scientists have long considered tsunamis a threat to the west coast of the United States, but now a recent study claims the east coast is just as vulnerable, especially Montauk and the Hamptons in New York and Mystic and Old Saybrook in Connecticut. Those areas could get hit by a tsunami caused by a seaquake off Puerto Rico. Tsunami studies are now in the works for southern Florida and Massachusetts as well.
E) For the second week in a row, the Coast Guard had to tow a fishing boat back to shore. This time it was a 73 foot scallop boat that had trouble about 70 miles east of Chatham. The fishermen reported their fishing net got wrapped around their boat's propellers. Last week, a different fishing boat had to be towed back 30 miles off of Chatham because of a blown head gasket.
F) A state bomb squad was called to dispose of three military grade cans of white phosphorus that washed ashore on a Cape Cod beach. Falmouth fire officials said the Coast Guard lost four phosphorus canisters while conducting flare training exercises offshore. A Coast Guard spokeswoman confirmed the training exercises, but denied the Coast Guard lost any canisters at sea. White phosphorus is a volatile chemical that can ignite if a person or animal touches it, causing serious burns.
G) Times are tough for the boating industry as gas and diesel fuel prices skyrocket and consumer confidence drops along with the value of the dollar. However, those who make their living selling boats in states along the Canadian border said demand is high from Canadians buying new and used boats. Apparently, everything in the United States is a bargain to foreigners. Even the Canadian dollars is worth more than the American dollar.
H) A Florida casino boat got caught in heavy weather and its crew had to call the Coast Guard for help. At the time, there were no passengers on board, only the 5 man crew, as the boat was being towed from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville for repairs. Big waves broke the tow line and left the gambling boat adrift. A Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Savannah was sent to rescue the five crewmen, but left the gambling boat behind. Owners of the casino boat said they would hire a salvage company to retrieve their boat.
I) And last on today's nautical news, spring must be around the corner as the Mayflower II has returned to its pier near Plymouth Rock after spending the winter in drydock. The wood hull ship underwent seasonal maintenance at Kelley's Shipyard in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. This past week, the Mayflower II was towed back to Plymouth through the Cape Cod Canal where hundreds of spectators lined the banks to watch her passage. A crew of 12 employees and volunteers rode aboard the ship. The Coast Guard will now inspect the ship prior to the March 22 seasonal opening of Plimoth Plantation.
3/23/08
A) Unless Congress acts soon, every recreational boater in the country will have to obtain a federal or state permit as early as this summer in order to use their boat. These permits would apply to deck run-off, bilge water, engine cooling water and any other water discharge from a recreational boat. The permits mean fees, bureaucratic red tape, confusing and potentially different state-by-state regulations, and $32,000 per day penalties for non-compliance. However, "The Clean Boating Act of 2008" which was just filed this past week, exempts recreational boats, fishermen, and charter boats from applying for a permit. Every boater is urged to contact their congressmen to ask for their support of S.2766. This important bill preserves recreational boating and the boating industry, and recognizes that pleasure boat discharges are completely different from land-based industrial facilities and commercial ships.
B) Gorton's Inc., of Gloucester, recalled about 1,000 cases of its 6 Crispy Battered Fish Fillets after reports of pills were found in a Pennsylvania family's fish dinner, but U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators determined the pills were put there after the food was purchased. Apparently a child put the harmless herbal supplement pills on the fish, so no criminal charges will be sought. Again, investigators determined neither Gorton's or the grocery store where the food was purchased were at fault, but the incident still left a sour taste with both company's officials.
C) A city in New England will finally receive the designation of a "Coast Guard City." Rockland, Maine has received congressional approval to be officially designated a "Coast Guard City." Senator Olympia Snowe said Rockland, Maine and its residents have had a longstanding and special relationship with the Coast Guard. The "Coast Guard City" designation is aimed at recognizing cities that have regularly reached out to Coast Guard members assigned to their area and made them feel at home. So far, there are only seven "Coast Guard Cities" in the nation. They are: Eureka, Calif.; Mobile, Ala.; Morgan City, La.; Wilmington, N.C.; Newport, Ore.; Alameda, Calif., and Kodiak, Alaska. Now, Rockland, Maine will be number eight.
D) Coast Guard Station Brant Point is still warning mariners approaching Nantucket of floating sandbags up to 12 feet in length. The bags belonged to island homeowners who used the sand bags to stave off erosion and flooding. According to the Nantucket Conservation Commission, the geotextile fabric covers the sand is wrapped in, have been outlawed the last three years since it does not break down quickly in the water and acts more like a durable plastic. The Conservation Commission now permits sandbags made from jute or hemp. The Coast Guard is now on patrol pulling sand bag covers out of the water walking along the beaches to pick up the covers.
E) A 57-year-old woman, riding in the front seat of a 25 foot bow rider powerboat in Florida, was struck in the face by a giant leaping stingray fish. The impact of the fish knocked the woman backward onto the floor of the boat. Doctors said they couldn't find any puncture wounds from the stingray's barb, so released a statement claiming the impact of the fish hitting her in the head was the cause of death. Spotted eagle rays can weigh up to 500 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 10 feet. They are known to occasionally jump out of the water and use the venomous barb at the end of their tail for defense.
F) The Coast Guard said higher fuel prices have already brought an increase in the number of boats illegally carrying passengers for hire on charter fishing trips down south. The Coast Guard urges consumers to avoid boats that do not have licensed captains or have not been inspected by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard advises passengers to ask boat captains to show their original Coast Guard issued license. If the boat is carrying more than six passengers, it is required to be inspected by the Coast Guard and the Certificate of Inspection should be displayed in an area visible to passengers. Charter boats that operate illegally typically do not have formal training for the captain and crew, do not conduct safety drills and exercises or passenger safety, may not carry proper lifesaving and fire-fighting equipment, nor meet the minimum required standards for machinery, hull construction, stability, and safety.
G) Sophisticated submarines are being used more and more by drug smugglers to bring cocaine north from Colombia to the United States. The submarines are becoming faster, more seaworthy, and able to carry bigger loads of drugs. The subs are unmanned and being towed behind another boat. In other cases, they are unmanned and being operated by remote control. Some are made of steel and are bullet proof. In the past three months, the Coast Guard has caught more submarines smuggling drugs than it did in the previous six years, when they were first spotted. Coast Guard intelligence officers predicted 85 cases this year and 120 next year.
H) Scientists surveying New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size and number of new species they found. Jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles, large sea spiders, giant sea snails, and 2- foot-wide starfish never seen before were captured. The survey was part of the International Polar Year program involving 23 countries. Scientists said high levels of oxygen in the sea water, and lack of fishing effort might be the reason some of the specimens were able to grow so large.
I) And last on today's nautical news, in an effort to conserve oil, on Saturday, March 29th, from 8 to 9 in the evening local time, hundreds of thousands of lights around the world will go dark for Earth Hour. The one hour event is intended to send a powerful message around the world about how important it is to save energy. Sydney, Australia was the birthplace of Earth Hour in 2007 when its skyline purposefully went dark. A year later, more than 24 cities around the world joined the campaign and followed Sydney's lead. This year, more than 30 million people are expected to take part. The following cities will turn off their lights on March 30th between 8 and 9PM: Atlanta, San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago, Bangkok, Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal, Dublin, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense, Manila, Suva, Tel Aviv, Toronto, and Christchurch.
3/30/08
A) The Coast Guard picked two fishermen out of the water moments after their 42-foot fishing boat, Miss Sonya, rolled over three miles off of Gloucester. Fortunately, the fishermen were able to make a mayday call and tell the Coast Guard their location and that their boat was sinking. The Coast Guard said the radio call was critical to the success of this rescue case. Because the boat remained afloat upside down, Coast Guard Sector Boston has issued a hazard to navigation warning to all mariners off the coast of Gloucester.
B) In Alaska, five fishermen were not as lucky. The Alaska Ranger, a Seattle based factory ship working in Alaska, was in serious trouble. She was taking on water faster than the pumps could handle. With a crew of 46, and a federal fishery observer who was the only woman aboard, the captain gave the order: "Abandon ship!" A life raft big enough for 20 people in survival suits was quickly launched, but the painter line snapped and the life raft quickly blew away in the darkness of the night. There were two other life rafts aboard, but their location on the leaning side of the ship made them very difficult to launch. Survivors said the ship went down very fast. Five men including the captain, a former Weymouth, Massachusetts resident, were killed. The captain was said to be the bravest of them all, helping everybody else off the ship, while constantly using the marine radio on the ship, calling for help.
C) A late-night crossing for the captain of the Chappaquiddick ferry on Martha's Vineyard turned into a harrowing experience for himself and his three passengers on board. The passengers were riding the ferry across Edgartown Harbor while sitting in their 2006 Mercedes SUV. The person sitting in the driver's seat of the car made believe she was steering the ferry by turning the car's steering wheel back and forth. She also admitted that she never shut off the car's engine nor put it in park. Apparently the turning of the car's steering wheel dislodged the wooden blocks the captain had placed in front of the car's wheels and the car rolled off the Chappaquiddick ferry, sinking like a stone into Edgartown Harbor. When rescuers arrived, the three occupants of the Mercedes had already escaped and were out of the water. Two of them had no injuries, but one of them was transported to the hospital, treated and released. Police said they expect to file charges against the driver of the car. Chappaquiddick became famous around the world after Senator Kennedy drove a car off the Chappaquiddick bridge, killing Mary Jo Kopechne.
D) Scientists on Cape Cod will soon train fish to catch themselves by swimming into a net when they hear a sound that signals feeding time. If the training works, the fish would then be released into the open ocean, to grow to market size, then swim into a net to be caught when they hear the feeding signal. The Marine Biological Laboratory at Wood's Hole received a $270,000 grant for this project from NOAA. A big plus for fish farmers is they could save the expense of feeding the fish because the fish would eat for free in the wild, and then be called back to the farm. Another plus is that the amount of fish excrement released would be dispersed in the ocean instead of in a confined area. The key questions are how many fish would actually return, and how many would be eaten by other fish. The project starts this spring when 5,000 black sea bass will be put into an "AquaDome," a structure about 33 feet across and 16 feet high, anchored underwater in Buzzards Bay.
E) Two America's Cup sailors from the champion Swiss Team Alinghi were airlifted to a hospital after their boat capsized during a training session. The other sailors on board hung on to the overturned boat waiting to be rescued. America's Cup winning skipper Ed Baird was at the helm at the time of the accident. The team was training for a practice race against America's Team Oracle. Latest reports said the two sailors were treated for minor injuries and released.
F) The last World War II warship still in government service, the Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet, will soon be decommissioned. She started out as a Navy rescue and salvage vessel and won three battle stars. She was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and assisted the torpedoed battleship Pennsylvania. Then she was converted into a Coast Guard cutter and that is how she served most of her career. As a Coast Guard Cutter, the Acushnet rescued seaman from the doomed tankers Fort Mercer and Pendleton off Cape Cod. Folks are hoping the Acushnet will find a new home, either moored near Old Ironsides and the USS Cassin Young at the Charlestown Navy Yard or in Fall River's Battleship Cove.
G) Canada's annual seal hunt started this weekend, but tragedy soon struck one of the boats. The accident happened after the seal hunters in a 40 foot boat lost their rudder and called the Canadian Coast Guard for help. A Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker arrived on scene to tow the seal hunting boat back to port. While underway in a side tow, the boat in tow struck an iceberg and quickly rolled over. Of the six hunters aboard the boat, three were killed and one is still missing. The two others were quickly rescued by a following fishing boat. Because of the accident, many of the seal hunting boats decided to return to port. Weather conditions have been extremely cold with several of the boats becoming stuck in ice. Canada set the limit for this year's kill at 275,000 harp seals, but so far only 800 seals have been killed.
H) A man and his dog in Alaska were beachcombing along the Bering Sea when a plastic bottle caught his attention. There was an envelope with writing inside the bottle. After cutting the bottle in half, the man was able to read the message. It was written 21 years ago by a 4th grader who lived 1800 miles away in Seattle. It read: "This letter is part of our science project to study oceans and learn about people in distant lands. Please send the date and location of the bottle with your address. Your friend, Emily Hwaung." After some searching, Emily Hwaung, who is now 30 years old, was found, still living in the Seattle area. She vaguely remembered the experiment, and thought she was going to be in trouble for throwing plastic into the ocean when contacted. "My have times changed," she said.
I) And last on today's nautical news, sharks may soon be used to predict severe storms such as hurricanes. According to a college student who is close to completing her PhD studies in marine biology, she said sharks are sensitive to atmospheric pressure changes and will move to deeper water as a storm approaches. She said that sharks can sense a change in pressure from the reaction of their hair cells.
3/6/08
A) Another boat buy back program is in the works for New England ground fishermen. This one could cost $100 million, but would sort of be in the form of a loan. The government would lend the money to buy out the fishing permits, while those who continue to fish would cover the loan by paying 4 percent of the value of the fish they catch over the next 30 years. Owners of the large draggers support the plan, saying they would surrender their fishing permits and destroy their boats. But the fishermen on the smaller boats fear that the buyout would shrink the industry so much that the Portland Fish Exchange and the state's last two ice suppliers would go out of business.
B) A group of kids was nearly swept out to sea while fooling around on a dock in Harwichport, Cape Cod. The five children were playing on a floating dock in Saquatucket Harbor, when the rope securing the dock to the pier untied. The outgoing tide began to carry the dock away into Nantucket Sound. Two of the kids jumped into the water and managed to swim back to shore. A third couldn't make it so swam back to the dock and hung on. Fortunately, someone on shore spotted the kid clinging to the dock and called for help. Firemen arrived in a small boat to save all the kids. Officials said the water temperature was only 39 degrees, and that the dock could easily have capsized in rough seas.
C) Canada's seal hunt is on with a quota of 275,000 seals to be killed, but animal lovers and eco-terrorists are trying to intervene with water cannons and helicopters, trying to push and blow the seal hunters off the ice. The seal hunters claim the actions of these groups are putting their lives in danger. The Canadian Coast Guard is protecting the hunters, but we received word that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's boat, the Farley Mowat, was involved in a collision with the Coast Guard cutter. Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said the crew of the Mowat have video proving they did nothing wrong.
D) A section of board walk near the Coast Guard base in Boston's North End will re-open to the public. The board walk had been closed for security reasons since September 11, 2001. The walk goes from Puopolo Park on Commercial Street in the North End, around the Boston Coast Guard base, all the way to Rowes Wharf and the Boston Harbor Hotel. However, the section bordering the Coast Guard base will be open only during daylight hours and closed during the winter.
E) With each uptick in the world's population, the Earth becomes a noisier place, not just above ground, but also under the sea as more large tankers and freighters cruise the world's oceans. The impact of this traffic noise on marine animals and fish is poorly understood, but scientists are hoping that a network of acoustical buoys on Stellwagen Bank will help them find out how these sea creatures respond to the noise. The buoys will be tethered to the ocean bottom by sandbag anchors, recording ocean sounds for three months at a time. All mariners should stay away from these buoys.
F) New commercial fishing safety regulations are being discussed in Washington. The Coast Guard has identified several areas that have repeatedly made commercial fishing the country's most hazardous occupation. They say stability and watertight integrity issues have accounted for the majority of vessel losses. Also, the lack of maintenance has been identified as a significant issue leading to vessel losses, but fishermen claim they are in a catch 22 position. They claim the tough government regulations that prevent them from fishing are preventing them from funding their maintenance projects. Combine that with a soft economy and the high cost of fuel, and you know something has to give.
G) The widow of Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws, is now speaking out against the annual Monster Shark Tournament on Martha's Vineyard. At last Tuesday's selectmen's meeting in Oak Bluffs, Wendy Benchley said stringing up the sharks for spectators to gawk at is wrong. Steven James, president of the Boston Big Game Fishing Club - the tournament's sponsor - said, "It is ironic that she and her husband reaped untold monetary rewards by portraying sharks as bloodthirsty, grotesque, senseless killing machines and now she has the audacity to stand up and pretend she is concerned about sharks." James added that there was one way to end his involvement in the shark tournament. Buy him out! The annual tournament is scheduled for July 17-19 this year.
H) Worried that other states' quotas will increase demand for Massachusetts horseshoe crabs, the commonwealth was expected to cut the horseshow crab quota by half this week. Horseshoe crabs have survived 400 million years on earth and some feel they now must be protected. They are mainly used for bait and medical research. However, the ones used for medical research do not count as part of the quota because they are put back after some of the crab's blood is taken. Horseshoe crabs also eat worms that prey on shellfish and act like a farmer, plowing the hard sea bottom. Their eggs are a key food for some migratory bird species. Massachusetts' current annual horseshoe crab quota is 330,377.
I) The famous clipper ship Stad Amsterdam will be visiting Boston and will be open to the public next Sunday, April 13th between 10AM and 1PM. The ship will be docked at Rowes Wharf behind the Boston Harbor Hotel. Unlike other large tall ships, the Captain of the Stad said there are a few berths available to anyone who would like to experience an open ocean, blue water passage across the Atlantic to Portugal. It's a 21 day experience and you'll be part of the crew. For more info, go to the Stad Amsterdam's website. Stadamsterdam.com
J) And last on today's nautical news, a Florida charter boat company offering fishing trips with topless mates was asked to leave the city owned marina at Fort Pierce. The city's marina manager said the charter boat skipper could not use that kind of lure on city property to attract business. Now the company's husband and wife owners are suing the city claiming discriminating against women. The female mates simply go topless, while serving food and drinks and putting the bait on the hooks.
4/13/08
A) Last Sunday's strong winds caused a 388-foot freighter to drag its anchor and run aground in Narragansett Bay. The freighter was carrying yachts and scrap metal when the incident occurred. About 6 hours later, high tide freed the ship. There were no reports of any pollution. The Coast Guard escorted the ship to a secure location to inspect for damage to the ship's hull and try to determine what went wrong.
B) An unusual high number of right whales between Provincetown Harbor and Race Point has prompted the Division of Marine Fisheries to issue an advisory to all mariners. Skippers are advised to reduce speed to 10 knots, post lookouts, and proceed with caution to avoid a collision with a right whale. State and federal laws prohibit and vessel from approaching within 500 yards of a right whale.
C) Excelerate Energy will be pumping natural gas from its new LNG buoy system off the coast of Gloucester. Excelerate's first full LNG tanker is expected to tie up to the buoys and unload s into the pipelines before the end of this month. The Coast Guard has prevented the company from saying what specific day the tanker will arrive for security reasons. Suez SA, which owns the Distrigas LNG facility in Everett, is also planning to open a second offshore buoy system sometime next year.
D) The Coast Guard suspended its search for the pilot of a small plane that crashed into the ocean waters off Belfast, Maine last week. The Coast Guard received a call stating a plane with one person aboard crashed into Belfast Bay near the Belfast airport. The Coast Guard responded and found an oil slick and debris field located about a mile offshore. The commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England said it's never easy to end a search for a missing person, but after searching for more than 15 hours, there was no sign that the missing pilot survived.
E) A teenage boy was attacked and killed by a shark while he and a friend were bodyboarding off Australia. The 16-year-old was only a few yards from shore when the shark attacked. The boy's friend was already out of the water when he looked back and saw his friend in distress. The victim suffered two large bites, one to the leg and one to the body. He died of extreme blood loss while lifeguards and paramedics tried to save him. There are about 15 shark attacks a year in Australian waters - one of the highest rates in the world - but on average only one attack per year turns out to be fatal.
F) A California law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against several major oil companies that sell ethanol-blended fuel, charging that the fuel causes serious damage to marine engines and fuel tanks. The class action suit names BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell, and Valero as defendants. The lawyer who filed the suit said, "The price of gas is bad enough, but selling gasoline that dissolves gas tanks is a new low - even for the oil companies. The cost to the consumer is thousands of dollars in repairs."
G) Hurricane experts at Colorado State University are again predicting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season. This time Dr. William Gray and his team are predicting 15 named storms and eight hurricanes - four of them major. The prediction is based on warmer ocean temperatures. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.
H) April 13 marks the 100th birthday of American boat designer Olin Stephens. Olin retired from the design business in the 1980's, after designing over 2,000 boats, including eight America's Cup winners. Olin Stephens' most famous America's Cup yacht was the 12 Meter Courageous which Ted Turner steered to victory in 1974. She won again in 1977. Olin and his brother Rod were partners in the boat design firm called Sparkman & Stephens, which was formally created on November 11, 1929. Happy birthday, Olin!
I) Hollywood is setting up shop on Peddocks Island. Movie crews have built sets on the island as they film the movie version of Dennis Lehane's novel "Shutter Island." The movie is called "Ashecliffe" and is being directed by Martin Scorsese. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio. The book follows the journey of a US marshal who travels to an island in Boston Harbor to search for a patient who escaped from the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Paramount Pictures began looking at sites in Boston Harbor several months ago, and in the past few weeks negotiated with the town of Hull for the rights to use the parking lot and boat ramp at Pemberton, across from Peddocks Island.
J) And last on today's nautical news, American Robert MacDonald and his nine person crew safely finished the maiden voyage, from the Netherlands to London, aboard his 50 foot homemade sailboat built completely of popsicle sticks - 15 million popsicle sticks. MacDonald admitted that it took him years to build the Viking designed boat, and that he got lots of help from kids as well as from a local popsicle factory, supplying the sticks. MacDonald claimed he got the idea to build the boat after his wife said all the popsicle sticks left on the floor of his home by his son were a problem.
4/20/08
A) An unusually large bloom of zooplankton - tiny shrimplike animals that the right whales strain through the baleen in their mouths - have brought unprecedented numbers of whales to Cape Cod Bay in the past two weeks. Officials and professional whale watchers have never before seen this record number of right whales in Cape Cod Bay.
B) In a related story, the Environmental Police have been busy removing ghost lobster gear and fishing nets not made of sinking "whale safe" lines. Several cases are now pending against fishermen who were identified as the owners of the illegal gear. If convicted, they could face huge fines and loss of their fishing licenses. However, lobstermen claim because of the cost of each trap, they would never leave gear behind on purpose. They claim the gear simply gets lost in the storms or their lines get cut from boats and ships running over them.
C) The Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill banning the sale, possession, and distribution of lead fishing sinkers and jigs ½ ounces or less. The bill now goes before state's House of Representatives for consideration. Opponents to the legislation claim there is no scientific evidence that lead fishing sinkers are a threat to the status of loon or other water bird populations. Furthermore, they claim the prohibition of lead sinkers will increase the cost of sportfishing for Massachusetts anglers.
D) A 40-foot scallop boat from Maine capsized while docked overnight at the Provincetown town pier. Fortunately, no one was on board at the time of the accident. The boat apparently sprung a leak and rolled over during the night after a crew member had inadvertently turned off the bilge pumps earlier in the evening. The boat as discovered on its side the next morning. A local diver and crane operator righted the boat the following afternoon. The harbormaster reported minimal pollution, but the boat owner will be fined $50 for violating pier regulations that prohibit a transient vessel left unmanned at the pier. Ironically, the fishermen had left the boat unmanned to get supplies needed to comply with recent Coast Guard warnings.
E) Richard and Raymond Canastra are opening a seafood display auction in Boston that builds upon the success of their New Bedford Seafood Display Auction. The new Boston display auction is located at the Marine Industrial Park in Boston's seafood district. Fish and seafood landed in Boston and trucked from Gloucester, Provincetown, Chatham, and ports in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and Maine will be displayed to seafood inspectors in a refrigerated room. Buyers can bid on the seafood from their home or office computers during a live auction on the Internet.
F) Boston Harbor Cruises, which runs daily commuter boat service between Boston and Hingham and Boston and Provincetown, is now adding a new route between Gloucester and Provincetown. The 100-foot-long passenger boat can hold up to 250 people and can make the 40-mile trip between Cape Ann and Cape Cod in 2 1/2 hours. A round-trip ticket will cost $80. Boston harbor Cruises expects a minimum of 550 people each week to use the new service in its first year - considerably less than the company's established Boston-Provincetown ferry, which carries 75,000 people between May and October.
G) As of May 1st, passengers wishing to go to the islands on the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamship Authority ferry boats will have to pay more. The Steamship authority blamed the increase in fares and parking rates on rising fuel costs. The increase in fares is expected to decrease the number of daytrippers to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
H) The Coast Guard is reminding recreational boaters to avoid approaching large passenger vessels, such as cruise ships and ferries, whether these vessels are underway, moored, or at anchor. A large passenger vessel is defined as any cruise ship, auto ferry, or passenger ferry over 100 feet in length. The security zone enforced by the Coast Guard is a 500-yard radius around all such vessels. The zones are in effect at all times whether or not the Coast Guard is present.
I) An Oxford University professor claims coastal powerplants are killing billions of fish every year. The impact is so severe that death rates are half the commercial catch for some species. Coastal power plants have cooling systems that extract sea water, and In that water are billions of fish eggs, larvae, and small fish. The impact on fish populations is compounded by the loss of vegetation and baby shrimp that make up the diets of young fish. The solution is to build dry cooling power plants.
J) The seal hunt continues in Newfoundland and Labrador, but at a much slower pace than last year. So far, less than 50 per cent of the quota has been taken. Some of reasons given for the decline in the slaughter of the seals are the high cost of fuel for the boats, the heavy ice floes that have prevented the boats from accessing the hunting grounds, and the protests by the animal rights groups causing lower prices for the fur.
K) The Canadian Coast Guard has seized the Sea Shepherd Society's boat that has been harassing the Canadian seal hunters. Paul Watson, the head of the Society, said his vessel was illegally seized by the Canadians because the boat was in international waters. He called the boarding and seizure by armed Canadian officers both an act of piracy and an act of war. Watson exclaimed "We're a Dutch-registered vessel in international waters with a Dutch captain, Swedish first officer, and European crew. The ship's logs and GPS records will prove the ship never strayed into Canada's 12-nautical-mile territorial limit. Meanwhile, the Canadian officials counterclaimed that protest ship was putting the lives of the seal hunters and the Canadian Coast Guard in danger.
L) Junior Ranger Day is happening on Boston Harbor Islands April 26th. Families are invited to take part in a celebration of National Park Week and Junior Ranger Day on Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor. If you are interested in joining the National Park Service rangers on Spectacle Island on Saturday, April 26 from 10am to 1pm for a special event, where children can earn their Junior Ranger badge, call 617-223-8666 or email a ranger for additional information. Boats will depart from Long Wharf in Boston. Tickets are $5 for adults, seniors, and children.
4/27/08
A) There could be an unusually intense outbreak of red tide this spring according to researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. A wet winter and high numbers of "seeds" of the toxic red tide algae off the coast of Maine are setting the stage for a large outbreak. Woods Hole Oceanographic biologists say the field of these algae "seeds" is 30 percent larger than normal. A northeast storm could broadly disperse that algae and cause problems, but if southwesterly winds dominate and the region remains free of storms, the red tide could remain offshore.
B) A 39-year-old Cape Cod man was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with serious burns after his boat exploded while stored on land at the Northside Marina at Sesuit Harbor. The man was installing a new bilge pump on his 29-foot 1965 Columbia sailboat at the time of the accident. Apparently sparks from the boat's battery ignited fumes in the bilge. The boat, named Tranquility, sustained minor damage, but the man suffered first- and second-degree burns. At last check, the hospital reported him to be in good condition.
C) The state's perennial argument about mooring fees between Senator Mike Morrissey of Quincy and Senator Robert O'Leary of Cape Cod, over whether locals should be charged lower mooring fees than out-of-town residents, took place at the state house. Senator Morrissey was victorious again. The current law on the books stands! "No disparate fees based on residency allowed." In other words, municipalities cannot charge out of towners more money for their mooring fee. Any town that charges resident and non-resident boaters a different fee is violating the law, and will be subject to refunding those overcharged fees.
D) Local commercial fishermen received some good news. They were told they will be receiving nearly 10 percent of the $13.4 million federal aid package that was passed by the feds for the state's fishing industry. The state's Division of Marine Fisheries approved the final plan for the distribution of the funds last week. The money will go directly to the owners of vessels with groundfish permits, and financial grants will be made available to their crew members. The federal aid package was passed by Congress after the Bush administration denied Massachusetts' request to declare the state's fishing industry an economic disaster because of the new stricter fishing regulations.
E) Recreational fishermen won a big victory over the environmentalists who failed to impose their proposed moratorium on the porbeagle shark fishery. The National Marine Fisheries Service just completed its Final Environmental Impact Statement regarding its Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan and accordingly, recreational fishermen can still catch and keep one porbeagle shark 4.5 feet long or larger per day per vessel. This was good news for the annual Monster Shark Tournament held in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.
F) The US Army Corps of Engineers denied the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation a permit to dredge 500,000 cubic yards of sand from the ocean bottom to replenish Winthrop Beach. The proposal called for dredging of sand 8 miles offshore and hauling it by barge to the shore. Residents blamed erosion of the beach for their flooding problems, but the North Atlantic Division commander of the Corps said that the decision to deny the replenishment of ocean sand was made because of the availability of less environmentally damaging alternatives. The National Marine Fisheries Service, the state's Division of Marine Fisheries, and the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association all objected to the project based on the possibility the dredging would threaten lobster and other species.
G) A retired Californian veterinarian, training for a triathalon, was attacked and killed by what authorities believe was a great white shark. The shark was estimated to be about 17 feet long. The attack took place about 150 yards offshore where several swimmers were in a group. There were 71 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks worldwide last year, up from 63 in 2006, according to the University of Florida.
H) Eleven crew members on a cargo ship were forced to abandon ship after rough seas caused their cargo to shift. The ship listed badly, and eventually, waves flooded the ship causing it to sink. An emergency signal was received by the Coast Guard, and a Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod jet plane crew, while on assignment in the Caribbean, was the first to spot the crew in a life raft, some 300 miles south of Puerto Rico. The jet plane crew then spotted a tanker nearby and directed them to the life raft's location. According to a Coast Guard spokesman, Air Station Cape Cod regularly sends jet plane crews to the Caribbean to participate in law enforcement and search-and-rescue missions.
I) Defying President Bush's threat of a veto, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill requiring the Coast Guard to enforce security zones around eight liquefied natural gas terminals and any arriving tankers. The President complained that the requirement would divert the Coast Guard from other high-priority missions and provided an "unwarranted subsidy" to the energy companies. The bill now heads to the Senate for debate.
J) In a related story, the House mandated cruise ship lines to post crime statistics that occur on their ships on an Internet site maintained by the Coast Guard. The cruise lines last year announced a voluntary agreement with the FBI and the Coast Guard to improve and standardize their crime reporting, but so far, the crime statistics provided by the cruise industry were said to be inaccurate and inadequate. That is because the crimes occurred either on foreign flagged vessels or in international waters, and they do not have to comply with American laws.
K) The Coast Guard suspended its search for a Florida business man who was reported missing from a Carnival Cruise Lines ship in the Caribbean Sea. The man was celebrating his 44th birthday with his wife of 8 months and was last seen at 1AM. However, he was not reported missing by his wife until 7PM the next day. The ship's crew searched the boat and notified the Coast Guard and FBI per the cruise line's procedure. An FBI spokeswoman in Miami said it appeared that the man simply fell overboard and do not suspect foul play.
L) And last on today's nautical news, Earthrace, the futuristic looking 78 foot, trimaran, biofuel powerboat is now on its second attempt to break a 75-day record for circumnavigating the world. The boat is designed to pierce through the waves instead of riding over them. During its first attempt to break the around the world record, Earthrace was plagued with problems. One time the boat filled up with a bad batch of biofuel. Another time its carbon fiber propeller disintegrated. The worst of its problems was a collision at night with a small fishing boat that killed a fisherman. Owner and skipper Peter Bethune said the problems they suffered had toughened them up. He said this time around they are much better prepared and equipped to deal with things as they happen.
5/4/08
A) Six female rowers from the South Shore will be making history this weekend as members of the first U.S. women's rowing team to compete in a world championship event in England. The 6 rowers are all members of Team Saquish and will be the first women's U.S. team to compete in the 19th World Pilot Gig Championship in the Isles of Scilly, England. The rowers' names are Hilary Moll, 44, of Brockton; Beth Howard, 27, of Hull; Karin Kaczorowski, 43, of Marshfield; Mary-Patrice Ruocco, 50, of Rochester, and Jessica Rowcroft-McKenna, 37, of Boston, and Michelle Hughes, 35, of Hanson.
B) Island Creek Oysters was the overall winner of the Invitational Oyster Tasting Event in Providence, topping a field of 19 "Eastern oyster" varieties. The victory gives the company the right to boast that they have the best oysters in America. The oysters were judged on their shells, shuckability, internal appearance, aroma, flavor, and aftertaste. The event was the first national competition held by the National Shellfish Association and the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association.
C) The First Coast Guard District is launching Operation Paddle Smart to bring greater awareness to canoeists and kayakers in the Northeast. Fifteen canoeists and eight kayakers died last year in the Northeast. Since 1998, canoe and kayak fatalities have averaged 1/3 of the area's boating fatalities. That is more than double the national average. The primary goals of Operation Paddle Smart are to promote the wearing a life jacket, warn of the danger of falling into cold water, and to stress the importance of being a prudent mariner, knowing the rules of the road. Paddlers on the waters of Massachusetts are required to wear a life jacket while underway through May 15, 2008.
D) A Plymouth man is going to jail for damaging lobster pots and gear off Plymouth's harbor last August. A Plymouth District Court judge sentenced the man to 60 days in jail and ordered him to pay $1900 to the two lobstermen whose pots he damaged. According to the state's environmental police, they came upon the man in a boat dragging a grappling hook ruining the lobster pots. At the time, the man told police he was salvaging an underwater cable to sell to a junk yard. Police said the cable was removed many years ago.
E) Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez has declared a commercial fishery failure for the West Coast salmon fishery due to historically low salmon returns. Hundreds of thousands of fall Chinook salmon typically return to the Sacramento River every year to spawn. This year, scientists estimate that fewer than 60,000 adult Chinook will make it back to the Sacramento River. The California Department of Fish and Game will truck nearly 17 million hatchery-raised salmon directly to the ocean in an effort to revive the states salmon population. However, marine biologists worry that trucking salmon smolts from their home river will eliminate the instinct that draws the fish back to their native waters to spawn.
F) The Bush administration wants America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of US coastline and inland waterways. While the United States has so far been spared this type of strike in its own waters, terrorists have used small boats to attack in other countries. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment, the use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain Al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success.
G) In a related story, the Coast Guard will begin operating a new international data exchange center starting January 1st, 2009, to track the positions at sea of about 3,000 ships per day. Under an agreement with the International Maritime Organization, the Coast Guard will run the data center for the Long Range Identification and Tracking system until December 31, 2010. The service's identification and tracking applies to ships on international voyages that come within 1,000 nautical miles of U.S. territories.
H) The U.S. government announced it will conduct a detailed review of the loggerhead sea turtle population in the Atlantic Ocean to decide whether they should be declared "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. government will also determine whether further habitat protections are warranted. These studies are in response to a formal petition filed by the environmental group, Oceana.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a 44 year old New Zealand scuba diver had a long swim after the dive boat he hired left him behind. Officials said the operators of the dive boat were an 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man. The young couple told authorities they didn't realize that their boat's anchor wasn't holding after the diver went overboard, and their 14-foot boat actually drifted back to the harbor entrance. They said they tried to return to pick up the diver, but their engine would not start. The young couple then called a relative who in turn notified the police about the scuba diver. Fortunately, after 1 1/2 hours in the water, the diver was found. Police said he was exhausted, but revived pretty quickly once he got on the police boat.
5/11/08
A) The world's second largest salmon fish farm company, Norwegian-owned Cermaq released its first quarter financial report, citing losses of $7.2 million compared to the same quarter last year. The company blamed the slowdown on disease and parasite problems affecting production centers in Chile. The company reported it couldn't stop a virus called Infectious Salmon Anemia from spreading. The virus is highly contagious that can be lethal to fish, but they claim does not affect humans. Overall, Chilean authorities have confirmed ISA outbreaks in 25 different salmon farms. Another disease plaguing the Chilean salmon industry is sea lice. Some scientists are concerned that these diseases could easily affect the wild stock if the farm raised fish escape into the wild.
B) NOAA released a comprehensive draft management plan and environmental assessment for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary for public review and comment. The new draft plan is a major revision to the sanctuary's original management plan that was published in 1993. The new management plan focuses on what environmentalists consider key issues affecting the sanctuary such as commercial fishing, large vessel traffic, threats to marine mammals, water quality, and invasive species. However, at this time, no changes to sanctuary regulations are proposed in this new plan, but that could change after public comments are received. The deadline to make a comment is August 4, 2008. Public meetings will be held throughout the region between now and then including a hearing, June 11th in Plymouth at the Hilton Garden Inn and June 12th in Hyannis at the Cape Codder Resort.
C) Aerial surveys, vessel reports, and acoustic buoys in the areas where the whales have been feeding in Cape Cod Bay indicated that the whales have moved on. Scientists said this year's bumper crop of zooplankton in the bay attracted nearly one-third of the total North Atlantic right whale population. The right whales swim with their mouths open, catching the zooplankton in their baleen, and then use their tongues to force the zooplankton in their mouths.
D) A young couple in their 20s were playing ball on a Cape Cod beach when an errant toss sent the ball into the water. So, they borrowed a row boat in Saquatucket Harbor to retrieve the ball, but the wind and current was too strong for them to row back. Witnesses called for help, and rescue boats found the two, cold and shivering, about a half mile offshore, but otherwise in good condition. Neither one was wearing a lifejacket.
E) The Queen Mary II will be making a stop in Boston on Sunday, Memorial Day weekend. The Queen Mary II is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world. She will be docked at the Black Falcon Pier and should be quite visible to those who would like to take a ride into the Boston.
F) The Coast Guard will soon be testing high-tech buoys that will serve as an offshore early warning system against a terrorist attack by sea. If the buoys work as plan and endure the sea, then a string of them will be placed 200 miles offshore to form an invisible fence around the United States. Any sound from a ship's engine will be detected. That information would then be transmitted by satellite to the Internet and read by security officials on land or at sea. Much of the surveillance done so far has been by aircraft and satellites, which is very costly.
G) The Department of Homeland Security is calling for stepped-up security of all recreational boats, noting that terrorists have used small boats elsewhere in the world for attacks. They want all boaters to carry photo identification and possibly a federal boating license. However, Coast Guard officials said no such license is in the works. Instead, they said they want to piggyback on existing state licensing and safety programs and tap into local boat registration databases, rather than creating their own.
H) One man, one boat, one ocean. The Artemis Transit Race, one of the oldest single handed trans Atlantic sailing races, got underway today from Plymouth, England. The finish line is Marblehead, Massachusetts and the boats will be docking at Rowes Wharf, Boston. The race course is hazardous. Sailors will encounter icebergs, fog, huge waves, and storms. Some make it and some don't. We will be there the day they arrive in Boston.
I) And last on today's nautical news, scientists at a London university have designed a robotic boat that they hope will soon become the first robot to cross an ocean using wind power. The unmanned boat is named Pinta and is currently undergoing tests. It is estimated that Pinta could sail non-stop and unassisted for three months at a maximum speed of 4 knots. The boat uses solar panels to provide the power to operate a robot arm on the tiller and a pulley system to change the angle of the sail. If the tests are successful, Pinta will sail across the Atlantic the end of this summer.
5/18/08
A) The Coast Guard suspended its search for a 46-year-old Maine lobsterman after his 40 foot boat named Sav-a-buck capsized near the Isle of Shoals off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Coast Guard Station Portsmouth received a call from the missing man's daughter who reported that her father, his teenage son, and a third crewmember had not returned from their trip and were overdue. The son and the crewmember were eventually found on Duck Island, off the coast of New Hampshire, by another fishing boat. Winds were gusting up to 40 knots, sea and air temperatures were in the 40s, and waves were as high as 12 - 20 feet.
B) The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries ordered a halt to shellfishing on the North Shore after tests from Newburyport to Gloucester revealed the presence of the toxin-producing algae in bivalves. Red tide has also closed all shellfishing in Nauset and parts of Orleans on Cape Cod. Red tide algae contain toxins that become concentrated in shellfish, and if eaten in sufficient quantities by humans, can cause paralysis of their respiratory system, and possibly death.
C) 60 years ago, President Eisenhower proclaimed the seven-day period prior to Memorial Day weekend as "National Safe Boating Week," so this year National Safe Boating Week began May 17th. Coinciding with this event, the Coast Guard announced that there were fewer recreational boating fatalities in 2007 than the previous year. The number dropped from 710 in 2006 to 688 in 2007. That is the lowest number since 2004 and third lowest number of fatalities since the Coast Guard began collecting statistics specifically related to recreational boating. The big question is whether boaters are really more responsible, wearing their lifejackets at all times today, or were there simply fewer boats on the water because of higher fuel prices.
D) The boyfriend of a New Jersey woman who is presumed dead after falling from a cruise ship is now back in the United States after being questioned by the FBI. The man's girlfriend fell from a balcony on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship about 40 miles off the coast of Atlantic City. The FBI said agents have seized the railing and glass partitions of both staterooms on the cruise ship and will analyze the items at their headquarters. The FBI is probing whether a crime occurred when Jordan fell from the side of the Norwegian Dawn just hours after it took off from New York City en route for the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Lines officials said that surveillance cameras had captured the woman's fall and indicated that she was alone just prior to the incident, but the woman's family is asking authorities for a full investigation rather than simply relying on the word from the cruise line.
E) The shipping industry did what Maine's lobster industry could not. It stopped the part of the federal plan that had required ships to slow down when entering an area where the North Atlantic right whales congregate. The shipping industry stopped that requirement by challenging the plan's scientific conclusions according to documents recently released. However, fishermen claim that ship strikes cause more whale deaths than their fishing gear, and that it would be unfair to let the shipping industry escape while burdening fishermen with costly restrictions. Lobstermen will have to spend millions of dollars this summer to buy "whale safe" gear to comply with the new federal rules. This is another case of divide and conquer!
F) Brunswick Corp., the world's largest recreational boat manufacturer, announced that it will cease production of four of its boat lines: Sea Pro, Sea Boss, Palmetto, and Laguna boats. As a result of this action, Brunswick will close its production facility in Newberry, S.C., by the end of June, resulting in the loss of 175 jobs. Brunswick chairman and CEO Dustan McCoy said the uncertain economy, high fuel prices, the housing slump and other economic factors are eroding discretionary spending by customers. McCoy said the company will focus its efforts on its other boat brands such as Boston Whaler, Triton, Trophy, Hatteras, Cabo, and Albemarle.
G) A Coast Guardsman who grew up in Hanson, Massachusetts received an Air Medal for his part in saving 20 fishermen from a fishing boat that sank in the Bering Sea this past march. Lt. Brian J. McLaughlin was the commander of a helicopter that rescued the crew of the Alaska Ranger. Three other pilots and three petty officers also received the medal at a ceremony in Kodiak, Alaska. Unfortunately, five of the fishermen, including the captain, Weymouth native Eric Peter Jacobsen, died. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Gene Brooks said if not for the heroics of these honored Coast Guardsmen, the Bering Sea could have easily claimed all of the fishermen's lives.
H) A 37 year old Australian swimmer survived a shark attack by poking the 16 foot shark in the eye. The shark, believed to be a great white, seized the man by the left leg, pulled him backwards under the water, and ripped into his calf as he was swimming off a southwestern Australian beach. From his hospital bed, the man said he escaped the shark's grip by punching it in the eye. Officials ordered the beach closed after the attack.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a 50 year old woman needed 20 stitches after a pelican apparently diving for fish slammed into her face as she swum off St. Petersburg, Florida. The impact of the pelican's beak hitting the woman killed the bird. The chief of the St. Petersburg Fire Department said he never heard of a pelican colliding with a person.
5/25/08
A) Red tide has now reached the South Shore, prompting a ban on the harvesting of shellfish from Hull to Duxbury. All clam flats between Hull and Duxbury are now closed because of high levels of contaminating algae. A number of beds on the North Shore have also been closed. The state's chief biologist in charge of shellfish management said the red tide could last up to 10 weeks. The last major red tide outbreak in 2005 cost the state's shellfish industry about $50 million.
B) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is expected to sign the first in the nation ocean management act that would decide how and where projects such as wind turbines and LNG terminals could be built in state waters. The legislation would also open up most of the state's ocean sanctuaries to renewable energy development, including Boston developer Jay Cashman's proposal for a wind farm in Buzzards Bay. However, the Cape Cod National Seashore would remain off-limits to any type of development.
C) The Coast Guard has rejected plans for a new LNG facility if Fall River. The Commandant determined that the waterway leading to Fall River through Narragansett Bay was unsafe for LNG tankers to navigate because they would have to pass under two bridges. The risk of a casualty was "unacceptably high." Experts said if a terrorist attack on a tanker carrying LNG ignited a fire, the heat could burn people up to a mile away. A spokesman for the energy company said they are considering filing an appeal in Washington.
D) And in a related story, the Coast Guard is hosting the Northeastern Small Vessel Security Summit on June 7th, at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Mass. The conference is free and open to the public. The purpose of the forum is to allow attendees to discuss how to reduce the risks and threats of smaller vessels on the water. Officials from the Coast Guard and the Homeland Security Institute are scheduled to give presentations. This forum is an opportunity for mariners to speak directly with the Coast Guard and Homeland Security.
E) The Artemis Transit race is 2800 non-stop miles - one boat, one person, one ocean. Obstacles include icebergs, whales, fog, North Atlantic storms, and very big waves. The race started May 11th from Plymouth, England. The finish line is in Boston Harbor, from Deer Island Light to Long Island Light, and French sailor Loick Peyron was the first to cross that line this weekend. His 60-foot monohull sailboat set a new trans-Atlantic record of 12 days, 11 hours, 45 minutes, 35 seconds. That broke the old record by a little more than three and a half hours. He also broke the record for having won this race a record three times; first in 1992 and then in 1996.
F) The Coast Guard responded to a report of two people in the water and a capsized dinghy in Rockport Harbor, Maine. One of the people was rescued fairly quickly by a good Samaritan who brought the man ashore to waiting paramedics who treated him for hypothermia. The other person in the water, Dr. Erwin Hirsch from Marblehead, Mass., was unconscious when found by the Coast Guard. The boat crew began CPR and transported the man to emergency medical personnel waiting at the pier. The paramedics continued CPR, but doctors pronounced the man dead. The water temperature was about 48 degrees with winds blowing 15 miles per hour and seas about two feet. Neither person was wearing a life jacket.
G) More than 1,000 sailors on 205 boats participated in this weekend's 37th Figawi Race, a 25-mile contest from Hyannis to Nantucket. The race attracted sailors from around the world. This year, sailors from Bermuda, San Francisco, and Germany raced against the locals, except the wind did not cooperate. The initial 18-knot, northerly winds shifted to the south and slowed to less than 5 knots midway through the race. Officials had to cut the race 10 miles short because it took the boats too long to make Nantucket. Even so, I am told everyone had lots of fun.
H) Two time America's Cup champion Russell Coutts from New Zealand had nine stitches to close a gash in his leg after his catamaran capsized while training for the next America's Cup race. Coutts changed teams and is now skipper of the United States team Oracle. He suffered the injury as the crew was attempting to right the boat. Team Oracle will race defending America's Cup champion Alinghi sometime in 2009 after a New York court sets the date.
I) Two missing scuba divers, a 40-year-old American woman and 38-year-old British man, were rescued after spending a night floating in the ocean over Australia's Great Barrier Reef. After an 18 hour search, the pair was spotted floating nine miles from where they had been diving. A local official credits the divers' survival to their experience and ability to remain calm. He said they strapped themselves together using their weight belts, they conserved energy, stayed as a pair, and awaited rescue.
J) And last on today's nautical news, a boater in Florida pumped gasoline into his fishing rod holder instead of his gas tank. The boater pumped about 100 gallons of gasoline before he realized what he was doing. Fortunately, only about 15 gallons of gas went into the water. The other 85 gallons stayed in the boat's bilge. The sad thing is this happens too often. Everyone should be alert at the fuel dock and follow the posted fueling regulations.
6/01/08
A) The Plymouth Harbormaster department reported two potentially life saving rescues this past Memorial Day. First they rescued a family with nine children on board after their cabin cruiser hit a channel marker and put a hole in their boat. Then later in the day, a Framingham man and a Plymouth woman watched their boat sink seconds after the Plymouth Harbormaster rescued them. The couple was standing in their boat, but it was completely swamped when the Plymouth harbormaster arrived. As soon as they got off their boat onto the harbormaster's boat, their 20 foot motorboat sank. The harbormaster said he had received a call from the Coast Guard about a boat taking on water. The location given to him was two miles off Gurnet, but the boat actually was further north in Marshfield waters.
B) The owners of James Hook Lobster Company in Boston vowed to rebuild after a seven-alarm fire destroyed their building. The company had been in business at the same location on the Fort Point Channel for 83 years. An estimated 60,000 lobsters were destroyed. More than 135 firefighters battled the fire, including a scuba team that dove into the harbor and sprayed the rear of the building with seawater for several hours. A Massachusetts Port Authority fireboat was also used, but the city's large fireboat could not be used because it was too big to fit under the Northern Avenue bridge. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
C) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the Oceans Act of 2008. The legislation requires the state to develop a first-in-the-nation comprehensive plan to manage the state's waters. Proponents of the legislation say the act will protect the ocean and its marine life, keeping in balance traditional and new uses, such as fishing and renewable energy projects. According to the Act, the new ocean management plan must be completed by December 31, 2009. A 17 member ocean advisory commission and an ocean science advisory council will help to create the plan.
D) The Coast Guard saved the three member crew of an 82-foot Rhode Island fishing boat who abandoned ship more than 180 miles southeast of Cape Cod. The Coast Guard in Boston and the Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Canada, both received radio messages from a sailboat skipper who relayed the distress calls from the fishing vessel Dona Maria. The fishermen said they were sinking and were abandoning ship. The Coast Guard Command Center in Boston dispatched a Falcon jet and a Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod and told the fishermen to manually activate their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. The fishermen were located in their life raft and rescued. All were reported to be in good condition. The Coast Guard said the keys to success in this case were the relay of information from the sailboat and the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon in the fishermen's life raft. All mariners are urged to have such an emergency position transmitter on board.
E) Fishermen do not understand why for the past 10 years sand sharks, also known as dogfish, have been protected. They claim it is equivalent to a gardener saving the weeds in their lawn. Last week at the Holiday Inn in Hyannis, fishermen, scientists, and even some government officials agreed that more dogfish should be landed. Latest studies showed that the dogfish are eating 37 percent of the juvenile cod population. It has become apparent that tremendous numbers of dogfish exist in the Gulf of Maine, and that the federal management rules have upset the balance of Mother Nature. The dog fish are eating too many cod fish. The state's scientists are calling for new rules, but so far, the feds aren't budging.
F) The USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier made its final departure from Japan to be decommissioned after nearly half a century of service. The Kitty Hawk, the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier in the Navy, will be replaced later this summer by the USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered carrier.
G) British rower Roz Savage launched her 24 foot rowboat in San Francisco and started her second attempt to become the first woman to row 7,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. Her first stop will be Hawaii as she plans to make three stops along the way. Last summer, Savage tried to do this only to be stopped by bad weather two weeks into the trip. At that time, she had to call the Coast Guard to rescue her about 90 miles off the California coast. Savage said she is rowing across the Pacific to raise awareness about the effects of pollution in our oceans. She hopes to complete her mission and arrive in Australia three years from now.
H) And last on today's nautical news, June 1-8 is National Boating and Fishing week and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation released some interesting results from a recent study that showed boating and fishing activities have a strong impact on their work and family. Some of the key findings were: boaters and anglers are more likely to develop close relationships with their children; boaters and anglers feel more satisfied with their mental health than non-boaters and non-anglers; and boaters and anglers reported that fishing had a positive impact on their careers, with many of their best ideas coming to them while they were on the water.
6/8/08
A) The Coast Guard is warning boaters in New England that the heat wave predicted for the next few days will not instantly warm up the frigid ocean. The Coast Guard said the seawater temperature off the coast of New England is still in the low 50s. Anyone who falls overboard into the cold water can easily go into shock, become incapacitated, and drown. So far this year, eight paddlers and boaters have been killed. None was wearing a life jacket. Wearing a life jacket isn't guaranteed to save your life, but it does guarantee a better chance of surviving.
B) A series of Public Meetings will be held this week in Massachusetts for the public and especially stakeholders and users of the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary to comment about the Sanctuary's new management plan. Everyone is urged to attend. Hearings will be held Monday at Gordon College, Wenham, Tuesday at Boston University's School of Management, Wednesday in Plymouth at the Hilton Garden Inn, and Thursday at the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis. All meetings will be in the evening starting at 6:30.
C) A 250 foot cargo ship passing under the Fore River Bridge in Quincy accidentally struck the side of the bridge. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, the bridge did not suffer any structural damage, and there was no oil spill. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the accident, and so far has ruled out excessive speed as a factor.
D) Thousands of fishermen in Europe protested the escalating cost of fuel. Protests occurred in France, England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, and Ireland bringing fishing industries to a virtual standstill. The fishermen marched in front of government offices, they blocked ships from entering ports, and even handed out free fish to attract the public's sympathy. French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, said that the European Union must cut the fuel taxes. However, the European Union responded by demanding lower fish quotas, a proposal likely to further anger the fishing industry.
E) Twenty-six miles east of Boston, a team of rescuers successfully removed a 150 foot length of rope that was tangled around the tail of a humpback whale calf. The team used a grappling hook and buoy to remove the rope while the calf and its mother swam at high speeds and kept quickly changing their direction. A spokeswoman for the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies said the whale was first spotted by a whale watching vessel.
F) The fate of a cast iron lighthouse tower was uncovered last year by lighthouse researchers. Local historians for decades had thought the 30-foot tall lighthouse that once overlooked Wellfleet Harbor had been taken down and destroyed in 1925. Turns out, it was actually moved to the California coast. Wellfleet historian Helen Purcell says the discovery of the light at Point Montara at the southern end of San Francisco Bay was a genuine shock. MacNeney says she discovered correspondence that proved the lighthouse, first erected in 1881, had been moved by the Coast Guard from Wellfleet to Point Montara, California. The lighthouse is still used there as an aid to navigation.
G) A 60 year old North Carolina man who drifted in a life raft for two days after his sailboat capsized was rescued by the Coast Guard. The man was unable to radio for help or even grab food, water, or an emergency position transmitter. Fortunately for him, an alert crew aboard a cruise ship spotted the overturned sailboat about 100 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. They notified the Coast Guard who began searching the area with aircraft. The Coast Guard eventually found the sailor in his life raft and brought him to the hospital where he was treated for mild hypothermia and dehydration.
H) The Coast Guard determined the captain of an Army Corps of Engineers vessel was asleep when it rammed a 74 foot Bertram yacht at a marina in Portsmouth, Virginia. The Army Corp's steel hulled vessel was not damaged, but the fiberglass yacht named Marquessa suffered significant damage. The Coast Guard suspended the Army Corps of Engineers captain's license, and officials said the captain then went into retirement.
I) And last on today's nautical news, Bertram Yacht is offering a unique accessory as an option. Bertram Yacht has formed an exclusive partnership with VideoRay, the maker of remote controlled underwater cameras. A VideoRay camera is now offered as a factory installed option on every Bertram Yacht. VideoRay can be operated by a single person with a remote control from either the salon, the dock, or even from land. Once deployed underwater, the ROV captures live video shown on one of the boat's high definition TVs. With a VideoRay, a boat owner can inspect the boat's props, rudders, and the cleanliness of the boat's bottom. A grabber arm is also available to recover items dropped overboard like sunglasses, keys, tools, or jewelry. And of course it can be used to find other lost treasure as well.
6/15/08
A) For the first time in history, recreational fishermen in New England will need a saltwater fishing license. National Marine Fisheries officials said the license is necessary to improve the collection of fishing data from the 2.5 million recreational fishermen. The law goes into effect January 1st. Those fishing in state waters for striped bass and other species that reside in freshwater for part of their life cycle must also register with the National Marine Fisheries Service. However, people fishing from boats-for-hire will not have to register because the captains of those boats are already registered and licensed with the federal government.
B) Public health officials have closed shellfish beds in Boston Harbor and Quincy Bay for the first time in 36 years because of red tide. The ban on shellfish harvesting now extends from the New Hampshire border to the Bourne-Sandwich town line, with the exception of a small area along Plymouth, Kingston, and Duxbury. Red tide is a toxic algae that affects clams and mussels, making them dangerous for humans to eat. Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and finfish are not affected by red tide.
C) You heard it first a few weeks ago on Nautical Talk Radio. 22 boaters at Pirates Cove Marina in Hingham were asked to vacate the marina after the town's zoning board ruled that the marina had an insufficient number of parking spaces even though a municipal parking lot is next to the property. The marina owner's attorney argued that the bylaws should not apply to the marina since it has been there for 70 years, long before the bylaws existed. However, the town claimed that the nature of the marina business had changed over the years from a municipal to a private marina.
D) This week, Sail Massachusetts will welcome two Tall Ships. CAPITAN MIRANDA, from Uruguay, will dock at Seaport World Trade Center June 18th - 22nd, and BELEM from France, will be at Rowes Wharf June 19th - 21st. The fleet of Tall Ships will return to Boston next year for Sail Boston 2009.
E) Now that the boating season is underway here in the Northeast, the Coast Guard is reminding recreational boaters to stay away from large passenger vessels such as cruise ships and ferry boats, whether these vessels are underway, moored, or at anchor. The security zone is necessary to enhance public and maritime safety, so no boat or person is allowed within 100 yards of a large passenger vessel that is underway or at anchor, and no vessel or person is allowed within 25 yards of a large passenger vessel that is docked without authorization.
F) A small flashlight attached to a life vest saved 4 college students and a sailing coach who were tossed into the water after the keel on their race boat fell off causing the boat to capsize in the middle of the night. Without that flashlight, the Coast Guard said it would have been impossible to have located the five bobbing in the water. As it was, they floated in the water for nearly 24 hours. Unfortunately, a second coach, who went below to awaken two of the students who were sleeping when the boat rolled over, didn't make it out of the boat in time and drowned. The four students and 2 instructors were participating in a 630 mile sailing race between Galveston, Texas and Veracruz, Mexico.
G) The HMS Ontario, a 22-gun British warship that sank during the American Revolution and has long been regarded the "Holy Grail: of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, has finally been discovered lying at the bottom of Lake Ontario in 500 feet of water. Explorers said the 80 foot wreck is well preserved. The HMS Ontario with 130 people aboard, 30 of them American prisoners of war, sank during a storm in 1780. It is now the oldest shipwreck, and the only fully intact British warship ever found in the Great Lakes. The finders of the wreck said they regard it as a war grave and have no plans to raise it or remove any of its artifacts. Like all naval shipwrecks, the ship legally remains the property of the government for which it flew its flag. There are an estimated 4,700 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, including about 500 on Lake Ontario.
H) And last on today's nautical news, a swarm of bees forced a pair of Florida recreational fishermen to call the Coast Guard for help. The two first sought the shelter of the boat's cabin, hoping the bees would fly away, but the bees wouldn't leave. Every time the skipper tried to go to the flybridge to start the boat, the bees attacked, forcing him back into the boat's cabin. One man got stung three times and the other got stung once. Finally they decided to call the Coast Guard, but the Coast Guard was at first reluctant to send help, thinking there were a only a few bees causing the problem, but the boaters kept repeating there were thousands of bees. The Coast Guard gave in and sent a fire boat to the scene. When the fireboat arrived, the crew was in shock as they saw a thick cloud of bees around the boat. They quickly turned on their powerful water hoses to spray the bees away, but the angry bees then attacked the fire boat crew. The Coast Guard then realized the seriousness of the problem. Eventually the battle of the bees was won. Boaters on the Gulf of Mexico are now urged to be on the lookout for swarming bees.
6/22/08
A) The Environmental Protection Agency just published the Clean Water Act proposal in the Federal Register that will impose new requirements on recreational boaters. Boaters will have to obtain a permit to discharge water from their boat including cooling water from their boats' engines. These new regulations will take effect on October 1, 2008, unless Congress amends the law. As of now, America's 18 million recreational boat owners will be required to obtain water discharge permits or face a fine of $32,500 per violation per day. The EPA proposal also allows individual states to implement their own discharge permits, creating the potential for mass confusion with a patchwork of differing state-by-state laws for boaters. Equally problematic is that recreational boats 80 feet long and longer will be categorized as commercial ships and will be required to follow a different and more complex set of permit rules.
B) With President Bush's call to lift the drilling moratorium on the Outer Continental Shelf, drilling for oil and gas could become a reality again on Georges Bank. It has been nearly 30 years since oil companies last drilled into Georges Bank. At that time, the energy companies came up dry, and the environmentalists and fishermen fought the energy companies so hard that all offshore drilling on the East and West Coasts of America was banned. However, today, with out of sight fuel prices, some fishermen are willing to gamble. They are willing to work around the platforms if their fuel costs are lowered.
C) Two New Bedford fishermen had a fire aboard their 70 foot boat about 20 miles east of Block Island. The captain of the "Whileaway" radioed the Coast Guard, reporting his boat's automatic fire extinguishers were putting the fire out in the boat's engine room. No injuries were reported, but the vessel was disabled and adrift. Another fishing boat towed the disabled boat back to port. A Coast Guard officer said the fishermen had the necessary knowledge and emergency equipment aboard their vessel that allowed them to be rescued safely.
D) And here is another story about a fire on a boat. This one occurred off the coast of Maine and involved a father and a son on their lobster boat. The two were also rescued by the Coast Guard, but this was not an easy case. Fog made visibility less than a quarter of a mile. The pair got into their life raft after they watched their 40-foot lobster boat burn and sink. There was no EPIRB or radio in the life raft. All the two had was a whistle and a cell phone, and they said they drifted for two hours before they could get a signal to call for help. Fortunately, the Coast Guard crew in a 47 foot motor life boat found them by listening for their whistle and no one was injured.
E) It should come as no surprise. Information based on registration data from 46 states showed that new boat sales posted significant declines in the first quarter of 2008. Boat sales fell an average of 20 per cent for all types and lengths of new recreational boats. Industry experts said the decline was a combination of tighter credit policies, lower housing values, record fuel prices, and lower consumer confidence.
F) Yesterday the Coast Guard observed Chatham Light's 200th birthday with an open house at the lighthouse that's there today. In 1808 the government built twin wooden lighthouses in Chatham. At the time, all lighthouse beacons were fixed white lights, so twin lights were needed to distinguish Chatham Light from Truro light.
G) In California, an environmental organization filed a lawsuit this week against the Coast Guard alleging that the agency did not do enough to protect whales from ship strikes. The lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity cites the deaths of three blue whales that died after colliding with ships in the Santa Barbara Channel in 2007. The group is asking the judge to order speed limits in the channel, and suggested installing buoys that could listen for whales and then alert ships in the area.
H) Scientists in Israeli agree fish farming is bad. The Israeli government ordered the Eliat Fish farms to shut down after scientists proved that the offshore fish pens caused irreversible damage to the marine environment, including some of the most biologically diverse coral reefs in the world. Marine biologists proved that the fish farms introduced non-native species into the water, and the feed and drugs put into the pens accumulated in heavy concentrations on the bottom of the sea.
I) The state of Florida just passed a law that prohibits the intentional feeding of pelicans. The law also prohibits the filleting of fish on the water. The leftover bones often get stuck in the pelican's throat, whereas a whole fish would slide right down. Officials said that the pelicans became so used to receiving food from the public, that they were going after fish being reeled in by the fishermen, sometimes swallowing the hook. The key word in the law is "intentional." It was not clear how the law will be enforced.
6/29/08
A) Brunswick Corporation, the nation's largest recreational boat builder, announced a huge layoff of its employees and a resizing of its boat companies. A total of 4000 employees are expected to receive pink slips and another four factories will close, in addition to the eight the company had closed since 2007. Brunswick's CEO Dusty McCoy said, "Retail unit sales of power boats in the United States have been in decline since late 2005; and the rate of decline is now accelerating." He pointed out that the total number of new power boats sold in the United States in 2007 were at their lowest point in more than 40 years. Brunswick plans to have 17 or fewer boat plants operating by the end of 2009. That is compared with the 29 it had in 2007.
B) NOAA announced that seven stocks of fish were removed from their overfishing list and no new stocks were added in their annual fishing report to Congress. The report also stated four other stocks had increased population levels and were no longer considered overfished, and still three other stocks were considered fully "rebuilt." Among the report's conclusions of the 244 stocks reviewed: 83 percent of them were not subject to overfishing while 17 percent of them were taken off the overfishing list in 2007, the largest number removed in a single year since NOAA has been compiling the report.
C) A nighttime boat crash with killed a passenger and critically injured the driver on New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee. The 37-foot Formula boat was on plane when it slammed into a pile of rocks. A third person on board was also injured, but her injuries were not as serious as the others. She told the state's Marine Patrol the three had been drinking at a restaurant before the crash. The boat's driver is the president of the New Hampshire Recreational Boaters Association who in the past has opposed implementing speed limits on the lake.
D) Also in New Hampshire, a kayak with fishing tackle and a bucket, but with no person in it, was found off the coast of New Hampshire. That kept the Coast Guard busy for several hours looking for a possible person in the water. Eventually, officials determined the empty kayak belonged to a local restaurant, whose owner claimed the kayak broke free from its mooring. The Coast Guard said even though there were no reports of a missing person, they had to conduct a search to be sure.
E) The Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster is still in the news. The long-running legal battle dates back to March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez crashed into a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil into the sea. It was the United States' worst oil disaster. Exxon appealed the 2.5 billion dollars in punitive damages it was ordered to pay to the Alaskan fishermen who were put out of work, and can you believe it, they just won their appeal. The US Supreme Court reduced the damage award from 2.5 billion dollars to 507 million dollars.
F) The Coast Guard announced the successful launch of 6 satellites equipped with automatic identification system technology capable of tracking and identifying ships as far as 2,000 nautical miles from U.S. coastlines. Officials expect the satellites to transmit data within the next three months, improving maritime domain awareness and homeland security.
G) Fourteen passengers on a seal watch boat off Monomoy Island witnessed a shark attack and kill a 3 - 400 pound seal. Monomoy is just off Chatham and is home to hundreds of seals as well as several species of sharks. The captain of the charterboat said he was sure the shark was a great white. He said the shark was 14 to 16 feet long. A New England Aquarium researcher said that this was totally normal, and that there have been more reports of sharks attacking seals near Monomoy Island in recent years.
H) A 252-foot Panamanian flagged freighter lost power in Miami Beach and ended up crashing into the Miami Beach Marina. The loaded freighter came out of the Miami River and maneuvered through Government Cut heading out to sea when it suddenly lost its power and steering. As it drifted out of control, it crashed through a break-wall surrounding the marina located just off the MacArthur Causeway in Miami Beach. One of the boats docked at the marina was completely destroyed, but fortunately, there were no reports of any injuries. Investigators said the accident could have been a lot worst if the freighter had crashed into causeway's bridge. Tugboats towed the freighter to a dock adjacent to the Miami Coast Guard station, where officials are determining the cause of the accident and the seaworthiness of the freighter.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a family on their boat in the Florida Keys said they saw six large duffel bags drop from a small white Cessna airplane into the water in front of them. The woman said at first she saw a huge splash in the water and thought it was a big fish. Then she saw another splash and realized bags were dropping from the sky. No sooner than she realized what was happening, her 61 year old husband immediately called the Coast Guard as he saw three apparent smugglers approach the bags. The Coast Guard, DEA, and State Police arrived quickly and apprehended the three suspects. Other boaters gathered around the scene to watch what they thought was a very big drug bust. However, the contents inside the bags turned out to be nothing more than sand. It took a while for the Coast Guard and federal agents to relax, but what they determined was the drop-off was part of a movie being made by an independent film company. The three suspects who had been detained were actors and released. No criminal charges were filed. The Coast Guard said the family who called them absolutely did the right thing, and they urge all boaters who see something suspicious to call them right away.
7/6/08
A) A 60-year-old Quincy man is missing at sea after he fell off a boat in Boston Harbor. The boat, a 34-foot Sea Ray named the Nina Maria out of Quincy, was in the area of Deer Island at the time of the accident heading toward Boston from the Winthrop Yacht Club. There were 8 persons on board, yet the missing man's disappearance went unnoticed for several minutes. After the Coast Guard was notified, they searched with boats and aircraft, but shortly after the search began, a powerful thunder storm struck, forcing the Coast Guard helicopter to land and temporarily, suspending the search. The missing man was identified as Anthony Tufo, a longtime Quincy resident. He was reported to be in good physical shape and had finished the 2008 Boston Marathon. Even so, he was not wearing a lifejacket. The state police, Mass Port Authority, dive teams from the state police and the Boston fire department, and the Winthrop harbormaster participated in the search. Also numerous agencies supported the effort with shoreline searches.
B) A Coast Guard buoy tender and a ferry boat collided in pea soup fog about three miles off of Block Island. The ferry had 257 people plus its crew on board. The ferry boat's bow sustained a four foot long dent about two feet above the waterline, but neither vessel took on any water. The Coast Guard vessel, the Morro Bay, a 140-foot buoy tender, was on its way back to its home port, in New London, Conn., from Newport, Rhode Island. While there were only minor injuries reported, some of the cars aboard the ferry were damaged, and shellfish being transported to the island was spoiled while the Coast Guard conducted its preliminary 5 hour investigation. The Coast Guard made no comment as to which vessel had the right of way.
C) Two men working inside the engine room of a 36 foot shrinkwrapped boat were overcome by carbon monoxide. The incident happened at the Eagle Marine boat dealership near the Plymouth/Bourne town line. Fire officials said the men, a father and his son-in-law, had the engine running while the boat was completely covered with shrinkwrap. The men managed to get themselves out from the boat, but the older man was in and out of consciousness and the younger man was complaining of severe headaches. The shrink wrap on the boat was immediately removed and both men were taken to Falmouth Hospital.
D) NOAA Fisheries submitted their proposed rule for the federal recreational saltwater registry program which the federal government will be instituting starting in 2009. This registry will be free for two years but in 2011, there will be an annual fee. There is language in the proposed rule that allows for state anglers to be exempt from the registry requirement if their state has a similar registry-type system and the angler subscribes to that system.
E) A bill that would exempt recreational boaters from buying a federal water discharge permit is now stalled in Congress. The bill known as the Clean Boating Act of 2008 would reverse a judge's decision who ruled that recreational boats, including kayaks and canoes, would have to follow the same rules as freighters and tankers when discharging water from their bilges, engines, and even rain water from their decks. If Congress fails to act on this bill before their summer recess, complicated discharge regulations for pleasure boaters will go into effect October 1st. The Alaskan senator, who has stopped the bill in its tracks, said she will not back down unless commercial fishing boats were also exempt.
F) The high price of gas and diesel fuel is hitting mariners hard. Fishermen, pleasure boaters, charter boats, whale watch boats, and marine dealers are all hurting. New boat sales are off by more than 22 per cent. The high price of fuel is also making tourists pay more. The Steamship Authority raised the price of its tickets, adding as much as $2 to one-way fares on its ferries. A fuel surcharge has also been added to whale watch boat and party boat tickets.
G) And in a related story, with lobster and codfish prices dropping, more and more commercial fishermen are refusing to leave the dock. Combine the lower fish prices and the government regulations restricting the number of days they can fish and the high fuel costs, fishermen claim it doesn't pay for them to leave the dock. One fisherman exclaimed that they always thought regulations would do them in, but now it's the rising cost of fuel that is the final nail in the coffin.
H) Rockland, Maine is the newest community that has received the designation of a Coast Guard city. Only nine other communities in the United States have the designation of a "Coast Guard City." Rockland, Maine was nominated by Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen. The designation is aimed at recognizing cities that have regularly reached out to Coast Guard members assigned to their area and made them feel at home. The only other Coast Guard Cities are Eureka, Calif.; Mobile, Ala.; Morgan City, La.; Wilmington, N.C.; Newport, Ore.; Alameda, Calif.; Grand Haven, Mich, and Kodiak, Alaska.
I) Thirty thousand Atlantic salmon escaped from a Canadian fish farm on the west coast. The breakout from the ocean net pen was large enough to threaten the wild salmon stock that it was intended to save. Fish farmers found that an anchor securing the net pen dragged, pulling a corner of the pen far enough below the surface for the fish to swim away. Fish farmers said more than a million dollars worth of farm raised escaped into the wild.
J) And last on today's nautical news, Earthrace, the carbon fiber, biodiesel fuel, trimaran wave piercing boat, broke the world's speed record for a powerboat circumnavigating the world. It beat the previous record by almost 14 days. It took Earthrace 60 days 23 hours and 49 minutes to travel 24,000 nautical miles around the world fueled exclusively by biodiesel fuel. Its mission was to demonstrate the efficiency of biodiesel fuel, and draw global attention to the potential of this potential fuel. This was Earthrace's second attempt to break the speed record and it was largely uneventful. You might recall it had numerous mechanical and legal problems when it made its attempt to the break the record last year.
7/13/08
A) The body of 59-year-old Quincy court officer Anthony "Tony" Tufo, who drowned after falling from a boat in Boston Harbor on July 3rd, was recovered yesterday morning, some 10 days later. A Coast Guard spokesperson said a "good Samaritan" came across the body in the harbor near the airport. State police transported the remains to the Medical Examiner's office for further investigation. Tufo was aboard the 34 foot boat named Nina Maria with 7 other people when he went overboard in relatively calm seas. The skipper of the boat was Weymouth attorney Joseph Flaherty. Flaherty previously was commander of the state police homicide unit before he retired from that position.
B) This past week, the town of Scituate joined New Bedford and Gloucester to participate in what is called the Fishing for Energy" program. Commercial fisherman from Scituate and maybe surrounding ports can now sell abandoned nets, traps, and other debris pulled out of the water, to an energy company that turns the trash into electricity. Covanta Energy of Fairfield, New Jersey, along with NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation organized the program. In the past, fishermen either threw the trash back into the water or brought it home and disposed of it at their own expense. A spokesperson from the energy company estimated that one ton of marine debris could generate enough fuel to power a home for 25 days.
C) Coast Guard Station Chatham just accepted delivery of the newest boat of its kind in the Coast Guard fleet. It is a brand new 42-foot gray and orange search-and-rescue boat. Its hull is an inflatable, but its superstructure is aluminum. The boat is so new that the crew at Station Chatham will be helping to write its user manual. The new search-and-rescue craft is designed to carry 14 to 20 people and has a watertight hold under the bow for survivors of an accident. The aluminum cabin is also watertight and the boat is self-righting. The boat is fully computerized and has no steering wheel - just a joy stick.
D) After searching day and night, the Coast Guard suspended its search for a 65-year-old man who fell off his 32 foot sailboat near the Sakonnet River in Rhode Island. The mission has now changed to a search and recovery instead of a search and rescue. The man's wife radioed a mayday after she saw her husband fall overboard. It was reported that her husband had been hit in the head by the boom of the sailboat and knocked off the boat. He was not wearing a life jacket.
E) The red tide that infected Boston Harbor and Quincy Bay for the first time in more than three decades has now dissipated. The toxic algae has gone away. Boston, Quincy Bay, and many other South Shore and Cape Cod communities have re-opened for shellfishing. The recent closings cost shellfishermen in Massachusetts about $1 million over the last six weeks.
F) A national consumer advocacy group called Food & Water Watch is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over an underwater experiment in Buzzards Bay. The group wants to stop fish farmers and scientists from training juvenile black sea bass to return every day to a dome-shaped structure anchored on the bottom of Buzzards Bay to be caught. The trained fish are supposed to return to the dome to eat whenever they hear a special underwater tone. If the experiment is successful, fish farmers would no longer need nets or pens to catch fish. The fish would live in the wild and return to the dome to eat upon hearing the special sound. In their lawsuit, the Food & Water Watch group claimed the health and genetic diversity of the wild fish populations would be impacted if the farm-raised fish and a wild, natural mated.
G) July 23 marks the 52nd year that Harvey's Salt Water Fishing Club in Quincy has invited local disabled veterans to go fishing in Boston Harbor. Most of the veterans come from the area's Veterans Administration hospitals. For many of them, this is the one day they spend outside the hospital. After they return from fishing, a sit down dinner is served at the Quincy Yacht Club. Everything is donated, including the boats and fuel. Many of the boats come from Hingham and Hull, thanks to the Boston Harbor Lobstermen's Association.
H) Police on Cape Cod urged boat owners to secure their marine electronics. There has been a rash of thefts involving chartplotters and GPS electronics left on boats docked at the marinas. At least four units were reported stolen in the past couple of weeks. Some of the units can sell for thousands of dollars.
I) Eating popular farm raised fish such as tilapia or catfish may actually be bad for your heart because the fish contain low levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and high levels of unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids. New research suggests that farm raised fish could be particularly bad for patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma, or other diseases involving overactive inflammatory responses. Scientists claim that fish farmers feed their fish food that's inexpensive, and the food doesn't allow the fish to develop healthy omega-3s.
J) And last but definitely not least on today's nautical news, a very large shark, possibly a great white, was spotted by a lifeguard off South Beach on Martha's Vineyard, the same place where the movie Jaws was filmed. Moments later, a pilot spotted the same shark and estimated it to be 20 - 25 feet long. Everyone at the beach was ordered out of the water, but not everyone obeyed. The Edgartown Harbor Master told reporters that "this indeed was a large shark" and then went out in his boat to search for the animal. An airplane was brought in by the state to help in the search. So far, no further sightings of the monster shark have been reported, but the seals are plentiful and that's what sharks like to eat.
7/20/08
A) A 60 foot powerboat and a 30 foot sailboat collided in Buzzards Bay on Friday afternoon resulting in one person falling overboard and drowning. The 60-foot powerboat is named Reasons and Coast Guard documents show its homeport is Gloucester. The 30 foot sailboat is named the Padanaram and had two persons on board. The skipper on the powerboat called a mayday. The Coast Guard immediately dispatched two cutters, a 25-foot response boat from Station Menemsha, and a
helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod. The crew aboard the 25-foot boat recovered the person in the water and transported him a waiting ambulance in New Bedford. He was identified as 64 year old David J. Walsh, a South Dartmouth resident. Doctors at St. Luke's Hospital pronounced David Walsh dead. His crewmate was also being treated at St. Luke's Hospital, but officials said he escaped serious injury because he was in the cabin below when the accident happened. The powerboat and its crew of three were met by the New Bedford Police and the Massachusetts Environmental Police who are conducting the investigation. Both boats were towed to the Fairhaven Shipyard and Marina and hauled out of the water. While it was unclear what led to the collision, a friend of the sailors told reporters that it was his understanding that the powerboat ran up over sailboat's stern.
B) Twenty-eight passengers and five crew members were ordered off the Capt. John & Son party fishing boat when heavy black smoke came pouring out of the engine room. At the time, the boat was about six miles off the Gurnet Lighthouse in Plymouth. Initial reports said the 85-foot-long vessel was on fire, but that wasn't the case. Many of the passengers who were transferred off to a Capt John whale watch boat decided to go on the whale watch trip instead of fishing. However, all the passengers were given a credit to go aboard on another fishing trip. No injuries were reported, and the Coast Guard escorted the distressed vessel back to its dock.
C) The 22nd annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament sponsored by the Boston Big Game Fishing Club got underway this weekend despite protests from the Humane Society. 201 boats registered for the tournament at $1,375 per boat, making it the largest shark tournament in the world, and Steven James, the organizer of the tournament, estimated the three-day event brings about $3 million to the Martha's Vineyard economy. James said the environmentalists come to the tournament just to raise money and push their propaganda without having the facts. A spokesperson with the NOAA's fisheries division said that the three species of sharks taken in the Martha's Vineyard tournament - porbeagle, threshers and mako - are under no federal prohibitions, and all shark tournaments are sanctioned and scrutinized by the National Marine Fisheries. By the way, this weekend's winning shark was a 399-pound thresher shark caught by the boat named Waterbury.
D) Scientists confirmed that it was indeed a great white shark that washed up on a beach in Nantucket earlier this week. The 6½-foot-long female shark is the first great white to come ashore on a Massachusetts beach in at least two decades according to a state official. A necropsy was performed to determine the cause of the shark's death. Marine biologists said they also counted the rings on a section of the shark's backbone to determine its age and analyzed its stomach contents to see what it was eating.
E) The Coast Guard began searching for the owner of an adrift paddle boat after it was found off the coast of Maine by a passing boater. Inside the boat was a backpack and two books which gave the appearance that a person might have fallen overboard. The next day, the Coast Guard received a call from the owner of the boat reporting that her boat had broken loose from its mooring. She had no idea the Coast Guard had found her boat and was searching for her. Officials said all mariners should check their vessels whenever severe weather strikes. Many vessels end up reported as unmanned and adrift after storms go through an area, and the Coast Guard responds to those reports just like all other distress calls.
F) According to the latest numbers reported by NOAA Fisheries, recreational fishermen caught more than 468 million fish in 2007. That is down slightly from last year's historic high of 475 million fish, but still the second highest recreational catch total in the last ten years. However, of the 468 million fish caught, 272 million fish were released back into the wild. The numbers show that recreational fishermen are catching about 27 percent more fish than a decade ago, but are releasing more fish than they keep. NOAA's Fisheries Service claim these statistics were compiled from in-person and telephone interviews with recreational fishermen.
G) For the eighth year in a row, New Bedford is America's number one commercial fishery port based on the dollar value of fish caught by New Bedford fishing boats. A total of 268 million dollars of fish were landed last year, down slightly from 2006. Officials say the high value of scallops is what keeps New Bedford number one. Five of the country's top 10 ports were in Alaska, and by the way, Gloucester was ranked number 14 in the nation.
H) And in a related story, the latest report on seafood consumption showed Americans ate slightly less seafood in 2007 compared to the previous year - 16.3 pounds of fish and shellfish per person, down from 16.5 pounds. Americans' favorite seafood was shrimp. Canned tuna was America's second favorite.
7/27/08
A) Good news for boaters. Congress passed "The Clean Boating Act of 2008" and if signed by the President, it will overturn a judge's decision that required recreational boaters to purchase a federal water discharge permit. Congressional leaders who wanted the same results for commercial fishing boats also got relief, getting a 2-year moratorium on the EPA's current regulations for commercial vessels under 79'.
B) The Massachusetts legislature has again approved a bill that would require state licensed pilots and tugboats to escort all oil shipments transiting Buzzards Bay. It now awaits the Governor's signature. A similar bill passed last year was struck down in federal court after the Coast Guard brought a lawsuit claiming the state violated interstate commerce laws and usurped the Coast Guard's authority. However, the state filed an appeal and the case is still pending. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard began requiring single-hulled oil barges to use federally licensed pilots and tug escorts in Buzzards Bay, but their rule does not apply to double-hulled vessels. A lawyer for the shipping industry predicted more legal problems for the state if the Governor signs the bill.
C) And in Washington, the Senate is now debating new safety rules for large, commercial fishing boats. The House already passed the bill. The new law calls for large commercial fishing boats to be inspected by the Coast Guard twice every five years, the same as cargo ships and ferry boats. Until now, safety inspections of fishing boats have been voluntary. The chief of the Coast Guard's Fishing Vessel Safety Division said most deaths that occur on fishing boats are caused by flooding and sinking because of poor maintenance.
D) Investigators of a fatal boat accident that happened in Buzzards Bay last week hope to find clues in the computer and global positioning system records on board the two boats involved. The boats' electronics, the hard drives and GPS systems on both boats, are being examined. Somehow, the 63 foot powerboat ran over the stern of a 35 foot sailboat, knocking the sailor overboard, killing him. Investigators believe they know who was at the helm of the powerboat named Reasons moments before the accident, but they are not saying. On board the powerboat were three people, the husband and wife and a 14 year old boy believed to be the couple's grandson.
E) The Coast Guard received a cell phone call from a 68 year-old sailor reporting that he was alone on his sailboat and lost off the coast of southern Maine. He said he survived the violent storms, but his boat had torn sails and a disabled engine. He said visibility was poor in heavy rain and lightning was all around him. He gave the coordinates of his location from his GPS, but when the Coast Guard arrived in that area, there was no sign of him or his 30-foot sailboat. After further communication by cell phone, the Coast Guard watch stander was able to determine the man's location with help from the wireless provider. The location was about seven and a half miles northeast from where the sailor originally reported. The sailor was found and the Coast Guard towed his boat back to port. This was the third time in 36 hours that this sailor needed assistance at sea. The first incident required his vessel be towed back to port by a fishing boat. The second time his family reported they had lost communication with him and were concerned he may be in trouble.
F) Officials are warning lobster lovers to avoid eating the green stuff called tomali inside the lobster. The recent red tide outbreak is to blame. Lobstermen are worried that consumers will misconstrue the information and avoid eating lobsters all together. They want you to know that everyone agrees that the lobster meat itself is perfectly safe to eat. Only the tomalley, which some seafood lovers view as a delicacy, could contain high levels of toxins and pollutants. The director of the Massachusetts Bureau of Environmental Health said she has warned people for years to keep away from tomalley. Health officials in Maine have issued similar warnings.
G) State police are warning boaters about "boating under the influence" or BUI. The legal limit for blood alcohol concentration in Massachusetts is the same as that when operating a car or truck. You are considered legally drunk when your blood alcohol concentration is .08 percent or higher. This is the standard used around the United States. Many boaters do not know that if you are convicted of boating under the influence, you can lose your automobile driver's license, your boat's registration, and face jail time. In Massachusetts, by boating on the state's public waterways, you have already given "implied consent" to submit to a breathalyzer test. If you refuse the test, you will lose your license.
H) Remember the story about the Miami charter boat named Joe Cool? Two men chartered the boat for a day of fishing, and when aboard the boat, ordered the captain to take them to Cuba. The captain refused, so the two shot him, and then killed the crew. The two had no idea how to operate the boat, so abandoned ship and got into the dinghy. When they were discovered a short distance away from the Joe Cool, they told authorities that the boat was hijacked by Cubans and they escaped. Well, one of the men just pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder as part of a plea agreement that would send him to prison for the rest of his life. The other murderer still awaits trial and faces the death penalty.
I) The marine industry's first fiberglass hybrid boat has been seen cruising around New England. It is a 14-foot Scout Hybrid powered by a pair of stern-mounted electric drives and three deep-cycle batteries. The boat is steered with a joystick. A gasoline-powered, 20-horsepower outboard is mounted for times when greater speed or range is desired. Is the gas-electric Scout Boat hybrid an early waterborne version of the popular Toyota Prius? The boat, which sells for roughly $12,000, was introduced last fall as a marketing tool for the South Carolina-based boat builder.
8/4/08
A) A Houston man has become the 15th diver to die exploring the wreck of the ocean liner Andrea Doria. Terry DeWolf, 38 years old, who paid a New Jersey dive boat to take him to the wreck, failed to surface. He was eventually found on the bottom near the wreck by other divers aboard the dive boat named John Jack. Officials said the man had extensive dive certifications and was quite experienced. The Andrea Doria sank July 25, 1956, after colliding in fog with the Swedish liner Stockholm. It lies on its side in 250 feet of water 40 miles south of Nantucket, and divers consider the wreck the Mount Everest for advanced shipwreck divers.
B) The kidnapping of a little girl in Boston by her father last week put the Coast Guard into action after reports of the father trying to leave the country on a 72 foot yacht. The man and the girl were earlier seen in New York, and officials were told that the father recently purchased a 72 foot catamaran that was also somewhere in New York. The name of the yacht was Serenity. Coast Guard Falcon jets searched Long Island Sound and nearby marinas looking for the yacht. It was believed to be heading for Bermuda or the Bahamas, but then an anonymous tip came in and police were told the man and girl were in an apartment in Baltimore, near a marina. Officials located a 26 foot catamaran and determined it belonged to the father. Investigators tricked Rockefeller out of the apartment and away from the child by calling him and telling him that his boat was sinking. He immediately went to the boat and was quickly arrested.
C) The Coast Guard rescued three crewmen from a Cape Cod tugboat that caught fire as it escorted a barge through Buzzards Bay. The call for help from the tugboat's crew came in about one o'clock in the morning. Nobody was injured, and no pollution resulted from the fire. The crew on the tugboat did everything they could to prevent the fire from spreading to the barge which was carrying very flammable asphalt. The crew closed the engine room doors, activated their onboard fire extinguishing system, and immediately called the Coast Guard.
D) It is official. President Bush signed into law the Clean Boating Act of 2008 this week. The Act exempts recreational boats from a judge's decision which mandated recreational boaters to obtain federal water discharge permits the same as owners of tankers and freighters have to do.
E) The Senator whose name is half of the nation's fisheries management act, Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska, is scheduled to be arraigned this week in a federal court on charges that he lied on his Senate financial disclosure forms. Stevens is the co-author of the Magnuson-Stevens act. The 84 year old Stevens, who is seeking an eighth term in November, is expected to plead not guilty to charges that he didn't disclose more than $250,000 worth of gifts and services from an Alaskan oil services corporation that did renovations on his home near Anchorage.
F) Prices for lobsters have dropped due to declining demand and the economy is to blame. Wholesalers and retailers say more consumers are sticking to cheaper backyard barbecues rather than going out to eat. According to one supplier, summertime demand for lobsters is pretty good seven days a week, but it seems now only Friday, Saturday and Sundays are busy. Also, the Food and Drug Administration's warning about not eating the tomalley might have scared away some customers, especially the foreign tourists. People should know that lobster meat is very safe to eat. The warnings apply only to the green stuff inside the lobster known as tomalley.
G) The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is looking for two people to serve on its volunteer advisory council. Council members serve for two or three-year terms, according to the council's charter. The council was established in 2001 to assure continuous public participation in the management of the sanctuary. Headquarters for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary are located in Scituate, Massachusetts. Completed applications must be received before the September 15th deadline.
H) And last on today's nautical news, the wreck of a Greek boat dating back to 500BC that was found off the coast of Sicily in 1988 has finally been brought back up to the surface. Twenty ships were involved in the operation to carefully salvage the ship. Experts said the ship is in an excellent state of preservation. The 68 foot long wooden Greek boat will be desalinated in huge freshwater tanks before being sent to Britain where it will be completely restored by archaeologists.
8/10/08
A) At least four people died during South Florida's two-day lobster season this past week. Florida officials said four is the average death toll for this annual event. Every year, Florida opens its waters for two days to recreational divers to catch lobsters before their commercial lobster season starts, and almost every year, four out of hundreds of divers are killed. Officials said many of the divers are inexperienced, out-of-shape, or intoxicated.
B) The Coast Guard fired disabling shots into a suspicious boat's outboard engines off Fort Myers Beach, Florida, after the captain refused to stop on command. The brand new 28-foot Seafox was loaded with food, three jugs of water, several cases of soft drinks and more than 460 gallons of fuel. There was also a satellite telephone and a GPS unit. At the wheel of the boat was an 18-year-old Cuban refugee, who was allegedly homeless, jobless, and had no family nearby. He led the U.S. Coast Guard on a 26-minute chase 30 miles off the coast of Fort Myers Beach, ignoring commands to stop. The Coast Guard decided to end the chase by firing .50-caliber rounds at the boat's twin outboard engines. Officials believe he and his passenger were heading for Cuba to smuggle Cuban nationals to the States. The boat was then towed back to the Coast Guard station where U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were waiting to interrogate the two people on the boat. The Coast Guard said they were notified by the county sheriff's department after another boater became suspicious of the boat at the launch ramp after seeing the all the portable fuel tanks on the boat.
C) Scientists have recently identified a beach-dwelling ground beetle on the Boston Harbor Islands that has not been seen in North America for over 100 years. It is believed the beetle was brought to Boston from Europe in the 1800s via ballast water in ships.
D) NOAA weather forecasters said based on the current weather patterns, they expect at least two more named hurricanes to form in the Atlantic this year than they originally predicted in May. The latest prediction calls for up to 18 named storms with seven to ten of those storms expected to become hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs through the end of October.
E) Maverick Boat Co. announced it is closing its Cobia boat manufacturing plant in North Carolina. In a prepared statement, Maverick Boat CEO Scott Deal said, "Our country is in a recession and our industry is in a massive downturn. We expect market conditions to improve and plan to resume production the very minute conditions allow." Maverick Boat Company is also the parent company for Maverick and Pathfinder boats.
F) The Coast Guard is urging all owners of non-motorized, unregistered boats to use a waterproof permanent marker to label their boat with contact information. Although kayaks, canoes, rowboats, and even sailboats without a motor are not required by law to be registered, the Coast Guard said labeling the boat with identification information could save taxpayers thousands of dollars from conducting unnecessary searches looking for someone who might have fallen overboard. Since 2006, the First Coast Guard District has responded to about 600 calls that were eventually determined to be abandoned or adrift boats that involved no person in the water.
G) The U.S. Coast Guard celebrated its 218th birthday this past week with the commissioning of the first national security cutter, the Bertholf. The Bertholf is one of the most advanced military vessels in the world. Its homeport will be in Almeida, California.
H) The Borden Flats Lighthouse, situated about a half-mile from the Braga Bridge and Battleship Cove where the Taunton River meets Mount Hope Bay, is up for sale via an online auction. The lighthouse is listed as a 50-foot-high cast iron and brick Sparkplug light tower consisting of three floors with a total area of about 1,000 square feet. A tour of the lighthouse for prospective bidders is scheduled to take place on September 9th. The bidding, which began July 7, has seen only one bid so far, and that was for $10,000.
I) And last on today's nautical news, Edgartown harbor is not the once calm, peaceful bay it once was ever since a new opening to the harbor was created after an April, 2007, storm. The current is fierce, and the Edgartown harbormaster said there is at least one boat accident a day. Another surprise in the harbor is that beachgoers in Edgartown are finding WWII bombs washing up on the beaches. Signs have been posted on nearby Chappaquiddick, urging everyone in capital letters, not to touch the rusted bombs, which are small, conical-shaped missiles that are possibly still live. One local said combine these events with the recent shark scare and the summer of 2008 in Edgartown is one to remember.
8/16/08
A) Robert Harvey, a Weymouth iron worker, was killed when a section of a 150-ton leg of the crane at the former Quincy Shipyard called Goliath, gave way and fell on the man. The investigation into the accident is now being handled by OSHA. A member of a nearby yacht club said the collapse sounded like an explosion. The 30 story crane was a South Shore landmark since its construction in the mid-1970s. The crane is capable of lifting a 1,200 ton ship and is about 320 feet tall. Norsar, an international company with offices in Seattle, is in charge of moving the crane, which was said to have been purchased by a corporation called Daewoo Heavy Industries. The crane was being disassembled to be placed on a barge and shipped to a yard in Romania. In January 2005, the shipyard property was the scene of another accident when a craneway collapsed killing two men and injuring four others. That craneway was also in the process of being dismantled when it collapsed on workers removing asbestos from a ground level room.
B) Although Gloucester fishermen were mad to have lost fertile fishing grounds to the two LNG terminals built offshore just north of Boston, they are grateful for the $12.6 million mitigation payment from the two energy companies. The $12.6 million will be used to create the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund which will be key to keeping them in business. Twenty-five years ago in Gloucester harbor, there were almost 1,000 fishermen working on 250. Today, there are 88 ground-fish boats.
C) The Bush administration is proposing a major change that would weaken the Endangered Species Act, and his proposal requires no Congressional approval. The new plan eliminates independent scientific reviews that were previously required. Instead, individual federal agencies would determine whether protected species would be endangered by government projects such as dams and highways.
D) Remember the story a few weeks ago about a powerboat running over a sailboat in Buzzards Bay killing the sailor and injuring a passenger on board? Bristol County District Attorney announced that the skipper of that powerboat will be charged with vehicular homicide - in this case homicide by vessel. If found guilty of the misdemeanor crime, the skipper of the powerboat faces no less than 30 days or more than 30 months in prison, a fine up to $3,000, mandatory loss of his automobile driver's license for 10 years, and loss of his boat registration. A three-week investigation conducted by the State Environmental Police concluded that the 60 year old owner was at the helm of the power boat when it struck the stern of the sailboat. A spokesman for the district attorney's office, said alcohol use wasn't involved in the crash.
E) The Coast Guard is investigating a growing number of missing metal sound signals from buoys along the New England coastline, especially in Maine. At least seven buoys have had their bells and gongs removed and investigators suspect they are being stolen and sold to either nautical novelty shops or scrap metal yards. In either case, the bells could fetch hundreds of dollars apiece. As a deterrent, Coast Guard intelligence officials are working closely with local shops and scrap yards to identify missing property. If someone is convicted of the theft, they would be liable for the cost of repair and punished under federal law with fines of up to $2,500 and imprisonment of up to one year. Of course, vandalized navigational aids put mariners in danger. A Coast Guard spokesman said, "It can be compared to someone stealing the traffic lights on a busy main street. These signals are there to warn mariners of hazards. Both the visual and audible signals are critical to the safe navigation of vessels, from large tanker ships to fishing and recreational crafts."
F) In one of the strangest boating accidents of the year, a boat mechanic in Missouri suffocated to death after the outboard motor he was working on moved upward, pinning him between the motor and the tow bar on the back of a boat. EMTs said the mechanic was trapped for at least 25 minutes before they freed him.
G) Hatteras Yachts and Albemarle sportfishing boats announced this week the elimination of about 325 jobs from their North Carolina plants effective immediately. A corporate official with Hatteras said, "As with most other U.S. boat makers, Hatteras and Albermarle have been doing their best to confront a weak domestic marine industry." Hatteras and Albemarle also plan a reduction in the number of 2009 models built. The parent company of the two boat companies is Brunswick Corp.
H) Massachusetts Lt. Governor Timothy Murray wanted to see first hand what fishermen were talking about when they complained about fishery regulations that would further limit the number of dogfish that could be caught, so he went aboard a fishing boat. Fishermen complained that the dogfish are so abundant that they are preventing them from catching cod and haddock. The fishermen dropped 300 hooks on 1500 feet of line in the water, and within 10 minutes, 300 dogfish were hauled in. Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray said, "They made their point!" Dogfish is another name for sand sharks.
I) Last on today's nautical news, an historic Nantucket lightship, #LV-112, can be bought for $1 if you have the money to restore it. The 149 foot lightship, built in 1936, was anchored about 50 miles off Nantucket to warn ships coming to America of nearby treacherous shoals. There were several Nantucket lightships, but there hasn't been one on the island since the LV-112 left in 1969. The lighthship is currently owned by the National Lighthouse Museum in New York, but the museum has left the ship moored and unattended for the past 4 years in Oyster Bay, New York.
8/24/08
A) A teenager was injured after he lost his balance on a tube being towed by a 20-foot motorboat. As he was trying to get back on to the boat, he slipped and his legs went under the boat's propellers. The 16-year-old was immediately pulled aboard and taken to a waiting medflight helicopter which flew him to a Boston hospital. The Coast Guard and State Police found "no negligence" in the skipper's actions. It was just an accident.
B) A public hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th at 6PM at the Radisson Hotel in Plymouth Harbor to accept comments on the Division of Marine Fisheries proposal to prohibit any person from harvesting cod from the Cod Conservation Zone during December and January. This proposal shortens the closed period which has been in place since 2005 by eliminating cod fishing during the month of February. Also, the Division of Marine Fisheries is proposing to extend the moratorium for an additional three years on the harvest, sale, or possession of river herring.
C) Cameras could soon be recording boat traffic throughout all of Narragansett Bay. The city of Providence and defense contractor Raytheon Co. reached an agreement to install four more cameras along with radar. The cameras would be used to monitor boat traffic and to keep a watch on large ships carrying hazardous cargo. The state's Department of Environmental Management already monitors movement in southern Narragansett Bay and has done so since 2006. A Department of Homeland Security grant paid for three-quarters of the project. A lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union said the use of the cameras could raise legal issues if the cameras have the ability to spy on people.
D) A Hull sailor was pulled from the water by the Coast Guard as he was clinging to his small boat's submerged mast in Hull Bay, not too far from the Pt Allerton Coast Guard station. No injuries were reported. A Coast Guard officer said that the sailor's life jacket definitely helped save the person's life. The water temperature was in the high 60's and the closest shore was about 500 yards away.
E) "Semi-submersibles" with the same characteristics as military submarines, are the latest tools for smugglers. So far this year, the Coast Guard has encountered at least 27 such vessels headed toward United States. Far more are believed to have gone undetected. They are extremely difficult to detect from surveillance aircraft or patrol boats. Their sleek design, up to 80 feet in length, can secretly carry several tons of cargo thousands of miles. Counterterrorism officials fear that what drug runners now use to deliver cocaine, terrorists could one day use to sneak personnel or massive weapons into the United States.
F) The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has enacted new rules requiring sharks caught from Maine to Florida to be "landed whole" with their fins attached. Earlier this year, the National Marine Fisheries Service also approved new rules requiring all federally permitted shark fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to land sharks with their fins attached. Recent estimates show that over 70 million sharks annually were being slaughtered around the world just for their fins because of the high value of shark fins. Shark fin soup is considered a delicacy in Asia.
G) Two teenage students uncovered fish fraud in New York stores and restaurants. The two purchased 60 fish samples from New York City stores and restaurants and sent them for DNA testing. Nearly 25% of them turned out to be falsely labeled as a more expensive type of fish. Several restaurants sold cod as red snapper. Another restaurant sold tilapia as sushi. The students findings were published in the New York Times. It was unclear whether or not the store and restaurant managers mislabeled their fish or whether they were fooled by their suppliers.
H) The CAT, the high-speed ferry between Maine and Nova Scotia is cutting back service due to higher fuel costs and fewer travelers. Bay Ferries announced that after Labor Day it will reduce the number of weekly round trips from seven to five, and will be suspending its service on October 5th, nine days earlier than planned. The company said it will be contacting passengers who have already booked for the canceled period to offer them a discount for an alternative time or to cancel the reservations.
I) And last on today's nautical news, the Director of the Coast Guard Auxiliary said Sector Boston has approved the Tilley Hat to be worn by auxiliarists on operational patrols. The only restriction is that the hat cannot be worn when interacting with the public.
8/31/08
A) Relief is on the way for Massachusetts commercial fishermen. The state has begun disbursing some $13.4 million in federal aid to the struggling industry. The bulk of the funds--$11.3 million--will go to about 500 commercial fishing permit holders whose businesses lost twice that amount because of government groundfishing restrictions. On the South Shore, fishermen in Scituate, Marshfield, and Plymouth are expected to receive a little more than a million dollars of the money. Groundfish include traditional New England fish such as cod, haddock and flounder. The state also plans to contribute $650,000 toward health insurance benefits for fishermen and their families.
B) NOAA Fisheries Service and the Coast Guard are warning boaters to watch out for leatherback sea turtles, which are crowding waters off southeastern Massachusetts. Nearly 100 sightings of the rare turtle have been reported by boaters since June. The turtle is the world's largest reptile and can grow to over six feet and 2,000 pounds.
C) Off the coast of Cape Cod, the Coast Guard rescued three teenagers and an adult after they jumped from their boat to go swimming, but got caught in a current that carried them away from their boat. One of the teenager's fathers, the operator of the boat, jumped in after them with lifejackets when he realized the kids were in distress. The remaining person on board the boat called 911 and the call was relayed to the Coast Guard in Woods Hole. Air Station Cape Cod also responded with a helicopter and rescue swimmer and about 2 hours later, located the four people in the water. The helicopter crew hoisted the three youths and transported them to Air Station Cape Cod. The teenagers were hypothermic, but otherwise OK. The man was able to swim safely back to his boat.
D) A 55-year-old lobsterman who fell off his boat said he was swimming for more than two hours before he was rescued by a passing boater. The lobsterman told police he was out checking his lobster pots when he accidentally fell into Cape Cod Bay. He swam for 2½ hours before a 9-year-old boy and his father passing nearby in a small boat spotted him in the water. The boy and his father pulled the lobsterman out of the water and then notified authorities
E) New England fishermen face the possibility of even tougher fishing restrictions after a long-awaited report was released that showed "slow to no" improvement in many key fish stocks. However, the report, prepared by federal fishery scientists, had some good news showing an abundance of haddock and strong growth in Gulf of Maine cod. The entire report will be presented this Wednesday in Providence at a meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council. Priscilla Brooks of the Conservation Law Foundation called for tougher fishing regulations while Jackie Odell of the Northeast Seafood Coalition said the report's estimates were just guesses and shouldn't be used to toughen rules on an industry that's barely hanging on.
F) A federal plan to help further protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale in waters along the East Coast between Georgia and Cape Cod could become effective in 90 days. The North Atlantic right whales migrate annually between their Atlantic breeding grounds off the coast of Georgia to feeding areas off of Cape Cod, and one or two are killed each year by ship strikes according to a NOAA administrator. The head of NOAA said a speed limit of 10 knots would be implemented for ships 65 feet and longer that travel through the whale's breeding and feeding areas. However, all federal vessels would be exempt from the speed limit.
G) About 40 artists have spread out across Bumpkin Island for Labor Day weekend as part of a special event called the Bumpkin Island Art Encampment that features paintings, sculptures, and performances. The event is said to be one of the biggest events of the year that takes place at the Harbor Islands National Park. Bumpkin Island is one of the Boston Harbor Islands and is located off the town of Hull. To get there, ferries are available from various locations including Hingham, Quincy, and Boston.
H) Former Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos has brought an original and only remaining Coast Guard certified WWII PT boat in the country to Hyannis Harbor to raise money for the Nantucket Soundkeepers. The Nantucket Soundkeepers is a nonprofit group that opposes the Cape Wind project. According to one historian, twelve PT boats remain in the world, but only one remains seaworthy and that is the one visiting Hyannis. The boat was also used in the 1960s television comedy "McHale's Navy." Tours today will be at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. The PT 728 is docked behind Baxter's Fish & Chips.
I) And last on today's nautical news, house cats may pose a bigger risk to the world's fish stocks than humans according to some researchers who claim cats consume more than two million tons of seafood a year. The global cat food industry used an estimated 2.48 million tons of sardines, herring, and anchovies annually with nearly half that amount being consumed by cats in the United States. A fish nutritionist said American cats eat better than their owners.
9/08/08
A) As Tropical Storm Hanna approached New England, the Coast Guard warned mariners by broadcasting on the VHF/FM radio to seek shelter from the storm. Also, jet planes from Air Station Cape Cod broadcast similar warnings to mariners offshore. Commanding Officer Thomas Guthlein from Station Point Allerton said a 47-foot boat with a fully qualified heavy weather crew would be ready to respond to any emergency. For those boaters who were not underway, the Coast Guard urged them to make sure their boats were properly secured and not stay on their boats. One senior officer said "you can replace boats but not lives."
B) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new emission standards for all marine gasoline engines. The new rules will go into effect in the year 2010. Furthermore, engines in personal watercraft will have to cut smog forming emissions by 70 percent and reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 20 percent. The new rules are also supposed to save millions of gallons of gas. According to the EPA, in order for the boat manufacturers to meet these new emission standards, catalytic converters will probably be used for the first time in many boats.
C) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is requesting federal disaster aid for shellfishermen hurt by this year's red tide. The Governor asked the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare a commercial fishery failure in order to prevent a collapse of the industry. More than 600,000 acres of shellfish areas between the North Shore and Cape Cod were poisoned by the red tide algae causing an estimated overall economic loss of $7 million.
D) The Coast Guard rescued three boaters in their early 20s after their 16-foot catamaran capsized in Nantucket Sound, about one and a half miles off the coast of Harwichport. The three were in the water for more than half an hour trying to right the boat before using a cellphone in a zip lock plastic bag to call 911. Fortunately, the Coast Guard was conducting training exercises near Chatham at the time, so it took only about 15 minutes after the call came in before the three were rescued. No medical treatment was needed, but one official said it was a very close call describing the three as cold, very tired, and basically just holding on for dear life.
E) An MIT researcher has developed a self-propelling underwater cage that may help offshore fish farms cut production costs and reduce environmental impact. Usually, offshore fish farms are repositioned by towboats. Cliff Goudey, director of MIT Sea Grant's Offshore Aquaculture Engineering Center in Cambridge recently tested his technology off the coast of Puerto Rico by fixing a pair of large, slow turning propellers to a fish cage 62 feet in diameter. Attached to the propellers were 6.2 horsepower motors. Goudey said he could maneuver the cage as if it were a remote controlled twin screw boat. He said that another big advantage of the propellers is that they move water through the cage, boosting oxygen levels, possibly allowing an increase in the number of fish in the cage. The project was funded by the NOAA's Marine Aquaculture Program.
F) Peter Duff, the co-founder of boatbuilder Edey & Duff Ltd. in Mattapoisett passed away last week at the age of 72. He co-founded Edey & Duff with Mait Edey in 1968, after building their first Stone Horse cruising sailboat, in Duff's living room and backyard. Since then, the company has built almost 1,200 boats. A memorial service will be held later this year.
G) A Rhode Island fisherman caught a 75.4 pound striped bass off Block Island setting a new record for that state. The fishermen said they were drifting eels in about 35 feet of water. However, the world record for the largest striped bass was set back in 1891 off the coast of North Carolina. It was caught in a net by a commercial fisherman and weighed an amazing 125 pounds.
H) And last on today's nautical news, Boston's first annual "Parade of Lights" happens tonight in Boston harbor starting at 7:30 by the airport. The parade route goes along the city's waterfront from Castle Island, South Boston to Charlestown. Organizers of the event said a "Parade of Lights" happens in many cities, so why not Boston? Boats of all sizes and shapes are invited to register for the parade with all of the proceeds going the Jimmy Fund!
9/14/08
A) Once again like in Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike has proved the Coast Guard's valor. More than a dozen helicopters took off from Coast Guard Air Stations Houston and Corpus Christi to fly around the clock rescuing people from rooftops. One official said as many as 37,000 people may need to be rescued. This is an "All Hands on deck evolution," said the Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston Commander. Every Coast Guardsman is dedicated to assisting people in distress, protecting the environment, and opening the port of Galveston as quickly as possible.
B) The Coast Guard released the names of the crew who were aboard the fatal helicopter crash that occurred last week 5 miles off the coast of Hawaii. One of the four crew was Joshua Nichols, a 27 year old Gloucester, Massachusetts resident. Nichols leaves behind his wife and a two month old son. The other three crewmembers also perished in the crash. The Coast Guard reported the helicopter crew was conducting a search and rescue drill along with a 47-foot Coast Guard boat at the time of the accident. This was the first fatal Coast Guard aviation mishap in Hawaii since 1982.
C) A Ukrainian man faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to charges that he failed to maintain accurate records about oil disposal from a ship on which he crewed. Oily bilge water was discharged into U.S. waters on two occasions without properly recording it. Federal prosecutors in Boston also said the crewman falsified information in the M/T Nautilus's oil record book.
D) The annual meeting of ICCAT, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, ended last week without final agreement on several key measures because of U.S. opposition. The U.S. delegation attending the ICCAT meeting in Spain was deeply disappointed that members ignored scientific advice to reduce catch of Atlantic bluefin tuna, then failed to finalize actions that would conserve and rebuild several Atlantic fish populations and better protect bycatch species such as sharks, sea turtles, and seabirds. Amazingly, despite protests from the United States, Canada, and Korea, the European Community wanted to raise the quota for Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna. The United States opposed the increase. Eastern Atlantic fishing activities have a significant impact on Western Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks. An independent study found that Atlantic bluefin travel throughout the entire North Atlantic and, in some cases, into the Mediterranean Sea.
E) As directed in the Oceans Act of 2008, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is undertaking a first in the nation effort to develop a comprehensive plan to manage development in the state's ocean waters. To keep the public fully informed in this process, public meetings will be held throughout the state. Three are planned for the South Shore. In Weymouth one will be held on September 29th at the Tufts Library. In Plymouth, a meeting will be held September 30th at the Plymouth Public Library, and in Norwell on October 1st at the South Shore Natural Science Center.
F) For many years, people worried about the conflict in the mid-east starting a world war. Now, people are worried a war could be started over oil in the Arctic. A senior US Coast Guard commander said that a conflict is likely to develop in the Arctic, unless disputes over international borders are resolved. Rear Admiral Gene Brooks, in charge of the Coast Guard's Alaska region said the potential for a conflict has become greater due to undetermined and expanding boundaries with the melting of the ice caps and the wealth of the area's oil. Russia has already staked the largest claim to the Arctic, planting a Russian flag at the North Pole, but Denmark, Norway, Canada, and the United States are all involved in border disputes as well. Even China has deployed a research ship to within 200 miles of the North Pole.
G) And last on today's nautical news, repeating a favorite line from a Disney movie helped a Florida father and his autistic son survive more than 15 hours treading water in the Atlantic Ocean. The 46 year old father said the call and response of a catchphrase from "Toy Story" kept the pair in touch as choppy waters pulled them apart. "To infinity," the father would yell. "And beyond," his 12 year old son would finish. The two kept repeating those phrases until they drifted so far apart they could no longer hear one another. The pair was swimming at Daytona Beach when the boy became caught in a current. His father went after him, and both were swept out to sea. Fortunately for them the water was a toasty 82 degrees. Fifteen hours later, the next day, some fishermen found the man 8 miles from shore. Two hours later, the Coast Guard found the boy. Other than some jellyfish stings, both father and son were OK.
9/21/08
A) The Lady Martha, the Hy-Line high-speed ferry boat which made five round trips a day between Oak Bluffs and Hyannis caught on fire just as it approached the dock. Smoke filled the cabin, but the 6 passengers made it to safety as the captain quickly docked the boat. The four crew members, including the captain, were taken to Cape Cod Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Witnesses said the crew members did a good job of maintaining calm and getting everyone off the boat. Officials said the fire started in the engine room after an oil filter seal burst, spraying oil onto the hot engines.
B) The 963 foot long QE 2 sailed into Boston Harbor for the 50th and last time this weekend during one of the vessel's final voyages around the world. A handful of spectators gathered at Castle Island in South Boston to watch the storied ship pass by. I watched it from Nantasket Beach. The 1778 passenger vessel is on a New England voyage to Halifax, Nova Scotia before eventually sailing to Dubai later this year, where the ship will be permanently docked and turned into a floating hotel and maritime museum. The ship was launched by Queen Elizabeth II in 1967.
C) Police say the death of an 81-year-old sailor whose body was found in Plum Island Sound was an accident. The man apparently drowned after falling into the water while trying to board his 40-foot sailboat from his rowboat. A lobsterman found the man's body in the water after the man's wife called authorities reporting her husband's row boat was adrift.
D) Oil and gas drilling would be banned on New England's Georges Bank if the Massachusetts delegation has its way on the new energy bill being considered in Washington. President Bush's energy bill ends a longtime moratorium on drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific waters, but Massachusetts congressmen claim that a ban is needed to protect the nation's most valuable fishing grounds, a vital part of the New England economy. However, those opposed to the ban point out that there has been a moratorium on fishing on much of Georges Bank for over a decade now, so question the delegation's comments about how vital fishing there is to the state's economy.
E) The 2008 retail market volume for big ticket items through June has been dismal. Boat dealers reported record low new boat sales. Fiberglass boats in the popular lengths of 14 to 30 feet, the most important market segment, were down dramatically from last year. However, dealers remained optimistic, hoping the worst is now behind them. Going into the fall boat show season, the price of fuel and interest rates on loans were dropping. Dealers claim there is no better time to buy a boat than now.
F) Famous yacht designer Olin J. Stephens passed away at the age of 100. His world renowned design firm of Sparkman & Stephens designed over 2,000 boats between 1930 and 1978, the year Olin retired. He designed 8 of the 9 defending America's Cup boats during that period. Olin Stevens and his younger brother Roderick were responsible for many design innovations in sailboats, including the skeg-mounted rudder which performed so successfully on the America's Cup boat Intrepid. Olin Stephens was the number 1 member in seniority at the New York Yacht Club. He was a member there for 78 years. The yachting world is mourning the loss of Olin Stephens.
G) The Coast Guard, with the help of the Navy, made a big drug bust on a submarine. The 59-foot, self-propelled semi-submersible was carrying 7 tons of cocaine with a street value of nearly $8½ million. The vessel was detected by a Navy aircraft that directed the Coast Guard Air Station Miami team to the vessel at the night. Authorities said when the smugglers realized there were people on their deck, they reversed their engines at high speed in an attempt to throw the crew into the water, but the Coast Guard officers were able to get inside the vessel before the craft sped off. Authorities believe the smugglers were trying to reach the U.S. from South America.
H) Remember the report about all the menhaden fish in Quincy Bay. For the past several years, people were asking where the menhaden were, because they are used for bait and are an important link in the food chain. Species like bluefish and striped bass love to eat menhaden. The answer given to where the menhaden were was that the menhaden fish were offshore. Now they are inshore again. So many of them that thousands of dead fish are washing ashore. And dead ones do not smell too good. Some believe that bluefish chase the menhaden into very shallow water where the oxygen level is low, and then the fish die.
I) A global survey found that fisheries managed with individual transferable quotas were half as likely to collapse as others. Scientists said giving fishermen long-term rights to catch fish is the key to keeping stocks healthy. Long-term quotas give fishermen a stake in conserving fish stocks. The study was published in the journal "Science."
J) And last on today's nautical news, there's a traditional bowl in Korea that locals say makes food safer, and they might be right. The bowl is made of almost 80 percent copper. Scientists claim that copper destroys bacteria in raw fish and shellfish and recommend placing a copper or brass plate in all tanks that contain fish destined for consumption. After almost two days of copper in the tank, 99.99 percent of the bacteria in the fish and shellfish was killed.
9/27/08
A) A 40-foot-long decomposed and deflated whale washed ashore on Manomet Beach in Plymouth. Authorities said the whale had been dead for quite some time and that there had been reports the past week of a dead whale floating in the area. NOAA, the New England Aquarium, the Coast Guard, and the Whale and dolphin Conservation society all responded to the scene. The stench from the decomposing whale forced some of the approximately 35 onlookers, including some children, to hold their noses as they got close to the mammal. Researchers were not sure how the whale died, but there were no signs of injury from of a ship strike or fishing gear entanglement.
B) In a related story to the dead whale, spectators were warned by the state's environmental police not to remove or take any of the whale's bones. It is a federal violation to possess any whale part or product. Violators are subject to a $10,000 fine. Only educational institutions that apply for a permit are allowed to possess whale bones. In the case of the dead whale on Manomet Beach, it is hoped that its skeleton will go on display at a museum or university.
C) It might be a mistrial for a Medway, Massachusetts man, who was at the helm of a go-fast boat that ran over a smaller 14 foot motorboat at night on Long Lake in Maine, killing two people. The jury found the man guilty of two counts of aggravated operating under the influence, but were unable to agree on a verdict on the two manslaughter counts. That is because the smaller boat displayed no lights. However, testimony at the trial revealed that the go fast boat was going as fast as "maybe 40 or 45 miles per hour" and the boat's top speed was 80 miles per hour.
D) It was a different story at a Florida murder trial. A 20-year-old Florida man was found guilty of murdering the captain and his crew aboard the charter boat "Joe Cool." His older accomplice was convicted of murder in a separate trial last month. The younger man's defense was that he was in the boat's bathroom when his friend shot the captain and three crewmembers. The pair had chartered the boat under the pretense of going fishing, but ordered the captain to take them to Cuba. When the captain refused, he and his mates were killed. The boat was found adrift, out of fuel, 17 miles from Cuba. The two murderers were found in a lifeboat still within sight of the charter boat. The Coast Guard said the two didn't seem very happy when they were rescued.
E) The 4th Annual Boston Harbor Islands Regatta, with Senator Edward Kennedy as the honorary Chair, happened yesterday despite the rain and fog. The Boston Harbor Islands Regatta is the largest sailboat race in Boston Harbor and is one of the major fundraisers for the Boston Harbor Island Alliance. All proceeds for the event go towards sponsorship of 10,000 inner city youths to the Boston Harbor Islands national park area. Of the 97 boats registered, 64 started from Georges Island and raced the 12 mile "inside" course with two loops, one around Peddocks and Rainsford Islands and the second shorter loop just around Rainsford Island. The overall winner of the Class A sailboats was Jeff Kent aboard a J/35.
F) A Connecticut fisherman and a Rhode Island seafood dealer were arrested for the illegal purchase and sale of striped bass. The fisherman had no commercial license to catch and sell striped bass. The Rhode Island seafood dealer had no Connecticut seafood dealers license. The Connecticut and Rhode Island environmental police acted on information that the fisherman brought large quantities of fish to the dock behind his home. The seafood dealer then drove to the house to buy the fish. Both men were arrested at the fisherman's home. At the time of the arrest, officers seized 42 striped bass with a total weight of 971 pounds. With a fair market value for commercial striped bass at around $3 per pound, the estimated value of the fish was $2,913. All of the fish seized was donated to a homeless shelter in Providence.
G) The Eagle, the Coast Guard's training ship and America's official tall ship, returned to its home base at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut after almost six months at sea. The Eagle's voyage started on April 12th. The ship transited the Panama Canal and visited ports along the West Coast before going back through the canal and returning to New London for a total of 12,600 nautical miles. About 600 cadets and 90 officer candidates spent time on the Eagle this summer, learning about life at sea, how to work as a team, and the traditions of the Coast Guard.
H) The Coast Guard is again revising its weight standard for the number of passengers it will allow on a commercial boat. The Coast Guard proposes increasing the assumed weight of adult passengers to 185 pounds in the summertime, and 195 pounds in the wintertime. The previous standard was 160 pounds year round. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that between 1960 and 2002, adults in America gained more than 24 pounds on average.
I) And last on today's nautical news, scientists think that fish gave us the finger. Scientists have traced the origin of fingers and toes to fish-like creatures that swam in the seas 380 million years ago, and that these creatures just might be the missing link in human evolution. Xray images of these fish revealed they had many of the same bones that make up a modern human arm with "radial" bones at the end which look remarkably like human fingers. However, the fingers on the fish were concealed in the fleshy arm-like base of its fin. With evolution, the outermost part of the fin was lost, allowing the "fingers" to emerge. The research was detailed in the journal Nature.
10/5/08
A) The Coast Guard found the body of a rowboater in Orleans, Cape Cod after they searched for more than three hours along with local police, firemen, and the town's harbormaster. The 71 year old man was reported missing by his wife after his 12 foot aluminum row boat was seen overturned in the bay. Earlier in the day, witnesses said they saw the man struggling to row the boat against the howling wind. Upon learning the man's identity, neighbors said the man rowed year round in all types of weather. Unfortunately, he was not wearing a life jacket.
B) The Coast Guard is cautioning New England boaters, paddlers, and fisherman to be mindful of the dangers of this season's colder air and water temperatures. The First Coast Guard District reported the loss of 58 recreational boaters and paddlers in the Northeast last year, and October, November, and December are the months with the highest percentages of fatal maritime accidents. The Coast Guard said all mariners should dress for the worst possible conditions and always wear a life jacket.
C) A 5- to 7-foot long manatee was sighted in just 3 feet of water in Sesuit Harbor, Cape Cod, the farthest north any manatee has ever been seen. Erin Burke, an aquatic biologist with the state's Division of Marine Fisheries said he believes the manatee might be the same one that was seen in the Taunton River in Fall River a couple of weeks ago. Scientists are concerned that the manatee will beach itself and die as they do not like to be in waters cooler than 68 degrees. The water temperature where it was seen was a chilly 61 degrees. The Massachusetts Environmental Police is asking all mariners to be on the lookout for the animal. The only other recent sighting of a manatee in Cape Cod waters was in August 2006.
D) Boston's cruiseport is very busy. This past week, the Norwegian Spirit, the Queen Mary 2, and the Saga Ruby all lined up behind each other at the Black Falcon Pier. Today, the Crystal Symphony, the Norwegian Dream, and the Sea Princess are in town, and then the Grandeur of the Seas, the Norwegian Jewel, and the Norwegian Majesty arrive on Thursday. Massport said 116 ships and more than 280,000 travelers will pass through the port this year.
E) More than 40 years after the USS Duxbury Bay was decommissioned, some of its crew members finally got to see Duxbury Bay. A chart of Duxbury Bay was in the Navy ship's mess hall, but most of the sailors who served on the ship never knew where Duxbury Bay was. This past Thursday, a group of sailors who served on the ship between 1944 and 1966 held a reunion in Duxbury and finally got to see Duxbury Bay. The USS Duxbury Bay, a 1,766-ton seaplane tender, was commissioned in 1944 and immediately headed for Pearl Harbor. The ship served in the Persian Gulf in the 60s and was ultimately decommissioned in 1966 and sold for scrap in 1967.
F) Linda Greenlaw, a commercial fisherman and best-selling author, was led into court in Newfoundland in handcuffs, accused of swordfishing illegally inside Canada's 200-mile limit. Canadian officials said a fisheries patrol plane spotted Greenlaw's boat fishing inside Canadian waters. Greenlaw was released from jail after paying $10,000 cash for bail. She is due back in court October 27. The 47 year old Greenlaw, of Isle au Haut, Maine, became famous for her role in the Perfect Storm. She was the last person to speak with the captain of the Andrea Gail swordfish boat that sank with all hands aboard.
G) The Conservation Law Foundation is asking federal officials to add wolffish to the endangered species list, even though New England commercial fishermen catch them only as a bycatch. Wolffish can grow to nearly 5 feet long, weigh up to 40 pounds, and live to be 40 years old. With a long eel-like tail and a mouth full of large, crooked canine teeth, the wolfish is one of New England's most unique ocean fish species. Their powerful, viselike jaw can reputedly break a broom handle and easily crush the shells of crabs and other crustaceans. Scientists love to study them because they have an antifreeze like compound in their blood that allows them to survive extremely cold sea temperatures. They also have an unusual way of raising their young. After the female lays the eggs, the male takes over, standing guard for between four and nine months until the eggs hatch. Fishermen expressed surprise and disbelief that the wolffish would be considered endangered. They said the population study was based on the catch reports, and obviously, the fishing effort has declined because of the limited number of days the fishermen can work. Furthermore, the fishing grounds where the wolfish live have been off limits to fishermen.
H) A German submarine that sunk in the English Channel and was long ago determined to be a hazard to navigation, has finally been removed into deeper waters. The sub was originally thought to be the UB33, but now has been identified as the UB38, which was said to have sunk 40 allied ships. The sub ran into a minefield while attempting to run from British destroyers. The contractor that relocated the sub into deeper waters said that the remains of the crew, six torpedoes, and deck gun ammunition were still on board.
I) And last on today's nautical news, the state of Washington has banned fish pedicures which are so popular in Turkey and Asia. Customers paid as much as $30 to have tiny fish nibble on their feet for 15 minutes, eating the dead skin off their feet. Customers said the procedure was very soothing, but the state said the procedure was unsanitary and declared it illegal. An official with the state's Department of Licensing said that customers, in their quest for smooth heels, were jeopardizing their health because it was impossible to sanitize the live fish. There was no guarantee that the fish weren't carrying something from the previous customer. Salon operators said they think the whole thing stinks and plan to vote with their feet.
10/12/08
A) A 61 year old Hanover man sold his home and business to pursue his dream of sailing around the world on his 41 foot sailboat. He departed Scituate Harbor last month and made it as far as New Jersey. He was last seen lowering his boat's sails outside of Barnegat Inlet. That is where a passing boater found the sailboat adrift with no one on board. Shortly thereafter, the man's body was found floating in the water. Police said there was no evidence of foul play. It was just a tragic boating accident.
B) The world's financial crisis is having an effect on local fishermen. Maine lobstermen are talking about tying up their boats as the wholesale price of lobster plunged more than 20 percent in the past week. Seafood dealers said the credit crisis has shut off orders from major processors in Canada, and people aren't going out to eat as much as they watch the financial markets tumble.
C) And of course the boating industry is feeling the effect of the financial crisis. Brunswick Corporation, the world's largest recreational boat builder, announced it is closing four of its boat manufacturing facilities, laying off more than 1400 employees. Included in the shutdown is the Meridian Yacht factory. Brunswick officials said boat sales for the year 2007 were off by more than 40%, the worst the boating industry has ever seen.
D) Earlier in the week, signs were posted near the Sesuit harbor boat ramp on Cape Cod warning mariners of a manatee in the harbor. Some thought it was a joke. This is the first time a manatee has ever been seen so far north. Scientists said that manatees don't do well in water temperatures below 68 degrees. Their metabolism slows and they tend to stop eating when temperatures drop below that mark. The director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's manatee rescue and rehabilitation program said personnel from her agency headed for Dennis to coordinate a rescue with the Cape Cod Stranding Network. At last report, the manatee had been caught and was transported in a refrigerated truck to Sea World in Florida.
E) The Volvo Ocean Race started yesterday with eight teams racing 37,000 nautical miles around the world from Alicante, Spain to St. Petersburg, Russia. Each boat has an eleven person crew on board. The first leg of the race is 7,840 miles long. It goes from Spain to Cape Town, South Africa. After Cape Town, the boats will follow new race routes to India and China, steering well clear of the east coast of Africa, where Somalian pirates have attacked more than 60 boats in the past year. In case of trouble, each boat reportedly has a direct hot line to naval forces along the route.
F) A blue whale was spotted about 15 miles off the coast of Gloucester. A spokesperson from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society said the 70- to 80-foot long animal was observed and photographed for about 45 minutes as it swam with group of humpback whales and was believed to be feeding on a swarm of krill, a small shrimp-like crustacean. Blue whales are the world's largest mammal and generally swim in colder waters off Iceland and northern Canada. They are rarely seen in New England waters.
G) As of October 15th, the Coast Guard will be enforcing new security measures at all port facilities in New England. Regulations require that all personnel needing unescorted access on the commercial docks carry Transportation Worker Identification Credentials otherwise known as TWIC. That includes truckers, vendors, and contractors who want access to the dock. To obtain the credentials, an individual must provide fingerprints, a digital photograph, and successfully pass a TSA security threat assessment test.
H) Painting the bottom of your boat with anti-fouling paint may soon be a thing of the past. Researchers claim a new shark skin coating will work just as well as the toxic paint, but will be a much greener product. Expect to see shark skin paint on the market next spring. In the past, shark skins have been used as an abrasive for polishing wood.
I) And speaking of sharks, scientists have confirmed the second-ever case of a "virgin birth" in a shark. A female shark that lived in a Virginia aquarium tank, gave birth without a male companion. DNA testing of the baby shark contained no genetic material from a male shark - only DNA from its mother. Unfortunately, the mother shark died after giving birth.
J) A family in Florida is recovering after being hit by a leaping a dolphin while riding in an 18 foot boat on the Intracoastal Waterway. Witnesses called 911 after seeing the dolphin jump about 6 feet out of the water and strike the woman. The dolphin then slid on to other family members' laps and its thrashing tail knocked each of them to the deck. Finally, one of the young men on the boat rolled the dolphin over the side of the boat and back into the water. The husband and wife were treated at a hospital for cuts and bruises and released.
K) And last on today's nautical news, a family cruising on their 43 foot powerboat off Annapolis made a horrible discovery when they stopped for fuel. Their 2 year old poodle was missing, apparently falling overboard somewhere in the bay and the owners weren't sure where. They immediately called the Coast Guard who told them their policy is not to search for missing dogs, but they just so happened to have a boat in the bay on routine patrol and would notify that crew. The family began to search as well and prayed for the safe return of their dog. Their prayers were answered pretty quickly. The Coast Guard called within a half hour. They had found the 13 pound pooch still swimming. A Coast Guardsman confessed that he was shocked that they found him. The dog showed no signs of injury or distress and was reunited with the family, playing with his toys like nothing had happened. By the way the boat's name was Saint Anthony's Aqua Raider. Many people pray to St. Anthony for the recovery of lost objects.
10/19/08
A) The nation's next generation fast attack vessel, the USS New Hampshire, a nuclear powered submarine, is arriving in Portsmouth, New Hampshire as I speak. Navy officials said that the submarine, along with her crew of 139 officers and enlisted personnel, would arrive at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard today at 11:15AM. A commissioning ceremony will be held next Saturday at the shipyard and thousands of people are expected to attend. Portsmouth, New Hampshire resident Cheryl McGuinness, will have a major part in the commissioning ceremony. McGuinness is the widow of Tom McGuinness, who was the co-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, one of two hijacked airplanes flown into the World Trade Center. As part of the ceremony, McGuinness will instruct the crew members to board the submarine and will then designate the boat its official name, USS New Hampshire. According to tradition, that's when the crew and the ship become one.
B) Last week Brunswick, the largest recreational boat builder in the world announced the closing of four boat building facilities laying off 1400 employees. This week Century Boat Company announced it is shutting down its Panama City, Florida manufacturing facility for November and December, temporarily putting 109 employees out of work. Century's parent company is Yamaha Motor Corp. The company plans to restart production in January 2009. Corporate officials said the marine industry was experiencing one of its weakest periods in recent history, exacerbated by the stock market decline, credit tightening, and a decline in discretionary income. However, the company was optimistic about the economy in the first and second quarters of 2009.
C) Maine's U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe warned that the New England groundfishing industry will face dire consequences if regulators cut the number of days that boats will be allowed to spend at sea next year. Regulators are proposing to cut days at sea by 18 percent in 2009. Senator Snowe said additional cuts in the number of days that fishermen are allowed to work "would be a death knell" for the industry. Groundfishemen are already restricted to about 48 days at sea each year.
D) Divers have identified a shipwreck off Nantucket as a British steamship that sank 121 years ago. The SS Newcastle City was carrying a cargo of concrete and steel when it struck an uncharted shoal off Nantucket in 1887 while enroute to New York. The 26 crew and one passenger were all rescued after rowing their lifeboats to safety. The wreck was discovered this past August by Eric Takakjian and his dive team from Quest Marine Services, located in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, but wasn't positively identified until this past week, when divers read the ship's name on the steering wheel. In a little while, Eric will tell us more on today's program, but the wreck's exact location and the depth of water will remain a secret.
E) The federal government has declared beluga whales in Alaska are in need of protection to survive. NOAA is putting the beluga whale on the endangered protection list despite hearing protests from Alaska's Governor.
F) An Illinois motorcyclist was killed after being hit by a boat that fell off its trailer. Police said an SUV pulling the boat hit the guardrail on the highway and sent the boat flying across the highway into the oncoming lane. The cyclist died at the scene about 45 minutes after the accident.
G) It's been a mystery why the H.L. Hunley never returned after becoming the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship in 1864, but new research suggests we may finally know what happened. Scientists have determined that the eight-man crew of the hand-cranked Confederate submarine had never set the pump to remove water from the crew compartment, which would indicate that the sub was not being flooded. The new evidence disputes the notion that the Hunley was damaged and took on water after ramming a spar with a charge of black powder into the Union blockade ship Housatonic. It now appears that the crew suffocated as they used up all the air inside the sub while waiting for the tide to turn and the current to help take them back to land. The sub was located in 1995 and raised five years later. In excavating the sub, scientists said that they found little intermingling of the bones of the crew, indicating members died at their stations, and were not trying to escape out the hatches.
H) And last on today's nautical news, fat compounds found in oysters appear to arrest breast cancer cells grown in lab tests according to a study released by Louisiana State University researchers. The researchers claim that they known for a long time that oysters are a food rich in iron and good fats. It was just this past summer that a Columbia University study concluded eating seafood may reduce the risk of colon cancer. The release of the emerging research comes amid National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
10/26/08
A) Another commercial fishing boat went down in the treacherous waters off the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Four of the eleven fishermen on board were rescued. Five bodies were retrieved and two fishermen are still missing at sea. The search began at about 1 a.m. Wednesday when the Coast Guard received an emergency signal from the Katmai, a 93-foot fishing vessel that had been battling 50-knot winds and nearly 20-foot waves.
B) A local Pembroke man died in a boat fire at the Dorchester Yacht Club. The victim was identified as 64 year old Mel Conroy, a retired Boston elementary school teacher and a long time member of the Dorchester yacht Club. Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving a 911 call from another boater on the dock. The firemen found the 1963 36 foot wooden boat at the dock fully engulfed in flames. Witnesses said the firefighters did a great job of confining the fire to just that boat. Initial reports said the cause of the fire was accidental.
C) Island Creek Oyster, a local Duxbury company, provided about half of the oysters needed for the Massachusetts Oyster Project. 150,000 seed oysters were just dropped into the mouth of the Charles River as part of an effort to make the water cleaner. Each oyster can filter 30 gallons of water per day, removing nitrogen and bacteria. Earlier this year, the state Division of Marine Fisheries issued a research permit for the project to distribute the oysters. If the oysters do well, the project will expand to the Neponset and Mystic Rivers.
D) A 25 foot boat that broke free of its mooring and washed up near Plymouth Rock could spoil any boatowner's day, but that wasn't the only bad news this owner had to report. Apparently thieves broke into the cabin and stole fishing rods, reels, and other gear valued at thousands of dollars.
E) Nautical Talk Radio has heard that many marina and boatyard owners in Massachusetts recently received notices from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue requesting copies of "dockage and storage contracts" and names of owners of boats that do not display state registration numbers. The Department of Revenue is seeking this information to determine if any of the boatowners owe a sales or use tax. Those marina and boatyard owners who fail to comply with the state's request could be issued a subpoena to comply.
F) In Maine, the price per pound for lobster at the supermarkets is as cheap as the price of bologna at the deli counter. Prices haven't been this low since the days after September 11, 2001. Some fishermen blame the media and their gloomy economic news reports that could cause consumers to stay home and not go out to eat. As a result, demand for lobsters is down in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Industry leaders said the problem was directly connected to the world's banking crisis, which left many Canadian seafood processors short on credit, unable to buy the lobsters. More than half of Maine's lobster harvest is shipped to Canadian processors who deal with banks in Iceland that have failed.
G) The 132-foot steel hull of Rhode Island's future Tall Ship, the Oliver Hazard Perry, was delivered to a Newport, Rhode Island, dock after being towed 892 miles from Ontario. The hull was recently purchased by a non-profit organization called Tall Ships Rhode Island, Inc. The hull will stay at Bowen's Wharf for the winter, and then next Spring, it will be moved to the Rhode Island Shipyard for construction of the deck and interior. If all goes on schedule, Rhode Island's tall ship will be ready to sail in 2011. It will then be a 207-foot, three-masted square-rigged Class A Tall Ship - a 21st Century version of the naval vessels used in the Battle of Lake Erie, where Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry commanded a victorious fleet. The only larger Class A sail training ship in America is the Coast Guard's Eagle.
H) The Coast Guard has effectively stopped the majority of Cubans trying to reach Florida, so now the Cubans are heading for Mexico, and then overland into Texas. Last year 11,126 used that route, compared to just 1,055 who made it to Miami. However, the Mexican government is now cracking down on the smugglers and the migrants. The Mexicans are returning the Cubans back to Cuba and seizing the smugglers' boats, which are often reported stolen. An Associated Press reporter counted eight go-fast boats chained to one dock, all with Florida registration numbers. Another person said he saw 19 Florida boats at a navy yard that the Mexican government had seized. Even so, Mexico currently catches only about one tenth of the Cubans who land there.
I) And last on today's nautical news, the Coast Guard has officially determined that paddleboards are now considered boats and are subject to the federal boating safety laws and regulations. Paddleboards must follow the same navigation rules, accident reporting, and safety equipment requirements as other boats. An official from the Marine Retailers Association of America said the Coast Guard's ruling goes beyond even what he thought would be an April Fool's day joke. Maybe he should have said a trick and not a treat.
11/02/08
A) Three fishermen were saved after they abandoned ship into 55 degree water two miles east of Block Island. The fishing vessel Susan C., home ported in Wakefield, R.I., called for help on their VHF radio stating that they were donning survival suits because their boat was going down. A helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod and a motor lifeboat crew from Station Point Judith were immediately dispatched, but another nearby fishing vessel that heard the call for help rescued the three fishermen in the water. The three were then taken to Point Judith to a waiting ambulance, and at last report, only one fisherman suffered a minor injury.
B) The Coast Guard suspended its searched for a missing Maine lobsterman on a 21-foot skiff. The young man's sister contacted Coast Guard Station Rockland, Maine, reporting her brother was overdue. Responders searched for 28 hours and covered more than 100 square miles in boats, Cutters, and aircraft. Also helping in the search were two Maine Marine Patrol boats using side-scan sonar and about 20 local lobstermen. Items recovered from the water included a boot, a lunch box, and some foul weather gear, all identified by the missing fisherman's mother as belonging to her son.
C) There was no sign of recession or economic problems at this weekend's Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show. The world's largest boat show, the 49th International Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, opened this weekend. And amazingly, several yachts priced over $24 million had potential buyers standing in line. Ft. Lauderdale hotels also reported they were booked and according to the city's Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the boat show will generate $600 to $700 million to their local economy. One buyer exclaimed he would have been better off if he had his money in a boat instead of the stock market.
D) However, Chris-Craft, one of America's oldest line of powerboats, announced that they will shut down production during the holiday season. Beginning in mid-November, most of its 200 employees will be laid off for about 6 weeks. With marine industry sales off more than 20 percent this year, some employees are concerned they will not be called back to work, but Chris Craft officials said they expect to start building boats again right after the first of the year.
E) A Florida man who was supposed to go to jail for 15 years disappeared from his 14 foot boat the night before he was to begin his prison sentence. The Coast Guard found his boat adrift with nobody on board. A suicide note was also found in his truck at the boat ramp. He was reported to be despondent when he left home, but police think the incident could have been staged and will continue to look for the man.
F) A federal jury convicted Alaska's Senator Ted Stevens of seven felony counts for failing to disclose more than $250,000 in gifts. Stevens is up for re-election on Tuesday and by all accounts could still be the winner. Stevens is 84 years old and has served in the Senate for the past 40 years. In 1976, Stevens and Senator Warren Magnuson created the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, establishing a regulatory framework for the nation's fisheries and creating an exclusive economic zone that prohibits foreign vessels from fishing within 200 miles of the U.S. coastline. Now called the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the legislation was reauthorized last year. Senator Stevens also fought for more money for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and got a bill passed that included $380 million more for NOAA than the Bush administration proposed. This year, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing worldwide are among his causes.
G) A new study funded by the Pew Institue for Ocean Science shows that more than one-third of all the fish caught in the world's oceans are going into food for livestock and farmed fish. So called forage fish, the small fish at the bottom of the food chain, account for a staggering 37 percent of all fish taken from the world's oceans each year, and 90 percent of that catch is processed into fishmeal and fish oil to feed farm raised fish, pigs, and chickens. Pigs and poultry consume six times the amount of fish consumed by humans in the U.S.
H) And last on today's nautical news, scientists claim that jellyfish, which have been around for 400 million years, are now threatening the world's oceans. Although they are the simplest of all animals on Earth, with ninety-five per cent of their body water, scientists claim that swarms of jellyfish have damaged fisheries, desalination plants, and have clogged the intake cooling pipes of powerplants and engines on small boats and large ships. One of the largest dead zones in the world in the Gulf on Mexico is devoid of all marine life except jellyfish. However, recently scientists have found a medical use for jellyfish. There are now hopes of creating a valuable fishery for jellyfish.
11/9/08
A) This late breaking story out of Russia. More than 20 people were killed and another 21 injured in an accident aboard a Russian nuclear submarine in the Pacific Ocean. The Russians refused to release the sub's exact location, but said the sub was making its way back to the far East. A Russian naval spokesman said there were 208 people on board when sub's fire extinguishing system accidentally activated. He said the nuclear reactor was intact and radiation levels were normal. This is the worst submarine disaster since the Kursk sank eight years ago.
B) A 52-year-old barge worker died as the vessel he was on was traveling near New Haven Harbor. A Coast Guard officer said an autopsy was planned, but it appeared that the man had died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The Coast Guard said the area where the man worked and slept had poor ventilation. It was in a section of the barge that contained a generator and a heating unit. The barge is owned by a company in Salem, Massachusetts.
C) The 2009 New England Boat Show dates have been changed. The new show dates are February 14th - 22nd 2009. The New England Boat Show takes place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in the Seaport district in South Boston.
D) NOAA just released the numbers from its annual Atlantic Ocean sea scallop survey. The area covered is between Massachusetts and North Carolina. Scientists said there was a high number of small seed scallops detected in Georges Bank and in other survey areas. As a matter of fact, the numbers are the highest seen on Georges Bank since the year 2000. Last year, sea scallops were the most valuable single-species fishery in the United States.
E) The next America's Cup could have a whole different look. Team Oracle has built a 90 foot carbon fiber trimaran sailboat that is so fast that its sailors wear crash helmets and life vests. The boat's mast is as tall as a 16-story building and its mainsail is twice as big as a Boeing 747's wing. The radical designed boat was built in anticipation of a rare one-on-one showdown between two-time defending America's Cup champion Team Alinghi of Switzerland and America's Team BMW Oracle. While the current America's Cup race boats do about 10 knots, the giant trimarans can reach speeds in excess of 40 knots. Sailors said the America's Cup would be turned into an extreme sport if these two boats were to race. It all depends on the outcome of a lawsuit over the America's Cup rules. That case is being heard in a New York Court.
F) The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-whaling group, is preparing for another confrontation with Japanese whale boats in the Southern Ocean. The Sea Shepherd activists have already rammed Japanese whaling ships and have thrown butyric acid onto the decks of the whale boats. Last year, Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson claimed a bullet from a Japanese whale boat struck his bullet proof vest. As far as a threat of a Japanese coast guard ship now heading to protect the whaling fleet Watson replied, "Over the last 30 years we have had a lot of confrontations, including confrontations with the Soviet and Norwegian Navies, who've fired on us. We are not concerned about the Japanese coast guard."
G) The Miami charterboat "Joe Cool" is back in the news again. You might recall that the captain and crew of "Joe Cool" were killed after they refused to take two hijackers to Cuba. Although both men were found guilty and sentenced to life in jail, one of the men just got his verdict overturned. The man got off claiming that his partner took his gun, shot the captain and crew, and then ordered him at gunpoint to push their bodies overboard. Because he was not convicted of the murders or hijacking, the judge ruled that he couldn't be found guilty just because his gun was used. The judge blamed himself for giving "misleading and confusing" instructions to the jury and overturned the sentence.
H) The Coast Guard's investigation into the October 23rd tragedy that claimed the lives of seven of fishermen off Alaska's Aleutian Islands has shown that one of the two life rafts never fully inflated after the 93-foot fishing boat sank in a fierce storm. That life raft was recovered by a fishing vessel that helped search for survivors. And although the other life raft did properly inflate, its canopy caught on something and tore, causing the life raft to roll. Three men were thrown out of it and drowned because of the rolling.
I) The eight boats in the Volvo Ocean Race are now safely in Cape Town, South Africa at the end of Leg 1 after sailing 6,500 nautical miles from Alicante, Spain. The eighty-eight crewmembers now have a week of recovery time before the start of Leg 2, which will take them to Cochin, India. Ericsson 4 won the first leg and set a new 24-hour distance record for a monohull sailing boat during this leg. They sailed 590 nautical miles in 24 hours, breaking the previous record of 563 miles which was set in the 2007 race. In second place is Puma, skippered by Rhode Island's Ken Read. There are 10 race legs in this around the world race. Boston is the only American port in the race. The boats are expected to arrive in Boston on May 9th, 2009.
J) Iraq says it will sell Saddam Hussein's luxury yacht after winning a legal dispute over its ownership. French authorities had seized the boat last January after it docked in Nice on France's Mediterranean coast. A yacht brokerage firm was trying to sell the boat for $33 million, but Iraq said the yacht belonged to them and a French judge agreed. The 270 foot yacht is fitted with swimming pools, salons, a secret passage to a speed boat, and a rocket launching system. While the yacht was built for Saddam, he never stayed on board for fear of a government coup while he was away.
K) And last on today's nautical news, a Chinese firm is marketing a fish tank that is attached to a toilet. The toilet is designed so that the level of water in the tank is not affected by the flushing of the toilet. The fish always have enough water to swim in, and cannot be sucked into the toilet bowl. Because the size of the toilet tank has been reduced to make space for the fish tank, the maker boasts that the toilet uses less water than regular models. Another marketing point is that the lights in the fish tank can also be used as a night light. The fish toilets are currently on display at home building stores in Shanghai.
11/16/08
A) Another tragic fishing accident to report. The Coast Guard ended its search for the captain of the New Bedford fishing boat Costa & Corvo after searching for more than 30 hours, and covering more than 280 square miles. The 71-foot fishing boat capsized approximately 115 miles east of Chatham, Cape Cod, early Thursday morning in relatively calm conditions - seas about a foot high and wind speed less than 5 knots. Another fishing boat, the Mary Kay, working about two miles away, rescued the three crewmen from the 58 degree water, but the captain stayed on the boat to call for help and apparently became trapped underneath it when it overturned. The captain was identified as 56 year old Antonio Mesquita of New Bedford. His daughter said he was a strong swimmer and had been fishing since he was 13 years old. Although the Coast Guard continues to investigate the cause of the incident, it is believed that the boat capsized as the crew was pulling up its net full of fish. The weight of the load in the net caused the vessel to roll over.
B) Next week, the federal government is expected to make a key decision on the definition of what the term "organic" means when it is applied to fish. Believe it or not, the term will not apply to wild fish. Only farm raised fish would be considered organic. According to the government, the organic label can only be applied to food products that are produced and controlled by humans. There can be no growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, or herbicides used in the raising of the fish. Critics of the organic label say it will only confuse consumers and hurt commercial fishermen. They point out that fish raised in pens eat their own excrement and threaten the natural wild stocks with disease and escapes. Furthermore, it takes two and a half wild fish to feed on farm raised fish, so there is no conservation of the wild population.
C) According to a spokesman for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the senator has plans to sail off the coast of Florida during congressional breaks this winter. His sailboat, the Mya, a 50-foot-long Concordia, was loaded on a trailer for the trip over land to a Florida marina. Kennedy, an avid sailor, spent many hours this summer aboard the blue-hulled Mya while recuperating from chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
D) After nearly a 20-year wait, thousands of commercial fishermen in Alaska are on the brink of receiving checks from the Exxon-Mobil for damages caused by the Valdez oil spill of 1989. Dozens of Alaskan fishermen can expect checks for more than $100,000, and a few will receive up to around $400,000, but even with these payments, fishermen are still mad about the oil spill as well as the long struggle to win their lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp. Fishermen couldn't work for a year because of the pollution, and some say it took several years before the fish came back. Lawyers handling the distribution of money have filed long lists of fishermen with a dollar figure next to each name. In many cases the words "estate of" precede a name, indicating that the fisherman passed.
E) The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the U.S. Navy instead of the whales and dolphins. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that U.S. national security interests trumped the lives of marine mammals. Environmentalists from the group known as the Environmental Defense Fund claimed that the Navy's use of sonar hurt and/or killed the whales and dolphins.
F) And the Environmental Defense Fund and The Marine Conservation Biology Institute, two powerful environmentalist organizations, urged President Elect Obama to change the nation's fisheries management methods. The report urged Obama to make sure that at least 50 percent of all federal fishery management plans featured a catch share quota for each fisherman. The report was written by scientists and former U.S government officials such as Bruce Babbitt, former U.S. Interior secretary; Christine Todd Whitman, former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator; and Norm Mineta, former secretary of Transportation and of Commerce. They predicted that all salt-water fish and seafood species would collapse by 2048 if a catch share management plan was not implemented.
G) And last on today's nautical news, The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association accepted the resignation of Leona Roach as its Executive Director. A press release from the Marine Trades Association stated that Ms. Roach successfully held the position for five years, during which time the Association expanded its membership roll and services. The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association is a statewide, representative body for over 1,200 marine trades businesses in Massachusetts, which employ more than 27,000 men and women.
11/24/08
A) The Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked, was seized last week and taken to a port 180 miles north of Mogadishu. The Saudi super-tanker is believed to have been seized in just 16 minutes by two speedboats full of pirates armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket-launchers. The tanker is fully laden with 2 million barrels of oil, worth around $100 million, and has 25 crew aboard being held as hostages. The pirates gave the ship's Saudi owners 10 days to pay a $25 million ransom or else threatened "disastrous" consequences should the owners fail to comply. Environmentalists warn of a huge catastrophe if the tanker's cargo is spilled. With close to 100 attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean this year, the pirates now pose a growing threat to international trade.
B) The Coast Guard, citing safety concerns, has denied a request from the owner of the New Bedford fishing boat that sank last week to use a Coast Guard cutter in a dive operation to help in the recovery of the body of the captain who went down with the ship. The Coast Guard, in a letter to the captain's family, said its responsibilities do not include the recovery of bodies lost at sea. They further advised against any recovery efforts because of safety concerns. The fishing vessel lies at a depth of 98 feet in the water, and that depth is at the maximum limit of what is considered a safe dive for recreational divers.
C) Up to $2 million in federal disaster aid will be distributed to Massachusetts shellfishermen for losses this year due to red tide. The red tide outbreak closed the clam, mussel, and oyster fishing grounds from Cape Cod to Maine including for the first time in decades, Boston Harbor. Many of the areas have reopened to fishing, but some still remain off-limits. A similar red tide occurred in 2005, and Massachusetts shellfishermen received nearly $2 million for that disaster as well. This year, shellfishermen in Maine will be eligible for up to $2 million in assistance, and in New Hampshire up to $1 million.
D) Crew members and researchers gathered in Woods Hole to witness the official decommissioning ceremony of the 187 foot research vessel named Albatross IV. Its steering wheel was secured, the vessel's flags were taken down, and its running lights extinguished. During its 45 years of service, it went on 453 fisheries research missions and logged more than 650,000 miles. The boat will leave Woods Hole on December 5th and head to a NOAA facility in Norfolk, Virginia. Coming to Woods Hole to replace the Albatross IV is the $43 million Henry B. Bigelow, a 209-foot ship that will require the Woods Hole channel to be dredged before it can safely navigate to its dock.
E) And this just in. A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod helicopter went to the aid of an injured fisherman aboard the New Bedford boat named the Lady Patricia. At the time, the fishing boat was 97 nautical miles off the coast of New Bedford. The Lady Patricia called the Coast Guard to report that a 54-year-old crewman had broken his leg and was in severe pain. On scene weather was 10-foot seas with 25-knot winds, but the crewman was hoisted safely aboard the helicopter. An ambulance was waiting at the air base to take the fisherman to Falmouth Hospital.
F) The New England Fishery Management Council tripled the annual federal quota for dogfish from 4 million pounds to 12 million pounds. Dogfish are small sharks that have little commercial value in the United States. However, in Europe, they are eaten as fish and chips and used for liver oil, vitamins, sand paper, leather and fertilizer. The change in rules was prompted by updated scientific advice that showed the dogfish population was plentiful. Fishermen have been complaining for years that the government scientists were wrong when they previously said dogfish was depleted.
G) Even in tough economic times, the federal government is spending money, studying how carbon dioxide emissions affect the ocean and the fish. A national study of how carbon dioxide emissions absorbed into the ocean, and possibly altering fish and marine mammals, has been commissioned by NOAA and the National Science Foundation. Scientists believe the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels is not only contributing to global warming, but also contributing to altering the biology and chemistry of the ocean and its marine ecosystems. The money for this study was put in by Congress in the 2007 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
H) The financial crisis is hitting fishermen and seafood dealers extremely hard in Iceland and Canada. Last month, Iceland seized control of the nation's three largest banks all of which were major lenders to the global seafood industry. The value of the krona has declined by about two-thirds against the U.S. dollar this year. Now Iceland is contemplating joining the European Union. If they do, they would likely have to surrender rights to their rich fishing zones. And in Canada, the Canadian dollar has fallen and is now equal to 82 cents on the U.S. dollar.
I) And last on today's nautical news, while turkey takes the spotlight at Thanksgiving, several supermarket chains this holiday season are promoting seafood as side dishes and appetizers. The markets are promoting scallops, oyster, and shrimp platters as a side dish or hors d'oeuvres for Thanksgiving dinner. Hannaford Markets expect shrimp, scallops and oysters to be among the chain's top sellers during Thanksgiving.
11/30/08
A) The First Coast Guard district in Boston just issued a safety advisory to all late season boaters, paddlers, hunters, and fisherman on the dangers of sudden cold-water immersion. The water temperatures on inland and coastal Northeastern waters are now below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Al Johnson, the recreational boating specialist for the First Coast Guard District in Boston said, "Even for the most experienced mariner, a fall into cold water is painfully shocking. On sudden cold-water immersion there will be shock, panic, gasping, hyperventilation, an immediate rise in breath, heart rates, and blood pressure, and an inability to hold your breath." Since Labor Day, there have been 18 boating and paddling fatalities on Northeast waters. None were wearing a life jacket.
B) Vice President elect Joe Biden and his wife and daughter, along with a complement of Secret Service agents, took the Hy-Line Cruises ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket. Biden told a reporter that he and his family have been going to Nantucket for Thanksgiving the past 33 years. The Massachusetts State Police used a bomb-sniffing dog to check all baggage being loaded onto the high-speed ferry. During the hour long voyage, agents kept the Vice President elect separated from other passengers on the ferry's upper deck. A Coast Guard cutter and a fast hard bottom inflatable boat followed behind the ferry for additional security.
C) Last year, Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen warned of a terrorist attack coming from people in small boats. So far, small boats have carried suicide bombers, small boats have carried pirates, and now in Mumbai, India, small boats have carried them ashore. The terrorists in Mumbai, India started their mission by arriving in rubber inflatable boats. They docked at the Gateway of India monument and shot anyone who crossed their path. Before leaving the waterfront, they bombed and destroyed the Mazagaon Docks, one of India's largest ship-building sites. They then took hostages at several different sites, including the Taj Hotel, and so far 195 have been reported killed and several hundred wounded.
D) A Florida couple has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The couple was entering the harbor in Charleston, South Carolina and realized that their 63 foot sailboat was sinking. They called the Coast Guard for help, and moments later, a passing boat came to their rescue, saving the couple and their dog just before the sailboat sank. The Coast Guard said the sunken boat was not a navigational hazard and so far has not caused any environmental problems.
E) The annual holiday lights on the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown were turned on Thanksgiving night. The 3,154 bulbs forming a very tall Christmas tree can be seen across Cape Cod Bay from Marshfield and Plymouth. The annual lighting celebrates the Pilgrims' First Landing in America at Provincetown on Nov. 21, 1620. The Pilgrims spent five weeks exploring the tip of Cape Cod before sailing on to Plymouth. They also drew up and signed the Mayflower Compact, which established the rule of law for the new land while staying in Provincetown. The monument, which was finished in 1910, will remain lit each night through January 6.
F) Officials from 46 nations participated at the annual International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas meeting to set the quota for the number of tuna that fisherman will be allowed to catch in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Greenpeace, Oceana, the World Wildlife Fund, and the U.S delegation of regulators all claim the new 2009 quota for Atlantic bluefin tuna is so high that the tuna could be driven into extinction. They wanted a 50% reduction in last year's quota. However, one foreign fishing regulator said the new quota was a 20% reduction from last year's quota and that the new total allowable catch was set taking into account the needs of fishermen. Time will tell who was right.
G) And last on today's nautical news, a duck hunter in a small boat was accidentally shot after his dog jumped into the boat. The man's father said his 23 year old son was about to tie up the 11-foot aluminum boat, when his 3-year old yellow Lab jumped into the boat and the 12 gage shotgun, which switch was not in the safety position, discharged. The blast blew a hole in the side of the boat before hitting the man in his legs and buttocks. At the hospital, doctors told the victim that his dog wasn't hurt, and that he would recover from his wounds. The young man replied that his dog was a good dog and that he wasn't upset with him.
12/7/08
A) Police were called to retrieve a body seen floating off Castle Island in Boston Harbor. Little is known about the victim other than he was in his late 50s. The medical examiner is conducting an autopsy and indicated that there appeared to be no trauma to the body.
B) The search for a Maine man who went missing while he was harvesting periwinkles at low tide was called off with no luck of finding of the missing man. Christopher Ferguson, 30 years old, and Dennis Knox, both of Lubec, Maine, went to the beach to look for the sea snails, otherwise known as periwinkles. Knox later heard his friend yelling for help and responded by running to shore to get assistance. Two Coast Guard boats, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter, a Maine Marine Patrol boat, Washington County sheriffs, the Lubec Fire Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police all participated in the 17-hour search. The beach where the men were has a 20-foot tidal range and 6-knot current, one of the strongest in the country.
C) Shipping lanes on the East coast of the United States will have to change in order to protect the right whales. The U.S. Coast Guard agreed on Friday to work with federal scientists to reroute the shipping lanes. The agreement ends a lawsuit brought by environmental groups in 2005 to relocate the existing shipping lanes. The lawsuit claimed the Coast Guard was not seeking the input of scientists on the impacts of shipping lanes on the right whale, as the law required. The Coast Guard had argued that it did not have to make such evaluations because final decisions about shipping lanes were made by the International Maritime Organization, which is not covered by U.S. endangered species law. NOAA on Friday also set a speed limit of 11.5 miles per hour within 23 miles of major mid-Atlantic ports and throughout the whale's breeding and feeding areas to reduce ship strikes. That speed limit takes effect next week.
D) The Cape Cod Canal was closed to maritime traffic for about 2½ hours while a 35-foot North Atlantic right whale swam through the canal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along with the help from the Coast Guard and police boats closed the waterway after the whale was spotted. The action is standard operating procedure because North Atlantic right whales are an endangered species. Only a few ships were delayed by the canal's closure as the whale swam from the eastern end of the canal into Buzzards Bay. It is unusual for right whales to swim through the canal. The last time it happened was 7 years ago.
E) And speaking of the canal, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to do emergency maintenance dredging next year at various spots along the main ship channel at the east end of the Cape Cod Canal. The canal's strong tidal currents, said to be the strongest on the East Coast, has caused shoaling in the channel. Officials expect the project to take up to three months to complete and claim that normal vessel traffic through the canal will not be disrupted during the dredging project.
F) In other news, the Coast Guard gave conditional approval to the Cape Wind Associates to build their wind turbine farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. The president of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound said the Alliance was disappointed at what he called a rushed decision. The public, he said, wasn't getting a chance to comment on the safety issues that continue to arise about the wind farm.
G) Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant security guards called for help after seeing a small jet boat carrying three men with guns approach the power plant's security zone. The Coast Guard and police responded and determined the men were duck hunting. An official said that although the boat came close, he didn't think the hunters breached the power plant's security zone and if they did, it was only by a small margin and was unintentional. The maximum civil penalty for violating a security zone is $32,500 per offense. The maximum criminal penalty for knowing and willful violation of a security zone is 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. So far, no charges were filed by the Coast Guard.
H) The attempted pirate attack on the Oceania Nautica cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden wasn't the only attempt on a cruise ship in recent days. Pirates also tried to attack a German cruise ship, but were chased away by a military ship that fired warning shots at the pirates. Now, the cruise industry is being warned of more attacks in the region as pirates of previous attacks have received millions of dollars in ransoms. However, cruise ships are a harder target for the pirates because they are faster and can out run the pirate skiffs if they spot them in time.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a marriage proposal on the Oregon coast turned deadly for the bride-to-be when a wave swept her out to sea. The accident happened on a rock in a popular spot on the coast where wedding proposals are common. The rock is known as "Proposal Rock." Just as the man asked the question and was about to give the gal the engagement ring, a three foot high wave suddenly came toward them and carried the woman out to sea. The man tore off his jacket to jump in after her, but she was gone, out of sight. The couple had been dating since they met on the Internet in 2005. Police do not suspect foul play.
12/7/08
A) Police were called to retrieve a body seen floating off Castle Island in Boston Harbor. Little is known about the victim other than he was in his late 50s. The medical examiner is conducting an autopsy and indicated that there appeared to be no trauma to the body.
B) The search for a Maine man who went missing while he was harvesting periwinkles at low tide was called off with no luck of finding of the missing man. Christopher Ferguson, 30 years old, and Dennis Knox, both of Lubec, Maine, went to the beach to look for the sea snails, otherwise known as periwinkles. Knox later heard his friend yelling for help and responded by running to shore to get assistance. Two Coast Guard boats, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter, a Maine Marine Patrol boat, Washington County sheriffs, the Lubec Fire Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police all participated in the 17-hour search. The beach where the men were has a 20-foot tidal range and 6-knot current, one of the strongest in the country.
C) Shipping lanes on the East coast of the United States will have to change in order to protect the right whales. The U.S. Coast Guard agreed on Friday to work with federal scientists to reroute the shipping lanes. The agreement ends a lawsuit brought by environmental groups in 2005 to relocate the existing shipping lanes. The lawsuit claimed the Coast Guard was not seeking the input of scientists on the impacts of shipping lanes on the right whale, as the law required. The Coast Guard had argued that it did not have to make such evaluations because final decisions about shipping lanes were made by the International Maritime Organization, which is not covered by U.S. endangered species law. NOAA on Friday also set a speed limit of 11.5 miles per hour within 23 miles of major mid-Atlantic ports and throughout the whale's breeding and feeding areas to reduce ship strikes. That speed limit takes effect next week.
D) The Cape Cod Canal was closed to maritime traffic for about 2½ hours while a 35-foot North Atlantic right whale swam through the canal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along with the help from the Coast Guard and police boats closed the waterway after the whale was spotted. The action is standard operating procedure because North Atlantic right whales are an endangered species. Only a few ships were delayed by the canal's closure as the whale swam from the eastern end of the canal into Buzzards Bay. It is unusual for right whales to swim through the canal. The last time it happened was 7 years ago.
E) And speaking of the canal, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to do emergency maintenance dredging next year at various spots along the main ship channel at the east end of the Cape Cod Canal. The canal's strong tidal currents, said to be the strongest on the East Coast, has caused shoaling in the channel. Officials expect the project to take up to three months to complete and claim that normal vessel traffic through the canal will not be disrupted during the dredging project.
F) In other news, the Coast Guard gave conditional approval to the Cape Wind Associates to build their wind turbine farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. The president of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound said the Alliance was disappointed at what he called a rushed decision. The public, he said, wasn't getting a chance to comment on the safety issues that continue to arise about the wind farm.
G) Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant security guards called for help after seeing a small jet boat carrying three men with guns approach the power plant's security zone. The Coast Guard and police responded and determined the men were duck hunting. An official said that although the boat came close, he didn't think the hunters breached the power plant's security zone and if they did, it was only by a small margin and was unintentional. The maximum civil penalty for violating a security zone is $32,500 per offense. The maximum criminal penalty for knowing and willful violation of a security zone is 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. So far, no charges were filed by the Coast Guard.
H) The attempted pirate attack on the Oceania Nautica cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden wasn't the only attempt on a cruise ship in recent days. Pirates also tried to attack a German cruise ship, but were chased away by a military ship that fired warning shots at the pirates. Now, the cruise industry is being warned of more attacks in the region as pirates of previous attacks have received millions of dollars in ransoms. However, cruise ships are a harder target for the pirates because they are faster and can out run the pirate skiffs if they spot them in time.
I) And last on today's nautical news, a marriage proposal on the Oregon coast turned deadly for the bride-to-be when a wave swept her out to sea. The accident happened on a rock in a popular spot on the coast where wedding proposals are common. The rock is known as "Proposal Rock." Just as the man asked the question and was about to give the gal the engagement ring, a three foot high wave suddenly came toward them and carried the woman out to sea. The man tore off his jacket to jump in after her, but she was gone, out of sight. The couple had been dating since they met on the Internet in 2005. Police do not suspect foul play.
12/21/08
A) The Boston Herald newspaper reported that Winthrop’s harbormaster was suspended and his office cleaned out after private investigators allegedly found him accepting money and gifts from marine contractors working for the town. Charles Famolare, Winthrop’s harbormaster for more than a decade, was put on paid administrative leave and faces a termination hearing on Tuesday. Winthrop police Chief David Goldstein said he was aware of the situation, but noted that no criminal charges had been filed.
B) A lobsterman found a body of a heavy set, middle aged man floating in the water off the coast of Plymouth, about three miles east of Gurnet Point Light. Plymouth Harbormaster Tim Routhier and his assistants pulled the body out of water and brought it back to the pier where State Police were waiting to work on the man’s identity. Police said the body was not decomposed and showed no obvious signs of trauma.
C) The Coast Guard rescued four people aboard a storm-ravaged sailboat about 7 miles south of Block Island. The crew of the 45-foot sailboat named Moonshine left East Greenwich, R.I. bound for Puerto Rico when they were caught in this weekend’s snowstorm. Their sails were ripped and their auxiliary motor would not start. The Coast Guard received their epirb signal and tracked their position. A 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Station Point Judith, R.I. and a helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod went to their rescue and towed the boat to Montauk. The seas were 8-12 feet, air temperature was 39 degrees, water temperature was 41 degrees, and there was reduced visibility.
D) The U.S. Coast Guard wants to expand the number of vessels that must carry an automatic identification system on board when transiting any U.S. navigable waterway. Under the new proposal, fishing vessels 65 feet and longer and vessels carrying 50 or more passengers will be added to the list of vessels required to carry an automatic identification system on board. A Coast Guard spokesperson said the proposed changes would improve the Coast Guard’s ability to identify and track vessels and help detect a potential threat. Comments from the public will be accepted by the Coast Guard until April 15, 2009.
E) This report in from the Vendee Globe sailing race, the 24,000 mile nonstop solo around-the-world race that has already seen 12 of the 30 starters drop out. The most recent drop out in the race is British sailor Mike Golding. His carbon fiber 60-foot racing sailboat was in first place until its mast broke and came crashing down. That ended his quest to become the first British sailor to win the French-dominated event. Also this past week, Yann Elies broke his femur bone after being slammed to the deck by a large wave. Elies said he had morphine on board his boat, but was in such pain that he could not move to get to it. Two other competitors in the race are heading his way to rescue him as is an Australian Navy ship. The 24,000-mile Vendee Globe, which starts and finishes every three years in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, is considered the most grueling sailboat race in the world.
F) The New York National Boat Show ends this weekend and so far, attendance is down and buyers are few and far between. Show producer Michael Duffy said attendance was down 25 - 30 percent. Although lower gas prices and lower interest rates might look good for the future, right now the recession is winning with its tight credit, rising unemployment, and stock market losses. New powerboat sales are forecast to drop 30 percent this year, after a 13 percent decline last year. One dealer said, “My customers are not worried about their paycheck. They're worried about their pension.”
G) Six people, including two prominent South Florida charter fishing captains, pled not guilty to federal charges of poaching thousands of lobsters from the waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. According to the indictment, nearly 300 traps were placed in the sanctuary last summer, before Florida's commercial lobster season began. Undercover federal agents in boats followed the dive boats and watched as thousands of lobsters were retrieved from the traps. The feds dubbed the operation Operation Freezer Burn as the lobsters were to be placed in cold storage and sold. During the bust, federal agents seized their boats and tow trucks: a 28-foot Whitewater, a 21-foot Wahoo, an 18-foot Action Craft, a 2004 Ford Excursion, a 2002 Ford pickup, and a 2003 Chevy Suburban. All six defendants could face prison terms if convicted.
H) Even though China just announced a ban on using carbon monoxide in fish, the use of carbon monoxide is still permitted in the United States. Some seafood processors use carbon monoxide to preserve and in some cases enhance a product’s color, to make it looker fresher than what actually is. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires a food company to list CO on the label showing the product's ingredients, however, critics say that policy is rarely enforced.
I) This past week, more boats were captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Pirates on Tuesday seized an Indonesian tug-boat off the coast of Yemen. The tug boat is owned by French oil company. Somali pirates also hijacked two fishing boats in the Gulf of Aden. Somali pirates have enjoyed a bumper 2008, attacking more than 100 ships and receiving an estimated 120 million dollars in ransom money.
J) Millions will watch the crystal ball in New York’s Times Square drop on New Year’s Eve and the numbers 2-0-0-9 light up, but what many do not know is that the 7 foot tall number 9 was delivered to the city by a boat. The 500-pound numeral 9 crossed the Hudson River on a ferry boat and then was delivered by truck to Times Square. Organizers of New York’s New Year’s Eve celebration then added the 9 to the other numbers 2, 0, 0. The numbers will then remain on display for the first two weeks of the new year. The numbers 2-0-0-9 will be powered by batteries charged by people pedaling bicycles. Duracell has set up a “power lodge” in Times Square. It consists of a row of bicycles with generators connected the wheels and to a set of massive batteries.
12/28/08
A) The federal government just announced they will delay the implementation of their recreational saltwater fishermen's licensing program. Instead of starting this January 1st as planned, the federal saltwater recreational fishermen registry will take effect the beginning of 2010. NOAA cited the flood of public comments they received as the reason for the delay. The national registry is intended to serve as a more efficient and effective way for collecting recreational fishing data including its economic value. A federal fishing permit would be good for one year, and would allow recreational fishermen to fish in any state in U.S. waters. The first year would be free, but thereafter, a fee of about $25 per year is planned. Anglers 15 or younger would not be required to register, nor would people who fish only from licensed party or charter boats. The law also exempts saltwater fishermen who register in their own state's licensing plan.
B) Exxon Mobil has agreed to pay a $6.1 million settlement as part of a fine for violating the federal Clean Water Act and for clean up costs to help restore Massachusetts wetlands. Two years ago at an ExxonMobil oil terminal on the Mystic River, a defective valve with a corroded metal bolt allowed approximately 15,000 gallons of diesel oil to leak into the river. The leak continued undetected for at least 12 hours and made its way into Boston Harbor. Officials said this environmental crime should never have happened since the oil company knew the valve was defective and didn't replace it.
C) Eight dolphins stranded on Cape Cod beaches on Christmas Day and another pair came ashore the day after in Wellfleet. The Cape Cod Stranding Network was able to return five of the dolphins back to sea with the hope that they might survive. Nobody knows for sure why the dolphins strand themselves. Some marine biologists believe they do it because of an illness while others say they simply get lost navigating the tidal creeks surrounding Cape Cod.
D) With today's unseasonably warm weather, the Coast Guard is advising any paddlers who found kayaks under their Christmas tree to be cautious and fully aware of the danger of sudden cold-water immersion if they opt for a weekend launch. Any paddler who fails to recognize the risk and isn't properly prepared if things go wrong is in for a disaster. With water temperatures in the 40-degree range, wearing a dry suit or full wet suit and a Coast Guard approved life jacket is the only proper attire. Wearing just a life jacket is not enough and is dangerous, but it is mandatory for paddlers on Massachusetts and Connecticut waters to wear at a minimum, a life jacket, through May 2009.
E) Thousands of farm raised Atlantic salmon escaped into the wild from a Vancouver Island facility in Canada. This was the second escape from a Canadian fish farm in a little more than a year. Every time farm raised fish escape into the wild causes fear amongst fishermen and scientists. Not only do they worry about the spread of disease, they worry about the farm raised fish breeding with the wild fish. If this should happen, the offspring do not know which river to return to spawn, thus ending the cycle of life for the wild fish.
F) A 22-year-old man on a chartered scuba diving boat was found dead at the bottom of the ocean, about 25 miles east of St. Augustine, Florida. According to the Coast Guard, the diver was under water for 45 minutes without air before divers from the commercial dive boat located him. The man was given CPR, but could not be revived.
G) The annual Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania sailing race got underway the day after Christmas, and everything seemed to be going smoothly for the boat in the lead. As the 2 million dollar yacht approached the finish line, the crew expected to pop the champagne bottles, but instead another large pop was heard. The boat struck a submerged object and was sinking. The voyage ended with the captain and crew being rescued from their life raft. The skipper said, "Whales and submerged containers have been known to wreck boats, but this time I think it was more likely a huge sunfish that did the damage."
H) The US Coast Guard is searching for a woman who fell off a cruise ship. The Mexican government was also assisting in the search. The search was centered about 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico. The woman was reported missing from the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl by her husband after she failed to return to their cabin by 5AM. He said he last saw his wife earlier in the evening around 9PM.
I) And last on today's nautical news, anyone want to go on a cruise ship to attend President elect Obama's inauguration? Because airplane tickets and hotel rooms are limited and too expensive with up to as many as 5 million people expected to attend the inauguration, a group of Obama supporters came up with a unique way to travel and stay overnight in style. They are calling it the "Yes We Can 2009 Inauguration Cruise." The group chartered a 500-room cruise ship and is charging $1,000 a person to cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore and then take charter buses to Washington for the inaugural festivities. After the inauguration, passengers return to the ship to cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas. Pretty good deal for a thousand bucks!
Top Nautical Talk Stories of 2008
LOCAL - NEW ENGLAND
1) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the Oceans Act of 2008, making Massachusetts the first in the nation create zoning laws for its coastal waters. A 17 member ocean advisory commission and an ocean science advisory council will help create the zones.
2) For the first time in history, recreational fishermen in New England will need a saltwater fishing license. National Marine Fisheries officials said the license is necessary to improve the collection of fishing data from the 2.5 million recreational fishermen.
3) NOAA released a comprehensive draft management plan and environmental assessment for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary for public review and comment. The new draft plan is a major revision to the sanctuary's original management plan that was published in 1993. The new management plan focuses on what environmentalists consider key issues affecting the sanctuary such as commercial fishing, large vessel traffic, threats to marine mammals, water quality, and invasive species.
4) Local commercial fishermen received $1.3 million in federal aid. The federal aid package was passed by Congress after the Bush administration denied Massachusetts' request to declare the state's fishing industry an economic disaster because of the new stricter fishing regulations
5) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the "abandoned vessel legislation." The new law makes it easier for Massachusetts boat storage yards to seize, auction, or otherwise dispose of boats left behind by deadbeat boat owners.
6) Island Creek Oysters was the overall winner of the Invitational Oyster Tasting Event in Providence, topping a field of 19 "Eastern oyster" varieties. The victory gives the company the right to boast that they have the best oysters in America.
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
1) Biggest news of the year is the economy. New boat sales dropped, manufacturers closed their factories and laid off 1000s of workers. Boats were repossessed. Prices for lobsters also dropped due to lower consumer confidence. Seafood dealers said the credit crisis forced major seafood processors to go out of business. The only good news is the drop in the price of gas.
2) Dozens of ships hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The super tanker Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked, was seized. The tanker was fully loaded with 2 million barrels of oil, worth around $100 million. Its crew of 25 is still being held as hostages by the pirates.
3) The Alaska Ranger, a Seattle based factory ship working in Alaska with a crew of 46 on board, sank. Five men including the captain, a former Weymouth, Massachusetts resident, were killed. The captain was said to be the bravest of them all, helping everybody else off the ship, while constantly using the marine radio on the ship, calling for help.
4) With just 39 days left in office, President Bush weakened the Endangered Species Act by no longer requiring Fish and Wildlife Service scientists to review federally approved logging, mining, and road-building projects. Now those reviews will be conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers or the Federal Highway Administration. Environmentalists and congressional Democrats say these agencies usually want the projects moved along despite concerns about endangered species.
5) The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the U.S. Navy instead of the whales and dolphins. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that U.S. national security interests trumped the lives of marine mammals and that the Navy could continue with their use of SONAR. Environmentalists from the group known as the Environmental Defense Fund claimed that the Navy's use of sonar hurt and/or killed the whales and dolphins.
6) The Senator whose name is half of the nation's fisheries management act, Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska, was convicted in a federal court on charges of corruption. Stevens is the co-author of the Magnuson-Stevens act. The 84 year old senator didn't disclose more than $250,000 worth of gifts and services he received from an Alaskan oil services corporation.
7) Fish fraud is on the increase in the United States. The substitution of one type of fish for another, the mislabeling of a fish calling it wild when it's farm raised, and falsifying the weight of the fish are all examples of fish fraud.
8) "Semi-submersibles" with the same characteristics as military submarines, are the latest tools for smugglers. This past year, the Coast Guard encountered at least 27 semi-submersibles, some as long as 80 feet, carrying drugs headed toward United States. Far more are believed to have gone undetected.
9) The Miami charter boat named Joe Cool. Two men chartered the boat for a day of fishing, and when aboard the boat, ordered the captain to take them to Cuba. The captain refused, so the two shot him, and then killed the other three crewmembers. Both were arrested and convicted of murder, but one of them had his conviction overturned and is now awaiting a new trial.
10) A Houston man became the 15th diver to die exploring the wreck of the ocean liner Andrea Doria. Terry DeWolf, 38 years old, who paid a New Jersey dive boat to take him to the wreck, failed to surface. He was eventually found on the bottom near the wreck by other divers aboard the dive boat named John Jack. The Andrea Doria lies on its side in 250 feet of water 40 miles south of Nantucket. The wreck is considered the Mount Everest for advanced shipwreck divers.
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